2016 NFL Week Four

Note:  I started watching these games between Weeks Five and Six.  Then a bunch of things happened in my personal and family life that made it very difficult to watch anything due to the sheer lack of time.  I just now got them done.  I know I have a lot of catching up to do, but I’ll do my best to get caught up.  Thank you, loyal readers, for continuing to read and support this site.  Share these posts all you can, and hopefully this site will take off and gain a very large readership. 

@ Cincinnati Bengals 22, Miami Dolphins 7

• Miami’s orange uniforms are ugly.
• I immediately thought that Miami would get clobbered when, on the game’s first play from scrimmage, the Miami defense jumped the gun and was penalized for encroachment.
• YES! FINALLY!  After Cincinnati’s first field goal, Miami was hit with a 15-yard dead ball personal foul, putting the kickoff at the 50.  Instead of booting the ball into the stands, kicker Mike Nugent chipped the ball high, landing it inside the 5-yard line, and Miami ended up starting at their own 18 instead of their own 25.[1]
• Receiver Kenny Stills was WIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiide open on Miami’s first touchdown – a whopping 74-yard pass-and-run.[2]
• What a catch Cincinnati receiver A.J. Green made with 5:56 left in the first! Long pass…leaping catch from above the defender’s head.
• Cincinnati fans, players, and coaches were upset that no penalty was called when A.J. Green ended up getting taken to the ground after running out of bounds, but I agree with the officials. There was no double action on the play.
• Great strip-sack by Cincinnati DE Carlos Dunlap to force Miami QB Ryan Tannehill to fumble the ball to the Bengals with 2:06 left in the first half. Let’s not ignore, however, the coverage by the Cincinnati secondary to take away all of Tannehill’s receiving options.  Sacks are as much a reflection of good coverage as they are of a good pass rush.
• Miami has had lots of trouble stopping the run so far this season, but in this game they had even more trouble stopping the pass. Especially when A.J. Green was the receiver.  With 8:43 left in the third quarter, Green had 166 yards receiving, while Miami had 152 yards of total offense.
• There was absolutely no excuse for Miami DE Terrence Fede clobbering Cincinnati punter Kevin Huber with 2:16 left in the third quarter.   The ball was long gone, and Fede took several steps before knocking Huber flat on his keister.  Some referees throw guys out for hits like that.
• Mike Nugent kicked five field goals in this game (on five attempts), but that’s kind of a bad sign for Cincinnati. Against a better team, that might haunt them.  Those are a lot of points left on the table.
• Cincinnati’s defensive line dominated this game. They were in the backfield as much as Miami’s running backs.  Poor Tannehill took quite a beating.
• Somebody needs to tell Miami’s secondary that A.J. Green is a really good receiver, and they need to guard him.[3]

Jacksonville Jaguars 30, Indianapolis Colts 27 (from Wembley Stadium in London)

• Why do we keep sending London such sub-par teams? These teams are inconsistent at best and mediocre at worst.
• That interception by Jacksonville with 10:33 left in the first was really cool. One player blocked the pass, and his teammate snatched it out of the air.
• The touchdown pass from Jacksonville QB Blake Bortles to receiver Allen Robinson with 8:23 left in the first quarter was only the fourth first-quarter touchdown pass of Bortles’ career.[4]
• With 4:52 left in the second quarter, Robinson caught a pass over the middle. Colt linebacker D’Qwell Jackson was rightfully flagged for hitting Robinson in the head helmet-to-helmet.  Robinson understandably got up and was angry with Jackson, jawing at him.  AND THEY FLAGGED HIM FOR TAUNTING!!!!!!  Are you KIDDING me?  Give the guy a break!  An opponent just did something that could seriously injure him.  If he had thrown a punch, I’d understand.  But that?!???  Come on.
• After the Bortles rushing touchdown with 4:09 left in the first quarter, I spotted a fan wearing a Larry Fitzgerald jersey and smiled reeeeally big.
• After seeing another cheap shot get flagged for unnecessary roughness in the waning moments of the first half, I was reminded of my days as a high school football official. Every time we flagged that specific play, we’d hear some idiot in the stands yell, “Come on…it’s FOOTBALL!!!!”  as if football is a free-for-all, cheap shots are okay, and player safety is irrelevant.[5] [6]  I wonder if that happens during NFL games.  If you have any personal knowledge of this, please leave a comment and tell me.
• Good win by Jacksonville in a close, competitive, surprisingly well-played game.
• Poor Indianapolis QB Andrew Luck is taking all kinds of punishment in every single game. The Colts’ offensive line simply must do a better job protecting him, or he probably won’t last the whole season.

