The greatest week of the year for football fans have arrived, it's Super Bowl week! Returning for a seventh time in the Brady era and ninth time in franchise history are New England Patriots, and they will be facing the high-powered Atlanta Falcons. This makes it only the franchise's second ever appearance to the big dance. The playoffs this year have been very one sided, with one exception being the Packers/Cowboys game in the Divisional round, which saw scoring on both and a game winning drive for the Packers.
A lot of factors in will come into play come Sunday, can Matt Ryan out quarterback Tom Brady? Which team establishes the running game? If the stats tell us anything it's that there should be a lot of fireworks from both teams and it could come down to who has the ball last.
Backstory
The Atlanta Falcons will play in just their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. The last time the Falcons were in the Super Bowl, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were not even a player coach tandem for the Patriots. Tom Brady was playing at Michigan and Bill Belichick was coaching for the New York Jets. This will be Belichick and Brady's seventh trip, already bringing four Lombardi Trophies home in the past. This will be an offensive slugfest if we go by the numbers. Going into Sunday's Super Bowl, the number one ranked Atlanta Falcons offense will go against the Patriots defensive unit that has given up the least amount of points. Another thing to watch with Brady and Belichick having two weeks to prepare, will the Patriots bring home trophy number five by dissecting the Falcons defense? Also, how will Matt Ryan handle his first appearance on Super Sunday?
Tom vs Matt
If Matt Ryan wants to have a good day, he will need to use the tight ends and running backs at his disposal in out of the backfield, complimented with a solid running day. The Patriots normally do a decent job utilizing Malcolm Butler to cover number one receivers; in the this case it will be Julio Jones who is eating defensive backs and secondary’s alive. While Logan Ryan and other coverage will help cover the number two receiver in Mohamed Sanu. Therefore, Matt Ryan should build his passing game with the tight ends Levine Toilolo and Austin Hooper, this may cause mismatches that offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will look to exploit. The combination of taking what the defense gives the Falcons and a solid running game from Devonta Freeman and his counterpart Tevin Coleman who are both running backs can cause problems out of the backfield rushing and receiving.
For the Patriots, they showed in the AFC Championships game if you sit back in zone coverage and do not disguise what your defensive schemes are going to be, Tom Brady will sit in the pocket and pick you apart all night long. The Falcons need to come out, pin their ears back and get after Brady from the opening whistle if they want to win the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Prediction
The Patriots offense being led by Tom Brady with the experience he has, mixed with the Falcons struggling secondary, you can almost expect a great day at the office for Tom Brady, who seems to be on a mission this season. If Brady uses all the weapons he has at his disposal, mixing medium and deep passes early to challenge that Falcons secondary this might be a very one sided victory. The Patriots have to realize if Malcolm Butler gives Julio Jones any space, it could be a long day for the former Super Bowl hero. Expect a back and forth game, with Matt Ryan and the Falcons having the ball at the end of the game and Ryan leading the Falcons down the field, to set up the game winning field goal final score 34-31 Falcons win their first Super Bowl in franchise history. If I am wrong and the Patriots win, I will wear a Patriots t-shirt the next day, and in my upcoming podcast 15 Minute Sports Break with Carlo Guadagnino.
Written by: Carlo Guadagnino
http://cguadagn.wixsite.com/carlo-guadagnino
Edited By:
Ethan Barnes
Daniel Bishop M.A.
References:
http://www.nfl.com/teams/newenglandpatriots/statistics?team=NE
http://m.espn.com/nfl/aggregates?groupId=9&season=2016&seasonType=2&split=0&statgroup=total&category=totalPoints
http://www.patriots.com/team/coaches/roster/bill-belichick
http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-the-tom-brady-draft-2015-9
http://www.patriots.com/team/history/super-bowls
https://www.google.com/amp/www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/nfl/2017/1/1/14110286/2017-nfl-playoffs-schedule-bracket-results-scores?client=safari
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000779832/article/kyle-shanahan-pats-defense-best-falcons-have-seen
http://www.si.com/nfl/2017/01/22/nfl-conference-championship-wrapup-super-bowl-51-preview-falcons-patriots
Monday, January 30, 2017
Monday, January 23, 2017
Conference Championships One Sided Affairs
The NFC and AFC Championships looked on paper like they were going to be good games. On paper is the only place they looked good. Both games were rematches from the regular season; both teams that won the first meeting came away victorious in the second go around. The biggest surprise is how bad both the Packers and Steelers looked and how dominant the Patriots and Falcons looked. Super Bowl 51 will see the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots square off for bragging rights in the league, but we will look at that next week. This week is going to be thoughts and feelings on the NFC and AFC Championships.
