Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et molore NOTporatiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Sourceomnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46,ocrit; #1nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am MONDAY, utem. C. Ahacera SEPTEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 7, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdCOLLEGE FOOTBALL! Hallelujah.

There are no words that can accurately express and assess what has School Spring Practices School Spring Practices taken place in sports since the NCAA Tournament was canceled one month after the Chiefs won the NFL Championship during another Coastal Carolina 15 Missouri 3 Kyle Shanahan in-game meltdown, which took place App St. 11 2 three weeks after Clemson won another FBS Championship with a Arkansas St. 11 Temple 2 big assist from State. I won’t even bother to try. Our company Clemson 9 Tennessee 2 was shut down for four-and-a-half months because with NBA, College Rice 9 South Florida 1 Basketball and inactive, there was no product Houston 8 Oklahoma 1 to produce, no service to perform. We’re grateful to be back in busi- Tulsa 7 Notre Dame 1 ness. As you all should be aware of by now, online memberships have Louisville 7 East Carolina 0 been and are being extended so that no time will be missed. Charlotte 7 Memphis 0 Georgia Tech 6 Navy 0 Fourteen weeks of are scheduled and it all begins UAB 6 North Carolina 0 with a “soft opening” of five games on the slate for this coming UTEP 6 Virginia 0 weekend. There are 76 teams competing this Fall. More were willing. Georgia Southern 6 Virginia Tech 0 “Lead, follow, or get out the way” is one of the great mottos of our Georgia St. 6 Baylor 0 time. String-pullers of the Big Ten, Pac 12, MAC and Mountain West South Carolina 6 Iowa St. 0 have chosen to get out the way, which is fine with us. They probably BYU 6 Kansas 0 thought that they were leading; they can believe what they want to College 5 Kansas St. 0 believe. Perhaps we’ll see them start playing their regular seasons in NC St. 5 Texas 0 November, January or February. That would be fine, too. Many things Wake Forest 5 West Virginia 0 are going on that don’t seem to make sense. But those are the same UL-Monroe 5 FIU 0 things as “upsets,” aren’t they -- results that the general public didn’t Troy 5 Florida Atlantic 0 see coming? Upsets are routine in our business, so let’s just keep our Texas St. 5 Louisiana Tech 0 heads while many around us are losing theirs. Kentucky 5 Marshall 0 Liberty 5 Middle Tennesse 0 I may be the only person out there to see the irony in this particular UCF 4 North Texas 0 development: Only two football programs were able to complete a full Tulane 4 Southern Miss 0 allowable slate of 15 Spring football practices – UConn and Coastal Miami-FL 4 UTSA 0 Carolina. With that rare competitive advantage in hand, UConn was TCU 4 Western KY 0 nevertheless the first FBS team to cancel its 2020 football season. Texas Tech 4 South Alabama 0 Next weekend, the Coastal Carolina team that enjoyed 15 Spring Vanderbilt 4 Alabama 0 practices will face a Kansas team that had 0. And Coastal beat Kan- SMU 3 Arkansas 0 sas last year! This weekend, there is a large disparity in Spring (and Duke 3 Auburn 0 Fall) practices in favor of one particular underdog. You can read about Florida St. 3 Florida 0 it on the next page. In the meantime, you can keep the chart at right Pitt 3 Georgia 0 handy to reference other generally unseen competitive edges that Mississippi 0 might be coming up in the first few weekends of this highly unusual Syracuse 3 College Football season. Welcome back, everyone. And, by the way, Oklahoma St. 3 Mississippi St. 0 where the heck have you been? We’ve been back publishing again UL-Lafayette 3 Texas A&M 0 every day for the last five weeks! – Bobby Smith, Editor LSU 3 Army 0 Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #2nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium WEEKocrit; nu seriviridi ENDING casdam amMONDAY, utem. C. Ahacera SEPTEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 14, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdNFL 2020 Kicks Off 15 games in College Football, too!

The illness is subsiding. Let the sickness begin! That’s a great rallying NFL TEAM Home Attendance Protocols (as of September 4) cry as NFL and College Football 2020 betting seasons get under way, isn’t Arizona No fans for at least first two home games. it? How about, “Say, this road team has really taken the home crowd out Atlanta No fans for at least first two home games. of the game early!” Oh, that’s a good one, too. I came up with them my- self. I’ll be here all season! This coming weekend features a similar amount Baltimore No fans for “initial part of season.” of games scheduled for College Football (15) and NFL (16): Within a few Buffalo No fans for at least first two home games. weeks, the colleges should be playing twice as many. It’s starting to feel Carolina No fans, Week 1 vs. Raiders. like we’re in the good ol’ USA again, and we can’t be lamenting what we No fans this season, possibly to be changed. can’t change. We can only roll with it, as is. Cincinnati No fans for foreseable future w/o waiver exemption. Cleveland Working on plan to allow some fans for home opener 9/17. As I mentioned last week, the 2020 football season should present more Less than 50% capacity (40,000 or fewer) “unfair” situations than you’d see in a typical season. Every year in the Zone Blitz – which we could not risk publishing this season – I complain No fans opening night; TBA after that. that football coaches are obsessed with fairness, demanding it regarding Detroit No fans for at least first two home games. the timing and the number of practices allowed, and within the actual sea- Green Bay No fans for at least first two home games. son schedules. The darned NFL is arranged with parity in mind and makes Houston No fans for first home game. Monitoring situation for later. no apologies about fairness being an actual goal. As a handicapper, you Indianapolis 2,500 fans for home opener. Evaluating future dates. have to hate that! Unfair advantages generally unseen by the masses cre- Jacksonville About 16,000 fans for each home game. ate value within pointspreads. If there were more of them, then beating the Kansas City 16,000 for early home games, possibly adjusting upward later. spread would be a lot easier than it typically is. But there aren’t, because of these psycho coaches who go ballistic if they think that one foe has been Las Vegas No fans at home games this season. granted 30 more minutes of prep time. But then we had last weekend in LA Chargers No fans until further notice. a pandemic-altered season, when coaches had no control over Arkansas LA Rams No fans until further notice. State having had 11 spring practices to Memphis’ 0. I doubt that anyone Miami 13,000 fans for home opener, possibly adjusting upward later. read or heard about that important fact anywhere else. You have to feel that Minnesota No fans for at least first two home games. if Nick Saban was entering a game against an opponent with 11 practices New England No fans for at least first two home games. to his 0, he would have threatened a lawsuit against whomever would allow New Orleans No fans for at least first two home games. that to happen. Practice is important. Allen Iversen didn’t think so, and if my memory serves correctly, he never won anything at the professional lev- NY Giants No fans until further notice. el. We’ll try to remain on top of these things for everyone. The NFL is allow- NY Jets No fans until further notice. ing fake crowd noise up to 75 decibels, which I’m told is “vacuum cleaner No fans until further notice. level.” My wife tries to talk to me from two rooms away while vacuuming. It No fans for at least first two home games. sucks the joy out of a conversation. But for now, we can only assume that San Francisco No fans for Week 1 vs. Cardinals. home-field, vacuum cleaner-like advantage in the NFL won’t be as strong Seattle No fans for at least first three home games. as usual despite all the nuisances that visitors are being forced to endure Tampa Bay No fans for at least first two home games. during their travels. You already have College Football’s spring practice counts from last week. The table at right lists each NFL team’s home-atten- Tennessee No fans for at least home opener on Sep. 20. dance intentions, as of this past weekend. – Bobby Smith, Editor Washington No fans this season, possibly to be changed. Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessusSubscribers re voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #3nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium WEEKocrit; nu seriviridi ENDING casdam amMONDAY, utem. C. Ahacera SEPTEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 21, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdNFL WEEK 2 ACTION! BEST BETS in College Football, too!

Before last ’s match-up between the Bucs and Saints, featuring Catlan, and plenty of real NFL quarterbacks in 1969, there is no reason for quarterbacks aged 43 and 41 (Tom Brady, Drew Brees). I couldn’t help Tom Brady or Drew Brees to fear the future. Somehow, we’ve “evolved” to but think about a movie that was made way back in 1969, called Number the point where they own the future. One. It played on the TCM network a couple of weeks ago during a Charl- ton Heston spotlight. Heston starred as 40-year-old quarterback Ron Funny footnote to Number One: the producers discovered that Charlton “Cat’ Catlan in his sixteenth pro season, who had once led New Orleans Heston, macho male acting superstar, didn’t have an athletic bone in his to the NFL Championship. Catlan was no longer revered by the home body. They had to hire to work with him as a consultant, and fans. He was “washed up,” battling injuries and mediocrity. But he was they used footage of Kilmer as a Saint when they needed real quarterback hanging onto his professional career for the sake of his ego, and because maneuvers. During rehearsals, Heston suggested that the extras in the he didn’t know what else to do with his life if he wasn’t playing football. A roles of opposing defensive players weren’t hitting him hard enough to ap- teammate, played by Bruce Dern, offered to help him make the transition pear realistic. In the next take, they hit him hard enough to break two ribs. from football by promising Catlan a job with his auto-leasing company. It Billy Kilmer eventually earned a personal-high annual salary of $210,000, was a decent movie with a young Jessica Walter (Arrested Development) in the late 1970s near the end of his 16-year NFL career. That amount is an added attraction. But this “story” was told 51 years ago. I remember supposedly equivalent to $1 million in 2020, which means that Brady and seeing it in a drive-in when it was first released. My, how things have Brees will earn 25 times Kilmer’s top annual salary this season. Today, the changed in a half-century, which I guess should have been expected. NFL minimum salary is $610,000 for a player with less than one year of Drive-ins barely exist today. Opportunities for aging quarterbacks exist service. There was no cushy second career waiting for Kilmer. In 1984, aplenty! Well, I didn’t say that things have changed for the better. six years after he retired from pro football, he replaced Hall of Fame QB as the featured fellow of a Baltimore-based sports handi- Brees and Brady are able to function well on the field at their ages because capping service, a competitor of Sports Reporter’s. I don’t think we’lll be the rules changed to protect quarterbacks from injury, allowing them more competing against Tom Brady or Drew Brees for customers after they time to complete passes to receivers who aren’t allowed to be covered as retire. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the new sportsbook companies use tightly or hit as hard as they once were. Because of this, the quarterbacks other high-profile retired athletes as spokesmen to attract business. accrue statistics (on the backs of receivers and running backs who do * * * almost all the work) that their agents use to leverage astronomically large contracts. By the time they are 30 (or younger), quarterbacks like Brees Visitors scored 38, 27, 43, 23 and 17 points inside the non-noisy domes and Brady have made enough money to retire and live upon for the rest of in NFL Week 1, going 3-2. It’s easier to communicate and execute when their lives. By the time they are 40, they’ve made enough money so that they can hear. Pay attention to what’s goin’ on out there! the idea of working for an auto-leasing company is preposterous. Even be- ing the president and owner of something as “dull” by comparison would ONLINE EXTRA for Web members: -- Our company was unable to pro- be a virtual insult to their status in life as high-profile superstars who can duce a football Zone Blitz for 2020 while operations were suspended from do whatever they want. If the decision of whether or not to retire weighs March 13 to July 23 and this season’s football schedules were in peril. But heavily upon their minds, it’s only because they wonder if they would be I was able to use the time off to produce some statistical pages on my own insane for passing up the opportunity to earn $50 million for the next two in Zone Blitz style for both College Football and NFL. Sports Reporter is seasons by standing back there and playing catch with 6’5” receivers, happy to share them with Web members as we try to keep up the tradition handing off to guys in between the passes. When they finally retire, com- as best as we could. You will notice the links to these pages in the member panies are prepared to offer them millions more, for doing more easy stuff. area after logging in, below the icons for your SPORTS REPORTER, MID- In fact, Brees is already set up to be an announcer, a job that former NFL WEEK UPDATE and DAILY BRIEF. Thanks to all online members for hang- QB is being paid $17 million to perform this season. Unlike Cat ing in there with us during a different kind of year. --- Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #4nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium WEEKocrit; nu seriviridi ENDING casdam amMONDAY, utem. C. Ahacera SEPTEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 28, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjd 8-3 in NFL selections so far; BEST BETS for... BIG 12, SEC, NFL Week 3!