@ Atlanta Falcons 48, Carolina Panthers 33

• Carolina reeeeeeeeally wanted this one. Their only regular season loss last year came in Atlanta.
• Remember what I said last week about Carolina QB Cam Newton’s perceived showboating?[7] Well, the taunting he did to Atlanta after Carolina’s first first down of the game was uncalled for and rightly flagged.  I agree with what Mike Ditka emphatically said while announcing Monday Night Football several years ago after a player had been penalized for taunting, “There is no place in football for taunting.  Beat your opponent fair and square, but treat him with respect.”[8]  (Emphasis by Ditka)
• The play Atlanta ran with 11:31 left in the second was ill-advised. I thought it was a bad idea as they were setting up (shotgun pass from their own six), and then when Carolina blocked the pass and ended up with a Pick Six, I shook my head and let out a sigh.
• Atlanta QB Matt Ryan made another baffling pass with 5:56 left in the second when he panic-passed to a guy who was lying flat on his back on 3rd and 4. His receiver, of course, couldn’t get up and run past the first down marker, and Atlanta had to settle for a red-zone field goal.  Can’t leave four points on the table against a team as explosive as Carolina.
• Newton took quite a beating in the first half. I’m surprised he wasn’t injured.[9]
• Atlanta started several drives deep in their own territory. Carolina punter Andy Lee made some crucial punts, and there was also a huge mistake on the opening kickoff of the second half when the Atlanta returner muffed the kick.
• How was Atlanta tight end Austin Hooper so open when he scored the touchdown with 9:13 left in the third? Somebody majorly missed an assignment.
• Carolina backup quarterback Derek Anderson did an admirable job coming in off the bench after Newton’s injury. He immediately led Carolina down the field for a touchdown that narrowed the deficit – tight end Greg Olson made a slick one-handed catch for the score, by the way…
• …and then on one play, Atlanta receiver Julio Jones caught a deep pass, spun away from everyone, and was off to the races for yet another touchdown.
• Matt Ryan threw for 503 yards and four touchdowns. Against last year’s Super Bowl runner-up.  I’ll bet you’re shaking your head.
• Carolina couldn’t stop Julio Jones. He had 12 catches for 300 yards.    300 yards.  But the thing is…a lot of his catches were in traffic – sometimes amongst two or three defenders.  Absolutely amazing performance.

Oakland Raiders 28, @ Baltimore Ravens 27

• The first quarter was ugly and penalty-laden.
• Oakland’s punter – Marquette King – is GOOD. He kept thundering punts inside the 10 in the first quarter.  His punt with 2:30 left in the first quarter pinned Baltimore close to their goal line, where they went three-and-out.  Baltimore punter Sam Koch didn’t have a lot of room to kick so he had to hurry, and Oakland returner Jalen Richard took it to the 6, where Koch tackled him.  Oakland scored a touchdown on the next play.  Lesson: an elite punter can be a tremendous weapon.[10]
• I was blown away by the 80-yard Oakland drive that culminated in a beautifully thrown passing touchdown with 4:09 left in the second quarter.
• What the heck was Baltimore’s Kamar Aiken thinking when he interfered with Oakland’s TJ Carrie as he was waiting to catch the punt with 10:37 left in the third quarter? Instead of pinning Oakland at the 5, it allowed them to start at the 23.  Boneheaded move.
• I am so glad – as a fan of football – that John Harbaugh had the Ravens go for it on 4th-and-Goal at the 1. We need more coaches like him – coaches with guts.[11]
• I don’t understand why Harbaugh accepted the penalty on 3rd down with 12:55 left in the fourth. Make them kick the field goal!  Instead, Oakland came within inches of a first down, and the when they went for it on fourth down, the Ravens jumped offside.  Two plays later, Oakland quarterback Derek Carr threw a laser to receiver Michael Crabtree for a touchdown.
• Baltimore receiver Mike Wallace should have known better than to taunt the way he did after the two-point conversion. It made Tucker kick off from his own 20 instead of the 35, and Oakland ended up returning the ball to the 34 instead of getting the ball at the 25 on the touchback.
• Oakland made Baltimore pay on the ensuing drive, scoring another passing touchdown from Carr to Crabtree, who ran a great route (including an ankle-breaking juke) and showed outstanding, veteran footwork as he caught the ball.
• Kamar Aiken took quite a licking as he attempted to catch the pass on Baltimore’s final play from scrimmage. I’m glad he didn’t get hit in the head.
• Baltimore showed an incredible lack of discipline in this game. There were at least two occasions where a silly penalty greatly hurt the team.  But the king of all dumb moves was Harbaugh’s aforementioned decision to accept a penalty instead of making Oakland kick a field goal.
• I greatly enjoyed this game. It was a gutsy win by Oakland against a tough team that did not quit.  I also liked how well the defenses played.  Each team’s front seven gave the opposing offensive line fits, as evidenced by the volume of sacks, knockdowns, and offensive holding penalties that occurred.

