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“NFL-Final Weekend-Final Days for Coaches”

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The regular season comes to an end on Sunday in the NFL.

It will be the final day of employment for a truckload of head coaches and a trainload of assistant coaches.

The call it ‘Black Monday’, and there will be red-blood spilled around the National Football League.

Hop-Skotching around the league:

DENVER….GM John Elway has lots of issues on his plate. Vance Joseph is (11-20) and likely done. Not much leadership, lousy team play, lack of discipline, and up and down quarterbacking. Is there a reunion coming with Mike Shanahan or Gary Kubiak? Might be.

MIAMI…Adam Gase was a hot profile coordinator. Now that seems gone with back to back non playoff seasons. His GM Mike Tennenbaum might exit with him come Monday if owner Steven Ross has seen enough. They also have a decision on grossly overpaid QB-Ryan Tannehill.

NY JETS….Todd Bowles seemed to be making progress early on in his head coaching career, then he lost his players. Some bad citizens with big contracts took the team in the wrong direction. At least they have a QB in the making in Sam Darnold, but Bowles won’t be around to see him become a star, not after Monday.

CAROLINA….This might be a hard one to figure out, for there is Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly, but Ron Rivera has a 7-game losing streak around his neck, and an impatient new owner. GM-Marty Hurney might also be axed if Rivera is shown the door. However, Rivera would likely surface quickly if he became available.

TAMPA BAY….Dirk Koetter may design great plays on offense, but nothing else. They lead the world in turnovers, don’t play much defense despite a big spending spree, and need a different leader. They have QB-Jameis Winston, but is he truly a big game player?

CINCINNATI….Mike Brown’s team has never won a playoff game under Marvin Lewis, and might never. Maybe they’ve reached the end of the road together. They seem farther away than ever of being a force again in the AFC–North. But Brown has a history of being cheap. Who knows, maybe-maybe not.

ARIZONA…Seldom is it one-and-done but it might be in the Valley of the Sun. The Bidwell family reached the end of the road with the pushy Bruce Arians, but it appears they made a real mistake with Steve Wilkes. Even with high first round pick QB-Josh Rosen playing, they’ve gotten worse. A change has to come.

DETROIT….Who knows about Matt Patricia? He took a 9-win team he inherited and turned it into a 5-win team heading to Sunday’s finale. The only glaring thing that should scare Detroit ownership, Patricia might be another key assistant off the Belicheck coaching tree who is a failure, along the lines of McDaniels, Mangini, Cottrell, Weis.

GREEN BAY….Mike McCarthy was ousted as the free-fall began, and it continues. The Packers do have Aaron Rodgers brilliance, but the question, what kind of coach would work best with him. It’s not a bad job, but chemistry will be important in the hire.

CLEVELAND…This will be fascinating because interim coach Gregg Williams has given the team direction, but you have an erratic owner in Jim Haslem, an influential analytics guy in Paul DiPodesto, and a bright young QB in Baker Mayfield. Do you reward Williams, or go get an offensive guru for the kid quarterback? But they thought they had that with the last hire, Hue Jackson, so the question, can you trust Browns leadership?

That’s 10-potential coaching openings coming up. Where are they going to find proven replacements? What a week we have ahead of us, after this final NFL weekend.

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“Padres–On the Clock-Under the Gun”

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The rumors continue to swirl about this potential trade, that possible free agent signing, and yet little has been accomplished.

At least not in San Diego, where the last place Padres haven’t tasted a playoff win in over a decade.

North of here, the Dodgers, the ones who have played in the World Series two years in a row, have made deal, clearing budget space, and reportedly are ready to offer top free agent Bryce Harper, a record setting 30M-per year contract.

And the Angels have even been active, signing 3-free agent pitchers in a week, in hopes of keeping the young pitching staff afloat, and trying to help win games around superstar Mike Trout. Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill and Parker Bridwell are better than what they dragged out last year.

Here at Petco Park, the Padres keep getting linked to trades and free agents, but everything being leaked, seems to go against the grain of their philosophy.

Wait till 2020 when all the kids arrive and help put us in the playoff race. That’s what has been sold two years running. And now we are looking at things in a different prism?

Maybe the Padres are panicking a bit. Or maybe reality has set in, that the community is tired of a decade worth of losing and promising.

Cleveland is in seller mode, and will to deal 2-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber and the final 3-years of his contract. The right-hander (20-9) this past season, is owed (13M-13.5M-14M) on the final 3-years of that Indians contract. That’s pretty reasonable money for a lead ace of a staff, something we haven’t seen in San Diego since….the Kevin Brown era?

But it will cost the Padres plenty to make this deal.

