NFL 2024 Division Championships – The Morice Norris Cup

 

 

Greetings Tipsters

“None of that matters a whit”
Your correspondent wrote that two weeks ago regarding Detroit Lions outstanding performance in the regular season, because it’s irrelevant without winning playoffs. And so it proved in the game against Washington Commies.

Amik Robertson, last remaining cornerback, broke his arm on his second snap. Lions up 7-3, in the red zone on third and one, Jahmyr ripping it on the ground, OC Ben called a pass play. OG Graham failed to stop a pass rusher who hit QB Jared hard, caused a fumble recovered by Commies. QB Jayden marched his squad downfield and what might have been a 14-3 score soon became 7-10.

Lions kept battling but you can’t do five turnovers in a playoff match and get away with it. Especially when the D has finally reached the tipping point – sure, it was great that we could keep winning with the practice squad and blokes off the street but you want your top guys on the field in playoffs, not on the sidelines.

A pick six, two interceptions in the endzone and that moronic trick play expecting WR Jameson to throw a pass when we had a bit of impetus. Jared had his worst game of the year, Ben got too cute for his own good and now he’s gonna be HC in Chicago. HAHA! Good luck with that, he has a masters degree in fancy math which fits with his play design but he lacks the gravitas to be an effective HC – and he’s gonna have to deal with flipwitted owners too. He was no doubt attracted by the opportunity to work with a potentially great QB in Caleb Williams but forgot his earlier comment about wanting to work with an efficient organisation.

DC Aaron will also be HC soon, a better potential HC than Ben, but did not cover himself in glory, sticking with the same D tactics long after Jayden had figured them out. A former cornerback, he’ll likely make a good HC, seems to have a vibe with players. Drafted by the Jets, they’ve now expressed great interest but Woody, the owner, is alleged to have asked his teenage grandson Brick for advice. Brick plays a lot of Madden football, he’s a gun.

One can’t help thinking about the online HC interviews Ben and Aaron did before this game. Four each. Every hour spent on those interviews and preparation therefore is an hour not spent on preparing the team for a crucial playoff contest. Yeah, that’s the way it goes and I wish ‘em the best but, deep down… piss off. For all the talk about it being a team game, they put their personal careers ahead of the team when it mattered most.

Washington played a great game. Of ten drives, one ended in a botched fourth down, one in a punt, two were cut short by halftime and fulltime, the other six were scores. Jayden has enjoyed one of the alltime great rookie seasons, he’s a skinny bloke, if he turned sideways you wouldn’t see him if not for the helmet, he moves like quicksilver and has an uncanny sense of calm composure. Sometimes the rest of the field seems to slow down for him – the mark of a great footballer in any code.

Detroit will still be a very good football team, but much of the O-line is aging and we play in a division full of good teams – three of four made the playoffs this season. We have a great owner, GM, HC, a lot of good young players – and a traditional pocket passer in a league where mobile quarterbacks dominate.

Elsewhere, Chiefs beat Texans and of course there was a few dodgy calls favouring Pat Mahomes. Especially that one in the first term, where Pat was mildly chest-bumped and a loss on third became a first down 15 yards up the field. Then he tried a fake, must have been watching soccer, which fortunately didn’t draw a flag. Travis had a great game, Taylor was excited and Chiefs were never gonna lose anyway.

Sunday was great! I love snow games. LA Rams went to Philadephia, it was clear at the start, then hard, wet snow fell, players were hitting the ground after a tackle and sliding. Jake Elliott, Eagles kicker, nailed two field goals when he could barely see the ball. It was a close, hard match, Eagles got two scores up, then Rams came back and, in the last minute, Stafford was driving them downfield to a Tuddy, like he’s so often done, only to get sacked and lose yards. The last desperate pass was incomplete.

Baltimore at Buffalo, the two favourites for MVP, Lamar Jackson v Josh Allen. Snowy, but not invisibly so. Ravens coughed and gave up a two point win in a match that was perhaps decided by some dumb penalties and two crucial drops, by a bloke that hadn’t dropped a pass since 2019. No, I aint gonna embarrass him by mentioning his name, he’s been a really good player for several years.

Once again, Bills will face Chiefs in a playoff in KC for the AFC Championship. Oh, please Josh, play the game of your life. We’re all sick of the Chiefs.

Commies at Iggles, divisional rivals, I’ll be cheering for Commies cos that team has been thru total crap since mid 1990s, has made a remarkable recovery since Snyder was forced to sell the team. He was being investigated by FBI, DEA, IRS and took his personal luxury yacht to international waters to avoid a congressional subpoena is. Josh Harris hired a lot of new staff and they hit gold in the draft with Jayden Daniels.

This correspondent is hoping for a Bills v Commies Superbowl and, if Lions aint there, then the Bills deserve it.

Cheers Tipsters

P&C, A TGK Production, a division of Trans-Dementia Inc
Brought to you with the assistance of a pile of Detroit music, I played City Slang so loud the speakers made the stylus jump.

 

 

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About Earl O'Neill

Freelance gardener, I've thousands of books, thousands of records, one fast motorcycle and one gorgeous smart funny sexy woman. Life's pretty darn neat.

Comments

  1. Ian Hauser says

    Earl, I picked up on that line a fortnight ago and it has been in the back of my mind ever since. Even earlier, weeks before that, you were pointing out the personnel limitations of the Lions when the business end of the season came along. Prophetic? Or just a hard headed realist? The latter, methinks. Regardless, it was a good call. Enjoy your ongoing stay.

  2. Earl O'Neill says

    Postscript – Brick gave his assent and Aaron Glenn is now HC of NY Jets.

  3. Sad end to a great season. Hopefully the Perky Girl Cup continues through to the Super Bowl. I’d miss your idiosyncratic take on the world more than the football.
    Corporate megalomania has seeped into all facets of modern life – particularly in the US of A. How our sporting codes are run tells us a lot about our society. I regard AFL and NRL as “benevolent Stalinism”.

  4. Earl O'Neill says

    Peter
    This didn’t hurt like last season, too much of the D injured. I have authourial plans.
    Pete Townshend said that the best a rock and roll band could hope for, in terms of internal dynamics, was a benevolent dictatorship. AFL and NRL are following the model set by the NFL – draft, salary cap, telecast rights, etc – cos it works for the financial interests and provides the best product. Elite sport is an entertainment business. Travis and Taylor is too perfect a pairing.

  5. Mickey Randall says

    Love the mix of gonzo and analysis, Earl. Watching, I was disappointed for you and the Lions although it was probably coming. Yes, to the Bills. I can’t think of another team losing four consecutive finals the way they lost those Superbowls and so I’ve consequently had a soft spot for them. Although surely this time if KC win it, the Prez will know to not congratulate the good folk of Kansas instead of Missouri.

    But maybe not.

  6. ‘oi , wot is this ? … where is the Soccer ??

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