Good afternoon, fellow NFL fans. There are few things more annoying than jokes about the end of the world according to the Mayans. Aside from those cool pyramids and a failed prediction, have the Mayans contributed anything else to this world? I think it's more like they ran out of paper (or stone tablet space, as it were). So now that we've avoided that (whew), we go back to two more annoying things--the fiscal cliff, and NFL pundits spewing playoff scenarios. Many of the playoff spots are taken already, with a few wild cards and all-important seeding up for grabs. So with that, let's see what the side stories are in the NFL this week....
So Roger Goodell found it in his heart to not fine Victor Cruz for his touching cleat tribute to the 6-year old who was killed in the Newtown massacre last Friday, who was a noted Cruz fan. Good, because I would have driven to New York and punched Goodell in the mouth if he had fined Cruz. Not that I condone violence or anything. I wonder how Goodell will treat Chris Johnson after Johnson wrote the names of every one of the shooting victims on his shoes.
Nice going, Dolphins. Your perennially average team's doctors flunked Drew Brees on his physical a few years ago and the team signed Daunte Culpepper while Brees signed with the Saints. Nothing else needs to be said.
This article calls Mason Crosby's .500 field goal percentage in his last 24 kicks "stunning." But what's more stunning to me is that Mike McCarthy has not cut Crosby and signed, I don't know, Mike Vanderjagt, or Raul Allegre. That level of loyalty borders on stupidity for a team considered for the Super Bowl short list.
Interesting article about the all-undrafted-free-agent team in NFL history. Look, I know Victor Cruz only really burst onto the big NFL stage a year ago, but he deserves mention here if Arian Foster does. So when I saw that Vince Papale was on the list as a wide receiver, I looked up the New Orleans-based writer's name to make sure he wasn't originally from Philly (note: he wasn't, but I'm still suspicious).
Would anyone blame the Vikings if they tried to help Adrian Peterson break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing yardage mark? I don't even need to watch the interview with Christian Ponder to know that his face says "Dude, if the goal is to win games, why wouldn't I hand it off to that guy every time?"
It's quite a strategy Tony Romo's Cowboys have perfected--play like Ryan Leaf for two or three quarters, play like Joe Montana the rest of the game. I beg of you, Saints--please knock these guys down a peg or three this weekend.
So we get the Falcons in Atlanta after they got smoked by the Panthers in Carolina. Now we get the Ravens after they have lost four straight, AND they get Ray Lewis back? Sometimes the schedule is unkind. For the Giants, despite the fact that they once again are playing like crap most of the second half, the schedule is an almost impassable road.
Has anyone noticed that college football bowl games have begun? It used to be that the last regular season games were around Thanksgiving and then there were a few bowl games on New Year's Day. Now the regular season runs until the first or second week of December, and then there are about forty bowl games, with names like the (no joke) Poinsettia Bowl and Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl.
The L.A. Clippers have won 12 straight--and yet the world didn't end. I'd say I'm here all week, but I'm not even making myself laugh.
There is a Texas basketball player named Myck Kabongo. Now that is one of the greatest sports names going right now. He should get that suspension reduced just for having such a cool name.
Happy holidays, BBVers, and here is my gift to you--a couple of new recipes for my holiday appetizer column. Enjoy, and let's hope our Giants give us an early Christmas gift like they did last year.