AFC Championship
The late game on Sunday pinned the Pittsburgh Steelers against the home team New England Patriots. The first time these two NFL powers met back in week 7 many believed the Steelers lost largely since Landry Jones not Ben Roethlisberger was under center. Fast forward from week 7 to Sundays AFC Championship, Roethlisberger proved to be just as unproductive. Roethlisberger went 31-47 for 314 yards and a touchdown pass at the end of the game that meant nothing other than making the score look a little better. 36-17 was the final as the Patriots won their 9th AFC crown and no sequence was bigger than near the end of the first half when the Patriots forced the Steelers to settle for 3 point after three tries from the half inch line were turned away by the Patriots’ staunch defense.
If the Steelers could score on that drive it would have made the score 17-13 going into the half with the Steelers getting the ball to start the 2nd half. That did not happen the score was 17-9 to end the half and almost all momentum was with the Patriots at that point. As for the “Killer B’s” stats went down as followed Le’Veon Bell was held to 20 yards on 6 carries and was sidelined most of the game with a groin injury. Antonio Brown who was double covered most of the game had 7 catches for 77 yards and no scores. Just was not a good day for a group that was titled “high powered” by so many experts, that did not show during the AFC Championship game. On the other side, Tom Brady was as much if not more terrific than normal, Brady turned in his best postseason performances his career finishing with 384 yards, 3 scores, two of which went to Chris Hogan and no interceptions. In seven career games against the Mike Tomlin lead Steelers, Brady has 22 touchdowns and not one interception.
NFC Championship
It's was an old-school butt whooping for the Atlanta Falcons as they steam rolled the visiting Green Bay Packers 44-21 was the final. For only the second time in franchise history the Atlanta Falcons will play for a Super Bowl. Four years ago, Matt Ryan and company were right at the doorstep of making the Super Bowl, losing 28-24 to the San Francisco 49ers. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones learned from that experience and were not going to waste the second chance they got. Matt Ryan threw 392 yards, four touchdowns in the air, and 23 yards on the ground where he added another score. Julio Jones had a game high 180 yards and added 2 touchdowns for his day at the office. Ryan also connected with the hero from game one, Mohamed Sanu caught five balls for 52 yards and a score.
Aaron Rodgers, with completed passes, did do what he could but was visibly frustrated all game long against the Falcons Defense; Rodgers went 27-45 for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns. His receiving core highlighted by the return of Jordy Nelson where no match for the Falcons who seemed to respond every time the Packers gained a little bit of momentum. Nelson, who was playing with broken ribs, still had 6 passes for 67 yards and a score. He was joined by previous week hero Jared Cook who caught 7 passes for 78 yards and a score, rounding out Rodgers favorite targets was Randall Cobb who caught 6 passes for 82 yards. The Packers just did not have an answer for the Falcons who closed the Georgia Dome they way they saw fit and that was with a win and punching a ticket to Huston for Super Bowl 51.
This was not a good week for the football fan that did not have anything invested in the games at hand, this was not a good week for Pittsburgh and Green Bay Fans. This was a good week for the NFL (But what week isn't) and especially for the Atlanta Falcons fans and New England Patriots Fans. If the numbers tell the story, Super Bowl 51 should be a high scoring affair. What do you think? Who is your early front runner? Who wins the MVP? We will talk about all that next week!
Written by
Carlo Guadagnino
http://cguadagn.wixsite.com/carlo-guadagnino
Edited by:
Daniel Bishop M.A.
References:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2688579-packers-vs-falcons-score-and-twitter-reaction-from-2017-nfc-championship.amp.html?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/www.bostonherald.com/sports/patriots/2017/01/patriots_defense_stands_ground_against_steelers_in_afc_championship_game_win%3Famp?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/2017/1/22/14351990/falcons-packers-2017-results-score-nfl-playoffs-nfc-championship?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/2017/1/22/14353286/patriots-steelers-2017-results-score-nfl-playoffs-afc-championship?client=safari
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Then There were Four: AFC and NFC Championships
Two rematches of regular season games for bragging rights in the conference and a chance to punch a ticket to the Super Bowl in Houston. Game one will be the NFC Championship between the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta, that game will be played Sunday at 3:05pm and will air on Fox. Game two will see the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to New England, that game will start at 6:40pm and will air on CBS. A lot of big name players who can make big time plays will be laying it all on the line, the packers and Steelers will look to avenge losses from earlier in the season. 32 teams started the journey back in August when training camps opened up, the Patriots, Steelers, Packers and Falcons are one step closer to holding that Lombardi trophy
NFC Championship
This game is a rematch of a week 8 showdown between the two offensive juggernauts. In that meeting, the Packers came up 32 seconds short of beating the Falcons in the Georgia Dome. On the last drive of the game, Matt Ryan found Muhammad Sanu over the middle for the tying touchdowns and with the extra point the final score 33-32 Atlanta by the skin of their teeth. That is how the first meeting went down, a combined 65 points, seven touchdown passes between the two teams. No surprise when this game hit Vegas as the NFC Championship game the spread going in is 61 points. That could also be that the number one and number three offenses in the playoffs are the Falcons and Packers, look for this to be a back and forth game but give the edge to Green Bay.
Prediction
Aaron Rodgers playing the way he is, the Falcons defense will need to get after him from the opening whistle, until there are zeros on the scoreboard. In the first meeting Rodgers did his thing through the air going 28-38 with 4 touchdowns and 246 yards, but also led the Packers in rushing with 60 yards. The Falcons were forced to have a player spy or follow Rodgers around which opened the short to mid routes for receivers. When you get Rodgers scrabbling, he is at his best and the Falcons will need to contain Rodgers in the pocket if they want to have a chance to win. The Falcons will also need to have Julio Jones 100% and get that deadly one, two punch in the backfield going early. Take all of this and put it together, the packers will come away on top 38-28 in Atlanta to punch their ticket to Houston. What do you think will be the outcome? Who will be the player of the game that makes a difference?
AFC Championship
Since Bill Belichick has been the coach of the Patriots dating back to 2000, the Steelers have gone 0-4 in New England’s Foxboro stadium. Tom Brady who is having a lights out year (even with his deflategate suspension), but that is not what jumps out. Steelers defensive Keith Butler has been involved in two games since Dick LeBeau left the defensive play calling, said “the Patriots offense doesn't do anything special” the tale of the stats in Butler’s two games says differently. In those two games “Terrific Tom” has stats that should keep Butler tossing and turning all week leading up to the game. Brady's stats against Butlers defense look like this; 75.9% completions, 510 yards passing, 6 touchdowns no interceptions and a scorching 136.4 passer rating. If that is not enough Ben Roethlisberger has not played well away from Hienz Field this season. Away from home the Steelers offensive play caller has completed only 60% of his passes while throwing 9 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, those numbers tell that if the running game is not there for the Steelers it could be a very long day for the Black and Gold. The Steelers secondary will need to do a better job with Julian Edelman who in two games has 20 of the 22 passes thrown his way for 157 yards, if nothing else look for Edelman to be a go to target to help move the chains for the Patriots.
Prediction
After watching the way the Steelers and the Patriots played this past weekend, there is no overthinking this one. Tom Brady and the Patriots will win if the Steelers think that they can rely only on field goals. The killer Bs will need to be in top form with Roethlisberger needing to shake the road dust off, Bell will need to have a big game and Brown will need to as well. The tools that Brady can use will wear the Steelers defense down. The Patriots are just a team that like the Steelers has the next man up mentality and they execute like a well-oiled machine. For the Steelers faithfully out there this is gonna hurt but Patriots 31 Steelers 17.
