SSM after dark! Some late night sports poetry to send you into your week.
We’ve crowned a new champ, The Lakers have won LeBron, AD, and the squad made sure The Heat were done With the win comes the end of the NBA bubble King James lead the way with a series winning triple double
Huge comeback story in the NFL Alex Smith is back, that’s a buy, not a sell Even if his team lost, him being back was a great scene A rare feel good story for The Washington Football Team
Opposite Alex Smith, poor Dak Prescott His seasons over, and the ankle’s shot If you haven’t seen the video, I would suggest not The pressure on Jerry Jones now has to feel quite hot
Moving on to the MLB The bracket’s down to four teams to see Who will take home the World Series Trophy Since it won’t be The Cubs, it doesn’t matter to me
Sunday evening: a time to sit back, reflect on your weekend, and read this week’s SSM.
The NBA Finals is in full swing The Heat are decimated, The Lakers are getting the ring It probably was always going to end this way With only Jimmy Butler for Miami, and LeBron and AD for LA
The MLB playoffs have advanced a round Only half of the playoff teams are left and still taking the mound It is a bit sad, that we won’t have a chance For a Cubs/White Sox World Series, since neither advanced
Russell Wilson continues to be In this blogger’s opinion, NFL MVP He balled out again today, carved Miami with a knife and fork Don’t think we forgot though, he’s still a dork
The big NFL story, another COVID outbreak Cam Newton tested positive, a sad truth to take The cases are clearly rising in the NFL I think we all wish this virus would just go to hell
The Titans beat the Vikings 31-30 on Sunday. The win took Tennessee to 3-0 on the year, and dropped the Vikings to 0-3. The result wasn’t exactly the story:
The #Titans had three new player positives and five new personnel positives for COVID-19, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. Both Titans and Vikings, who hosted them Sunday, will suspend in person club activities starting today.
This is the first outbreak we’ve seen since the NFL came back three weeks ago. According to the AP, three Titans players and five personnel tested positive for the coronavirus (as of now). Both teams will completely shut down for the foreseeable future. Of course the Titans with the positive tests, and correctly the Vikings due to being in close proximity to the Titans.
The most important thing here is that thus far everyone is safe. As long as that’s the case, the next thing you worry about is the schedule & season getting totally wrecked. The Steelers are scheduled to come to Nashville to play the Titans this coming Sunday. The Vikings are supposed to go on the road to play the Texans.
With the prototypical quarantine period being 14 days, this could absolutely muck up the NFL season moving forward. Unlike baseball, you can’t really squeeze any double headers in a day, let alone a week. Stretching this out a bit, you start to think how this would effect playoff seedings if teams end up not playing the same number of games, the spider web of contact tracing if the Titans and Vikings continue to play, etc.
This was a gamble that the NFL, and honestly all sports, took when deciding to come back when they did. I would hope Roger Godell and the big brains running the show out of the NFL’s headquarters in Manhattan have a safe and logical back up plan to make sure the season can safely move forward.
A truly wild story came out about Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor today. After coming out and warming up for their game on Sunday against the Chiefs, Taylor did not start the game. Rookie Justin Herbert made his NFL debut against the defending Super Bowl champions. This absence was simply not explained, only with the Chargers releasing an injury report stating Taylor had a chest injury.
Well…today we found out exactly what went down:
The Chargers’ team doctor accidentally punctured his own quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s lung just before kickoff Sunday while trying to administer a pain-killing injection to the quarterback’s cracked ribs, league and team sources told ESPN.
This is point blank ridiculous. A real stab in the heart. How does this team doctor implant himself into the Chargers staff, insert his medical “skills,” and almost kill the team’s starting quarterback?!
This doctor seems like a real prick. He needled his way into the position, had his shot, and administered a total screw up into Taylor’s lung. His forced administration of medical malfeasance can not stand, the team must interject.
A real skin crawling, forced issue for the Chargers and NFL. I truly hope this issue isn’t pushed aside, and that it causes all of us to shoot up and realize the importance of legitimate medical professionals to ensure the safety of our athletes. Feel better, Tyrod, and don’t be afraid to inject yourself into righting this wrong.
Wow…what a week in sports. Let’s dive into it with this week’s Sunday State of Mind.
