Pre-game estimates of the worldwide television audience for last night's Superbowl broadcast were in the range of about 190 million with a US audience expected to be at least as big as last year's 114 million. We'll find out this week but I expect that the ratings will prove to have slipped a little as the game was not especially compelling throughout and the final few minutes provided little drama as the Broncos relatively easily closed out the third Superbowl win in franchise history.
While the Superbowl remains the largest annual television event in the US, its worldwide audience is dwarfed by the summer Olympics and by the FIFA World Cup. The IOC estimated that 3.6 billion viewers watched at least one minute of the London games in 2012 and FIFA says that its 2014 World Cup tournament reached 3.2 billion viewers around the world. In terms of non-sporting events, Princess Diana's 1997 funeral drew about 2.5 billion viewers.
The game last night came down to two plays, both involving the Broncos Von Miller and Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Miller forced Newton to fumble on each play deep in his own end and the Broncos converted both turnovers into touchdowns which together represented the 14 point margin of victory. Was the Denver defence just really good last night or did Cam Newton have his worst game of the year? I'd say both. We've always heard that defence wins championships but I had predicted that Carolina's offence would find a way to run over the league's number one ranked defence. I was obviously wrong.
I hope that Bills coach Rex Ryan was watching carefully and that the game will motivate him and his twin brother Rob to restore the Bills defence to something closer to its 2014 form. I also hope that the team can sign its linebacker (and my namesake), Nigel Bradham, to a new contract now that he is a free agent. If he signs a long term deal in Buffalo, I hereby undertake to purchase his game jersey. He's probably headed elsewhere, thereby saving me about $150 USD.
So, another NFL season is in the books. And just in time maybe as the Commissioner Roger Goodell spent as much time talking down growing concerns about concussions and their long term effects on players as he did about the continued competitive and financial success of the league. The latest serving of bad news in this regard is related to Oakland Raider great Ken Stabler, who died last year of complications related to colon cancer. Last week, just in time for the final few days of Superbowl hype, it was announced that his brain was found to have advanced CTE, the much-feared degenerative disease caused by repeated concussions. Goodell continues to tell us that player safety is of paramount importance to the league as evidenced by recent rule changes, equipment innovations and its ever-improving concussion "protocol". He claims that the game has never been safer for players but this obviously ignores the fact that the basic nature of the game is inherently dangerous and that can not and will not change. In his "state of the league" press conference last week, Goodell went so far as to directly encourage more participation in junior football programs as football builds character and teaches teamwork and discipline. While youth participation in all organized team sports is down across the US over the last decade or so, football has seen an 18% drop in participation as more parents are steering their kids clear of what they know is a dangerous game. The families of Mike Webster, Dave Duerson, Junior Seau and many others can surely relate,
But the NFL will endure - at least for the time being. Fans will now turn their attention to the off-season rituals of the scouting combine, free agency, the draft, spring OTAs and then, by the end of July, training camps will open and the 2016 season will get underway after Labour Day. I know I'll be there.
Commentary on the Buffalo Bills, politics and whatever else is on my mind
Monday, 8 February 2016
Monday, 4 January 2016
Bills 22, Jets 17
I was really still feeling quite relaxed after the Jets closed the gap to 19-17 in yesterday's final game of the season in Orchard Park. That was for two reasons: first, the Bills would end the season at either 7-9 if they had lost or at 8-8 had they won but out of the playoffs for a 16th consecutive season either way and with a higher draft position to be gained by closing the season out with a loss. The other reason was that the Jets, who were in a "win and in" situation, were quarterbacked by one Ryan Fitzpatrick with whom Bills fans were very familiar. The Harvard gunslinger has had an impressive season with the Jets and he had also put in an impressive performance for much of the game yesterday too. But I was highly confident that he would, when the game was on the line, force a pass into double coverage or otherwise find a way to throw a game-changing interception at a critical time. He did just that yesterday - twice actually - first to end a drive which would have given the Jets lead with a either a field goal or a touchdown and then, on the next drive, to seal the game and keep his team out of the playoffs. Steeler nation was likely not quite as relaxed as I was but things worked out for them thanks to the hapless Cleveland Browns, the Bills effort yesterday and to Fitzpatrick. He plays a high risk style which seems to pay-off when the stakes are low but always turns disastrous when it really matters. He was suitably distraught after the game and I felt for him.
So, at 8-8, another Bills season of mediocrity has ended. Another season with two home games played after the playoffs were officially out of reach negatively impacted my season ticket investment once again. But this is not another end-of-season where the fan base wonders whether the GM and/or the coach will be fired (like in Cleveland) as co-owner Terry Pegula said last week that both GM Doug Whaley and Rex Ryan would be back next season. It's the right decision but I hope that he demands some changes on the defensive side of the ball which performed surprisingly poorly. Gone will be Mario Williams who seems to have lost a step and spent much of the season complaining about schemes and late play calls. Also gone will be his $16 million salary and cap hit which could come in handy when the team tries to re-sign free agent linebacker Nigel Bradham. Roster spots are valuable so maybe its time to draft a kicker who can make field goals and converts and deliver deep kick-offs as the Bills are the only NFL team to carry a kick-off specialist. Dan Carpenter had his problems with the league's new 32 yard converts this season, including missing another one yesterday.
