Retweet of the Day - October 11, 2013

"The winless Jacksonville Jaguars are far and away the worst team in the NFL. Yes, the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to win a game, but one or two plays with different results would have changed that. The Jags have been hapless, hopeless, and feckless every week.

The comic-tragedy that is the 2013 Jaguars season reached a new peak (or valley) this past week. The line out of Las Vegas on their upcoming game at the Denver Broncos was 27.5 points as of this morning - nearly four touchdowns!!! The point spread is the largest for an NFL game in nearly a half-century.

NFL die hards appreciate how the word "outrageous" comes to mind at a 4 TD spread for any NFL game no matter how bad or good the teams involved are. There are only 32 NFL teams in the world and the gap in talent between the best and worst teams can be closed if the better team plays its worst and the worse team plays its best. As elite, and invincible of late, as Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is, even he has implied that a 27.5 point spread is a tall order.


PUNCHING BAGS/PUNCHING JAGS PUNCHLINES

Casual fans of football know what they see. They see a bumbling, stumbling, and hopeless NFL franchise in the Jaguars and a Broncos offense that puts up numbers like they are playing in the Madden 25 video game. In the college game, casual fans have seen the Alabama Crimson Tide destroy nearly everything in their path and the Oregon Ducks, like the Broncos, putting up final score point totals more fitting for college basketball than football.

Casual fans often don't consider the ocean-wide gaps in skill between the college and pro games nor do they care. While this can generate some unrealistic expectations of performances at times, it can also be a breeding ground for some clever contributions to the Twittersphere. Today's retweet is from Tyler Donohue (@TDsTake), a Bleacher Report writer who knows the difference, but whipped up a pithy one-liner for Joe Fan:

"Broncos versus Jaguars next week. Are the Alabama Crimson Tide available to step in and provide a challenge instead? Maybe Oregon?"

Seriously?

Image from www.twitter.com via @deadspin

Zero-oh! Oh, Oh, Oh, Ohhh-ohh!

Through five weeks of play, the NFL has a total of seven teams with a zero in either the win or the loss column. Some are not surprising. Some could not have been predicted by anyone not owning a DeLorean with a Flux Capacitor. Today, we discuss some of those teams.

There is finally something to cheer about in Kansas City. 4

Five and O

The New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs all won impressively on the road against teams that are either leading their division or have winning records as of this morning. The Saints beat a very good Chicago Bears team in a well-coached game on both sides at Chicago’s Soldier Field, where Saints Head Coach Sean Peyton was winless before yesterday. The Chiefs went to Nashville and rallied from a 4^th quarter deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans. The Broncos went to Jerry World and narrowly outlasted the Dallas Cowboys in a thrilled of a shootout, 51-48.

The unbeaten starts of the Saints and Broncos should not be shocking to anyone. The Saints have had the most potent offense in the NFL during the tenures of Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees. Broncos Payton Manning has as more lengthy unbeaten starts to his seasons than the average NFL player has seasons in his career. The notion that these two teams could be on a collision course in the Big Apple in February is not far-fetched.

The Kansas City Chiefs could not do anything but improve after the 2012 season, in which they had the worst record in the NFL. The hiring of Head Coach Andy Reid, who was a regular in the conference finals during his 14 year tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles, and the acquisition of quarterback Alex Smith, who has experience winning in the regular season and the playoffs, through a trade with the San Francisco 49ers were two giant steps in the right direction. In addition, the Chiefs had substantial individual talent. They had three times as many Pro Bowl players last season, six, as they did wins. While it should surprise nobody that the Chiefs are better, no honest person outside of the Chiefs’ organization believed this team could win its first five games to start the 2013 season.

He's planning to win a new one, anyway. 3

Oh and NO!

That the Jacksonville Jaguars are 0-5 surprises nobody, including Jaguars fans. Earlier this year, an Orlando CBS affiliate television station apologized to its viewers for having to carry a Jaguars road game instead of The Manning Bowl between the Broncos and New York Giants in Week 2. An 0-16 finish is not out of the question and would only be a moderate disappointment to fans whose team is living up to low expectations.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are winless at 0-4 and the New York Giants are winless at 0-5. Both of these teams have noteworthy weaknesses and have suffered some tough breaks at key moments in ballgames. However being completely winless at this point of the season is nothing less than unbelievable to any NFL fan with reasonable expectations. Both teams can’t run the ball and can’t stop the run: a recipe for certain weekly doom in the NFL.  