At one point Will Myers was being offered out there but the Indians do not want to take on a 20M contract, even if he would hit well back in the American League.

Now the reports are it will take young starters to make the deal happen. Austin Hedges, Hunter Renfroe, and prospect pitchers Logan Allen-Michal Baez.

That’s a lot of young talent, but then again Kluber is an exceptional pitcher.

But we have heard all this in the past.

GM-AJ Preller likes Noah Syndegaard, but he’s still with the Mets, now off the board.

Last week he was chasing the Blue Jays Marco Strohman. Before that it was the Mariners Mike Leake.

San Diego wanted a shot at Nathan Eovaldi, but the Red Sox retained the free agent.

Matt Harvey could have been bought, but he went to Angels Stadium.

They talked about veteran Anibal Sanchez, the ex Tiger-Brave, but he’s gone too. So are Lance Lynn and JA Happ.

And then a push for ex-A’s, about to be ex-Yankee Sonny Gray.

Dallas Keuchel, who had wonderful years in Houston, wants five years, and isn’t getting it. The Japanese free agent Yusei Kikuchi has till early January to sign, and bidding has begun, but it will be expensive.

Lots of smoke, lots of mirrors, or maybe a lot of B-S.

So multiple things are in play right now.

Owners Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler maybe concerned they are losing the community with all this losing. There is no buzz in this city, and the Padres are the only team in town. They struggled to get to 2M in attendance last year. Season ticket sales are likely off. TV and radio ratings were awful.

Maybe they are trying to push the time frame on getting good up by a year.

The GM has lots of chips, but maybe he is over-valuing his farm system, and people don’t want what he is offering but want what he won’t give up.

Or maybe Preller is gun shy. He made so many bad financial deals the last couple of years, maybe his heart tells him not to trust what his eyes see out there on the trade market. He paid out lots of Fowler-Seidler money in the past. Maybe he doesn’t want to overpay with his young farm system players this time around..

The Padres have Eric Hosmer and Myers, and that’s 43M worth of disappointment in the lineup right now. They have lots of young players in other everyday spots, but most of them are (.260) hitters.

They have a hole at short, a possible vacancy at third, tons of kids coming, and maybe the youngest, and least proven starting rotation in baseball, aside from the Orioles or Royals.

The Padres desperately need a front of the rotation guy, not named Clayton Richard. It will cost them to go get Kluber or someone like him. It will cost them even more credibility if we are staring at another summer of 90-degree temperatures and 90-loss baseball.

Please tell me you have a deal coming to compliment all the kid pitchers you jammed out there last summer. Please tell me you’re not pinning your hopes on Bryan Mitchell and Robbie Erlin to be your veteran leaders in that rotation?

Pick the phrase. Padres-on the clock. Padres under the gun.

To make a deal to get arms. To recapture the fans in this last place town too.

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“Raiders-A Real Black Hole”

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I know the disdain San Diego football fans have for all things Raiders.

It goes back to the AFL days, thru all-things Al Davis, to where they are now with Jon Gruden.

Just review history will you.

The holy-roller game. Darth Vader fans. The drunks, the fights in the parking lots and the stands.

The cheap shots. The blood on the jersey. The hatred against the owner showing up wearing rings and decked out in all white.

The phrases about ‘Commitment to Excellence’….the ‘Raiders Nation’….and all that other rubbish.

But the franchise is going thru tough times, maybe the toughest ever.

They play in an aging stadium, known more for sewage spilling out of broken water mains, empty seats, tarps, Mount Davis, and lots of signs and foul language.

The eras of John Madden and Tom Flores are long in the past. More recent times have brought you Art Shell and Norv Turner and Dennis Allen and Tom Cable, and a cast of failures.

You have the son of the patriarch, Mark, accomplishing much less that his father Al did in glory years.

I sat there Christmas Eve and watched what was once a promising franchise. Only QB-Derek Carr is left, after the trades of Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, and botched drafts after botched drafts.

They gave Gruden a lot of money, but he is the orchestra leader of a band that is (4-11) and about to be homeless.

The fans, they are passionate, if not intelligent. They love the costumes, and like the late Al Davis, they live in the past, which is so far in the rear-view mirror, you can’t really tell it. Fog, smoke, hot air clouds everything there now.

They lost the team once when Al moved it to LA. They returned, bu it’s never been the same.

And now they are about to lose it again, this time to the shiny new stadium in Las Vegas.

The city of Oakland is suing everyone, but have little leverage. They don’t have the money to build anything in the East Bay. Not for the NFL team, so beloved. Not for the NBA champion Warriors, headed to downtown San Francisco. And not yet for the Oakland A’s, still trying to find a new home ballpark.

