On Saturday night, UFC 218 brought us several fantastic fights — the main event included but the knockout during the co-main event was one of the best we’ve seen. Alistair Overeem is no slouch at all and was the #1 heavyweight contender going into this fight. However, he ran into the train that is Ngannou and well..
Ngannou is for real. Give this man a title shot because a fight with Stipe is exactly what the heavyweight division needs to reignite it. The seed has already been planted too:
The Garoppolo era began yesterday with a 15-14 win at Soldier Field on a last-second FG by Robbie Gould (against his old team, nonetheless) to propel the 49ers to their second victory of the year. Obviously a lost season for the Niners, who — to be honest are just spoiling their draft spot at this point, were able to have a bright spot this season after the big mid-season trade. With reports already that they are going to franchise tag Garoppolo after the season, Kyle Shanahan looked to the former Patriots’ backup QB to see if he could provide the spark that the Niners franchise needed.
Jimmy G finished the game going 26 – 37 with 293 yards and 1 interception. Not eye popping numbers but he did lead his team 92 yards to kick the game winning FG. Also, pretty hard to argue these stats:
Kidding obviously but this was a huge sign for the 49ers to see some positivity come out of Garoppolo. They’ll still end up with a high draft pick and look to add a star to bolster their rebuild. The future looks bright for the 49ers for sure but in the NFC West, it may be awhile until we’re able to see a competitive Niners team.
I’m taking a heavy favorite today just to get back into the swing of things. Big Monday Night Football game tonight with the Steelers taking on the Bengals but that game screams trap to me. Home dawgs against Big Ben on the road? I’m all set on both sides of that. We have almost a full slate of NBA games tonight which brings me to the pick:
San Antonio Spurs ML (-160) vs Orlando Magic
Not great value out of this pick but it’s hard not to like it. The Spurs just lost a 90-87 game to the Thunder in which they rested just about everyone who is important. They return home to a matchup with Stan Van Gundy & the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons, who some would say have been overachieving this year sit at 14-8. It’s hard for me to think they’ll be able to steal one in San Antonio tonight. Give me the Spurs tonight but not taking any chances with the spread — take the ML tonight and enjoy the win.
Well good riddance — how it took this long for the Giants organization to realize that McAdoo needs to be fired was ridiculous. The Giants organization deserves every bit of the storm that is going to come to them. Granted, the Giants have not fired a coach mid-season in over 40 years — so kudos to them for breaking that streak with the worst possible hire that they could replace Coughlin with. Geno Smith, of course, fell flat on his face and Eli’s streak was ruined for absolutely no reason.
McAdoo was hailed as a good hire and did make the playoffs at 11-5 last year but this year has been a complete trainwreck, with the Giants sitting at 2-10. The Giants made the right decision here, albeit a bit too late. The only thing McAdoo will be remembered for is benching Manning.
UPDATE:
Jerry Reese has been relieved of his duties as well, I was just told by someone w/ knowledge of #Giants moves.
Looks like the Giants are cleaning house — can’t blame them. Reese has done a horrendous job at the helm of this team. The Giants haven’t had a running back worth notice since Brandon Jacobs — and that’s saying something.
Expect the Giants to be bad for quite some time now. Wouldn’t surprise me if Eli left next year and if Odell leaves as soon as he can as well.
The Ravens won a big game on Sunday, beating down the Lions 44-20. Though the defense has done most of the work, everybody’s favorite elite QB has quietly been having a decent season. Flacco threw for 269 yards and 2 TDs to move into 7-5, bolstering their hold on that second wild card spot.
The clip of the game, and maybe the season however was Joe Flacco post-game. Let’s take a look.
Cool Joe is eating the W today! Legendary stuff from Flacco, alluding to Winston’s infamous speech made earlier this season. This would be funny if anybody this season did it, and Joe Flacco is probably at the bottom of the list of people who I would expect to do this. I’m officially scared of January Joe and the Ravens once again.
The NFL season is starting to come to a close but there is still plenty of time for some shifting in the leaderboards. Tyler, after starting slow, sits comfortably at the top. Last week was primarily a chalk week with not too many upsets. The Falcons-Vikings NFC showdown and the return of Josh Gordon headline Week 13.
CONSENSUS: 61-19 (LW: 9-2)
CONSENSUS PICKS: NE, TEN, GB, JAX, NO, LAR, OAK, PIT
Bear with me for a minute while I explain the point of this blog will yah? If you’re reside in the Boston area like myself, theres a lot of pole smoking for Boston Celtics Head Coach Brad Stevens. Rightfully so, he’s done a fantastic job with the Celtics over his tenure. He is consistently praised for being a brilliant mind, and coaching up players to exceed expectations. Now, lets all take the green schlong out of our mouths for a second, and take a look at the job Bruce Cassidy has done with the Boston Bruins.
