N.Y. Cosmos: Lost in San Francisco

From the desk of:  THE CONEY ISLAND SHIN KICKERS

SOCCER BOWL '17

N.Y. Cosmos    0

S.F. Deltas        2

New York Cosmos: Bid For Three-Peat Bogged Down By Deltas.

The New York Cosmos bid to win a third straight championship, and their fourth of the modern NASL era, ended in defeat Sunday night at San Francisco.

An improbable loss, considering the expansion San Francisco Deltas are now champions after their very first season of existence.  More so for Cosmos Country locals, considering the Cosmos finished the Spring session second in the league with 56 goals, then topped the Autumn session with 34 goals, yet fell to San Francisco two-nil.

They were made to play from behind early on.  San Francisco forward Tommy Heinemann converted a penalty kick at the 18:53 mark and the Deltas never looked back.  Frisco threatened again at the 59:40 mark when a centering pass was headed just wide/right of goal.  Then at 59:20, goalkeeper Jimmy Mauer made a huge stop from point blank range to keep the Cosmos within one.

New York forged ahead with fine chances inside the 76th and 77th minutes of play, but were ultimately turned away.

San Francisco sealed the victory with their second goal at the 4:38 mark of extra-time.  The game ending whistle sounded shortly thereafter.

*

The modern era NASL is a Division-II soccer league which began play in 2011, and has no affiliation with the original North American Soccer League.  Their desire to be sanctioned as a Division-I circuit compelled the NASL into taking issue against US Soccer over anti-trust matters.  In turn, US Soccer is now threatening to no longer sanction their Division-II status.  Barring a last minute agreement, the NASL appears under threat of folding.

N.Y. Giants: Big Blue Blight

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

Creatures of the Blue Lagoon

New York Giants: We've Arrived at the Pit of Misery.

Dilly, Dilly!

What more can the Chiefs, Skins, Raiders, Cowboys, Eagles, and Cardinals, possibly do to make this any worse?

Let the Giants win?  Pfft!  That would be a real kick in the posterior, wouldn't it?

When the New York Giants start a season 1-8 for the first time since 1980, in part by losing to the previously winless (0-9) San Francisco 49ers, you know your season has officially hit rock bottom.

Under Ray Perkins at least the Giants had already begun the process of deconstruction and reconstruction.  After recognizing the err of their (Wellington Mara's) ways, new general manager George Young began drafting the likes of Phil Simms, and Lawrence Taylor, and continued further resetting the organization's future course.

San Francisco likewise knows exactly where rock bottom is, but unlike the Giants, have already begun the process of putting these days behind them.  They presently have a locker room filled with high draft picks that before long will likely have the Niners playing competitive football again.

The Giants, however, are still a piano falling out of the sky.  It behooves them to finally acknowledge that they've arrived at the end of another long cycle, and that it's time for another reset.

That decision, however, can not come from general manager Jerry Reese.  He'll only continue spinning the team bus wheels in the mud; throwing bad money here, and wasting another draft pick there.

A new direction must be decided upon by John Mara, who was on hand for Sunday's game at Levi's Stadium watching his grandfather's and father's team lose in rather embarrassing fashion, again.

In consecutive weeks, the Giants have now faced arguably the best and worst teams in the NFL.  Yet, their performance from game to game deviated very little.

With a fairly equal amount of offensive opportunity, the Giants gained 374 total yards in 29:30 minutes of possession against the Rams, then gained 310 total yards in 31:00 minutes against the Niners.  The Rams on the other hand amassed 473 total yards in 30:30 minutes of possession, while the Niners similarly totaled 474 yards in 29:00 minutes.  Both teams would join to defeat the Giants by a combined 82-38 disparity.

The respective outcome of these last two games are not a coincidence.  The numbers scream indifference; apathy; defeatism.

Otherwise, the entire 2017 season has indeed been a Big Blue Blight.

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: First Half in the Big Easy Proves Difficult

From the desk  of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

FINAL

LIU        96

Tulane  102

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Derek Kellogg's first half as head coach ends in defeat.  Otherwise, the game went well?

Despite tipping off the regular season in the Big Easy, the way Derek Kellogg's first game transpired as head coach of the LIU Blackbirds resembled nothing of the kind.

By no means were the Blackbirds rattled in New Orleans.  Far from it.  I'm not one for handing out participation trophies, but the second half of this game was a tremendous positive upon which to build upon.  

