Blue: A Tale of Two MVP’s, Part 2

What is everyone’s definition of “Most Valuable Player”? In sports, you hear the arguments all the time–that the MVP award should go to a player whose most important to his individual team, or that the award should go to the best player in the given League.

NFL history has shown us that their MVP award is some weird cross between the two ideals. For example, in 2009, Brett Favre joined the Minnesota Vikings and took a team that had lost in the first round of the playoffs the year before and, while having his best season of his career (68.8% completion, 33 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 4202 yards, 107.2 passer rating), took the Vikings to a 12-4 record which was good enough for the second seed in the NFC. Peyton Manning, however, won the award after his Indianapolis Colts won their first 14 games, with a statline of 68.6% completion, 33 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 4500 yards, and a 99.9 passer rating. Favre, as a matter of fact, finished fourth in voting behind Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Manning–three quarterbacks whose teams had better records that season.

Interesting.

So when the question sifts to Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III and whether or not they should be considered for MVP voting, the question becomes why? Why are Griffin and Luck, who, as I highlighted in the previous article, don’t quite have the credentials that other great rookies have had, up for nomination? Is it their position more than their play? How strong, really, is their case for the MVP?

The quarterback position has always been regarded as the most important position on the field, but one could argue that the position has been overhyped when it comes to winning the award.

In the history of the Associated Press’s Most Valuable Player Award, voters have preferred quarterbacks and running backs to any other position on the field. 54 of the 57 awards given have gone to a quarterback (37 times) or a running back (17 times). No other offensive position has won the award, and the remaining three awards have gone to a defensive tackle, a defensive lineman, and a placekicker.

ProFootballWeekly brings up an interesting point about MVP bias:

Most would agree that the MVP should go to the player whose contributions have the greatest impact on the success of his team. But the MVP rarely fits this description. Instead, MVP voters tend to look at two things: (1) The league’s best teams, and (2) the quarterbacks and running backs on those teams. Of course, if someone gains 2,000 yards it grabs everyone’s attention, but that in itself is a flaw of the award. Some statistics are hollow, in that they mean very little to the success of the team. For example, Calvin Johnson is not far off the pace of setting a single-season record for receiving yards this season, but no one could argue he’s an MVP candidate — nor would they, because Johnson does not play quarterback or running back. On the other hand, if Chris Johnson was approaching Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing mark for a 4-7 Titans squad, he would, at the very least, be part of the discussion. It’s a double standard.

Rookies are ignored. Defense, as a whole, is ignored. Wide receivers and tight ends have historically been ignored. And there is a better chance of seeing a man walk on Mars in our lifetime than witnessing an offensive lineman take home the honor.

Reggie Wayne, who has been having a career year for himself and Andrew Luck, has not once been mentioned for any type of award. How much recognition has Wayne received on any level for leading the NFL in targets and placing fourth in receptions and playing the role as much more than an ample cushion for any rookie quarterback?

MVP bias towards the quarterback position has gotten so ridiculous that Peyton Manning was considered a top candidate for the award despite not playing a single down due to a neck injury that sidelined him for the entirety of the season. As a matter of fact, Peyton Manning placed relatively high on the NFL’s “Top 100 Players of 2012” list–just for not playing! As ludicrous as it is, Colts fans would even tell you that Tom Brady’s value to his franchise is overrated due to the Patriots finishing 11-5 in 2008 without him; even if that feat is more of a testament to the quality of New England’s organization than the importance of Tom Brady.

But what about the other side of the argument? How much stock do you put into both rookies’ presence on the team? Luck’s Colts squad went 2-14 last season, and now they could capture ten wins on the season and become the third team in NFL history to make the playoffs after going 2-14 or worse the season before. Griffin has rejuvenated life into a franchise that not even Donovan McNabb could kick-start into action; his Redskins could make a playoff run and see postseason action for the first time since 2007.

The current MVP candidates–Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, J.J. Watt, Adrian Peterson–although their performances this season are best described as “ethereal”  and they have certainly outplayed Luck and Griffin, Tom Brady’s Patriots already have more losses than they had last season, and they also made a Super Bowl appearance last year. Peyton Manning? His Broncos, though quarterbacked by Tim Tebow, won a playoff game in 2011. J.J. Watt’s Texans did the same last season, and Adrian Peterson’s squad is at 7-6 and third in the NFC North despite him being on track for 2,000 yards rushing this season. Which holds more weight? Besides that being the argument between Luck and Griffin for the Rookie of the Year Award, it can be used for the MVP award as well. What is more important for an individual award–wins or performance? If the former is the criteria you choose to use, then both Griffin and Luck have a fighting chance. The same is not so true for the latter, however.

