Morning. Great back and forth yesterday.
From the "Talks too much" studios, let it fly.
NFL surviving
The path to the playoffs is taking shape for most of the league. Well at least in the top of the divisions. Only the AFC South and the NFC East have much drama in the division standings, but the muddling mediocrity that is the salary cap NFL means the wildcard chases will be as wild as ever.
And that's by design with the cap and the weighted schedules, and that makes sense for the viewing pleasure of millions come next month. No one wants the races decided early, because that would make week 17 meaningless. (And since most fantasy leagues are done by then, that would be really bad.)
FILE - This Aug. 9, 2014 file photo shows an NFL logo on a goal post padding before a preseason NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns at Ford Field in Detroit. In a two-year content and advertising deal announced Monday, Aug. 10, 2015, Twitter is huddling with the National Football League as it tackles the challenge of attracting a broader audience to its short messaging service. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski, File) That said, the other unintended consequence of the salary cap means there is too much happenstance for the teams that dominate the league. Injuries in the NFL carry such weight, that a run of bad breaks (sorry) changes the perception and the power balance of the league.
Without their weapons on the perimeter - tight end Rob Gronkowski, receivers Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman as well as running back Deon Jones - the New England Patriots look vulnerable. Plus, the MCL sprain to linebacker Dont'a Hightower may be even more significant, considering the fact that when Hightower was on the field Denver had 15 carries for 43 yards. Without Hightower, the Broncos had 17 carries for 136 yards and three TDs.
Yes, injuries are part of it, and all the teams are dealing with them. And certainly the Pittsburgh Steelers will not shed a tear for the patriots considering the Steelers have dealt with a ton of absences from what likely is the league's best offense when all the pieces are assembled.
New York Giants' Craig Dahl (43) tackles New England Patriots' Julian Edelman (11) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is dealing with another round of concussions tests - potentially the product of the Steelers' two best offensive linemen being out - and he already was on the list of QBs such as Andrew Luck, Tony Romo and Peyton Manning who have missed time this year with injuries.
Yes, the NFL has a way of bringing the best teams to the front. And in today's NFL, that more times than not means the most healthy teams.
Power five
1. Panthers. Simply the most complete team in the league right that lives the mantra of the late Al Davis - "Just win baby." That said, do the Panthers scare you in the postseason? It's not like Charlotte is this world-class home-field advantage, and there are starting to be a few cracks in the back half of that defense, as we discussed above. Plus, if you can contain Cam, who on that offense scares you? So, yes, Carolina is well on the way to home-field advantage and is two games clear of the rest of the NFC, but does anyone fear them.
2. Patriots. Now this is a different place for the Pats. New England is one of the most beat-up teams in the league and it's not like it's third-stringers. Gronkowski will miss at least this week with a knee injury, and he could miss more. Without him on the dictating coverage, Tom Brady will have to be perfect against the struggling Eagles.
Baylor quarterback Chris Johnson looks for a receiver during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Baylor in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015. Baylor won 45-35. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) 3. Cardinals. Another team dealing with a key injury. Running back Chris Johnson, who was well on his way to comeback player of the year, reportedly has a fractured tibia. Johnson was fourth in the NFL with 797 rushing yards and provided the Cardinals an offensive balance that was crucial. Johnson's back-up, Andre Ellington, has turf toe. Welcome to the show, rookie David Johnson, who will be spelled by Stepfon Taylor. No, the other Stepfan Taylor
4. Broncos. Monster win for the Broncos on Sunday night. By beating the banged-up Patriots, the banged-up Broncos now are only a game back of New England and hold the tie-breaker in the chase for homefield. Huge win. And the script has flipped for an offense that is more suited to the skill set of Osweiler than Manning. Consider this: In the 10 games Manning started, he was under center 89 times. In the two games Osweiler has started, he's been under center more than 90 times. Plus, after averaging less than 3.9 yards per rush with Manning starting, the Broncos are averaging more than 5.0 per carry with Osweiler. Yes, that has a lot of variables, but one of them is there are fewer defenders around the line of scrimmage because Osweiler can make the deep throws with more zip. (That said, there is no better dude than Manning, who according to this report counseled his replacement at halftime in Sunday night's win over New England. Class-act.)
