Sports

[gardenman]

A busy schedule this week with Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday games. 

We start out Thursday night with the Niners at the Seahawks. A big game for both teams. If the Niners can get the win, they pull further ahead. If the Seahawks get the win they stay in the hunt for the NFC West title. (Not that the title matters all that much these days since only one team gets a bye and it probably won't be Seattle or San Fran. The Seahawks really can't afford to lose with the Lions, Commanders, and Giants all lurking in the same area for the last wild card slot. I'll take Seattle at home. That twelfth man may be just what they need.

Saturday kicks off with the Colts and Vikings. Not a good matchup for the Colts. I'll take the Vikings in this one.

 Baltimore goes to Cleveland in the late afternoon game. Well, someone has to win. The Ravens are running out of QBs while the Browns are wondering if they made a wise investment in DeShaun Watson. I guess I'll take the Ravens in this one.

And we end Saturday night with the Dolphins taking on the Bills in a potentially snowy game. Some early forecasts call for as much as seven inches of snow. (They're playing in Buffalo and not Miami.)  Tua has reverted to human form after an amazing start while the Bills just plod ahead being the Bills and taking out opponents. I'll take the Bills. 

Sunday starts out with Atlanta at New Orleans. The Saints have issues. (Cough, head coach Dennis Allen, cough.) The Falcons are plugging in their kid QB Desmond Ridder this week. I'll give a slight edge to the Falcons. I think the players like the kid QB and will play hard for him to help him get a win. The Saints, well they're ready for their vacations to start.

Pittsburgh goes to Carolina. The Steelers hold out some hope of maybe sneaking into the playoffs. A loss pretty much kills that hope. The Panthers are just a game out of first place. I'm not sure how, but I think the Panthers get the win.

The Eagles head to Chicago and whatever is left of the turf in Chicago. December games in Soldier Field are interesting in terms of the field. (Well, to be fair, September games there are also interesting with their field. It doesn't have the best reputation in the league.) The Eagles are on a roll and playing well. The Bears, well, not so much. I'll take the Eagles in this one.

KC goes to Houston to help the Texans move closer to that first overall pick in the draft. Houston gave the Cowboys a scare last week, so that helps focus KC. I'll take KC in a romp.

Dallas goes to Jacksonville. The Cowboys will be shuffling the o-line after losing Terrence Steele to a torn ACL last week. The Jags are a better team than their record shows. The Jags may be the more talented overall team of the two. They just don't know how to win yet. I'm going with the upset here. The o-line shuffle and trying to integrate a new WR in TY Hilton might just have the Cowboys' offense a bit stifled. I'll take the Jags in the upset. 

The Lions take on the Jets in what is traditionally a meaningless game for draft position, but both teams still have some playoff hopes this year. A Christmas miracle of some sort? I like the Lions in this one. 

The Cards and Broncos face off with whoever they can find at QB. Kyler Murray is gone for the year with a torn ACL and Russell Wilson got concussed, so the QB situation for both teams is more than a bit iffy. Not that either QB was playing great. I guess I'll take the Cards since I like Colt McCoy.

The Patriots take on the Raiders. The Patriots are still clinging to playoff hopes. The Raiders are trying to figure out how they can afford to pay yet another head coach to not coach the team if they fire Josh McDaniels. They're paying a lot of guys a lot of money not to coach for them these days. I'll take the Patriots.

The Titans and Chargers face off in a battle of 7-6 teams clinging to playoff hopes. The Titans have somehow forgotten how to run the football and have lost three in a row. The Chargers are playing better now. I'll take the Chargers in this one. The Jags could end up overtaking the Titans if the Titans can't get their offense back on track.

The Bengals take on the Bucs. Tom Brady's not making the best case for himself in free agency this offseason with his play. The Bucs aren't playing all that well. The Bengals are playing well again after a slow start. I'll take the Bengals.

The Giants take on the Commanders Sunday night to see which team really wants that last wildcard slot. They played to a tie in their last meeting with neither team seeming all that interested in getting the win. The Commanders are coming off a bye while the Giants are coming off a beat down by the Eagles. I'll give a slight edge to the Commanders in this one. (I have this crazy vision of Wentz coming in for an injured Heinicke and rallying the Commanders to multiple wins and a playoff spot and even a win or two in the playoffs.)

And finally, our Monday night game has the Rams at the Packers. Well, it looked like it would be a good game in the preseason. Now, not so much. Baker, remind me which team I'm on now, Mayfield should get the start for the Rams while the Packers may or may not make a move to Jordan Love at some point. The Rams look to have an interesting offseason ahead of them with question marks all over the place and little salary cap room and few draft picks to fill the holes. I'll give a slight edge to the Packers.

[Spurt]

WEEK 15 A FOOTBALL FANS DREAM----so many games and the weather here is supposed to be miserable----cold, rainy, and maybe even some ice...good day to stay home, watch football and eat comfort food....