Regardless of who you are a fan of there are going to be two very good games for the chance to go to the Super Bowl. Twenty-eight teams down, four left fighting for NFL supremacy. In the NFC, it will be Matt Ryan and the high-flying Atlanta Falcons against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. In the AFC as everyone thought at the end of the regular season, to get to the Super Bowl in Houston the road will take you through New England when they play the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC crown. Aaron Rodgers vs Matt Ryan and Tom Brady vs Ben Roethlisberger; four of the games best fighting scratching and clawing to win one more game and get their team to the big dance. Both games are rematches from earlier in the season where the current home team Falcons and Patriots won, but history in the same season can be hard to repeat itself. Regardless of who you are cheering for this is what playoff football is about, and why the fans come back year in and year out. My prediction is a New England vs Green Bay Super Bowl in Houston. Who do you think will make it to the big dance? Do you agree or disagree with me?
Written by:
Carlo Guadagnino
http://cguadagn.wixsite.com/carlo-guadagnino
Edited by:
Daniel Bishop M.A.
References:
https://www.google.com/amp/www.si.com/nfl/2017/01/15/nfl-divisional-wrapup-scores-highlights-storylines-conference-championship-game-preview-matchups%3Famp%3D1?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/www.silverandblackpride.com/platform/amp/2017/1/14/14276996/nfl-playoffs-2017-schedule-afc-championship-will-go-through-new-england?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/nesn.com/2017/01/nfl-playoff-schedule-2017-dates-times-and-tv-listings-for-each-game/amp/?client=safari
green bay packers schedule 2016
pittsburgh steelers schedule
NFC Championship
This game is a rematch of a week 8 showdown between the two offensive juggernauts. In that meeting, the Packers came up 32 seconds short of beating the Falcons in the Georgia Dome. On the last drive of the game, Matt Ryan found Muhammad Sanu over the middle for the tying touchdowns and with the extra point the final score 33-32 Atlanta by the skin of their teeth. That is how the first meeting went down, a combined 65 points, seven touchdown passes between the two teams. No surprise when this game hit Vegas as the NFC Championship game the spread going in is 61 points. That could also be that the number one and number three offenses in the playoffs are the Falcons and Packers, look for this to be a back and forth game but give the edge to Green Bay.
Prediction
Aaron Rodgers playing the way he is, the Falcons defense will need to get after him from the opening whistle, until there are zeros on the scoreboard. In the first meeting Rodgers did his thing through the air going 28-38 with 4 touchdowns and 246 yards, but also led the Packers in rushing with 60 yards. The Falcons were forced to have a player spy or follow Rodgers around which opened the short to mid routes for receivers. When you get Rodgers scrabbling, he is at his best and the Falcons will need to contain Rodgers in the pocket if they want to have a chance to win. The Falcons will also need to have Julio Jones 100% and get that deadly one, two punch in the backfield going early. Take all of this and put it together, the packers will come away on top 38-28 in Atlanta to punch their ticket to Houston. What do you think will be the outcome? Who will be the player of the game that makes a difference?
AFC Championship
Since Bill Belichick has been the coach of the Patriots dating back to 2000, the Steelers have gone 0-4 in New England’s Foxboro stadium. Tom Brady who is having a lights out year (even with his deflategate suspension), but that is not what jumps out. Steelers defensive Keith Butler has been involved in two games since Dick LeBeau left the defensive play calling, said “the Patriots offense doesn't do anything special” the tale of the stats in Butler’s two games says differently. In those two games “Terrific Tom” has stats that should keep Butler tossing and turning all week leading up to the game. Brady's stats against Butlers defense look like this; 75.9% completions, 510 yards passing, 6 touchdowns no interceptions and a scorching 136.4 passer rating. If that is not enough Ben Roethlisberger has not played well away from Hienz Field this season. Away from home the Steelers offensive play caller has completed only 60% of his passes while throwing 9 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, those numbers tell that if the running game is not there for the Steelers it could be a very long day for the Black and Gold. The Steelers secondary will need to do a better job with Julian Edelman who in two games has 20 of the 22 passes thrown his way for 157 yards, if nothing else look for Edelman to be a go to target to help move the chains for the Patriots.