I'll simply be categorizing Friday night's season opening 102-96 loss against the Tulane Green Wave as a lesson learned twenty minutes too late.  But a lesson learned nonetheless.

After LIU jumped out to an early 13-4 lead, Tulane outpaced the Blackbirds through the remaining opening session by a 48-25 margin.  That could be attributable to the Green Wave's first half advantage (25-14) on the boards over Brooklyn.  Tulane shot fifty percent (19/38) from the floor in the first session, but inflicted their real damage on forty-one percent (7/17) from beyond the three-point line.  Meanwhile, Brooklyn lagged behind, converting at forty-seven percent (16/34), but just thirty percent (3/10) from beyond the three-point line.  In truth, though, Tulane's second chance opportunities on the offensive boards were ultimately LIU's undoing.  

Tulane's commanding 52-38 lead at the half wound up being a 14-point deficit Derek Kellogg's unit would not overcome.

The Blackbirds, however, demonstrated throughout the second session that halftime adjustment were clearly made.  LIU stiffened up on the boards which helped them get off ten more FG attempts in the second half than did Tulane.  They elevated to fifty-two percent (22/42) from the floor, and were thirty-seven percent (6/16) from beyond the three.  Tulane shot a slightly better fifty-three percent from the floor (17/32), but, as noted, on ten less attempts than LIU.  Defensively, Brooklyn minimized Tulane to just 2/7 from beyond the three, and essentially outplayed the Tulane Green Wave throughout the second half by a 58-50 margin.

The Blackbirds trailed Tulane by 17 points midway through the second half, yet clawed all the way back to within two points of the Green Wave with 00:23 second left.  Unfortunately, 96-98 would be as close as they would get.  

LIU missed a pair of three-point attempts in the closing seconds, while Tulane converted a pair of free throws to go back up by four, then another pair to seal the six-point margin of victory with just 00:08 seconds left.

Ultimately, Brooklyn's play in the paint left something to be desired.  They were outscored 46-52 in the paint, but an overall 32-46 disparity in rebounds ultimately translated into a 17-2 disparity in second chance points.

The second half proved it didn't have to be that way.

PIGSKIN 2017: Week Ten

PIGSKIN

FOOTBALL SUNDAY

Week Ten

RESULTS

Week One 

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Week Five

Week Six

Week Seven

Week Eight

Week Nine

Scoreboard

Week Nine Record:  7-3-1

Overall Record:  48-62-3

Schmear of the Week:  4-5

Bagels in the Basket:  -20

1st and Ten

• Tennessee may not be first place much longer.  They're the only first place team to have more points against than points for.  Jacksonville is poised to take over the AFC South.
• How much longer can the Saints hold on to first place in the NFC South before Carolina takes over?
• The Browns and 49ers still lead the race for next year's #1 overall draft pick.
• The Eagles should waltz to an NFC East title now that Ezekiel Elliott is out for Dallas, just as Rams will put distance between them and the Seahawks now that Richard Sherman is out for the season.
• Bill Belichick's next victory places him in a tie for third place on the all-time coaching wins list with Tom Landry.

2nd and Long

• Legit Wild Card AFC: Bills, Titans/Jaguars.  The Outsiders: Raiders, Jets, Texans, Ravens.
• Legit Wild Card NFC: Cowboys, Saints/Panthers, Lions, Seahawks.  The Outsiders: Redskins, Falcons.

No Gain

• Sit down!  Ezekiel Elliott must begin serving his six week suspension post haste.
• Did I mention Richard Sherman?
• Bucs QB Jameis Winston got fined for POKING fun at Marshon Lattimore (Saints) last week which in turn ignited a sideline brawl.😂

PUNT!

• Ow, my retinas! 😱 Thursday night's lime green Seattle Seahawks uniforms were hideous.
• Kansas City Chiefs DT Roy Miller was arrested on domestic battery charges Saturday in Florida. Jerry Jones is already forming a coup d'etat against Roger Goodell over his handling of the Ezekiel Elliott matter.  So what's the commissioner gonna do now?  As Bart Scott once said - Can't Wait!