Maybe we should just give the MVP to Seattle’s under-appreciated rookie Russell Wilson; he has a nice mix of both wins and performance under his sleeve. He even has his oh-so-necessary MVP moment of the year.

View “A Tale of Two MVP’s, Part 1” here. 

Blue: Punt Off

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in an exclusive interview with TIME magazine, said the league is considering an idea from Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano that would eliminate kickoffs.

After a touchdown or field goal, instead of kicking off, a team would get the ball on its own 30 yard line, facing fourth down with and 15 yards to go. The options are either to go for it and try to retain possession or punt the ball away. If you try for a first down and fall short, the opposing team would take over with good field position.

The proposal to get rid of kickoffs was one of several topics discussed in an interview focused on the shocking murder-suicide involving Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher.

It’s been well-known that the heads of the NFL have been looking to eliminate kickoffs from the game of football for a while now. This is just some of the latest information.

The recent concussion information has caused the NFL to crack down noticeably on hits and start to look deeply about how this great sport is played. Commissioner Roger Goodell seems to be less and less hesitant to change the way the game is played in order to keep its players on the field and out of the news, even reportedly looking to abolish all contact below the waist as early as next season.

But for now, this recent news about how Goodell wants to change kickoffs in the NFL comes first. It seems he and Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano have come up with an idea that seems more like a version of “make it, take it” rather than a fair change of possession after every score.

“I believe that day will come,” Schiano said in an October 2012 issue of ESPN Magazine, in which he was asked about eliminating kickoffs from the game. “Unfortunately, it will probably take more players being seriously hurt. But I think there’s another way to do this.”

Be sure to remember that Greg Schiano, who is in his first year of coaching with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coached at Rutgers last season. The same Rutgers in which defensive end Eric LeGrand was paralyzed after leading with his neck on a tackle during a kickoff return in 2010. Schiano came out so effected by the ordeal that he, earlier this year, signed LeGrand to a ceremonial one-day contract with the Buccaneers.

Knowing Schiano’s history with kickoffs and kickoff returns and his obvious passion for player safety, it’s no longer a question as to why Schiano is clamoring for this act.

But is it right for the game?

Forget the kick returners and the excitement of the plays for a second. Let’s just think about this rule.

Last season, the NFL moved kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35 and required the coverage unit to start within 5 yards of the ball, closing the distance between the teams. Both rules had their desired effects. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, 16.4 percent of kickoffs led to touchbacks in 2010; last year it was 43.5 percent. The NFL found that players suffered 40 percent fewer concussions on kickoffs in 2011.

This rule would force a team to punt after every possession. While this dramatically increases the value of a punter, it renders all kickers only as valuable as their field goal accuracy and makes return specialists near extinct.

We know the NFL by now. We know how conservative the League can be. So when a team is facing 4th and 15 on their own 30-yard line, we can correctly assume that the vast majority of action will be punts.

The average NFL punt is 36 yards. The average NFL punt return length is 9.2 yards. If a kickoff begins at a team’s 35 yard line, and the new “kickoff” begins at the 35 yard line, then a team’s average field position would start around a team’s own 30 yard line. Currently, average field position begins at the 27 yard line. How much difference would there be?

What about the value of a kickoff return touchdown? Surely, Devin Hester wouldn’t be as much of a scoring threat.

Maybe not, but consider that in 2011, there were 9 total kickoff return touchdowns, with no team experiencing more than one for the season, anyway. Punt return touchdowns for that year? 20, with five teams scoring multiple times in that fashion on the season. This season? 10 kickoff return touchdowns scored and 14 punt return touchdowns. While the disparity between the two was greater in 2011, kick returns have never been a reliable way to score touchdowns, and with an obviously increased rate of punts under the new rule, should it be implemented, would undoubtedly cause many more punt return touchdowns, and theoretically enough to cover for the loss of kickoff return touchdowns.

So sorry, Josh Cribbs and Cleveland Browns fans. With 8 kickoff return touchdowns and only three punt return touchdowns, I’m sure you’d be the one hurting the most between you, Hester, and Ted Ginn, Jr.

What about the 4th and 15 aspect of the play? The recovery rate of an onside kick fluctuates between 10 and sixty percent depending on the winning percentage of the team attempting the kick. However, given the likeliness of teams attempting onside kicks when they have the lead (which is very low–teams usually attempt those when the winning percentage is 10 percent or less, and even then, teams only attempt them 26 percent of the time). We can all imagine that the chances of converting on fourth-and-long is much higher than recovering an onside kick–how fair is it for a team to have such high chances to keep the ball after a score? If anything, Madden players are the ones who would rejoice the absolute most if this rule change comes into play.