In August, the Big Ten presidents voted to not play football this year. Meanwhile, it took somebody in the NFL almost 50 years to come up Then, they voted again last week and decided to play an eight-game with an onsides kick style that my friends and I worked to perfection in conference season beginning October 24. This was after the Big Ten pick-up games when we were in junior high school. I’d place the ball flat commissioner was quoted as saying that the Big Ten’s Council of Presi- on the ground, approach it straight away to make it seem like I would be dents and Chancellors were “overwhelmingly in support of postponing booting it straight ahead, but kick the left nose hard with my right foot. fall sports and will not be revisited.” We’re discovering that college pres- The ball would flat-spin diagonally to the right, probably about 25 yards, idents and conference commissioners have about as much on the ball to go 10 yards forward. When the football is traveling diagonally, it takes as some football coaches. And that’s all I’ll say about that. We’d have a while for it to cover the 10 yards of straight-ahead distance, and the been fine without the Big Ten but still, it’s nice that Big Ten football is strange misdirection confuses the heck out of the unsuspecting receiv- coming back in one month. Of course, they’ll probably have protocols ing team. The lag-time thus created enables the kicking team to get that say games can’t be played if somebody within the program farts in there into better position for a recovery! Remember how in last week’s the locker room. But we’ll see. Reports are that Mountain West, MAC paper we said that if the Cowboys’ coaches were to make the positive and Pac 12 are all possible opt-inners after opting out earlier, so stay difference in a win, it wouldn’t be due to anything that the overrated tuned. What a world, eh? super-clown Mike McCarthy would do, but be something contributed by special teams coach John Fassel? Well? Who do you think came If you’ve watched NFL games for a long time and can’t help but think up with the idea? It was Fassel, and the kicker that came over from that you can do a better job than many of the head coaches who earn the Rams with him, Greg Zeurlein. You think we’re dreaming over here salaries greater than $1 million a year, you’re probably not wrong. Some- and making things up when we project stuff like that, don’t you? Well, times, these guys win in spite of themselves. It seems to happen a lot that’s not the case. And, excuse me, I should have asked “What Dallas more than it should. How does ’ head coach Mike Mc- coach borrowed the idea from footage of Bobby Smith and friends from Carthy justify going for a 2-point conversion after scoring a late fourth- 1970?” We had another onsides kick strategy that worked a couple of quarter touchdown to cut the team’s deficit to 9, when kicking the extra times. With the ball flat on the ground again, I’d drill the middle of it on a point would make it an 8-point deficit and they could score a TD and line drive directly at the shins of an unsuspecting kid on the other team go for two later? It boggles my mind how an NFL head coach could do standing 10 yards away. It’d bounce right back to us and we’d recover. that. Dallas missed the 2-point run, continued to trail by 9 points with time ticking down. But he didn’t have to regret his mistake! They scored Among the things that drive normal people crazy: Announcers who say a touchdown, kicked the extra point to make it 39-37 (I’m surprised he things like, “We send you back to Baltimore at Houston, didn’t go for two to try to make up for the prior miss!), recovered an and going head to head…” Hey, clown man! Lamar onsides kick and kicked a field goal to win 40-39 vs. Atlanta, who con- Jackson and Deshaun Watson will never go head to head! They both tinues to find incredible ways to lose games in the end! play offense! When each looks over the opposing defense, the other guy is not on the field. Never will be! Deshaun Watson won’t be blitz- McCarthy’s defense of his decision made no sense, of course. He said ing Lamar Jackson, nor will it ever be the other way around. Dear Mr. that he preferred to know it was a two-possession game as early as a Clueless Person Who Feels That He Needs to Hype Every Sentence He possible. A local Dallas writer responded to that as well or better than I Speaks With a Reference to Big-Stat Quarterbacks: These quarterbacks could have: “Guess what, Coach? Kick the extra point and you know it’s and their offensive teammates match up against the opposing defense. a one-possession game right away!” All the time! -- Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #5nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am utem.MONDAY, C. Ahacera OCTOBEReceropu blicavo ctorbit 5, 2020Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjd29 College Games and Week 4 in the NFL, with a SUPER BEST BET!

I’m very upset about the ending of the Rams-Bills game but we don’t com- you know? But I couldn’t reach for the remote quickly enough, and was plain about officiating here. So, I’ll just take out the frustrations on someone forced to witness the guy talking over a graphic that showed how Bills’ else. Can you believe that it took NBC analyst four quar- quarterback Josh Allen has the most passing yards in three games for a 3-0 ters to talk about the difference in quarterbacks calling signals in a sold-out team, ever. Oh, God, can somebody please make the contrived crap stop? dome, and in a dome with no fans? I watched the entire Packers-Saints game while starting the handicapping for NFL Week 4, and all I heard from Speaking of passing yards, after the Saints lost the and Collinsworth was, “Drew Brees, blah, blah, blah. Aaron Rod- trip to Las Vegas, sportswriters noticed that Brees wasn’t accruing his usual gers, blah, blah, blah.” Also, “LaDarius Smith, there’s the play we were wait- “big passing yards!” Brees explained away the nonsense very reasonably: ing for him to make!,” without ever telling anyone beforehand that they were “Well, my job is to execute the offense. My job’s not to have the most air waiting for LaDarius Smith to make a play. yards or throw the ball down the field most or anything like that… I’ve al- ways evaluated myself on being a great decision-maker. And so, at the end Then, with the Packers leading by 3 points late in the fourth quarter, driving of the day, I’ll throw the ball to the open guy, move the ball down the field, near the Saints’ goal line in an attempt to ice the game, Collinsworth noted score points, help us win football games… My job’s to help us win. My job’s how Rodgers was using a hard count calling signals at the line, something to help put everyone around me in the best position to succeed.” he normally wouldn’t be able to do in the Superdome because his team- mates wouldn’t be able to hear him over the screaming of a sold-out home I’d say “Hurray for Drew Brees!” after seeing that, except for the matter of crowd. “They’d be on a silent count!” Brees having been perfectly complicit with the Saints and the NFL when they wanted to use Brees and his passing yards as the reason to tune into Duh. What took you so long? Have you heard, Cris? Lincoln was shot! Jeez. a Monday Night Football game a couple of years ago, promoting how Brees We’ve been telling everyone for the entire month of September in our written would be surpassing ’s “record” for “big passing yards!” at forecasts that empty domes – really, any of the loud stadiums -- with no real some point in the game. Before that game, this was the story: crowd noise were no longer the home-field advantage they’ve always been. “The NFL might well get its wish Monday night. The Saints’ Week 5 matchup It’s unbelievable how these TV clowns – so many of them who played the against the Redskins was scheduled in for a reason, and Drew game themselves -- let interesting, important obvious things pass them by, Brees is just 201 yards away from Peyton Manning’s passing yardage re- while they harp on the obvious meaningless things like “big passing yards!” cord. After throwing for 217 yards against the Giants last week, Brees sits A couple of nights earlier, I had to turn off the sound during Thursday’s at 71,740 yards in his career, third all-time behind Brett Favre and Manning. Miami/Jacksonville game. I don’t know the heck was rambling Should Brees break the record -- and statistically speaking it’s likely he will, about in between plays and during the beginning of the next. All I know is as Brees has thrown for at least 200 yards in 92 percent of his home games that it wasn’t making much sense. This is what I took from the noise com- as a Saint -- the league and the Saints will apparently stop the game… ing out of his mouth: “You know, blah, blah, blah, the Jaguars have football There will be a brief ceremony in which the ball will be presented to Hall of players in their organization that play football, and coaches that coach foot- Fame president David Baker, and a video tribute from Peyton Manning will ball and the owner, he owns the football team, and Gardner Minshew, I’m be played shortly after.” very impressed, he sees this guy over there on that play so he throws to that guy over here but the other guy, blah, blah, blah…” Shut up, Troy Aikman! Gag me. When their blessed event happened and the game was stopped to give glory, Drew Brees didn’t step up to the microphone to tell everyone that Then I had to turn on ESPN, where the replay host was talking about the they were making way too big a deal about something that wasn’t his job. stupid, idiotic win probabilities for both the Bills and the Rams at various He stood there and let everyone tell him how wonderful he was for becom- junctures of the game. So I had to turn that right off, because… that game, ing the answer to a trivia question. – Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #6nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am MONDAY,utem. C. Ahacera OCTOBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit12, Catertem2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdBEST BET Dogs, Powerhouse Chalk in College, plus NFL WEEK 5

Here is a statement that I firmly believe which some may disagree with: sarcasm aside, according to this poor, deluded fellow, only some of the There is no such thing as a “sharp,” or “smart money.” We’re all squares, money being wagered on football games is real. I wonder what happens against a square sportsbook whose only edge is a 10% or more sur- to the “fake” money? charge on losses. Both sides need to surround themselves with informa- tion, filter it well, and then, make a good decision in order to win. Nobody “How can just 41% of the tickets represent 67% of actual dollars? When can be crowned a smart guy until the results come in and until then, those 41% of bets are larger in size than the 58% on the other side — and we’re all in limbo. It doesn’t matter if somebody is part of some anony- that’s exactly what’s occurring tonight.” mous betting syndicate that is supposedly terrorizing sports books with huge wagers, or just a guy out there betting $25 a game. It’s all just plain I would like to know something. In what world does it follow that a old money against the sportsbook until the final gun sounds. smaller amount of larger wagers on one team in any given game cre- ates a higher likelihood of winning? There are people in sports wagering For example, I’m sure that everybody understands how funny it is when information circles who are supposed to be educating bettors, but they lots of dollars wagered on the performance of the Jets to cover create a false picture implying that bets of a “larger” size, the exact a pointspread is described as “smart money.” But that didn’t stop one in- size of which are never actually specified by amount, always win. This experienced, eager-beaver Internet dude from his task of generating clicks piece about the Denver-Jets betting that I’m referencing certainly was for his Web site, which I would rather not identify but employs an ex-ESPN not the first of its kind ever published. It’s actually very common. And influencer and has an ESPN-like quality about it (meaning, very poor in it’s bad. Writers constantly refer to “smart money” and “public money,” terms of actually understanding its subject, and connecting with reality). citing percentages of wagers and money bet, as if the people betting are registered with gambling authorities as identifiable “sharps” and “pub- Last Thursday’s Denver at NY Jets had opened as Denver, -2.5, went to lics.” Guess what? They’re not! And if reporters and readers believe the -3, but then eventually moved to Jets, -1.5. Here’s some of the alleged numbers and percentages of this supposed smart money and public reporting: money being given to them by sportsbooks, then there is a uranium field in Asbury Park, NJ I’d like to sell them, also sight-unseen. “Broncos vs. Jets odds first started moving when Denver announced that * * * Brett Rypien would be starting in place of Jeff Driskel. Sharp bettors contin- The other day I asked a neighbor of mine in his late 20s, who has Jets’ ued piling on, moving odds throughout the week.” season tickets and was whining about it, if he remembers the Rich Kotite years. “Not really. Just my dad screaming at the television set all The 400-word piece used the word “sharp” seven times, and the phrase the time.” Yup. That’s it. In 20 years, that’s how a Jets fan in his late 20s “smart money” twice, once noting that the company had “nine smart-mon- will remember the Adam Gase years. ey indicators” about the betting movement towards New York. * * * “With sharp action often comes big bucks, and that’s exactly what our Super-Moronic Note of the Week, next to SR’s pick of : NFL public betting data is tracking for Thursday Night Football…. Fifty- “Todd Archer ESPN Staff Writer -- According to ESPN Stats & Informa- nine percent of spread bets are on Denver, yet 67% of the real money tion, Dak Prescott’s 174 yards passing are the most by a Cowboys QB in wagered is on New York.” the 1st quarter of a game in last 30 seasons. The previous high was Tony Romo’s 167 yards in 2013 against Denver...” -- Why do these guys get “Real” money, eh? Hey, I never knew that football betting pools consist- so hot for first-quarter passing yards? They really are very weird people, ed of a mix of real money and fake money! LOL! Goodness, gracious, all fascinated with the “most” irrelevant junk. -- Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #7nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am MONDAY,utem. C. Ahacera OCTOBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit19, Catertem2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdThis week’s BEST BET and RECOMMENDED picks in COLLEGE and NFL!

