Week 15 — Mon Dec 15 12:27:04 PST 2008
From: JeffTo: mnf@doobie.com
Date: Mon Dec 15 12:27:04 PST 2008
Subject: It's Monday...
...and the Pittsburgh Steelers should be shilling for HDTV, everywhere but Baltimore.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, despite all of those possible clinching scenarios, only one team actually did it this week: Pittsburgh, who beat the Baltimore Ravens with a fourth quarter touchdown that was called by the replay official -- an individual who seems to have an entirely different definition of "indisputable visual evidence" than the rest of the NFL.
Down 9-6 in a defensive slug-fest, on a third and goal, from the four, and with time running out, Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger was flushed out of the pocket, scrambled around, and somehow managed to toss the ball to (soon to be fourth-year free agent) Santonio Holmes... who was at the goal line, but falling out of the end zone, back onto the field. He caught the ball on the way down, with both feet in the end zone, and then landed with the ball at about the 1. The official on the side of the field made the call: "no-touchdown, the ball was caught at the three-inch line", bringing up a critical fourth-and-inches with 40 seconds or so to go. (When you're down by three, and your defense is playing as well as it is, you let the clock run down, then kick the field goal and take the game to overtime).
To score a touchdown in the NFL, a player must be in control of the ball, and any portion of the ball must be on or beyond the invisible plane that extends directly upwards from the goal line. In this particular case, the catch was solid: Santonio officially gained control of the ball when his second foot hit the turf inbounds. The only question is where the ball was when his feet hit. And there's no question, it was close.
To overturn a call in the NFL, the official looking at the video replay must see "indisputable visual evidence" that the call on the field was incorrect. This replay doesn't show that. It might have been a touchdown, it might not, and in that case, the ruling on the field should stand. Instead, after further review, the official determined that the ball HAD broken the plane of the goal line, and called a touchdown. The Steelers won 13-9, clinching the AFC North, and setting up a second-round playoff game in blustery Pittsburgh on the 10th or 11th of January.
Earlier in the day, the Houston Texans handed the Tennessee Titans their second loss, 13-12. This brings the Titans and Steelers into a tie at 12-2. The Steelers are going to Tennessee next week, to play a game that could end up determining where the January 18th AFC championship is held.
And that 2/3 loss that I was talking about. Yeah... it was an 0/3 loss. All three teams won. Miami beat San Francisco 14-9 on the strength of the Miami defense alone (the last time a team scored a touchdown against Miami was before Thanksgiving.) New England went to Oakland and put up 35 points in the first half, on the way to a 49-26 rout, in a monsoon. (Notable stat: This makes six seasons in a row that Oakland will lose at least 11 games, a new record. Seven seasons ago, the Raiders went to the Super Bowl (and lost to the Bucs).
The Jets, on the other hand, were nearly knocked out of the race by the Buffalo Bills. The Bills were up by three points with one play to go before the two minute warning, they had the ball, and just had to get a couple of first downs and run out the clock. But on a relatively routine 2nd and 5, QB J.P. Losman went back to pass, and found himself getting smothered. Abram Elam came off the safety blitz, and sacked Losman -- forcing a fumble on the way down. Sean Ellis picked it up and ran it in for a touchdown, giving the Jets a 31-27 win.
Detroit fell to 0-14, after playing three good quarters against the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts, but their first win continues to elude them, just as the federal government considers taking over Ford field. There has never been an 0-16 NFL team. With upcoming games against New Orleans and in Green Bay (both teams already out of the playoffs, but probably not willing to give Detroit a sympathy win), this might be a record-setting year for the Lions.
Between the Lions, the impending auto bailout, the largest average waistline in the US, and one of the highest rates of mortgage delinquency in the country, is it time to start thinking about selling Detroit to the Canadians? (they can send down the hookers and call it South Windsor) Heck, if it weren't for the 20-5 Red Wings, we'd probably have to pay Ontario to take it off our hands.
The Playoff situation:
In: Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Giants, Arizona.
Essentially in: Denver, Carolina.
Three of these teams will get in: Jets, Miami, New England, Baltimore, Indianapolis.
And three of these teams: Minnesota, Chicago, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, and possibly even Philly.
Only relevant to the statisticians: Washington, San Diego
It is possible for San Diego and Arizona to get in the playoffs with 8-8 records. It is equally possible for New England to go 11-5 and not make it. Texas Longhorns fans in Boston are preparing themselves to unleash The Two-Headed Whine Heard 'Round the Corner.
Upcoming interesting games:
Baltimore at Dallas (5:15 pm Saturday night) -- Both teams need this win to stay in their respective wild card races. It will also be the last game played in Texas Stadium, the Cowboys' home since 1971. This is supposed to be an NFL Network only game, but it's entirely possible that one of the broadcast networks will also buy the rights to it.
Pittsburgh at Tennessee (10:00 am Sunday) -- The winner of this game will have home-field advantage if both teams make it to the AFC championship game. It's really cold and loud in Pittsburgh in late January.
Carolina at Giants (5:15 pm Sunday) -- The winner of this one will have home field-advantage if both go to the NFC championship game. It's also a momentum game for the recently-struggling Giants.
And then there's tonight...
The Game:
Tonight the 4-9 Cleveland Browns go to Philly to take on the 7-5-1 Eagles on the DD Grassmaster surface of Lincoln Financial field. The Grassmaster system in Philly is about 97% natural grass (specifically Patriot bermuda grass - a patented hybrid sold in the mid-Atlantic region), with polyethylene tufts inserted about 6 inches deep into the underlying soil.
This is a game that the Eagles need to win if they want to stay in the running for an NFC wild card. In truth, they're at the very back of the pack of teams that still have a fighting chance, and they're most likely going to be watching the playoff games from the comfort of their own homes. But, until they're out, they're going to be playing like they want to win the Super Bowl.
The Line:
The Eagles are favored by 14. The over/under is 38.5.
Last week, the Smart Money went 1-1. It is now 14-10 for the season, an 11.3% ROI. Over the same period of time, the S&P 500 has gone down 29.7%.
This week, the smart money takes the over.
The Bar:
It's a repeat from week #2, but it's the kind of place that's worth going back to.
Kezar Pub
770 Stanyan, between Waller and Beulah.
Steps from the 7 and 71 busses.
A couple blocks from the N, 6, 43, 37 and 33