@ Chicago Bears 17, Detroit Lions 14

• Chicago finally gave its fans something to feel good about when they put together their first touchdown drive.
• Chicago receiver Eddie Royal gave the Lions fits.
• Chicago backup quarterback Brian Hoyer – starting in place of the injured Jay Cutler – had a nice day, going 28-for-36 on his pass attempts for 302 yards and two touchdowns.
• Nice win for Chicago. I don’t remember much else.

@ Houston Texans 27, Tennessee Titans 20

• Even without all-pro defensive lineman J.J. Watt, Houston showed very quickly that this game was a mismatch.
• Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota was praised for his throw with 4:09 left in the first quarter for 24 yards and a first down. This praise is misplaced.  He threw it so high that the receiver fell down in order to catch it.  A better throw would have gone for an even bigger gain, because the receiver was WIDE open.
• Houston blew several coverages.
• Great punt return for a touchdown by Houston’s Will Fuller with 1:10 left in the third.
• Houston would have won by more, but with 10:12 left in the fourth, an official blew an inadvertent whistle, calling back a punt block that was returned for a touchdown.[12]

Buffalo Bills 16, @ New England Patriots 0

• How different would this game have been had the penalty not occurred and nullified the Patriots’ 99-yard touchdown?
• Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan knows how to beat the Patriots. His teams seem to do it rather often.
• Good win by Buffalo to beat New England – by shutout, no less – on the road.[13]

Seattle Seahawks 27, @ New York Jets 17

• Seattle tight end Jimmy Graham made an outstanding one-handed catch with 5:12 left in the first.
• New York quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick made a Houdini-like escape from a sack with 9:31 left in the second. Seattle made a dumb play by hitting him in the head at the end of the play.  That will get you 15 yards every time.
• Who blew the coverage for the Jets with 3:44 left in the second? Receiver Tanner McEvoy was WIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiide open for that touchdown grab.[14]
• Nice pass by Fitzpatrick and reception by Brandon Marshall for the touchdown with 13 seconds left in the second.
• The defensive pass interference called on Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman with 14:55 left in the fourth should have been on the offense. That was a clear push-off.
• How many times did a New York receiver have a pass go right off his hands and then get intercepted? Those interceptions aren’t the QB’s fault…and guess who gets blamed/benched….
• Heads-up play by New York receiver Charone Peake with 2:15 left in the fourth to scoop up the loose ball and take it to the end zone. That was a fumble, not an incomplete pass.

@ Washington Redskins 31, Cleveland Browns 20

• How bad is Cleveland? Washington didn’t play well at all, blowing a 14-point lead and falling behind 20-17, and they still came back and won comfortably.
• Washington actually finished red zone drives with touchdowns in this game.
• It was completely ludicrous that Washington cornerback Josh Norman was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for firing an imaginary bow and arrow into the air after his interception with 7:14 left in the fourth. Why doesn’t the league only use taunting penalties for plays that are actual TAUNTS?!???

Denver Broncos 27, @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7

• Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston is one tough guy. He took quite a beating this game.
• I thought Tampa Bay was in trouble when Winston’s first pass of the game was picked off and Denver quickly scored. However, Tampa Bay settled down and put together a rather nice touchdown drive on the subsequent possession.
• Speaking of that drive, how fun was it to watch Winston’s touchdown scramble?
• After giving up the touchdown, Denver took over the game and poured it on. This was a mismatch.
• Punting the ball to the Coffin Corner is a lost art. One sample came early in the fourth quarter.  Tampa Bay had a great chance to pin Denver near their own goal line.  Punter Bryan Anger, however, boomed a punt so deep that the gunner couldn’t get to it in time to down it before it crossed the goal line.  Had he kicked it toward the Coffin Corner, that probably wouldn’t have happened.[15]
• It started to rain hard at the end of this game.
• Why did things get so chippy at the end? We nearly saw an all-out brawl with 1:44 left in the fourth.