5. Bengals. Maybe the most healthy team physically among the elite. That said, they may be among the most fragile mentally come playoff time. Also, the race for homefield in the AFC is huge for two reasons. First, the difference between playing at Foxboro or Denver and playing at home for the Bengals is huge. Second, getting the top spot and facing the glue-and-duct tape versions of the Colts or Steelers or whomever in the conference semifinals while the Broncos and Patriots slug it out would be a big edge.
Powerless five
28. San Diego. Yes, they just beat Jacksonville. Yes, they have lost more close ones than Al Gore. Yes, they have Philip Rivers, who may throw for 27,000 yards this year. They still stink, and they know it. Here's a question for just about all of the middle-of-the-pack (and there are a lot of them) to bad NFL teams with a quarterback and nothing else: Why not trade your guy and reboot? What would the Texans give for three years of Rivers with a team that is ready to win now? They would give at least a couple of No. 1s right? How about the Jets for Drew Brees? Or the Bills for Matt Stafford? You'd think so anyway. Then, those QB starved teams have shot to make a run, and the Chargers jumpstart the rebuilding process because the wheel-spinning in San Diego simply is not working.
29. San Francisco. Gross. And there's not much that can be done other than remember the good times when the crazy-man that is Jim Harbaugh roamed the sidelines before management strong-armed him out for Rootin'-Tootin' Jimmy Tomsula. And yes, the fact that Jim Tomsula farting at a press conference was not a much bigger deal screams of their irrelevancy.
Alabama running back Derrick Henry (2) runs the ball during an NCAA college football game against Auburn, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015, in Auburn, Ala. Alabama won 29-13. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)30. Cowboys. Without Romo, they stink. Period. That said, don't you know that Jerry Jones is already dreaming of using that early first-rounder on Alabama Derrick Henry and putting that bulldozer behind that Dallas O-line and rolling the dice for winning it all next year.
31. Titans. Truth be told, the Titans got hosed last Sunday. But that happens. The other storyline that needs to be followed is how careless Marcus Mariota is with the football. He has thrown eight picks and put the ball on the ground seven times. We think Mariota looks the part of franchise QB, but turnovers continue to be an issue. Another sneaky good storyline is that hiring Dick LeBeau in the offseason was a stroke of genius for the Titans.
32. Browns. Only Cleveland loses like that in the NFL right. In case you were in bed at a normal hour, the Browns lined up for a field-goal attempt on the final play of the game against Baltimore last night. The kick was blocked and scooped by Will Hill who returned it for a walk-off TD in a 33-27 win. Only Cleveland, right? Well add to that the fact that quarterback Josh McCown injured his collar bone in the game and second-stringer Austin Davis was 7-of-10 for 77 yards and a game-tying TD late in the fourth quarter. Sitting behind Davis is the one-and-only John Manziel and the sideshow continues. Coaching Cleveland has to take years off your life, right? Heck, Bill Belichick and Nick Saban were on the same staff there and they could not win. Only in Cleveland.
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College football playoff announcement
Well, the craziness that unfolded happened behind the scenes for the most part in the final weekend of the regular season.
In fact, the playoff field looks pretty clear if the favorites hold serve.
Here's what we know:
If Clemson beats UNC in the ACC title game, the Tigers are in as the 1 seed. (Side note: The ACC title game is in Charlotte and it is the first sell-out in the game's history. Thought that was interesting.)
If Alabama wins Saturday at the Georgia Dome over Florida in the SEC title game, the Tide are in and no worse than the 2 seed.
Oklahoma appears to be in as the clear Big 12 champ (despite a bad loss to an eight-loss Texas team). The Sooners were No. 3 last week and hammered Oklahoma State. Yes, Oklahoma is done with its season.
The winner of the Big Ten title game between Iowa-Michigan State will be in.
