This Morning's NFL Highlight

DOINK http://t.co/gN4E2SdGAH

— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) December 22, 2013

 

In case you can't read the text associated with the above image link, it's Matt Cassel's latest INT. Enjoy!

Why I Watch Twitter During Football Games

The 2nd angle on Dolphins holder DOINK is fabulous. http://t.co/oENUmtU2G0

— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) December 15, 2013

There's no way CBS's New York studio will cut into your game to show you highlights like this.

On To Bigger (And Hopefully Better) Things

I can understand moving to Wyoming for at least $750K for 5 years

There are lots of hurt feelings right now when it comes to Bison nation here in North Dakota. Our head coach at North Dakota State on Sunday morning confirmed that he was moving on after the season to the University of Wyoming and trying to make the program there relevant in any conference they are in. For a man who came to NDSU in 2003 and made the program a National Championship powerhouse and stirred the echoes of the past National Championship teams, he needs to be allowed to go out when he wants. Not be criticized for a decision that will further his career and maybe allow him another challenge.

Coach Bohl (pictured above) is now in a no-win situation. If he does deliver the three-peat for the Bison, the narrative will be that the players overcame the distraction that the coaching staff made with this announcement that the Head Coach and up to 5 assistants are cutting ties to the program after the season. If the Bison lose in the playoffs, the narrative will be that the coaching staff were not totally focused on winning with NDSU because of their future with Wyoming. Coach Bohl said that he had taken the program as far as he could. If he feels that way, then it is the correct time to go and find the next challenge.

From this one Bison fan, I want to say "Thank You" to Coach Bohl. Not just because of the on-field success and making NDSU a hot spot for college football, but the things that you did with the program off the field. Taking the players up to the children's hospital and making the day for children that cannot get out of the facility. For making the players realize that football is a part of their life, not their whole life. For being a stand-up guy and providing an example to the men under your charge. I wish you all the success in Laramie and hopefully that it is true that Wyoming will be joining the Big 10 shortly. I believe that you can turn the program around there and be a major player in any conference that Wyoming is in. I know that there is one more Wyoming Cowboy fan in North Dakota today.

GO BISON AND GO COWBOYS!

Tale of Two Halves

The Cleveland Browns were coming to town. 4-8 record, should be a win as long as the New England Patriots don't play down to the visiting team. Hoping the defense does the best they can with what's left in the cupboard. Again. Another game where New England spends all of the first half on the field with shovels digging a hole.

You try googling "New England Patriots Shovel" and get back to me. 

Granted, the hole was only two field goals deep. It's becoming a worrying trend, though. If they keep this up, one game they'll end up in China at halftime, which could be problematic. I don't think they have a place to carry their passports in those uniforms.

Actually closer to Australia. Try it yourself, here.

There were no adjustments made at halftime with the exception of "see these plays? Execute them." Er, not that kind of execute.

Not a firing squad.

They did some of that, as well as losing Gronkowski to injury. Or as my daughter calls him, the Dunkin Donuts man. Hard to argue against that designation. Not posting a photo or .gif of that, I am tired of seeing it.

That didn't last long.

I wouldn't blame the player for the hit. T.J. Ward is just doing his job and playing hard. Coach Belichick understands he's just playing the game.

Let the hate flow through you. (™Lucasfilm)

The Patriots did the impossible again, coming back to win the game, 27-26. Incredible finish to a wild game. A nail biter, heart attack special kind of affair. Yes, there was a late penalty with 40 seconds left in the game. This makes the Patriots 1-2 in end-of-game deciding calls. They are a magnet for this kind of nonsense this year. Having said that, one call rarely decides a game. There is every single play up to that point. The pass interference call yesterday that some people are screaming about?

Some people, fig. 1

 Guess what people? The Patriots were down 12 points with 2:39 to go. One pass interference call doesn't give you two touchdowns. One pass interference call doesn't give you a free onside kick recovery. In fact, the last time the New England Patriots recovered an onside kick was January 1st 1995, 18 years ago against the Cleveland Browns. Despite the onside kick recovery,The Patriots still lost that game long ago against the Browns' fourth year coach, Bill Belichick. Last night's kick qualifies as a piece of art. Cleveland Browns players, catch that kick, the game is over. You win.

Like the Mona Lisa, but in pads.

One pass interference call doesn't explain why the Browns called their last timeout with 0:35 seconds to play, when they didn't need to stop the clock. Surely the pass interference call explains wasting the timeout when they could have run one more play, gotten 5-7 yards closer and made that kick to win the game.

Achievement not unlocked.

The New England Patriots scored two touchdowns in thirty seconds. The pass interference call helped, to be sure. It didn't execute all of the rest of the plays they needed to pull out a win, and the Cleveland Browns defense certainly didn't do their job and stop them.

Maybe the next time these teams play it can be fun times in Cleveland.

Credit to my daughter for this awesome video.

Feel free to tell me how wrong I am in the comments.

Great Season, Black Bears

Well, the Maine Black Bears won their first ever Colonial Athletic Association Championship and were ranked #5 at the end of the season, enabling them to host their first-ever home playoff game at Alfond Stadium.  So Shelly and I decided we'd brave the potential cold weather and drive up to see the game.  Oh yes, cold it was.
Unfortunately for the Black Bears and their fans, they ran into a hot UNH Wildcat team, one which had beaten them in the last regular season game and earning themselves a berth in the tourney.  Bad luck for Maine because they'd have to see the Wildcats again, after they demolished Lafayette in the first round.  Maine just made too many mistakes when it mattered most and fell in this game 41-27.



From my seat, row 1 on the 50 yard line.

A quick anecdote about the above picture.  I was working on the Island of Vinalhaven with no cell reception and asked Shelly to try to get tickets for this game.  She's such a sweetie.  First she tried to get seats with backs but they were all sold.  So then she just tried to get what she thought were the best seats available.  LOL  As experienced fans, we know that the first row is not usually the best seat, being so low as to be blocked by everybody walking by or by trash cans, as you can see in the picture.  I took this photo standing up and I did move the trash can.  The other funny thing about this is that one of the two seats we bought was not a permanent seat but a folding chair, which I took.  Gotta love her, she tried.  We had a good time and maybe the Bears will continue to get better.
 

CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUES TOP GAME, THE GREY CUP.

This is little bit late so sorry on the that. I thought I would give a short rundown on our top game. This was played November 24th at Saskatchewan, between the Saskatchewan Roughcriders and the Hamilton Tigercats. The game was the 101st Grey Cup Game, played in -1 conditions which was a vast improvement over the minus 15 conditions during practice week. The Roughriders were the favorites and they played that way from the opening despite starting out with a three point deficit on the opening plays due to a Tigercat field goal. The Ticats then fell apart and allowed seventeen unanswered points, the Ticats then got another field goal. The Riders then scored within another fifty-one seconds, and went into half-time with a 31-6 lead. This was the first time ever that a team had scored thirty one points in the history of the previous 100 years. The Ticats had a decent third and at the start of the fourth were down 31-16. But the final quarter was not to be a Ticat revival, instead, the Riders scored two more touchdowns while the Ticats had only one more and left the field with a 45-23 final. The one thing I have always noticed about our final game was the closeness at the end of the game but alas this was not to be, my only hope now is for my B.C. Lions to be there next year, as we are hosting the 102 Grey Cup.