Los Angeles Rams 17, @ Arizona Cardinals 13

Note: I watched this game just a few hours after it happened, not a few days after like the rest of Week Four.

• Recently I’ve been scared to death whenever the Cardinals have played the Rams. The Rams tend to injure Cardinal quarterbacks with season-ending injuries.
• Rams receiver Brian Quick made a pretty nice catch in traffic with 1:59 left in the first. Since the defenders fell down, he ended up scampering __ yards for an easy touchdown.
• Throughout the first half, the Cardinals kept making mental mistakes. There were at least two different situations where a penalty knocked them out of field goal range and/put them in a third-and-long situation.
• Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer threw a horrible interception in the end zone with just under three minutes left in the first half.
• GREAT catch by receiver Michael Floyd and throw by Carson Palmer to score the Cards’ first touchdown and with 24 seconds left in the first half.
• Rams receiver Tavon Austin almost made an outstanding catch with 14:44 left in the third quarter…but the ball did bounce off of the ground. In fact, I’m surprised that Rams head coach Jeff Fisher even challenged that play.  It looked to be pretty straightforward.
• The strip-sack and fumble recovery looked to be all the Cards needed to get rolling in this game. And then Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald did the same thing to Carson Palmer, wiping it out.
• How was that not offensive pass interference on Brian Quick with 8:04 left in the third?!??? Petersen had a clear play on the ball, but was hit from behind before the ball got there.  That looked pretty clear to me.
• That was a pretty slick catch/toe drag by Arizona receiver J.J. Nelson with just over three minutes left in the third quarter.
• What great awareness by Carson Palmer to recognize an impending Rams blitz and throw to a WIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiide open David Johnson with 1:04 left in the third.
• There was a CRAZY play with 11:05 left in the fourth quarter. Rams quarterback Case Keenum dropped back to pass, looked to be getting sacked, spun out of it, ran to his left, stopped, cut backward and to his right, used the umpire as another blocker to get out of traffic, and threw to a wide open Lance Kendricks, resulting in a 27-yard gain.  I would have been so mad, except that one of the Rams’ linemen was illegally downfield, negating everything.
• The Rams’ second challenge was just as mind-boggling as the first. That play wasn’t even CLOSE to being a catch, and it was plain to see, even WITHOUT a replay.  Thom Brennaman said that these were two of the worst challenges he has ever seen the same team make in one game, and the same goes for me.
• When Palmer was sacked on third down with 5:40 left in the fourth, Bruce Arians was furious. The referee (rightfully) flagged left guard Mike Iupati for holding, but Arians thought that Palmer – a guy who has suffered devastating ACL injuries to his right knee on two separate occasions – was hit in the knee.  For some bizarre reason, Fox didn’t show a closeup replay from a clear angle so that we could see for ourselves for at least two or three minutes.
• When LA’s Tavon Austin was tackled while returning a punt with 5:09 left in the fourth quarter, that was one of the most obvious facemask fouls I’ve seen in a while.
• During the Rams’ ensuing drive, Palmer left the field with the medical staff to be checked for a possible head injury. This came when Eugene Sims sacked Palmer and the crown of his helmet accidentally hit Palmer around the left shoulder or jaw.
• It was about time that the Rams were penalized for roughing the passer. That hit by Eugene Sims[16] on Drew Stanton with 58 seconds left was clearly in the helmet.
• I’m glad that the Rams’ McDonald hit Michael Floyd in the body and not the head. The color commentator was saying “smart to avoid the penalty,” but what about the fact that he didn’t put his opponent’s health and safety in jeopardy?  Doesn’t that count for something?[17]
• The apparent interception was definitely out of bounds. Thank God.[18]
• What a horrendous Hail Mary throw to end the game. My goodness.  There wasn’t even a Cardinal near where the ball landed.
• Once again, the Rams have injured a Cardinal quarterback. If it were the Patriots and not the Rams, a trumped-up investigation into phony allegations and subsequent smear campaign spearheaded by Roger Goodell would have happened by now.