Over the holidays, we watched some of the sports docu-drama about the Bills 4 consecutive Superbowl losses, called "The Four Falls of Buffalo". Bruce Smith and Thurman Thomas were seated on a couch watching footage from the 4 games and re-living the pain of losing each of them. Aside from the missed field goal in Tampa, Thomas's fumble early in the second half of the January, 1994 game against Dallas was probably the most deflating moment in any of the 4 games. The film included much discussion of the damage to the psyche of the team and its fan base after losing 4 straight championship games with some wondering if it was actually worse to get to the big game that many times, only to lose each one, than it would have been not to go at all. I reject this completely. As tough as it was, I look at it this way: the very best result that an NFL team can aspire to each season is to win the Superbowl. Only one team can do this but, surely, the next best result would be to lose the Superbowl. Would I have wished that the Bills had lost one or more of the AFC Championship games they won to spare me the pain of a Superbowl loss? No. The lead-up to the big game and the chance to finally win one (as the losses from previous years piled up) was well worth it. The only regret I have is that the Superbowl parties I hosted over those years generally took on a less-than-festive tone as the games became out of reach. Attendance suffered and, by the 4th one, I watched alone. After 16 seasons out of the playoffs, losing a Superbowl probably sounds like a fantasy Bills fans would be overjoyed to experience.
I spent a week in Muskoka over the holidays and, although the snow coverage was good and the skiing was decent by the middle of last week, the lake, as of Sunday morning, remained open (although with a minus 20 night last night, it may well be frozen as I write this on Monday morning in north Toronto). It seemed surreal to be hanging up our ski boots while watching the waves lap against the dock. The sheltered bays were covered with a layer of ice just thick enough to support a 42 pound dog who (probably unknowingly) risked her life multiple times by venturing out on it. Next time we go up, I hope we can stop worrying about that.
The NFL playoffs begin on the weekend. The two AFC road teams, Kansas City and Pittsburgh will likely be favoured when they travel to Houston and Cincinnati respectively. My dark horse team this year? Minnesota. I may post during the playoffs and/or the Superbowl. In the meantime, enjoy the winter.
So, at 8-8, another Bills season of mediocrity has ended. Another season with two home games played after the playoffs were officially out of reach negatively impacted my season ticket investment once again. But this is not another end-of-season where the fan base wonders whether the GM and/or the coach will be fired (like in Cleveland) as co-owner Terry Pegula said last week that both GM Doug Whaley and Rex Ryan would be back next season. It's the right decision but I hope that he demands some changes on the defensive side of the ball which performed surprisingly poorly. Gone will be Mario Williams who seems to have lost a step and spent much of the season complaining about schemes and late play calls. Also gone will be his $16 million salary and cap hit which could come in handy when the team tries to re-sign free agent linebacker Nigel Bradham. Roster spots are valuable so maybe its time to draft a kicker who can make field goals and converts and deliver deep kick-offs as the Bills are the only NFL team to carry a kick-off specialist. Dan Carpenter had his problems with the league's new 32 yard converts this season, including missing another one yesterday.
Over the holidays, we watched some of the sports docu-drama about the Bills 4 consecutive Superbowl losses, called "The Four Falls of Buffalo". Bruce Smith and Thurman Thomas were seated on a couch watching footage from the 4 games and re-living the pain of losing each of them. Aside from the missed field goal in Tampa, Thomas's fumble early in the second half of the January, 1994 game against Dallas was probably the most deflating moment in any of the 4 games. The film included much discussion of the damage to the psyche of the team and its fan base after losing 4 straight championship games with some wondering if it was actually worse to get to the big game that many times, only to lose each one, than it would have been not to go at all. I reject this completely. As tough as it was, I look at it this way: the very best result that an NFL team can aspire to each season is to win the Superbowl. Only one team can do this but, surely, the next best result would be to lose the Superbowl. Would I have wished that the Bills had lost one or more of the AFC Championship games they won to spare me the pain of a Superbowl loss? No. The lead-up to the big game and the chance to finally win one (as the losses from previous years piled up) was well worth it. The only regret I have is that the Superbowl parties I hosted over those years generally took on a less-than-festive tone as the games became out of reach. Attendance suffered and, by the 4th one, I watched alone. After 16 seasons out of the playoffs, losing a Superbowl probably sounds like a fantasy Bills fans would be overjoyed to experience.