Safety is the key. The more we see fallen players and the more the NFL freaks out and tries to change the game in order to accommodate players, the higher chance that these rules will be implemented. I, personally, am not in favor of the rule simply because I am not in favor of drastically altering the game as much as this would, but when you look at the big picture, what are we gaining? What are we losing? Are we sure that it’s as much as we think?

This is a simple case of tradition versus function and adaptation. How far are we willing to go to make this game safe, to make this game even more profitable? How much are we going to have to change and dismantle the game for it to be something we can all enjoy without having our players hurt?

Blue: Man Out of Time

The Philadelphia Eagles are 3-8 now.

Yes, we’ve lost 7 in a row.

Yes, we’re worse than our record.

No, I don’t believe you if you say that we’re gonna win another game this year. As a matter of fact, I’ll tell you that the Eagles are destined for a top two pick this season.

According to this poll, there’s no need to go in-depth about the Eagles woes. The issue with the team this year? They’re not playing to their potential. No one on the roster seems to be playing to their potential. No one even plays with emotion. No one even coaches with emotion, as far as I can tell.

Actually, Juan Castillo coached with some emotion. But I digress. Veterans and fans have been calling out players all year long. This Eagles team is headed for 3-13, the worst record in franchise history (tied with their 3-13 season in 1998).

Last season, defensive end Jason Babin was brought into the team after a 12.5 sack season with the Tennessee Titans, and boy, was it no fluke. In 2011, Babin recorded 18 sacks with the Eagles, only a few sacks short of Reggie White’s franchise record of 21, set in 1987. The 2011 campaign was entirely different from Babin’s earlier 2009 campaign with the team–in 2009, Babin wore #94 and was useless as a player, being cut by the end of his one season.

In 2012, he would be cut again by the Philadelphia Eagles. But this time, with a little less dignity as he would be dismissed before the end of the season and after a 5 tackle, 1 sack performance in a loss against the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football.

Game days have not been good to me, or any Eagles fan, this season. The Eagles haven’t won since September 30th and seeing the team take losses in the range of dramatic to disappointing has turned Sundays into the day we just struggle to get through on the way to another disappointing game the next week. Even through the team’s first three wins (and yes, even that version was entirely different from the current team), it was beyond stressful to get through the games.

Imagine my surprise to see a report about how one of my favorite Philadelphia Eagles–a man who I had affectionately dubbed “Captain America” prior to the season–was released from the team. Cut.

Don’t get me wrong now. Jason Babin, like everyone on the roster, has been underperforming this year. 12.5 sacks in 2011, 18 sacks in 2012, and 5.5 sacks this season through 11 games. He has only registered 26 tackles on the season and has been non-existent in stopping the run game week after week. Babin has surely left much to be desired. My issue with this move is the timing and the purpose.

To begin, I will say that I did not expect Jason Babin to return the Eagles in 2013 regardless of how this season went for him. The Eagles are wary of keeping players longer than need be, and a combination of Babin turning 33 over the summer and a $4.2mil salary he would be owed next season, it wouldn’t have surprised me at all if the team passed up on keeping him in midnight green before too long.

But why now? Is it because of his lack of production? Babin has 26 tackles and 5.5 sacks this season. For the ones supporting Babin’s release, his lack of run support is usually their primary defense But let’s look at the rest of the defensive line. Begin with Trent Cole, who is very close with Jason Babin (they often go hunting together during the offseason). Cole has been an Eagle since 2005 and is one of the most underrated linemen in the league, but this season he has totaled 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Brandon Graham, the breakout player earlier in this season who splits more time with Babin this year than last year? Fifteen tackles, 1.5 sacks. The interior line? Cullen Jenkins has 18 tackles on the season and 2 sacks. Rookie Fletcher Cox (a.k.a. Thor)? He currently seems to be the best lineman on the team, with just 29 tackles and 3 sacks.

The lack of production simply cannot be the answer, because no other lineman has outplayed Babin this season, with the exception of Fletcher Cox, who you could certainly put an argument up for. As a matter of fact, the Eagles rank 28th in the League in total sacks. I have never been one to single out players when the unit is the issue.

Babin started slow, but in the last few weeks he had been gaining consistency. His 3 sacks in the last four games compares favorably to his 2.5 sacks in his first seven games. A trivial move to release the man as he starts to get on a roll.

What if it was to send a message? What if the Eagles were simply trying to tell its players that “enough is enough”, and it’s time to kick it into high gear?