The Giants have the tiniest slivers of a silver lining in the dark gray cloud raining a deluge upon its season. First, three of their five losses can be explained by very careless and costly mistakes, usually unnecessary turnovers and penalties. Mistakes, especially the dumb ones, can be identified and corrected. Second, this roster is littered with proven talent on both sides of the ball. Sloppy play can be corrected, especially with a two time Super Bowl winning Head Coach, Tom Coughlin, in charge; lack of talent is uncorrectable. Finally, most importantly, and almost comically, the winless Giants are only two games out of first place in the bumbling and stumbling NFC East division, led by the Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles with 2-3 records.

The Steelers have bigger problems. Their aging secondary is offering no help to a front seven that cannot stop a runny nose on the ground, let alone a running back. Their thus-far absent running game has forced the Steelers to be a pass-first team. That doesn’t fit into Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s game plan or quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s strengths. They are already 2.5 games back of the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens in a highly competitive and hotly contested AFC North division. Stick a fork in the Steelers; they’re done.

Back when rapey times were happy times for Ben Roethlisberger and losing to a playoff underdog would be a desirable outcome. 1

POSTSEASON IMPACT

While no team clinches a playoff spot five weeks into the season, the first five weeks often begin to pull back the curtain on what fans can expect to see in January. Barring injuries to Drew Brees or Peyton Manning, the Saints and Broncos will win their divisions. The Chiefs have a lot of growing to do, but they are doing it quickly. They should expect to reach the postseason and barring an injury to Alex Smith, will have nobody to blame but themselves should they fail to clinch a Wild Card spot, given their 5-0 start.

The Jaguars were never in the playoff discussion and the Steelers have to come to terms with the dreaded “R” word: rebuilding. The Giants…I am not ready to write anyone off in the NFC East, with only two games separating first and last place. But the turnovers and penalties have to stop immediately before the G-men join the Race for (South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon) Clowney.

All of these teams have their fans talking about them. Three of these teams would rather be on the back page of the sports section. The other three are enjoying football nirvana, for now.

Peyton Manning, and his brother Eli, got a little help from their old pal Tony Romo yesterday. 2

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls! 

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info. 

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.


1, 3) Images from www.quickmeme.com
2) Image from www.dallasnews.com
4) Image from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

The Best and Worst of the Worst and Best

The 2013 NFL season is on the eve of its third week of play. So far, there are eight unbeaten teams in the league with a record of 2-0. There are also eight teams in a heap of trouble at 0-2. Today we'll discuss who's the real deal, who's fool's gold, who should not yet push the panic button and who may already be on the clock in the 2014 NFL Draft.

BEST OF THE BEST

At this moment, the Seattle Seahawks are the best team in the NFL. This is a team with no weaknesses, a lot of youth, an oppressive home field advantage and a ton of upside. Head Coach Pete Carroll's team was a last second field goal surrendered to the Atlanta Falcons away from playing in the NFC Championship Game last year. So far, they appear ready to complete some unfinished business.

The statement game for this team was its 26 point shellacking of the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers last week on Sunday Night Football. The running game was punishing. Seahawks running back Russell Wilson operated with surgeon-like efficiency. The Seahawks' defense was an impenetrable fortress.

Cornerback Richard Sherman (1 INT, 1 TFL) and defensive end Cliff Avril (1 sack, 1 FF) have been swarming presences on a defense that is surrendering an average of just over 100 passing yards per game and only 5 points per game. Seattle is the real deal until someone steps up and shows otherwise.

Richard Sherman got his twerk on with the Seahawks cheerleaders after picking Colin Kaepernick off. 1

THE WORST OF THE BEST

The New England Patriots have the ugliest 2-0 start out of any of the unbeatens, so far. Having needed a field goal in the final seconds to beat the Buffalo Bills and an interception in the final minute against an inept New York Jets team, the Patriots have been winning "without no alibi"...U-G-L-Y!

