Big Football Weekend and A New GPR

Well, it was an amazing NFL Sunday yesterday with the two biggest games on the docket, Steelers-Ravens and Bills-Chiefs, more that living up to all of the pregame hype.

The Steelers 18-16 win over the Ravens was not the offensive  tour de force for which we had hoped.  All of the Steelers points came off of the foot of Chris Boswell who chalked up his second six field goal game of the season.

It surely was disappointing that the Steelers couldn't have notched a couple of TD's on their several trips into the red zone yesterday, but what was certainly not a disappointment was the performance of the Steelers defense, which held presumptive league MVP  Lamar Jackson in check and forced two critical turnovers, including a youth-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it interception by rookie linebacker Peyton Wilson.

Of course, in typical Ravens-Steelers fashion, it all came down to the end of the game when Joey Porter Jr chased down Jackson and foiled a two point conversion attempt that would have tied the game and sent it into overtime.  The Steelers were then able to run out the clock and secure the win.

The Steelers have now won eight of the last nine games against the Ravens, and Jackson has now dropped to 1-4 against the Black and Gold.  That may seem lopsided, but none of these games have been easy, and Steelers-Ravens remains the best rivalry in the NFL,  and we get to see them go at it again December 21.

The other big game yesterday was the 8-2 Bills against the 9-0 Chiefs, and QB's Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.  Trailing 23-21 late in the game, it appeared that Mahomes and the Chiefs would get the ball back late and have the opportunity to pull another win out of their hats and remain undefeated.  That was until Allen made an electrifying 25 yard run from scrimmage on third-and-two, that secured the win for the Bills, 30-21.

I had mentioned above that Jackson is currently the "presumptive League MVP", and last week I mentioned in another forum, why is this just being ceded to him ten, and now eleven, weeks into the season?  I had mentioned the Lions' Jarod Goff, who had another huge game yesterday, as a legit candidate, but there are sure other guys who seem at least as worthy. Guys like Allen and Mahomes to name two, and what about the Eagles' Saquon Bakley?  The MVP doesn't have to be a quarterback, does he?  The Steelers muzzling of Jackson yesterday might bring him back to the field a bit in this race, but it will be fun to watch and see how it goes from here.

After what was a great week of football (I'm not counting a potential MNF snoozer between Dallas and Houston tonight), let's update the Grandstander Power Rankings through Week 11.

1. Lions 9-1 (Last Week - 1)
2. Bills 9-2 (3)
3. Chiefs 9-1 (2)
4. Steelers 8-2 (5)
5. Eagles 8-2 (6)
6. Ravens 7-4 (4)
7. Vikings 8-2 (7)
8. Chargers 7-3 (Unranked)
9. Falcons 6-5 (9)
10. Commanders 7-4 (7)

Also receiving consideration: Broncos 6-5, Cardinals 6-4.

If I was honest I night have the Eagles ahead of the Steelers, but, what the hell, it's my poll, so I'm giving my favorite team the edge here.  They play each other on December 15, so that question will be answered on the field.

Steelers Season Ends; Playoffs Thoughts, and the GPR

So, do we really need to rehash the Steelers 31-17 loss to Buffalo in the opening round of the NFL Playoffs this past Monday afternoon?  A loss that was exemplified by Bills' QB Josh Allen's 52 yard run through the Steelers's defense?

I think not, but I do have a thought to offer on that Allen TD scamper.

Remember the ACC Championship game of a few years back when Pitt's Kenny Pickett scored a similar touchdown run through the Wake Forest defense?  During the course of that run, Pickett faked a slide, which caused the defenders to pull up, which enabled Pickett to run into the end zone.  It was an act, the fake slide, that was considered so heinous that the Lords of Football outlawed it almost immediately.   Does that rule apply only to college football or is it applicable in the pros as well, because I could have sworn that Allen faked a slide on his run by executing a deke that would have made Sydney Crosby envious.

And how about that Bills receiver picking up a Gatorade bottle on the Steelers sideline and taking a drink from it?  If that doesn't fit into the definition of "taunting" and "unsportsmanlike conduct", it should. No flag was thrown on that one either.

Not that it matters, because the Bills were and are clearly a better team than the Steelers.   They are also a team that is easy to like, and I believe that my rooting interest will attach itself to the Buff Bills throughout the balance of the Playoffs.

As for the Steelers, one topic seemed to be cleared up fairly quickly after the loss when Mike Tomlin said that he plans to return to coach the Steelers in 2024.  A lot of the sportswriters in the area as well as the talk radio hot take artists have just been itching to fire Tomlin as this season went on.  Many seemed disappointed that that the team rallied to win their final three games and make the Playoffs, as it weakened their case against HCMT.