Hate to say it, but you already know Your new US Open Champion, Bryson DeChambeau Took the trophy home today at Winged Foot He may be a dork, but can’t argue with his output
Huge injuries came in the NFL McCaffrey and Saquon, dammit to hell McCaffrey may be OK, but the Giants fear That Saquon will be done for the year
Justin Verlander announced that he is gone The old righty said he needs Tommy John Three no hitters, two Cy Youngs and a World Series ring In the world of pitching, Verlander was a king
The Miami Heat continue to cause trouble They’re the biggest story of the NBA bubble Two wins away from the NBA Finals Winning with defense and ball movement, old school like vinyl
The big 100! You’re a centenarian, NFL. You’ve lived through it all; world wars, the moon landing, even the 2012 Mayan calendar panic. You’ve also done an admiral job handling your league with social unrest and the pandemic that has ravaged 2020.
For such a big birthday, a present or two should be in order, right? For a league that makes around $16 billion dollars a year, you can’t really throw a $50 bill in a card and call it a day. A new pair of socks is out of the question, since the league is oddly obsessed with particulars when it comes to that specific piece of gear.
So what do you get someone who has everything? We’ve got some ideas.
Two Game Preseason
Listen, I know the preseason is important. Guys get their chance to shine (I see you Victor Cruz), you get some live action to further install your playbook, and for the real degenerates out there (I would never) it’s your first taste of NFL betting for the year.
But do we need four games? You’ve got injury concerns, boring games, and by the fourth week, everyone’s simply ready for regular season Week One.
I would even accept three games, preferably two, to get my preseason fix. Trim the preseason fat NFL, we’ll all be better off.
A New Way to Challenge Plays
As we all know, each team gets two challenges per game, with a third awarded if the first two are successful.
There has to be a better way for coaches to initiate this process.
We all love Andy Reid, but do we want to be enjoying our game knowing he has a sweaty handkerchief stuffed only God knows where on his body at all times?
I propose a buzzer, or even a simple yell over to the referee about challenging a play. Get it done, NFL.
Monday Night Football Double Headers
Last week, as with the past few year’s Week One NFL slates, we got two Monday Night Football games. We saw a Steelers win over the Giants in the opener, and the Titans beat the Broncos in game two of the night.
So…why aren’t we always doing this? We got football starting at 6PM here in Central Standard Time, that didn’t end until well past midnight.
The theme song of my argument here is the late 90’s country hit “Too Much Fun” by Daryle Singletary. Too much fun, what’s that mean? It’s like too much money, there’s no such thing.
Happy birthday again, NFL. We hope you enjoy your day. We have given you the precious gift of our brain power to improve what is already quite an entertaining product. Now, let’s enjoy the product NFL has so graciously given us on their birthday, which somehow is the Browns vs. Bengals tonight.
Football. Is. Back. Enjoy this week’s SSM dedicated solely to the NFL’s return.
Texans and Chiefs, Thursday night Football is back, no need to fright Patrick Mahomes picked up right where he left off So happy to see the NFL kickoff
Bears and Lions, Matt and Mitch Football’s back, our scratch is itched Three fourth quarter Trubisky touchdowns Bears fans quickly changed to smiles from frowns
Seahawks and Falcons, offensive show Both teams came out and let us know Both teams are fine wines, and popped their corks Russell Wilson won it, and is still a dork
Jets and Bills, breaking news Jets fans better start chugging their booze Brand new season, but same results Unfortunate roster, full of football dolts
Packers and Vikings, guess who’s back Aaron Rodgers came on in a full blown attack Dalvin Cook, first game after signing a new deal Low scrimmage yards but two scores, guy’s the real deal
Dolphins and Patriots, no more TB12 But Cam Newton’s talents, did New England delve Fins didn’t look great, have to knock off some grime Sooner rather than later, it will be Tua time
Eagles and Washington, the football team Philly started out hot, it seemed like a dream But Washington came back and got the win Eagles not made of metal, seem more like tin
Raiders and Panthers, down in Charlotte High scoring game, offenses moving a bit Raiders got a tough win on the road Three tuddys for Josh Jacobs, guy was ready to explode
Colts and Jags, AFC South Jacksonville came out and hit the Colts in the mouth Only one incompletion for Gardner Minshew Tough L for Phil Rivers, his first game in Colts blue
Browns and Ravens, the MVP Lamar Looks like he’ll take Baltimore, again pretty far Baltimore said let’s go out and wreck ‘em The end of a shitty week for Odell Beckham
Chargers and Bengals, Joe Burrow time First over all pick, he looked just fine Chargers won though, lead by Tyrod Taylor Plenty of future Burrow wins, guy’s not a failure
Cardinals and 49ers, battle in the Bay DeAndre Hopkins came to play Fourteen catches, 150+ yards Great week one road win for the Arizona Cards
Buccaneers and Saints, Brady and Brees Two future Hall of Famers, yes please The Saints won at home this time around Tom and Drew, round two, week eight, how’s that sound?
