Everyone did pretty well last week. I scored eleven right, but that was two behind Jason.
Underdog Special: Los Angeles Chargers (+2.5)
I was right about the Steelers and Bengals! I hope someone won some money off that bet. This week take the Chargers. I am not sure the Chargers took Lamar Jackson seriously when they met a few weeks ago, but this time they will be ready. Also, if the game is at all close, I trust in Rivers over a rookie QB.
Underdog Record: 6-10
Sean is still winning at 128. Mom is second with 127. It then goes: Gideon (121), Josh (119), Ryan (119), Jason (117), Adam (116), Jon (115), and the other three who gave up weeks ago. I need to be perfect and Sean/Mom to get like one or two right for there to even be a chance. Not bloody likely.
Trace McSorely
I am going to miss this guy. He embodies everything you could want in a football player. He is a leader, he is tough, he has all of those words (moxy, grit, focus, determination, insert any of them to describe Trace McSorely). He is a fierce competitor, who will not quit, but at the same time, you can tell that he absolutely loves playing the game. One of the NFL draft boards I read has a cool blurb about Trace. They say that if he had the size of some of the other QBs out there, he would be a number one overall pick.
You always hear about how great players elevate the rest of the players around them. That was clear during the Citrus Bowl. It looked over, the Nittany Lions were down 27-7 going into the 4th quarter. Trace was hurt at the beginning of the half and he told his dad that he was going back in to play. He could have sat down and be done for the day. No one would have judged him for wanting to preserve his body for all of the draft staff that will be coming up. And yet…Trace McSorely wanted to win. He was on the sideline pumping up his teammates and then what happens? He leads them down for a score…then another. Just like that, the momentum has been flipped and it was all because of #9.
He may not have gotten the win, but watching him has been a joy these past few years. I hope that he can find success in the NFL and if he does not, then maybe turn to the world of coaching. I honestly think with his passion for the game, he could make an excellent coach.
James Franklin
Speaking of coaching…
Coach Franklin really messed up in the Citrus Bowl. First was the fake punt. I am not a huge fan of fake punts, but especially not in that situation. Whatever, if it worked I would probably be calling him a genius. The more egregious coaching blunder came at the end of the game. The field goal was dumb. It was 4th and 7 from the 14 yard line with 4:12 left in the game. Go for the first down. If you do not get it, you have Kentucky pinned very deep. If the Wildcats are behind the ten yard line, you can stack the box because they are almost definitely going to run it. They do not have the backfield room to run more trick plays. Whereas the field goal and ensuing kickoff gave Kentucky the ball at the 25. Penn State could not put everyone up on the line because of the threat of the mobile QB and the potential for a rollout and short pass. THEN, Franklin decides to not use any timeouts. Why? I just do not understand why he let the clock run down so far without using a timeout. UGHHHH, it was extremely frustrating to watch. I just do not understand the thought process of taking the ball out of your best players hands and relying on a kicker who already missed two field goals and on a defense that was having troubles stopping Snell.
I like James Franklin. He is a fantastic recruiter. I think he needs to improve clock management, game planning, and in-game decisions. He has this habit of being aggressive, but then becoming uber-conservative at the end of games. I think over time he will learn to trust some of those instincts and hopefully surround himself with a coaching staff that helps him make the right decisions.
The Steelers
As much as I give James Franklin a pass, I have to stop being a Mike Tomlin apologist. I know the Steelers will never fire him, but I think it is time for him to go. I like Tomlin and I think he is a good coach. For some reason though, he has lost this team. It seems like every year there is more and more drama. Not making the playoffs this year, in a pretty weak division, with the talent on this team? That is unacceptable. If the Steelers do not want to fire him, then they need to let him know that he needs to get shit back on track next season.
I also believe they need to trade Antonio Brown. I am not sure how all the contract stuff works in football (baseball is more my forte), but I would definitely explore the possibility. JuJu is the future. AB brings so much drama, it is just not worth it. I wonder if they could get the 49ers to give up their second round pick for him? Or maybe the Steelers give them Brown and their first round pick for the 49ers first round pick (which is #3 if I recall correctly).
If the Steelers could trade up for that #3 pick and Josh Allen from Kentucky was available, I would love to see them take him. If he is not available, I am not sure what they should try to draft. If they lose AB, do they shoot for a WR? Or do you rely on what you have? Or do you look in those later rounds? They do seem to be able to find WRs in later rounds.
The Bowl Game Problem
Are bowl games meaningless? This was the question posed by Cory Giger recently. Does it seem like anyone cares about the games? I do, but then again, I am weird and love college football more than the NFL.
However, there are problems. First of all, there are way too many bowl games. I get that it is all about the money, but c’mon, there should not be 6-6 teams playing this time of year.
Second, players skipping bowl games is getting out of hand. I think 40+ players did not play because of their fear of being injured and missing out on the draft. NFL teams need to start punishing these guys. I mean, if you are willing to miss your final college game (and let down your teammates), who is to say you will not quit on your team in the NFL? It sounds a bit ridiculous, but if a player is willing to sit out, who is to say that during a free agent season, if the team is not doing well, maybe they fake an injury and miss those final few games. It sounds crazy, but if I were an NFL GM, I might take that into consideration. In a few years, what will these games even look like? Will 200 or more players skip the bowl games?
For some reason, people are trying to blame the playoff on the bowl games losing meaning. Or at least they are using this as reason to expand the playoffs to eight. I used to be all for that idea…but not so much now. Would having eight teams really change anything? Alabama and Clemson would still be in the finals. They are the two best teams. Notre Dame and Oklahoma were the next best and as you saw, they were not even close to good enough.
Okay, I have ranted enough today…do not worry, I have more college football rants in store over the next few days!