Almost a year ago the Bruins were treading water. Their long tenured coach Claude Julien had won a cup here, and been to another finals appearance two years later. They had an oldish roster that still, on paper, should be making the playoffs. In February of 2017 the team had stalled. It was Juliens 10th year at the helm, and the message had gone stale. The Bruins were on the outside of the playoffs, and played un-inspiring hockey on a nighty basis. On Super Bowl Monday Don Sweeney finally announced that Claude Julien had been fired, and Bruce Cassidy would be named interim head coach. Cassidy had been head coach of the Bruins top minor league affiliate Providence Bruins, and was only promoted to Bruins assistant in 2016. The Bruins got killed for their decision. How could they do their Stanley Cup winning coach dirty? Well, it was the best decision the organization ever made. At the time of the coaching change the Bruins were on pace for 80 or so points. 80 certainly is not going to get you into the playoffs in todays NHL. Hell, they had missed with 97, and 96 points consecutively.
Cassidy came in and immediately the team showed a change on the ice. They played free, creative, and fast. Those three attributes are absolutely imperative in todays NHL. All of the good teams are young, and fast. Claude refused to change his ways. His young skill players had a tough time dealing with Claude, because he would enforce a strict defensive system. As soon as his fat ass was sent packing the team sprung to life. It wasn’t short lived either, Cassidy lead the B’s to the playoffs for the first time in 3 years. Injuries derailed the hopes of a run, but Cassidy’s Bruins busted their balls. All but 1 game in the 6 game series went to overtime. The Senators would make it to within 1 goal from the Stanley Cup Finals. They lost to the Penguins in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
What has Butchy done this season you ask? Well, it’s still very early, but the Bruins currently sit in third in the Atlantic Division. So what? Considering what the Bruins have had to deal with this season, it’s a goddamn miracle. From the very get-go the B’s have had a rash of injuries. Not only are they injured, they’re icing a minor league outfit. Take a look at a list of Bruins players that have missed time this year:
Patrice Bergeron
David Krejci
Ryan Spooner
Brad Marchand
David Backes (Notice that’s your top 4 centers. Theres 4 total on the team).
Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin
Frank Vatrano
Noel Accari
Anders Bjork
Jake DeBrusk
Torey Krug
Matt Beleskey (doesn’t really count he sucks anyway)
Peter Cehlarik (Just when he was creating chemistry with Krejci)
All of these guys haven’t been out at the same time, but at some point their spot has been filled by a call-up. Bruce Cassidy continues to keep the Bruins competitive despite so many injuries. They refuse to wilt to the city of Boston not caring about them (record low viewership), and the media asking them to tank/pack it in for the year. Cassidy has inserted young players that bust their ass night in night out. Some of the young kids are a real bright spot for the Bruins, and it is exciting. Danton Heinen has emerged as quality winger that can play on your third line, or first. Anders Bjork has been a dangerous offensive weapon when healthy, and showed great chemistry with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Brandon Carlo is continuing to develop into a top 4 shut down defenseman. He won’t wow you with offensive stats, but the guy is becoming a rock in his own end. Calm with the puck, good skating for a guy his size, and has a bit of nasty in his game. When healthy, Peter Chelarik has shown that he and his Czech buddies Krejci, and Pastrnak have fantastic chemistry. Chelarik’s passing vision is amazing. He fits so well with Krejci, who likes to slow the game down, and make plays passing the puck.
Cassidy inserted AHL journeyman Jordan Swarz when they had no centers left, and Swarz filled in admirably. The guy hadn’t sniffed the NHL in his career until this season. Hell, an uncle of mine plays in a fucking mens league with Swarz. That’s how depleted this team is.
Perhaps the most controversial decision he’s made was benching 7 million dollar man Tuukka Rask. Rask has been underperforming so far this season, so Cassidy turned to journeyman Anton Khudobin between the pipes. Dobby went out, and won four in a row. The team overall has won 5 of 6 games. They survived arguably the toughest test in the NHL, the California Gauntlet. The B’s dropped the first game of the trip to the Anaheim Ducks. Things looked bleak. Brad Marchand, and Anders Bjork were sent home due to injury. The boys bounced back with massive wins over the LA Kings, and San Jose Sharks. They then took down the New Jersey Devils in a shootout shortly after. The Devils were the Eastern Conference’s best team at the time. The Bruins then took care of the two time defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, and most recently took down the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are currently the best team in hockey.
Cassidy has groomed arguably the Bruins best prospect since Raymond Bourque. Charlie McAvoy is the B’s best player at age 19. It’s not even close.
#NHLBruins stat of week: 10 of top 11 individual time-on-ice performances by rookies this season belong to Charlie McAvoy, including his individual game high of 29:47 (10/28 vs LAK). He is averaging 23:42 TOI per game. No other rookie is averaging more than 20 minutes per game.
