Joe T….Joe T.-ing
By Joe Torosian —
“I’ve always felt that the game itself is pretty much a melody and I am there to provide the lyrics.”—Al Michaels
Kick it!
I find all NFL MVP talk incredibly boring…I don’t care. It’s irrelevant.
SoFi is beautiful…and I realize, for the most part, I’ll never be able to go there unless it’s in the press box. And it is so wonderful to look at you know Stan “The Man” Kroenke can charge anything he likes. …I’m gonna need a coupon day to get in the building.
The Chargers, 47-42 victory over the Cleveland Browns secured “The Bob Babich Trophy.”
The thing that happened after this game? The Chargers got on the phone looking for a new kicker.
I think what I like most about the Bolts this year is the lack of designed runs for Justin Herbert. I haven’t seen any…thank you! If Herbert wants to scramble, beautiful, but you don’t need to work an RPO into the game plan.
I wanted to compare the Chargers Joey Bosa and Rams legend Jack Youngblood in terms of size. My eyes and memory tell me Youngblood was bigger. Pro Football Reference listed Youngblood at 6-4, 247 when he played. Bosa lists at 6-5, 276. Still, my mind says Youngblood was bigger.
In the fourth quarter, Mike Williams was so open on his second touchdown, I thought he slipped onto the field after the snap. The Browns spent a lot on their secondary this offseason, but apparently, it wasn’t enough.
Reality Check Department:
What was Charger safety Nasir Adderley (6-0, 206) thinking when he tried to “hit/blast” Browns tight end David Njoku (6-4, 246) in the middle of the field? The result was Njoku going 71-yards for a touchdown.
Austin Ekeler
I can appreciate Austin Ekeler trying to keep the clock running late in the game. But when you got the opportunity to score a touchdown—take the touchdown!
To get a little Biblical and paraphrase, let the next play worry about itself because the current play–where you have an opportunity to score–has trouble enough of its own.
Are the “experts” done with Denver now?
If you read “From The RamCave” on Friday…I said Houston would play New England tight.
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, drafted 2nd overall (2018) out of Penn State. Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Ki-Jana Carter, drafted first overall (1995) out of Penn State…and injuries?
I think Sam Darnold was seeing ghosts yesterday.
If you need an example of what we coined at “The Mid” as yearbook writing…just listen to the comments you hear about the Detroit Lions. “This team is tough,” “This team never quits,” “This team is on the right track,”…and the Lions are 0-5.
Seventy-six thousand fans doing the “Tomahawk Chop” in Arrowhead before the Sunday night kick-off was awesome. I’ll enjoy it because I’m sure the clock’s ticking.
I love when Sunday Night Football’s bumper music includes Led Zeppelin (Fool in The Rain) and Bachman Turner Overdrive (You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet).
My greatest fear as a sports fan is the day Al Michaels retires from calling NFL games. He’s the Vin Scully of football.
“From The RamCave” on Friday…
The Chiefs were a disaster, but I’ve never seen a play where “Everybody is The Quarterback.”
Seeing Emmanuel Sanders in a Buffalo uniform is the NFL version of Bobby Bonds.
After KC closed the score to 31-20 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Bills’ next drive was off the charts.
(The holding call on Bills center Mitch Morse that wiped out a 10-yard third-down run by Josh Allen was horrible. And the only thing worse was the roughing passer call on the Chiefs on Frank Clark.)
After the penalties, Buffalo went 77 yards on 10-plays, capping it with a touchdown pass from Allen to Sanders. They also, in the process, took 7:51 off the clock. But the key to the drive was Allen’s 4-yard run for a first down, where he hurdled a defender.
If Allen can add a Super Bowl title to the shot of that hurdle, he’ll pull even or pass Mahomes as the face of the NFL. And make no mistake, the Bills are the class of the AFC and Super Bowl contenders.
Finally…
Watching the Chiefs, you have to believe Patrick Mahomes is at a crossroads. Not that he lacks talent, not that he’s going to fall out of the NFL. But he’s got his Super Bowl, he’s got his endorsements, and he’s got his big fat contract.
And now he has to ask himself if the fat contract and perpetual mediocrity (regarding the team) are worth it if KC has to keep nickel & diming the rest of the team. Does he want to see the Daniel Sorensens of the world signed to play defense?
I’m for everyone making their dough. In a league that will kick your butt to the curb the instant your 4.5 drops to a 4.8–get your dough. But Mahomes will have to decide whether he wants the dough or to compete for titles.
This isn’t about playing it cheap. The NFL has a hard salary cap. If Mahomes contract is gobbling a massive chunk of that cap, the Chiefs will be average going forward.
For examples, look at Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. And ask yourself if Tom Brady has ever or was ever paid his actual worth at any time during his career. You’d be hard-pressed to find an offseason where Brady didn’t defer or renegotiate to help his team’s salary cap position.
***
The Dude abides…
1,195
2 Corinthians 10:5
Joe T. is the author of “Tangent Dreams: A High School Football Novel” … “Temple City & The Company of The Ages” … “The Dead Bug Tales” … “The Dark Norm” & “FaithViews for Storm Riders”…all five available through Amazon.com.
www.JoeTorosian.com
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
Follow Joe on Twitter @joet13b
Instagram: @joet13b
Be sure to read:
College Hoops Breakdown—by Riley Saxon
The Urena Express—by Steven Urena (MLB)
From The RamCave—by Joe T. (Every Friday)
