Sports

[gardenman]

@Shelbelle 

Hi. It sounds like your daughter has excellent taste in men. Sadly, the Eagles aren't playing nearly as well as the Ravens.

[Shelbelle]

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@gardenman wrote:

@Shelbelle 

Hi. It sounds like your daughter has excellent taste in men. Sadly, the Eagles aren't playing nearly as well as the Ravens.

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Yes, my 5 year old grandson has come to love the NFL, we teach him to be a Ravens and Eagles fan. My SIL recently took him on a day trip to Philly to see a game, he had a blast!! Sat next to a man who was all painted up in green, took pix with him, so cute!!

[gardenman]

Poor Jerry Jones. He goes on the record swearing there wouldn't be any coaching changes during the season, then the Bills come in and spank the Cowboys. The good news for the Cowboys is it could have been worse. A phantom hands to the face penalty erased a Dak Prescott interception sparing them some embarrassment. Now the Cowboys go on the road to play the Bears. That field in Chicago in December is not ideal for a speed team like the Cowboys. They could have a tough time in Chicago.

[Spurt]

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@gardenman wrote:

@Spurt 

My Callie (the cat featured in my avatar) is the turkey predator. She's been stalking me all morning. I just finished eating and she was her typical obnoxious self when there's turkey involved. I took a slice and broke it up into small pieces for her, but that only bought me a few minutes of peace before she tracked me down and wanted more. She really loves the turkey skin for some reason. I peel it off and set it on the side of the plate and her paw reaches over and grabs it.

About thirty to forty years ago we had a cat named Sandy who would guard the freezer from the time the turkey got home until it went into the fridge to thaw, then she'd move to the fridge and guard that. You constantly had to be careful she didn't climb into the freezer or fridge when the door was open. When the turkey went into the oven she'd just sit there the whole time staring through the oven window. When it came out of the oven for the juices to settle someone would have to constantly guard the turkey or she'd be after it. She was seriously obsessed with turkey.

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@gardenman 

Loved your kitty stories about Callie and Sandy....  I was going to ask about your kitty avatar and its great to find out that it is your current kitty, Callie! I had a calico too and she was very curious and mischievious.  That's so funny how she stalks your turkey.  I remember previous cats that I had in my life that stayed by the stove peeking in the window staring and waiting for turkey....LOL  

My current 2 kitties arent too much into "people food" they will take a small bite of turkey and that's it, but they arent stalkers....It's funny how cats are so different....

[Spurt]

WHAT A SPECTACULAR GAME!!!!  HOW BOUT THOSE BILLS!!!  COLE BEASLEY 110 yds....   Made my Turkey Day especially HAPPY!!! 

And @gardenman  your Eagles are back in the thick of the NFC East race.....

yep...Soldier Field weather can be tricky ....if it isnt wind, cold, rain, or snow...it might even be fog....(I remember an infamous fog game with the Redskins/Bears in Chicago)....not a good time of year for the Cowboys to have to run the table....

BTW did anyone else notice how Garrett didnt clap the whole time on the sidelines....LOL!!!! 

Boy Jerry really spoke his mind in the press conference the NFL Network aired and made it cleared Garrett's days are numbered.  And our  local sportscasters were crying in their pumpkin pie as they relived those moments from the game on our late night local news.....

[gardenman]

Jerry Jones and his head coaching history are pretty interesting. He buys the team and fires Tom Landy, 29-year head coach, winner of two Super Bowls and multiple division and conference titles. He hires Jimmy Johnson who in five years wins two Super Bowls and multiple playoff berths. Then Jimmy is fired and replaced with Barry Switzer who in four years wins a Super Bowl title and three NFC East championships. He's then fired and replaced with Chan Gailey who takes the Cowboys to the playoffs in each of his two seasons. He then gets fired and along comes Dave Campo for three years. He doesn't do so well and the Cowboys miss the playoffs all three years and he's gone. Then along comes Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells who takes the Cowboys to the playoffs twice in his four years as head coach before getting fired. Wade Phillips then comes along for four years and gets two NFC East championships and a playoff win before getting fired.

And that brings us to Jason Garrett, who's arguably had the least impressive record of any of those coaches, except for Dave Campo, but has held the job for nine years. In those nine years, they've made the playoffs three times and never got close to another Super Bowl, but JJ, who fired Hall of Fame coaches and coaches who won super Bowls, has kept him around. Why?

Does Jason Garrett own some blackmail material he uses to keep his job? He's outlasted every coach but Tom Landry despite never sniffing a Super Bowl. He's had a lot of very talented players to work with, but never elevated them. He's not innovative. There's no coaching tree of assistants who have gone on to excel following his principles, whatever the heck they are. He mostly stands on the sidelines clapping for plays, good or bad, but somehow retains his job when everyone else got canned. 

Jerry Jones got rid of Jimmy Johnson because two Super Bowls in five years wasn't good enough. He got rid of Switzer because one Super Bowl in four years wasn't good enough. Now he keeps Garrett despite not even coming close to a Super Bowl for nine years? Did Jerry Jones forget he can fire coaches? He's fired two NFL Hall of Fame coaches (Landy, Parcells) and Jimmy Johnson who's in the College Hall of Fame for coaching. Why keep Garrett? What am I missing? One of the most historically impatient owners with head coaches won't fire one of the worst coaches he's ever hired? Why? Is Garrett his illegitimate love child? 