And yet those fans, they root and root for a loser. They don’t seem to be bitter about the next impending divorce.

The Raiders, as a football organization, and a business entity, are a real Black Hole.

And for one night, Monday night, Christmas Eve, I sat there and felt bad for Raiders fans. Their team about to be yanked from their emotional grasp again.

And when in our history, has anyone ever felt sorry for anything related to the Raiders?

Act of Christmas kindness, I guess.

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“Chargers-Punched in Mouth-Owner Gets Bloodied Too”

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Chargers football-Merry Christmas.

Here’s a gift wrapped lump of coal in your stocking.

The Chargers had everything going for them heading into the Saturday night game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Bolts had 10-days off, after their thrilling win in Kansas City…almost like a true bye week…to get healthy…get rested…get a unique game plan in place.

The Ravens, had a short work week, a West Coast trip, with a rookie quarterback, running back, tight end, and a less that complete offense.

Bah-humbug Bolts….Ravens (22-10) win…in a game that tasted like spoiled egg nog.

Goodbye possible first place finish in the AFC-West. Goodbye home field advantage in playoffs…goodbye MVP candidacy of its quarterback…goodbye any possible come from behind wins.

There would be no Philip Rivers rallies, not like the 16-point comeback win in Pittsburgh, or the 14-point rally in Kansas City, nor any team defensive effort to win in Seattle.

Baltimore made the 1st big play of the night, a huge pass interception by Brandon Carr against a much taller Mike Williams. The Ravens made the final big play of the night, the 62-yard TD run with an Antonio Gates fumble to seal the win. They picked off his final pass in the end zone on a Hail Mary attempt.

In between, it was typical Baltimore ugly football, kind of like being in the Charm City in January, cold-raw-nasty feeling.

They sacked Rivers 4-times, hit him 8-times, pressured him 7-other times.

The Chargers had no run game at all, behind an offensive line that got mugged, like being in an alley in Baltimore.

And what big plays the Bolts might have had, 27-and-28 yard pass plays, and an 8-yard run, were wiped out by the holding calls and illegal formation penalties against them.

Rookie QB-Lamar Jackson was wild throwing the football, erratic, scrambling under pressure, bounce passes, overthrows, heaves into coverage. But he hit on a 68-yard catch and run to his tight end, had runs of 8-and-20 yards, and saw his tailback Gus Edwards rip off a 43-yard gallop on their first snap.

The rest of the night was like a cold winter’s gray day on the Baltimore harbor, Justin Tucker hitting 3-field goals and almost making a record 68-yarder.

The Chargers calling card all year was ‘chunk’ plays from that offense. They had only 8-play of 10-yards or more. No plays of plus 20, from an offense that had 65-plays of plus 20 on the year. The Ravens ripped up the calling card and left it in the mud.

The Ravens hit them with 14-snaps of plus 10-yards…and 5-of plus 20, with an offense that hardly ever does that..

Everytime you looked up, Rivers was ‘behind the chains’ trying to catch up. Good luck finding the right page in your playbook for a call against that defense when you are 3rd-and-13…3rd-and-14…3rd-and-20 and 3rd-and-27.

The Ravens defense forced Rivers to move off his spot, or hit him so many times, he was knocked down on his spot.

And a fitting climax to the game, the plane that flew circles overhead the Stub Hub Center, financed by bitter Chargers fans, with the trailing sign that read:

“Philip Rivers-MVP….Dean Spanos-P-O-S”

The Bolts got punched in the mouth by the Ravens. The owner had his mouth bloodied too.

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“Numbers-I’ve Got NFL Numbers”

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A big weekend in the NFL, with 10-teams fighting for wildcard playoff berths, or a share of first place, with two weeks left in the season.

Interesting numbers here-there-everywhere in the NFL, some amazing stats on good teams, some awful stats on bad clubs. Here’s a laundry list of numbers.

CHARGERS…Philip Rivers offense has lived off the ‘chunk plays’ this year. Heading into the Ravens game, they’ve put up 192-plays of 10yards or more, and 65-plays that gained 20-or more. The opposition, 144-snaps of plus 10, and just 51-plays of 20-yards plus. Lots of huge yardage plays.

RAVENS…Baltimore comes in with the number 1-ranked defense in the NFL in least yards allowed, but here’s an odd stat. Despite giving up (294) yards a game on defense, when they’ve played the big offensive teams, they’ve been burned….339-to Andrew Luck and the Colts….395 to Roethlisberger and the Steelers…and 442-to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Bodes well for the Bolts.

SAINTS….Drew Brees magic continues (31TD-4 Int) in a mystical season that has him throwing for (3,463) in a (12-2) season.