As for me, I am glad that Tomlin isn't going anywhere.  He's a good coach, if not a great one.  Who currently coaching in the NFL is better?  Bill Belichick for sure, and maybe Andy Reid, and a few up-and-comers (John McVey, Kyle Shanahan) may get to that level someday, but it's not a long list.  And remember this: when you hire a new head coach, you are far more likely to end up with a Nathaniel Hackett or an Arthur Smith than you are a Chuck Noll or a Bill Cowher or a Mike Tomlin. 

Oh, and one person who has not chimed in Tomlin's status is the guy whose thought matters the most: Art Rooney II.   We'll wait and see how that plays out.

One thing that Tomlin faces in 2024 is an up-in-the-air quarterback situation.   The same scribes and on-air gasbags who want Tomlin fired are also ready to cut loose Kenny Pickett.  "He's failed; he hasn't shown us anything" say the critics of Pickett's now 25 game career.

Back in November, I wrote THIS PIECE on Pickett that pretty much said that it is way too soon to pull the plug on Pickett.   Those same pundits who wanted Mason Rudolph run out of town a few seasons back are now calling for him to replace Pickett as the Number One guy.

My thought is that Pickett needs to remain as number one, but that a guy like Rudolph (if he's still here; he's a free agent who made himself look attractive in the final weeks of the season) maybe deserves a better chance to compete for the job at St. Vincent's next summer.  I also think that a first round draft pick like Pickett deserves a shot to be the first among equals at camp, and I most certainly want to see how he plays under the guidance of an Offensive Coordinator who is not Matt Canada.

As for the remainder of the Playoffs, I was positively delighted to see that two of the professional sports teams that I just plain do not like and could not bring myself to root for, the Cleve Brownies and the Dallas Cryboys both got absolutely throttled in their opening round playoff games.  Those games were fun to watch.

What remains are eight teams that are all teams that I could find a reason to cheer for.  I think that I will start off by rooting for the Bills.  They have a history of Super Bowl heartbreak, they have Josh Allen, who sure if fun to watch, and they have Damar Hamlin, and here are other reasons to root for the remaining teams:

• Baltimore: A Super Bowl win will only add more juice to what is already the best rivalry in the NFL, Steelers-Ravens
• San Francisco: Christian McCaffrey
• Detroit:  How can you not pull for a team that hasn't won anything since the Eisenhower Administration?
• Kansas City:  Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.    And Andy Reid's mustache.
• Green Bay:  Who needs Aaron Rodgers, plus they spanked the Cowboys.
• Houston:  The CJ Stroud story is a great one
• Tampa Bay: The resurrection of Baker Mayfield

With all that said, I leave you with the Grandstander Power Rankings as we head into the Divisional Playoff Round this weekend.

1. Ravens
2. 49ers
3. Lions
4. Bills
5. Chiefs
6. packers
7. Texans
8. Bucs

Random Thoughts.....and an Absent Friend, Jerry Lee Lewis

Cleaning out the Mental In-Box.....

Quick hit football thoughts:

• Another rough day at the office yesterday for Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett.  His stat line through five games: 67.9% complete rate, 2 TD's, 5 INT's.  How much of this is Pickett's fault, how much is the O-line's fault, how much is it the game plan's (ahem, we're looking at you, Matt Canada) fault?
• (Speaking of rookie QB's stat lines, how 'bout this one: 14 games, 38.1% completion rate, 6 TD, 24 INT.  Steelers fans will instantly recognize the 1970 season of Terry Bradshaw.  That turned out alright.)
• Steelers entering their bye week, so they have two weeks to try and figure something, anything, out.
• Myron Cope always took the position on his talk show that he "never fires coaches", and he knew more about that kind of stuff than I do, so I won't either, but, man, it sure seems apparent that something  just ain't right with the Steelers offensive way of doing things. (We're looking at you, Matt Canada)  By just about any metric that you care to use, this year's Steelers are the worst offensive team in the NFL.  It becomes more apparent when you watch other NFL games and see those teams throwing downfield to fast and talented receivers.  You know, like how Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown undressed the Steelers yesterday.  I watched Kenny Pickett for five years at Pitt, and I KNOW that he can throw the ball downfield.  Why won't the Steelers let him do that to guys like Chase Claypool, Dionte Johnson, and rookie George Pickens, who may be better that both of the first two guys?
• Speaking of things the Steelers don't do that other teams do, how about running backs who can rip off gains of 7, 8, 10, or more yards several times a game?  Watching Green Bay play Buffalo last night and seeing their RB's in action made me want to cry.
• No one was more enthusiastic about the drafting of Najee Harris last year, but be honest now, who has been better (and this is damning with faint praise, I realize) at the position thus far, Harris or Jaylen Warren?  It can't ALL be the fault of the linemen, can it?