Notre Dame's late stumble last week - the Irish lost for the second time by two points in the final seconds on the road to one of the best teams in the country - makes things much easier for the committee.
That leaves THE Ohio State on the outside looking in. It also leaves the winner of the Pac 12 title game between Stanford and USC out, but that's probably for the best.
In truth, about the only way the defending champs get in since they are not in the Big Ten title game and Oklahoma is done is for one of the top two seeds to lose in their conference title games.
And in truth, if a one-loss UNC upsets top-ranked Clemson, there's a chance the Tar Heels could jump THE Ohio State, considering the committee has said all along that they value conference champions a great deal. Plus, UNC's loss - while awful considering it was to South Carolina - happened in the season opener; THE Ohio State's loss happened 10 days ago.
So for the Big Ten to get two teams in the dance - which is still a possibility - Urban Meyer needs Florida to beat Alabama.
Oh, the irony.
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UTC hoops
By all accounts, there was a good crowd at The Roundhouse for the UTC-UConn women's basketball game. More than 6,000 showed, making it the seventh-largest crowd to watch the UTC women play a home game.
That's cool.
Lady Mocs' Jasmine Joyner (3) puts up one of her first half 2-point buckets over Arkansas State's Lauren Bradshaw (1) Wednesday at McKenzie Arena.The outcome was not unexpected. UConn's 79-31 win was a product of the Huskies' dominance of the sport - a dominance so complete and thorough that the Patriots look on wide-eyed and early-2000s Tiger Woods would be impressed. In fact, UConn has played four games and won each by 40-or-more.
This was a cool event, and a testament to UTC coach Jim Foster's place in his sport. He's close pals with UConn coach and fellow women's hoops hall of famed Geno Auriemma, as TFP ace sports columnist Mark Wiedmer masterfully tells us here. (Reading Weeds on college hoops is a pleasure, not unlike a a Co-Cola at the turn before the back nine or admiring a freshly cut lawn.)
So it goes.
Down near the bayou, the men Mocs stubbed their collective toes with a 10-point loss to Louisiana-Monroe. Mocs big man Justin Tuoyo did not play.
We believe that each version of the Mocs basketball programs, be them the XX or the XY variety, will be dancing come March.
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This and that
- Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost is the new UCF head coach, ESPN reported this morning. We think that could be an explosively good hire. Big offensive mind who can get two-three really good athletes a year. That means there are 13 head coaching jobs open as we type (in our order of attractiveness): Georgia, Miami, South Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Maryland, Syracuse, Memphis, Toledo, Tulane, Rutgers, North Texas, La-Monroe. The Frost hiring means UCF could not lure Bowling Green coach Dino Babers away. But we would not be surprised if Babers, who has BGSU rolling, is not in play for one of those other gigs after the MAC title game this weekend.
- Speaking of coach opinions, Houston coach Tom Hermans was not exactly shutting the door on any current openings with this tepid answer.
Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp helped the Tigers to Iron Bowl victories in 2006 and '07 but faces a much tougher task this Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.- And sorry, but if South Carolina hires Will Muschamp, well, good luck with that.
- Kudos to Ryan Parker and Traneil Moore from Baylor and East Ridge, respectively, for winning TSSAA Mr. Football awards at their positions in their classes. Here's prep ace Ward Goosett's report.
- Would the last Braves player other than Freddie Freeman, please turn the lights off. This CBSsports.com report has the Braves shopping bona fide No. 1 started Shelby Miller for more prospects. E-gad.
- Is this the baseball world we've created? Yes, Johnny Cueto is a good big-league pitcher, but the dude turned down a six-year, $120 million contract offer from the Diamondbacks. Wow.
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Today's question
Ton of stuff to get to, and feel free to grab the mic.
Georgia football coach Mark Richt, who will not be retained after the bowl game, speaks during a news conference Monday as athletic director Greg McGarity looks on.Here are two questions for you:
First a fill in the blank: This time next week, Mark Richt will be working as the ___________________.
Next, today would have been Richard Pryor's 75th birthday. Rushmore of the greatest stand-up routines of all-time.
Go, and remember the mailbag.