Cowboys and Rams on Sunday night The end of a great Sunday, it just felt right New stadium for LA and they started with a win No more Sundays without football, it felt like a sin
Steelers and Giants, Titans and Broncos Two games on Monday night, anything goes These games haven’t happened yet, so here’s a preview There’s nothing better, than a NFL season anew
In today’s “embrace debate” culture we live in, there’s hardly anything we can all universally agree on. One of those few things is this: Patrick Mahomes is good at football. Can we agree?
In his first two seasons in the NFL, he’s racked up an regular season MVP and and a Super Bowl win (while also being the Super Bowl MVP). He parlayed that into a nice little contract for half a billion dollars. Not too bad for a 24 year old.
Let’s look at the numbers from Mahomes two full seasons at Texas Tech (per Sports Reference):
Now, let’s check out his first two years as the starting QB for the Chiefs (per Sports Reference):
So, we’re looking at 163 touchdowns, 47 interceptions, and over 20,664 yards in the previous FOUR seasons. For all of you math majors out there, this is what we’re looking at average-wise for Patty Mahomes:
TD: 41 INT: 12 YDs: 5,166
Final chart here, let’s get an idea of the average season for an NFL quarterback the past 10 years (per Pro Football Reference):
You’re reading that right, Patrick Mahomes’ average season the past four season is 15 touchdowns, 1 INT, and 1265 yards better than the highest (by average) NFL season in the past 10 years. Simply mind blowing.
Therefore, with all of the aformentioned research and analytics; we are here to say…Patrick Mahomes is good at football.
Odell Beckham Jr. had a terrible, and if true, incredibly personal story leaked about him today.
I am disgusted. So disgusted, I can’t even muster up a response.
This story stinks. For someone to push something out there so vile is something I do not want to see. Some people have this man ranked as high as the number two wide receiver in the NFL, and he gets this treatment? It’s totally asinine.
One of the best Browns has had a log dropped on him out of nowhere, and if I were him, I would be quite grumpy. With the season kicking off this weekend, I’m sure OBJ is just trying to pinch off any distractions; and here comes these wild allegations, putting a total skid to any focus he had going on a tough Ravens defense that he’ll be feeling pressure from this weekend. All of this shit-stirring blew up simply because someone got diarrhea of the mouth on a podcast.
I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Odell. You do not deserve this shitty treatment, my friend. I hope you throw a deuce to all of this off field crap, grab a seat, take a deep breath and squeeze this season for all it’s worth. If OBJ can do that, I have no doubt that we will all be witnesses to this man taking the Browns to the Super Bowl.
There’s two things I love: sports and lists. Why not combine two of my loves to create the the irrefutable, unequivical, perfect list of best players in NFL history by letter. Now that college football is essentially ruined and this list is posted, there will be no further questions at this time. Let’s get to it.
A – Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman was the quarterback when the Dallas Cowboys won Super Bowls in ’93, ’94, and ’96. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2006.
My personal vote for the GOAT at the quarterback position. Brady has done incredible things in his 20 years (thus far) in the NFL. Tommy Terrific brings his six Super Bowl rings to Tampa Bay next season.
As the cross-barred helmet in the picture to the left might intimate, Earl Campbell was a bit before my time. However, I’ve seen enough to know this dude was a monster. Check out this YouTube highlight reel if you don’t believe me.
Another member of our list that was before my time. But Dickerson is a bonafide Hall of Famer. Also, the rec specs, neck roll, and oversized shoulder pads basically solidify ED’s place on our list.
John Elway was such a great athlete he had his pick between baseball and football after college. He made the right choice. Elway finished his career in fairy tale fashion with two straight Super Bowl victories in ’98 and ’99.
Biased opinion alert – Brett Favre is my favorite player of all time. The joy and freedom he played the game with was incredible to watch. Add a Super Bowl victory in ’97, and you’ve made the list. Congrats, Brett.
“Mean” Joe Greene; one of the simplest and best nicknames in NFL History. The number one overall pick in ’69, Mean Joe played 13 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, won four Super Bowls, and was a 10-time Pro Bowler on top of five first team all-pro selections.
Papa Bear! This one is admittedly kind of cheating. George Halas was of course better known for founding, owning, and coaching my beloved Chicago Bears rather than playing. Little known fact – Halas was also a professional baseball player for The Yankees.