The kid is the real deal. I can’t imagine a prospect showing the kind of ability Chaz has consistently. The Bruins have had some highly touted prospects too. Joe Thornton, Tyler Seguin, Phil Kessel, or Douglas Hamilton ring a bell? None, I repeat none of those names had the impact year one quite like McAvoy. He wows you passing the puck, has a rocket shot, can skate around you, and best of all he’ll line you up and take your head off. Chaz is a staple on the Bruins top d pair. Credit to Cassidy for letting the reigns off the kid. Claude Julien would have a tough time giving Mac the freedom Butchy does.
(Skip to the 10 min mark for McAcoy) Bottom line here is, Bruce Cassidy is doing a fantastic job with the Bruins. It’s a shame no one gives him any credit. The team is a complete shit-show, yet they’d have home ice in round 1 if the season ended today. The Bruins still have an uphill battle to get into the playoffs, but considering the circumstances I am more than content with where they’re at. They’re young, and there’s going to be stretches of rough play, but with Cassidy at the helm I have complete faith this young team will be a cup contender in two seasons.
Belichick was mic’d up for the game against the Dolphins and from that we were able to retrieve this gem. This is as Belichick as it gets — divisional rival game and he couldn’t care less about any of the touchdowns. Doesn’t even crack a smile, not even a slight fist bump. There is no schtick with Belichick, this is exactly how the guy is and is why he has been the most successful NFL coach. He’s never satisfied until the whistle blows on a Super Bowl victory. Unless of course it’s regarding special teams…
683 words from Bill Belichick today on the role of the punt protector. "A lot goes into that position." pic.twitter.com/HotcOj1GfD
The long awaited ending to the Jimbo Fisher saga has come to an end. Fisher, has stepped down as the coach of Florida State and signed with Texas A&M. There have been rumors for weeks that A&M was targeting Fisher and after firing Kevin Sumlin this week, they were able to convince Jimbo to come to College Station.
BREAKING: Jimbo Fisher has accepted the head coaching position at Texas A&M. Will leave #FSU after eight seasons. https://t.co/KZ446lDy6X
Fisher is coming off his worst season as FSU head coach, finishing the season at 5-6. He had taken Florida State to three consecutive ACC titles and 1 national championship.
Although the details of his contract have not been made public, it is expected that Fisher will make between $7 – $7.5 million per season.
With the final week of the regular season in the books, it is time for conference championships. I wanted to review how the committee did stacking the teams and some different scenarios that could play out.
From top to bottom, I think the committee nailed it. I had the same top four, and I think most people did. Everyone wants to see the four best teams in the country make it, and right now, it is these four. Yeah, I know, Alabama isn’t there right now. But things could shake up and have them wind back up in the picture (looking at you Wisconsin).
1.Clemson – Clemson, who in my opinion has been the best team in college football this season, deserves to be in the top spot. Interested to see how they handle the match-up with Miami come Saturday. I see them pulling out the victory after Miami was exposed by a sub-par Pitt defense. With arguably the best defense in the country, Miami’s offense needs a quick turnaround to have any hope.
2.Auburn – This two loss Auburn team could be one of the best two-loss college football team ever. Bold statement, I know, but this team is scary good and they are hot at the right time. Need to take care of business against Georgia for the season sweep. Lose and no doubt they’re out.
3.Oklahoma – Baker Mayfield is the front-runner for the Heisman, and Oklahoma is one of the hottest teams in the country. They will be facing a tough TCU team, but I don’t think TCU will be able to handle this potent offense.
4.Wisconsin – This team just keeps finding a way to win. Can they keep the momentum going against Ohio State? This is the classic case of win and you’re in. Ohio State on the other hand will need some serious help to go along with a victory. If Clemson and Oklahoma both lose and Ohio State wins, who knows, maybe they sneak in.
Besides the current top four teams, a number of teams still have a shot of making it. I don’t believe that the top four teams will stay the same, as I can’t picture all four teams winning. We will see who is cut out for the big moment. A lot needs to happen, but here’s how we look:
Alabama – Without a conference championship, Bama will be watching from the sidelines this weekend. The Tide will no doubt be pulling for teams like Miami, TCU and Ohio State in order to slide back in.
Georgia – Revisiting the matchup from earlier this season, Georgia looks to be in some trouble. I don’t think they have what it takes to beat this Auburn team.
Miami – Arguably the biggest matchup of the week, Miami needs a bounce back victory over Clemson to secure a spot. Will the turnover chain show up? Can’t have this offense disappear like it did last week.
Ohio State – Even with a win, I think Ohio State is a long shot. A lot would need to happen for them to sneak back in.
Penn State – Sorry Penn State, not looking very good.
TCU – Well, beat Oklahoma and who knows what happens. Much like Ohio State, they would need some serious help to get in. Doesn’t look too good.
And if you’re wondering, no, USC does not have a chance at making it. I hope everyone has a great day of football on Saturday. Stay tuned for a breakdown next week once the playoff is set.
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Office Chatter 