Thinking out loud…while wondering if Santa has anything in his big, red bag that can slow down raging running backs…
· Gonna spend part of this holiday season with a few unwrapped gifts – of wit and wisdumb – shared by my equally age-challenged buddy Pat.
· Leading off – “I’ve had my patience tested. I’m negative.”
· Let’s look at it this way – surely now, Bill Belichick knows he has no defense, and no quarterback?
· Perhaps he does, and don’t call him Shirley. Too obvious?
· We’ve been playing ‘big picture’ with these Patriots all season long. There is a method to the madness you’ve seen on the field.
· Only now, there’s no more turning lemons into lemonade, which is what would have happened if these Patriots had reached the postseason. But now that it’s official they won’t, little has changed – or will change.
· BB is still the coach. And the GM. It’s up to him. It’s squarely on his shoulders, now.
· Here’s the thing with Cam Newton – he’s got a clear hitch in his get-a-long. But that doesn’t mean the Patriots are completely ready to cast him aside, methinks.
· If reasonable minds can agree, it is very possible that one more, non-Covid encrusted season may be what he needs to rehab his damaged reputation, if that’s possible, and what the Patriots still require to bridge their ever-widening gap to the future.
· Provided, of course, the future at QB can be found in a reasonable amount of time. Like by next April.
· If another team is willing to cough up the quid, have at it, Cam. Right now, Fitzmagic is lurking in the shadows, just waiting to bring his career full circle and return to New England.
· Most valuable player on this Patriots team? Say what you will about Jake Bailey or Nick Folk. But it’s Beau Allen.
· And he hasn’t played a snap all season long. Just sayin’.
· But it’s pretty clear – the run defense was/is horrible, and he was signed to plug that gap.
· No excuses. While BB and his still-evolving coaching staff did an admirable job working with flotsam and jetsam for most of this season, the bottom line is still the bottom line.
· “I don’t mean to interrupt people. I just randomly remember things and get really excited.”
· With two games remaining, I’m with you – we need to see what Jarrett Stidham can or can’t do.
· I’m also all for letting the young guys take most of the meaningful reps – the development of Chase Winovich, Kyle Dugger and Josh Uche is intriguing enough to warrant the playing time.
· But outside of David Andrews, Joe Thuney and Michael Onwenu, I’ve seen all I need to see from the rest of the offensive line. And some of it has been, largely, offensive.
· N’Keal Harry? Thanks, and take your seat next to Chad (Ochocinco) Johnson, Chad Jackson and Bethel Johnson.
· And hire someone – anyone – who knows what a good wide receiver looks like, talks like, plays like and acts like.
· Worst season in 20 years. That it took 20 years to have a bad season is one thing. How does this group bounce out of the current predicament?
· 13 AFC Championship games. Nine Super Bowls. 17 AFC East titles. C’mon now. Spell that dominance with a capital “D.”
· The track record of the previous two decades sez they can. So does salary cap space and potential returnees from the Opt-Out list.
· Just hurry up and get here, 2021. And leave Covid out of it.
· One of the best trolling jobs – ever – currently exists northbound from I-495 on Route 1 entering Foxboro. Thanks to a Buffalo Bills’ contest winner, who placed the billboard courtesy of Fox Sports near the Red Rooster…naming Bills’ fans as the NFL’s best.
· Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger sez he wants to keep playing. He just passed the 60K yard mark in career passing, as the Steelers lost a stunner to Cincinnati. Keep that up – he’ll be playing (if at all) for someone else next year.
· Ex-LaSalle Academy and UMass QB Liam Coen, who has been an assistant QB coach for the LA Rams, is on his way to the University of Kentucky in the SEC as their new offensive coordinator.
· And former Hendricken star Kwity Paye announced on Twitter he has completed his degree requirements at Michigan, continuing a storybook tale and career. Which should mean he’s all set for the next chapter, and the NFL Draft next spring.
· “Don’t bother walking a mile in my shoes. That would be boring. Spend 30 seconds in my head, instead, that’ll freak you right out.”
· Any win is a good win in the Big East, no matter who or where you’re playing. The Friars will take what they got at Seton Hall and run to the bank with it – winning in Jersey for the first time in nearly six years. The Pirates are better than most expected they’d be.
· Nate Watson reached the Big East Honor Roll this week, and he’s been as dominant a big man as may exist in college basketball to this stage of the season. A true, low post, old-school threat, some might ask “where has this been?”
· And still others may insist it’s always been there. Most athletes need their four full years to realize potential. Nate is a prime example of that.
· And then there was the Friar team at Butler. My old high school coach once told me, as I was in a particularly prolonged slump, that I “couldn’t hit a bull in the a** with a bass fiddle.”
· Neither could the Friars Wednesday night at Hinkle. That was some serious scattershooting. Good thing those guys aren’t hunters – they’d surely starve.
· Gotta love the Big East, though. Two games last weekend were decided in overtime, and a 3rd was won (and lost) on a buzzer-beater. As league play begins to take over the scheduling, and the Big Ten and Big 12 grabbing the headlines…the Big East has still managed to win 75% of its’ out-of-conference games.
· Xavier = better than originally advertised. Butler = reputation can only carry you so far. DePaul = do they even have a team?
· The Blue Demons did get in their first one, finally, Wednesday night and whacked Western Illinois. They should be eager to face the Friars Sunday, aka the “gang that can’t shoot straight.”
