Stretch Marks in the NFL.

Things are getting interesting in the NFL. Not sure if week 15 did much to clear the playoff lineup and eliminate pretenders, but it did give us two amazing endings. After all these years, one would think we have seen anything and everything in the NFL, but these two endings looked oddly crazy and unique to me. I am talking about the endings in the Steelers-Patriots game and the Cowboys-Raiders game. Both included a well-intended stretch and a not-so-obvious rule deciding the game. The Pats-Steelers game was better than expected and was clearly the game of the year given what was at stake. Antonio Brown's injury in the first half was unfortunate for the Steelers and Brady orchestrated a 2-minute drive that we all saw coming two quarters away. But one mistake Brady did was, he left too much time on the clock for the Steelers. I thought Ben had a shot at a tying field goal, but my man JuJu busted a long one to give Steelers a real shot at a TD and a possible win. Ben then hit his wide open TE esse James in the middle who lunged into the end zone for what we thought was a game clinching TD. 

Unfortunately for the Steelers, the ball hit the ground and slipped and shifted in James's hands. He had not been really touched or made a football move yet, whatever that means. So, it was ruled as an incomplete pass. This has happened before and probably will happen again, but you couldn't help but think that it absolutely looked like a catch through and through. Thats what makes this rule shaky and crazy. I see they are trying to make the concept of a catch fool-proof in the age of replays from 10 different angles, but they might have complicated this too much and taken intuition and common sense out of it. They have to fix this rule again and make it better. But then again, knowing the NFL, they may take a few years to admit and react to this. Ben still had 2 more plays to do something or at least take the field goal on 4th down and get to play an OT. Of course he throws an INT on third down and ball game Patriots! As always the breaks go the Pats way. But it does only because they make their own breaks. They are well-coached, practice hard, play smart, and are disciplined. 

Then on Sunday night, the Raiders were in a similar situation as the Steelers. They were deep in the red zone with the game clock winding down and trailing just by a field goal. A TD there would have ended the Cowboys season for all practical purposes. Instead, what happened pretty much ended the Raiders season, which you could argue was already on life support anyways. Carr drove the Raiders well in that final drive and got close to the finish line. He took off on a scramble and was so close to the pile on. Naturally, he dived and stretched to try and put the ball over it, but ended up fumbling the ball into the end zone as he was also hit by a defender just as he was stretching. A fumble into the end zone is a touch back and ball game Cowboys! Just like that, a touch down and a win became a touch back and a season ending turnover for the Raiders. This rule is actually well thought out and has many reasons for the way it stands, but it's still a little bit of a surprise to the casual fan every time it happens. Thats because the offense always get the ball when they fumble out of bounds, but not in the end zone. 

Now with Ezekiel Elliott coming back, there is a sliver of hope for the Cowboys, but it's still an uphill climb. We can't really blame Carr for the stretch because he saw pay dirt and was so close. How do you not lunge for the glory play? Sure, it's risky, but it would be hard to not make that attempt and play another down instead, though that is the smart, disciplined play. The funny part is, funny only if you are not a Jets fan that is, Austin Seferian-Jenkins has had 2 TDs taken away from him this season due to both these rules in 2 different games after what appeared like a solid catch on both occasion. I later heard that in New England, the players are not allowed to stretch the ball for yards. Thats amazing to me and thats why Hoodie is going to the hall of fame. This is exactly the kind of stuff that makes sure the breaks during the game always goes their way. Remember I said they make their own breaks! Their coaching and discipline make sure they don't make the mistakes and of course when the opponent does make those mistakes, the Pats are ready to pounce on it. It's not an accident. I am sure some Pats receivers still stretch for first down and touch downs and you could even argue you have to depending on the time, place, and situation. For example, on 4th downs if you are short. But I want to watch closely and see if this team rule is indeed followed closely by the Pats. I believe it.

Playoff Winds

Playoff winds are blowing, not just in your fantasy leagues, but in the NFL too. It's pretty messy in the middle, unless you are taking about the AFC West, in which case it' messy even at the top. The Pats and Steelers are looking good in the AFC. Whats new? Absolutely nothing. In the NFC, things are a little fresh. Eagles and the Vikings are looking good. It's pretty interesting beyond those 2. Even the upstart Rams at 9-3 do lead their division, but the Seahawks are right on their tail. The way Russell Wilson is playing,  Rams can't even wink in this race. The Rams are going in to Seattle next week and that game may very well decide the division. Rams may regret losing their earlier contest in LA. The Saints let a golden opportunity slip through their hands on Thursday. They could have wrested control of the division and also put Falcons in their place. Instead, Brees put the ball in place between the numbers of the defender while driving to save the game and ended the Saints hope with a killer interception. That result made it hard for teams like the Packers, Lions, and even the Cowboys as those NFC teams have to look at the wild card as the only route available and the wild card standing is stacked with NFC south teams like the Falcons. Big win for the Falcons, who are not out of the division race either.

There are way too many 6-6 teams in the league and they are all in play for the playoffs. Reminds me of the NBA where more than half the league make the playoffs and usually, there are a couple of mediocre teams fighting for the 7th and 8th spot towards the end of the seasons as if it means something. There are 3 teams at 6-6 just in the AFC West and the once formidable Chiefs are in big trouble. The Chargers may be the best team in that division and the Raiders have to play much better to stay in contention. Hope they are not feeling too good about themselves based on their recent wins against bad teams. Their remaining schedule is brutal and road-heavy starting with their trip to Kansas City this weekend. 8-8 might end up winning that division when it's all said and done. There is so much mediocrity in the AFC right now, even teams like Dolphins at 5-7 can pretend to be in playoff contention. We might as well send the Hoodie and Brady to Minnesota for the Super Bowl today. I don't see any legitimate threat to them in the AFC. Sorry, Pittsburgh. Among the 6-6 teams, I do hope the Packers sneak in somehow in the NFC since Aaron Rodgers will be back soon and they can be formidable regardless of what their record says. The next month in the NFL will be crazy interesting. Happy holidays!

In baseball, the Marlins are spicing up the hot-stove by trading Giancarlo Stanton. Of course, he lands up with the Yankees. The Yanks have been a little quite lately by their standards when it comes to big money deals and off-season moves. This puts them firmly back in the headline. It's amazing to even imagine Aaron Judge and Stanton in the middle of a lineup. Initially, it seemed like the Giants and the Cardinals were in the mix for Stanton and I was all for it, though not a big fan of either of those teams. But now, it's the good old Yankees scoring the hot date again. They get Stanton for the next 10 years with his 295 million price tag. There are a lot of similarities between this and their A-Rod acquisition back in 2004. That didn't work great for the Yanks, but this might. Stanton is only 28 years old and doesn't seem to have the baggage A-Rod acquired along the way. These Yankees do need more pitching, but they should be real good next year. It's not bad to have them be good to root against I guess for fans like me. At least the Yanks didn't get Shohei Otani, the Japanese Babe Ruth, who can supposedly throw 100 MPH fastballs and hit 500-yard homers. Good for the Angels to add some help around Mike Trout, the best player in all of baseball. In other news, Baker Mayfield won the Heisman trophy today. Congrats to him on the hardware and more importantly, for not grabbing his crotch and mouthing obnoxious expletives like he is known for.