I spent a week in Muskoka over the holidays and, although the snow coverage was good and the skiing was decent by the middle of last week, the lake, as of Sunday morning, remained open (although with a minus 20 night last night, it may well be frozen as I write this on Monday morning in north Toronto). It seemed surreal to be hanging up our ski boots while watching the waves lap against the dock. The sheltered bays were covered with a layer of ice just thick enough to support a 42 pound dog who (probably unknowingly) risked her life multiple times by venturing out on it. Next time we go up, I hope we can stop worrying about that.
The NFL playoffs begin on the weekend. The two AFC road teams, Kansas City and Pittsburgh will likely be favoured when they travel to Houston and Cincinnati respectively. My dark horse team this year? Minnesota. I may post during the playoffs and/or the Superbowl. In the meantime, enjoy the winter.
Monday, 28 December 2015
Bills 16, Cowboys 6
I've always been fascinated with the US college football bowl games which run throughout the holiday season. With the exception of the featured games on New Year's Day and the national semi-finals games on New Year's Eve, the names, the sponsors, the teams and the places the games are played are constantly changing. This year saw the Cure Bowl, Bahamas Bowl, Heart of Dallas Bowl, Quick Lane Bowl and, the best name for a new bowl game, the Potato Bowl which was played in Boise, Idaho and won by the University of Akron Zips over the Utah State University Aggies, 23-21. The Sun Bowl, played for many years in El Paso, Texas, featured a mix of rain and sleet which changed to wet snow as the Washington State Cougars outlasted the University of Miami Hurricanes 20-14.
After watching football for several decades, a certain play which I had long wondered about finally happened. It was in the Pinstripe Bowl, played at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Duke Blue Devils on Boxing Day, which went to overtime. Duke lost the overtime coin toss and were up first from the Indiana 25 yard line. Their possession sputtered and they kicked a field goal. Indiana could have then won the game with a touchdown but also settled for a field goal try of their own to extend the game to another overtime possession. The kick was long enough but, as viewed from several camera angles, it sailed directly over the top of the right goal post - by about three feet. The two referees, one standing under each goal post, ruled the kick as no good. I'm not sure that it was the wrong call but Indiana kicker Griffin Oakes was convinced that the kick was good and demanded a replay review which confirmed the ruling on the field and ended the game. I have long believed that the goal posts in football are simply not high enough and the evidence from the Pinstripe Bowl clearly supports this view. I'm amazed that this has not happened before. I have seen many kicks which reach higher that the goal posts but obviously fly either between or outside them but this is the first time I've seen one fly directly above one of them without being clearly inside or out. I felt for the kicker and his team who deserved a better fate - in the form of certainty about the result - than they got.
This is the second year of the college football playoff system where 4 teams are given berths in the two semi-final games played to be played on Thursday. Oklahoma will play Clemson at 4pm in the Capital One Orange Bowl and Michigan State will face Alabama in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at 8pm. The winners will play in the National Championship Game on Monday January 11th. I would like to see the playoff format expanded to 8 teams with play over 3 weeks and with the two semi-final games taking place on New Year's Day. They are now played the day before in order to protect the tradition of Rose Bowl and, to a lesser extent, the Sugar Bowl and the huge TV money these games generate. Why not make the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl the two semi-final games? Tradition changes slowly.
On to the Who Cares Bowl, played yesterday in the steady rain in Orchard Park between the Bills and the Dallas Cowboys. The game should have been played on a warm August evening because the line-ups fielded by the two teams looked very much like what we would see in the 4th and final pre-season game. To their credit, the teams played hard and the Bills played well enough to win. I was keeping an eye on the Falcons/Panthers and the Jets/ Patriots. The Jets close out the regular season next week at Orchard Park in a huge game for them. I'm happy for Ryan Fitzpatrick who has played extremely well this season. The Harvard graduate is a good and decent guy who has fashioned a solid career for himself, transitioning most years from back-up to starter. Happy New Year.
After watching football for several decades, a certain play which I had long wondered about finally happened. It was in the Pinstripe Bowl, played at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Duke Blue Devils on Boxing Day, which went to overtime. Duke lost the overtime coin toss and were up first from the Indiana 25 yard line. Their possession sputtered and they kicked a field goal. Indiana could have then won the game with a touchdown but also settled for a field goal try of their own to extend the game to another overtime possession. The kick was long enough but, as viewed from several camera angles, it sailed directly over the top of the right goal post - by about three feet. The two referees, one standing under each goal post, ruled the kick as no good. I'm not sure that it was the wrong call but Indiana kicker Griffin Oakes was convinced that the kick was good and demanded a replay review which confirmed the ruling on the field and ended the game. I have long believed that the goal posts in football are simply not high enough and the evidence from the Pinstripe Bowl clearly supports this view. I'm amazed that this has not happened before. I have seen many kicks which reach higher that the goal posts but obviously fly either between or outside them but this is the first time I've seen one fly directly above one of them without being clearly inside or out. I felt for the kicker and his team who deserved a better fate - in the form of certainty about the result - than they got.
