football
Talking about college and professional football daily. Chances are we hate your team.
109th Grey Cup Playoffs: Division Semifinals Recap
One of the things I do love about the month of November is the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup Playoffs. After a 21-week regular season, six teams remain in the hunt for the prestigious Grey Cup, with two of the six getting an additional week off as a bonus for finishing first in their respective divisions. The other four teams face off in the opening round of the playoffs, the Division Semifinals, with the winners moving one step closer to that ultimate goal.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
NFL Week 9 Recap: The Beasts of the AFC East
With the New York Jets racking up win after win after win, the question is asked every week: When do we start taking them seriously? Though the Jets have played better than they have been in the last decade, they still hadn't established themselves as anything more than a disruptor, though there is nothing wrong with being a disruptor. Disruptors get some attention, but that's still not the same level as being a contender. The test came with this week's divisional battle against the Buffalo Bills, and yes, this was the Jets' biggest tests in many, many years.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Aaron Rodgers Deserves Better Than This (and He Could Have Had it Years Prior)
I've said this many times; I am numb to the immense amount of incompetence that Aaron Rodgers is surrounded by, have been for years. I'm just used to it. So is Rodgers. But much like Rodgers, just because I'm numb to it doesn't mean I have to like it. This week was supposed to be the start of something good for the struggling Green Bay Packers, who lost four straight entering Week 9. The Packers were facing the Detroit Lions, which is the NFL's way of giving this team a free gift-wrapped win. Instead, what happened was mistake after mistake after mistake, which resulted in the Packers somehow having no points by halftime against the 32nd ranked offense in the league! Per usual, Rodgers fought his way back, but because he had even less targets than usual (Romeo Doubs got injured earlier in the game), it wasn't enough. The Packers actually lost, 15-9, to the Lions.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
NFL Week 8 Recap: Going South
Week 8 began with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers facing the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football, and that outing was not a good one for the Bucs. They found themselves dominated by the Ravens defense, as the Bucs couldn't do a thing until it was too late. The Bucs lost, 27-22, which is their third straight loss--a trait that is very foreign to Tom Brady. So why am I mentioning this with the main photo centering the Atlanta Falcons? It's simple. Because of Tampa Bay's loss, the Falcons and the Carolina Panthers' head to head game was for first place in the NFC South.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 21 Recap: Let's Get Nuts!
The 2022 Canadian Football League season ended with a weekend's worth of games that had absolutely no meaning in the standings. This was because the playoff puzzle was completed during Week 20, which saw first place in the East Division wrapped up, and the last playoff spot ended up filled, resulting in the playoff matchups being set in stone. Even with that, the regular season still had to be completed, and though the Edmonton Elks completed their immensely disappointing season (at 4-14), the remaining eight teams still had to finish their campaigns.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
NFL Week 7 Recap: Actual Scoring on Thursday Night?!
You know, one thing I've been mixed on is the opinions on Thursday Night Football games. Here's the thing: during the NFL season, I love Thursday, because it begins a new week of in-game action, and regarding Thursday games, the two special Thursday dates are Opening Day (which always features the defending Super Bowl Champions) and, of course, Thanksgiving (which features a Detroit Lions game, a Dallas Cowboys game, and a special primetime game). Those aren't the games that get the scrutiny.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 20 Recap: The Playoff Puzzle is Complete
It seems like yesterday that the 2022 CFL season began, it really does. Despite the fact that Canada's version of the sport is three weeks longer than the American version, it's still a sprint to the finish line. The season enters its 20th and penultimate week, and despite this, everything can be wrapped up with one week left to spare. Five of the six spots in this year's Grey Cup Playoffs are clinched, but there was still the remaining spot left, as well as key positioning. The scenarios were as follows:
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
NFL Week 6 Recap: Clash of the Titans
As a football fan, I do enjoy weeks that contain what I love to call, "a double main event." By this, I mean not one, but two marquee games taking place in the the same week of NFL action. Obviously, one of the main event games is played on the Sunday Night Football slot, but another usually airs in the late afternoon slot, either sharing regional coverage with one other game, or actually airing nationally. In the case of the big battle between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, it was the latter.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 19 Recap: Down to the Wire
There is very little time left in the 2022 CFL season, but so much is changing in the playoff race. The season is coming off a thrilling Canadian Thanksgiving weekend that saw some things solved, while others still needed to come to pass. Two playoff spots remained after Week 18, and these were the scenarios entering Week 19:
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
NFL Week 5 Recap: Quarterbacks Be Trippin'
The theme of Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season seemed to be quarterback screw-ups, whether it's a series of bad decisions, or just one colossal foul-up. If there is one QB who really shifted things with his mental mistake, it has to be Kyler Murray. Oh man, this one hurts. A couple of months ago, I wrote a story about the Arizona Cardinals attempting to force a "homework clause" on Murray as part of his contract, which stated that he had to watch four hours of game film a day. Like a lot of fans, I thought it was insulting, because he's too talented to be subjected to this sort of thing.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 18 Recap: Giving Thanks
Week 18 of the CFL season saw the league celebrate the final holiday of the regular season: Canadian Thanksgiving. As we all know, in Canada, the Thanksgiving holiday falls on the second Monday in October, and similar to Americans, they do celebrate with turkey and football. Entering Canada's Thanksgiving Weekend, a few teams could lock up playoff spots and a first-round bye, while two others faced elimination. The scenarios for Week 18 were as follows:
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
NFL Week 4 Recap: We Have to Talk About Tua
The NFL's proverbial elephant in the room? It had been there for decades, but it was ignored in the name of the shield and in the name of the sport. What transpired in the Miami Dolphins' Week 3 matchup with the Buffalo Bills would have been ignored if they had taken the right steps to protect the health and well being of their quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. Tua was lit up during the game, he had clear concussion problems, yet he was sent out there within an instant to finish the game. Even so, the right route in the few days leading to the Thursday night game that kicked off Week 4? Sit Tua. That's all they had to do.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
