RealGM Wiretap
By Jeff Risdon/RealGM
$.01--There are times when something happens that helps us realize that for as much as we love and cherish sport and the athletes that play them, they are but a small part of the real world. That happened with the Jovan Belcher murder/suicide on Saturday morning in Kansas City. Belcher, a starting inside linebacker for the Chiefs, shot his girlfriend multiple times in front of her mother before driving to Arrowhead Stadium. There, he reportedly thanked GM Scott Pioli and Head Coach Romeo Crennel for all they had done for him, then turned the gun on himself as he walked away.
This terrible incident is a graphic reminder that these are real men playing these games. Real men with real problems. I cannot fathom what was in Belcher’s mind as he committed these hideous crimes, but he has to face those demons alone in hell and I hope they show no mercy. My more genuine concerns are with Crennel, Pioli, and the Chiefs family.
I want to stress the word “family”. For as much criticism as I’ve piled on Pioli over the years and Crennel this year, they have very much fostered a feeling of family in Kansas City. Crennel is one of the biggest teddy bears in the league as a coach, a genuinely compassionate father figure who is more prone to nurturing than negativity. He is the head coach precisely because of that; the team rallied around his paternal warmth after he took over as interim coach and lobbied very hard for him to keep the gig. I cannot imagine the emotional devastation going on with Crennel and the players.
I’ve seen and heard a lot about how playing the game is a chance for the players to escape the horror movie that is their lives right now. I don’t know that to be true, however. They have to walk past where Belcher shot himself in the head as they get to the stadium. They have to dress in the locker room where all his stuff remains as a macabre reminder of his brutal act of violence. I understand the logistical implications and complications of postponing the game, but I know I would have a very difficult time answering the call of duty in that stadium on this day. I have nothing but respect and pride for how the Chiefs responded, getting their second win. It’s a little salve on a terrible wound, one that won’t heal easily, especially for those who witnesses the horror. God bless them.
$.02--Here’s a good way to test and see who really watched the Lions/Colts game and who is box score/highlight reel scouting. For about 55 minutes, Andrew Luck was not a very good quarterback. He had completed less than 50 percent of his passes, threw three of those passes to the Lions defense, and one-hopped or airmailed just about every throw under eight yards all game long. Luck showed little accuracy when pressured and rushed several throws. The Lions had a comfortable 33-21 lead as a result, and this Lions' scribe had a nice little narrative about how people needed to stop gushing over Andrew Luck’s awesomeness already.
Then, suddenly, Andrew Luck was indeed awesome. Some lousy clock management and vanilla defense by the Lions certainly facilitated the turnaround, but make no mistake about how well Luck played on the final two Colts drives. The first drive went 85 yards in under a minute and a half, highlighted by a 4th down conversion run by Luck that was augmented by a horse collar tackle penalty. After the Lions took the clock down to just over a minute and following a lousy Nick Harris punt, Luck got a chance for further redemption.
Twice on the final drive Luck moved the chains with his legs, as the Lions defense that had so successfully contained that all game long went in the tank. Reggie Wayne, who had been largely neutralized all game, caught a key 26-yard pass on 3rd down. But where I really liked Luck is when he got into the red zone, first and ten at the Lions 14 with 18 seconds remaining. Luck attacked the end zone. The first two throws got batted away, but it took exceptional defensive plays to deny the Colts. The third play was a throwaway, a bi of quick recognition that nothing was going to work and living to fight another play was more important than trying to fabricate something out of nothing. Fourth down was the exclamation point, a savvy bit of sliding forward that would make Tom Brady proud. Luck could have run it in himself but trusted the speedier Donnie Avery to catch the extended handoff. He damn near beat Avery into the end zone as the Lions defense was downright scarily out of position to do anything about it.
Twitter and message boards immediately went crazy with all sorts of people proclaiming Luck as not just Offensive Rookie of the Year but MVP. Some even started casting the bronze in Canton. It reminds me of a game early in LeBron James’ career, when he was largely terrible but finished with a flourish to lead the Cavaliers to a win. He was the lead on Sports Center the next day for his late heroics, never minding that his own subpar play led to the need for late-game magic. Had Luck been as great as everyone will proclaim for more than the final three minutes, the Colts would have blown out the Lions. Andrew Luck did not have a good game. But he was more than good enough when it counted most, and that’s all that really matters.
