Sports

[teganslaw]

I saw the fight on the sidelines. It's unusual that teammates would do that; most fights that happen are between players of opposing teams. Were they blaming each other for the Cowboys scoring so easily? Jonathan Allen won't be getting "Man of the Year" if he keeps that up.

Kyle Dugger was fined $10,000 for punching Michael Pittman and knocking his helmet off a week ago. Dugger started it, so that's probably why he was fined.  Pittman wasn't fined, although he was disqualified from the game. TY Hilton also got involved, protecting Pittman, but he didn't get fined or disqualified.

[gardenman]

Typically, when teammates fight it's a wide receiver unhappy with a quarterback, or a defender unhappy with an offensive player. Two defensive tackles fighting is a bit different. They train together, watch film together, share meeting rooms, and are more or less brothers. Now brothers do fight from time to time, but it's not something you see all that often. They were even teammates at Alabama, so this is pretty weird. It didn't look like a spur-of-the-moment type thing. I got the vibe this was something that had been building for a while. The only way to truly resolve these situations is to get rid of one of them. One or the other will likely be dangled as trade bait in the offseason. 

[Spurt]

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@soonersis wrote:

We spent Christmas at our son's in Ft. Worth.  Drove home yesterday and had to take an exit that took us close to the Cowboy's stadium in Arlington.  It was 4:30 and already lots of football traffic. Needless to say Cowboy's nation had a very Merry Christmas.  Glad our offense got it all together again.  I just don't think any team should get too excited as I think Covid is going to be the major player heading into the playoffs. There is simply no telling what the next few weeks will bring.    

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@soonersis 

CONGRATS to the Cowboys and their fans....they came to play my team didn't.....any Texas high school team could have done better than my WFT! 😭😡

[Spurt]

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@gardenman wrote:

There are good games, bad games, and "Are we sure we're going in the right direction?" games. Both the Giants and WFT games yesterday were games where the team owner and GM have to look at them and wonder if they're going in the right direction. Games like those can get a GM and head coach fired. Players throwing punches at one another on the sideline, and a general lack of discipline tend to be bad news for the head coach. Getting blown out two weeks in a row to division rivals isn't good either.

The Giants insist Joe Judge and Daniel Jones will be back next year. I'd assumed the WFT would bring back Ron Rivera. Eh, maybe not though. You can blame covid, distractions, injuries, and whatnot, but is the team better in any facet of the game than they were last year? Have they improved anywhere, or regressed? Things could get very messy if they lose their final two games (Eagles, Giants.)

The Giants are reportedly retiring Dave Gettleman this year whether he wants to retire or not. They then tie the hands of whoever the new GM is by telling him he has to keep the head coach and QB. Neither of whom has done much to inspire confidence in them. Finding a new GM desperate enough to take the job without control over the head coach or QB will be challenging. "We want you to fix the team, but you can't change the two things that are the most broken." Sure. Who wouldn't jump at that opportunity? Well, anyone sane, but other than that.

It's going to be a pretty interesting offseason in the old NFC East. Rivera may keep his job, but his job security won't be especially strong. The Giants will be hunting for a new GM who doesn't mind building a team with one hand tied behind his back. The Cowboys look to be the dominant team for a while with Parsons and Ceedee Lamb as their young stars. The Eagles aren't too far behind them with Devonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and that beast of an o-line. Those three first-round picks will likely be used to upgrade the defense. It's kind of hard to see the Giants or WFT being overly competitive for a while. Both need to find a QB. McLaurin is a good piece for the WFT, but he's about all they've got. The defense regressed a lot this year. QB is a huge issue for the WFT.

It's going to be an interesting offseason.

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@gardenman 

Well I will say this between COVID and injuries the big "hole" in the team was the WFT O-line which was just decimated and I think even Aaron Rodgers would have had trouble behind that O-line. And we didnt have many healthy "weapons" either.....even Gibson played hurt...I didnt like OC Scott Turner's game plan either why didnt they throw more to Sims/Humprhries at the beginning of the game, but Turner insisted on running the ball when Gibson had no blocking, perhaps shouldve incorporated Henicke's mobility more, perhaps put QB Allen in sooner....I looked at the offensive roster....SMH!!!  There's LOTS of work to be done!!! It wouldve helped if Logan Thomas was healthy and pro-bowler Scherff could stay healthy!

The WFT as also missing important pieces in the secondary too, we sorely missed Collins and others...the practice squad guys just werent good enough... BUT on the D line we had Sweat, Allen, and Payne and they should have been able to put some pressure on Dak....Gee, we could've perhaps used RYAN KERRIGAN....as a LB....that overall BAD decision keeps coming up...JMHO (no bias here 😉)  

@gardenman Besides McLaurin don't forget we have a VERY GOOD Punter.(sarcasm) This game was a big set back and we need to start from scratch all over again.....😭

@gardenman 

There was some talk that when the team opened training camp that they were perhaps going to trade Payne....it will be interesting to see if that happens NOW, or if the "Bama Boys" shake hands and forgive and forget.....STAY TUNED!  @teganslaw @gardenman Yep Allen blew his "Man Of The Year" status! What I thought was interesting was Payne had 5 solo saks and Allen had none and maybe Payne said hey Allen are you going to start playing and helping out?...McCain and Reaves had 10 you could tell who was trying...and perhaps Allen "took the night off and gave up".......

[sunshine45]

ravens need a miami loss tonight to stay in the position we are in.

our game on sunday in baltimore with the rams got flexed to 1pm.

[Spurt]

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@sunshine45 wrote:

ravens need a miami loss tonight to stay in the position we are in.

our game on sunday in baltimore with the rams got flexed to 1pm.

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@sunshine45 

GOOD LUCK to the Saints and RAVENS! 

[teganslaw]

This game doesn't affect the Colts as much since the Colts already beat the Dolphins and hold the upper hand against them. Neither would be eliminated with a loss, although the road to the playoffs would become more difficult. 

The game might be interesting. Both teams need a win, so anything could happen. New Orleans has a disadvantage with their quarterback, but Tua hasn't always played well. Defenses on both sides have done well. I don't know who is favored; I think it's a coin toss. 

[gardenman]

Kudos to the Dolphins for helping the Eagles by beating the Saints. Now if we win on Sunday, the Vikings lose in Green Bay (pretty likely) and the Niners beat the Texans, we're in! Pretty good odds of all three things happening. Then week eighteen could be a rest week before the playoffs.

[teganslaw]

The Colts enter the playoffs with a win against the Raiders. I don't know what the seeding # would be, but it's as a wild card. Right now they're at #5. 

[gardenman]

Beating the WFT again just a few days after beating them last Tuesday could be a challenge. The WFT coming off a lopsided, embarrassing loss doesn't help us any either. They're apt to be breathing fire come Sunday. It'll be an interesting game to watch. Expect the Eagles' fanbase to take over the stadium, so it'll be something of a home game in DC for them. Of the three things that need to happen (Texans losing the Niners, Vikings losing to Packers, and Eagles beating the WFT) the Eagles beating the WFT may be the least likely.