Opponents continue to run all over the Pats, whose defense has not been a real force in several years. Quarterback Tom Brady has struggled to keep his team's head above the water against two mediocre opponents. It isn't his fault. All of his key receivers either left the team via free agency, arrest for murder, or have been out due to injury. Brady will possibly be getting a big boost this week as Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski reportedly  may make his first start of the season this week after missing months of team activity due to an arm injury. The return cannot come soon enough for Patriots Fan.

Belichick had to help throw people out of last week's game before the Patriots could seal the deal against the Jets.

THE BEST OF THE WORST

You are what your record says you are, but the New York Giants level of talent is far beyond that of an 0-2 football team. The Giants did everything they possibly could to help out the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 by turning the ball over six times. The Giants still had opportunities to win the game until Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw a pick six to Brandon Carr of the Cowboys in the final two minutes.

Last week, the Giants were completely overwhelmed by the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning, who is playing like he is still in his twenties so far this season. The Giants committed several turnover against the Broncos, too, though most were in the fourth quarter when trailing and taking bigger risks on offense.

The Giants are not going to go on a turnover bender every week. They aren't going to face Peyton Manning every week.They do appear to have a serious problem on their hands in the running game, dead last in the NFL. Still, this ship will turn around sooner than later.

Giants running back David Wilson may be on borrowed time as the starter in the Big Apple. 3

THE WORST OF THE WORST  

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven't been able to run the ball and their best player is running back Maurice Jones Drew (72 yds., 2.9 avg. in 2013). They can't pass the ball. They can't stop anyone from running on them. Their passing defense is ranked #2 in the NFL, but that is because nobody has to take the risk of putting the ball in the air when the Jaguars aren't a threat to score or stop teams from scoring under (seemingly) any circumstances.

Most TV stations apologize for failing to televise the home team. This station is apologizing for having to show the Jaguars. 4

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls! 

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info. 

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.


1) Image from www.bleacherreport.com
2) Image from http://nfl.si.com
3) Image from http://ihatelupica.blogspot.com
4) Image cited in a prior Hat Trick posting.

Retweet of the Day - September 16, 2013

The Denver Broncos at New York Giants game, dubbed "The Manning Bowl", with a 4:15 pm EDT start, was the most eagerly anticipated afternoon NFL game of Week 2. Quarterback Peyton Manning of the Broncos won his duel with younger brother QB Eli Manning of the Giants, 41-23. Most of the country was able to watch the game on CBS.

Per NFL rules, the home market team must be broadcast in that market, defined by the league, when the home market team is playing on the road or is at home and the game has sold out. CBS has exclusive rights to deliver AFC Sunday afternoon road games and Fox has exclusive rights to deliver all NFC Sunday afternoon road games back to the respective home markets.

The Jacksonville Jaguars traveled west to play at the Oakland Raiders yesterday. Kickoff: 4:15 pm EDT. Ordinarily, I can only imagine that home town fans would rather see their home team before any other contest, no matter how high-profile the matchup is. However, many, myself include, think the Jaguars are already on the clock in the 2014 NFL Draft and the Oakland Raiders are bad...really bad.

Today's retweet is from Peyton's Head (@PeytonsHead), not new to the Retweet of the Day:

Too funny. RT @BleacherReport Orlando TV station apologizes for having to show the #Jaguars game http://bit.ly/194inq5

With this kind of "support" do you even want to play at home if you are a Jaguars player?

Image from www.bleacherreport.com

NFL Logo Mojo

On Monday, the Carolina Panthers announced their first, ever logo change. The old logo, in place since the franchise was established in 1993 (first season: 1995), does not look very different from the new one. The new logo is slightly sleeker with some touch ups, but, for the most part, incorporates the same basic design principles as the original logo.