$.03--The inevitable finally happened in the debacle that was the Jets/Cardinals game. Rex Ryan finally acquiesced to common sense and benched a terribly ineffective Mark Sanchez for Greg McElroy. On cue, McElroy led the Jets to a touchdown drive, capped off by his first career TD throw.
The defense made those seven points stand up as the Jets won 7-6. Or rather, the Cardinals offense was really that bad. Arizona had just five first downs the entire game and went an incredible 0-for-15 on 3rd down. On a day where the Jets averaged just 3.9 yards per play, the Cardinals put up just 2.5, an amazingly low total even for their increasingly inept offense. New York’s defense did make some plays, but this was much more about the embarrassing effort of the Arizona offense. It truly takes a miserable performance to make what the Jets accomplished offensively in the game look good, but the Jets offense proved miles ahead of Arizona.
The inevitable story line becomes Greg McElroy earning the starting job over The Sanchize. Not that McElroy was overwhelming, throwing for just 29 yards in a little over a quarter. But McElroy threw a touchdown pass (a nice one too) and didn’t throw any to the Arizona defense, which is what really dogged Sanchez in this game. Moreover, the team looked sharper and played with more energy with McElroy under center. When you have as little talent as the Jets, you must have that inspired spring in the step. McElroy brought that on Sunday, and that should be enough to spell the end of Mark Sanchez as a starter for the immediate future. It’s abundantly clear the Jets players no longer have any confidence in Sanchez no matter what they might say. Having said that, I think Rex Ryan goes back to The Sanchize, if only to cement the gig for McElroy as Sanchez bombs once again and the youngsters rides in to the rescue with relative competency.
$.04--The Green Bay Packers are now in first place in the NFC North courtesy of a 23-14 win over the rival Vikings that pushed the Pack to 8-4. It was a strange game and once again showed that this year’s Packers aren’t up to par with last year’s vintage, but first place is first place nonetheless.
It was not easy. Adrian Peterson had a monster game for the Vikings, putting up 210 rushing yards with a series of moves that displayed the complete running back package. His 82-yard TD scamper put the Vikings on top in the second quarter, and he nearly scored again on the first run of the third quarter with a 40+ yarder. But the Packers were able to persevere and overcome. On yet another day where Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense just weren’t clicking, the Green Bay defense came up huge. Safety Morgan Burnett picked off the increasingly hapless Christian Ponder twice in the red zone. Kicker Mason Crosby found his footing by making three field goals, though he did miss yet another one. The Packers did a good job of taking away Ponder’s primary option with a barrage of coverages, daring Ponder to make tough throws to beat them. Once again, Ponder was not up to the task.
Even though it wasn’t pretty, this is the kind of game the Packers needed to win. Aaron Rodgers was merely good, not great. The running game showed a rare spark, particularly on the touchdown drive in the third quarter that put the Pack ahead to stay. On that drive, Alex Green ran with purpose and James Starks capped it off with a well-blocked 22-yard TD, their first TD by a running back since Week 4. Mercurial TE Jermichael Finley was dialed in for this one, looking the ball into his hands on each catch and displaying his usual grandiose celebration every time he did so. James Jones stole the ball from the air on a great touchdown catch from Rodgers, his best throw of the afternoon. But the offensive line was often brutal, chock full of false starts, holding penalties, and sieve-like protection that kept Rodgers uneasy. The patchwork unit lost TJ Lang, arguably their best run blocker, further shuffling a deck full of low cards. This is not how Packers fans are used to winning games, and it’s not real encouraging as the injuries continue to mount and the offense still just isn’t right, but first place in the very tough NFC North looks pretty good in Green Bay right about now.
$.05--One of the persistent knocks on the Seattle Seahawks is that they cannot win on the road. It’s been a fair and valid criticism, as they had just one road win (at Carolina) and had lost to inferior teams in St Louis, Arizona, Detroit, and Miami just last week. Heading to Chicago and Soldier Field, it appeared the road woes were going to continue.