New Orleans Saints 35, @ San Diego Chargers 34

• The last time these teams squared off in San Diego, Drew Brees was the quarterback…of San Diego, not New Orleans.
• What a boneheaded move by San Diego’s kick returner at the beginning of the second half. He was five yards deep in the end zone and still ran it out from there.  He was tackled at the 15.  It cost his team ten yards, and he had to get hit in the process.
• With 12:57 left in the fourth, New Orleans safety Vonn Bell committed defensive pass interference in the end zone. He had his hands up, arguing, which was ludicrous, since it was CLEARLY pass interference.[19]
• Ridiculous for the officials to penalize ONLY the Charger with 8:48 left in the fourth. The Saint defender had just driven an already-down Philip Rivers back into the turf as Rivers was attempting to get back up.  Why wasn’t that penalized?  The Charger’s conduct was understandable, since he was defending his quarterback.
• Travis Benjamin’s fumble with 4:50 left in the fourth was downright sad. Nobody touched him – he simply dropped it.
• The Chargers straight up blew this game – fumbling on two consecutive plays from scrimmage – and ended up losing to a pretty crummy team. How embarrassing.

Dallas Cowboys 24, @ San Francisco 49ers 17

• Remember when this game was a can’t miss? If you’re younger than 30, probably not.
• Dallas kicker Dan Bailey showed he’s human when he missed a field goal at the end of their first drive.
• Somebody for Dallas blew his coverage BIG TIME with 6:41 left in the first, and it resulted in a long pass for a San Francisco touchdown.
• That punt by Dallas punter Chris Jones with 3:58 left in the first was a thundering kick. I thought at first that Dallas downed it inside the 1, but it turns out that the player’s foot was on the goal line when he cradled the ball, making it a touchback.[20]
• Holy cow…San Francisco looked great – and Dallas looked horrible – when SF jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the second.
• What an IDIOTIC play by SF safety Jaquiski Tartt with 4:29 left in the second! Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott was wrapped up and his forward progress was stopped for a sack.  The officials were whistling it dead.  Then he ran up and popped Prescott in the back.  Right in front of the referee.  He had NO BUSINESS touching him.  The 15-yard penalty negated the sack, and then some.  Two plays later, Dallas scored a touchdown.
• And then after that, Dallas stopped SF quickly, the punter shanked the punt, and Dallas quickly scored another touchdown to tie the game.
• When Prescott avoided a sack with 9:39 left in the third, that wasn’t intentional grounding, but it should be. He was being tackled, but a split second before he was down, he did a backhanded fling roughly toward the feet of his tight end.  This was in accordance with the LETTER of the rule, but not the SPIRIT of the rule.  Why?  Because there was no way anyone could catch that, and he intentionally threw an incomplete pass (grounded the ball) to avoid a sack.  That’s called…intentional grounding.
• The unsportsmanlike conduct call against Dallas receiver Brice Butler early in the fourth quarter was an easy call, but the referee said the wrong number when he announced the penalty.
• Dallas cornerback Morris Claiborne made a nice play when he intercepted with 10:38 left in the fourth, but what a terrible pass that was! It was wide of the receiver (away from the direction of his cut, no less) by a good eight feet.
• Good, solid comeback win by Dallas. SF very easily could have won this game, but Dallas made them pay every time they made a big mistake.
• Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott – both rookies – are playing well. When Dallas quarterback Tony Romo gets cleared to play, I smell a QB controversy.[21]

@ Pittsburgh Steelers 43, Kansas City Chiefs 14

• Why did Pittsburgh go for two after their first touchdown?[22]
• And why did KC returner Knile Davis take the ball out of the end zone on the ensuing kickoff? He didn’t even get to the 15!
• I knew Kansas City was in trouble when they fumbled and gave up a touchdown and then, on their ensuing possession, threw an interception and gave up another touchdown.
• Not to be outdone, on the ensuing kickoff, Davis took the ball out of the end zone AGAIN and then cut left inside his own five yard line. Only he couldn’t turn the corner, and he was tackled on the three.  KC’s subsequent drive stalled after one first down, then Dustin Colquitt uncharacteristically shanked the punt, and Pittsburgh scored quickly on a long bomb.  Just like that, it was 22-0, and the first quarter hadn’t even ended yet.
• KC looked to have some life in the second when Tyreek Hill made a long, impressive punt return for a touchdown. Except it didn’t count because of an illegal block in the back early in the return.
• I knew the 49-yard field goal attempt by KC at the end of the first half would miss. It was raining way too hard to get good enough footing to be accurate.
• This game was a complete disaster for KC. It was a clobbering of epic proportions.[23]
• And what a bounce back for Pittsburgh after getting crushed by the Eagles the week before.
• The Chiefs have never won an NBC Sunday Night game.