Prediction
After watching the way the Steelers and the Patriots played this past weekend, there is no overthinking this one. Tom Brady and the Patriots will win if the Steelers think that they can rely only on field goals. The killer Bs will need to be in top form with Roethlisberger needing to shake the road dust off, Bell will need to have a big game and Brown will need to as well. The tools that Brady can use will wear the Steelers defense down. The Patriots are just a team that like the Steelers has the next man up mentality and they execute like a well-oiled machine. For the Steelers faithfully out there this is gonna hurt but Patriots 31 Steelers 17.
Regardless of who you are a fan of there are going to be two very good games for the chance to go to the Super Bowl. Twenty-eight teams down, four left fighting for NFL supremacy. In the NFC, it will be Matt Ryan and the high-flying Atlanta Falcons against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. In the AFC as everyone thought at the end of the regular season, to get to the Super Bowl in Houston the road will take you through New England when they play the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC crown. Aaron Rodgers vs Matt Ryan and Tom Brady vs Ben Roethlisberger; four of the games best fighting scratching and clawing to win one more game and get their team to the big dance. Both games are rematches from earlier in the season where the current home team Falcons and Patriots won, but history in the same season can be hard to repeat itself. Regardless of who you are cheering for this is what playoff football is about, and why the fans come back year in and year out. My prediction is a New England vs Green Bay Super Bowl in Houston. Who do you think will make it to the big dance? Do you agree or disagree with me?
Written by:
Carlo Guadagnino
http://cguadagn.wixsite.com/carlo-guadagnino
Edited by:
Daniel Bishop M.A.
References:
https://www.google.com/amp/www.si.com/nfl/2017/01/15/nfl-divisional-wrapup-scores-highlights-storylines-conference-championship-game-preview-matchups%3Famp%3D1?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/www.silverandblackpride.com/platform/amp/2017/1/14/14276996/nfl-playoffs-2017-schedule-afc-championship-will-go-through-new-england?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/nesn.com/2017/01/nfl-playoff-schedule-2017-dates-times-and-tv-listings-for-each-game/amp/?client=safari
green bay packers schedule 2016
pittsburgh steelers schedule
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
A Game for the Ages: a Fitting way to bid farewell to College Football
35-31 on a 2 yard pass play that will be talked about by Clemson Faithful for years to come! After 8 years of fighting and clawing, the 2016 Clemson Tigers can place their flag all the way at the top of the College Football mountain. What a game the National Championship turned out to be, in fact it was the best football championship game since the 2006 National championship which ended with Texas upsetting USC. This years National Championship was a rematch of just a year ago, where many in the college football world thought all Clemson needed was one more possession to win. This year with one second on the clock in the fourth quarter Clemson removed all doubt that they were supposed to be there. The question is, with college football now over for the year, would you like to see these two teams make it back for the third time to settle the series which now stands at 1-1 for both teams? Is there a dark horse for next year? Lastly, was last nights performance a statement from Deshaun Watson to the Heisman Committee that they messed up this year?
The road to the National Championship wasn't easy for the Tigers, after Deshaun Watson led Clemson on a six play, 88 yard drive, that was highlighted by a 26 yard beautiful catch by receiver Mike Williams and capped off by a Wayne Gallmanscore to make it 28-24 Tigers. The tried and true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts came out onto the field poised and marched his team down the field capping it off with a 30 yard scamper to regain the lead for the Tide, making it 31-28 with 2:31 to play in the game. The two time Heisman finalist walked onto the field for what is assumed to be his last drive in a Clemson uniform, and with no urgency at all marched his team down the field. A pass interference call in the end zone placed the ball first and goal from the two yard line. A designed sprint out against man to man coverage was all Watson would need. Former walk-on wide receiver Hunter Renfrow would come open almost immediately and it was an easy pitch and catch for what would be the deciding factor in the National Championship. An onside kick recovered by Clemson that took no time off the clock, gave a fitting way for Clemson to end its season. Watson had to take one more snap but this time is was in victory formation. 35-31 the final score and for this year a new champion sits atop the mountain of college football.
