$.01-- Behold, the future of NFL viewing! (Buffering) Sunday morning’s game (waiting for cache) was broadcast live on Yahoo! all over the world, free of charge. Yahoo paid $20 million for the rights to exclusively broadcast (click here to expand) the game between the Bills and Jaguars.

Team Risdon opted to test the streaming on three different mediums. My wife watched the game on our living room TV via the Samsung App for Yahoo. I watched the game straight from the Yahoo home page on my laptop, while our son watched the game via the fantasy app on his mini iPad.

Our experiences varied. The Samsung app worked best, with the most consistent high resolution picture and only a handful of pauses. However, the stream was about 12 seconds behind my son’s tablet. His picture quality was the worst, often becoming over-pixelated and needing to refresh itself. As an example, he missed the Paul Posluszny interception entirely until the broadcast replay. My laptop had buffering issues when I tried multi-tasking, such as writing this column and using social media, though it got noticeably better after about the first quarter. It’s worth noting that on all three devices we never had one issue seeing any advertisement in full HD, so at least the sponsors got their money’s worth.

The fans in London likely got their money’s worth too. After racing out to a 27-3 lead thanks almost entirely to Bills QB E.J. Manuel, the Jaguars had to rally to win 34-31 when Blake Bortles found Allen Hurns for a diving touchdown. When Manuel turned the ball over for a fifth time on the ensuing drive, Jacksonville prevailed in their “home” game.

Much like the Bills, the quality of the broadcast dramatically improved after about the middle of the second quarter. I don’t recall a single buffer or hiccup other than the delay between real time and the broadcast getting a bit longer. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the experiment and hope the NFL continues in this direction. Much more than Bills fan are with the embarrassment to quarterbacking that is E.J. Manuel…

I would happily pay $10 a week to stream any game on any device, free from local affiliations or contracts with DirecTV or the local cable monopolies. Let me choose the audio feed for either team and I’ll up it to $15. If you feel the same and are tired of being tethered to overpriced packages, let the NFL know.

$.02--The New England Patriots proved they are still the King of the Hill, while the Jets are still Bill Dauterive, well-meaning but hopelessly behind their neighbor to the north. The Patriots survived a rocky visit from a game Jets team which did everything but win the game.

The Patriots rushed for just 16 yards on nine carries. Tom Brady was sacked three times and wasn’t sharp for much of the first half. Brandon LaFell dropped at least four passes, while Ryan Fitzpatrick stood toe-to-toe with Brady for much of the game. But in the end, the clean, stable New England gas outcooked the more volatile, less efficient Jets flames. Taste the meat, not the heat.

New York is close, probably closer than most Patriots fans wanted to believe. They covered the 9.5-point spread with a late field goal and even got the ball back with a tiny chance to rally before a desperation toss prayer went unanswered. Had they covered Rob Gronkowski on a third down instead of sending eight men on the rush, the Jets might have actually won. But that’s what happens when little brother tries a little too hard to catch big brother.

New England’s defense won this game with three straight 3-and-out drives at the end of the first half when the Jets were largely controlling the action. It’s not a great defense but the Patriots play smart and have plus athletes who carry out assignments at all three levels. It sounds simplistic but that’s the beauty of Bill Belichick’s team. The Jets under Todd Bowles appear assembled in a similar manner, but they have Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Pats have Tom Brady. Boomhauer gets all the girls while Bill drinks his warm Alamo alone in the dark.

Until Brady retires, which might not happen for another ten years, the Jets will forever be chasing them. No matter how many conspiracy theories the Dale Gribbles of the world try to lob against the Patriots, at the end of the day they’re still wearing the rings and favorites to win another while the Jets hope for a rare playoff berth and just enough hope to keep on keeping on. New York is pointed in the right direction and would run away with the AFC South, but they can never be King of the Hill without someone cancelling Brady and the Patriots first. 