WEEK TEN

Friday Line ~ NYDN

Jets -2 1/2 (BUCS)

Welcome to the Lets Get Reacquainted Bowl: Fitzpatrick vs. McCown.  The Bucs are as bad as the Jets were predicted to be; the Jets are as good as the Bucs were supposed to be.
Loss  15-10 Bucs

Giants -2 1/2 (49ER)

As a Giants fan, I'm dying for them to lose.  But that might prove impossible against the 49ers.
Loss  31-21 Niners

Vikings -1 1/2 (D.C. HOGS)

Nice win by the Hogs last week.  No, really.  I mean it.
WIN  38-30 Vikings

BEARS -5 1/2 (Packers)

Packers are still too busy picking themselves up off the ground after last week's debacle against the Lions.  They've also demonstrated an inability to adapt their style in the absence of Aaron Rogers.
Loss  23-16 Packers

Steelers -10 (COLTS)

Andrew Luck is in Europe seeking treatment for his shoulder.  The rest of his team might as well join him.  Colts defense has allowed most points in the NFL.  Whatever discord, if any, that may have existed in the Steelers locker room, seems to have dissipated.
Loss  20-17 Steelers

Chargers +3 1/2 (JAGUARS)

This is going to be one of those NFL parity anomalies.  There's no way Philip Rivers should play well against Jacksonville's defense.  But that half-point keeps screaming at me, and I can't make it quiet down.
WIN  20-17 Jaguars  o.t.

TITANS -5 (Bengals)

The Bengals will bring all their dysfunction to Tennessee, and make the Titans offense look good.
Loss  24-20 Titans

BILLS +3 (Saints)

Typical market correction - the Bills aren't as bad as their performance against the Jets may indicate, nor are the Saints THAT good.
Loss  47-10 Saints

LIONS -11 1/2 (Browns)

There's nothing else to say other than, it's Cleveland.
WIN  38-24 Lions

RAMS -12 (Texans)

Unlike Cleveland, Houston's situation is just plain unfortunate.  Not comfortable laying this many points, but since it's the Rams I'll make an exception.
WIN  33-7 Rams

FALCONS -3 (Cowboys)

The Falcons are still an enigma.  The real question is, can Dak Prescott carry the Cowboys by himself now that Ezekiel Elliott is officially on suspension?  By the way, he'll have to do it without starting left tackle Tyron Smith.  Good luck with that.
WIN  27-7 Falcons

Patriots -7 1/2 (BRONCOS)

After allowing an average of 32 ppg in their first four games of the season, the Patriots have limited opponents to just 13 ppg over their last four games.  Oh, and the Patriots just signed Martellus Bennett.  Denver, meanwhile, has lost five of their last six games.
WIN  41-16 Patriots

Schmear of the Week:

Patriots -7 1/2

Guten Appetit

It's Autumn, baby!  A bit chilly and too close to Thanksgiving for anything crazy.  Soup and loaded grilled cheese sandwiches (for best results, get some exercise by going to the friggin' bakery, pick out some nice rolls, use provolone cheese, add some imagination, and press down hard).  Wash that down with a nice ginger ale, and you'll be mint.

Good luck, and have a great Football Sunday, everyone!


Post-Game
Week Ten Record:  6-6
Overall Record:  54-68-3
Schmear of the Week:  5-5
Bagels in the Basket:  -17

Veteran's Day Salute

With Great Reverence and Honor, 

I Salute My Fellow Veterans And Their Families

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE

My Unyielding Thoughts and Prayers Go Out To All The Men And Women; Fathers and Mothers; Sons and Daughters; Brothers and Sisters; Extended Families; Friends and Loved Ones; Serving In The Armed Forces of the United States of America Still In Harms Way.

ALL THE WAY!

Fort Hamilton

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

The Prison Ship Martyrs Monument

Fort Green Park, Brooklyn

BATTLE of BROOKLYN

Atlantic Avenue at Court Street 

OLD STONE HOUSE

Park Slope

 THE MARYLAND 400

Ninth Street at Third Avenue

FULTON LANDING

Tarrytown, New York

Soldiers of the American Revolution

Spanish American War 1898

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

TO THE DEFENDERS OF THE UNION 1861-1865

Grand Army Plaza

GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT MEMORIAL

Bedford Avenue

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE DOVER PATROL 

1914 - 1919

Memorial to American Naval Forces

In Honor of John Paul Jones

Father of the U.S. Navy

INTREPID MUSEUM

NYC

WORLD WAR I MONUMENT

Carroll Park, Brooklyn

WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL

Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn

WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL
Tarrytown, New York

KOREAN WAR VETERANS PLAZA

Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn

Korean War and Vietnam War Memorials

Tarrytown, New York

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

United States Marine Corp

November 10, 1775

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Derek Kellogg Era Begins Now

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

FRIDAY

LIU Blackbirds

vs.