Pick out three differences in three seconds. Go for it! 1

Not all logo changes are so subtle and not all of them are improvements. All logos are in chronological order.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers



The old Bucco Bruce reminds me of Antonio Banderas...and Puss in Boots. 2


Washington Redskins

From moderately offensive to almost tolerable to borderline minstrel. WOW! 3

New York Jets

Plane, ball, plane, ball...the Jets are not just indecisive on the field. 4

Buffalo Bills

The buffalo is sleeker. It is still beef, too. And it's what's for dinner! Not very different from the football team, itself.... 5

New England Patriots

The Patriots did not start winning Super Bowls until the minuteman was no longer bent over. Coincidence? 6

Cincinnati Bengals




Just because it is a “change” does not mean it is “progress”. 7


Jacksonville Jaguars

The original Jags logo (left) had to be changed to the current Jag (right) because the Jaguar automaker claimed it resembled the car logo too closely. Would anyone REALLY confuse this athletic logo with that of an American-acquired British automaker? 8 

Some changes are for the better. A few are for the worse. I think we can all agree that the logo is little more than decoration unless your team looks like this:

The old Memphis Tams unis...GROSS! 9

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.


1) Image from http://blog.imagesmith.com
2) Images from www.wearepixel8.com, www.film.com, and www.sodahead.com
3) Images from www.ehdwalls.com, www.sportslogos.net,
4, 5, 6, 7, 8) Images from www.sportslogos.net
9) Image from www.nba.com

Okay, Maybe THIS Was the Strangest Week, Ever

Last month, The Hat Trick ran a piece making a case for week 7 of the 2010 NFL regular season possibly being the strangest week of football ever. Of course, in the 91 season history of the National Football League, that was hyperbole, but week 7 was nonetheless strange. Well, week 10 may have week 7 beaten and may have, in fact, been the strangest week ever. Frankly, in my near 30 years of following NFL football, 2010 is shaping up to be the most unusual season I have watched in my lifetime. Without further adieu, the games of week 10 and what was so unusual about each of them.


Philadelphia Eagles 59 Washington Redskins 28

Mike Vick had 333 yards passing with an near-perfect 150.7 passer rating, 80 yards rushing on 8 carries, 4 touchdowns in the air and 2 rushing touchdowns. This is the most show stopping performance by a single player in the 2010 season and I am not sure that it is not the best individual performance I have ever seen in my entire life. Side note, Mike Vick also had the best performance I have seen by a college player in a bowl game, in spite of the fact his team lost, in the 2000 Sugar Bowl. The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced earlier today that it is receiving his game jersey from last night.

As if the Mike Vick Show were not enough, the Eagles jumped out to a 35-0 lead at the Redskins' FedEx Field. By halftime, the Eagles had scored 45 points. If you are a gambler, I doubt you were biting your nails much from your over/under bet. Both teams combined for a total of 87 points scored on the evening.

Vick looks like Superman since he let the dogs out! (Woof! Woof, woof!)

Atlanta Falcons 26 Baltimore Ravens 21

The Ravens, whose defensive reputation precedes itself more than any other team in this century, score a go-ahead touchdown in the final 1:05 only to have the Atlanta Falcons drive 80 yards in 45 seconds for the win.


Buffalo Bills 14 Detroit Lions 12

The Bills won.


New York Jets 26 Cleveland Browns 21 (OT)

The "lowly" (previously) 3-5 Cleveland Browns take the then 6-2 New York Jets to overtime and come within 16 seconds of a tie. Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan matched with against his brother, Cleveland Browns assistant Rob Ryan. Still, blood is thicker than water. I am sure Rex and Rob went to go "eat a goddamn snack," after the game.


Indianapolis Colts 23 Cincinnati Bengals 17

Carson Palmer throws for close to 300 yards and two touchdowns yet his performance would justify any head coach into considering other options next year, likely because of the three interceptions. Wide receiver Chad Ochocinco caught 7 balls and a touchdown. Yet, in spite of high levels of production from two of the Bengals' key skill players, possessing the ball for 9 minutes longer than Indy, outgaining them by 85 yards, and holding Peyton Manning to a very rare sub-200 yard passing day, the outcome of this game was never really in doubt.

Miami Dolphins 29 Tennessee Titans 17

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne is benched, only to have his replacement, Chad Pennington, apparently fall off the bench, only lasting two plays and ending his season, and possibly his career, by injuring his shoulder...again. But he did earn $200,000 in incentive money by starting for the Fins. It is becoming an annual tradition with Pennington and is unfortunate because he has quietly been one of the most efficient passers of his time.