I find it all fascinating. In the last nine years, bad coaching has cost the Cowboys lots of games. Players are often uninspired, and more or less going through the motions. Talented players have seen their most productive years wasted. And yet, Garrett keeps his job. Weird!

[teganslaw]

Cole Beasley was on my fantasy lineup, so I'm happy for him.

I read that there was yelling coming from the Cowboys' locker room after the game, though not sure who was doing the yelling. The team sounds like it's imploding. Maybe Jones owes Garrett a favor of some kind...no idea why he's still coaching. Many Cowboy fans want Garrett gone along with Jerry Jones, though that won't happen. 

TY Hilton aggravated his calf muscle and has been ruled out for Sunday's game. Funchess isn't ready to play yet, so it will be Pascal and Rogers. 

New Orleans won their division already. They're behind SF in seeding, so the Baltimore-SF game is huge for playoff implications. 

[gardenman]

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@Spurt wrote:

WHAT A SPECTACULAR GAME!!!!  HOW BOUT THOSE BILLS!!!  COLE BEASLEY 110 yds....   Made my Turkey Day especially HAPPY!!! 

And @gardenman  your Eagles are back in the thick of the NFC East race.....

yep...Soldier Field weather can be tricky ....if it isnt wind, cold, rain, or snow...it might even be fog....(I remember an infamous fog game with the Redskins/Bears in Chicago)....not a good time of year for the Cowboys to have to run the table....

BTW did anyone else notice how Garrett didnt clap the whole time on the sidelines....LOL!!!! 

Boy Jerry really spoke his mind in the press conference the NFL Network aired and made it cleared Garrett's days are numbered.  And our  local sportscasters were crying in their pumpkin pie as they relived those moments from the game on our late night local news.....

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Spoiler

@Spurt 

The Bills have a decent shot at upsetting the Patriots and winning the AFC East. The Patriots face the Texans and Chiefs in the next two weeks and could easily lose both of those games. The Bills have a tester against the Ravens and then the Steelers in a likely win before meeting the Patriots again. It's not hard to see both teams at 11-3 heading into the week 16 matchup against one another.

The Eagles just need to take care of business from here on out, but that's easier said than done. The good news is Lane Johnson should be back this week and Brandon Brooks should also be back and ready to go. That solidifies the offensive line. Alshon Jeffery is said to be good to go and possibly Agholor also. At least one press report has our rookie JJ Arcega-Whiteside moving into a starting role opposite Jeffery, and Greg Ward earning more playing time in the slot. If we can get some solid play from the wide receivers, the sky's the limit. DeSean Jackson is recovering from his abdominal surgery and is working hard to get back for the playoffs. If he makes it back then the offense could look a lot better.

When we get Jordan Howard back (he's still a bit weak-armed from a stinger he suffered in Chicago) and combine him with Miles Sanders, Jay Ajayi, and Boston Scott, the running back position will be very solid and deep with a variety of types of running attacks. Jordan Howard is a bulldozer. Sanders is a dasher and great pass catcher. Ajayi is a shifty, elusive guy with decent power. Boston Scott is a shifty little scatback who's very quick.

With the weather deteriorating late in the season, the running game becomes more and more important. A solid o-line combined with a pack of good to great runners might give the Eagles an edge in the playoffs. Other than the first round, the Eagles figure to be on the road through the playoffs (if we even get there.) Green Bay is the only NFC playoff spot where weather is likely to be a big factor, but you never know. The Niners, Seattle, and Minnesota are either indoors or in milder climates. Still, having a solid running game is never a bad thing.

If DeSean Jackson comes back at full speed, Alshon starts playing like Alshon (he's had a bad ankle much of the year.) And one of the kids (Arcega-Whiteside or Greg Ward) comes along, combined with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, the Eagles could be scary good on offense. It doesn't really matter how you get to the playoffs as long as you get there. Home field advantage would be nice, but looks unlikely once you get past the first round.

The first round of the playoffs could be quite a challenge as the wild card teams are likely to be very, very good. You're looking at Seattle or San Francisco and Green Bay or Minnesota as likely wild card teams. If the Eagles win the East, one of those four would come to Philly for round one of the playoffs and be a big test. That would be a heck of a way to kick off the playoffs. Getting to the Super Bowl on the NFC side is going to be quite a fight. The Eagles need to get their ship righted however before any of it will matter. The defense is playing well now. The offense is starting to look a bit healthier. If it all comes together, things could get interesting. First up though, are the Dolphins.

[Spurt]

@gardenman  @teganslaw  @yellowrose 

Has anyone read or heard why the Cowboys arent going with Zeke and his running game???....Is he out of shape ...drank too many Coronas or feasted way too much on tamales and cabrito????...Is he hurt????  The whole thing seems a bit odd...The Cowboys were still in the game where they could have used him 

12 carries 71 yds...30 long.....

[yellowrose]

Cowboys gave me turkey heartburn....but that was fixed with a couple of Tums.

There's no medication for what's happening on the field.  A "For Sale" sign would

be a good start, but that's not going to happen.  

Don't know why they gave up on the run @Spurt .  Not as if the pass was going so great.  Come on Dak....what was up with the 4 and 1 pass?????

It was just a complete mess, yet the Cowboys are providing the best thing on TV right now with the local news.  I'm even copying so I won't miss any of it. 

But hey, the Cowboys can still make the playoffs, dont' see it happening and I actually hope they don't.  Not Deserving!!!!

Bills played a good game. Congrats to them.  I'm sure Beasley had a good time.