Monday, October 28, 2019

Monday morning recap week 8

We're at the halfway mark. Already? I remember writing at the start of football how quick the offseason flew by, and now I'm bemoaning how fast the football season is moving. People, Christmas is around the corner!

Steelers play on MNF, so once again, I had a stress free football watching day.

Other:

  • I was wondering...do you think Drew Brees, returning after several weeks from a thumb injury, feels added pressure to win since his back-up Teddy Bridgewater did such a bang-up job of winning?
  • Colts Adam Vinatieri missed his fourth and fifth FG attempts. We youngsters now at the midway mark understand. The mighty have to fall sometime. Age is a bitch. 
  • Although several other kickers missed on Sunday. Maybe Adam just got up in this week's curse.
  • Worst weather this week goes to Buffalo, where wind gusts were recorded at 30 mph with a possibility of 50 mph. It was also my drinking game of Sunday. A shot down the gullet every time Scott Hanson said the word "wind." I mean, please...did the man not see last week's 49ers game?
  • Saquon Barkley came back with a flourish last week. Not so much at the start of the Giants/Lions game where a Daniel Jones errant throw backward tumbled about the field. Instead of picking up the damn ball, and maybe he just had a brain fart on the rules of football, Barkley gave a well-that-didn't-work shrug before his wits returned, although frankly, I think it was the Lions defender in his peripheral vision. By then, it was a day late and a dollar short because the Lions had the ball and were in the endzone for the touchdown.
  • I still can't get over seeing Joe Flacco in a Bronco uniform. He still doesn't look any happier than he did wearing purple and black, and boy, was he frustrated in his postgame interview about the calls being made for a team that's 2-6. "Getting into field goal range isn't that tough. What do we have to lose? Why can't we be aggressive in some of these situations? That's kinda how I feel about a lot of the game today."
  • The Bengals organization, playing in England this week, tweeted: "Different country, same mission." Uh, seeing as how they are winless, what exactly are they saying?
  • And speaking of England...how bright is their field in that stadium? The turf on my television is as brilliant a green as the Seahawks' yellowish-green trim on their uniforms. And against the Ram's bright blue/yellow uniforms? It was pure torture every time the Redzone threw them on the screen.
  • Continuing on the England subject...are these Europeans really fans of the teams? Or are they just football junkies who grab the flags offered at the stadium to wave for a chance to get on TV. The Rams were well represented. How many Los Angelos fans are really living in England?
  • Chargers Melvin Gordan had a nice run before getting stopped right at the line into the endzone. He relied on his teammates, who pushed him across. He did not extend the ball and risk a smackdown fumble. Smart thinking.
  • Scott Hanson got hung up an unsportsmanlike conduct call in the Jags/Jets game. Jaguars Leonard Fournette was stuffed by the Jets' Brian Poole. Fournette hopped up and did one of those aggressive moves guys like to do where they pretend they're going to chest bump but stop inches away. Poole didn't flinch but clapped his hands like he was having a manic episode and had no control of his limbs. The ref threw the flag. Ridiculous penalty, but I guessed that Fournette was the culprit and figured it was due to something he said. Hanson thought it was against Poole, and he couldn't stop discussing it. Later, he interjected that perhaps Fournette had said something that caused the flag. And here I didn't think anyone was listening when I screamed out loud at the TV.
  • Can the Bucs get any sadder? On offense, Winston had barely handed the ball to Dare Ogunbowale before - get this - HIS OWN TEAMMATE, Breshad Perriman in motion from wide right, ran into Ogunbowale for the tackle. "What was that?" Scott Hanson exclaimed. "One of the worst plays of the year." Yeah, we in Tampa shake our heads. At least they have some wins under their belts.
  • If I were a coach, I would absolutely shut-down celebrations. Nothing gets me more fired up than a team celebrating a touchdown when they are still behind.
  • Best redemption? Adam Vinetari making up for his missed kicks to seal the deal on a 51 yard FG for the win. Us youngsters never doubted him. Age is just a number. 
  • Second best redemption? Emmanuel Sanders scoring the first TD of the game after being traded this week by the Broncos to the 49ers. A strange move, I thought, by Denver, but really, you're going from a 2-6 team to one that is undefeated. I know Sanders wasn't happy with the move but scoring the first touchdown of the game? Priceless. I love Sanders. Hated to lose him in Pittsburgh. I take him every year on my fantasy team. 
  • And the 49ers had no problem securing six sacks, three by Nick Bosa, before heading to the locker room. 

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