Tulane Green Wave

FROM

The Big Easy

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Meet the New Boss ...

After spending nearly a decade in the Atlantic 10 Conference piloting the University of Massachusetts, Derek Kellogg will begin his first season in the Northeast Conference as head coach of the Blackbirds when LIU/Brooklyn tips off in New Orleans against the Tulane Green Wave Friday evening.

LIU notified former head coach Jack Perri back in March his contract which was due to expire in August would not be renewed.

Perri served the program for five seasons after taking over for long-time coach Jim Ferry, whom accepted the position of head coach with Duquesne University in 2012 after leading LIU to back-to-back NEC titles.  Then assistant coach Jack Perri was promoted, and guided the Blackbirds to a record third straight NEC title in 2012-2013, earning the program yet another trip to the NCAA tournament.

Not unexpectedly, the program suffered a precipitous falloff in each of their next two seasons.  Coming off a 20-14 season, the Blackbirds stumbled to 9-20 overall, and just 4-12 in the conference. They were only marginally better in 2014-2015, posting a 12-18 record, with an 8-10 conference record.

The Blackbirds continued making incremental progress through 2015-2016, climbing back over .500 with a 16-15 overall record, and a par 9-9 record against the conference.

LIU had seemingly come full circle last season under Jack Perri with a 20-12 overall record, and a 13-5 conference record.  However, they would unfortunately suffer a gut wrenching first round elimination in the NEC tournament, losing by a point (68-69) to seventh-seeded Robert Morris University.

It was a rather unceremonious end to Perri's tenure considering how he reset the program.  He leaves with a 77-79 record as head coach.  To keep that in context, Jim Ferry was 150-149 during his ten seasons coaching the Blackbirds.

Derek Kellogg is now charged with elevating the LIU Blackbirds to higher ground, and there's evidence which suggests he can.

Coming off a 27-11 record in 2007-2008 under outgoing coach Travis Ford (who accepted the head coaching position Oklahoma State), the Minutemen's winning percentage dwindled to .406 during Kellogg's first two seasons as coach.  The program climbed back over .500 in 2010-2011 with a 16-15 overall record.

By 2011-2012, however, the Minutemen were enjoying their best season under Derek Kellogg, finishing with a 25-12 record.  They topped 20 victories again in 2012-2013, and in 2013-2014, the Minutemen went 24-9, qualifying them for their first NCAA tournament appearance in 16 years.

They've been down trending since then, averaging just 15 victories over their last three seasons precipitating the University of Massachusetts to move in a different direction.

Within a month of his dismissal, LIU was announcing Derek Kellogg as the Blackbirds new head coach.

LIU's conference schedule begins Dec. 29 against Fairleigh Dickinson University.

They will play two mid-December games at Barclays Center against Fairfield University, and Saint Peter's University, and get their first crack at the defending NEC champions on Dec. 31, when they host Mount St. Mary's at the Steinberg Wellness Center.

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds Schedule

N.Y. Knicks: The New Alpha Claims His Turf

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

Welcome To The House of Kristaps

New York Knicks: There's a New Ball Hog in Town, and His Name is Kristaps Porzingis.

I'm not a big fan of playing people out of position.

The Knicks demonstrated over the course of the previous two seasons that having two feature power forwards and only one ball was problematic.  But that goes for any team.  There can only be one alpha at any position.

That's why I call this season a perfect example of addition by subtraction.

Do you think that if Carmelo Anthony were still here, Kristaps Porzingis would be scoring the way he's been through the first nine games of the season?

I don't.

Over his last two seasons with the Knicks, Melo averaged 22.1 points, and 6.8 rebounds, in 34.7 minutes per game.  As a rookie and sophomore, Porzingis averaged 16.2 points, and 7.25 rebounds, in 30.6 minutes per game.

Melo is presently averaging 20.6 points through nine games for Oklahoma City, with 5.7 rebounds, in 32.2 mpg.  Those stats come with a grain of salt, of course, as Melo is now 33 years old, and is surrounded by a new and superior supporting cast.  Therefore, he is not being required to carry as much of a load as was necessary here in New York.