49ers vs Seahawks---- important game for both teams....Can the rookie Purdy do it again and get another win??? Can Seattle's 12th man make a difference and rattle the 49ers QB????  Will Woolen get another interception????

I think the 49ers will somehow pull it off they seem to be on a mission for the playoffs and beyond. I'll take the 49ers to SQUEEZE out a WIN

Colts vs Vikings----Vikings want to continue their winning ways as they move to the playoffs.  The Colts need to decide who their QB is going forward it doesn't look to be Ryan....maybe a free agent is on the horizon in 2023. VIKINGS with the W.

Ravens vs Browns--- With Ravens QB injuries I think Watson will get the BROWN'S a win

Dolphins vs Bills---Unfortunately this time of year teams face an additional opponent THE WEATHER 🌨🌨🌨 and the Dolphins and Tua will be called on to face both snow and a good Bills team.....BILLS with a WIN!!!!

Falcons vs Saints--- the WHO CARES game....The FALCONS have a better team and I see a WIN

Steelers vs Panthers---WOW those surprisng Panthers---who would've thought it...The Steelers were edged out by the Ravens with Trubisky as the Steelers QB and are  uncertain who will be their QB this week. I'm taking the PANTHERS 

Eagles vs Bears----Another game where the EAGLES will FLY HIGH 

Chiefs vs Texans----CHIEFS CHIEFS CHIEFS 

Cowboys vs Jaguars----The LAST PLACED Texans scared the heck outta the "mighty" Cowboys....And an injury to the o-line doesn't help, and with Lamb's asleep at the wheel performance the Boyz signed WR Hilton....The upstart Jags are thinking upset.....But I think the COWBOYS will get the WIN

Lions vs Jets----Oh those Lions are coming alive and having some fun and WINNING----and they can add yet another this week----the LIONS WILL ROAR

Cardinals vs Broncos---No Murray allows BRONCOS to get the victory 

Patriots vs Raiders----The Patriots are lurking around the playoff scene meanwhile the Raiders are trying to figure out what happened this year----hint, hint hint---might it be your new coach---🤔 PATRIOTS WIN

Titans vs Chargers  ---- Titans are on skid row, the CHARGERS are the better team and have the better QB---CHARGERS get the W

Bengals vs Bucs---The Bengals beat a good Chiefs team, and then another win against the Browns. Meanwhile Brady and Company embarrassed themselves against the 49ers....I think the Bucs look for a new coach and Tom retires.... JMHO....BENGALS 

Giants vs Washington--- huge game with huge playoff implications.  Washington had a bye week to rest their injured players, and maybe Chase Young will even make an appearance...The Giants got their backsides kicked by the Eagles and exposed for what they really are, even with a new coach, the same results....WASHINGTON with a BIG WIN , hoping to see a solid running game and lots of passes to Terry McLaurin 😁😁😁😁 PLEASE SANTA PLEASE 🎅...Although I may be UNINVITED to my sister's house for Christmas....

Rams vs Packers----I'll take Aaron and THE PACKERS at home

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE AND MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎅🎄

[teganslaw]

Jeff Saturday said that he would like to be permanent coach for the Colts. The team has to consider others, though, because of the "Rooney rule." Interesting to see if he would be in the running for it. 

Some trivia: Colt McCoy has thought about running for Governor of Texas once his football career is ended. He will be starter for the rest of the season since Kyler Murray is out, so it might be a few years before he retires. 

McCoy played for the Longhorns and is popular in Texas, so it could eventually happen.

[Spurt]

---

@teganslaw wrote:

Jeff Saturday said that he would like to be permanent coach for the Colts. The team has to consider others, though, because of the "Rooney rule." Interesting to see if he would be in the running for it. 

Some trivia: Colt McCoy has thought about running for Governor of Texas once his football career is ended. He will be starter for the rest of the season since Kyler Murray is out, so it might be a few years before he retires. 

McCoy played for the Longhorns and is popular in Texas, so it could eventually happen.

---

@teganslaw 

I really like Colt McCoy, a lot of peopledo too.....I don't know how he'd be as Governor....He did receive a few boos one time when local Sports Caster, Don Harris,  interviewed him at a charity event but that's when he played for the Redskins...LOL

[gardenman]

The Colts will have a lot of options for a new coach, but given their recent history, they'll really have to sell the team to a coach. Frank Reich was widely admired and respected around the league. When the owner forces a coach like that to play certain QBs the coach may not be comfortable playing and then fires the coach, other coaches notice. 

With no upper-tier QB on hand, a meddling owner, a relatively low overall talent level, and limited opportunities to immediately improve, it won't be a sought-after job by most candidates. Jeff Saturday may be the best option for them. 

If not Saturday, then you'll likely find them handing the job to an assistant from some team to see how he does. I don't see them landing a Dan Quinn or another big-name coach. It's not that intriguing of a job for most coaches right now. Even some of the better assistants might opt to stay where they are for another year rather than take the Indy job. 