Here some good examples of the difference between a sportswriter and figures that one glaring facet means everying, and that all things should a handicapper: trend the same way forever. This particular sportswriter is obsessed with Mike Trout. He tweeted about Mike Trout every 10 minutes of every day, ESPN Sportswriter on : “Astros-A’s is pretty simple. The only ma- tweeting stuff like, “Mike Trout is the first player since whenever to hit a jor advantage comes in the bullpen. The A’s have it by a lot, especially in home run within 24 hours of the birth of his first son.” With that kind of a series with no off days. If Astros starters don’t pitch deep into games weak perspective on the sports they cover, making the trivial seem im- — like, third-time-through-the-order deep — I don’t see how they have portant, why do they ever bother to make predictions? It’s not their job. a chance.” New York Post headline, last week: “What first start with Jets means for Another Sportswriter on Twitter: “Lance McCullers is starting Game 1 for .” the Houston Astros. He throws a lot of curveballs. Oakland is hitting .188 against curveballs this season.” Holy crap. Nobody in the world can give a solid, foolproof answer on the meaning of life. But newspaper editors and sportswriters attempt Handicapper responding on Twitter: to break down the meaning of a football game for one player out of 100 “What’s Oakland’s batting average when they know the curveball is com- about to participate in it. Before the game, a lot of people around the ing!?” U.S. knew exactly what “first start with Jets” meant for Joe Flacco: Be- ing part of another Jets’ loss, by at least two scores! Dusty Baker, Houston manager, went with the flat stat. The handicapper was digging deeper, knowing that the flat stat – a lousy batting aver- Here’s a little something a 19-year-old eager-beaver dug up in advance age against curveballs for Oakland -- was accumulated against pitch- of the Middle Tennessee at Florida International game last Saturday: ers who don’t throw as many curveballs as McCullers and would do a better job of keeping hitters guessing and off-balance. In his final three “HOMECOMING AT FIU: This Saturday’s game against the Blue Raiders regular-season starts, McCullers had thrown about 45% curveballs, an will serve as Homecoming for FIU. Under head coach , the extremely high rate for a major league starter. By the time Game 1 had Panthers are 3-0 in Homecoming games, with wins over Rice, UTSA and come around, the Oakland hitters were thinking, “This guy’s probably Charlotte. Overall, Davis is an impressive 12-1 all-time for Homecoming gonna throw a curveball!” games dating back to his time at North Carolina and Miami. Davis is on an 11-game winning streak for Homecoming contests as well.” The funny, almost maddening, thing about this is that the handicapper who anticipated McCullers getting drilled because Oakland knew what Final score: Middle Tennessee (+6.5), 31-28. Say, our predicted final was coming was right -- but a play on Oakland lost. The Athletics bat- score was Middle Tennessee, 31-26! Not bad! “Butch Davis on Home- tered McCullers for 8 hits and 5 runs in 4 innings. But the Astros eventu- coming Day” is not a handicapping angle. It’s a piece of insignificant ally out-hit what McCullers allowed, winning the game 10-5. (However, trivia. the Total easily went Over for anyone who figured the A’s for a better than .188 average against curveballs, when they knew they were com- I’ll tell you what was bad. The rest of last weekend’s College Football ing). The Astros bullpen – which the ESPN sportswriter said was the selections in Sports Reporter, and the NFL Sunday before that. No get- reason he couldn’t see a chance of Houston winning the series – fol- ting around it, obviously. We own up to some bad decision-making and lowed McCullers with 5 shutout innings allowing 0 hits. “I don’t see how have made some subtle adjustments that we’re confident will be making they have a chance.” That’s the sportswriter mindset, which basically an appreciable difference. – Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Sourceomnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46,ocrit; #8nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am MONDAY,utem. C. Ahacera OCTOBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit26, Catertem2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjd 45 College Football Games plus NFL Week 7... Big Ten, Mountain West Return!

Has anybody ever wondered if it was possible for one football team a fourth-quarter drive with 14:03 remaining, following a Temple to have possession of the football for the entire game? No punts, touchdown that had cut the Temple deficit to only 5 points, 28-23. It no picks, no fumbles, one offense is on the field for all 60 minutes, really shouldn’t be called a “drive,” as such. It was more like a four- against the other team’s defense, whose offense never gets to take corners offense in basketball, or at least it had the same effect on the the field? I’m pretty sure that few have ever imagined that highly un- game. In this series, Navy snapped the ball 15 times and gained 26 likely scenario. But if was ever going to happen, then it would prob- yards, going from their own 41-yard-line after a kickoff return, to the ably involve Army or Navy as being the team whose offense has the Temple 33. That’s not a long way! Here are the number of yards the ball for the entire game (and winning 3-0 on a final-play field goal.) Navy offense gained (or lost) on each play:

Here’s how it would go down: They get the opening kickoff and keep 2, 5, 6, 4, 2, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3, 2, 4, -5, -9. making first downs, but not by much. They never pass the ball. With running plays only, they gain 10 yards and a couple of inches within Navy converted 2-for-2 on fourth down. Guess how long the series three downs, sometimes on fourth down. They snap the ball with took? It burned up 9:06! On 4th and 20, they kicked a 50-yard field 0:01 on the play clock each and every time, always under strict or- goal to increase their lead to 8 points. Temple got the ball back, and ders to never run out of bounds. They get called for offensive penal- Navy’s defense bent-bent-bent for 10 plays and almost 4 minutes, ties a whole bunch of times, which push them back into first-and- finally allowing a touchdown with 1:08 remaining. But with an 8-point 20s, but they manage to grind out first downs nevertheless before deficit, Temple was always going to need to score twice in order to tie being pushed back by some more penalties, then gaining first downs the score late. Their 2-point conversion failed and they were forced after being set back into first-and-long again. It’s a bizarre two steps to onsides kick. Navy recovered, fell on the football twice. Game forward, one or two steps backward process that just goes on, and over. Amazing, how gaining only a little -- all without passing the ball on, and on. -- can be worth so much. Scoreboard, time remaining, percentages. Not all coaches “get it.” They recover their own onsides kickoff to start the third quarter, repeat * * * the inexorable process, and eventually land on or about the other A couple of weeks ago I warned against following any piece of team’s 9-yard-line with 0:04 remaining in the fourth quarter, when reporting that attempts to lure you into following “sharp” action, as they kick a 26-yard field goal to win 3-0. They accumulate about 500 if the reporting outlet has a definitive handle on the identity of the rushing yards to travel about 80 football-field yards. The other team’s money coming in, and as if the so-called “sharps” win 100%. Here’s offensive stat line is 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0. Hey, I’m just saying that there something I saw midweek last week: is a chance! I started thinking about it when Mississippi State threw 6 INTs against Kentucky, and when a few other nut-ball offenses “ at : This line opened with intent on passing the ball all over the field watched games spiral out the Steelers listed as 4.5-point home favorites. Sharps have identified of control against them because of a propensity to play wide-open an edge with the Browns and grabbed Cleveland plus the points, clown ball. I was thinking, “They’d be in better competitive shape if dropping this line from Steelers -4.5 to -3.5. Cleveland has value as their offense was on the sidelines, and their defense just stiffened in a divisional dog. Road teams with a line move (like Browns + 4.5 to + the red zone and allowed some field goals, while their offense just 3.5) are 64% ATS this season.” ran the ball into the line.” Another reason I began wondering about it was a series that Navy put together against American Athletic Final score, Steelers, 38-7. Value is what you eventually get, not who Conference foe Temple two Saturdays ago. Navy’s offense started you bet. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. -- Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti namSubscribers solessus re voloreium only eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. NOT FOR RESALE!

Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et molore poratiis minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatia delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46,ocrit; #9nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am MONDAY,utem. C. Ahacera NOVEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 2, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdNFL Week 8 and a Big, 47-Game College Slate... FOOTBALL TREATS INSIDE!

This was a featured headline at .com on Saturday night: “Day sorry a favorite with the ball chooses to kneel in the final minute, even when a for not kneeling as OSU rolls Nebraska.” turnover wouldn’t harm their chances of winning the game? I wish that post-game press conferences had a large guy whose only job was to lift At first, I thought the story was going to be about some sort of demon- sportswriters off the ground after they pose stupid questions, then carry stration that the Ohio State head coach didn’t take part in. But it was them outside kicking and screaming in horror to a woodshed, where he actually about him being “sorry” (and I’ll bet he really wasn’t!) about proceeds goes to work on ’em. Except they’d need about ten of them scoring a late touchdown from the Nebraska 2-yard-line to cover the per presser, so it’d be too expensive a punishment program to maintain. spread, which was sitting on push at -28 in a 45-17 game at the time. * * * “Ohio State coach Ryan Day apologized to Nebraska for the Buckeyes A couple of weeks ago, I was reading about how ’ quar- offense not taking a knee in the final seconds of Saturday’s 52-17 win terback Nick Foles expertly marched his team down the field in the last at Ohio Stadium,” was the first sentence of the story. “Rather than take drive of a Thursday night home win against Tampa Bay: a knee, freshman quarterback Jack Miller ran into the end zone,” the lame sportswriter wrote. “Rather than take a knee?” Is this what our “Nick Foles made the throws when he needed to.” country has lowered itself to? On the ESPN scoreboard, these pumpkin-heads tweet about first-quarter scoring binges as if Does that mean he didn’t make throws when he didn’t need to? they are noteworthy. They mock 0-0 first quarters, too. They Are quarterbacks who make throws when they are not need- celebrate every touchdown by every player at every other point ed better than quarterbacks who make throws when they are in a football game with some ridiculous tweet, especially if it’s needed, but who don’t make throws when they are not need- part of some “consecutive points” run. But hey, in the final min- ed? I’m curious. (And not serious!) ute of a 28-point ballgame, ‘taking a knee’ is suddenly the ac- tion that makes players and coaches the very model of modern “Foles guided the Bears down the field to set up Santos’ win- men? Bleep you, you bunch of lily-livered loser-lovers. ning kick and finished the night 30-of-42 for 243 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Foles had several noticeable gaffes I would have to think that deep down, Day was laughing inside while he throughout the game -- one bad missed pass to Darnell Mooney comes delivered this response: “I feel bad about that. I had a younger quarter- to mind -- but kept his poise at the end.” back in the game, and I didn’t feel like we had the personnel to take the knee, and I probably should have done that. So I just want to publicly Ah, he kept his “poise.” They love to write about quarterbacks and their apologize to them.” “poise.” I have a list of sportswriter sentences involving and his allegedly incredible “poise,” all from early 2019. One day I’ll list I love that – ‘didn’t feel like we had the personnel to take a knee.’ No them here. How’d all that “poise” go away? It’s all so ridiculous. To sum- need to apologize, coach! You did the right thing! Nobody signs on to marize this Foles poise-laden, game-winning drive: With the aid of the play football so they can take knees. Except for maybe sportswriters! two-minute warning and three time-outs called by Tampa Bay so they They are the self-appointed moral guardians of the game! They demand might get the ball back, Foles “led” the Bears from their own 48-yard-ine action and big plays and entertaining television and celebrate scoring, (2 yards in front of midfield!) a mere 32 yards on eight plays to the Tampa labeling it “fun to watch!,” until they’ve decided – in their own minds 20, mostly with guys running out of bounds after catching short passes. -- that there has been too much scoring by one team! Are these butt- Then, the Bears’ kicker provided the game-winning three points. How headed sportswriters aware of how often good bets are ruined because incredibly not amazing, am I right? -- Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #10nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am MONDAY, utem. C. Ahacera NOVEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 9, Catertem2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdMAC, Pac 12 open on 57-Game College Football card, NFL WEEK 9 ACTION

