Post 236 – Bull Session – Week 14

When it comes to find an innocent rivalry game, nothing is better than Army-Navy.  At least it is innocent compared to the rest of college football.  The players on both teams are the epitome of student-athletes and it’s a game with the old cliche “you can throw away the records” and that rang true this past Saturday, with Army winning, 10-7……….Hats off to Maine for making the 1-AA semi-finals for the first time ever by beating Weber State.  There are five players from New Jersey that start or see heavy action and they square off on the red turf at Eastern Washington Saturday afternoon (correction made).  You read correct, they have red field turf and if you think Boise State’s blue turf looks wild, this is even wilder; it’s like watching football in hell.  Very surreal and the locals call it “on the red.”……….One more thing, the Maine-Eastern Washington game is on ESPN2 at 2:00 (correction made)……….Many complain about Rutgers, but there is a very good college football team in New Jersey: Princeton.  The Tigers were 10-0, scoring 470 points, allowing 130, and featuring several Jersey guys, including Mark Fossati, the former St. Joe’s (Montvale) Green Knight. ……….I was watching Colgate play North Dakota State, when they went to a commercial break; when they returned to action, the previous play was being reviewed.  What seemed like a couple of minutes went by and there was no decision and I started counting how much longer it was going to take.  I got to 57 seconds when they ruled on the play.  I figure those 57 seconds plus the time they were back on the air plus the commercials and I get a minimum of three minutes and it was probably longer than that.  I’m sorry, but that is way too long. If they can’t decide quickly, let the play stand, similar to the tie going to the base runner in baseball. ……….The Giants being mathematically alive for a wild card spot in the playoffs shows there are many average-to-below-average teams in the NFL.  If the season ended today, Seattle would be the first wild card at 8-5, but the second wild card would be Minnesota at 6-6-1.  After that, the records for the eleven remaining teams range from 6-7 to 3-10, leaving the Giants in the middle at 5-8……….While he is still playing], I really appreciate watching Drew Brees.  He is one of the best to ever play quarterback and he is a pleasure to watch.  If the Saints make it to the Super Bowl and face New England, it would be a Brees vs. Brady attraction……….Speaking of New England, I am a fan of Bill Belichick.  Among other things, I appreciate everything he did for the Giants.  The “cheater” tag is blown out of proportion. Every team is trying to steal signals and there is a reason why coaches have been covering the play sheet over their mouths while calling plays and it’s not Bill Belichick.  As for deflating the footballs, one would be hard pressed to find a team that didn’t tamper with the footballs. They want winners; they don’t want any losers……….If I were the Giants and had to do the draft over again, I would still pick Saquon Barkley……….Uniform Front:  The Good – Kansas City Chiefs.  Always liked their uniforms and that was one reason I was a Chief fan back in the old AFL days.  The Bad – Tampa bay Buccaneers.  Looks like various shades of vomit. ………. Basketball Front:  While the Knicks and Nets are not good teams, they have improved and I hope they keep it up.  I also like their coaches………..Hockey Front:  The Rangers are a little bit better than I thought, but it’s a long  season. I also like what David Quinn is doing as coach………..There may be a new superstar in the making in Vancouver Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson……….That’s all for this week.  I will return next week with some more bull!