This is the second year of the college football playoff system where 4 teams are given berths in the two semi-final games played to be played on Thursday. Oklahoma will play Clemson at 4pm in the Capital One Orange Bowl and Michigan State will face Alabama in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at 8pm. The winners will play in the National Championship Game on Monday January 11th. I would like to see the playoff format expanded to 8 teams with play over 3 weeks and with the two semi-final games taking place on New Year's Day. They are now played the day before in order to protect the tradition of Rose Bowl and, to a lesser extent, the Sugar Bowl and the huge TV money these games generate. Why not make the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl the two semi-final games? Tradition changes slowly.
On to the Who Cares Bowl, played yesterday in the steady rain in Orchard Park between the Bills and the Dallas Cowboys. The game should have been played on a warm August evening because the line-ups fielded by the two teams looked very much like what we would see in the 4th and final pre-season game. To their credit, the teams played hard and the Bills played well enough to win. I was keeping an eye on the Falcons/Panthers and the Jets/ Patriots. The Jets close out the regular season next week at Orchard Park in a huge game for them. I'm happy for Ryan Fitzpatrick who has played extremely well this season. The Harvard graduate is a good and decent guy who has fashioned a solid career for himself, transitioning most years from back-up to starter. Happy New Year.
Monday, 21 December 2015
Redskins 35, Bills 25
Rex Ryan was feeling the heat at his post-game press conference yesterday in Landover, Maryland. He said that changes were coming to his team which was officially eliminated from the NFL playoffs after a disheartening loss to the Washington Redskins. Ryan was asked if some of the changes might come in connection with a report last week that Bills GM Doug Whaley had expressed his displeasure with some of the team's assistant coaches. Ryan dismissed the report but his terse response and body language said (to me at least) that all is not well between the Bills front office and the coaching staff. Whaley has been disappointed, according to the report, with offensive coordinator Greg Roman's heavy emphasis on the run game which leaves star wide receiver Sammy Watkins as a spectator on far too many plays. Whaley has a particular interest in seeing Watkins live up to the price the team paid to get him in the 2014 draft by trading its first round pick this year to grab him at number four overall - a move orchestrated by Whaley himself. Watkins has been very good through his first two seasons but not good enough to justify his price.
The problem is that Whaley was already the GM when Doug Marrone mysteriously resigned at the end of last season and Ryan was hired as head coach by team owners Terry and Kim Pegula. Ryan then brought in Roman, known for his emphasis on the running game, as offensive coordinator. Whaley then traded for running back LeSean McCoy but now apparently wishes that the team had thrown the ball to Watkins more than it has. If I were Whaley, my questions would be directed much more to the coaches on defensive side of the ball. Ryan and his hand-picked defensive coaches have steered the Bills defence to a league ranking of 20th going into yesterday's game. Last year, with an almost identical defensive line-up but different coaches, the Bills defence finished the season ranked number four in the league. I would much rather hear Ryan's explanation about that than about play selection on offense.
Before the NFL schedule was released in April, and knowing that the Dallas Cowboys were scheduled to make their once-every-eight-years trip to Orchard Park in 2015, I was quite certain that the league would schedule the game on a Monday night in the first half of the season in a effort to replicate the thrilling 2007 game, still seen as one of the best games played in Buffalo in the last 20 years. But, no, the game was scheduled for two days after Christmas. So, here it is: Up next, the 4-10 Cowboys, minus Tony Romo who is on injured reserve and out for the season, will take on the 6-8 Bills with the teams relative 2016 draft positions the only matters still to be decided.
OPP Sergeant and communications "officer" Kerry Schmidt was on the radio this morning providing some statistics on this year's RIDE program. Almost 500 drivers have been charged with impaired driving in Ontario so far this holiday season (and we're still 5 days away from Christmas), including 95 this past weekend. It seems like drunk driving is making a comeback but there is another very disturbing trend this year: drivers attempting to flee RIDE check points. In December alone, there have been at least three reported incidents of this in Ontario (Whitby, Guelph and London). A 24 year old female pedestrian was killed by one of these fleeing drivers and the others have ended up crashing their vehicles while being chased. I guess alcohol clouds judgment but I am still fascinated that someone would decide to try to flee from police in any circumstances at all. The ironic and tragic thing about these stories is that, unless the driver is killed in a crash, they always end up getting caught, they are often injured, their vehicles are usually written-off, they are charged with flight from police and charged with other Highway Traffic Act offenses like wreckless driving. To cap it all off, and in the ultimate of ironies, they are also charged (I assume) with impaired driving. Happy Holidays.