Not sure where to even begin with this. If you haven’t realized this, we haven’t been a good team at all this year. No one unit on this team has been playing well. The defensive line hasn’t been able to put pressure on anyone. Nnamdi Asomugha has been a pass interference magnet and an eye-rollingly frequent burn victim, while Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is the most penalized cornerback in the NFL. Rookie Mychal Kendricks is one of the least efficient linebackers in the League. The quarterback position, whoever is taking snaps, has been turnover-happy all year, Jeremy Maclin has been a non-factor the entire season while DeSean Jackson, though having a solid year (improving noticeably on his catch rate this season), has only caught two touchdown passes this season and was placed on IR promptly after the Monday night loss against the Panthers for injured ribs. The offensive line is beyond decimated and Andy Reid likes to let LeSean McCoy take unnecessary hits at the end of blowout victories.

In what way does “sending a message” through Jason Babin making any sense? If this was Nnamdi Asomugha we were discussing, a guy who has been the poster boy for the Eagles’ shortcoming since his first game repping Philadelphia, I would understand. If this was Andy Reid, the head coach of the team whose head people have been calling for this entire season, I would understand. If this was even Michael Vick (check out his fresh outfit, by the way!), this would be a moot point. However, I don’t see the effectiveness in sending a message by cutting Jason Babin when simply, there are a lot more options and significant players to choose from.

Please note that I want none of these players cut. Not before the end of the season, anyway.

The final suggestion for Babin being cut is to make room for the younger players, to give them more time in the rotation and show their stuff on the field. Vinny Curry, in his first start of the season, totaled five tackles against the Carolina Panthers. The Philly faithful have been waiting patiently for him to get his turn, especially with the defensive line looking nothing like their 2011 incarnation.

In that regard, I understand the move. The season is lost, and one would have to be in-denial to see the playoffs at the end of the regular season. The team may as well get young guys in, such as Vinny Curry, to show what they’ve got to finish out the season. Call it an extended preseason.

I would agree with that move, but why not bench Babin, or at least cut his time in the rotation? While keeping Babin in if the Eagles truly are out of any type of playoff contention seems pointless, it’s the timing of the matter that gets to me. In a point in the season where the team is in complete disarray, does releasing Jason Babin inspire any type of hope or assurance that the team knows what needs to happen for next season? I’m not sure. The entire act seems as if the Eagles are looking for a scapegoat, notable to the firing of Juan Castillo earlier in the year which has done nothing but backfire heavily. That firing was similar–showing up in the news almost randomly with no one being completely sure if it was a winning or even positive news. At the time, Castillo’s firing was dismissed as a jumpstart to the Eagles season. This move hasn’t been met with the same reception, but the similarities are too eerie.

To me, Merrill Reese (the voice of the Philadelphia Eagles, the team’s radio announcer since 1977) yelling out “and a sack by Jason Babin!” is the second-sweetest sound to hear, trailing only the “TOUCHDOWN!” exclamation by the same man. I’m going to miss it on Sundays, and I’m going to miss Jason Babin and his million-dollar smile even more.

If Babin truly is a scapegoat, and the Eagles do have a plan, it needs to show, quickly. The team is having trouble doing anything right, and this move doesn’t sit with me well enough to make me feel like this puts us on any road to get better.

BONUS: Jason Babin, Top 100 Players of 2012

Blue: Re:Thanks For Nothing

We just went over this just yesterday.

The bottom line? The Lions lose to the Houston Texans in the 2012 Thanksgiving Classic, 34-31 in overtime. While the score seems competitive on the surface, and indeed it was a premier game this season, a blow-for-blow, offensive explosion at Ford Field. But the real headline of this game, surprisingly, isn’t the two field goals that the Lions missed to seal the game.

No, it wasn’t a handshake gone awry, either. Come on, guys.

It’s the challenge flag that Jim Schwartz never threw.

Let’s rewind for a second. Due to to the new CBA agreement, all touchdowns are supposed to be reviewed.

What’s more, we found out last week that a coach who throws a challenge flag on a play that’s supposed to be reviewed anyway gets the flag. So when Mike Smith threw that challenge flag on that day, we all knew it was a mistake. But hey, the Falcons won (and won ugly), so who cares, right? Laugh it off, let it be a lesson for the other 31 coaches around the League.

Fast forward to today.

It turns out not all the coaches were paying attention to that game. So when Texans running back Justin Forsett scored on the longest run in Texans history, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz thought it was curious that a whistle wasn’t blown when Forsett’s knee and forearm appeared to hit the ground halfway through the run. It took little thought for Schwartz to flick his wrist and throw a challenge flag, bright and red as it is, far out so all the refs could see it.

Undoubtedly, he was confused when the referees threw a flag of their own back at him. Except theirs was yellow. A penalty flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, ruling the challenge that Schwartz called null and cancelling the review they were going to do anyway. Touchdown Texans, the score tightening up the 24-14 lead the Lions had and making it 24-21.