Russell Wilson decided to change the narrative. The Bears were good, but Wilson and the Seahawks offense were just a little better. Trailing 14-10 with just over three minutes on the clock and the ball at his own three, Wilson calmly and expertly guided the Seahawks on a 97-yard drive. The touchdown came thanks to Golden Tate refusing to go do down despite hits from a couple of Bears, lunging into the end zone with 24 seconds left.
That proved too much time, and the home team responded. Jay Cutler, who had a very good day in his own right, bought time and threw a laser to Brandon Marshall. Seahawks CB Richard Sherman mistakenly tried to pick it off, which allowed Marshall to not only make the catch but rack up several yards after the catch and get into field goal range. Robbie Gould was gold from 46 yards as the clock expired, and Chicago went nuts with the momentum carrying them into overtime.
But Wilson was not finished. The Seahawks won the coin toss and never gave the Bears a chance. Three times on the overtime drive Wilson picked up first downs with his legs, twice on third down. Marshawn Lynch mixed in some effective runs that kept the Bears defense honest, setting up the game winner. Sidney Rice crossed the formation largely uncovered (both Bears starting CBs were out of the game) and just barely broke the plane of the goal line before getting literally knocked out by Major Wright, who will get a big bill from the Commish for his head shot. Rice didn’t know it, but he scored the game winner.
The story here was Wilson’s composure. He was phenomenal when his team needed him most, late in the game and on 3rd down. There was never any sign of panic, no rookie moments. Wilson didn’t care that the team has stunk on the road or that the Bears were a formidable defense. Now the conventional wisdom that the Seahawks can’t win away from home is shattered, and Wilson must be included prominently in the conversation about the exceptional class of rookie QBs.
$.06--In a game they absolutely had to win, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the hated Baltimore Ravens behind late-game heroics from none other than Charlie Batch. The same third string, ready-for-the-glue-factory Charlie Batch who was a weak-armed turnover machine last week in Cleveland rallied the Steelers over the vaunted Ravens defense. In the process he kept the Steelers playoff hopes very much alive.
This victory must taste sweet for Batch. He is in his final season and has been a Steeler since 2003, longer than Ben Roethlisberger. He is the consummate professional as a backup and mentor, and Charlie Batch is beloved and respected in the locker room. I’ve spoken to a couple of people who believe he is going to make an excellent coach right away. But last week he was terrible, and the prospects for improving in Baltimore sure looked bleak.
His performance in the fourth quarter was exactly what was needed to pull off the improbable win. Batch shook off a bad INT by Ed Reed in the end zone that snuffed out a nice drive, and his defense bailed him out thanks to a devastating strip sack by James Harrison. After that, Batch was in complete control. Two quick throws set up the game-tying TD pass to Heath Miller, who scored courtesy of a Herculean effort and very long arms to punch the pylon with the ball. The Ravens did nothing on offense, and Batch seized the opportunity to win the game. The final drive ate up over six minutes, as Batch found Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown twice apiece and the running game kept the chains moving.
As Sean Suisham’s field goal sailed through the uprights and gave Pittsburgh the win, the camera panned to Batch on the sideline. He was engulfed in a bear hug with Roethlisberger, tears of joy in both their eyes. If you wonder why teams like the Steelers consistently remain near the top, that shot gave you a perfect picture. They care, and they care not just about winning but about one another.
$.07--Awards
Offense: Adrian Peterson. He became just the third RB to run for more than 200 yards in a losing effort, and that is impressive enough for the Vikings RB to edge out Tony Romo, who was brilliant in the Sunday night victory over the Eagles. Calvin Johnson, Russell Wilson, and Brady Quinn (yes, Brady Quinn) all deserve mention.
Defense: William Moore. The Falcons safety racked up 10 tackles to go with his two INTs and three PDs (he got credit for two but he had three by my eyes) against Drew Brees, and he seemed to have a Spidey sense all night about what Brees was going to do. Teammate John Abraham deserves mention, as do Kerry Rhodes, Ndamukong Suh, Von Miller, and Sheldon Brown.
Special Teams: Greg Zuerlein. The Rams rookie kicker lived up to the moniker “Greg the Leg”, booting a 53-yard field goal to tie the game as time expired. He followed that up with a 54-yard game winner that would have been good from 63.
