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Big Z

McDaniels to Remain with Patriots

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Adam Schefter, ESPN – After two days of reflection and conversations with the Patriots, New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has decided not to accept the Indianapolis Colts’ head-coaching job, the team confirmed Tuesday night…

In the past 48 hours, Patriots owner Robert Kraft began talking with McDaniels and ultimately wound up sweetening his contract, helping to entice McDaniels, who had yet to sign a contract with the Colts, to remain in New England, a source said…

McDaniels’ decision to stay could spark speculation that perhaps Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s tenure is about to end, but those close to McDaniels say that isn’t the case, a source told ESPN’s Mike Reiss…

Almost as soon as the Super Bowl ended Sunday night, there was speculation that Josh McDaniels might not actually take the Colts’ head-coaching job and leave New England. It had to be post-loss denial, I thought. After the Colts announced a press conference to introduce McDaniels as their new head coach, I was convinced that’s all it was.

How could McDaniels turn down the Colts at this point? Bill Belichick could retire tomorrow and move to Nantucket, but he could also coach the Patriots for another decade. Why would McDaniels want to wait around to see which way Bill goes? Why wouldn’t McDaniels want to pad his coaching resume for when Bill actually is ready to hang up the hoodie? Not to mention, it could be awfully tough for him to get a job outside of New England (Foxboro or Bristol) ever again if he bails on a team this late in the process.

Which is why McDaniels’ decision to stay in New England as offensive coordinator really is shocking. But maybe it shouldn’t be. McDaniels might not actually be worried about finding another job outside of New England. If he went to Indy and things went south in a hurry,  it’s possible he wouldn’t get another head coaching opportunity anyways. McDaniels already had one tough stint in Denver. A few disappointing years in Indy could turn him into Eric Mangini.

If McDaniels wasn’t absolutely convinced that this was the right time to move on, and the right place to move on to, good for him for not going through with it and sticking to his guns. How many times do athletes get crushed for chasing the money, even when it’s not really in their best interest? See Sandoval, Pablo and Hamilton, Josh for just a few examples. If anything McDaniels deserves praise for not just chasing money, and for making a decision that he thinks is in the best interest of him, his family and his career.

It would be fascinating to know if McDaniels would have reached the same decision had the Patriots won on Sunday. Of course we’ll never know for sure. Perhaps McDaniels didn’t want to leave on that note, or maybe he now feels that there is unfinished business that must be tended to with Tom Brady in New England. Maybe that will also give him time to wait and see what happens with Belichick.

As much as has been made about Brady’s age, Belichick will be 66 when next season starts. He’s only about seven months younger than Pete Carroll, the oldest head coach in the league. McDaniels might not want to wait another five years for Belichick to retire, but why not wait another two years?

If the Patriots do well over the next two years or so, McDaniels will still be in a great spot. He’ll either be ready to take the reins in Foxoboro, whenever that moment arrives, or he’ll be able to find a better opportunity than the Colts job elsewhere. As hard as it is to imagine right now, if McDaniels wins another title with a 40+ year old quarterback some other team will be willing to roll the dice on him.

As tough as Sunday’s Patriots loss was, with Belichick, Brady and now McDaniels still in place, the future is still bright for this franchise. The sun has not yet set on this dynasty.

The 300s Reviews: Super Bowl Experience

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Super Bowl LII will be played in Minneapolis Sunday night which means thousands of fans and celebrities from across the nation and around the world will be descending on Minnesota for The Big Game. Countless thousands more who, like myself, can’t afford tickets to The Big Game will be descending on the Minneapolis Convention Center for the Super Bowl Experience.

The Super Bowl Experience has been described as an indoor theme park and, based on the lines to run the 40-yard dash or kick a field goal, that description is accurate. I spent about four hours milling around the convention center and it was eerily reminiscent of my high school football playing days – a lot of standing around. There were also a lot of younger fans in attendance, so there were a few times where I felt like Homer Simpson in the power plant model-building contest.

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Still, it was fun to run the 40, throw a Hail Mary pass and kick a field goal once I got up to the line of scrimmage.

For the record, my field goal attempt was the highlight of my night. Tucked it just inside the left upright from “40” yards out.

In between sprints and kicks I refueled with SpaghettiOs, Chunky Soup and Skittles.