And later, the Lions would find a way to lose.

A video of the play can be viewed here.

The blame from the crowd went to the referees, of course (but after the replacement ref fiasco, I’m not sure if anyone would be in the right for questioning the calls of the real referees), but Schwartz was seen taking the blame for the act as he ran up and down the sideline apologizing to coaches and players alike for the mishap. Points for being a good sport, Schwartz.

The question in everyone’s mind is this: who, exactly to blame? Schwartz or the res for missing the call in the first place? I have to put the blame on Schwartz. Regardless of whether or not the referees called the original play correctly, the play would have definitely been reversed had the challenge flag never been thrown. Schwartz canceled his own challenge by challenging the play. Personally, I won’t fault the referees for that. I have too much respect for referees in all sports to use them as a scapegoat for why teams win and lose, and I also believe teams have too much control in the outcome of a game to allow a third-party “control” the outcome of the game. Yes, even here, where I’d like to argue that allowing eight sacks to your franchise QB isn’t the formula to winning however you want to look at it.

This is a game where Matt Stafford threw the ball 61 times, completing 31 passes for 441 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This is a game in which Calvin Johnson had amassed over 100 yards by halftime, where the Lions still gained 100 yards rushing, where Detroit forced two Houston turnovers. For all intents and purposes, the game would have likely been won in regulation as Houston slowed down more and more noticeably as the game wore on, Detroit suffering no such breaks in offensive action.

But this was also a game of missed opportunities. Driving freely as they had all game, Detroit tight end Brandon Pettigrew was stripped by defensive MVP candidate and Houston cornerback Danieal Manning in the opening possession in the extra period. Houston missed a field goal on its first possession in the extra period. The Lions would then end up punting in Houston territory, driving only 14 yards in 5 plays against a defense they had been tearing up all day. Matt Schaub would throw an interception on the next drive, giving Detroit the ball again. Detroit, again, could barely move the ball, gaining 16 yards to take a medium-length field goal attempt, but kicker Jason Hanson’s 47-yard field goal attempt bounced off the right field goal post and Houston would end the game on a field goal with 2:21 left for overtime.

Certainly, Detroit had the opportunities to win. But it was almost as if Detroit simply could not finish the game the way they needed to. A touchdown that should have never happened, however, was all the Texans needed give them enough fight to finish Detroit.

Whether or not it was an emotional action, a moment of forgetfulness, or whatever, Jim Schwartz’s actions screwed his own team over. And he knew that. It’s much too easy to blame the refs in pro sports, and much too easy to blame the refs here–or rather, too easy to not place the blame on Schwartz.

Houston coach Gary Kubiak wasn’t giving Schwartz any passes:

“A rule’s a rule,” Kubiak said. “I know one thing: You’ve got to keep your flag tucked in your pocket.”

Whatever the case, the Lions are 0-9 in their last nine Thanksgiving games, and this just goes down as another blunder for the Lions, and another “remember that time when…?” moment for Thanksgiving Day football.

Video: Top Ten Thanksgiving Moments: 10-6

Video: Top Ten Thanksgiving Moments: 5-1

Original Article: “Thanks For Nothing” by Synopsis

UPDATE: Mike Pereira, head of NFL officiating, tweeted this after the game: “rule is if the coach throws the flag before the Replay official initiates a review,the play cannot be reviewed. This will change.”

Blue: How Bad Can One Team Be?

25,000 Kansas City Chiefs fans wore black to Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in an effort to voice displeasure towards the team’s management.

We’d hope that they were mourning as well.

“Loren G. ‘Sam’ Lickteig passed away on Nov. 14, 2012 of complications from MS and heartbreaking disappointment caused by the Kansas City Chiefs football team”, or at least that’s what the obituary cites.

Yes, the story here is that the 1-9 Chiefs are so bad this year that a fan has died watching them.

That might be a lot to take in… if you’re not a Chiefs fan. The team’s faithful know all-too-well how bad their team has been playing this year: a quarterback situation in which neither quarterback is any good, a turnover rate which seems headed for historical highs, a defense that won’t stop anybody, and… this.

For their fans sanity and health, let’s all pray that the Chiefs win against the Browns on Sunday.

Blue: How to Lose in a Win

“We were trying to catch up and win the game,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said, when asked why LeSean McCoy was still in the game with under two minutes to go in a 34-6 blowout loss to the Washington Redskins.

“Football players play football” says Bill Belichick, commenting on the broken forearm that Rob Gronkowski suffered on special teams with 59 seconds left to go in a 59-24 win over the Colts. “You tell me which guys are going to get hurt and I’ll get them out of there.”