“Eight years ago we set out to put Clemson back on top” said Swinney, who was visibly struck with all sorts of emotions immediately following the game. “We came up a little short last year, but today on top of the mountain, the Clemson flag is flying.” That flag was carried to the top of the mountain by Deshaun Watson Throwing for 420 yards on 36-56, 3 touchdown passes, and 45 rushing yards and a score. The man got beat on all game long and still kept coming back for more. He was hit in the head, he was under constant pressure, he even at one point looked John Elway esque when he was helicoptered following a rushing attempt for a first down. The resilience and leadership Watson showed as the game went on was definitely a statement to all that doubted him and the Clemson Tigers, as they now have their second national title in program history, first since 1981. The Tigers played the winners of the last seven national champions, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State, and Auburn and beat all of them on their way to this national title. Who is the front runner next year? Did Monday's game change the draft stock of Deshaun Watson?
Written by:
Carlo Guadagnino
http://cguadagn.wixsite.com/carlo-guadagnino
Edited by:
Alaina Roberts
Daniel Bishop M.A.
References:
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Loyalty vs Intelligence: To Play or Not To Play
There is a lot of debate in this year's Football College Bowl season, however, the debate is more about the players that will not be on the field, as opposed to those that will be. Christian MacCaffrey and Leonard Fournette made the business decision to sit out their team’s respected bowl games to preserve their future financial gain, while preparing for the upcoming NFL draft. This decision has the sports world up in arms questioning heart and loyalty. What do you think? Is there history that shows this is a smart move? Has the College Playoff made it easier for a decision like this to be made for future athletes? You be the judge.
Looking at it from a fan of football or a specific school's fan and the schools feel that they are receiving the short end of the stick. When players sign scholarships to specific schools, they are agreeing that in exchange for playing football, the school will provide full tuition, room and board, and the opportunity for the player to fully attend classes while at the institution. This is the athlete's first “legally binding contract” right? To put simply when these kids are 18-year-old seniors in high school, they sign a contract with these schools “pay for play”; the pay is a college education and the play explains itself. For the education alone that these athletes can get, would that be enough for those players, like so many before them, to get their overwhelming loyalty to the program and school? Why now are players sitting out? Could there be another side to this story?
Let's flash back to the National Championship 2002: Ohio State vs Miami, running back with just under twelve minutes left to play in the fourth quarter on a screen pass Willis McGahee was hit low by a clean tackle. What resulted for McGahee was a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL and the running back fell from what many thought was a Top 5 pick to 23rd. Which, still makes him a first round pick, but at the cost of millions of dollars. Fast forward now to 2015, Fiesta Bowl Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith gets hurt in the first quarter of the game. The injury: torn ligaments in the knee, the cost being drafted in the first round and close to 14 million dollars. With all of that being, said we know injuries are a part of the game and as cruel of a game as football sometimes can be, is it just your time to stop playing. To sit out a bowl game though? Are there other reasons why, as fans of the game, we should consider before crucifying these players for making this decision?
Players look and think in the here and now, so injuries and avoiding them, are obviously an easy way to say a player is soft or not loyal. How about when a coach does the same thing to the team he coached all season and then foregoes a bowl game because they are taking another job? Four coaches this bowl season have left their current coaching jobs before the team's bowl game was played to take other jobs. Willie Taggart went from South Florida to Oregon, Tom Herman from Houston to Texas, Jeff Brohm from Western Kentucky to Purdue, Matt Rhule from Temple to Baylor. This has been a long running tradition, it happens every year and is an accepted part of the game, but now that players are doing it as well, is it less about business and more about lack of interest? Has the college football playoff as good as it is had a trickle-down effect on the importance of other Bowl games such as the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl? What does this mean for the playoff and bowl games in seasons to come?