If you haven’t tried Sweet Heat Skittles yet, just imagine Sriracha Skittles. (Yes, they were gross.)

There were also lots of other NFL, Super Bowl and Hall of Fame exhibits to peruse in between time spent waiting in line.

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“It is a period of civil war. Breakthrough research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, arbitrary and capricious disciplinary suspensions and declining television ratings have all cast a shadow over the game…”

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The line to see the Vince Lombardi Trophy (through glass) had to be the longest line in the building. I decided to snap this picture from outside the line, in between fans walking up to it, and call it a day.

The Super Bowl isn’t in town often, so people will put down good money to try to take in the experience without thinking twice. That’s why I’m glad I went, but at $35 a ticket I won’t be running back. Good, not great. Ready to watch the game from my couch on Sunday.

Big Z Super Bowl Experience Rating – 6.6

Brady Versus Jordan: Who Ya Got?

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Doug Gottlieb is right – a win on Sunday won’t put Tom Brady ahead of Michael Jordan in the “greatest of all time” discussion. That’s because Brady is already ahead of him. A win on Sunday just puts Jordan further Brady’s rear view mirror.

As of today Jordan has six rings and Brady has five, but Brady’s five rings are far more impressive. Only one other person has five Super Bowl rings as a player, and that’s Charles Haley. Haley won two rings in the second half of the 49ers Montana dynasty and added three more with the Cowboys dynasty of the early 1990s. Haley is a college and pro-football hall of famer but certainly not a household name. Nine men have more NBA championship rings than Jordan. Of course Bill Russell leads that group with 11, but that group also includes Robert Horry who has seven. I don’t hear anyone bringing up his name in the G.O.A.T. discussion. With a win on Sunday Brady will have more rings than anyone else who ever played his sport, and that’s something Jordan will never be able to claim.

Brady’s detractors will point out that he went almost a decade without a championship. That’s a fair point and something I’ve pondered as well. Jordan never had a championship drought that long, but it did take him seven seasons to win his first ring. After that it was six in eight years. While Jordan dominated the 1990s, like Montana dominated the NFL in the 1980s, Brady has been a force in the NFL for two decades. Winning championships 15, and maybe 16, years apart speaks volumes about the length of Brady’s reign compared to the length of Jordan’s reign.

As I briefly touched on last week, I wonder how much of Brady’s championship drought had to do with the constant turnover of offensive and defensive coordinators in Foxboro. The Patriots First Triumvirate of Bill Belichick, Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel was together from 2001-2005 and won three championships in four years. The Patriots Second Triumvirate of Belichick, Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia has been in place since 2012 and now also has a chance of winning three championships in four years.

However, I also wonder how much of Brady’s championship drought had to do with the stiff competition of his era. Brady’s record in the postseason is 27-9. Of those nine losses, three came against Peyton Manning and two came against Eli Manning. Two more came against a legendary Baltimore defense. When Brady has lost in the postseason, it has usually been to all-time great quarterback, team or coach. But, Brady has also had his fair share of playoff wins against all-time great quarterbacks and teams.

The same can’t be said about Jordan. Sure, Jordan never lost in the NBA Finals, but do we award bonus points for him never being able to get by Boston’s Big Three? Or for taking four tries to get past Detroit’s Bad Boys? Jordan also never beat a team in the finals that would later go on to win a championship.

Jordan’s first championship came against the Lakers in the final year of Magic Johnson’s career (his 1996 comeback excluded). The Lakers got swept in the finals by the Bad Boy Pistons two years earlier, and wouldn’t win a championship as a franchise again until 2000 with Shaq and Kobe. Other than that, Jordan beat the Portland Trailblazers, Phoenix Suns, Seattle SuperSonics and Utah Jazz (twice) in the NBA Finals. Those four teams have won a combined two NBA titles, both in the 1970s before Michael Jordan even enrolled at the University of North Carolina. Goliaths they were not.

In a sport such as football, with the specialization required for each position, it’s tough to say that Brady, or anyone for that matter, is the greatest football player of all time. He is without a doubt the greatest quarterback, though. In basketball it’s a little bit easier, but Jordan never had to play against Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain or LeBron James. Even if you consider Jordan the greatest basketball player, though, Brady is so much further ahead of the rest of his field that I can’t see how Brady can’t rightfully claim the title of G.O.A.T.

At least I couldn’t until I saw this tweet.

