Category: Football

Damar Hamlin

I was watching a movie during the Bills/Bengals game so I didn’t hear about what happened with Damar Hamlin until almost an hour afterwards.  I have seen the footage on YouTube and replayed countless times on television and it’s scary to watch.

As opposed to some of the other recent injuries in the NFL, both Damar Hamlin and Tee Higgins did what they were supposed to do.  It was a clean tackle on Hamlin’s part.  To see Hamlin get up and then collapse like that was, again, scary.  My hope is that he’ll be okay.  I have seen so many testaments to this player’s character.

Football is a sport that, rightfully, gets criticized for the lasting damage that it does to its players.  But, again, neither one of the players last night did anything wrong.  They were both playing clean.  When they took Hamlin off the field, both the Bills and the Bengals were on the field praying.  I hope everyone is keeping both players in their thoughts.

83 Years Ago Today, Fordham Defeated Waynesburg

I just saw that today is the 83rd anniversary of the first televised football game.  In 1939, NBC televised the Waynesburg vs. Fordham game.  Fordham won 34-7.  It is estimated that, along with 9,000 people in the stands, 1,000 people watched the game on a television set.

Needless to say, times have changed.

Football Thoughts

The start of the season snuck up on me this year.  I don’t even have the new Madden yet.  Actually, I might not get the new Madden this year.  There was a brief moment, 14 years ago, when Madden had everything that I wanted as far as the game mechanics and the franchise modes were concerned.  That last few releases, though, haven’t felt worth the trouble.

I wonder how many people played Madden 22 just for the chance to sack Colin Kaepernick.  Kaepernick hasn’t played for years and recent reports suggest that his various “try-outs” haven’t been as impressive as initially reported.  Madden 22 still had him ranked as one of the top quarterbacks in the league.  I’m not a fan of the term “virtue signaling” because I think the term is often used as a cynical way to shut down debate but if ever it applied…

1-0 after the first week!  Ravens are going to the Super Bowl!

Will the Cowboys are have another good season?  I think there is one person who is holding them back and his initials are JJ.

I’m still getting used to the Washington Commanders.  I don’t have any problem with Washington picking a new name but Commanders just seems so boring.  Future generation, though, will probably be as shocked to learn the Commanders were once called the Redskins as I am to be reminded that the Titans were once known as the Oilers.

Bucs vs Rams

I just watched the Buccaneers/Rams game. I have to admit that I’m not used to a team with Tom Brady as quarterback losing a playoff game. He came close to forcing the game into overtime, though. Brady struggled for the first three quarters but, in that fourth, he showed why he’s the best of all time.

With the Bucs and the Cowboys out and the Ravens not even making it to the playoffs, I am now without a team. I guess I’ll have to go with the Chiefs as a default but if the Chiefs lost to the Bills, who knows?

God Has Abandoned The Patriots

And he’s moved to Tampa Bay!

I’m not even a fan of the Buffalo Bills and even I was happy while watching them destroy the Patriots in their AFC Wildcard game. The final score was 17-47, Bills. This was the type of overwhelming loss that would never have happened in the Brady era.

All eras come to an end and it’s for the best. The Patriots are not a bad team. They still made it to the playoffs, without Brady. But the time has come for new teams to have an opportunity to show off what they can do and I’m all for it.

Congratulations to both the Bills and the Bengals, to underappreciated teams who are moving on to the next round.

An Early Football Prediction

The Cowboys will go 0-4 in the preseason.

It will be announced, short before the 1st regular game, that Dak Prescott is going to be out for the entire season.

Andy Dalton will get injured during the first scrimmage of the season opener, will miss the entire season, and will be replaced by Cooper Rush.

People in Dallas will still say that this is the year the Cowboys are going to win another Super Bowl.

Thank You, Tom Brady!

Normally, I don’t gamble.  I don’t think it’s a good idea.  I think it leads to compulsive behavior.  I think anyone who says that they have a fool proof system is full of shit.  Making risky bets is a good way to lose not everyone you love but your life as well.  Gambling on a regular basis is not something that I endorse in any way.

However, I did make an exception when it came to the Super Bowl last night and now, thanks to Tom Brady, I’ve got some extra cash!  I’m not going to say how much because the internet is an evil place.  To make clear, I’m not going to be able to retire based on my Super Bowl winnings but, at the same time, it’s still enough that I feel like I owe Tom Brady and all of the Buccaneers a huge debt of gratitude.

(Gratitude, yes.  Money, no.)

It was a total of three bets, all of which paid off.  Two of the bets were on the Buccaneers while the third one was on the total amount of points that would be score during the game.  I bet that under 47.5 points would be scored.  As you can imagine, I spent the entire final 4 minutes of the game dreading the prospect of either a surprise touchdown or even a series of field goals.

Thank you, Tom Brady!  Usually, I would never gamble but Brady is just too much of a sure thing.  Once he retires, I’ll probably never place another bet.

Brady vs. Mahomes

It’s amazing to me how many people are not happy about the Tom Brady returning to the Super Bowl.  People are complaining that the refs never call penalties on Brady’s teams, that Brady is never held responsible for his actions (like deflategate), and that they’re just tired of Tom Brady in general.

To my ears, it all sounds like jealousy.  Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback playing the game right now.  He’s probably the greatest quarterback of all time.  He’s 43 years old and he’s still playing the game better than people who are 20 years younger.  Tom Brady’s the best and the best should play in the Super Bowl.

In fact, if there’s any young quarterback who seems like he could be Tom Brady’s equal, it’s Patrick Mahomes.  The main reason why I’m looking forward to the Super Bowl is because I can’t wait to see these two guys go up against each other.  Brady is the best quarterback of his generation.  Mahomes is the best of the next.  For once, the Super Bowl is going to be about the best vs the best.

Personally, I think the Buccaneers are going to win but the Chiefs aren’t going to make it easy for them.  I’m going to predict the Bucs by a touchdown.