Wins vs. There are a lot of tired, old phrases that people use when they attempt to assess football teams. Hope- NFL TEAM Wins W-L > .500 foes fully we don’t use them much, or at least avoid over-using them. One of them is, “Oh, they’re overrated Arizona 5 5-2 2 because they haven’t beaten anybody!” Earth to everyone: Hardly anybody beats anybody good on a Atlanta 2 2-5 0 consistent basis. Not even good teams! In fact, nobody plays a heck of a lot of games against anybody Baltimore 5 5-2 1 good! Basically, it goes like this, and I’m speaking mostly about the NFL here: Buffalo 6 6-2 1 • Good teams beat bad teams. Carolina 3 3-4 1 • Bad teams lose to good teams. (Those are the same thing.) Chicago 5 5-3 1 • Bad teams beat other bad teams sometimes, and lose to other bad teams sometimes. Cincinnati 2 2-5-1 1 • When good teams play other good teams, they basically split -- sometimes a good team will beat a Cleveland 5 5-3 1 good opponent. Other times, that same good team will lose to a good opponent. Most of the good teams will have a .500 record against other “winning teams” over the course of any given season. Dallas 2 2-6 0 Denver 3 3-4 0 The good teams fatten up their records by winning 80% to 100% of their games against losing teams. Detroit 3 3-4 1 Only 31 of the 118 NFL wins recorded through Week 8 (26.2%) involved somebody beating a winning Green Bay 5 5-2 1 team, and only 6 of the 31 wins against winning teams (19.2% of them) were by teams with current Houston 1 1-6 0 losing records. Look how many >.500 opponents each of the NFL teams have beaten this season. Not Indianapolis 5 5-2 1 many! But they don’t play many of them. When the Steelers were 4-0, people were saying, “So over- rated! They haven’t beaten a winning team!” Well, they’ve beaten three in a row since. People might Jacksonville 1 1-6 1 be surprised at how few opportunities there are for good teams to beat other good teams. They might Kansas City 7 7-1 2 also be surprised how infrequently good teams will dominate a good opponent. In the last couple of LA Chargers 2 2-5 0 weeks in the NFL, you had 5-0 Pittsburgh and Tennessee play a game decided by 3 points that prob- LA Rams 5 5-3 1 ably should have gone to overtime. When 4-2 Arizona played 5-0 Seattle, the game went to overtime. Miami 4 4-3 2 Then you had 5-1 Baltimore playing 6-0 Pittsburgh -- the game was decided by 4 points. 5-2 Saints Minnesota 2 2-5 1 beat 5-2 Bears by 3, in OT. Check out the table at left, reflecting Weeks 1 through 8 of the current NFL New England 2 2-5 0 season, showing each team’s overall record and how many of their wins have come against opponents who currently have a record better than .500. New Orleans 5 5-2 2 NY Giants 1 1-6 0 Last week, I tried to watch some of the NFL-dedicated shows on the NFL Network, ESPN, Fox, etc. I try NY Jets 0 0-8 0 occasionally, hoping to learn something new. But it always ends quickly, badly, like when some guy who Las Vegas 4 4-3 3 looks like he walked off the set of a high school play compares the to a ‘boy band.’ Click! Philadelphia 3 3-4-1 1 Last week’s attempt ended when Mike Greenberg, Hall of Fame talking head, stated in all seriousness to Pittsburgh 7 7-0 3 his clamoring colleagues: “There’s more pressure on Tua Tagovailoa than on either Joe Burrow or Justin San Francisco 4 4-4 1 Herbert combined. Change my mind!” I would like to change his mind by having a guy bang a Stanley Seattle 6 6-1 0 16-ounce, wood-handle rubber mallet over his head for ‘a rookie record 60 consecutive seconds’ to stop him from making stupid premises that attempt to measure “pressure” on people, for the sake of creating Tampa Bay 6 6-2 2 meaningless arguments. As I reached for the remote to silence this drivel-disher, I couldn’t do it fast enough 10 Tennessee 5 5-2 1 to avoid Stephen A. Smith splutter: “The Rams! Because they can stop Washington 2 2-5 0 people, that makes them a team to watch in the NFL!” Yes, it sure does. I “watched” the

TOTAL 118 -- 31 Rams lose 48 hours later, at Miami, as we expected. -- Bobby Smith, Editor 0178544 63099 Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #11nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am MONDAY, utem. C. Ahacera NOVEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 16, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjd55 College Football Games on the schedule, plus... NFL WEEK 10 ACTION!

Wins vs. Wins vs. We’ve added a column to the table that appeared in last week’s issue, and updated the NFL TEAM Wins W-L >.500 foes <=.500 foes numbers. The new column, at far right, is the number of wins for each NFL team against Arizona 5 5-3 2 3 opponents with records below .500. This is to further help demonstrate how the teams with Atlanta 3 3-5 0 3 the best records tend to get those records – by beating lousy opposition. Through Monday Baltimore 6 6-2 2 4 Night’s Patriots-Jets game, which involved losing teams, 95 of the 131 wins in the NFL so far this season have come against teams that had .500 or losing records as of Week 8. Buffalo 7 7-2 2 5 That’s 72.5% of the victories, at the expense of teams with losing records. Carolina 3 3-5 1 2 Chicago 5 5-4 1 4 You’ll note that only two NFL teams have more wins against opponents with winning Cincinnati 2 2-5-1 1 1 records than they have against opponents with losing records – the and Cleveland 5 5-3 1 4 . Each is 5-3, with 3 wins against opponents with winning records. The New Dallas 2 2-7 0 2 Orleans Saints, 6-2, are 3-1 vs. winners and 3-1 vs. losers. The Steelers are 3-0 vs. winners, Denver 3 3-5 0 3 5-0 vs. losers. Nobody else has more then 2 wins vs. opponents with winning records. None of the ’ 6 wins has been against an opponent with a winning record. They Detroit 3 3-5 1 2 are 0-2 against winners Arizona and Buffalo. Russell Wilson, MVP? Not so fast, my friends. Green Bay 6 6-2 1 5 Houston 2 2-6 0 2 By the way, none of the 32 NFL teams have an even .500 record after nine weeks. If Indianapolis 5 5-3 1 4 somebody phoned the NFL Network Red Zone guy and told him that, he’d get all excited, Jacksonville 1 1-7 1 0 and ask somebody to go back through the records to see when the last time no NFL teams Kansas City 8 8-1 2 6 were 4-4 after Week 9, so he could go on the air and make the announcement that we are LA Chargers 2 2-6 0 2 all witness to history, because, “For the first time in the Super Bowl era, not a single NFL team has a .500 record. Believe it or not. ladies and gentleman, nobody has one. It is simply LA Rams 5 5-3 1 4 amazing. The Detroit Lions were trying to get one today, but they couldn’t, so the NFL, for Miami 5 5-3 3 2 the first time in the Super Bowl era, has no .500 team in Week 9. Just unbelievable.” Minnesota 3 3-5 1 2 New England 3 3-5 0 3 Late in the Pittsburgh-Dallas game – the classic non-conference road sandwich in which New Orleans 6 6-2 3 3 underdogs like the crummy Cowboys have thrived during the ol’ “Super Bowl Era” – the NY Giants 2 2-6 0 2 televising network flashed a graphic that the Steelers were “trying for the first 8-0 start in NY Jets 0 0-8 0 0 franchise history.” Do you think they celebrated “making history” in the Steelers’ locker room? I don’t think so. Also, I’d like to know something: If the Steelers go 16-0, will they Las Vegas 5 5-3 3 2 have “started” 16-0, or “finished” 16-0? Or both? Doesn’t the “start” of a season end after Philadelphia 3 3-4-1 1 2 Week 1? Makes sense to me. But everyone always says that unbeaten teams are still at the Pittsburgh 8 8-0 3 5 start. “They’ve started 8-0!” Actually, they say that all teams are still at the start. “The Giants San Francisco 4 4-5 1 3 have started 2-6…” They’ve actually middled the season 2-6. Why do they care that a team Seattle 6 6-2 0 6 has never been unbeaten for this long in franchise history, when it guarantees that team Tampa Bay 5 5-3 2 3 nothing? I have no idea why. They don’t even know why they say it. The Greatest Game Ever Tennessee 6 6-2 2 4 Played was not the Colts’ overtime win against the Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship at Yankee Stadium, broadcast by my Sportscasting 101 professor from college, the late Washington 2 2-5 0 2 . It was NBC’s announcer-less Miami at Jets regular season finale of 1980, the TOTAL 131 -- 36 95 best innovation in “history” that never was established as a routine. -- Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY

Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #12nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am MONDAY, utem. C. Ahacera NOVEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 23, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjd The College Football season marches on, plus NFL WEEK 11 PICKS! So, guess what? In College Football, very few teams, if any, spend most of play-by-play drive synopses. But not any more! About a month ago, they their time beating up on winning opposition. Just like in the NFL! I took last quietly disappeared, a few weeks before ESPN announced another disap- week’s Associated Press Top 25, and made the same calculation as we’d pearance -- 300 employees, laid off. This is part of the effect of canceled detailed for all the NFL sports seasons. Back in March, ESPN had high-profile on-air employees Wins vs. CF TEAM, AP Rank W-L Wins >.500 foes teams recently, leaving like Jay Bilas and Linda Cohn, screaming either on the air or on Twitter, out anyone in the Top ‘Shut it down! Shut it all down!’ Now, many of their colleagues have lost 1. Alabama 6-0 6 2 25 that has played few- their jobs after sports were shut down. Just thought I’d mention that. Also, 2. Notre Dame 8-0 8 2 er than five games. Only just thought I’d mention that the Associated Press produces college hoops 3. Ohio State 3-0 -- -- 38 wins of the 113 by game recaps with robots, a further insult to the public. last week’s 19 Top 25 4. Clemson 7-1 7 4 teams with at least five Anyway, where was I? Oh, the #2-ranked team, Notre Dame, has 8 wins but 5. Texas A&M 5-1 5 1 games (33.6%) have only two of them against opponents with winning records. Sure, one of them 6. Florida 5-1 5 1 been at the expense was against Clemson, home, but they weren’t beating Clemson at the end of opponents with re- of regulation time, and Clemson actually has 4 of its 7 wins against oppo- 7. Cincinnati 7-0 7 3 cords better than .500. nents with winning records. There is much football remaining to be played. 8. BYU 7-0* 7 3 It’s a higher percentage 9. Indiana 4-0 -- -- than in the NFL, but * * * remember that in the If you have a College Football schedule for the upcoming week and are 10. Wisconsin 2-0 -- -- NFL, we accounted for wondering why ours doesn’t include Ohio at Miami-OH on Tuesday, and Ar- 11. Oregon 2-0 -- -- all 32 teams, including izona State at Colorado, Ole Miss at A&M, Georgia Tech at Miami, Charlotte 12. Miami 7-1 7 3 the losing teams. For at Marshall on Saturday, it is because each was either postponed or can- college, we’ve chosen celed on Sunday or Monday, “out of an abundance of caution,” of course. 13. Georgia 4-2 4 1 only the 25 best teams. [Rolls eyes to ceiling, shakes head side to side, tries to remain silent.] 14. Oklahoma St. 5-1 5 4 Wait, not the 25 best – 15. Cstal Carolina 7-0 7 3 the AP Top 25! Big dif- * * * ference! It’s decided Last Saturday morning, this was a “Top Headline” on espn.com: “Up big, 15. Marshall 7-0 7 2 upon by votes! When Iowa uses 3 timeouts late vs. Minnesota.” The clear intent was to paint Iowa 17. Iowa State 5-2 5 1 teams win or lose the as a bully, for calling three time-outs in the final minute of a game that had 18. Oklahoma 5-2 5 1 following week, the long since been decided. The score was 35-0 at the time. Of course, this voters change! What a attempt to paint Iowa in a negative light was a load of bullcrap, as is most 19. Northwestern 4-0 -- -- bunch of smart people of what’s reported as “top news” by the sports media. The Iowa coaches 20. USC 2-0 -- -- they are, right? Mean- wanted to give the Hawkeyes’ defense its best opportunity to record a 21. Liberty 8-0 8 0 while, Associated Press shutout. It was important to them and the players, and why shouldn’t it be? game recaps have It would be implanted in the “history” book as part of their “records,” which 22. Texas 5-2 5 2 disappeared from the programs call “milestones.” Even I – one who despises the re-hashing of 23. Auburn 4-2 4 0 espn.com game pages. trivial statistics -- understand that. Minnesota had actually called the first 24. La.-Lafayette 7-1 7 3 They used to be on the time-out in the sequence, as part of its effort to avoid the humiliation of be- Web page menu along ing shut out on national television! They try to make villians out of people 25. Tulsa 4-1 4 2 with the gamecast, box when they are the real villians for distorting truth for the sake of an inaccu- TOTAL 113-17 113 38 score, team stats, and rate story. Some day, their karma will come. -- Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus re voloreiumSubscribers eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. only. Not for Resale Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et molore poratiis minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatia delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #13nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am MONDAY, utem. C. Ahacera NOVEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 30, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdSetting This Week’s Football Table and Serving Your THANKSGIVING PICKS! We all know that Turnover Margin who is already sick and tired of the new trend of “situational awareness,” NFL Team TO SU ATS Mar is an important factor in separat- whereby football teams with the lead try not to score – basically out of fear -- Pittsburgh +12 10-0 8-2 ing winners from losers in the NFL. so as to “improve” their chance of winning the game from 99.8% to 99.9% Tennessee +10 7-3 4-6 Winning and losing teams, winning if they should happen to score a touchdown or field goal and be forced to take on the nuisance task of playing defense in the final seconds. It may Kansas City +8 9-1 6-4 and losing bettors. Even with that knowledge of the obvious, it’s still be smart, sound strategy. But I sincerely hope that somehow, some way, Cleveland +6 7-3 4-6 somewhat surprising to note the some teams in the future – the nearest possible future, please – get burned Indianapolis +6 7-3 6-4 current stark contrast between by it and find a way to lose after intentionally not scoring. It almost hap- Miami +6 6-4 7-3 NFL teams with positive TO Mar- pened already, on Saturday. It would have been the world’s greatest gift if New Orleans +5 8-2 5-5 gins, and teams with negative TO the fourth-down, no-try shotgun snap to U. Cincinnati’s quarterback had Tampa Bay +5 7-4 5-5-1 Margins. It’s a very real possibility sailed over his head and been scooped and scored by Central Florida’s that none of the teams currently in defense 99 yards the other way for the win, instead of just fumbled and Buffalo +3 7-3 5-5 the negative TO Margin range will self-recovered by Cincinnati. Although “analytics” may say this is the right Baltimore +3 6-4 4-5-1 make the playoffs! Look at who thing to do, there’s something very wrong about this manner of play, just as Carolina +2 4-7 6-5 they are, and their current straight- wrong as the football’s tip needing only to “cross the plane of the goal line” Atlanta +1 3-7 4-6 up records after 10 games! for a touchdown, when the word “touchdown” was clearly invented because Las Vegas +1 6-4 7-3 the ball needed to be inside the end zone for six points to be awarded. It The only reason that Dallas and violates the spirit of competition. There needs to be a rule change to prevent Seattle +1 7-3 6-4 Philadelphia – each with only 3 this new and unfortunate behavior in football. The avoidance tactic seems Detroit 0 4-6 4-6 wins and a combined 5-15 ATS very similar to something else going on out of fear of 99.8% vs. 99.9% these Green Bay 0 7-3 6-4 with two of the worst TO Margins days, which I will not bother getting into because what’s the point? LA Rams 0 7-3 6-4 – are alive for the playoffs is that * * * the other two NFC East teams New England 0 4-6 4-6 Do you know when I became certain that Denver would beat Miami, and that have only 3 wins, too. The only NY Giants 0 3-7 7-3 the Steelers would cover the spread at Jacksonville on Sunday? It was three team with a negative TO Margin NY Jets 0 0-10 3-7 and six hours before the respective kickoffs, when some show about sports and a non-losing record is the betting was on ESPN and my television set happened to be turned on, with Arizona 0 6-4 5-5 Chicago Bears. They’re 5-5 and the volume on. They showed some very pretty graphics on the screen, with Chicago -3 5-5 5-5 have lost four straight games! Only talking-head sports betting people ooh-ing and ahh-ing over them: LA Chargers -3 3-7 4-5-1 three of the 11 negative TO teams Cincinnati -4 2-7 6-4 have profitable records against the • “99% of money on Dolphins -3.5 (Caesar’s William Hill) at Denver!” spread. The team with the best TO Minnesota -4 4-6 6-4 • “Steelers, 0-7 ATS run as double-digit favorites!” Margin, Pittsburgh, is the NFL’s Houston -4 3-7 3-7 only undefeated team. If some- It’s the first time I ever watched that show, because I’d always figured it would San Francisco -5 4-6 4-6 body was gonna be undefeated be all about well-intentioned people trumpeting one-sided “facts” plucked Washington -6 3-7 4-5-1 after 10 games, it would figure to out of mid-air for the sake of attracting attention, facts that have nothing to do Jacksonville -6 1-9 4-6 have been the team with the best with the eventual outcome of the games. (I was right!) Miami at Denver wasn’t TO Margin, right? a popularity contest. A Pittsburgh trend from the past has no bearing on the Philadelphia -9 3-6 3-7 next time they appear in the “role.” This alleged “key information” had abso- Dallas -12 3-7 2-8 * * * lutely nothing to do with what usually matters, which is the football match-ups Denver -13 4-6 6-4 I’m not the only person out there at hand. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! – Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #14nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am TUESDAY, utem. C. Ahacera DECEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 8, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdCollege Football Keeps It Together and Now There’s DECEMBER NFL ACTION!

After listening to sportscasting sycophant slobber all over Pat- we’re going to spread the ball around, use all our playmakers, stretch the rick Mahomes and Tom Brady for three-plus hours late Sunday afternoon ball down the field as well as intermediate routes and we’re going to use as if they were the only players on the field that mattered (Can’t he hear the RPO, run the ball and really just create mismatches with the personnel himself?), and hearing him lament about how it ‘may be the last time!’ we got. It’s been going really well so far the way the coaches taught it to that Mahomes has a chance to play against Brady (Guess what, Jim? us thus far. Coach Nagy says we’re much further in the installation of the He’s never played against Brady, never will!), I was enjoying Green Bay’s offense than he expected, and that’s a great thing for us because we’ll thrashing of Chicago in the Sunday night NBC game. Aware of how Chi- just have that many more options this year.” cago had the heaviest pass-percentage play ratio in the NFL (only 32.8% runs), and how very bad it is for a team with a very good defense, that The Bears scored 25.6 ppg that season, up from 16.5 in Trubisky’s rookie plays in a cold-weather city, to be sporting a trait like that, it stood to rea- year. But it was a bullcrap number. The offense gained only 344 yards per son that playing against the Packers on the road would produce an early game. The defense was #2 in turnovers and scored a gaggle of TDs on deficit of 3-27 for the Bears, a happy Green Bay margin that eventually its own. Chicago ran the ball 45.2% of the time (sixth-strongest run fre- withstood garbage time and lazy defense by the leading favorite (some- quency) going 12-4. Then, in 2019, the offensive stagnation was exposed thing that seems to be becoming rarer in football these days). when they ran it on only 38.7% of snaps en route to 8-8. In November 2019, after beating the Lions 20-13 to get a 4-5 record, Trubisky said, “I I was curious about the corrrelation between running and winning, and feel like that was a glimpse of how this offense can be. When all 11 guys how was going in the NFL, straight-up and against the spread. But I think are on the same page, the receivers are getting open, the offensive line I’ll have to wait a week to print the up-to-date results because I can tell is blocking really well, we are able to make plays and stay on the field.” that I’m about to run off at the mouth and run out of room to display the appropriate table on this page. Stay on the field? The Bears had only 47 offensive snaps in that game -- 24 runs, 23 passes – and gained only 13 first downs! The defense kept Offensive-minded head coaches who call their own plays can be really them in it through 75 Lions snaps that produced 21 Detroit first downs. difficult to put up with. They are usually the worst coaches in sports, Trubisky had, and still has, very little clue. Also without a clue was the standing there with their heads up their play charts. There are excep- Associated Press recap of that game: “Trubisky tied a season high with tions that prove the rule, of course. Sean Payton with the Saints, Sean three touchdown passes...” WTF does it matter for a quarterback to “tie McVay with the Rams. didn’t become Super Bowl-smart until his season high” for a single game in anything? They don’t award playoff Mahomes showed up. And yes, Doug Pederson won the Super Bowl spots for single-game stats that have nothing to do with winning! in his first season with the Eagles, but he certainly hasn’t appeared to become any smarter since then, has he? Adam Gase, 0-11 with the Jets. Sunday night in Green Bay, the Bears’ defense, which has been playing Zac Taylor, 2-9-1 with the Bengals, calling pass play after pass play and its heart out for a long time trying to prop up “this offense,” and which getting promising rookie QB Joe Burrow hit a lot until his knee took a bad had really played above-and-beyond lights-out against Minnesota in a blow and gave out. Bill O’Brien with Houston, he… wait, he was so bad recent Monday Night Football loss that the offense and punt returner they fired him! Matt Nagy came to Chicago with “his offense” -- which handed to the Vikings – finally looked like it was saying, ‘No mas, every- was pretty much Andy Reid’s offense but not with Andy Reid’s Kansas body!’ The Bears’ defense has done all it could have for a long stretch. City players -- to ruin the blueprint of the Bears’ franchise, just like Ben It just can’t take any more of the non-support. So much for “amazing,” McAdoo came to the to ruin theirs. and “fun scheme,” and “creating mismatches with the personnel we’ve got.” Another offensive-minded, play-calling head coach has come in In late August 2018, Bears’ QB Mitch Trubisky, going into his second and done his thing. But on any given Sunday, there’s an opponent expe- season, said, “This offense is going to be amazing. It’s a fun scheme, riencing more problems. – Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #15nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am MONDAY, utem. C. Ahacera DECEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 14, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdFinal Big College Football Regular Season Weekend, NFL HOME STRETCH!

The recently signed RB Christian McCaffrey – drafted ing leads, also not running the ball well, being an erratic passing team, by former General Manager Dave Gettleman in the first round – to a four- and other negative things. It was looking good for the Bears, leading a year, $64 million contract extension in the off-season. He has played in losing team at home by 10 points with 11:23 remaining in the fourth quar- only three of the Panthers’ 12 games this season. Carolina is 0-3 SU, ter. But did they run the ball effectively to run down the clock and help 1-2 ATS in those games. In the games McCaffrey missed because of his that defense protect that lead? No. When they needed to the most, they injuries, the Panthers are 4-5 SU, 6-3 ATS. As an underdog without Mc- couldn’t. But still, with that 10-point lead, the Bears’ defense intercepted Caffrey, they are 6-1 ATS. a Detroit pass. Sealing the victory, right? Wrong! The Bears’ offense went 3-and-out, twice! For the defense, cumulative effect of playing hard to Dave Gettleman, current New York Giants GM, drafted RB Saquon Bark- overcome the lousy offense – which had sapped it when it had fallen ley in the first round #2 overall and the Giants are paying him $30 million apart in Green Bay on the previous Sunday night – was still in effect. The for four years on his first contract. The Giants were 0-2 in the games Bar- offense left enough time on the clock for the Lions to go 96 yards in 2:15 kley played in 2020, before he was lost for the season with a knee injury. to pull within 3 points with 2:18 remaining. And then, because Chicago Prior to last weekend, since Barkley became unavailable, the Giants had is still incompetent at running the ball, they had Mitch Trubisky dropping the exact same records as Carolina without McCaffrey: 4-5 SU, 6-3 ATS, back to pass deep in his own territory with less than 2:00 remaining in and 6-1 ATS as the underdog. The Giants are now 5-5 SU, 7-3 ATS and the game, and he lost the football when hit by a Lions’ defensive line- 7-1 ATS as the underdog without (who, I’ve been writing man! Once again, they threw the ball when they needed to be running, about here for a while, is all wrong for that franchise). If they asked me because they can’t run well enough to run when they must. The Lions (nobody ever does), I’d tell the Panthers and Giants that they are better scored two plays later, led 34-30 when the game should have been over. off without McCaffrey and Barkley. Running backs absorb much contact from larger players. They tend to get injured, miss time. Barkley tends You would think that Chicago’s awful offense had already put its signature to play like , who earned a with the Saints on the loss but no, it was still to come. It actually was able to drive to the when they relegated him to third-down back and returner and elevated Lions’ 20-yard-line in the final seconds. Why? Because, they were play- Pierre Thomas to #1 RB. The smartest franchises draft running backs in ing the Lions. With 0:16 left, it faced a fourth-and-1. The call? A handoff the third round or later, pay them a lot less money, and spend the savings into the line to RB David Montgomery. What would you expect from the on quality linemen (and other positions!) who can be developed within passingest team in football? Of course he got stuffed! Game over! units that block very well for the less expensive RBs who can do the job as well or better than an overly expensive back. Related hilarious incompetence: On the side of the espn.com live online NFL scoreboard, one of the clowns who tweets wrote the following, im- While we’re on the subject of running and running backs in the NFL, let’s mediately after the game: “Chicago Bears running back David Montgom- get back to last week’s discussion about the Chicago Bears. Last week, ery took his time helping fantasy managers this season but now, thanks we reviewed how Chicago, with an offensive-minded play-caller as their to easy matchups, he is valuable.” It’s cruel and unusual punishment that head coach, had lost five in a row and were the passingest team in the we have to share our world with nerds like this, who crawl out of little NFL. Matt Nagy had actually transferred play-calling duties to offensive holes in the wall to yip-yap about fantasy football points by some run- coordinator Bill Lazor a few weeks ago, but you get the idea. It seemed ning back who can’t gain a freaking first down when his like the Bears were in a good spot to overcome their bad offensive profile team needs it on a crunch-time, fourth-and-short (not against the Lions, who have no identity other than falling behind, blow- that it’s the running back’s fault)! – Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY

Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #16nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am MONDAY, utem. C. Ahacera DECEMBER eceropu blicavo ctorbit 21, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjd BEST BETS and more in College Football CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

Wins vs. Wins vs. How interesting that somebody found a way to cancel #5-ranked, 7-1 NFL TEAM Wins W-L >.500 foes <=.500 foes Texas A&M’s game last Saturday against Ole Miss – who averages 38.7 Arizona 7 7-6 2 5 Points per game, 8 more points per game than the Aggies! – so that Atlanta 4 4-9 1 3 Texas A&M could play a finale against lousy Tennessee instead. The Baltimore 7 7-5 2 5 Vols average a mere 20 ppg, and that’s counting the 42 they put on the board Saturday against winless Vanderbilt, the SEC’s weakest defense. Buffalo 10 10-3 4 6 Anyone who can’t smell some manipulation goin’ on around here needs Carolina 4 4-9 1 3 to get their smeller adjusted. Here’s an eventual scenario to envision: Chicago 6 6-7 1 5 Notre Dame hands Clemson a second loss after the Aggies win this, but Cincinnati 2 2-10-1 1 1 Clemson stays within the top four of the national rankings, A&M remains Cleveland 9 9-3 2 7 #5, and head coach Jimbo Fisher whines to high heaven, complaining Dallas 4 4-9 0 4 about a two-loss team making the CFP over his team. Fisher, of course, Denver 5 5-6 1 4 being one of our nation’s most solid, transparent, upstanding and virtu- ous citizens (chuckle, chuckle). Detroit 5 5-8 1 4 Green Bay 10 10-3 1 9 This, and other situations in college football involving first-place teams Houston 4 4-9 0 4 in position to play in conference championship games and/or the Col- Indianapolis 9 9-4 3 6 lege Football Playoff – is probably what Florida head coach Dan Mullen Jacksonville 1 1-12 1 0 was referring to when he said, after losing to LSU for a second loss: “I Kansas City 12 12-1 5 7 know we’ve played 10 games. So I guess the best thing to do would LA Chargers 4 4-9 0 4 have been to play less games because you seem to get rewarded for not playing this year in college football.” LA Rams 9 9-4 3 6 Miami 8 8-5 2 6 Valid point. No excuse for losing as a 23-point home favorite to LSU, but Minnesota 6 6-7 1 5 Florida did definitely play 10 games, and other teams in position for the New England 6 6-7 4 2 CFP will have played considerably fewer, and managed to avoid play- New Orleans 10 10-3 2 8 ing late-season games against tough opponents that were certainly not NY Giants 5 5-8 1 4 gimme victories by any means. It’s that kind of season. NY Jets 0 0-13 0 0 * * * At left is an update of the chart tracking the number of wins NFL teams Las Vegas 7 7-6 3 4 have registered against opponents with winning records. After 13 Philadelphia 4 4-8-1 1 3 games, Kansas City’s 5 wins against foes whose current records are Pittsburgh 11 11-2 4 7 better than .500 is the most. Three others have 4, all of them in the AFC. San Francisco 5 5-8 2 3 The Packers have 10 wins, only 1 vs. a winning foe. The Seahawks have Seattle 9 9-4 1 8 9 wins, but only 1 against a winner. The Saints have 10 wins, only 2 vs. Tampa Bay 8 8-5 2 6 winners. Teams just don’t play a lot of opponents with winning records. Tennessee 9 9-4 3 6 Everybody except New England (4 wins vs. winners, 2 vs. losers) and Jacksonville (1 total win, vs. 9-4 Indy) have more wins against losing Washington 6 6-7 1 5 teams than they have against winners. But that’s the way it is in the NFL, TOTAL 206 -- 56 150 every year. This is nothing new -- Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #17 nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorteriumWEEK ocrit; nu seriviridiENDING casdam WEDNESDAY, am utem. C. Ahacera eceropuDECEMBER blicavo ctorbit 30, Catertem 2020 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjd Penultimate NFL Regular Season Weekend, 14 BOWL GAMES!

Getting back to the notion of overpaying for running backs in the NFL a spaceship – they can take their families with them if they want to – and and my repeated examples of McCaffrey and Barkley of the Panthers and flown to another planet, never to appear on Earth ever again so as to Giants – teams who do as well or better than usual without them -- did never be be in position to torture people with meaningless rationales and you happen to notice that on Monday, Carolina’s owner fired the general explanations and “bodies of work” and all the other clichés that suck the manager that signed McCaffrey to a new, four-year, $64 million contract soul out of sports, to what end I’ll never really understand. Tell us who’s this summer, well before his rookie contract would expire? playing in the damn bowl games, then shut the hell up and get off the air! * * * After the Jets signed Le’Veon Bell to a similarly ridiculous contract in Just when you think the television coverage of football can’t get any March, 2019, word among the New York beat was that head coach Adam worse, they continue to show the Dr. Pepper contest giving away free col- Gase was dead-set against it. The GM who made the deal, Mike Mac- lege tuition to young adults who push footballs through a hole in a box 10 cagnan, was then fired in May. When an outsider like me can point out yards away. They don’t “throw” the footballs by making a football move. serious errors of the same type made by the guys who are in charge of They get the ball through the hole by using two hands on it, and making putting together football teams, those boo-boos must be truly be huge. a basketball-pass motion from the chest. This stupid contest – shown at Matt Rhule, first-season head coach of Carolina with a seven-year con- halftime of the Big Ten Championship Game -- infuriates me, because tract, was undoubtedly as disappointed as Gase was about Bell when his they’re awarding a free education for doing something that has nothing GM tied up all those resources in McCaffrey. There were great and telling to do with learning, in a football setting, using a football, without requiring quotes on Monday from Panthers’ owner David Tepper after he made the anyone to make a football move. Basically, they are teaching kids how to move: “You look at successful organizations, and there’s a certain align- game the system, doubly. They can a) get tuition paid for by performing ment between the head coach and the GM. To think that you can do that a stupid human trick, and b) the trick doesn’t even have to be done in a without some sort of alignment is nuts. So to not have a head coach with football-like manner. Do you know how they choose the finalists for this some input into that is stupid. I don’t want to be stupid, OK?... I think financial farce? From videos submitted that explain, “Why I need my col- sometimes you just need a restart, a refresh. We did it last year on the lege tuition paid for.” If I had more time – which I’ll never have – I would coaching side. Maybe you could say it should have been done before on love to submit a video for this contest, consisting of me, saying, “You the GM side. Maybe it should have been. I’m sure people may say that.” should pay my college tuition because you are highly ranked power-con- ference ass-hats,” with my middle finger extended. Adults who paid their Ha. Seems to me that Rhule enlightened Tepper to some not-so-smart own way through college and beyond are losing their businesses through activity within in his organization. All I can say now, considering that the no fault of their own, but Dr. Pepper – which rots your teeth -- can give Giants have a first-season head coach, is, “Dave Gettleman, you’re next!” away millions of dollars in free tuition for geeking a football through a hole. * * * My wife walked into the room while I was watching this disconnect from, On Sunday at 12 Noon, ESPN televised the worst television show in the and disrespect for, reality. I voiced my complaint about it to her. My voice history of televised shows. A bunch of nudniks sat around a table saying, got louder as I explained it, because it’s all so ridiculous and insulting to “Blah, blah, blah,” about teams that would be revealed in the College the sensibilities of most normal humans. My little daughter walked into Football Playoff rankings. They cut to reporters located on the campuses the room just as I shouted, “It makes me really mad!,” then ran away cry- of teams expected to be in the top six or seven. I turned it off after one ing, thinking I was referring to something she might have done. So now, hour. Somebody informed me that it actually lasted four hours. I can’t be- on top of being moronic and making our country a worse place to be, lieve it! For 60 minutes, it was an awful experience and I want that hour of the Dr. Pepper contest of tossing footballs like jackasses for free college my life back. Preparing for colonoscopies is less annoying than watching makes my daughter cry. But I’m the bad guy. Belated Happy Hanukkah that crap. The people responsible for producing it should be herded into and a Merry Christmas, everyone! – Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus reSubscribers voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. ONLY Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et moloreNOT poratiis FOR minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatiaRESALE! delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga. COPYRIGHT 2020, Sports Reporter Inc. Ecere nectate mporeperum quia sae quodit ommos cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel et Source omnimetur for sincto 46 cum Years dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #18 nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium ocrit;WEEK nu seriviridi ENDING casdam am utem.MONDAY, C. Ahacera JANUARYeceropu blicavo ctorbit 4, 2021 Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdBEST BET in the College Football Playoff, Plus NFL WEEK 17!

They’ve almost made it through the 17-week NFL regular season without the breathe on a teammate, sitting in the hotel room with extra-curricular having to cancel a game. The NFL has been a schmucky organization in activities banned – would be anything but a reward. It’d be more punish- a lot of areas but you have to give it a lot of credit for being determined ment. Other than the scholarship that pays their way through school, they to play the games, and then going out and getting the games played. My aren’t receiving money for their efforts (And, they shouldn’t. The scholar- lasting impression of the month of March, 2020 will always be ESPN an- ship money is a great apprentice salary for a well-rounded experience. nouncers Jay Bilas and Linda Cohn – assured of having well paying jobs But that’s another story and another argument for another day, hopefully when many of their colleagues were not -- yelling, ‘Shut it down, shut it not in this paper.) I just wish that the college football programs could down!’ Thankfully, the NFL, and many College Football organizations, did have been open and honest about who’d be in, and who’d be out on not shut it down. It continues to bother me to see the games played in any (and all) given Saturdays. They weren’t. The NFL was very open and front of empty seats, but I won’t get into spouting off my opinion about honest about it. Though too late for the purposes of a Tuesday-posted it. However, I don’t think any sport can withstand another season with- weekly like this paper, you eventually knew exactly what the disadvan- out fans in the stands. Major League Baseball – played mostly outdoors, tage was when Cleveland was playing without its wide receivers, when where they could have put fans in the seats during the regular-season Denver played without quarterbacks, when Baltimore played without half – lost $3.1 billion because they couldn’t decide when to play, and when the team, and when Detroit played without many of its coaches (see most they finally decided to play a severely curtailed season, they chose to be recent Midweek Update). With college football, it was always a mystery. compliant to state “rules” and do it in front of empty seats. Owners are not in business to lose $3.1 billion a year. I’m just speculating, but I would In the NFL, I think everyone learned very early about how crowd noise think that a canceled 2021 MLB season would happen if turns out that in stadiums affects visiting offenses. More crowd noise, more trouble they are not allowed to play their games in front of sizable live audiences. passing. Less crowd noise, more success passing. You can measure They’re not going to pay these spoiled-brat baseball players what the the NFL’s “record!” scoring this season in many different ways, but I’ll players want to be paid despite the lack of revenue, and put themselves put it this way: In 2019, Baltimore, the most run-heavy team in the NFL, in position to lose more billions. So, let’s hope that it doesn’t come to this was the only team to average more than 30 points per game, when only and that people of America are allowed to make up their own minds about five teams averaged more than 28 ppg. Going into Week 17 of 2020, whether or not they want to attend outdoor sporting events. nine teams are averaging at least 28 ppg (nine being “80% more than five!”). Road teams have won 49.6% of their games straight-up (two I really appreciate the effort that college athletes are making despite seasons ago they won only 39.8% straight-up) and are averaging 2-4 adults’ best attempts to make them miserable. They get tested repeat- points more per game this season than in any of the prior three. But they edly. Some of them test positive without being sick. They’re told that they aren’t covering the spread any more frequently – just 51.0% ATS, vs. last can’t practice or play. Practice gets suspended for multiple days at a season’s 55.6% and 51.8% in 2018. Having gotten past the first round time. Games get postponed and canceled. But they stick to it. Why? Be- of bowl games without being victimized by the Sports Reporter curse – cause they just want to play! They’re kids. At low-low-low-low risk. They the favorite with a three-score second-half lead that loses – I started to love to play games. Besides faking their way though an education and wonder when it might strike, if it indeed had to strike. And wouldn’t you chasing girls, that’s what they want to do. When they were allowed to know it? The wily curse mutated into the NFL, where Philip Rivers and play, they went out and gave it all they had, playing hair-on-fire football the Colts led 24-7 late in the third quarter at Pittsburgh and decided to with all the emotion they’ve had in other years, despite either no fans in do everything in their power to lose. No words, no words. Other than the stands, or at best a small percentage of capacity. You can certainly thanks to all of our loyal readers for being with us through an unusual forgive the players in programs that didn’t feel like going to bowl games season whose conditions will be unwelcome by everyone should they after all they’d been put through in the regular season. For so many col- extend into the next. The annual calendar is turning but we’re not out of lege players, a curtailed bowl experience – traveling again while trying not the woods yet. Happy New Year! – Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam solessus re voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat.

Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et molore poratiis minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatia delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga.

Ecere COPYRIGHTnectate mporeperum 2021, quia Sports sae quodit Reporter ommos Inc. cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel Sourceet omnimetur for sincto 46 Yearscum dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #19 nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium FOOTBALLocrit; nu seriviridi casdamTHROUGH am utem. MONDAY,C. Ahacera eceropu JANUARY blicavo ctorbit 11, Catertem 2021 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdOhio State vs. Alabama Championship Game, 6 NFL WILD CARDS!

As the NFL post-season nears, you get people coming out of the wood- “This Buffalo team is the hottest in the league right now, and could be work using the cliché about how some team is supposedly the team one that nobody wants to see come playoff time.” that “nobody wants to face in the playoffs.” Every year, there are a lot of – Jon Simon, 550 Sports Radio those teams. For some reason, it’s never the team that eventually wins the Super Bowl, which was often the favorite to win the Super Bowl. The “Why No Team Wants To Face The Seattle Seahawks In The Playoffs;.” Patriots were never the team that “nobody wants to face.” Last year, – Clasher Sports the Chiefs weren’t the team that “nobody wants to face.” And for some reason, teams always accept the invitation to play against the team that “No team wants to travel to Pittsburgh this winter.” “nobody wants to face.” No team ever gets up on the podium and says, – Riley McAtee, The Ringer “Hey, we don’t want to face them. We forfeit.” Here’s are samples of what’s been put out there in recent weeks: Hey, OK guys, whatever you say.

“The Browns are a team that nobody wants to face in the playoffs.” Well, it was nice of Tom Herman to supervise a Texas Longhorns de- – masslive.com struction of Colorado for us in the Alamo Bowl – despite the early exit by QB Sam Ehlinger – before the geniuses who run the University of “The Cardinals again resemble a dangerous team that nobody wants to Texas fired him. But I wouldn’t call being paid a $15 million buyout, after face in the playoffs.” – Arizonzasports.com the guy had already earned $20 millon in four years, as “being fired.” No, “being fired” is being terminated from a job that pays an average or “The Raiders… have a lot of work to do after the bye week, but the lower salary for your region, with no notice, no severance, and having schedule gets a lot softer down the road, and as they get healthier, they to pay your family’s medical insurance after it was being paid by your are a team that nobody wants to face.” – justblogbaby.com employer. That’s being fired. What happened to Herman – and most other head coaches in college and pro football -- was more of a favor. “Baltimore is “definitively that team that nobody wants to play.” ‘Hey, you don’t have to put up with our insistence that we compete for – a championship every year, and get flak from all over the place when you miss being in a title game by about three plays over the course of “I can tell you that they [Washington] are a team that nobody wants to a 1,400-snap season for your offensive and defensive unit combined, play.” – Some guy in England writing for the Daily Mail (as if! Stick to and you no longer have to lie to recruits about playing time they’ll get. In soccer, buddy!) return for giving you this gift, we will also give you $15 million.”

“Washington is the team nobody wants to face come January.” Seriously, man, that is not “being fired.” That is what’s called “living – Rick Snider, radio.com large.” Hopefully, some state governors will open up their strip clubs soon because there’s a guy out there with a heck of a lot of discretionary “Most claimed the Jaguars would look like an expansion-level team in income, and suddenly a lot of time on his hands for the near future, who 2020, but instead they look like a team that nobody wants to have circled can be of assistance to some currently out-of-work young adults. By on their calendar.” – John Shipley, , written when Jack- the way, on December 12, 2020, the following headline and sub-head sonville was 1-1. appeared at one of those Web sites where people who call themselves journalists perform tasks that are allegedly called work: “Texas foot- “Colts morphing into team nobody will want to face in January.” ball coach Tom Herman won’t be fired: Will Longhorns regret it?” Hey, – Indianapolis Star thanks, Mr. So-Called Sportswriter making things up as he goes along... for nothing! -- Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, non- eces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasitiSubscribers nam solessus re voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. only, Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibusNOT etfor molore poratiis minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quam qui as sam, sintiaRESALE! sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est as nis debit, commodi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatia delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorionecus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga.

Ecere COPYRIGHTnectate mporeperum 2021, quia Sports sae quodit Reporter ommos Inc. cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel Sourceet omnimetur for sincto 46 Yearscum dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #20 nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium FOOTBALLocrit; nu seriviridi casdamTHROUGH am utem. MONDAY,C. Ahacera eceropu JANUARY blicavo ctorbit 18, Catertem 2021 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdNFL Post-Season Action Continues, 4 Games in DIVISIONAL ROUND!

During and after the Buffalo/Indianapolis first-round playoff game, Meawhile, how many times do these sportscasters have to say it, be- I wondering how a reasonably intelligent NFL head coach like Frank fore they realize that a quarterback on one team is not playing against Reich, utilizing the right plan and with his team executing it well, could the other quarterback? The quarterback is playing against the opposing suddenly turn into a major idiot. I mean, there it was again. An offensive- team’s defense! The other team’s quarterback is on the sidelines, with minded head coach and play-caller, mucking up the game for the Colts a jacket draped over himself and maybe a video board to take a look at at the Bills. The Colts, +6.5 underdog, were doing everything they want- what the defense he’s playing against has been doing! He has no con- ed to do and the game was going exactly the way we thought it would. tact with the other QB, because he’s not playing against the other QB, In fact, when the announcers were explaining what was happening with just like the other quarterback isn’t playing against him! Quarterbacks ball control and field position as Indy led 10-3 and was driving deep into don’t play against each other! Never have! Never will! There is no such Buffalo territory nearing the end of the first half, it sounded as if they thing as a good, intelligent sportscaster. They may be fine human be- were reading from the Sports Reporter written forecast of the game, ings when they aren’t on the job. But as soon as the light comes on, which was published five days before kickoff! (That’s our job, bythe they all become morons. There may be an exception or two but then way. Write the recap before the game starts.) Then, Reich reached into again, maybe not. Ever since Jim Nantz started with the, ‘Hello friends, the Bad Decision Bag for four plays from the 1-yard-line that not only it’s Payton Manning vs. Tom Brady, I want to rub their stats all over my didn’t get into the end zone, but two of them went out of bounds, allow- naked body!’ crap, it’s gotten worse. The announcers didn’t hype the ing Buffalo to keep all their time outs on a 96-yard touchdown drive. By first Super Bowl as ‘Bart Starr vs. Len Dawson,’ did they? Of course rights, the score should have been 17-7 Colts with about 1:00 or less not! Because back then, they weren’t morons being directed by morons! remaining in the first half. Instead, the half closed at 14-10 Bills. When it got to 27-10 in the third quarter, I was cursing at my TV set because I On the way to a commercial break Saturday night, Mike Tirico says, knew we’d have to rely on trailing Philip Rivers (heaven help us!) to cover “28-16, Washington trailing Tom Brady by 12.” Was the name of the the spread, an aggravating position. Rivers and the Colts’ offense got it franchise changed to “Tom Brady” last week, done ATS, in defeat. They should have won the game outright. and I didn’t get the memo? Like they changed the name of the Wash- ington Redskins to Football Team? Did I miss something? No, of course And then, after only about two minutes had elapsed in Browns-Steel- not! It’s just a danged fool making senseless noise, acting as if nobody eers, it hit me. Reich was just a human idiot, like me! else plays for Tampa. I can’t take it anymore. I realize that all media is populated by oblivious jackasses flapping their gums without think- For the last month, we’d been pronouncing the Steelers as in trouble, ing, or writing things (here I am!) attempting to inflate the importance of almost dead. We’d been hammering home the point that they can’t run them to generate as much interest as possible in the extremely trivial, the ball and opposing defenses have been sitting on the pass routes. creating much misleading information while tending to their task. But it’s You need a running game to advance in the playoffs. The Browns had impossible to sit idly and accept it, without calling “bull!” on it all. These one, Steelers didn’t. Here was the perfect situation to finish off the people are nightmares. And then, on Sunday morning, this headline ap- Steelers after we’d already began shoveling dirt on them! And what did pears on ESPN’s Web site: “Goff replaces Wolford, leads Rams to upset we do? We hopped onto news about the Browns not practicing, missing in Seattle.” a few players, the coach, and decided that the team we were in the pro- cess of burying was somehow good enough to rise up from the undead Goff was along for the ride! Defense and the running attack! Not Goff! to win, when the Browns still had something very important they didn’t. The Rams’ defense kept sacking Russell Wilson, supposed former “lock” for MVP because of his “big passing yards!” The Rams’ offense Football coaches. They’re idiots making over-thought, self-outsmarting has scored about 3 TDs in its last 22 series, for God’s sake! Seriously, dopey decisions after doing excellent handicapping, just like me! what in the heck is wrong with these people? -- Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, noneces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasitiSubscribers nam soles- sus re voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. only, Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibusNOT for et mo- lore poratiis minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. 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Ecere COPYRIGHTnectate mporeperum 2021, quia Sports sae quodit Reporter ommos Inc. cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel Sourceet omnimetur for sincto 46 Yearscum dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #21 nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium FOOTBALLocrit; nu seriviridi casdamTHROUGH am utem. SUNDAY,C. Ahacera eceropu JANUARY blicavo ctorbit 24, Catertem 2021 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdNFC, AFC Championship Games... Who’s Goin’ to the Super Bowl?