The problem is that Whaley was already the GM when Doug Marrone mysteriously resigned at the end of last season and Ryan was hired as head coach by team owners Terry and Kim Pegula. Ryan then brought in Roman, known for his emphasis on the running game, as offensive coordinator. Whaley then traded for running back LeSean McCoy but now apparently wishes that the team had thrown the ball to Watkins more than it has. If I were Whaley, my questions would be directed much more to the coaches on defensive side of the ball. Ryan and his hand-picked defensive coaches have steered the Bills defence to a league ranking of 20th going into yesterday's game. Last year, with an almost identical defensive line-up but different coaches, the Bills defence finished the season ranked number four in the league. I would much rather hear Ryan's explanation about that than about play selection on offense.
Before the NFL schedule was released in April, and knowing that the Dallas Cowboys were scheduled to make their once-every-eight-years trip to Orchard Park in 2015, I was quite certain that the league would schedule the game on a Monday night in the first half of the season in a effort to replicate the thrilling 2007 game, still seen as one of the best games played in Buffalo in the last 20 years. But, no, the game was scheduled for two days after Christmas. So, here it is: Up next, the 4-10 Cowboys, minus Tony Romo who is on injured reserve and out for the season, will take on the 6-8 Bills with the teams relative 2016 draft positions the only matters still to be decided.
OPP Sergeant and communications "officer" Kerry Schmidt was on the radio this morning providing some statistics on this year's RIDE program. Almost 500 drivers have been charged with impaired driving in Ontario so far this holiday season (and we're still 5 days away from Christmas), including 95 this past weekend. It seems like drunk driving is making a comeback but there is another very disturbing trend this year: drivers attempting to flee RIDE check points. In December alone, there have been at least three reported incidents of this in Ontario (Whitby, Guelph and London). A 24 year old female pedestrian was killed by one of these fleeing drivers and the others have ended up crashing their vehicles while being chased. I guess alcohol clouds judgment but I am still fascinated that someone would decide to try to flee from police in any circumstances at all. The ironic and tragic thing about these stories is that, unless the driver is killed in a crash, they always end up getting caught, they are often injured, their vehicles are usually written-off, they are charged with flight from police and charged with other Highway Traffic Act offenses like wreckless driving. To cap it all off, and in the ultimate of ironies, they are also charged (I assume) with impaired driving. Happy Holidays.
Monday, 14 December 2015
Eagles 23, Bills 20
When the Philadelphia Eagles worked out a deal to trade running back LeSean McCoy to the Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso on March 9th of this year, the two teams apparently decided not to inform either of the players involved until the trade was approved by the league, which it was the following day. According to Eagles coach Chip Kelly, who tried to set the record straight on this last week, the problem with the plan was that word of the trade was leaked before league approval was obtained and McCoy learned of it through his agent (who had heard through his own sources) and not through anyone in the Eagles organization. This upset him and understandably so. Kelly expressed regret that he did not handle the situation differently by informing McCoy himself as he says is his usual practice in these situations. After all, McCoy had established himself as one of the premier running backs in the NFL over the course of six seasons with the Eagles who drafted him 53rd overall in the second round of the 2009 draft from the Pittsburgh Panthers. The explanation of a leak between the time that the deal was made and league approval was given - as the reason why McCoy wasn't informed of the trade by the team - does seem plausible but perhaps should have been provided more publicly at the time and not nine months later. Kelly also explained last week that the trade was made for financial and salary cap reasons as McCoy was to have represented more than an $11 million cap hit for the Eagles in 2015 while Alonzo's cap hit was only $700,000. Kelly is also very familiar with Kiko Alonso, having coached him for four seasons at Oregon. After describing his perspective on the trade last week, Kelly also said that he would like to try to repair the relationship and offered to shake McCoy's hand before the game.
McCoy's explanation of the reason why he was traded by the Eagles, which he offered immediately after the trade was made, was considerably different that Kelly's. McCoy explained that Kelly didn't respect the league's star players and that he had at least some racial motivation in trading him for a white linebacker. This I find to be a much less plausible story than Kelly's. As the "revenge" game approached, McCoy was asked about Kelly's comments but declined to change his story and stated that would not shake Kelly's hand on Sunday and wanted nothing to do with him. This story became the main backdrop for yesterday's game. While I can certainly understand McCoy's bitterness not only at being traded but also (and likely more so) by the way he learned of it, his suggestion that any NFL coach in 2015 makes player personnel decisions based on whether players are white or black simply isn't credible. But, he was clearly motivated to play well yesterday for a variety of reasons.
McCoy was clearly hoping to have a big game against his former team and what he had was a decent game with 74 yards rushing on 20 carries and another 35 receiving yards on 4 catches, but the main story from yesterday's game was the 15 penalties called against the Bills, most of them on offensive and defensive linemen. The Eagles defensive line had a strong game - too strong for the Bills offensive line who took several holding penalties to protect their quarterback. On the other side of the ball, the defensive line jumped offside repeatedly on Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford's hard counts. Now at 6-7, while not mathematically eliminated, the Bills find themselves out of the playoff picture this morning. This will be the 16th consecutive season with no playoffs, the longest current stretch in the league.
