Thinking out loud…while wondering if anyone knows if we can take showers yet, or should we just keep washing our hands?
· A requiem for the Patriots? Nah.
· What about a few thoughts – some obvious, others not so – on the immediate temperature of the franchise?
· The patient hasn’t grown cold yet, but it isn’t exactly striking a fever pitch, either.
· There’s no doubt this was an extreme, bizarro-world season that we may tend to dismiss outright. But that would do a disservice to the performances of the 14 teams that managed to reach this years’ post season.
· First things first. BB still runs the show, don’t doubt that. He might need a little more help with the evaluation process, especially with Nick Caserio finally engaged to Houston. But BB has gas left in the tank.
· Coaching is much different than playing, of course. But if health remains a constant, he has time to repair the obvious dings and dents.
· On Caserio – he obviously wanted to run his own ship. Can’t blame him for wanting to set out on his own. 20 years is a very long time at one place in the NFL. While he served the organization well through six SB titles, sometimes a new set of eyes – and a few different ideas – aren’t a bad thing.
· Can blame the Texans, however, for having a serious team crush on the Patriots. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? QB Deshaun Watson tweeted, “some things never change.”
· Houston was accused of tampering with Caserio a year ago. And they didn’t do so well with Bill O’Brien, did they?
· Once personnel issues are decided (Dave Ziegler?) the New England rebuild begins under center. There are several areas and positions needing attention, of course.
· But thanks, Supercam. Just didn’t work out like we thought.
· Newton brought a fresh outlook and vivid personality to the team that was certainly welcomed during a largely moribund season. But it’s painfully clear he ain’t got what he once had…at least not to the level he needs to be an NFL starter these days.
· And yet, he broke Steve Grogan’s record for most QB rushing yards in a season with 592 and tied his record for rushing TD’s with 12. He also became the first Patriot QB to catch a touchdown pass.
· But the passing game? How can someone 6-foot-5 have as many throws batted down as he had? It’s a puzzler, and yet, he could still return for 2021. Try not to choke on that last bite of humble pie you’ve had to eat all season long.
· Jakobi Meyers (and his arm) were the pleasant surprises in the passing game. Jake Bailey and Nick Folk were (mostly) outstanding in the kicking game. Those are my lasting takeaways, which doesn’t say much, does it?
· Three I’d like to see more of next year: Chase Winovich, Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips.
· Three I’d like to see less of next year: N’Keal Harry, Myles Bryant, Jermaine Eluemunor.
· JC Jackson was spectacular at times with his nine picks…but also learned it takes more than athleticism to be a top-flight NFL corner. He was singed a couple of times once Stephon Gilmore left the scene.
· And Devin Asiasi? It was a personally difficult year for the pro freshman – but if he can’t hold onto the ball, those that he got close to, anyway…he won’t play here. He’ll likely get his own pass on 2020.
· Did You Realize – 2020 was the highest scoring NFL season in history? No? Probably because the Patriots weren’t a very big part of it.
· As for the NFL Wild Cards…I won’t be shocked if Buffalo, Cleveland and Baltimore advance. Iffy on the Browns, as Covid rears its ugly head. Same for New Orleans, Seattle and Tampa.
· Covid cases among NFL players reached a new high during the last week of the season, with 34 players and 36 coaches and other staffs testing positive, according to data released midweek by the league and the NFLPA.
· 19 of the 32 teams hosted fans in this Covid-encrusted season. Just over 1 million fans attended, total – the lowest attendance figure in the NFL since 1938. But…because of those fans, the league will salvage about $400 million out of an estimated $5.5 billion dollar loss.
· Did you catch some of the shade coming from Washington’s Chase Young toward TB12 this week? Young is a great player. Brady has been great for a long time, we know. Does the rookie know it isn’t smaht to poke a bear? Or a goat?
· Not for nuthin’, but in his career against teams coached by Washington defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, TB12 has a 9-1 record, 25 TD passes, and just one pick.
· If the Patriots can’t be in it, I’m rooting for the Bills. Just because New England gets them twice next season. And it’s time to take off the choker around their necks after nearly 30 years.
· Thought the NFL’s regularly scheduled “Black Monday” was pretty meh. Adam Gase and Doug Marrone got out quickly, and Anthony Lynn left LA before noon. Then, John Elway stepped down in Denver as GM.
· You don’t like BB the GM in NE? You haven’t had Elway to deal with. He’s mostly been ‘mile high.’
· ICYMI, BB needs 14 wins to pass George Halas, 37 to pass Don Shula on the all-time wins list. You don’t think he’ll fix this thing and gut it out, being this close to history?