If there are a million ways to lose in a football game, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots re-discovered one in Week 11. Two extremely important pieces to each team’s offenses went down this week, late in meaningless parts of the game.s

Reid’s remarks may come off as smug to some, but the loss of LeSean McCoy has surely humbled him, if not other coaches around the League. McCoy, who is still being tested for the severity of his concussion (he looked pretty “out of there” when the video was shown of him on the sidelines, similar to the look Michael Vick had before it was revealed that his concussion would rule him out for an indefinite amount of time), is now part of a long list of disappointments by the 2012 Eagles, a team streaking for a top three pick in the upcoming draft who will surely see new faces all across the board next season.

As redundant as the loss of LeSean McCoy may seem in a season that had been lost weeks ago, the real story is the loss of Rob Gronkowski for the 7-3 Patriots, who have the AFC East in a chokehold once again and will likely make the playoffs regardless of the loss of Gronk. After all, the next best team in the division is 4-6 and only the Patriots, of the four teams, have a winning record in divisional play.

Robert Gronkowski is literally a freak of nature, a LeBron James of the NFL. At six-foot-seven, 275 pounds, Gronk is the most dangerous weapon in the NFL right now, and has limitless potential that is on track to send him galaxies past even the greatest tight ends, eclipsing the Kellen Winslows, the Tony Gonzalezes, the Shannon Sharpes with ease.

Don’t believe me? ESPN recently posted an article highlighting the sheer value of Rob Gronkowski.

– Gronkowski’s two touchdown on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts gave him 37 for his career, the third-most by any player in his first three seasons in NFL history. Only Randy Moss (43) and Jerry Rice (40) had more.

Gronkowski’s scores on Sunday extended his current streak of consecutive games with a touchdown to four.

– Grownkowski is the first tight end in NFL history to have at least 10 touchdown receptions in each of his first three NFL seasons.

– Gronkowski is one of three players in Patriots history to have three consecutive seasons with at least 10 touchdowns scored. The other two are Corey Dillon (2004 to 2006) and Randy Moss (2007 to 2009).

– Tom Brady was 7-for-7 for 137 yards and two touchdowns when targeting Gronkowski in Sunday’s rout.

– Gronkowski caught his only end-zone target Sunday, his fourth straight game with a touchdown on a pass into the end zone.

– Brady is 5-for-7 targeting Gronkowski in the end zone in his last four games after starting the season 2-for-6 on those throws in New England’s first six games.

On top of that, since last season, Gronkowski has been targeted in the end zone 29 times (ranks fourth in the NFL), caught 19 passes (ranks first in the NFL), dropped only one pass (tied for twelfth in the NFL), and dropped no passes (tied for first in the NFL). And this is without mentioning the numerous tight end and NFL records he holds at only 23 years old.

He is simply invaluable.

So invaluable, I’m guessing, that the Patriots decide game after game to keep him on the field goal unit on the last score of a merciless blowout victory over the Colts. Now while it is well-known that Belichick expects his players to play a full sixty-minutes, even in blowout victories or rare losses, and though it is not uncommon to see first-stringers on special teams, one thing will always remain unquestioned: winning masks everything, and although the Patriots won the game, the loss brings about a lot of questions and doubts about keeping Gronkowski in the game that late.

As a matter of fact, is there any reason why it has to be Gronkowski on special teams? The Patriots, more than anyone, have depth at tight end, packing four or five tight ends on their roster, and that may still be true if you do not include either Gronk or Aaron Hernandez. Gronk hasn’t necessarily been a force on special teams like Kellen Winslow (or LeBron James), so I would assume he hasn’t done much of anything on special teams besides stand there and be viable for injury.

As an Eagles fan, I had no idea why LeSean McCoy had been running the ball that late in the game, especially when backup Bryce Brown seemed to be carrying the majority of the load from beginning of the game anyway, especially in the second half. And I’m sure Patriots fans aren’t very pleased with the dark humor of Week 11, if that’s what you want to call it.

Gronkowski, having surgery today, is slated to miss four to six weeks, and luckily for the Patriots, he should be back in time for the playoffs. The Patriots, provided the path to the postseason is as easy as we expect it to be for them, may have dodged a bullet with the incredible timing of the injury, but if Super Bowl XLVI didn’t let them know before, they will soon find out that there is only one Rob Gronkowski, and the last thing you want is for him to be injured. And while everyone knows his value, it would be a sad story if the Patriots found out the importance of their tight end only after he’s on the sidelines.