Is every coordinator from every team in the 2020 NFL playoffs interviewing This is why I don’t get too excited about who might win the College Football for an open head coaching position elsewhere in the league between these championship every year. I mean, the psychotic clown percentage-people post-season games? Seems like they are. “: Leslie Frazier to on the espn.com scoreboard run little tweety things as early as Week 2 that interview with Texans for head coach, per report.” I like that: A report that say, “With that loss, Team C still has a 67% chance to make the playoff.” says that a report says Leslie Frazier will interview with the Texans. “Buffalo Oh, shut up, you sportswriting butt-heads. Anyway, does anyone know Bills OC Brian Daboll emerges as favorite to land LA Chargers’ head coach- what the average score margin was in college football this year? It was 17 ing job.” Hey, go ahead and hire a guy who spends three hours in a booth points. Imagine if the NFL was that lopsided? They’d have to change the on game day, by himself, as your head coach. See how that works out for name of the NFL Red Zone channel to NFL Dead Zone. ‘And Alabama!... you. It probably won’t. All these coordinators are supposed geniuses at Has won!... The National Championship!... For the first time!... Since!...’ the moment. Within two to four years, they’ll be the subjects of articles by What was it, last year or the year before? Yawn. sportswriters detailing what idiots they are, and reasons why they should be fired. * * * Even though he wasn’t broadcasting a game in which Drew Brees and Jan. 10, 2019: “Relax, Jets fans! Why Adam Gase is a brilliant coaching Tom Brady were the starting quarterbacks, sportscaster Jim Nantz was hire.” By Manish Mehta, NY Daily News driven to do what he usually does: invoke their high holy names in praise, and inflate their long-term statistical accumulations. The guy was doing Nov. 10, 2020: “How to build the perfect replacement for Adam Gase, using play-by-play for Browns-Chiefs on Sunday. He was probably already dis- best traits of current NFL coaches: The Jets’ road back to relevance begins appointed that the game was a lot lower-scoring than anticipated, and that with finding a head coach who will galvanize a lost franchise.” By Manish “Baker” Mayfield and “Patrick” Mahomes weren’t combining for a record Mehta, NY Daily News. number of “big passing yards!” When Mahomes was knocked out of the game, Nantz was probably close to tears. It’s a miracle he was able to lift Note that Mehta’s audience knew more than the sportswriter did about his head off the table to gut it out while forced to endure Chad Henne, whether or not Gase would be good for, and with, the Jets. and with Mayfield performing as “Checkdown Clown” against the Chiefs’ defense, repeatedly throwing the ball four yards when he needed six. But The have already gone outside the NFL ranks for their just as the game was at its most pivotal point in the fourth quarter, as an new head coach. My guess is that Urban Meyer won’t accomplish much in actual play was about to unfold, Nantz decided to launch into one of his the NFL. Nick Saban was 15-17 with the Miami Dolphins before he realized sappy, Brady-Brees homilies “They are approaching 17,000 passing yards that with a draft and a salary cap, and without the ability to stockpile recruits combined. Why is that significant? It’s 100 miles.” Dear Jim, you telecast by lying to them about guaranteed playing time, and with no “boosters” to twit, that is exactly why it’s insignificant. The fact that you consider it signifi- do whatever it is boosters do with the money they supply to college football cant is significant, because it signifies that you speak like a danged fool. In programs, there was no way he could possibly do anywhere near as well football, stats are not measured or recorded in miles. You know when 100 in the NFL as he could in college football. Nick Saban realized that winning miles is significant? When you’re driving. The combined number of miles – in the NFL was harder than he wanted it to be, so he went back to a place (‘Ooooooh, 100 miles, folks! Be awed by that nice, huge, important, round where he could continuously attract the best players, more of them than number, friends!’) – two quarterbacks who don’t play against each other he needs (hence, all the transfers out of programs like Alabama, Georgia, have “passed” for over the last 20 years, most of them gained by receivers LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma, and the few other college football running after the catch, is as insignificant as the color of socks you wear programs who are the only possibilities in any given year to be competing when you announce play-by-play. Heads-up, everyone. The upcoming Su- for the National Championship). Limit Nick Saban to the $16 million athletic per Bowl in Tampa, FL will be televised by CBS. Jim Nantz will no doubt department budget of Louisiana-Monroe, and he wouldn’t finish much bet- be calling it. We think there will be an actual home team involved. There’s a ter than 0-12 at Louisiana-Monroe, just like the guy UL-M recently fired. strong chance he’ll be doing play-by-play while hanging from Tom Brady’s The budget for Alabama’s athletic department is $164 million. (but he’ll settle for ’) jockstrap. – Bobby Smith, Editor Acium volupta quost, tet aut ut voluptas si ute laboremperat eum atus am vellorepe nestia nobit esse dolo corest volupta tiaspel in consequis quoditias dolor repre, cum consectatum litatur? Os nus quatur? Oluptatur? Necus sam voluptate vel maion rem facepe aliae cor re nos eiuscit magnatis alis dolutatem sit, noneces alicima voluptatur, apellab oratia cullut liti blam non nihillore nem quibeatium aut magnat la sant quam ea ipiduciasiti nam soles- sus re voloreium eat untus moditib usapienti beatest denis se nonse nonsequam nat verum harchicienis nos utat. Subscribers only, Uciet, te sunt quiduntur? Bori odipsa sum, susdaere volo diti deriate sincto omnimagnis non re imi, sum eturi dolenem fugitatibus et mo- lore poratiis minctusanda nosti quaerem eum vit utat. Nis est lat. Ovitis nonsect urepelesto tet mi, sin exerferum re cuptio et quamNOT qui foras sam, sintia sequo veria destinctatur sequi recus modipsam eos aut reseque solupti bearum excerit pratibus repratia pra nis est asRESALE! nis debit, com- modi gnamusandel moluptam voluptatia delesentendi cum et rehendistis reculla vitam, ommolo tori volo volorpos re, optae pro to dolorione- cus parum dit odit quam, sin ra dellaci volores totatis apicae nonet endipsanis et moluptatat. Et ut fugite doluptatur si inctus. Anducim inciunte que imus molorum sunt restrum, ut ipit, nullibu scidese ctotaque nobissunt quiam, officiandis doluptur? Qui int dolor restiorro omnistet quatium ipiti sed est fugitas dendis et autatur, odicil mint. Ciis dolupti umquiae pratatintur, ute mos eos sit odi reruntionse eat quam ad quatect atisto eaque voluptur? Qui destius, sitiumquo estis conseque volorpo ritatur apit officilia qui cus mi, estruptae maion conserspit fuga.

Ecere COPYRIGHTnectate mporeperum 2021, quia Sports sae quodit Reporter ommos Inc. cuptiore volorem.The #1 Fuga. Sports Aciist, quiInformation volesciis vel Sourceet omnimetur for sincto 46 Yearscum dolum quis eum quiae atiatis dernam, ulpa sus eum cullibus nonseque qui as ut expedi tem si dolupta apicimus suntur modi odionesto explign iminulpa que volumet quis ut adit quaes est, comnimpos consece ptatum fugitat emperissunt eatus pliae non nullore pedis re coremporenis sinctiustiam ad minus. Tempores adipsam utent reratur, aut a nos maximenisto corum nobitibus dolorporepel ipitate volut inciminis eum as adiore voluptae volupti duntiaerci blabore iciurepedVOLUME quiPorterium 46, ocrit; #22 nu seriviridi casdam am utem. C. Ahacera eceropu blicavo ctorbit Catertem prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivis quiPorterium FOOTBALLocrit; nu seriviridi casdam THROUGH am utem. SUNDAY,C. Ahacera eceropu FEBRUARY blicavo ctorbit 7,Catertem 2021 prituribunce et orave, Catantiliam dum oculienam tem int pessenaribus vivi. jflskajdf;ksjdfskjslkfj;slkjf a;sldkjnfsa;dlkfj ;lkansdjf;lksa ;laksnd f;lk ;lkansd;lfknj ;;lkn ;lkn ;lkansd f;; ;lknas d;lfkns;;;kans df;lkn ;klansd fn ;akdnf ;alkdnf a;lskdnf ; f;kasjdKansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers... SUPER BOWL LV

Once again, it wasn’t “the teams that nobody wants to face!” that made of the first half with a 14-10 lead? Yes, be aggressive and get a TD. Very it to the Super Bowl. According to delusional people who write sports nice. Driving in the third quarter up by 11, with a chance to wear down the stories, nobody didn’t want to face the Chiefs last year or this year, de- Packers’ overrated defense, devour the game clock and deny Aaron Rod- spite the fact that the Chiefs would be favored in every playoff game. gers the ball, go up by at least 14, maybe 18… but suddenly get aggres- Was Tampa Bay “a team nobody wants to face in the post-season” this sive and try to score quickly? No way, Jose. And then, do the same thing year? Of course not. Their QB, Tom Brady, only has six Super Bowl rings again? Twice? Arians may be borderline insane. But, in the end, his team and sportswriters call him the greatest of all time. Therefore, why would advanced, won the NFC Championship Game and is playing on its home sportswriters pick his team as the team “nobody wants to face?” It would field in the Super Bowl. Obviously, you don’t have to be super-smart to break from their character as having their heads up their butts. Of course, get to such an enviable position. This is just another example of why the we all know that the phrase, “Nobody wants to face this team,” is a phony United States of America is a great country, a land of opportunity for ev- sportswriting cliché that makes it seem like athletes are thinking thoughts eryone -- even a completely oblivious fool obsessed with doing it his way that in reality, never enter their minds. All players are happy to play the while having no clue about what he’s supposed to be doing. Showing up next team on their schedule, even if it happens to be against, “Aaron Rod- surrounded by talent and rules is more than half the battle. gers and the Packers, on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field!,” which isn’t frozen. The Bucs looked pretty darned comfortable out there, didn’t they? Speaking about showing up, and rules, the “new rule” for 2021 is that And why wouldn’t they? The freakin’ field is never frozen! It’s heated! college basketball teams need to play a minimum of 13 games to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Michigan basketball program is already How does a head coach like Bruce Arians get away with it? I’ve noted the leading the way for taking advantage of that “out,” on pause for at least problem with these overly aggressive, offensive-minded clown coaches two weeks and we’ll see how much longer. Michigan is 13-1, ranked #4 time and again. They win games in spite of themselves. I am convinced in the nation. They haven’t beaten an opponent that is currently ranked in that there are at least 10 million football fans out there who could have the Top 20. When they beat Northwestern and Minnesota, each was in the controlled the Tampa Bay Bucs’ offense from the point at which it led 28- Top 20. But that shows you how easily people who vote to make rankings 17, driving into in Green Bay territory, running the ball well with about 10 are fooled. ‘Oh, look! Northwestern is 3-0 in the Big Ten! I must rank them minutes remaining in the third quarter -- and got the team home with a highly, for I work for the Associated Press, a horrible company that uses win by at most 45-17, maybe 41-24. Instead, this guy allowed Tom Brady robots to write the college basketball game recaps we sell to ESPN and to throw three second-half interceptions on downfield throws while lead- other media outlets!’ Northwestern is 0-6 since winning their first three ing! The Bucs had great field position for the entire second half, yet all Big Ten games, as if anybody who follows college basketball didn’t ex- they could manage was 10 points in the second half! That they were able pect that. But I digress. At 13-1, ranked #4, do you think the University of to win the game – given the manner in which it was managed by Arians Michigan athletic department will be in a hurry to send its basketball team and his offensive coordinator/play-caller Byron Leftwich -- was darn near back into action and allow it to get on with the bulk of its Big Ten sched- miraculous. They did everything wrong in terms of how to close out a ule before the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament? On Febru- football game. To put their defense in the position they put it in was bor- ary 11, Michigan is “scheduled” for a six-game stretch vs. #22 Illinois, at derline criminal, calling plays that threw the ball away and gave it back to #10 Wisconsin (Badgers w/ revenge), vs. Rutgers, at #15 Ohio State, at Aaron Rodgers, at Lambeau Field, for the lion’s share of the second-half Indiana, home vs. #4 Iowa. That’s a tough grind, one with the potential game clock (and for 34:37 of the game). They were fortunate that the to knock Michigan off the #1 or #2 NCAA Tournament seed line. I won’t referees didn’t call their injury-depleted secondary for defensive hold- be surprised if they, and teams in similar situations, suddenly disappear ing, which apparently could have been called on every play but wasn’t, for a while like some college football teams managed to do. Just wait... and it was amazing that there were no pass interference penalties called Meanwhile, that’s it? Football’s done? Please use our Basketball Brief! on them. It was Arians’ “No risk it, no biscuit,” routine, which I’ve often Those guys are good! Thanks to all! We appreciate your willingness to thought should be called, “You risk it, you’re an idiot.” There’s a time and absorb our insights. We love doing it. What a season it’s been. Let’s hope place for everything. Single-coverage on the outside in the final seconds it will be normal next time around in late Summer. -- Bobby Smith, Editor