Not a lot of options in the “I” category, but still a fine choice here. Irvin won three Super Bowls with the aforementioned Troy Aikman in Dallas, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame, with an incredibly long (but great!) teary-eyed speech in 2007.
In a world that criminally under appreciates offensive linemen, Walter Jones may be the most overlooked of them all. Jones was an absolute brick wall for the Seattle Seahawks from 1997-2009. He started all 180 games of his career, was called for holding only 9 times, and allowed only 23 sacks out of 5,703 career snaps.
If it weren’t for Jim Kelly, the Buffalo Bills may have never seen any legitimate success as a franchise. After playing for a season in the USFL, Kelly joined the Bills in 1986. Despite going 0-4 in the big game, he brought Buffalo to four straight Super Bowls (a feat no one else has accomplished) from 1990-1993.
I’m cheating again here. While Vince Lombardi was one of the greatest coaches to ever do it, he did technically play for the Wilmington Clippers and Brooklyn Eagles of the American Association in 1937-1938. The NFL named the Super Bowl trophy after the guy, he has to make the list.
Look at that stud! John Madden was a practice squad player for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958. Obviously, Madden contributed to the game more as a Super Bowl winning head coach of the Raiders, and became a cultural icon for his video game series.
Aside from having a great name, Bronko Nagurski was one of the greatest Chicago Bears in the 30’s and 40’s. A three-time champion, he was also a four-time first-team all-pro and a member of the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Jonathan Ogden, a very Walter Jones-esque career (see above). Ogden was the first ever draft selection of the Baltimore Ravens in 1996. Ogden played his entire career for the Ravens, racking up 11 Pro Bowl appearances, and won a Super Bowl in 2001.
Walter Payton is the best running back in Chicago Bears history. He was a member of the 1985 Super Bowl winning team, rushed for an (at the time) NFL record 275 yards in a game, and was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection.
I have to be honest here; this was pretty slim pickings. Robert Quinn has played for the Rams, Dolphins, Cowboys, and signed with the Bears this offseason. He has recorded 290 tackles and made two Pro Bowls in his seven seasons.
Jerry Rice is thought of by many smart people as the overall best football player of all time, the true GOAT. His numbers are simply outrageous: 1,549 receptions, 22,895 yards, and 197 receiving touchdowns.
Barry Sanders might be the best running back ever (see: all of his stats ever) with the worst luck (see: drafted by the Lions). Widely considered one of the nicest men to ever play the game, Sanders retired in 1998 after only 10 years of breaking everyone’s ankles.
LT might have been the scariest player to ever lace them up in the NFL. This dude was an absolute freak; he recorded 132.5 sacks, was an eight-time first team all-pro, and won two Super Bowls in his 13 seasons with the Giants.
Brian Urlacher is a card carrying member of the long history of all-time Chicago Bear linebackers; following in the footsteps of Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, etc. He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, and lead a defense that dragged Rex Grossman and the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006.
The ageless wonder. Vinatieri is incredibly 47 years old, and has spent more than half of his life (24 seasons) kicking for the Patriots and Colts. He was instrumental in three Super Bowl victories for New England, and one for Indianapolis.
Reggie White, AKA “The Minister of Defense,” known for his outgoing religious beliefs, was also a mauler defensive tackle. White recorded over 1,000 tackles, is a member of both the 75th and 100th NFL Anniversary All-Time Teams, and has his number retired by both the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. Reggie was a Pro Bowler in 13 of his 15 seasons, and won Super Bowl XXXI with Green Bay.
Oshane Ximines is the only player in NFL history with a last name that starts with “X.” He played one season for the Giants in 2019, recording 4.5 sacks and 25 tackles. He is by default the greatest player of all-time in the “X” category.
Steve Young is the best left handed quarterback that the NFL has ever seen. He won three Super Bowls, and was the MVP of the ’95 win over the Chargers. He wasn’t just a thrower either, and was a threat with his legs. Young rushed for 4,239 yards and 43 touchdowns in his career.
Fun fact: Gary Zimmerman is the only player in the Hall of Fame with a last name starting with “Z.” Zimmerman started all 184 games he played in his 12-year career, was a seven-time Pro Bowler, and won Super Bowl XXXII with the Broncos in 1998.
The NFL has been an American institution since its inaugural season in 1920. With tens of thousands of players coming in and out of the league since then, these 26 players have worked to become the best of the best. The greatest thing about this list is that it can change at any point. Hopefully we continue to see incredible talent come through the NFL for years to come.
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