Assistant Coach: Mike Nolan. The Falcons Defensive Coordinator dialed up an exceptional game plan, flummoxing Drew Brees and the high-powered Saints offense. They applied pressure well, but what stood out was how handily the Falcons coverage was always a step ahead of Brees and his receivers. That’s applied film study, ladies and gents, and that’s a major component of great coaching.
$.08--5 NFL Quickies
1. After losing their eighth game in a row with inexperienced backups filling so many key positions and fired DL Coach Jim Washburn following the game, can we please have a week where we just ignore the Philadelphia Eagles? Keep in mind they are four points away from being 0-12. They are utterly irrelevant and uninteresting to me from this point forward except for draft purposes, but with Andy Reid & Co. all about to be ex-Eagles, projecting their draft strategy is an exercise in sorcery beyond the powers of Harry Potter.
2. Don’t look now but the Cleveland Browns could be in the midst of a real run. The win at Oakland snapped a 12-game road losing streak and gave the Browns consecutive wins for the first time wince Weeks 2 & 3 of the 2011 season. Beyond that, they lost in OT to the Cowboys and hung tough in losses to Baltimore and Indy, with a win over San Diego sandwiched in there. Next week they host Kansas City, followed by Washington. I’ll bet good money they win at least one of those games, and the following week brings a Denver team that already clinched the AFC West this Sunday, i.e. no Peyton Manning. The Browns could very well finish 7-9, but I’ve heard from reliable people that it won’t save Pat Shurmur’s job. Still, it’s nice progress for a very young team that is developing real chemistry.
3. I have given Brady Quinn a whole lot of grief over the years, but his comments in the Chiefs postgame press conference were absolutely fantastic. I strongly encourage you to find it on YouTube or the NFL Network and really listen to his words about paying attention and being a real person. It was one of the most poignant things you’ll ever hear from a pro athlete, and Quinn said it with such heart and thoughtfulness that you know he was sincere. I sincerely hope we all take his comments to heart; I know I will try.
4. The Patriots clinched the AFC East with a lackluster win in Miami. The Broncos clinched the AFC West in a home win over the Bucs, who surged late but had fallen too far behind. The Texan clinched a playoff berth, and for all intents and purposes the AFC South, by moving to 11-1 with a punishing victory over the Titans. Not a lot of drama at the top of the AFC, as half the field is already set with four games to play and with the Ravens essentially one more win from clinching. The only intrigue is which team gets left out of the two Wild Cards amongst Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh.
5. Colin Kaepernick experienced some real adversity in the Niners lengthy overtime loss to the Rams. His intentional grounding in the end zone, a call I disagree with, put the Rams on the board with a safety, and his ill-advised pitch over the increasingly worthless Ted Ginn’s head gave the rams a freebie touchdown. Still, Kaepernick showed enough for Jim Harbaugh to keep him in the starting role. Smart move; even though he did not have a great day, his chemistry with Michael Crabtree and his ability to threaten with his legs still present the Niners with a better chance to win than Alex Smith.
$.09--5 College/Draft Quickies
1. The BCS Title game is set, as Alabama survived Georgia in a thrilling SEC title game. Tide Coach Nick Saban dialed the football clock back to his father’s era and smashed the Dawgs’ vaunted defense with the power run game. From a draft standpoint, it was a showcase for two Alabama players in particular: RB Eddie Lacy and RT DJ Fluker. Lacy showed a lot of similarity to the early-Atlanta-era Michael Turner with his brute power, burst, and vision. He will be the top senior RB on many boards and probably vaulted himself at least half a round come April. Meanwhile Fluker put on a clinic on power run blocking. He simply annihilated likely top 40 pick John Jenkins, so much that Jenkins approached him after the game to ask how he kicked his ass so thoroughly. Fluker has his issues in pass protection but there’s not a better run blocking tackle in this draft, and he’s long enough that a team like the Steelers or Seahawks will certainly consider him in the first round.