Blue: The Meaning of a Handshake

Before Sunday’s game, questions surrounding the responsibilities of NFL players traveled throughout the League. Responsibility, in this moment, would specifically reference whether or not an athlete should be able to have the choice to play in a football game, even if his personal life comes into play.

Like a death in the family. Or child birth. 

This was the situation for Houston Texans cornerback Charles Tillman–to play  in the Sunday, November 11th Sunday Night Football Game against his former team or not to?

Those in support of Tillman’s decision to play despite his wife going possibly going into labor that day (or those who smiled dully, as they believed he should play anyway) should have been elated to see Tillman on the field that Sunday Night. And they probably were, until Jay Cutler threw an interception to former Chicago Bears and current Texans cornerback Danieal Manning late in the first quarter. 

Through the “not again!”‘s probably roaring from the crowd at Soldier Field, a number of people saw something they don’t like: a handshake.

Not just any handshake, mind you. A handshake from the opposing team. All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher took a moment to shake the hand of Danieal Manning as he took the field, and no Bears fan was happy about it.

Let’s jump to Urlacher’s comments on the criminal act:

“That was a nice play. I could give a crap about what people think on the street. Get mad at me all you want, I could give … I could give a crap about what people say. Danieal Manning is a friend of mine, he was a teammate for five or six years, and that’s the way it is. He made a catch and was running toward the sideline to say something to Coach, so I walked out there.

“The guy had a good game, he caused a fumble, had a pick. He’s my friend. I wish he wouldn’t have caught it, but he did, so nice play to you. I don’t give a crap about what fans or people say, they can kiss my butt. I don’t care.

“When the ball is snapped I want to tackle the other guy, the other team is my enemy. I don’t want any part of being a friend. I’m not going to take it easy on the guy when he catches the football and not try and hit him because he’s a friend of mine. It doesn’t happen. Take [former Bears and current Panthers tight end] Greg Olsen. If he catches the ball I’m going to try and (tackle him). He knows that, and he’s going to try and make me miss. And Greg is a good friend of mine as well.

“When the play is over, it’s over. It’s not like I have to go out there and be a jerk to him because it’s during the game and I’m a tough guy. That’s not the way it is. They’re my friends. Between the whistles I’m going to try and get them, and when the play is over we’ll go back to doing whatever.

“It’s just dumb that people think that. ‘Why did you help that guy up after you tackled him?’ Because I wanted to. What’s the big deal? ‘Butkus would have never done that.’ Well, I’m not Dick Butkus. I’m Brian Urlacher, and sometimes I help people up. Sorry if that (ticks) you off.”

While I do stand by the belief that neither Urlacher nor any player, has much business shaking the hand of an opponent during a game, this “handshake” and sportsmanship business has always been confusing and frustrating.

Like how it’s okay (and expected) to shake the hand of the opponent after every game–as long as you do it a certain way. And although it’s expected to shake the hand of the opponent, even after a bitter loss, it’s not okay to shake their hand before the game? 

General consensus says that shaking the opponent’s hand during the game is a no-no however you look at it, it seems Brian Urlacher, per his quotes above, isn’t interested in hearing the do’s and dont’s of a hand-shaking. 

The act in itself is split down the middle in terms of public perception of it. The usual go-to argument for shaking your opponent’s hand after the game is that it shows sportsmanship. Meanwhile, the opposition would state that your opponent is your opponent, and in the situation, you want no parts of shaking the hand of someone you just lost to, especially in brutal losses or important losses, such as a loss in the playoffs or a loss to keep you out of the playoffs (sorry, Dallas fans).

But honestly, instead of arguing an issue that will never be solved, why not simply kill the handshake in sports altogether? One cannot name too many more physical motions more simple than shaking another hand. However, this act has been a firestorm in sports forever. People not shaking hands, people shaking hands too hard, people shaking hands at the wrong time. Why let it continue to be an issue?

Instead of shaking hands, why don’t our players just fist-bump, or do the cool man-to-man head nod? Or a thumbs up. As a matter of fact, why doesn’t everyone just let handshakes go to rest?

How many times have you shaken the man of another just to land on an unwelcome sweaty palm? Or had been thrown aback after shaking a limp hand? Or missing out on a date because you crushed her father’s fingers with your own strong, brick-laying palms? 

There’s too much hassle. Too much thought and too many drawbacks involved in what used to be a simple act of kindness. 

But just know this: whatever you think about handshakes today, Brian Urlacher hasn’t cared since yesterday. Maybe we’re better off getting worked up over something a little more insignificant. 

The positive result in all of this? Charles Tillman welcomed a daughter into his family on Tuesday. I think we can all fist-bump happily to that. 

Blue: What is Andy Reid playing for?

The Dallas Cowboys may have pushed a quarterback off of the Philadelphia Eagles for the second time in twice as many seasons. 