But now that Kristaps is out from Melo's shadow, he is averaging 30.2 points this season, with 7.8 rebounds in 33.4 minutes per game.

Moreover, Melo has averaged seven-plus rebounds for a season five times in his 14-year career, but not since the 2010-2011 season.  During that season, he averaged 7.6 rebounds in 50 games for the Denver Nuggets, but slipped to 6.7 rebounds in his final 27 games of the season playing with the Knicks.

Kristaps Porzingis, now in his third year, has consistently averaged seven plus rebounds throughout his 147 game career with the Knicks.

Still only 22-years old, Kristaps is perhaps the only thing Phil Jackson did right prior to receiving his separation papers (although Frank Ntilikina looks promising).  We know the truth, though, how Pozingis really fell into Jackson's lap at #4 overall in the 2015 draft.  And in truth, some Knicks fans weren't all that thrilled at the time with the selection.

Just goes to show even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while.

Nuts, however, is a good way to describe the atmosphere this season at Madison Square Garden.  Look no further than at the Latvian Nightmare as the main reason why.

A week ago today, Porzingis dropped 38 points on the Denver Nuggets, then one-upped himself with a career high 40 points against the Pacers at the Garden on Sunday.

Porzingis has now scored 30-points or better in seven of the Knicks first nine games of the season.

The team is off to a 5-4 start, but are 5-2 when Kristaps tops 30 points, and 0-2 in the games he has not.

That could spell trouble down the line.

Just not tonight.


UPDATE: Per SNY-TV

Most points to start first nine games of season:

• Kristaps Porzingis 272 (2017)
• Bernard King 264 (1984)
• Patrick Ewing 261 (1989)
• Willis Reed 243 (1967)
• Patrick Ewing 241 (1990)
• Carmelo Anthony 239 (2011)

N.Y. Giants: Epic Fail

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

HOUSE OF HORROR

FINAL

Rams    51

Giants   17

New York Giants: The Defense Rests ...

According to every outlet 😞😞😞 Sunday's loss to the Rams was the third worst defeat in New York Giants history.  They allowed the most points at home since (1964) before I was born.  And it's the first time they've started a season with a 1-7 record since 1980 - under head coach Ray Perkins, which by the way I remember very well.

In fact, I started rooting for the Giants when Rams head coach Sean McVay's grandfather, John, still coached the New York Giants in the mid 1970s.

As a life long Giants fan, I feel what John McVay's grandson and the Los Angeles Rams did to them Sunday at Met Life was flat out embarrassing.  What a gutless performance.

It's not like the Rams possessed the ball for forty-five minutes.  Both teams shared the ball fairly equally.  Yet, the Rams outscored the Giants by 34 points on their way to a 51-17 rout.

No one expected anything good coming out of Sunday's game considering suspensions to DRC and Janoris Jenkins, and injuries sidelining linebackers B.J. Goodson, Jonathan Casillas, and defensive end Olivier Vernon.

The effort was nevertheless a fail on all fronts.  Jared Goff threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns.  Some of that can be attributed to the Giants disciplinary situation in their secondary.  But allowing the Rams to score on 3rd and 33, off bubble screen, was inexcusable. 

Moreover, the Giants generated no sacks, and only touched Goff twice all game.

Throw in 162 yards and two touchdowns allowed on the ground.

Fail.

The Giants headed into the tunnel trailing 27-10 at half-time.  Whatever adjustments were made didn't work, because the Giants gave up another 21 points in the third quarter.

When McAdoo was asked about halftime adjustments, the Giants head coach has no answer.

Fail.

After the game, Coach McAdoo says he'll consider benching Eli Manning for sake of gaining a glimpse into the future potential of back-up Davis Webb.

Head coaching ...

Fail.

Jerry Reese ...

Epic fail.

N.Y. Giants: Ben McAdoo's Few Known Allies Slowly Stepping Forward

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

Getting by despite a lack of good friends; 

Oooo! Gonna try despite a lack of good friends.

New York Giants: Ben McAdoo Still Short On Friends Backing His Cause; Hard Building a Winning Culture Without Them.

Losing seems to bring out the worst in teams.  The Giants are no different. 

Adversity reveals just how weak or strong the ties that bind really are.

For sake of regurgitation, I refuse letting go of Coach McAdoo's early season criticisms directed at Eli Manning.  That was him talking out of his posterior, and just plain absurd.  I interpret his picking on a Super Bowl MVP caliber quarterback as a measured attempt at being a tough guy, which clearly didn't work.