BEARS…No one will want to play them right now-not because of the cold weather in Chicago-but the cement tough defense they have…45-sacks…35-takeways…and a rude 34% on 3rd down conversion rate.

BRONCOS…They’ve wasted a bunch of good games from Von Miller and friends, as the Orange has 42-sacks and 24-takeaways, but no playoff games.

HOUSTON…What a year for QB-Deshaun Watson, (3,592P) and (436R) on the ground..the only negative 52-sacks he’s taken.

CHIEFS….We’ve seen Patrick Mahomes do it most every Sunday, an offense that now (427YPG), but doubt creeps in because the KC defense leaks oil, allowing (409YPG), despite 46-sacks and 23-takeaways on that side of the ball.

COLTS…Everyone is rooting for Andrew Luck in a fabulous bounce back season (3,951P-34TD) and only 16-sacks for the campaign. His team has won 7-of-1.

PATRIOTS …Weird numbers, they’ve lost 2-in a row, and went (3-5) on the road., and yet Tom Brady dazzles (3,979P-24TD)

STEELERS…It’s been streaky in Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger has (4,462P) 30-TDs, but has 15-picks, negating an offense that is averaging (405YPG)

CAROLINA…Much written and said about Cam Newton’s improvement, but how about Christian McCaffrey’s numbers coming out of the backfield, 265-touches and (1,627APY).

CHICAGO….The return of the Monsters of the Midway defense….45-sacks…35-takeaways…and holding QBs to 34% conversion on 3rd downs.

COWBOYS…What a season for Ezekiel Elliott, 286-carries, 72-receptions so far, and (1,394Y) rushing…maybe an MVP candidate. Dallas has won 5-of-6, and by the way WR-Amari Cooper is averaging (15YPC) since the Raiders trade.

PACKERS…A lost year for QB-Aaron Rodgers, (23TD-2Int) but he’s taken 44-sacks, and a defense that has been shredded by injury.

RAMS…Everyone yelling ‘fire’ with two losses in a row, and yes Jared Goff has 1TD-7 interceptions in his last three games…but they close out with the 49eers and Cardinals

VIKINGS….A typical Kirk Cousins year, (3,913P…but 17-turnovers, 34-sacks, and a team scuffling to be in the playoffs.

GIANTS…A miserable season in New York for Eli Manning, but not his rookie RB-Saquon Barkley….305-touches already….(1,153R)…(654Y) receiving.

SEAHAWKS….They lead the league in rushing (154YPG)….but Russell Wilson has taken 42-sacks while turning it over just 10-times.

BROWNS….It’s like night and day for Baker Mayfield since the Hue Jackson firing…his passing percentage has gone from 58% to 70%….QB rating is up to 101….turnovers are down…and Cleveland has won 5-times since the coaching change.

TITANS…Somehow Mike Vrable has squeezed his team into playoff hunt, with lots of injuries at quarterback, some good days running the ball (Derrick Henry)…some days lots of dropped passes…progress I guess.

Of course there are some pretty bad numbers around the NFL too, because thee are some pretty bad teams

TAMPA BAY…What a dichotomy..(416YPG) on offense…but allowing (396YPG) on defense…and those turnovers (32)..and those sacks (38)..ugh.

ARIZONA…Tough learning curve season the kid QB-Josh Rosen….66-QB rating…55% completion rate….17-turnvoers in half a season as starter.

ATLANTA…Lousy season despite the success of QB-Matt Ryan…his defense has given up 47-touchdowns.

DETROIT…Matthew Stafford, an enigma at QB…they need him to throw for a lot…he takes a lot of sacks (37) and doesn’t have much defensive help.

EAGLES…From Super Bowl to Toilet Bowl…injuries have something to do with it…but so do 36-sacks allowed and 19-turnvoers.

49ers…Lost 2-QBs with injuries and a defense that has given up 30-TD passes.

RAIDERS…So much for the Gruen-Derek Carr joining forces to dominate…….Carr 47-sacks and 36% on third down conversions…that plus an ugly defense (385YPG).

BENGALS…Marvin Lewis’ team has lost 7-of-9…No playoff games for them to lose this year.

JAGUARS…Somebody pays the price for his mess, 9-losses in 10-games…QB rating of (83)…44-sacks allowed…no faith in whomever was back there..not much of a run game either.

JETS…Sam Darnold is learning on the job…some Sundays’ better than others….(14TD-15Int-72 QB rating)

REDSKINS…4-quarterbacks used….lost 4-of-5…QBs combined rating (81).

Enjoy the chase for the final playoff spots this weekend, likely more big numbers from QBs too.

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