At the end of the 2009 NFL regular season, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Eagles in rather dramatic fashion, shutting the birds out 24-0 to end the season. It had been another disappointing game for the Eagles that season, although the embarrassing loss in which quarterback Donovan McNabb could not move an offense which had otherwise been fluent all year long; their 28.6 points per game up until that point ranked third in the League, but the Cowboys had become a brick wall on that day. They would also be a brick wall the next week–the NFC Wildcard Round–where they would go on to defeat the Eagles 34-14 and eliminate them from the playoffs. Two losses in a row and being unable to move the offense was the last straw for the Eagles and McNabb, who had been becoming less and less of a fan-favorite since the Terrell Owens incident in 2004, and McNabb was later shipped to the Washington Redskins.

And again, it seems as if the Cowboys have ended an era in Philadelphia.

The 2009 playoff game versus the Dallas Cowboys would be one of two playoff games that Michael Vick would play in for the team, even hitting Jeremy Maclin on a long, beautiful touchdown throw. And after suffering an apparently severe concussion against the Cowboys on Sunday, he may have played his last regular season game for the team with rookie quarterback Nick Foles finally getting the chance to show his stuff after a year of clamoring from the fans to make a quarterback change. 

The 3-6 Philadelphia Eagles have gone through a season that can only be described as disappointing, and Michael Vick has been a headline for this team each week. A combination of a mass of turnovers by Vick (he has ranked at the top or near the top of the individual turnover list for most of the season now) as well as an offensive line that some are claiming are not even NFL-caliber, along with a red-zone-fearing and mistake-prone offense and a family member who took the liberty of tweeting some controversial comments will likely not be enough to sway the Eagles to retain Vick’s contract for 2013, as $3 million of the $15 million he is owed next year is guaranteed. The Eagles, true to their “in the shadows” demeanor when it comes to business transactions, have not made any comments on the situation, but no comments also means there has been no support from the organization. There must be an uneasy feeling behind those midnight green doors, as Andy Reid’s frequent uses of the word and phrases such as “today” and “right “now” regarding his answers regarding Michael Vick imply much less than stable job security.

Of course, the final decision of what to do with Michael Vick and Nick Foles lies with head coach Andy Reid. Then again, maybe it doesn’t, as Andy Reid is in a similar position to Vick. Full of capable players and individual talent, the Eagles have failed to translate their talent into wins, and have posted a record of 11-14 since Week 1 of 2011. In 2011, the team finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. Team owner Jeffrey Lurie, furious at his team, vindictively stated that 8-8 was entirely unacceptable for the Eagles franchise and “big changes” will come to the team after the 2012 if 8-8 befalls the team once again. Most feel that these comments are directed towards Andy Reid, the longest-tenured coach in the NFL at 14 years–and Michael Vick. And here we are, the team bee-lining for less than five wins, far from the bare minimum of eight wins set by Lurie. 

The season is all but lost; a slim chance to make the playoffs still exists, but then what? How far into the playoffs would the team have to go to satisfy Lurie? Could making the playoffs save Vick, save Reid, and save other Eagles players who, quietly, could be gone next year? Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie–the same names who were brought in to improve the team in the 2010-2011 offseason. 

So what does Reid do next? The choice of starting Vick versus Foles next week against the 3-6 Washington Redskins is not up to anyone on the team–Vick’s concussion is reported as serious and he will at least be held out for next week’s game. So now that Foles is all but starting in Washington this week, what about the week after? Reid’s job is on the line, and he hasn’t had a more disappointing season and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Is it worth it to try and compete for what’s left of the season? In 2009, Donovan McNabb suffered injuries as well and was replaced by then backup quarterback Kevin Kolb and came back into the lineup later that year. However, the Eagles then were in a much better position now, even if their situation wasn’t all that desirable. Reid is consistent in saying that the Eagles issues are fixable, but in two years and 25 games, they have not been fixed. 

Does Foles at QB change the season? Does Reid stick with his guy in Michael Vick if he’s healthy? But how important is it for Reid to develop Foles if he won’t be around to see his career unfold? 

These are the questions Reid will have to face, provided Vick is healthy enough for these questions to stay legitimate. Ask an Eagles fan, and the season is all but lost. Ask the players, and they’ll tell you that if there’s a will, there’s a way. Ask the coach, and he’ll tell assert that the necessary corrections will be made by the following week. But by the season’s end, the Foles era will have begun, with or without some of the key components of this current Michael Vick era. The question is “what’s next?” but the eeriest feeling in Philadelphia is that we all know where we’re going as we move forward, and the quarterback position isn’t even the biggest variable.