Coach McAdoo then made a clear distinction between breaking team rules, and conduct detrimental to the team.  In the sense that only one of the aforementioned infractions results in disciplinary action.  He felt it necessary to suspend corner backs Dominique Rogers Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins for the former infraction, and I've been agreeable with that.  But with regards to the latter infraction, every one of Odell Beckham Jr.'s acts of high jinks and mayhem garnered nary a single word, and that's where he loses me.

Two head coaches have now turned a blind eye towards Beckham, which in my opinion flies in the face of command and control.

Tom Coughlin, though, had already reformed an Animal House culture left behind by Jim Fassell, and had already purged the malcontents, and had already won a pair of rings, way before Beckham's arrival in East Rutherford.  To be fair, Coughlin's demise as well as McAdoo's present malaise, can be attributed in part to Jerry Reese's increasingly glaring shortcomings as general manager.  Point being, however, Coughlin established a track record before his situation drew closer to conclusion.

So where are we with Ben McAdoo?  Sunday marks his 24th game as head coach of the Giants, and he's still trying to establish command and control.  Sure, he's dropping the hammer now.  But what if Odell were still playing?  That's why I believe the Giants present condition is worse than meets the eye.

That being said, Landon Collins flatly says everyone still respects Coach McAdoo. 

Jonathan Casillas took it a step further by speaking for Coach McAdoo, in reiterating how breaking rules brings consequences.  Casillas didn't stop there, and for the moment, appears to be McAdoo's biggest supporter.

Now more than ever, Ben McAdoo needs more leadership in the clubhouse backing his cause.  He seems short on allies for the moment.  And it's hard building a winning culture without them.

Eli and JPP strike me as being on the fence.  Both are without a doubt influential figures in the locker room.  But do they truly have McAdoo's back like they did Coughlin?

Bill Parcells most definitely had his clique of players, and so did his defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, for the matter.  Jim Fassell had his clique he could always turn to (even though they were a bunch of knuckleheads).  Coughlin cultivated his own clique as well.

Ben McAdoo's social club remains open to all comers, but very few seem to be rushing in.



*Google image/15minutenews.com

PIGSKIN 2017: Week Nine

PIGSKIN

FOOTBALL SUNDAY

Week Nine

RESULTS

Week One 

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Week Five

Week Six

Week Seven

Week Eight

Scoreboard
Week Eight Record:  6-5
Overall Record:  41-59-2
Schmear of the Week:  4-4

Bagels in the Basket:  -20


1st and Ten

• The Eagles boast an NFL best 7-1 record, and lead the Eastern Conference with 232 points.  Hard not to view the Chiefs vs. Eagles as some sort of sneak peek for some very important game.
• Don't look now, but four straight wins has the Seattle Seahawks tied for first place, again.

2nd and Long

• Guru, Guru, on the wall, who is the worst second place team of them all?  That would be Denver, the only one of eight second place teams with a losing record.
• The Houston Texans suffered their second season ending injury at a key position; the premier position; when quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a torn ACL in practice.

No Gain

• Roger Goodell's contract is up for renewal.  This Ezekiel Elliott thing is yet another matter flying in the face of his supposed authority.  He makes Tammany Hall look good.  Jerry Jones is even turning against him.
• Let me get this right ... the Cleveland Browns negotiate a trade acquiring quarterback AJ McCarron from the Cincinnati Bengals, but failed to file the accompanying documents by the deadline, because the front office was too busy partying?
• No London game this week; what a tease.

PUNT!

• Andrew Luck's back-up - Indianapolis' offensive line couldn't even prevent a mailbox from hitting the quarterback.
• If there's anything in these emails and text messages certain owners are now forced to surrender revealing collusion practices directed at Colin Kaepernick, the entire league will be so screwed.  That said, would it surprise anyone if the powers that be do in fact find something incriminating?  Stay tuned.