And the Babe did it the old fashioned way. With cigars and whisky.  Maybe it’s time we at least brought him back into the discussion.

Six Thoughts From Championship Sunday

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After yet another Patriots comeback and an epic Eagles beatdown in Philadelphia the matchup for Super Bowl LII is set. For the Patriots, the Blitz for Six is fully on.  For the Eagles, it’s a chance to cap off a Cinderella run with a back-up quarterback as they look to claim their first Super Bowl championship. Now that I’ve had a a few hours to digest both games from yesterday, here are a few thoughts from championship Sunday.

Tom Brady’s Hand Is A-OK

Like Belichick said, Brady’s injury didn’t require open-heart surgery but you wouldn’t know it by the way the team talked about it during the week. Especially with Brady wearing Hamburger Helper gloves to his Friday press conference and telling reporters “we’ll see” when asked if he would play. As a Patriots fan I understand the need to control the flow of information to prevent the opponent from gaining any advantage, but this smug routine does get old at times. I can’t blame the rest of the country for getting sick of it.

Back to Brady, he looked great yesterday. Even with the early deficit Brady looked great out of the gate. He completed 26 of 38 passes for 290 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. The zero interceptions stat might get underplayed this week. Despite his better than 3-to-1 TD-to-INT rate during the regular season, it’s just better than 2-to-1 in the postseason. The first two games of this postseason might just be the best two games he has ever had to open a postseason.

Danny Amendola Is A Playoff Beast

Can’t disagree with Dion Lewis. It’s hard to think of another player who has upped his game in the playoffs as much as Amendola has. While certainly a good player, he’s never been selected to a Pro Bowl. In 111 regular season games Amendola has averaged 3.8 receptions per game, 37.0 yards per game and has scored 19 touchdowns. In 12 playoff games, all with New England, he’s averaged 4.1 receptions, 46.4 yards and has scored 6 touchdowns.

In just this post season he’s got 2 touchdowns and is averaging 9 receptions and 98 yards per game. Without Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, it was Amendola who helped Brady pull yesterday’s game out of the fire.

James Harrison Came Up Big

ESPN.com – After totaling three tackles and a quarterback hit against the Jaguars, Harrison has 11 tackles in three games with the Patriots. He has shown a knack for pressing opposing quarterbacks late in games, in obvious passing situations.

Last Hurrah for the Patriots Second Triumvirate

The same exact thought went through my head when I saw that hug. It would seem all but certain that this triumvirate’s final act is coming up. Against the Eagles. To make it 3-out-of-4  for the Patriots.

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When it’s all said and done and they’re making the Brady/Belichick 30 for 30, I’d be interested to see Belichick compare this triumvirate to the Patriots First Triumvirate of himself, Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel. Weis and Crennel were Belichick’s contemporaries. McDaniels and Patricia have been his students, his prodigies. How does that affect their relationships, the decision making processes? Also, does it explain the 10 year gap in championships? The First Triumvirate was in place 2001-2004. The Second Triumvirate has been in place since 2012.

Did Case Keenum Play His Way Out of Minnesota Last Night?

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I certainly think so. It was a nice story and a fun run, but how can you hand him the keys to that franchise? With all the momentum the Vikings had from the game-winning touchdown against New Orleans the week before, Keenum hit Kyle Rudolph for a 25-yard touchdown to go up 7-0 on Philadelphia last night. Minnesota then gets the ball back up 7-0.

Keenum then proceeds to throw a pick-six and the rest of the game went to hell in a hand basket for the Vikings. Keenum would throw another pick and lose a fumble as the Eagles scored 38 unanswered points. His final numbers were 28-of-48 passing for a TD with 2 INTs.

Up until last night that Minnesota defense looked legitimate. Mike Zimmer seems like a solid head coach who doesn’t do stupid things to give games away (see Tomlin, Mike). If I were him, I’d take my chances and go quarterback shopping this offseason. It’s a formula that has worked well for other teams in similar situations before, most recently the Denver Broncos in 2016.

Which Nick Foles Will the Patriots See?

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In his three starts to close the regular season Foles completed only 47 of his 87 pass attempts (54.02%), but did throw 5 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions. In two playoff games he’s completed 49 of 63 pass attempts (77.78%) and thrown 3 TDs and no picks. Has he “figured it out?”

