Merry Christmas Eve everyone.
This one will be bitter sweet for me. It's the first Christmas without either of my parents. It will be the first Christmas Eve that I can ever remember without a Christmas Eve shindig.
But I am amazingly blessed. My kids are wonderful and healthy and amazingly talented. (Yes, I know, everyone's kids are amazing. But forgive me. Plus, mine are REALLY awesome.)
It's a blessing for sure, and at the basis of that blessing is the gift God gave us at forever salvation with the birth of His Son. It also gives me joy that I will see my mother and Pop again because of that gift.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Weekend winners
W.T. Johnston. A high school football coach fighting cancer who delivered this speech after winning the Texas state football championship. Buckets. Check that link out and either make sure you are alone or have answer that you have something in your eye.
The Saints. More on that below because we will review the NFL playoff standings. But the fact that the NFC playoffs a) go through New Orleans and b) the Saints will get to rest next week and not play another meaningful game outside means big things for Drew Brees and dem boys.
Victor Oladipo. Dude what a great Christmas story. Oladipo gave a domestic violence survivor the Kia he got for being the NBA most improved player last year. He made the presentation Sunday.
Nick Bleepin' Foles. This season could not have worked out more perfectly for Foles. Seriously. There were a lot of us - me included - that said the Eagles had to do whatever they could to deal Foles. Sure, maybe the price was not what they were looking for, but the trade had to happen because when February rolls around, Foles' contract stipulates that the Eagles must pay him $20 million to keep him for 2019. So, unless the Eagles are going to keep Foles - he's 5-2 as a starter during the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs in his 10 starts for Philly the last two years - and ditch Carson Wentz, they can not have two long-term $20-million-plus QBs. (Wentz is eligible for a new deal come Dec. 31. He is signed through 2019 on his rookie deal and the Eagles have a $26-million option one Wentz for 2020.) So Foles is either going to get $20 million to remain in Philly or become a free agent with the magic alive and well. Add to that the fact that the rookie draft class is less than stellar. There are a few teams that believe they are playoff if not Super Bowl contenders with better quarterback play - Giants and Jags among them - that certainly would be interested in Foles and then spending a first-rounder somewhere else. Dude throws for 471 yards Sunday and puts the Eagles in a place that they still have a shot at the playoffs.
Our NFL picks and the points spread setters on NFL games this weekend. Our NFL picks went 3-1, but that was only half the story. We missed on the Titans (minus-10) on Saturday after a) Marcus Mariota got hurt (Gang, there are levels of gambling panic, but backing Blake Bortles or Blaine Gabbert is never a comfortable place); and b) the interception return to make it 25-16 did not have a PAT. Hmmmmm. In years to come when gambling becomes more and more commonplace, that simply can not happen. We sept our three picks on Sunday with the Falcons (minus-2.5) winning easily over a Panthers bunch that had Spy and Alejandro waiting in the QB wings. The other two wins were less than comfy, considering that we had the Cowboys minus-7 over the Bucs and asked to buy the half down in a 27-20 win as well as the Texans plus-2.5 in a 32-30 loss to Philly and Nick Bleepin' Foles.
NFL players getting it. Here's a clip of Cordarrelle Patterson going through pregame warmups with fans. That's a 2-minute effort that will be a lifetime memory for those kids and those around them. Heck, J.J. Watt was doing it Saturday before a road game with Philly fans. This gets us to another point: Sports fans want to love their teams unconditionally. They want to be connected. It's not that hard. That was two minutes for Patterson and it renews the spirits of so many jaded fans. (Heck even Johnny Vols Fans.)
Baker Mayfield. Three TD passes. The chance to stare down former coach Hue Jackson on the Bengals' sideline. His 24 TD passes. His 5-2 record. He has to be rookie of the year, right? Dude has been a dude. Speaking of being a dude, how about the Ravens being 5-1 with Lamar Jackson as a starter. More on that in a moment.
SEC hoops. UT can make a case as the No. 1 team in the country and Kentucky controlled UNC from the start Saturday. High times for the league for sure.
Weekend losers
NFL officials and some very questionable roughing the passer calls. Yes, we understand the rules change, but defensive linemen falling into the legs of a quarterback being a 15-yard penalty is hard to take.
