Welcome to the first weekly installment of Winners and Losers. Here are the winners and losers from the weekend:
Winners: Quarterbacks are Multitalented
I saw three trick plays where they had a wide receiver throw the ball back across their field to their quarterback. The one that was most successful was when Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu threw across the field to QB Andy Dalton who caught the ball and scored a touchdown on a 18 yard grab. Another was when Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse threw back to QB Russell Wilson for a 17 yard grab. The last one was a great trick play ran by the Cleveland Browns when QB Johnny Manziel faked an argument with Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shannon, and then QB Brian Hoyer snapped the ball and Manziel went down the field, and he caught the ball from for a 39 yard gain. Unfortunately, the play was called back for an illegal motion penalty. If Manziel doesn’t get a chance to start at QB for the Browns, he could have a future at wide receiver.
Losers: Preseason Hype
At the beginning of every Rams home game, they play a video of Michael Brockers welcoming everyone to Sack City. The nickname given to the fearsome D-Line after the addition of the 13th overall draft pick defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Journalists jumped all over the Rams’ defensive line boosting at the beginning of the season 4 first round picks in Chris Long, Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, and Aaron Donald. They claimed that this team would lead the league in sacks. With the loss of Chris Long, the defensive line has registered just a single sack from Aaron Donald in the first three games. The line has also been suspect in the running game allowing to teams to just tear them up. With Robert Quinn getting a huge contract extension, it would be nice to see him and this line get after the Quarterback and get sacks. I think my and the Journalists’ GPS is broken because this is certainly not Sack City. Hopefully, I am wrong but this defensive line needs to work hard and start trying to live up to the nickname.
Winners: Teams named after the Cardinal
The teams named after the famous red bird were able to successful this weekend. St. Louis Cardinals had a hard fought series against the Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals were able to get a win on Friday where pitcher John Lackey threw a good game, and the Cardinals won 2-1. On Saturday, the Cardinals were able to get power from players that usually don’t shine in the spotlight. The Birds were able to ride the homeruns of Tony Cruz, Kolten Wong, and Randal Grichuk to get the win of the score of 8-4. On Sunday afternoon, the Cardinals were able to clinch a playoff spot for the fourth consecutive year. The Cardinals finished the weekend by winning the series against the Reds, 2-1. In the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals were able to remain undefeated as they beat the San Francisco 49ers with a score of 23-14. The Cardinals were forced to start Drew Stanton for the second straight week as Carson Palmer nursed a shoulder injury, and Stanton throw 18 for 33 for 244 yards and 2 TDs. The Cardinal teams were flying high this weekend.
Losers: Teams named after the Tiger
One of the most famous tigers is Tony the Tiger. He has a catchphrase saying, “They’re Great.” When he said this catchphrase, he certainly was not referencing the college football teams named after the Tiger during this weekend. First, the 18th ranked Missouri Tigers lost to an unranked Indiana Hoosier squad who came to Farout Field and left with a win, 31-27. Later on, the 8th ranked LSU Tigers lost to unranked Mississippi State Bulldogs at Tiger Stadium, 34-29. Last but not least, the 22nd ranked Clemson Tigers couldn’t find a way to hold on against 1st ranked and the defending national champions FSU Seminoles losing in overtime to a final score of 23-17. The only positive was that 5th ranked Auburn Tigers where able to hold off Kansas State Wildcats, 20-14. It was a rough weekend to be a Tiger.