@ Minnesota Vikings 24, New York Giants 10

• Nice kick return by New York’s Dwayne Harris to open the game.
• The referee for this game – Brad Allen – looks like Alfred E. Newman.[24]
• Minnesota is really good at taking advantage of opponent turnovers, so when Harris muffed the punt with 9:20 left in the first, I knew New York was in trouble. Sure enough, Minnesota turned it into a touchdown.
• I don’t think any impartial person can excuse New York receiver Odell Beckham Jr’s conduct with 6:41 left in the second that drew a flag. When will he learn?
• That was an outstanding job of running after the catch by New York running back Paul Perkins with 14:35 left in the fourth. It was a shame that he didn’t score.  Either way, that was a highlight-reel play.[25]
• Minnesota got away with a pretty blatant hold by the left tackle with just under five minutes left in the fourth.
• Minnesota is off to a great start, but New York hung in there despite their mistakes. It will be interesting to see where these two teams’ seasons end up.

Until next time…

October 27, 2016 11:49 am MST

[1] I’ve been suggesting this for weeks.

[2] Cincinnati got caught in the midst of a blitz.

[3] He had 10 receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown.

[4] Bortles is now in his third season.

[5] I once heard someone yell this at a JV game after I ejected a defensive lineman for blasting an opponent in the back right after the ball carrier was tackled 12 yards away.  I also heard this later in the season after I ejected the same kid for head-butting an opponent.  It was ridiculous.

[6] I almost forgot…after the head-butt, I also flagged that kid’s head coach for screaming at me to “learn the game.”  That same coach got flagged by me in a varsity game because he was holding a conference in an unauthorized location during a timeout, and when I told him that he needed to move, he told me to leave him alone and let him coach his team.  When I flagged him, he started screaming at me instead of giving his team instruction during the timeout.  He was a powder keg.  Four years ago, he sadly died of a heart attack in his 40s.  I wasn’t surprised, and I bet you aren’t, either.

[7] I said that “…as long as he doesn’t go out of his way to humiliate an opponent in the process, he can dance and gesture all he wants.”

[8] The emphasis was his.

[9] He did come out of the game with signs of a concussion in the third quarter.

[10] He also blasted one in the third quarter that went at least 70 yards in the air.  So not only does he pin opponents well, but he also has such a strong leg that he uncorks some awe-inspiring kicks.

[11] And to top it all off, they went for two.  Even though they didn’t convert, it was still the right call, as the score was 14-12.

[12] We have to remember that the officials are human.  Yes, they need to get every call right.  Most of the time, they do.  But they’re still human.  They are going to make mistakes every now and then.  I officiated high school football for several years.  I heard that there are two types of officials: those who have blown an inadvertent whistle, and those who haven’t yet.  Did I ever blow my whistle early?  Yep.  Did I want to crawl into a hole and hide?  Yep.  Did it call back a touchdown?  Yes…and it seems like every inadvertent whistle does.

[13] This was the first time New England had been shut out at home since 1993.

[14] That also just so happened to be his first NFL reception.

[15] Do you think this angered the Tampa Bay coaching staff?  Thank you, thank you.

[16] Recall that Eugene Sims was ejected last week.

[17] If I were saying this on a podcast or in person, I would have raised my voice and spoken with great passion there.

[18] I have to say, though, that it would have been one of the plays of the week had Johnson landed with both feet inbounds.

[19] That drives me crazy.  Just admit you fouled him, dude, and move on.

[20] Everyone who knew this rule, raise your hand.  (My hand stays down.). I’m embarrassed to say that even though I reffed high school ball for several years, I did not know that rule.  Probably because I never faced that situation in a game.  Still.  I should have known it.

[21] If Dallas is smart, they’ll do what New England did when Drew Bledsoe got hurt and Tom Brady stole the show.  But who am I kidding?  Dallas owner Jerry Jones micromanages that team, and the coaches will be forced to play Romo instead of Prescott, because Jones thinks the world of Romo, and the team is paying Romo a lot of money.

[22] They made it, but still…

[23] I must admit that I lost interest in this game pretty quickly.

[24] He’s an outstanding official, though.  He’ll referee a Super Bowl one day – mark my words.

[25] New York did, in fact, score two plays later.