Donald Trump continued to make news last week as he called for a moratorium on Muslim immigration to the US. Finally, the leadership of the GOP responded with a rebuke of this idea and Trump then hinted that he could still consider a presidential run as an independent candidate next year if he is not successful in securing the nomination. This would surely bode well for the Clinton campaign and be disastrous for the Republican Party. It would also serve to clearly quantify just how popular Trump's ideology is, mostly among uneducated white males. However it plays out, political culture in the US will become even more divided than it already is.
McCoy's explanation of the reason why he was traded by the Eagles, which he offered immediately after the trade was made, was considerably different that Kelly's. McCoy explained that Kelly didn't respect the league's star players and that he had at least some racial motivation in trading him for a white linebacker. This I find to be a much less plausible story than Kelly's. As the "revenge" game approached, McCoy was asked about Kelly's comments but declined to change his story and stated that would not shake Kelly's hand on Sunday and wanted nothing to do with him. This story became the main backdrop for yesterday's game. While I can certainly understand McCoy's bitterness not only at being traded but also (and likely more so) by the way he learned of it, his suggestion that any NFL coach in 2015 makes player personnel decisions based on whether players are white or black simply isn't credible. But, he was clearly motivated to play well yesterday for a variety of reasons.
McCoy was clearly hoping to have a big game against his former team and what he had was a decent game with 74 yards rushing on 20 carries and another 35 receiving yards on 4 catches, but the main story from yesterday's game was the 15 penalties called against the Bills, most of them on offensive and defensive linemen. The Eagles defensive line had a strong game - too strong for the Bills offensive line who took several holding penalties to protect their quarterback. On the other side of the ball, the defensive line jumped offside repeatedly on Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford's hard counts. Now at 6-7, while not mathematically eliminated, the Bills find themselves out of the playoff picture this morning. This will be the 16th consecutive season with no playoffs, the longest current stretch in the league.
Donald Trump continued to make news last week as he called for a moratorium on Muslim immigration to the US. Finally, the leadership of the GOP responded with a rebuke of this idea and Trump then hinted that he could still consider a presidential run as an independent candidate next year if he is not successful in securing the nomination. This would surely bode well for the Clinton campaign and be disastrous for the Republican Party. It would also serve to clearly quantify just how popular Trump's ideology is, mostly among uneducated white males. However it plays out, political culture in the US will become even more divided than it already is.
Monday, 7 December 2015
Bills 30, Texans 21
Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, the fifth year man out of Virginia Tech, has not thrown an interception in five consecutive games now - a new team record. And, looking at his body of work through the ten games he's started this season, his natural instinct to maintain attention to ball security has enabled him to consistently manage to avoid disastrous plays. Many a young and mobile quarterback in the NFL has suffered from a tendency to self-destruct in their first season or two before learning to protect the ball as it should be protected. I honestly think that spending four entire seasons as Joe Flacco's back-up (and never registering a regular season or playoff start) seasoned him to the point that when he did get his chance to be a franchise quarterback this season in Buffalo, he was truly ready. He's really played very well all season, including in yesterday's match-up with the Texans, winners of four straight coming into the game. In fact, both teams protected the ball yesterday as there were no turnovers by either team, until the game's very last play when Marcus Easley intercepted Brian Hoyer's pass in the end zone.
LeSean McCoy rushed for over 100 yards, Sammy Watkins caught three balls for over 100 yards and a touchdown and Taylor finished 11 for 21 with three touchdowns - just the kind of stats Greg Roman would have been hoping for as he drew up the game plan. When Rex Ryan hired Roman to be the team's offensive coordinator, he said that their offensive approach would emphasize the run over the pass. The Bills ran the ball 36 times yesterday and passed 21 times in their 57 plays from scrimmage.
So, at the three-quarter mark of the season, the Bills have posted a perfectly symmetrical record, now being 3-3 at home and 3-3 on the road with four games to go. The next three games come against NFC East teams: At Philadelphia next week, at Washington the following week and then home to the Cowboys two days after Christmas. The Jets visit on January 3rd to close out the regular season. With yesterday's win, the Bills remain squarely in the wildcard hunt, now with the same record as the Texans but holding the all-important tie breaker against them. A 10-6 record will very likely be enough to earn a post-season spot.