Blake Bortles went 13-of-15 for 155 yards and a touchdown in the first half against the Patriots yesterday, but just 10-of-21 for 138 yards in the second half. Will the Patriots be able to make similar adjustments on Foles? Will they have to?

 

Totally Uninformed Bowl Game Gambling Picks – National Championship Game

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP – Georgia vs. Alabama

Picking all of the bowl games has not been easy. It’s been a difficult and eye-opening experience. After tonight’s National Championship game I’ll be sure to go back and take a look at all of the picks and see if there’s anything substantive to take away from this experience.

Despite my struggles, I did correctly pick both College Football Playoff semifinal games. My head tells me Alabama is the best team in the country, but I can’t help but admire the guts Georgia showed in its comeback victory last week. Too often this season I went with my head and not my gut. So I’m going with the Dawgs tonight, looking to close out my bowl season with three straight wins.

GEORGIA +4

Taking a Look at the 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

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While I don’t have a ballot to cast, for the second straight year I have taken a look at all of the players on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame Ballot. I figured if I’m going to gripe about the Hall of Fame selection process I might as well fill out a mock ballot myself to get a better handle on the process.

It’s not rocket science but there are some tough decision to be made. Voters may vote for up to 10 of the 33 players on the ballot. I selected eight on my mock ballot. They are:

Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Vladimir Guerrero
Chipper Jones
Curt Schilling
Sammy Sosa
Jim Thome
Billy Wagner

Obviously I’m not opposed to voting for suspected steroids users. I voted for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens because, whether or not they used steroids, Bonds was indisputably the best hitter in the game for much of his career and Clemens was indisputably the best pitcher in the game for much of his career. The same cannot be said for Manny Ramirez.

Bonds won seven MVP awards, including FOUR in a row 2001-2004. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards and won the award back-to-back on two occasions, a decade apart. Ramirez never won an MVP award and quit on his team more times than I care to remember. He was also popped for PEDs twice. While strong cases could be made against Bonds and Clemens, those guys never failed drug tests. Testing didn’t start until 2003, but I have a hard time giving guys grief for doing business as business was being done at the time.

Maybe numbers were inflated, and careers extended, but Bonds and Clemens were far and away better than the rest of their contemporaries. Again, the same cannot be said of Ramirez.

Regarding Sammy Sosa, he won the 1998 NL MVP award and is the only man in history with three 60+ home run seasons. Sosa played in the same era as Bonds so he is not the best player of his era, but few players ever were as dominant as Sosa was for six straight seasons, 1998-2003.

Vladimir Guerrero made nine all-star games in 12 seasons between 1999 and 2010. He was a great offensive player and had one hell of an arm in the outfield. He didn’t compile huge numbers over a lengthy career, but he was one of the best players of the 2000s and he gets my vote for that reason.

Jim Thome was never the best player at his position, never mind the best player in the game. But he did compile huge numbers over a lengthy career. Mammoth numbers. He’s not in the 500 Home Run Club. He’s in the 600 Home Run Club. He’s eighth on the all-time home run list with 612. He also drove in nearly 1700 runs. He never won an MVP award, but it’s hard to not vote for a guy with those numbers on his resume. Guy just went to work and mashed for 22 years.

Chipper Jones was consistently very good for more than 15 years and was a big part of Atlanta’s run of division titles. The 1995 NL MVP made eight all-star teams, and I was pleasantly surprised by his 468 home runs and 1623 RBI.

As I said last year, Curt Schilling gets my vote because he was the best big-game pitcher of his era. He was 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA in 19 postseason appearances and won a ring in Arizona before winning two with the Sox. Now a noted meme curator, it’s been sad to see him self destruct in recent years but he’s a Hall of Famer nonetheless.

And in a flip from last year, I voted for Billy Wagner this year instead of Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman appeared on 74% of ballots last year and Wagner only appeared on 10% of ballots but Wagner was the better relief pitcher. The only number Hoffman has on Wagner is saves. Hoffman saved 601 games in 18 years and Wagner saved 422 in 16 years. But Wagner had a better win-loss percentage, a substantially lower ERA, he struck out more batters in almost 200 fewer innings, had a lower WHIP and a better strikeout-to-walk ratio. I know that Hoffman is getting in and Wagner probably won’t sniff even 20% but I’m taking a principled stand here. Wagner was better than Hoffman.