2. It was a game of extremes for Georgia LB Alec Ogletree, who is a top 75 prospect for the upcoming draft. Ogletree has fantastic athleticism and size; he is going to blow up the Combine with his size, speed, length, and agility. And often he uses those to great effect on the field, as he did in snuffing out a screen pass, crashing into the backfield several times and returning a blocked FG for a touchdown where he looked more than a little like Usain Bolt. But for every play he looked great, there was at least one where he was an actual detriment to the defense. He frequently guesses at the play and takes himself out of the action. But the telling play for me was on the game-winning touchdown run. Ogletree beat the blocker to the hole just outside the goal line and was in position to potentially stop it or force Lacy to bounce outside, but he spun away and out of the hole to avoid the contact. It was a complete chicken-bleep move and it cost Georgia a shot at playing for a national title. Grow a set and get back to me, Alec Ogletree. He’s still too physically gifted and oozing with enough potential that he’s going to be a top 50 pick, but the coaching staff that drafts him has its hands full.
3. Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 31. The Badgers rushed for 539 yards with both Melvin Gordon and Montee Ball putting up over 200. Gordon did so on just 9 carries. The B1G Championship was the rare game where the team in control would have shown mercy by throwing instead of running. It caps off the worst Big Ten season in history and sends a 5-loss Wisconsin team to the Rose Bowl, where they will face Stanford in what will be one of the most boring and fastest-played Rose Bowls ever. Nice finish for the Badgers, who had lost three of four and played three different QBs this season.
4. Northern Illinois nipped Kent State in the #MACtion finale that proved worthy of the awesome hashtag. It was enough to propel the Huskies up to 15th in the BCS standings and stealing a berth in the Orange Bowl, the first MAC school to crash the BCS party. I don’t think NIU has much of a chance against Florida State, but this proud MAC grad is thrilled for the opportunity. Go Huskies, you are playing for all of your fellow MAC schools.
5. I do not have a Heisman vote, but if I did my final ballot would read like this: 1. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M; 2. Mant’i Te’o, LB, Notre Dame; 3. Marqise Lee, WR, USC; 4. Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State; 5. Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon. Going deeper I would have Tavon Austin, WR/RB, West Virginia; Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia; Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State; Damontre Moore, DE, Texas A&M; and Jordan Lynch, QB, Northern Illinois.
$.10--For all the excitement of yet another excellent weekend of football, it was real tough to be a sports fan over the weekend. The Jovan Belcher murder/suicide dominated the headlines, but his senseless act was not the only downer for the weekend.
One of the best college basketball coaches of all time and a personal favorite of mine, Rick Majerus passed away of heart disease at just 64. Majerus was on leave from St. Louis afer taking that program to new heights last year. He was one of the greatest tacticians ever, a master schemer who played to the strengths of his available talent and consistently won at programs not noted for basketball. I remember his Ball State teams from the late 80s, where he built a power in the unlikely enclave of Muncie, Indiana. His Utah teams were one of the first to explicitly target foreign students, and he molded tournament teams out of rosters with which lesser coaches might have struggled to win 12 games. Majerus was also a highly entertaining commentator and radio interview, who mixed exceptional hoops minutiae with irreverent points and self-deprecating fat and bald jokes. He will be missed.
It was the fifth anniversary of the death of Sean Taylor, one of the most talented NFL safeties of the last 25 years. In case you’ve forgotten, Taylor was killed by a home intruder as he protected his family, shot in the groin area that led to his death a short time later in the hospital. Taylor had done a commendable job of turning his life around from being a young miscreant to a model citizen and family man, aside from being an exceptional football player. I know his death really resonated with a lot in the NFL community, and Redskins fans will never forget him.
Just as the dust was starting to settle on the Belcher incident, news broke that a grounds crew employee was found dead at the Browns training facility. Another suicide at another NFL site. The Browns were in Oakland and therefore somewhat detached form the situation, but think about the impact of having someone who works in your company committing suicide at your place of work. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t know him, that’s going to shake you up.
It’s all a grim reminder that the world of sports is populated by real people. We all love to use sports as an escape from the reality of our lives or to enhance the enjoyment of our lives. When the cold reality of the sadness and flaws of real life intrude, it kills the buzz. I went to bed Saturday night not thinking about the great NCAA action or a thrilling Cavaliers/Trailblazers game, but rather reflecting on the pall of death and tragedy that dominated the day. Here’s hoping for a much lighter week ahead!