Could the Colts get Sean Payton? Eh, maybe. But the Saints want two firsts, and more to release him from his deal. I wouldn't give up that much to get a coach when you have roster holes to fill. And he wants to go someplace with a good young QB already in place. That's not the Colts.

The known and likely head coaching openings this year in the AFC include Indy, the Texans, and maybe the Chargers, Raiders, and Broncos. Mike Tomlin could opt out and retire as could Andy Reid. (I'm not so personally sure of the Chargers being a possible opening, but lots of experts hint it could be, so we'll have to see.)

In the NFC Washington being for sale complicates things for Rivera. He could be out. (Reportedly the prospectus for the team is going out to four potential buyers as I type this.) If the Cowboys are one and done in the playoffs again there could be an opening there. JJ almost fired McCarthy last year. Another one and done and he could be out. JJ reportedly loves Dan Quinn and would prefer him as head coach. If Quinn gets serious about another job, JJ could dump McCarthy to keep Quinn. Do the Packers consider making a move at head coach? A 5-8 record isn't ideal for them.

All four NFC South teams could consider making a move. The Panthers have already made the move. Todd Bowles was handed a Super Bowl-caliber team and has them at just six wins and seven losses. The Cards and Rams could both be looking at a new head coach with McVay possibly moving to the broadcast booth and Kliff Kingsbury possibly in trouble.

If you're a head coaching candidate, the teams you'd be most interested in would be those with a good young QB, or in a position to find one. A less meddling owner. A talented, but underperforming roster. And a team that lets you give input on player acquisition.

Of those possible openings, the Chargers' job would get anyone's attention if it became available. The Steelers and Cards both have the young QB part. If Andy were to step down the Chiefs would be a big win for a new coach. (Though KC would likely give it to Bieniemy.) The Cowboys job would be good, but once again, Dan Quinn would likely be "the guy" there. The Packers' job if it became available might be attractive with Jordan Love already there.

The Colts are going to have to really sell the job to a coach. And it won't be an easy sale. At this moment they're drafting seventh overall. Teams ahead of them in the draft who could/would draft a QB are the Texans, Seahawks, and maybe the Lions. You've got to figure the Panthers will be looking to move up to get a QB also. If the Colts stay at seven, they could be down to the fifth best QB prospect. I expect the Eagles to trade back in the draft to get more picks, so someone will sneak into the top five (or so) ahead of the Colts. 

The safe move for the Colts is to keep Saturday in the job. He wants the job, while many of the top prospects probably don't. He knows what he's getting himself into. He should be pretty cheap as far as head coaches go. He's done an okay job so far. They could do much worse.

[Spurt]

@gardenman 

Here's an infamous part of Eagles history 

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=32872172 

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

A pretty fair representation of what happened. Mayor Ed Rendell kind of left out the part where during Bounty Bowl II in 1989 against the Cowboys, he bet four fans $20 that they couldn't throw a snowball far enough to hit the field (and Cowboys players/coaches.) He lost the bet. Suffice to say he may not be the ideal guy to have out there talking about snowball throwing being bad.

These days when there's snow, they make a point of clearing the snow to prevent more snowball nonsense. Other team fanbases have done much worse than the Eagles' fans did in that incident, but the pelting Santa with snowballs thing has become iconic.

[teganslaw]

Drew Brees joined Purdue as an interim assistant coach. The NFL teams needing a head coach will have to look elsewhere. 

Tonight's game should be good. I wouldn't be surprised if Seattle won this. SF has a better defense, but Seattle needs this win to stay relevant. Geno Smith has played well before and could once again show that he is a franchise QB. I don't know the status of Brock Purdy. Deebo Samuel is injured and McCaffrey isn't 100%. 49ers victory isn't guaranteed. 

[Linmo]

49er's faithful here.  Loving Brock Purdy!  Go Niners!

[gardenman]

The Niners locked up the west with the win last night. They're going to have an interesting off-season regarding QBs. Brock Purdy has looked very good. They gave up a lot to get Trey Lance who hasn't looked as good. And then there's still Jimmy G. Jimmy G is likely to not be a priority for them to resign now. A few weeks ago, resigning Jimmy G looked to be an offseason priority for them, but now, not so much.

Do they let Purdy and Lance fight it out to be the starter next year? Do they name one the starter early and see what happens? Having too many good QBs is a good kind of problem to have. Can they shop one of the kid QBs to a needy team? What is the value of a Trey Lance these days?

Jimmy G is likely a goner now. He'll be a sought-after commodity. If he's healthy for the playoffs, do you bench Purdy at this point and start Jimmy G? There are some interesting decisions for the Niners to make in the coming weeks/months. I guess it's better to have too many good QBs to pick from than not having one.

The rumors of Tom Brady going to San Fran as a free agent seem less likely now.