$.03--Kirk Cousins and his Washington Ethnic Slurs rallied for one of the more improbable comebacks in recent NFL history, rallying from a 24-0 deficit to a thrilling 31-30 win. Cousins engineered a commanding, impressive 80-yard touchdown drive.

The embattled, inconsistent QB was more than a little fired up after the game…

Yes Kirk, Washington fans like it very much. Cousins had a fantastic game, completing 33 of his 40 attempts, three of which produced TDs among 317 yards. He shook off an early fumble/scoop and score for Tampa Bay and protected the ball the rest of the way. More importantly, he protected it without losing the aggression to attack the defense, which is a very fine line. An onside kick, perfectly executed by Dustin Hopkins, helped a lot too.

Washington continues to vacillate between playoff contender in the bottom-heavy NFC and “fire everybody” on a weekly basis. Cousins and his wildly variable ball security are a big part of that, but so is a defense which looks great at times but suffers an alarming amount of mental errors. This game did not have my full attention and I can point out four missed tackles on Doug Martin runs, and the safety play continues to make fans--and coaches--scratch their heads.

Comeback wins like this, the largest in franchise history, invigorate the fans and help solidify the locker room around Cousins. He’s not for everyone. Yet when Cousins is playing with the confidence he showed on Sunday, the various factions who don’t like his in-your-face religiosity or passive-aggressive buck passing will stand behind him. This team will ride the roller coaster with him. At 3-4 they are right in the thick of things, though it’s important to note the opponent in this one is a 2-4 Buccaneers team with a rookie QB getting his feet wet and a head coach who still thinks it’s 2004. 

$.04--Seattle crushed San Francisco 20-3 in the Thursday night game. With the win the Seahawks escaped the NFC West cellar by jumping to 3-4, sending the 49ers to 2-5 in a game fans of both teams will want to forget.

This yawnfest proved a few things. First, Seattle really isn’t close to the team that made the last two Super Bowls. The vaunted defense returned to form, but that’s much more a function of San Francisco’s offensive ineptitude than any greatness from Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril & Co. The front looked better than it had all year regardless of opponent, and that is an encouraging sign. But their offensive line is almost comically bad, and that hinders everything they try to do with the ball. Marshawn Lynch fought through the flu to grind out 122 yards on the ground, but he could have topped 150 with even an average offensive line to help him.

Second, San Francisco’s offense sucks. I know you expect an eloquent breakdown of tactics and talent, but sometimes blunt succinctness is the best route.

 

Colin Kaepernick gets the brunt of the blame, but he sorely lacks quality support up front. Or outside at receiver. Kaepernick is certainly guilty of not making anyone around him better, but Steve Young couldn’t win with this group in this offense. It’s going to take multiple drafts to fix this mess.

Finally, the Jim Tomsula experiment at head coach in San Francisco needs to end after one year, if not sooner. Massive personnel losses or not, Tomsula appears clueless in charge. I can’t help but think of Rod Marinelli, a truly beloved assistant coach who was simply overmatched in every facet as a head coach. Marinelli is best known for being the leader of the 0-16 Lions in 2008. If the Niners don’t stop the madness with Tomsula and the obvious front office discord, the 2016 49ers could wind up with the same fate. 

$.05--This week in the AFC South:

- Tennessee lost in a lifeless game to an Atlanta team that hasn’t played this poorly all season. The Falcons won 10-7 while Titans backup Zach Mettenberger proved beyond any doubt he is not an NFL quarterback. The Titans D did not record a sack and hit Matt Ryan--who was largely off--just once.

- Indianapolis got rolled at home by New Orleans. The 27-20 final score belies how lopsided the game played out; the Saints, now 3-4, led 27-0 with less than 20 minutes to go in the game. The Colts did not get a first down in the first quarter, and Andrew Luck had as many INTs (2) as completions on third down in the first half.

