I’ll begin this week’s blog with the absolute gong show that transpired in Las Vegas on Saturday night, and trust me when I say it was a gong show. Defending UFC lightweight champion Connor McGregor not only got his rear end tossed around the cage for 4 rounds by Khabib Nurmagomedov, but his constant trash talking had finally seemed to of caught up to him.
A quick background for those who don’t exactly know what went down leading up to the fight on Saturday. McGregor has a long, long history of talking smack, but also backing it up. Earlier this year the Irish fighter threw a steel chair through the bus window that Khabib was riding in, injuring him and others. He was arrested in NYC for the incident and the match was postponed…but the trash talking didn’t stop there. McGregor, like he does before every match, tries to bully his opponent verbally and get into their mind (it can be extremely entertaining from a fan standpoint) and fuel them to a point where they get off of their game.
Khabib, however, seemed unfazed. When Connor was late to the Friday afternoon press conference the Russian product just said thank you to the fans, got up and then left the stadium. Once the match began late Saturday it was all Khabib from the start. He attacked McGregor like he said he was going to, and then was able to make him tap in the fourth round. An upset none the less, but what happened after submission looked like something out of an old WWE contest. Tempers were flaring all around; Khabib threw his mouth guard in the direction of McGregor’s team and then climbed out of the octagon and began fighting them. While that was going on members from the Khabib camp jumped into the cage and began jumping McGregor before security was able to separate everyone. But not before punches were thrown or before absolute chaos ensued.
UFC Commissioner Dana White had to escort the new champion out of the arena before anything else happened and he has yet to give the belt to Khabib. A full on investigation is underway and both purses are being held in contempt. Both fighters are immigrants and, according to some, this could have visa issues in the future.
So, where does this put the UFC now? Well, I think it only helped the sport. From a fan perspective it kept me up until the early morning, and overall it was trending all across the world. But do I agree with Khabib’s actions? Not to the degree of how he handled himself after winning, but we are all human and nobody knows how they would react in that situation after all of the events leading up to that moment. McGregor attacked his religion, called out his family and destroyed his bus with a steel chair earlier this year on top of all of the trash talking this past week.
Clearly the Irishman was able to rattle his opponent, but for the first time in a long time it back fired. For those who say Khabib deserves full responsibility are completely blind on the matter altogether. Yes, that is his strategy and it makes for intense fights, but if he and the commissioner don’t take any blame it’s an utter joke. The UFC allowed for Connor to behave this way and turn the league into a circus. Great for ratings and great for competition, but if you push someone just far enough this is what can transpire.
Hopefully the UFC can get beyond all of the legal matters so that a rematch can be scheduled. Talk about ratings going through the roof if there is indeed chapter 2. Maybe Vegas will have a few more security guards this time around…What did they think was going to happen?!
Are the Yankees Done?
For the first time in 14 years the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees finally met up in the playoffs. As a Yankees fan I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for Game 3 in the Bronx, but the outcome left myself and the Pinstripe faithful in shock. The Bombers laid their biggest postseason egg in franchise history at home and fell to their rival 16-1. Oh, and Brock Holt became the first player to hit for the cycle in the postseason…great.
The bats have been the storyline for New York in the ALCS. Game 1 the Yankees were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left the bases loaded in back to back innings. Game 2 the bats were hot early enough to hang on for a win, but in last night’s pivotal Game 3 the bats were colder than the Arctic Ocean in the winter.
It was just so frustrating. The rookies Torres and Andujar are playing like…well, rookies. Giancarlo Stanton has been horrendous with runners on base (the reason he was brought to New York) and Andrew McCutchen is far from his MVP 2014 form.
Louis Severino got shelled last night and Aaron Boone mismanaged him after the third inning. Why the hell did Severino go back out on the bump to start the fourth? This is where the game fell apart. He had 64 pitches through 3 innings and the Sox were hitting ropes off of him. Nobody was warming up in the bullpen until midway through the fourth when Lance Lynn was sent out to relieve the Yankees ace after he loaded the bases with NO OUTS. Why not go Chad Green in this situation? He’s their best relief pitcher and could have maybe gotten out of the inning unscathed. Instead, Lynn pitched 5 straight balls, walked in a run and literally fell on his face after his third pitch. A seven run inning might have just ended New York’s historic season and Boone probably didn’t sleep a wink last night.
I’m definitely not throwing in the towel yet, but I’m still so pissed off from last night’s performance. Maybe it’s because I was at Yankee stadium to witness this fiasco or because Chris Sale is lined up for the Sox in Game 5. But I’m not trying to look ahead; I’m going to focus on tonight and tonight only.
Boston will be on a high and the Yankees will be pissed off. The biggest advantage is that New York has a World Series winning veteran on the mound tonight with CC Sabathia starting and they still have the two best power hitters in baseball. New York needs to get runs on the board early and Sabathia must go 6 innings. The bullpen needs a rest.
The series is still far from over as it’s only just getting started. We’ll see you at Fenway for Game 5!
NFL Week 5
I’ll begin the NFL segment by congratulating Drew Brees on breaking the all-time passing yards record last night on Monday Night Football in a win over the Redskins (I’ll touch on this in a bit). It is a true honor that is well deserved by none other than a true class act.
Rookie Quarterback Sunday
The biggest story in my eyes was 2018 rookie quarterbacks. All four top-10 picks not only all started, but they all won. Josh Rosen got his first win of his NFL career over the 49ers in San Francisco. Baker Mayfield helped the Browns win on a Sunday for the first time in God knows when over a really good Baltimore opponent. Sam Darnold took down the Broncos at the Meadowlands and was throwing absolute dimes to the end zone, and Josh Allen knocked off the Titans with Bills Mafia in attendance in Buffalo.