Mike Tomlin. He completely mismanaged all the distractions in the locker room. He let his quarterback become the face of a franchise in which the coach has always been the face of the franchise. The defense is better than expected and the offense is worse. And somewhere, Le'Veon Bell is direct-messaging with James Franklin and they are each giggling like middle school girls before the winter hop. (Side question: Do middle schoolers still call dances hop or is that the single oldest thing we have ever typed in the 5-at-10? Discuss.) Mike Tomlin is going to have the best team in the modern NFL to not make the playoffs.
That FIU-Tulsa under 60. Wowser that was a bad beat, no? Set the scene. We are cruising along in the mid-40s midway through the fourth quarter. Tulsa trails 28-17 and score a TD with a little more than seven minutes. OK, 28-23 and they line up for two. Stop here and 60 is almost a dunk without an on-side kick. Tulsa gets the two. It's 28-25, and - remember when we discussed having a gambling expert on hand during broadcasts to explain these scenarios, well, this would have been a perfect one considering hornet played out - our mind start racing over the possibilities. Tulsa, with multiple timeouts kicks deep. FIU converts a couple of third downs and a fourth down and drains the clock inside the final minute and faces third-and-1 from the Tulsa 18. Take two knees and the game is over. FIU runs off tackle and scores an 18-yard TD. PAT good, so we're at 35-25 with 0:41 left. OK, we snatched a push from a sure win. Welllllllll, Tulsa covers 75 yards in 40 seconds, including a 43-yard TD pass in which it really looked like half the FIU defense was chatting with the cheerleaders. Friends, all beats are bad in some way or form, but this was a truly bad beat.
Our entire sports system. It's Christmas, the time for forgiveness and second-chances right? And we understand Josh Gordon has no one but himself to blame, but where are our standards when the most popular thing in American culture - the NFL in particulal, college football in spots and sports in general - has a rules structure to completely shun a mentally ill drug addict like Gordon, who is facing a lifetime ban and we can all admit that if he does not have football, he will be dead or in jail within two years. But give chance after chance to the Rick Pitinos, Urban Liars, the Reuben Fosters, et al. Heck, I can understand the BID-ness view of it, but here's betting Colin Kaepernick can attest that taking a knee during the pregame ceremonies is worse than lying, cheating, fostering domestic violence, committing domestic violence, you name it. (And judging by some of the QB play this weekend in the NFL - did you see Kyle Allen against the Falcons? - Kaepernick's best evidence in his collusion case against the NFL is to put in the game tapes from last Sunday and next week.)
Kenjon Barner. OK, the film sessions for the Panthers this morning are not going to be a lot of fun. The quarterback play included someone named Taylor Heinicke (no the other one) and Kyle Allen. But Barner had a big kick return and had a chance to run it all the way back if he could make the kicker miss. Welllllllll, about that. Here's Falcons punter/kickoff specialist Matt Bosher dropping the hammer on Barner. Here's betting that in a room as downtrodden as the Panthers - remember they started 6-2 and have lost seven straight - there will be more than a few folks remind Barner that the punter lit him up.
NFL playoff clarity?
Since tomorrow will have a Christmas theme and be abbreviated, we need to cover the NFL theme of what we know and what we still are hoping to learn.
OK, what we know:
Saints are NFC South champs and have clinched the No. 1 seed.
The Rams have clinched the NFC West - feels like they clinched it in October - and are the No. 2 seed, which means they get the playoff bye, with a win next week over San Fran or a Bears loss.
Speaking of Chicago, the Bears are the NFC North champs. They can get the two seed with a win Sunday over Minnesota and a Rams loss.
Dallas has clinched the East and will be the four seed in the NFC draw. That means they draw the top wildcard, which most likely will be Seattle. The Seahawks have clinched a wildcard spot and secure the 5 spot with a win over Arizona next week. The Vikings, who play the Bears in a game that has meaning for each Sunday afternoon, would clinch a wildcard spot with a win over Chicago.
If the Vikings lose and the Eagles win, then Philly and St. Nick are in.
And while that's confusing, it's nothing compared to the AFC.
Here are the teams we know are in: Kansas City, New England, Los Angeles Chargers and Houston.
We know that New England is the AFC East champ. The rest of them could be division winners or wildcards.