· My buddy Bobby came up with a list of things to consider as we close the door on a horribly unique calendar year. I’ll share a few here, but my fave?
· “The world has turned upside down. Old folks are sneaking out of the house and their kids are yelling at them to stay inside!”
· The first college basketball NET rankings were published this week, with five Big East teams ranked in the Top 50.
· The Friars, however, have work to do…coming in at #78 and with four of their next five games away from home. Not that it matters much these days, home or road. It’s like AAU days in empty gyms for most players.
· David Duke found himself on the Big East Honor Roll again this week. That will probably happen a lot over the next couple of months. His biggest issue should be finding a consistent running mate on that list, from his own team.
· Speaking of Big East honors, ex-Rhody Ram Tyrese Martin also made this week’s honor roll after a 22-point, 10-rebound performance against DePaul.
· In case you’re wondering, 12-8 in league play this year should earn a dance invite – but there won’t be much wiggle room…especially without a lot of non-conference play to measure up.
· And if teams can play that many games in the first place. Villanova this week went into another Covid pause – and it will be 3+ weeks between games for the Wildcats, at least.
· The first edition of “TWITBE,” This Week in the Big East, for the 2021 season rolls out this week with PC’s David Duke, UConn’s Dan Hurley and the Big East’s Stu Jackson as guests. Catch it on your favorite podcast provider, on a Westwood One affiliate radio station, Sirius XM or online at bigeast.com.
· Happy birthday, Louie. Hall of Famer and Big East/St. John’s legend Lou Carnesecca turned 96 this week.
· “2019 – Stay away from negative people. 2020 – Stay away from positive people.”
· Like PC, URI has a tough road ahead with a five-of-seven game stretch away from home commencing with an 80-73 loss at A-10 preseason favorite Richmond Wednesday. 19 turnovers helped to turn that trick, despite shooting 52% from the floor.
· Bryant’s 17-day layoff came to an end late this week with back-to-back’s against Central Connecticut. Redshirt senior Peter (With A) Kiss posted the first triple-double in the Bulldogs’ DI history Thursday, 12 points 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a 93-68 win.
· The Hoosier State will host the NCAA Tournament in Match at seven different locations in and around Indianapolis, as expected. Included in the mix will be Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse and Indiana’s Assembly Hall.
· From a purely historical perspective, that’s pretty cool. An already unique March Madness event – with all 67 games in one geographic location – just became a little ‘uniquer.’
· And I wouldn’t bet against Gonzaga’s Bulldogs making a run at Indiana’s Hoosiers in becoming an undefeated national champ, with Indiana last pulling that off back in 1976. Seems to me they HAVE to play a game or two at Assembly Hall, amiright?
· Did you see Boston University’s Terriers wearing masks for their games this week at home and away against Holy Cross?
· BU’s men wore them in an 83-76 win on Monday, but the Crusaders did not as the game was played in Worcester. Both teams wore them Tuesday, in the first ‘masked-up’ game of the season. The Terriers will be wearing them home and away, and teams playing at BU will be required to wear them as well.
· They don’t wear them during games, but the Friars wear them during practice. Not every team does that.
· And not every team pulls off the kind of comeback Army did this past week at Colgate. They lost their Patriot League opener 101-57 last Saturday, and 24 hours later…on the same floor…beat the Raiders 75-73. A 46-point turnaround.
· Forget the pandemic, forget the athletic department furloughs and layoffs. Texas’ financial decision to move on from Tom Herman as head football coach this week cost UT at least a cool $24 million in buyouts. That’s some golden parachute for winning seven games, huh?
· “I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to the Backyard. I’m getting tired of the Living Room.”
· If he isn’t already, Nate Leaman will be as hot as anyone can be on a sheet of ice.
· The Providence College head coach led the USA Junior National Team to Gold this week, beating Canada for the championship – and Friars’ Theresa Feaster (Director of Ops), Brett Berard and Patrick Moynihan (both players) join him in winning hardware.
· That Feaster became the first female assistant coach to win at the World Juniors is cool. That Leaman is the 3rd coach to claim an NCAA title and a WJC Gold medal puts him on an NHL front-burner for the foreseeable future.
· Think Bob Driscoll did ok with his two major hires at PC? Leaman and Ed Cooley both play significant roles within their respective sports’ national team programs.
· And let’s not forget about the women’s hockey team at PC – ranked 7th in the country this week. Basketball school, or hockey school?
· You’ve come a long way, baby. Remember those TV commercials? Well, they have come a long way.