WEEK EIGHT
Friday Line ~ NYDN

Rams -3 (GIANTS)
The Giants will be playing minus two starting offensive linemen and two suspended corner backs, and playing with two inconsequential wide receivers.  If Eli, tight end Evan Engram, and Orleans Darkwa, call run up the score all by themselves without the help of the other eight guys, more power to em.  Did I mention the Rams are second in the conference, and fourth in the NFL in points scored, and allowed the fifth least points?  How the hell do you think this will go?
WIN  51-17 Rams

EAGLES -7 1/2 (Broncos)
Only mystery here is the Broncos; what happened?  In any event, they won't have things figured out by Sunday.  The Eagles will make sure of that.
WIN  51-23 Eagles

SAINTS -7 (Bucs)
The Bucs have been nothing short of disappointing.  The Saints have won five in a row and are home in the Dome.
WIN  30-10 Saints

JAGUARS -5 (Bengals)
The Bengals are so determined to get Marvin Lewis fired.  Two of their three disappointing wins came against the Browns and Colts.  I wouldn't let that get around if I were them.  Only their stingy defense has allowed them to loiter around this long.  Jacksonville's D has been even stingier.  Only they've either beaten questionable opponents, or underachieved against other questionable opponents.  Get my drift?  They have less problems scoring than Cincy, though.
WIN  23-7 Jaguars

PANTHERS +1 (Falcons)
Two sputtering teams facing off in a division game.  One team's quarterback is growing increasingly angry with himself, while the other team's QB is getting increasingly angrier with the world.  Be angry and take the point.
WIN  20-17 Panthers

TEXANS -7 (Colts)
Despite losing a second key player to season ending injury, the Texans are still equipped to outperform the Colts who are without their one star player.
Loss  20-14 Colts

Ravens +3 1/2 (TITANS)
Any team losing to the Dolphins smells fishy to me.  Titans also own unimpressive wins over Cleveland and the Colts.  They're not playing the way I thought they would be.  If the Ravens have taught us anything this season, it's that they're not going away with out a fight.
WIN  23-20 Titans

Cardinals -2 (49ERS)
Despite acquiring Jimmy Garappolo, the 49ers will not be winning their first game of the season.  Not yet.  Maybe within the next two weeks.  This is the Cardinals one week to feel good about themselves again.  Then its back to the Pit of Misery!  Dilly!  Dilly!
WIN  20-10 Cardinals

SEAHAWKS -7 (D.C. Hogs)
Right on schedule, look who is in first place, again!  The Hogs are reeling, losers of two straight against division rivals Philly and Dallas.  In fact, it was their second loss against the Eagles, and they also lost to the Chiefs.  That makes the Hogs a second tier outfit.
Loss  17-14 Hogs

Chiefs PK (COWBOYS)
Ezekiel doesn't even figure into my thinking.  With or without him, this pick is based on strength of schedule.  Dallas claims dubious victories over the awful Giants, struggling Cardinals, the 0-8 49ers, and the reeling Hogs.  They lost to the Rams, Broncos, and the Packers with Aaron Rogers.  The Chiefs have thus far defeated the Patriots, Eagles, Hogs, Texans, Chargers and Broncos.  Alex Smith is an under-rated QB; always has been.  He won't balk under pressure.  That's not to say Dak Prescott will.  Great match-up.
Loss  28-17 Cowboys

Raiders -3 (DOLPHINS)
The Raiders are coming off a loss to Buffalo, who themselves recently lost to the Jets on Thursday night.  Marshawn Lynch is back from suspension.  Perhaps he and Derek Carr together can get the Raiders moving in the right direction again.  Miami has been shut out twice this season, yet enter the game with a 4-3 record, with wins over the Falcons, Jets, Chargers, and Titans.  Damn sea mammals.  Stay away from this game.
PUSH  27-24 Raiders


Schmear of the Week:  (4-4)
Texans -7
LOSS


Guten Appetit
I call this one Pre-Holiday Jambalaya - when I try wiping out everything possible in the fridge and freezer prior to holiday food shopping.


Good luck, and have a great Football Sunday, everyone!


Post-Game
Week Nine Record:  7-3-1
Overall Record:  48-62-3
Schmear of the Week:  4-5
Bagels in the Basket:  -20

Brooklyn Nets: Cheating Themselves For A Worthy Cause

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Just not on defense ...

FRIDAY FINAL

Nets       112

Lakers   124

Brooklyn Nets: Not necessarily in last place with a 3-6 record because they're rebuilding.  They're propping up the Atlantic Division because their defensive effort is grossly inadequate.

Brook Lopez Notches Double-Double in First Ever Game Against Former Team

C'mon ... who checked to see if they were tuned into the correct channel for Friday night's game?

Be honest.