The College Football Playoff in Nick Saban's eyes is a big part to blame for this move by players to forego playing to protect the investment, their bodies. When asked about players not playing in bowl games, Saban had this to say "I think when we created the playoff, which all of you wanted to do and all of you wanted to make it four teams, and now all of you want to make it eight teams, and then soon all you guys are going to want to make it 16 teams, the only focus is on the playoff," Saban said. "But when we all started this, however many years ago it was, I said that you're going to diminish the importance of other bowl games in college football, which has happened. All anybody talks about is the playoff. We have a whole bunch of other bowl games that people don't think are all that important. So, if you don't think it's important, all of a sudden, the players don't think it's important. So, you can't really blame the players.” Coach Saban is right on the money with this quote, we saw earlier this season how quickly question marks can surface in the playoff debate. There was a legitimate argument for at least the top 6 teams to be in and calls to expand the playoff system. There has also been a notable drop in attendance at games that are not featured in the playoffs. All of this plus the injury factor why would you risk the potential of financial and professional growth for a bowl game that has been labeled as second fiddle or not as important? There is not a person out there that would pass on an opportunity to be financially sound by risking injury.
All of this together, let me be clear, I do not agree or as a fan want to see this become the normal, but I fully understand where these players are coming from. The unfortunate is for players like Jabrill Peppers. All reports indicate that Peppers 100% intended to play in Michigan’s loss to Florida State. Unfortunately, Peppers suffered a pulled hamstring at Thursday's practice and there just was not enough time for him to heal to play at the level where he felt he would be a help. Still with him making the game time decision not to play question marks have been raised about him and his commitment to his craft. Regardless this is a new era of college football player, they are aware of their potential worth and the amount of money that is generated because of them. This is an educated era that know that “loyalty” only goes so far. At the end of the day they must do what's best for them and their families, and can you blame them? We may not like it but it is part of what the game has become? What do you think?
Written by:
Carlo Guadagnino
http://cguadagn.wixsite.com/carlo-guadagnino
Edited by:
Alaina Roberts
Daniel Bishop M.A.
References:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/sports/colleges/should-players-skip-college-bowl-games-yes-and-no/2017/01/01/e78250ea-cfb1-11e6-b8a2-8c2a61b0436f_story.html?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/12/26/not-playing-bowl-game-just-smart-business/06xomnQ8li8SaWSDTecAIM/amp.html?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/www.al.com/articles/19861636/all-access_more_players_should.amp?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/12/26/not-playing-bowl-game-just-smart-business/06xomnQ8li8SaWSDTecAIM/amp.html?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/ftw.usatoday.com/2016/12/leonard-fournette-christian-mccaffrey-skip-bowl-games-draft-2017-nfl-lsu/amp?client=safari
http://m.truthdig.com/report/item/choosing_not_to_play_in_bowl_games_revolt_in_college_football_20161228
http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/columnists/gregg-doyel/2016/12/26/doyel-dont-hate-players-skipping-bowls-hate-bowl-system/95849014/
https://www.google.com/amp/www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/agents-take-sorry-zeke-but-top-nfl-prospects-skipping-bowls-is-smart/amp/?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/www.al.com/articles/19864898/nick_saban_blames_advent_of_cf.amp?client=safari
Looking at it from a fan of football or a specific school's fan and the schools feel that they are receiving the short end of the stick. When players sign scholarships to specific schools, they are agreeing that in exchange for playing football, the school will provide full tuition, room and board, and the opportunity for the player to fully attend classes while at the institution. This is the athlete's first “legally binding contract” right? To put simply when these kids are 18-year-old seniors in high school, they sign a contract with these schools “pay for play”; the pay is a college education and the play explains itself. For the education alone that these athletes can get, would that be enough for those players, like so many before them, to get their overwhelming loyalty to the program and school? Why now are players sitting out? Could there be another side to this story?
Let's flash back to the National Championship 2002: Ohio State vs Miami, running back with just under twelve minutes left to play in the fourth quarter on a screen pass Willis McGahee was hit low by a clean tackle. What resulted for McGahee was a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL and the running back fell from what many thought was a Top 5 pick to 23rd. Which, still makes him a first round pick, but at the cost of millions of dollars. Fast forward now to 2015, Fiesta Bowl Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith gets hurt in the first quarter of the game. The injury: torn ligaments in the knee, the cost being drafted in the first round and close to 14 million dollars. With all of that being, said we know injuries are a part of the game and as cruel of a game as football sometimes can be, is it just your time to stop playing. To sit out a bowl game though? Are there other reasons why, as fans of the game, we should consider before crucifying these players for making this decision?