- Houston trailed 41-0 at Miami, a team which fired its coach two weeks ago. Like the Colts, the Texans poured on the points in garbage time to close the final to a more respectable 44-26. In the abysmal loss, Arian Foster tore his Achilles and is out for the season.

The Jaguars, as noted above, came up victorious. Barely. Against the first QB to ever lose NFL games in three different countries. With a +3 turnover margin.

 

W

L

Pt. Diff

Outside division

Turnover

Colts

3

4

-27

0-4

-8

Texans

2

5

-45

1-4

-5

Jaguars

2

5

-60

2-3

-3

Titans

1

5

-20

1-4

-4

Indianapolis plays Carolina, Denver and Atlanta in the next three games. Those teams have one combined loss entering Sunday night. And the Colts will still be atop this sorry division when they’re 3-7. The Week 14 matchup with Jacksonville could very well decide the playoff participant and both teams could very well be 4-8. 

$.06--In a stark reversal from their first meeting, the Dallas Cowboys found creative ways to lose and the New York Giants survived some late trepidation to secure a key 27-20 NFC East victory.

Special teams killed the Cowboys. Former Dallas return man Dwayne Harris ended any Dallas momentum by answering Devin Street’s TD catch with a 100-yard house call on the ensuing kickoff. All hope was lost when Cole Beasley muffed a punt inside the final two minutes, allowing Eli Manning and the Giants to end the game in victory formation.

Instead of Manning throwing the ugly pick six against Dallas, this time it was Matt Cassel throwing the ball to New York’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He high stepped it 58 yards for the TD to put the Giants ahead 17-13. Another bad Cassel INT set up the Giants for a field goal to up 20-13.

Dallas is pretty much helpless without Tony Romo at quarterback. Brandon Weeden tried and fizzled. Cassel was arguably worse than Weeden, and as a result the 2-0 Cowboys have become the 2-4 Cowboys.

It’s getting ugly in Jerry World. Greg Hardy and Dez Bryant nearly came to blows on the sideline after Hardy had some choice words for Street. With Bryant in street clothes for at least another week and Romo likely out for another two or three, it’s not apt to get any better. They draw the desperate Seahawks next week, followed by the Eagles in prime time. If they want any shot at the playoffs, Dallas will have to win at least one of those. Win them both and all will be right as rain. But it’s hard for Dallas fans to see that right now. 

$.07--The University of Miami football team hit a new low over the weekend. Clemson, my choice as the No. 1 team in the nation, hung a 58-0 pasting on The U, and that was the last straw. Head Coach Al Golden was fired on Sunday after considerable pressure from prominent Hurricane alumni with the team 4-3 but in complete underachieving disarray.

This creates openings at two of the premier college football factories, Miami and USC. South Carolina is also open after Steve Spurrier’s recent resignation, and both Virginia and Virginia Tech could be open at the end of the season. Maryland and Illinois are also open.

There is a deep pool of potential coaching candidates for the Canes. My top choice is Rob Chudzinski, a former Miami tight end and assistant coach and still a notable presence even though he now works for the Indianapolis Colts. Chud was overmatched in his one season coaching the Cleveland Browns, but at The U he would be able to recruit and get the athletes necessary to run his offense.

For the Trojans, I would go with Houston wunderkind Tom Herman. He’s a California native with recruiting tentacles all over the country, having worked at Ohio State before moving to Texas and quickly turning the Cougars into a ranked, undefeated and exciting contender. At just 40 years old, he’s got the energy and ability to relate with young athletes which made Pete Carroll so successful. If he decides to stay at Houston with dynamic junior QB Greg Ward--a legit Heisman contender next year, if not this year--then I would advise AD Pat Haden to see if Kyle Whittingham is interested in leaving Utah, the previously undefeated team the Trojans just beat with superior athletes.