As to non-Steelers thoughts....

• How much fun is it watching the Buffalo Bills?   Josh Allen surely is the leading contender for MVP after eight weeks of the season, unless....
• ....the leading contender is Jalen Hurts of the Eagles.  The Eagles are undefeated, and Hurts and Company sure laid an ass-kicking on the Steelers yesterday, which, to use the phrase a second time, may be damning with faint praise.
• And how about the performances of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers so far?  Plenty of season left to be proven wrong, of course, but it seems that these two have all of a sudden "gotten old" and are approaching the end.

All of these thoughts lead to the return of.....

I know you've all been waiting for them, so here we go, through Week Eight.

1. Eagles 
2. Bills
3. Chiefs
4. Cowboys

In my heart, I think the Bills are better, but that may be only because I've seen them more that Philly, but an undefeated team can't be anything less than #1.

Now, on to Baseball.

The third game of the World Series will be played tonight, and if you are surprised that The Grandstander has not written one word about the MLB Post-Season, well, I can tell you that I too am astonished by this fact.  In actuality, I watched some, but very little of the first three rounds of the Playoffs.  (As an aside, I will say that I do like the Three, Five, Seven, and Seven format that MLB has instituted for the first time this season.)   I can attribute this to a couple of factors.  One, the fact that Baseball has begun a descent into the lower tiers of importance in American professional sports; there are reasons for that too numerous to go into right now.  Two,  the level of excellence that both college football and the NFL has been providing this season has overshadowed MLB.  Three, too much other stuff going on in my own life right now.  Four, the Pirates have succeeded in lessening, if not killing, my enthusiasm for Major League Baseball.

Still the World Series is the WORLD SERIES, so attention must be paid.  I watched the first game of the Series with rapt interest.  The Astros staked Justin Verlander to a 5-0 lead which the Phillies overcame and fashioned a 6-5 win in ten innings.  It was an interesting and most entertaining game and a lot of fun to watch, despite it lasting over three and a half hours.  It was a game that reminded you of why you like baseball in the first place.

I skipped Game Two, won by the Astros, in favor of the Pitt football game, wherein Pitt "Pitted" and lost convincingly.  Bad decision on my part.

Tonight the Series moves to Philly, where a no doubt raucous scene will unfold.  The Phillies were the sixth seeded team in the NL and are actually an easy team to root for.  They hit the ball, score a lot of runs, and have good starting pitching, and a bullpen that can be, ahem, adventurous.  Hard to believe that Boy Wunderkind Bryce Harper turned thirty years old this past season.  Perhaps through reasons not entirely his fault, Harper has always been kind of unlikable.  A guy you like only when he plays for YOUR team, but for me at least, and maybe this will last only through this Playoff Year, he seems to have moved beyond that, and I find myself rooting for him and the Phillies.  The Astros are a better team, or they were over this past 162 game season, but we are now down to a best of five series with Philly having the home field advantage, so who knows?  I am looking forward to the remainder of this Series.

Finally, and Absent Friend....

Jerry Lee Lewis

1935-2022

The last of the true pioneers of Rock 'n Roll, Jerry Lee Lewis, died last week at the age of 87.  The first two paragraphs of Lewis' obituary on the pop culture website Vulture describes Lewis far better that I can:

Jerry Lee Lewis was known as the Killer, and it wasn’t a casual sobriquet — a schoolmate called him that after he tried to strangle a teacher. He once shot his bass player in the chest; just about all of his seven wives, including one who was a child, said he beat them; and there’s a lingering suspicion that he murdered wife No. 5. He was the very model of a high-functioning sociopath and somehow defied hard living, drug and alcohol abuse, and serious health problems to make it well into his ninth decade.

The pianist, singer, and showman, who was one of the three or four people who decisively ushered in the rock-and-roll era — and utterly personified an unbridled and dangerous part of the music — died today, his family announced. He was 87 and, after the death of Little Richard in 2020, the last man standing from the dawn of rock and roll.

On his podcast today, Tony Kornheiser said that while Lewis wasn't Elvis, he may very well have been on the next step below him.

