The Dugout - September 25
NFL Week 3
Image: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
So, if the Cleveland Browns are tanking after the Trent Richardson trade, they aren’t doing a very good job of it. Down to their third string QB, the Browns rallied for a late win over Minnesota. Mental. Miami had a late win over Atlanta, thanks to Ryan Tannehill, and Cincinnati won in a strange finish over Green Bay. Plus some other stuff happened:
- Brian Hoyer backed up Tom Brady for 3 years, but the undrafted free agent never turned too many heads. Nobody expected him to lead the woeful Browns to victory just days after trading their best offensive player. But with no recognisable running back threat, Hoyer was given the green light to throw the ball which he did a massive 54 times (30 completions, 321 yards). Three TDs and three interceptions and a game winning drive. Here’s to a battler who came through.
- No surprises that powerhouses New England, Seattle, New Orleans and Denver have started unbeaten. But Chicago, Kansas City and Miami have really turned some heads with their 3-0 starts. Teams who win their first three have a 75% chance of playing in the postseason. Are we in for a perfect season from anyone? Seattle and Denver sure look good…
- The Green Bay Packers don’t take to losing so well. Jeremy Ross, who fumbled a kickoff, has duly been cut from the roster. After already having muffed a punt (sounds like a euphemism, hey?) return against the 49ers last January, the Pack swung the axe.
- Dallas has lost one of their best defensive options, with DE/LB Anthony Spencer, a pro bowler last season, expected to undergo knee surgery this week. If he does we won’t be seeing him again until 2014. Spencer has only played one game this year.
- Chicago Bears DT Henry Melton is out for the season after tearing his ACL against the Steelers. Most gruesome injury of the week goes to Cardinals Safety Rashad Johnson who literally had the tip of his finger torn off against New Orleans. Drenched in blood, the tip (including the nail) was still in his intact glove as he was helped to the sideline. He has had surgery, which involved grinding down the temporarily exposed bone. He’s hoping to play this week. (If you’ve got a strong stomach, here are the pictures Johnson tweeted)
- Some strange off field happenings this week too. More on Aldon Smith later, but Pacman Jones has been arrested again. The Bengals cornerback was picked up for DUI. Plus Detroit’s Nate Burleson could be out for a while after he crashed his car leaning over to adjust a falling pizza box on the passenger seat and broke his arm. Alcohol was not involved. On a lighter, more jovial note, injured Ravens receiver Jacoby Jones has suffered a setback in his recovery after a stripper hit him over the head with a champagne bottle on a party bus over the weekend. Those crazy footballers, eh!
MLB Playoff Race
Only days remain in the MLB regular season. Some teams are already plotting their playoff strategies, some teams are digging their teeth in for the chance of October baseball, and others booked their offseason trips to Hawaii or Belize or whatever long ago.
- The LA Dodgers were the first team to clinch a playoff spot. They completed an incredible season turnaround by running away with the NL West for their first division title in four years. The Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves clinched divisions soon after, as did the Oakland Athletics. Detroit will do so imminently.
- The only division still in the air is the NL Central, where St Louis has a 2 game lead over both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. All three are guaranteed playoff spots, with Washington now out of the running.
- The AL Wildcard race is still as tight as ever, with Texas hoping for a late season resurgence to overtake Tampa Bay and Cleveland, who are 2 and 1 games up on the Rangers respectively. Kansas City and New York probably have too much ground to make up now.
Tell 'Em What Your Name Is!
The NBA are considering an initiative where the players jerseys, instead of having their last names, will instead read their nicknames, as chosen by the ballers themselves. The plan is for this idea to be incorporated for at least 1 of the 4 regular season meetings between the Heat and the Nets. So, get ready for The Truth (Paul Pierce), King James (LeBron) and KG (Kevin Garnett). Also get ready for ‘Jesus Shuttlesworth’ (Ray Allen – named from a character in the film “We Got Game”). Dwyane Wade wants his to read ‘Three’ – both his number and his ring total, while Shane Battier is pretty unhappy about the idea, probably because Warner Brothers won’t let him wear ‘Batman’, so instead he’s gonna have to settle for ‘Shaneo’. Laaaame.
Good Week:
Indianapolis Colts – Well, first they traded for Trent Richardson, the third pick in the 2012 draft (from which they already have the first pick: one Andrew Luck). This gives them the long term offensive balance that they can build their dynasty around. And then they went to San Francisco and bashed the 49ers up front, shut ‘em down out wide, and came away with a very convincing win against a Superbowl quality team. The future is bright, and the present ain’t so shabby either.
New Orleans Saints – They’ve been unconvincing at times, but the win against Arizona was their most resounding yet. The telling stat? Last year New Orleans conceded 102 points through week three. In 2013 they’ve given up just 38 in the same span. Rob Ryan’s sure doing his job right. Plus Jimmy Graham might just be the best tight end in the game (with all due respect to The Gronk and my boy Jason Witten).
Paul
George (Indiana Pacers) – George was one of the stars of Indiana’s playoff
run last year, as they fell just short of toppling the eventual champion Miami
Heat. So it’s fair to say the Pacers’ guard has earned his pending $90m
contract extension. The deal will keep him in Indiana for 5 years at a maximum
salary.
Bad Week:
Aldon Smith (San Francisco 49ers) – On the field it was bad, as the Colts ran over the 49ers, but off the field it was much, much worse for Aldon Smith. He’s now on a voluntary indefinite leave of absence, stemming from his DUI charge during the week. He flipped his truck and hit a tree on his way to work. At 7am. He works as a professional athlete. Smith has had a history of off-field misbehaviour, having been arrested twice now in 19 months. He has reportedly checked into a rehab facility. Smith is expected to miss about a month.
Pittsburgh Steelers – So many turnovers. Big Ben is taking a pounding, with the Steelers struggling against physical, pass rushing defences. Having started 0-3 for the first time in about a billion years, Pittsburgh is treading unknown waters from herein.
Baltimore Orioles – It was looking so good, but the O’s have trailed off at the end of the season, and despite home run king Chris Davis’ best efforts, they’re all but out now, having lost five games straight. Any hopes of a miracle comeback were probably dashed when star infielder Manny Machado suffered a gruesome leg injury Tuesday.
Player of the Week:
Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos) – I know, it’s the easy option. But Peyton did break the NFL record for most TD passes through 3 games (12). He’s on pace for 6,096 Pass Yards, 64 TD passes and 475 Completions – all would be NFL records. He might just be the greatest QB ever, you know. Honorable mentions to Geno Smith, Tony Romo, Calvin Johnson, DeMarco Murray and Drew Brees, all of whom were excellent this week as well.
Upcoming Dates (NZ Time):
September 29 – MLB regular season ends
October 23 – MLB World Series Begins
October 30 – NBA regular season begins