The New York Times published an editorial on its front page this past weekend, the first time it has done so since the 1920s. It wasn't exactly a revelation that the Times supports some measure of stricter gun control and the paper's publishers surely knew that the editorial would probably serve to strengthen the resolve of the NRA types so dedicated to closing down any debate at all on what they see as the spirit of the sacred Second Amendment. But, as long as the gun lobby helps to fund most Republican Congressional campaigns and as long as the Republicans control Congress (which they will at least for another year), then no action will be taken. The argument against any move toward tighter gun safety is the "slippery slope" theory which says that, while it is possible that any individual restriction, such as not allowing those on the terrorist "no fly" list to purchase firearms, may sound reasonable in isolation, it would represent the first step in a march toward the federal government taking away the guns of citizens. The other argument I've heard is that bad people will always be able to get guns if they want them. This was also the basis of the main objection to the now scrapped Canadian long gun registry. If we look at jurisdictions like the U.K. and Japan which have very restrictive gun ownership laws, these countries see gun deaths which are orders of magnitude lower than in the US. The San Bernardino couple who killed 14 people last week had an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons and ammunition in their home - all of which were legally purchased. As David Frum said last week, the NRA has established conditions where not only nothing can be done about this, but nothing can be said either.
LeSean McCoy rushed for over 100 yards, Sammy Watkins caught three balls for over 100 yards and a touchdown and Taylor finished 11 for 21 with three touchdowns - just the kind of stats Greg Roman would have been hoping for as he drew up the game plan. When Rex Ryan hired Roman to be the team's offensive coordinator, he said that their offensive approach would emphasize the run over the pass. The Bills ran the ball 36 times yesterday and passed 21 times in their 57 plays from scrimmage.
So, at the three-quarter mark of the season, the Bills have posted a perfectly symmetrical record, now being 3-3 at home and 3-3 on the road with four games to go. The next three games come against NFC East teams: At Philadelphia next week, at Washington the following week and then home to the Cowboys two days after Christmas. The Jets visit on January 3rd to close out the regular season. With yesterday's win, the Bills remain squarely in the wildcard hunt, now with the same record as the Texans but holding the all-important tie breaker against them. A 10-6 record will very likely be enough to earn a post-season spot.
The New York Times published an editorial on its front page this past weekend, the first time it has done so since the 1920s. It wasn't exactly a revelation that the Times supports some measure of stricter gun control and the paper's publishers surely knew that the editorial would probably serve to strengthen the resolve of the NRA types so dedicated to closing down any debate at all on what they see as the spirit of the sacred Second Amendment. But, as long as the gun lobby helps to fund most Republican Congressional campaigns and as long as the Republicans control Congress (which they will at least for another year), then no action will be taken. The argument against any move toward tighter gun safety is the "slippery slope" theory which says that, while it is possible that any individual restriction, such as not allowing those on the terrorist "no fly" list to purchase firearms, may sound reasonable in isolation, it would represent the first step in a march toward the federal government taking away the guns of citizens. The other argument I've heard is that bad people will always be able to get guns if they want them. This was also the basis of the main objection to the now scrapped Canadian long gun registry. If we look at jurisdictions like the U.K. and Japan which have very restrictive gun ownership laws, these countries see gun deaths which are orders of magnitude lower than in the US. The San Bernardino couple who killed 14 people last week had an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons and ammunition in their home - all of which were legally purchased. As David Frum said last week, the NRA has established conditions where not only nothing can be done about this, but nothing can be said either.
Monday, 30 November 2015
Chiefs 30, Bills 22
CFL Commissioner Jeffrey Orridge unveiled the new Canadian Football League logo at his "State of the League" address on Friday, two days before the league's signature event, the 103rd Grey Cup. The league has now had four different logos since the 1950s and Mr. Orridge hopes that this latest one will help build a new generation of Canadian football fans. The league always seems to put on a good show for the Grey Cup, as it certainly did yesterday, despite the viability of the league appearing at times to be hanging from a thread. It isn't now and I hope that it can continue on for a long time because I like it.
Being a resident of Toronto and an NFL season ticket holder, people assume that I am not a fan of the CFL. Far from it. I can remember very clearly when the Argonauts won the Grey Cup in 1983 in Vancouver, led by back-up quarterback Joe Barnes, running back Cedric Minter and receiver Terry Greer. It was the team's first Cup win since 1952 (hard to believe in a nine or eight team league) and it felt like a big deal at the time. The 1983 Argos season featured big crowds at Exhibition Stadium who rushed the field after each home win. 55,000+ filled the stadium for the Eastern Final against Hamilton, a game won by the Argos on a highly questionable pass interference call against the Ti-Cats. I watched the game in a packed sports bar in London, Ontario.
In November of 1994, I attended an Edmonton Eskimos game at Commonwealth Stadium with my uncle Dave who was a long-time Eskimo season ticket holder. The opponent was the Las Vegas Posse. The game was scheduled to be a home game for the Posse but was moved to Edmonton due, presumably, to a lack of interest and ticket sales in Las Vegas. I think the Eskimos won the game and, later that month, the Grey Cup was won by the BC Lions over the Baltimore Stallions. Baltimore would win the Cup the following year, marking the only time that a non-Canadian team won the CFL championship. The league has obviously been willing to try new strategies to remain viable.