· In 2020, Kim Ng of the Miami Marlins became the first female general manager in MLB history, and Alyssa Nakken of the San Francisco Giants became the first full-time female coach. In 2021, the Red Sox have announced Bianca Smith becomes the first black woman to coach in pro baseball.
· This follows an incredible year of “firsts,” including Becky Hammon with the San Antonio Spurs, Katie Sowers of the 49ers, Callie Brownson of the Cleveland Browns and Dawn Braid of the Calgary Flames all breaking in as coaches for their respective teams.
· “It turns out, the dumbest thing I ever bought was a 2020 planner.”
· Yes, the Providence Bruins are playing this year, with a season to begin on or about Feb. 5th.
· No, they won’t play at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Instead, they’ll move to Marlboro, MA – some 50 miles to the north – and play in the New England Sports Center. Team owner Larue Renfroe also owns that facility.
· There will be four teams in the Bruins’ division (Providence, Hartford, Bridgeport, Utica), and no Springfield for the first time in more than 60 years. Three teams in the league have opted out, including defending champ Milwaukee, leaving the AHL at 28 teams for this shortened, fan-less season.
· The PBruins are operating to support the big club; they’re nearer to the Warrior Ice Arena where the Bruins train in Brighton, and they are already selling tickets for the Dunk in ‘21-22…with that season scheduled to begin in October.
· One-time Providence Reds’ coach (1973-77) and Lincoln, RI resident John Muckler passed away this week, at age 86. Muckler won five Stanley Cups, his last in 1990 while coaching Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers.
· I vividly recall Coach Muckler bringing the Stanley Cup to Rhode Island after the Oilers won in ’90 – it was quite the backyard celebration. He was also AHL Coach of the Year in 1975 leading the Reds and then coached in the NHL in Buffalo, in New York with the Rangers and in Edmonton. Later in his career, he oversaw operations in Ottawa and Phoenix.
· Longtime Providence TV political reporter Bill Rappleye passed away this week after a short bout with brain cancer. Worked with him at WJAR Channel 10 and at the State House, and can honestly say he was as passionate about his job as any reporter I had the privilege to work with.
· “Never in a million years could I have imagined going up to a bank teller wearing a mask and asking for money.”
· Tweet of the Week, from @BWMcGair03: “It’s amazing that 2 ½ years later, two of the biggest R.I. political roadblocks in the @PawSox ballpark saga no longer hold office in the Ocean State.”
· What goes around, comes around. At least in the case of ex-House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello. As for soon-to-be-ex-Governor Gina Raimondo, good luck. She’ll need it. We all will.
· Best wishes to WPRO’s Andy Gresh, who left his talk show as a free agent after Friday’s broadcast. He won’t be idle for long. Our buddy (and TWITBE co-host) Kevin McNamara will step into the time slot weeknights at 6.
· MLS won’t ask its’ players to take another pay cut next season to offset big losses due to crowd-less games but will ask for a two-year extension to the collective bargaining agreement signed last summer.
· New York will be introducing mobile sports betting, after seeing New Jersey set sports wagering records for the last several months. A recent industry survey showed 20% of NJ’s online sports wagering comes from NY residents.
· Rhode Island sports wagering is up slightly, three percent month-to-month from November. Think there are any Mass residents making the trek to Lincoln or Tiverton? Or, crossing the border to activate their mobile apps?
· Massachusetts is planning on utilizing Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium and the Big E Fairgrounds (no relation to my buddy) in Springfield as potential mass-vaccination sites.
· Dr. Anthony Fauci sez a return to ‘normal’ by fall is possible with a million vaccinations per day. Well of course it would be. What’s holding us back?
· Is it you? Or the guv’ment? Just sayin’.
· Oh, and finally: “I need to practice social-distancing from the refrigerator.”
· Yeah, that’s solid advice.
· @rslashpatriots tweeted at me this week, with a political lean: “I hope @JRBroadcaster will do the right thing and announce that the Pats won the AFC East on the Gillette Stadium PA today. Because if he does the right thing, we win the division. And he has the absolute right to do it.”
· Got a chuckle out of that. Rarely have I been humbled and amused at the same time, and then saddened after watching Wednesday’s Capitol siege. No matter which side of the line you fall on, it seems to me the major pandemic in this country right now is stupidity, over all else.
· Interested in having your questions on local Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send ‘em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions, comments and local stories to jrooke@weei.com. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Would appreciate the follow on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster…and join in on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...
Don’t forget to tune into Providence’s 103.7 FM, every Saturday from 7:00-9:00 am for Cordischi and Coit! Call in at 401-737-1287 or text at 37937.