The other teams still in the mix are the Ravens and the Steelers fighting for the AFC North or a possible wildcard and the Colts and the Titans fighting for a playoff spot that could be the AFC South title or a wildcard. Let's explore more details:
Kansas City clinches the AFC West and the 1 seed with a win over the Raiders. That seems likely, no?
The Patriots clinch the 2 seed with a win over the Jets. That seems likely, no?
The Texans clinch the South with a win over the Jags. That seems likely, no? (If the Texans lose, then the winner of the Indy-Tennessee game is the AFC South champ and the Texans are a wildcard team.)
The Ravens clinch the AFC North with a win over the Browns. While on paper that seems likely, remember the Browns have been pretty salty of late. If the Ravens lose, then the Steelers could win the division with a win over the currently hapless Bengals. And as confusing as the AFC picture seems, it would have been much more difficult if the Steelers had not gagged against the Saints on Sunday.
The events of the weekend - the Titans winning, the Colts' comeback over the Giants, the Steelers' choke job - makes the Titans-Colts game a de facto playoff game. Winner gets in (either as the AFC South champ or as a wildcard), loser goes home. And both the Colts and the Titans are super big Jags fan because then the winner gets a home game in round one.
As one side: If the Colts-Titans tie, and the Steelers and the Ravens each win, the Colts and the Titans could both be out and the Steelers would be the final wildcard depending on tiebreakers.
This and that
- Schedule update part I: We will have a short 5-at-10 tomorrow. It's Christmas. Enjoy it. Heck, if you spend the entire day unplugged and with those you care about, well, what could be better than that. Remember, your presence is the best present, especially in the eyes of kids.
- Schedule update II: We will update the Bowling for Bowls of Bowl Game Success (Bowler Optional) standings in tomorrow's 5-at-10. So get up handle your Christmas BID-ness, check your standings and then family time. We will have a question of course that may require a smidge of input.
- Schedule update III: OK, because we know some of you big-brained readers are also big-brained listeners of Press Row. Here's the deal. No show today. No show tomorrow on Christmas. Full show on Wednesday. Half show on Thursday. No show on Friday, next Monday or next Tuesday. Cue the little kid in Christmas Carol: "God bless us, every one."
- According to this report, the Jets plan to make a run at Jim Harbaugh. Makes sense. Young QB and monster market. Wow, if this happens, think of the Big Ten flip-flopping that could happen. Somewhere James Franklin is grinning ear-to-ear.
- There will be a slew of coaching opportunities open this year in the NFL. We know the Browns is open - and that is an attractive gig considering the pieces and the young QB - and the Broncos fired Vance Joseph. We expect the Jets to fire Todd Bowles. (Side note: Expect some national discourse on the fact that each of those three dudes are black. Just sayin' friends.)
- This dude is not voting for Mariano Rivera on his baseball Hall of Fame ballot. And he's completely within his right to vote how he wants and craft whatever reasons he wants. He's also completely earned the right to be called out as being dead wrong. This writer is going to not turn in a ballot at all. Whatever, but I know this: There are a handful of dudes who had lengthy careers that every time they entered a game, took the ball or stepped in the box, you thought to yourself, "Man, that guy's an all-time great." Rivera was that.
- Couple of big stat days Sunday for Stanford dudes: Zach Ertz set the record for most catches by a tight end. Christian McCaffrey became the all-time family leader for catches in a season, became the all-time catch leader for a running back in a season, and became just the third dude to rush for 1,000 yards and have a 100 catches in the same season. Kudos.
Today's questions
Today is national egg nog day. Egg nog, friend or foe. (Not even a healthy dose of Gentleman-ly goodness can Jack egg nog to the friend category. Gang. In our view it's a nice warm glass of sneeze. And nothing says Merry Christmas like a mug of snot.
Weekend winners and losers. Go.
As for today, Dec. 24, well, you know what day it is.
On this day in 1982, Chaminade beat No. 1-ranked Virginia and Ralph Sampson. It was one of the biggest upsets in all of sports.
"Silent Night" was sung for the first time in 1818.
Howard Hughes would have been 113 today.
But again, you know what day it is.
Christmas Eve. Rushmore of Eves, and be creative.
Enjoy friends and again, God bless us every one.