Stephen Brunt was pontificating on the FAN last week about the CFL's problems in Canada's largest city. Argos attendance at the Rogers Centre has been weak for many years and the team receives little coverage in the Toronto media, compared to that given to the Leafs, Blue Jays and Raptors. Brunt observed that on local sports radio call-in shows, the subject of the Argos and the CFL does come up from time to time but he also recalled that it has been literally years since any caller wanted to ask or comment about the team's quarterback, defensive game-planning or needs in the draft. Rather, calls are about the viability of the team, the shortcomings of the stadium or ownership issues. The team has now played its last game at the dome and will make an expanded BMO Field its home beginning in 2016. Capacity for football will be about 30,000. Brunt suggested that, despite the expected lift from the novelty of a new home, that number may be a bit big for the current Toronto CFL appetite. The recent success of the Montreal Allouettes can be attributed to a "scarcity" of tickets in a 20,000 seat stadium which has led to consistent sell-outs. I am happy not to see another football game in the dome which feels cavernously empty even with 35,000 inside. Will I buy a ticket to an Argos game at BMO Field next season? Perhaps I will. Jeffrey Orridge needs me to and he also needs to sell the game to a much younger generation than I represent. I wish him success with that.
As for the Bills, it feels like the season is slowly but surely slipping away. Rex Ryan apparently said that his staff in the booth did not have a good view of Chris Hogan's catch in the 4th quarter which was ruled incomplete. It was clearly a catch and would have been reversed on a challenge, keeping the Bills drive alive. They would have needed a touchdown and a two point conversion to tie. Now, at 5-6, the playoffs are still a possibility with the Houston Texans coming to Orchard Park on Sunday. Amazingly enough, my tickets are still available.
Being a resident of Toronto and an NFL season ticket holder, people assume that I am not a fan of the CFL. Far from it. I can remember very clearly when the Argonauts won the Grey Cup in 1983 in Vancouver, led by back-up quarterback Joe Barnes, running back Cedric Minter and receiver Terry Greer. It was the team's first Cup win since 1952 (hard to believe in a nine or eight team league) and it felt like a big deal at the time. The 1983 Argos season featured big crowds at Exhibition Stadium who rushed the field after each home win. 55,000+ filled the stadium for the Eastern Final against Hamilton, a game won by the Argos on a highly questionable pass interference call against the Ti-Cats. I watched the game in a packed sports bar in London, Ontario.
In November of 1994, I attended an Edmonton Eskimos game at Commonwealth Stadium with my uncle Dave who was a long-time Eskimo season ticket holder. The opponent was the Las Vegas Posse. The game was scheduled to be a home game for the Posse but was moved to Edmonton due, presumably, to a lack of interest and ticket sales in Las Vegas. I think the Eskimos won the game and, later that month, the Grey Cup was won by the BC Lions over the Baltimore Stallions. Baltimore would win the Cup the following year, marking the only time that a non-Canadian team won the CFL championship. The league has obviously been willing to try new strategies to remain viable.
Stephen Brunt was pontificating on the FAN last week about the CFL's problems in Canada's largest city. Argos attendance at the Rogers Centre has been weak for many years and the team receives little coverage in the Toronto media, compared to that given to the Leafs, Blue Jays and Raptors. Brunt observed that on local sports radio call-in shows, the subject of the Argos and the CFL does come up from time to time but he also recalled that it has been literally years since any caller wanted to ask or comment about the team's quarterback, defensive game-planning or needs in the draft. Rather, calls are about the viability of the team, the shortcomings of the stadium or ownership issues. The team has now played its last game at the dome and will make an expanded BMO Field its home beginning in 2016. Capacity for football will be about 30,000. Brunt suggested that, despite the expected lift from the novelty of a new home, that number may be a bit big for the current Toronto CFL appetite. The recent success of the Montreal Allouettes can be attributed to a "scarcity" of tickets in a 20,000 seat stadium which has led to consistent sell-outs. I am happy not to see another football game in the dome which feels cavernously empty even with 35,000 inside. Will I buy a ticket to an Argos game at BMO Field next season? Perhaps I will. Jeffrey Orridge needs me to and he also needs to sell the game to a much younger generation than I represent. I wish him success with that.
As for the Bills, it feels like the season is slowly but surely slipping away. Rex Ryan apparently said that his staff in the booth did not have a good view of Chris Hogan's catch in the 4th quarter which was ruled incomplete. It was clearly a catch and would have been reversed on a challenge, keeping the Bills drive alive. They would have needed a touchdown and a two point conversion to tie. Now, at 5-6, the playoffs are still a possibility with the Houston Texans coming to Orchard Park on Sunday. Amazingly enough, my tickets are still available.
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