Players look and think in the here and now, so injuries and avoiding them, are obviously an easy way to say a player is soft or not loyal. How about when a coach does the same thing to the team he coached all season and then foregoes a bowl game because they are taking another job? Four coaches this bowl season have left their current coaching jobs before the team's bowl game was played to take other jobs. Willie Taggart went from South Florida to Oregon, Tom Herman from Houston to Texas, Jeff Brohm from Western Kentucky to Purdue, Matt Rhule from Temple to Baylor. This has been a long running tradition, it happens every year and is an accepted part of the game, but now that players are doing it as well, is it less about business and more about lack of interest? Has the college football playoff as good as it is had a trickle-down effect on the importance of other Bowl games such as the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl? What does this mean for the playoff and bowl games in seasons to come?
The College Football Playoff in Nick Saban's eyes is a big part to blame for this move by players to forego playing to protect the investment, their bodies. When asked about players not playing in bowl games, Saban had this to say "I think when we created the playoff, which all of you wanted to do and all of you wanted to make it four teams, and now all of you want to make it eight teams, and then soon all you guys are going to want to make it 16 teams, the only focus is on the playoff," Saban said. "But when we all started this, however many years ago it was, I said that you're going to diminish the importance of other bowl games in college football, which has happened. All anybody talks about is the playoff. We have a whole bunch of other bowl games that people don't think are all that important. So, if you don't think it's important, all of a sudden, the players don't think it's important. So, you can't really blame the players.” Coach Saban is right on the money with this quote, we saw earlier this season how quickly question marks can surface in the playoff debate. There was a legitimate argument for at least the top 6 teams to be in and calls to expand the playoff system. There has also been a notable drop in attendance at games that are not featured in the playoffs. All of this plus the injury factor why would you risk the potential of financial and professional growth for a bowl game that has been labeled as second fiddle or not as important? There is not a person out there that would pass on an opportunity to be financially sound by risking injury.
All of this together, let me be clear, I do not agree or as a fan want to see this become the normal, but I fully understand where these players are coming from. The unfortunate is for players like Jabrill Peppers. All reports indicate that Peppers 100% intended to play in Michigan’s loss to Florida State. Unfortunately, Peppers suffered a pulled hamstring at Thursday's practice and there just was not enough time for him to heal to play at the level where he felt he would be a help. Still with him making the game time decision not to play question marks have been raised about him and his commitment to his craft. Regardless this is a new era of college football player, they are aware of their potential worth and the amount of money that is generated because of them. This is an educated era that know that “loyalty” only goes so far. At the end of the day they must do what's best for them and their families, and can you blame them? We may not like it but it is part of what the game has become? What do you think?
Written by:
Carlo Guadagnino
http://cguadagn.wixsite.com/carlo-guadagnino
Edited by:
Alaina Roberts
Daniel Bishop M.A.
References:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/sports/colleges/should-players-skip-college-bowl-games-yes-and-no/2017/01/01/e78250ea-cfb1-11e6-b8a2-8c2a61b0436f_story.html?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/12/26/not-playing-bowl-game-just-smart-business/06xomnQ8li8SaWSDTecAIM/amp.html?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/www.al.com/articles/19861636/all-access_more_players_should.amp?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/12/26/not-playing-bowl-game-just-smart-business/06xomnQ8li8SaWSDTecAIM/amp.html?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/ftw.usatoday.com/2016/12/leonard-fournette-christian-mccaffrey-skip-bowl-games-draft-2017-nfl-lsu/amp?client=safari
http://m.truthdig.com/report/item/choosing_not_to_play_in_bowl_games_revolt_in_college_football_20161228
http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/columnists/gregg-doyel/2016/12/26/doyel-dont-hate-players-skipping-bowls-hate-bowl-system/95849014/
https://www.google.com/amp/www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/agents-take-sorry-zeke-but-top-nfl-prospects-skipping-bowls-is-smart/amp/?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/www.al.com/articles/19864898/nick_saban_blames_advent_of_cf.amp?client=safari
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