What a week-end in the NFL huh?
I really hope the NFL brings back the real refs soon because I think the integrity of the game warrants it. The NFL Players Union is calling for it based on player safety. I think that’s a key element to this issue. The serious potential of serious injuries to players because of refs perhaps not sure on how to call a play.
And if the league doesn’t have enough problems on it’s hands with replacement refs, this clown has to be adding fuel to the fire:
True to his word, following last week’s game-ending controversy against the Giants and with his Buccaneers losing 16-10 to the Cowboys yesterday in the final minutes, Tampa Bay rookie head coach Greg Schiano once again blitzed his opponent’s victory formation as Dallas ran out the clock.
In fact, this time the Bucs went after the snap three consecutive times, with Schiano calling a time out to act like a tough guy and scream at his players before the final attempt.
Here is the video:
Before the mics go silent, you can hear Schiano loudly shouting “I don’t give a f@ck what they think”. And since he knows the cameras (and all of his critics) are watching, Schiano then proceeds to coach harder than he had the entire game, tearing into his players as though it was the biggest play of their lives. He specifically went to extra care to make it seem as though he’s coaching technique to swipe at the snap before it reaches to the quarterback … as though this somehow would justify his “strategy”.
As expected, the Cowboys were fully prepared for Schiano’s tactics, and once again, it didn’t work. Despite the fact that the Cowboys’ center got blasted backward on each attempt (with the Bucs lining up offside on the last try), Tony Romo was able to cleanly field the snap … and Tampa Bay still lost.
Our final thoughts on all this: While Schiano is well within the rules for coaching his team to play this way (and will apparently get a lot of practice at it), no matter how you slice it, it’s still a bush league move. It’s the equivalent of getting your ass kicked in a street fight, and then when your opponent lets up and starts walking away, flailing wildly at his junk. There’s a small chance you’ll hurt the guy, but it’s definitely a cheap shot.
That arrogance may have gotten him ahead at Rutgers, but if Schiano thinks his intimidation tactics are going to work at the NFL level, he is sorely mistaken. And now that he’s thrown sportsmanship out the window, he can expect every head coach league-wide to do the same when facing the Bucs. If that’s the way he wants to play it, fine.
We predict Schiano will find himself out of the league within 3 years. But at least he’ll be able to point back to what a tough guy he was in the final seconds of each loss … right?
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Rangers ride Dempster to reach 90-win mark
The way they look at it, the Rangers didn’t do nearly enough right this weekend in Safeco Field.
They didn’t hit with men in scoring position, they had some trouble running the bases, they made some mistakes running the bases, and the pitchers gave up too many homers. And did we mention they didn’t hit with men in scoring position?
Texas survived all that to escape from Seattle with a 3-2 win Sunday over the Mariners, a game that sets up a potentially decisive four-game series with second-place Oakland beginning Monday night in Arlington.
Should the Rangers sweep, they are the American League West champions. Should they win three of four, they clinch no worse than a tie for the AL West title. Should the Rangers do less, then that’s where the final week of the season could get interesting.
“We’re not looking too much further ahead than Monday,” third baseman Adrian Beltre said after his current team beat his old one. “We just want to finish with a nice push.”
The A’s also won Sunday, getting out of Yankee Stadium with a win to remain four games out of first.
“Monday is our only focus,” closer Joe Nathan said after the Rangers reached the 90-win mark in the club’s 152nd game, the quickest any Rangers team has ever gotten to 90 wins.
But as manager Ron Washington said, “It’s not about the wins now; it’s about getting to the playoffs.”
Texas got one step closer when Nathan got Franklin Gutierrez to strike out to end the game with the tying run at second base. That performance came on top of a gritty effort by Mike Adams, who had to pitch out of a gnarly eighth inning in which the Mariners had the bases loaded with one out.
“That was the game right there,” Beltre said. “They were one hit away from [a series sweep].”
Adams gave up singles to Gutierrez and Kyle Seager to open the eighth with the Rangers up by one, then a grounder from John Jaso moved the runners to second and third. Washington had Adams intentionally walk Justin Smoak, the former Rangers prospect who had five hits in the first two games of the series, loading the bases.
Washington, perhaps in a preview of how he will use his bullpen in the postseason, never thought about making a change, saying “[Adams] is my guy in the eighth inning.”
As for Adams, it was just one more game when he didn’t make it easy on himself.
“I was thinking, ‘Well, here we go again,’” the veteran said. “I’d like to have clean innings, but sometimes they’re tough to come by.”
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America’s deadliest city disbans police force.
Here is a great reason to sell your house.
Drops, fumbles, and interceptions, oh my…
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Have a great day folks, thanks for reading the blog!
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