South Carolina is a tough one. Spurrier proved it can be a good job, but it will forever be regarded below both Florida and Georgia in the SEC East and not even close to LSU, Alabama or even Auburn in the SEC West. I’ve heard Rich Rodriguez mentioned, and his distinct style could be successful there. He used to coach at Clemson so he has ties to the area, albeit distant ones. Justin Fuente from Memphis is a hot candidate, but that poses a problem for the Gamecocks; he might feel like he can do better in another year, or that he could have an easier path coaching the Hokies in the more navigable ACC.

One name to watch: P.J. Fleck. The Western Michigan coach is just 34, but has already drawn wide praise and respect from both the media and coaching circles. The Broncos have faltered a bit this year but he’s still bound to move up quickly. I’d love to see him take over at Virginia, a situation which reminds me very much of Michigan State when the Spartans hired Mark Dantonio.

$.08--NFL Quickies

--If you want a fascinating, behind-the-scenes read on the NFL draft process, I cannot recommend enough former Broncos GM Ted Sundquist’s exceptional piece at Bleacher Report on how he came to select Jay Cutler. Ted deserves another shot. Maybe in Detroit?

--Adrian Peterson nearly missed Minnesota’s trip to Detroit after knowingly eating shrimp despite having a terrible shellfish allergy. Further proof you do not have to be smart to be a great running back. Vikings extend my Detroit misery, 28-19.

--Todd Gurley ran for 128 yards and two TDs in St. Louis’ impressive win over Cleveland. It marks the Rams’ first non-divisional win of the year and came in front of maybe 25,000 in the Edward Jones dome. Entire upper section of the stadium were completely empty. Last one on the fight to Los Angeles, turn out the lights…

--Oakland improved to 3-3 after destroying San Diego. It was 30-6 at halftime before Philip Rivers saved fantasy owners everywhere with a big second half rally. Wideout Amari Cooper continued his push for Offensive Rookie of the Year with five catches for 133 yards and a sweet long run after catch for a TD.

--Miami has now won two in a row with interim coach Dan Campbell. Their annihilation of the hapless Texans featured a nearly perfect game from QB Ryan Tannehill: 18-of-19, 282 yards, 4 TDs. Lamar Miller, willfully ignored by deposed Joe Philbin ran for 175 yards on 14 carries and now has 364 yards from scrimmage in two games under Campbell. Coaching matters, folks!

$.09--College/Draft quickies

--One week after Michigan State got a miracle special teams play to beat Michigan, lightning struck again. Florida State lined up to kick a game-winning field goal against Georgia Tech with the score tied on the last play. The Seminoles have the best collegiate kicker in years in Roberto Aguayo, a legitimate top 100 draft prospect. Game over, right…?

Well, it was game over but not in the manner anyone expected. The Yellow Jackets blocked the kick and ran it back over 75 yards for a stunning touchdown to end, handing the undefeated Seminoles their first loss. It’s a season salvager for Georgia Tech, which had lost 5 in a row before the “Kick Six”.

--Lots of people expected “free money” when undefeated and 4th-ranked Utah was listed as an underdog at underwhelming USC. Fools and their money are soon parted. The Trojans rolled the mistake-plagued Utes 42-24, effectively burying Utah’s playoff aspirations and perhaps those of the entire Pac-12. The Utes had a nice run but they just don’t have the speed to win against teams like USC when the opponent doesn’t self-destruct.

--The most impressive thing in football you will see all year…

 

Growing up in Northeast Ohio, I knew about Mount Union’s football awesomeness years ago. Several of the best local HS players chose to play for Larry Kehres instead of MAC schools. His son Vince coaches in Alliance now and the program hasn’t missed a beat. It’s the best dynasty in sports.

--Another impressive outing from Memphis QB Paxton Lynch in keeping the Tigers unbeaten. He’s moved up to #2 in my QB rankings, ahead of Jonathan Goff and nearly tied with Connor Cook at the top.

--I’m in stupefied disbelief at the Oklahoma State homecoming parade tragedy. Please don’t let friends take the wheel after they’ve been drinking.