If you were paying attention with two ears and one eye like I was, the opening tip between Brook Lopez and Timofey Mozgov sounded like an NBA Channel highlight reel from the 2010-2011 season.

Times have certainly changed since then, haven't they?

This wasn't Lopez and the New Jersey Nets crossing the Hudson River seven years ago playing Mozgov and the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.  Even the thought of Lopez and the Nets taking on Timofey Mozgov and D'Angelo Russell in Los Angeles is so last year.

That's because Nets general manager Sean Marks traded Brook Lopez (and Brooklyn's 2017 27th overall pick) this past summer to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for the locally familiar Timofey Mozgov and third year guard D'Angelo Russell.

Within seconds after tipping-off his first ever game against the Nets, Brook Lopez, the team's all-time leader in blocked shots, was turning back Caris LeVert on Brooklyn's first field goal attempt of the game.

Just over a minute later, D'Angelo Russell scored Brooklyn's first field goal of the game up and over a yielding Brook Lopez.

So went the opening sequence in what both teams hope over time will become more meaningful confrontations to come.

For now, they each have their respective work cut out for them.

Brook Lopez, the NJ/BK Nets all-time scoring leader with 10,444 points, topped all scorers with 34 points, and grabbed ten rebounds in leading the post-Kobe Bryant Lakers over the Nets by a 124-112 final score Friday night at the Staples Center.  Lopez is also the first Lakers player to drop 30+ points since Kobe Bryant retired.

Despite tying D'Angelo Russell with a game high seven assists, rookie Lonzo Ball continues disappointing from the field, converting on just 3/15 attempts, and 0/3 from three point range.

Making his first NBA start, forward Kyle Kuzma, whom Los Angeles selected with the #1 pick acquired from Brooklyn as part of the Lopez/Russell trade, led all players with 13 boards.  Brandon Ingram made it three Lakers in double-digits with ten boards, as the Lakers easily out-rebounded the Nets by a 57-43 margin.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the Nets with 21 points, playing a team high 37 minutes.  Mozgov, by the way, was 2/4 from the field and converted one free throw in 16 minutes.

Be it Nets fans watching at home, and/or Lakers fans at home and in attendance, all eyes were invariably on guard D'Angelo Russell.  Magic Johnson took some parting shots at the Lakers former #2 overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft.  Although the head Laker in charge extolled Russell's physical talents, Magic said (paraphrasing) he needs a leader and someone who will make Lakers players around him better.

Tough words.

I ponder whether Magic Johnson erred in his assessment of Russell simply by making himself the measure of all Lakers guards.  The great ones tend to do that as executives (eh hem ... Wayne Gretzky; Michael Jordan, etc.).

In any event, good luck ballin' with Lonzo, guys.

I happen to believe Sean Marks engineered a fine trade.

D'Angelo Russell, who turns 22-years old in February, slashed 17 points/seven assists/seven rebounds in 35 minutes.  Perhaps not the greatest revenge game of all-time, but as the hook player in the trade with Los Angeles, I'll gladly take my chances with his potential.

The Nets are presently depleted by injuries.  No denying that.  But they still managed 112 points against the Lakers.  In fact, Friday's game marks the eighth time in nine games to date in which they've topped 100 points.  The only time they failed to do so came on Oct. 27, during a 107-86 loss against the Knicks.  Otherwise, the Brooklyn Nets are presently second in the league in scoring, averaging 114 points per game.

They're also middle of the pack in limiting offensive turnovers, and are twelfth in the league in rebounds per game.

But what good is all that if they're giving up a league leading 119 points and 50 rebounds per game?

What ails this team is seemingly not something necessarily inherent with rebuilding.  In simplest terms, it's poor effort, and damn lack of overall defense.  I'm obviously not breaking new ground here.  It's been discussed, and painfully clear to see.  Coach has previously called his team out on this very issue.

Unfortunately D'Angelo Russell has earned a similar reputation, defensively speaking, and we're beginning to understand why.

Coach Atkinson can drill this team all he wants, but they collectively must want to play defense first.  Effort is the one thing teams can control on a night-in, night-out basis.  So far, other complimentary aspects of the Nets game for the most part have been otherwise present.

In the mean time, the Nets are cheating themselves.  Only this might actually get them somewhere instead of Boston for a change in next year's NBA draft.

Lest we forget, the league office doesn't appreciate when the term tanking is applied to rebuilding organizations.