Henne enters the game and injures his knee later in the game, forcing former Kansas City Chiefs starter turned Dolphins third-stringer Tyler Thigpen into his first significant action in nearly two years. Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall also threw a pass on a trick play for a total of four Dolphins passers and six total passers, between both teams on the afternoon.

In his debut with the Titans, Randy Moss is silenced, words you will not see in print, absent sarcasm, very often. Vince Young replaces Kerry Collins in the Titans' endless two man quarterback carousel. Someone please explain to me 1) how the Titans still have a winning record and 2) Jeff Fisher resists the urge to turn to drink in the middle of the games.


Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31 Carolina Panthers 16

The Panthers score an offensive touchdown. Shocking....


Jacksonville Jaguars 31 Houston Texans 24

Unless you were in a coma or saw zero NFL highlights over the weekend, I think this game takes the proverbial cake for most bizarre. The Texans fall behind 17-3 but rally to tie the game in the final five minutes. Appearing to have forced overtime, the Texans lose on the game's final play as Jaguars quarterback David Gerrard has his pass, intended for wide receive Mike Sims-Walker, batted down(ward) by the Texans' Glover Quin, but the ball lands in the bread basket of Jacksonville wide receiver Mike Thomas. Thomas scores a touchdown, the game is over, and the Jaguars suck the breath out of the Texans, and possibly the life out of their playoff chances, too.

REALLY?

Denver Broncos 49 Kansas City Chiefs 29

If you skipped over looking at the score, do not look back up at it. Aw, you did, didn't you? Well, if you did not know the score, what if I told you that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel threw for 469 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions? What if I also told you that the Chiefs won the time of possession battle, only had one turnover, and outgained the Broncos on offense? Sounds like the Chiefs won, right? If not, it must have been close? Am I right?

WRONG! This game was never, ever close and the Broncos obliterated the Chiefs so badly that Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley refused to shake hands with Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels because Haley believed McDaniels was running up the score. Although...if you lost by less than three touchdowns and your opponent does not score in the final 11 minutes, can you REALLY accuse the opposing coach of running up the score?

Dallas Cowboys 33 New York Giants 20

"Really" appears to be the new "seriously" in pop culture and I considered a one word comment of "REALLY?" for this game. But there were too many strange happenings to leave unmentioned.

First off, injured Tony Romo's 38 year old replacement, Jon Kitna threw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns on the road against, possibly, the toughest defense in the NFC. The fact that the Cowboys looked prepared and showed effort was shocking enough. Add on the fact the Cowboys proverbially hit so many home run balls that Giants could never close within less than 13 points of the Cowboys in spite of Giants quarterback Eli Manning throwing for close to 400 yards and the Giants winning the turnover battle by +2 and the time of possession margin by 16 minutes.


Seattle Seahawks 36 Arizona Cardinals 18

No headline occurrences here. But Matt Hasselbeck, passing for a three year high of 333 yards, did injure his non-throwing wrist and this Seahawks team is feast-or-famine depending on Hasselbeck's health. Wide receiver Mike Williams of the Seahawks had 11 catches for 145 yards which, according to ESPN.com,  was the highest such total for any Seahawks receiver in a win in over 20 years.


San Francisco 49ers 23 St. Louis Rams 20

The Rams were 4-4 and the 49ers were 2-6 headed into this game. The first thing that jumped out at me is that the 49ers did not invent a new way to lose a game that they had a chance to win. The second expression that sounds like a foreign language to me is, "the St. Louis Rams were upset," by the Niners. A minor upset, granted...but the Rams being upset in any capacity is something I have not witnessed in several years.


New England Patriots 39 Pittsburgh Steelers 26

Uh...where's the D, Pittsburgh? The Steelers have one of the stingiest defenses in football and the Randy Moss-less Patriots open, what I can only describe as, a "can of whoop-ass" on the Steelers' defense. Hines Ward did not catch a pass. That sounds unremarkable until one considers that it has been more than 10 years since that happened. The insult to injury is that Ward was forced to leave the game with an injury, a concussion, after catching a pass that would have extended his reception streak to 187 games were it not for the catch being challenged and overturned on instant replay. OUCH!

Where the hell was THIS all year???