· A thought occurred this week on conference tournaments in March – depending upon where we are with Covid and vaccinations, it is conceivable we see some conferences deciding to do away with the charade and send their regular season champs to the NCAA Tournament.
· All leagues already have this option, of course. But if fans can’t be there, so the conference can earn income, why needlessly expose athletes? Keep your best team(s) healthy and send ‘em on. The league earns ‘credits’ as a team advances. Makes perfect sense if you’re not actually making cents.
· After dropping their A-10 opener to Davidson last week, Rhody has had time off to recharge and reevaluate. A bit thinner inside thanks to injury, Fatts Russell’s performance becomes that much more important every time out.
· Can Towson transfer Allen Betrand take some of that responsibility off his shoulders? He may need to.
· Bryant nearly beat Syracuse at Syracuse. They did beat UMass at UMass this week. Sophomore Michael Green lit the Minutemen up for 33 Monday, giving the Bulldogs their best-ever DI start to a season at 7-2. They’re now off until Jan. 7.
· That’s back-to-back seasons for the Bulldogs to beat an Atlantic-10 team, as Bryant defeated Fordham last year.
· I’d tell Jared Grasso that’s not exactly the way to get URI or PC interested, for sure.
· “When someone asks what I did over the weekend, I squint and ask, ‘Why, what did you hear?’”
· If the stupid Bowl Season results don’t say it, I will: Expand the college football playoff system. Now.
· Even college basketball has a way to get a beloved or deserved mid-major or two into the mix. For college football to continue to thrive (and perhaps even get noticed in New England), it’s gotta be someone else other than Bama, Clemson, Ohio State and ND every year.
· Wanna drive a sport into obscurity? Remove all hope for most of the participants. College football is on its’ way toward doing that.
· It happened in tennis, and my buddy Edward in East Providence knows it. The same guys (and gals) keep (or kept) winning. Having dominant athletes is one thing – but removing or denying opportunities to defeat them is another, entirely.
· Coastal Carolina and Liberty were hosed. So much so, they’re forced to face each other in the relatively obscure Cure Bowl…’cuz no one else wanted to touch ‘em…much less play ‘em.
· Sound familiar, college hoop nuts?
· The Hockey Friars bounced back last weekend, gaining a split with Northeastern. Uula Ruikka scored Hockey East Rookie of the Week honors, and goaltender Jaxson Stauber earned defensive player of the week – stopping 67 of 72 shots he faced.
· A home-and-home with UNH is postponed for Sunday and Monday. Instead, a visit to UConn for Monday.
· You know you’ve arrived when you make a video game – like Rumford, RI’s venerable Wannamoisett Country Club, now on the PGA Tour 2K21 for your console and PC.
· A word to the wise – “When you ask me what I am doing today, and I say ‘nothing,’ it does not mean I am free. It means I am doing nothing.”
· No fans in arenas? No problem. Corporate America will come to you, with companies advertising on NHL helmets. Yup, helmet ads will be a thing, so don’t be surprised to see corporate logos fixated next to – or in place of – team logos on players’ helmets.
· Montreal and Toronto are already nearing logo deals – and the league hopes to recoup upwards of $15 million in ad revenue with the idea. And don’t act so surprised…soccer has been doing this for years.
· The Truth. Paul Pierce was a 10-time all-star, and an NBA Finals MVP. Hall-worthy. So are Howard Garfinkel, Val Ackerman, Bob Huggins and Jay Wright. Basketball Hall of Fame finalists are scheduled for a March announcement and those elected this year should know by the Final Four.
· Whenever that happens…if it happens.
· Despite the late-game heroics Wednesday, it sez here the Celtics will start (relatively) slowly. New England will grow concerned. Count on it.
· Not for nuthin’, but NBA Grand Poobah Adam Silver sez the league will lose 40% of its total revenue of no fans are allowed in arenas during the season. As of this moment, six teams are planning to allow some fans – ranging from 300 per game in Cleveland to 4500 fans in Houston.
· By playing at least 70 games and beginning in time for Christmas, the NBA will be preserving approximately $500 million in TV and partnership revenue.
· And, those jersey patches you’ve seen the past couple of seasons? They’ll be a thing again, too…along side the helmet ads in hockey. But the NBA is expecting about a 20% drop in jersey logo revenue with advertising falling off during the pandemic.
· Don’t be surprised if expansion talk becomes more prevalent in the NBA. The price tag to get in (Seattle, hello!) is $1 billion. The league has lost about $1.5 billion due to the pandemic. Do the math…it’s close.
· We mention these things – because who else do you think the NHL and NBA will look to when they try to recoup some of their losses? You, naturally.
· To me, especially at holiday time, “Drink Responsibly” means “don’t spill it.”
· I mean, could 2020 have been much worse than having this pandemic…these Patriots…and those Red Sox…all thrust upon us this year? Holy smokes.
· Payback for all that winning is a *****, ain’t it?
· @dpalazini tweeted at me this week on the Patriots’ demise: “As a 20-year season ticket holder it was the best ride I could have hoped for and imagined. Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
· Now THAT’S perspective. And so is this epitaph on this season, coined by @JakeZimmer12 this week: “Our 2020 New England Patriots lived a full life spanning irrational optimism, agonizing heartbreak, and total hopelessness - all in a short 4-month span.”
· Can’t really say it any better than that. So, I won’t.
· Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. We hope.
· 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 ...
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