The NFL is in really good hands right now. Quarterbacks are getting better and the bust rate is going down. I don’t know if there has ever been 4 rookie QB’s picking up a W on the same day in league history and if I had to guess I would say there is no chance it has ever happened (Nope. It’s never been done!).
Crosby’s Afternoon to Forget
Really, we are still talking about kickers after a month into the season? Well, Green Bay’s Pro Bowl kicker Mason Crosby had arguably the worst showing by a kicker since the Jets in the 2005 Divisional Round. Crosby left 13 points off the board after missing four FGs and one extra point in a loss to the Lions on the road.
His situation is slightly different and I’m sure it was just one of those days, but I guess if you’re a Pro Bowler you’re allowed to have a bad day. However, for Green Bay they are now tied for second in the NFC North and Detroit is one game behind both the Packers and Vikings.
Minnesota on the other hand might have turned things around this year for good. In a rematch of the 2018 NFC Championship Game the Vikes went into Philadelphia and upset the defending champs. The defense finally played up to their potential in Week 5 and Linval Joseph’s defensive fumble return touchdown put an exclamation point on the game. Adam Thielen and Kirk Cousins have been very impressive so far this year and the combination of Stephon Diggs and Thielen might be the best unit in the NFL.
For Philly, Carson Wentz has looked rusty since returning from an ACL injury in Week 3 as he is just 1-2 since taking back the starting role. Their secondary has been depleted and on offense they have yet to score over 21 points this year. They have been a target since February, but they have been extremely fortunate that the NFC East is WIDE open. At 2-3 they are just a half game back from the division title and they could very well repeat as East champs with seven wins. But as far as repeating as Super Bowl champs, it might be time to start ringing the Liberty Bell in panic.
The real takeaway from MNF last night was just how scary good the Saints are. Yes, congrats to Brees on the record, but damn…this roster is loaded. Mark Ingram returned from suspension (sorry Alvin Kamara fantasy owners) and claimed two rushing touchdowns, while it was Torrey Smith, not Michael Thomas, tearing up the field on the receiving end. The Saints won 49-19 in an absolute route over the ‘Skins and with a Thomas-Josh Norman on-field feud, and they have not lost since FitzMagic shredded them for 48 points in Week 1.
New Orleans has had a history of starting slow, but this train has picked up steam and it has no signs of slowing down anytime soon. They were my Super Bowl pick this season and I’m sticking to it. This team is loaded.
Patrick Mahomes keeps facing all of his challenges head on, but it was the Chiefs defense that carried the troops in Week 5. They picked off Blake Bortles four times and have finally figured out their pass rush. The second-year QB finally threw his first INT of the season, but it didn’t matter as the defense was dominating in virtually every aspect of the game.
Jacksonville is now 3-2 and has not played well away from home. Their defense has been outstanding all season, but it’s the offense that has been so inconsistent. This stingy defense can carry the Jaguars far, but it will have to be the offense coming up big if they want to get back to the AFC title game.
New England is back. Well, I guess they never left! They started slow again and are back leading the division…again. Tom Brady is on another mission again in 2018 and he got his best weapon back on Thursday, Julian Edelman. Oh, and TB12 threw his 500th regular season TD pass to Josh Gordon (his 71st different receiver to catch one). How New England does that sound? Ha!
The Pats host the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in the game of the week this Sunday in a battle of the best to ever do it against the next best thing—Brady-Mahomes. Pound the over on this one.
Risk Taking
Last, but not least, the LA Rams won again. From top to bottom this is the best roster in the league today. Jared Goff, my preseason pick, is likely going to win MVP and Sean McVay has team’s trying to figure out a way to stop Todd Gurley. Good luck.
But the real story here and one that I’ll link the Cowboys-Texans game to is the decision making in crunch time. They are slightly different cases, but both should have been comparable. The Rams were up two just under the 2-minute warning and were going to punt on 4th and 1. Seattle called their final timeout and McVay got to think it over and decided to go for it and try and pick up a yard, and clinch the game. So, after a Goff sneak and a gain of two yards the Rams picked up both the first and the win in a hostile 12th man road environment. A gutsy call to say the least…or was it?
Dallas, who was also on the road and playing in Houston, somehow managed to get the SNF game into overtime after playing awful offensively. The Cowboys had one goal line stand on fourth down and another stand to force a FG that kept them alive in the game. The defense came up with a key interception to push the game into added time, but the call of the game came on a 4th and 1 on the opponent’s 42 yard line. Time was not a factor in this game as the next score was going to win the game. Instead of trying a QB sneak or attempting to gain a yard with one of the best running backs in the game Ezekiel Elliott, Jason Garrett decided to punt it. Ball game. Texans made one big play on offense and sealed the game 19-16.
My argument is this: you go for the win in both situations. I said it last week with the Colts and I’ll say it again, the odds of getting a yard are in your favor! Sure, there are times to be conservative and most coaches generally are. But when your offense is struggling like Dallas was and they were still in a position to win the game and on the road, 10 times out of 10 you go for that.
Wins are hard to come by in pro sports, but even harder in the NFL. You have to be willing to take risks and make gutsy calls if you’re going to make it in this league.
Although no matter what Garrett does, his job seems to be very safe with Jerry Jones…maybe this is why the Cowboys haven’t won in over twenty years!!