$.10--With the NBA season upon us, and seeing as how RealGM is predominately known a basketball site no matter how hard I try to change that, here are my thoughts on the upcoming basketball campaign. I watch a lot of NBA these days, just enough that my takes are dangerous but not enough to value over the likes of Christopher Reina, Brett Koremenos, Andrew Perna or some of the other fine writers and analysts here. And no, they didn’t pay me to say that…

It’s easy to start at the top and say, who can possibly beat Cleveland in the East or Golden State in the West? I’m very confident in my Cavaliers to handle business, though a 100 percent healthy Chicago team is a worthy challenger. Given Derek Rose and his chronic durability issues, I just can’t see the Bulls rising up. I think their window with Gasol and the rest of the supporting cast not named Jimmy Butler closed last year. The Hawks still strike me as a regular season powerhouse but little threat in a playoff series where an opponent can play them several games in a row. I’d take Miami, Washington and maybe even Milwaukee to beat Atlanta in a playoff series. If Dwyane Wade can stay upright the Heat will scare Chicago or Atlanta for the No. 2 seed. The Bucks are intriguing with their youth and length, but they need a go-to scorer if they’re going to bubble up much further than 45 wins. Washington will be fun to watch but I think they need a more reliable scoring frontcourt than just Gortat and the occasional outburst from Nene.

I can see the Pistons or perhaps the new-look Pacers to rise up and push Toronto out of the playoffs. Detroit is heading in the right direction. The Knicks will remain a train wreck, better only than the Nets and 76ers or perhaps a Magic team that I’m not sure can hit 100 more than about 10 times. But none of those teams threaten to win more than 2 games in any playoff series from Lebron, Kyrie, Love and the astronomical payroll tax owner Dan Gilbert is paying as part of being #AllIn.

Out West, things are much more interesting. The Warriors deserve to be the hunted, but there are a lot of worthy hunters with pretty sharp weapons stalking them. My son’s beloved Rockets lead the charge, and if the barrage of 3s fall at an above-average rate and Dwight Howard stays healthy, they can beat anyone, anywhere. Houston is very high risk/reward and that makes them tough to invest in. San Antonio adding LaMarcus Aldridge probably makes them the most viable threat to Steph Curry and Golden State, but the Spurs still don’t have anyone to stop Curry in crunch time. If anyone can change the dynamic of a series in their favor, it’s Gregg Popovich and the Spurs.

Oklahoma City will be interesting with a healthy Kevin Durant. I’m of the opinion he and Russell Westbrook cannot coexist successfully, but like the Rockets the Thunder are a team that has the potential to beat anyone if all cylinders are firing together. I like Utah to make a jump up and fellow Northland High School product Trey Burke to lead that charge as one of the league’s most improved players. Portland falls back, while Phoenix and Dallas remain mired in mediocrity. Maybe one last gasp from Dirk Nowitzki leads the Mavs to a playoff upset in the first round, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

New Orleans and the Clippers are both wild cards. Anthony Davis makes the Pelicans a viable contender, and he’s the most legitimate threat to Lebron as MVP and best player in the game. They can hit the 3 too. If they develop much of a bench I can see New Orleans winning at least one playoff series. The Clippers are a treat to watch with Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan and the swagger. But they’re creaky old with Paul Pierce and lack depth. I believe Memphis peaked last year in terms of playoff window; they’ll still win 48 to 50 but they’re just not beating anyone in a series. The Lakers will barely sneak ahead of the Timberwolves and Nuggets to avoid a last-place finish.

In the end, I see the conference finals as Cleveland beating Miami in 6 in the East and San Antonio over Golden State in 7 in the West. And in the Finals, my eternal sports drought will finally end when Lebron hits a step-back 3 from the left elbow to win Game 6 and give the city of Cleveland its first sports title since 1964. You will be able to read my celebratory recap piece next June.