A few years ago, I saw the musical "The Million Dollar Quartet" which tells the story of a time when four legends, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Lewis, all recoded together at Sun Studio in Memphis on the same day.  The show's curtain call had each actor perform one song as the performer they portrayed.  I said at the time that during that curtain call, and in fact throughout the entire show, the actor that played Lewis stole the show.  Maybe it wasn't just the actor, but perhaps the energy of Lewis himself that stole that show.

If you've never seen him, here's a clip of The Killer in action on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1969.

RIP Jerry Lee Lewis.

Speaking of Sports.....

I have to say that the football season thus far, both NFL and NCAA, has been nothing short of terrific.  (Caveat: this excludes the prime time games that the NFL has been feeding us on Thursdays, Sundays, and Mondays.  By and large, THOSE games have been clunkers.)  So much so, that I am going to start this little treatise by going back a week to the Sunday morning game in London between Green Bay and the New York Giants.

The Giants cemented their title as "Surprise Team of the First One-Third of the Season" by handing it to Aaron Rodgers and the Pack that morning (and what exactly is wrong with an NFL game to watch at 9:30 on a Sunday morning??), and they doubled down on it by beating the Ravens this past weekend after Lamar Jackson spit the bit not once, but twice, in the fourth quarter.  The Giants now sit at 5-1, and who saw THAT coming?   

The rise of the Giants also ties in with another unexpected rise, that of their Meadowlands co-tenants, the Jets, who now sit at 4-2 after beating those same Packers at Lambeau Field this past Sunday.  

Come to think of it, perhaps it's the Packers who are the "Surprise Team of the First One-Third of the Season", although not in a good way.

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The best game of this past weekend was the marquis game between the KayCee Chiefs and the Buff Bills headlined by the QB match-up of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.  The Bills won this one 24-20 when Allen hit  tight end Dawson Knox for a touchdown with 1:04 remaining in the game.  This TD pass was preceded by a drive-preserving run for a first down by Allen that included this jaw-dropping move:

Yep, Allen did his best Edwin Moses impression by fully in stride hurdling the Chiefs safety.  Like I said, it was jaw-dropping, and Allen has clearly established himself as perhaps the leading MVP candidate in the League at this point.  The Bills and the Chiefs are also clearly the two best teams, certainly in the AFC, at this point, and we can all only hope that they meet once agin in the Playoffs come January.

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This brings us to the local gridders, the Steelers.  After being handed a 38-3 loss to Allen and the Bills in Week 5, the Steelers had dropped to 1-4, and the season appeared to be headed to the dumper.  Especially with a Week 6 matchup against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Week 6.  The game appeared to be a hopeless cause for the Steelers in light of the fact that both TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick and their top three cornerbacks were out for the game as well.  Surely Brady would carve them up like a Thanksgiving turkey, right?

Steelers 20 - Buccaneers 18.

This is why you play the games, and games like this are why you follow sports.

The improbable hero was much maligned QB Mitch Trubisky who came into the game for an injured Kenny Pickett, and led the team on a touchdown drive that culminated in a TD by the other offensive hero of the day, Chase Claypool, and another drive that ran out the clock to preserve a two point lead, a drive that featured two no-chance-in-Hell third and long conversions by Trubisky that maintained possession and allowed him to take a knee to end the game.

This still most likely will be a rebuilding year for the Steelers as Pickett, who will probably sit out this week's game against Miami in concussion protocol, develops into the quarterback the Steelers and their fans hope that he will become.  However, they are now 2-4, tied with the Browns and one game behind the 3-3 Bengals and Ravens in the AFC North, and this is the NFL, so you never know, do you?

Anyway, some scenes from a joyous Accrisure Stadium this past Sunday.

The heroes....

And some Heroes with the G.O.A.T.....

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Okay, I've gone on too long to go into the college football scene, but the two games of most interest this past weekend were:

Tennessee 52 - Alabama 49

Michigan 41 - Penn State 17 (and the game wasn't even that close)

Both stunners.

Maybe next week will be the time for The Grandstander to delve into the NCAA doings.

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One final sort-of-football note.

Billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft ("billionaire" being perhaps the key word here) married Dr. Dana Blumberg this past weekend.  Dr. Blumberg, you can see, is an attractive blonde and is 34 years younger than Kraft.  Blumberg is a doctor, so presumably she has a great degree of intelligence so maybe this isn't the embodiment of the cliche of Rich Old Goat Marries Hot Much Younger Woman Looking For A Sugar Daddy.

No word in any of the news stories as to whether or not attendants from the Orchids of Asia Health Spa served as bridesmaids.