Regarding some notable candidates left off my ballot…

Edgar Martinez was a very good player for a long period of time but he wasn’t even the best player on his own team for most of his career (Griffey, A-Rod, Ichiro). There’s just not enough offensive production on his resume to separate him from the rest of the pack for me. It has nothing to do with being a DH, though.

Mike Mussina pitched very well in an era of inflated offense but he was never the most feared pitcher in the game, and he never won a Cy Young award.

Gary Sheffield posted very good offensive numbers for a long period of time, but it’s hard to think he would’ve bounced around as much as he did if he were truly one of the all-time greats. (Editor’s note: Dougie did his capstone project in a college Baseball Stats class arguing Sheffield should make the HOF. The most comparable HOFer? Jim Rice)

Larry Walker posted very good offensive numbers, but a lot of that production came in Colorado in the late 1990s. To give you an idea of what was going on in that era, he hit .379 with 37 HRs and 115 RBI in 127 games in 1999 and finished 10th in the MVP voting that season. He was a very good player in his era, but not head and shoulders above everybody else.

 

That’s all I got. Hit me up with your thoughts on Twitter @The300sBigZ

Dunkin’s Menu Goes on a Diet

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boston.com – Regulars at Dunkin’ Donuts may begin noticing parts of the menu disappear this week.

The Canton-based company began testing a “simplified menu” in a number of markets last summer, eventually expanding the pared-down offerings to roughly 11 percent of their stores.

Now, beginning this Monday in New England and upstate New York, the reduced menu will be rolled out nationwide. The company expects all stores will feature the new menu by the end of March…

Dunkin’ Donuts says that the reduced menu will result in “faster, more accurate service and a more consistent consumer experience from store to store.”

The Dunkin’ Donuts menu is going on a diet and I don’t hate it. Here’s the full list of items getting the ax (for now):

The only item on that list that I’ve ordered more than once is the Steak & Egg Breakfast Sandwich. Not filet mignon, but a nice change of pace from the usual breakfast meats. Other than that I can’t say that I’ll miss anything that’s getting the ax. If you want a smoothie, don’t go to Dunkin’ Donuts. If you want a turkey, ham or tuna sandwich for lunch there are literally dozens of better places to go to.

I love the move to drop some flavor shots. What maniac is ordering peach coffee? Also, any move to reduce the number of flavor shots/swirls on the menu is a good move. In fact, I’m in favor of dropping all flavor swirls other than mocha. Try ordering a hazelnut iced coffee outside of New England with cream and sugar. You won’t even be able to taste the coffee if they put that sugary sweet hazelnut flavor swirl in there, which they will. If you ask for the standard, original flavor shot you will have to ask them to make it at least twice. I speak from experience.

Dunkin’s attempt to provide “faster, more accurate service and a more consistent consumer experience from store to store” will be appreciated outside of New England. Again, try ordering a flavored iced coffee at a Dunkin’ that hasn’t been around for 20 years and you’ll see what I mean. I’m firmly on Team Dunkin’, but I’ve never had to explain my order more than once at Starbucks.

Of course we’ll have to wait and see how long this menu diet lasts. McDonald’s made news about three years ago as it trimmed its menu, but it’s been beefed back up lately with the new $1-$2-$3 menu. It’s a step in the right direction for Dunkin’, though. As long as we don’t see pizza back on their menu in six months.

Friday Morning Randomness – Bombogenesis Edition

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I know a lot of people who could use the services of Mr. Plow today. The same people that told me what a moron I was to rent an apartment in the city. I don’t hear from them on days like this, though.

While I’m writing this they’re breaking their backs shoveling snow. When they finish clearing out their driveways I’ll be sipping on an Irish coffee during the first Showcase Showdown, enjoying my snow day. Renting isn’t perfect, but not having to lift a shovel on days like this is a major perk.

Tom’s Terrific on Saturdays

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When the Patriots open the playoffs on January 13, it will be their fifth straight Saturday night playoff opener. Since 2001, the Patriots have always opened the playoffs at home and are 9-0 when opening the playoffs on a Saturday.

Prior to this season, the Patriots received first-round byes in 11 of their 14 playoff appearances since 2001. They have opened the playoffs at home after a bye week on a Saturday in eight out those 11 playoff runs. The Patriots won all eight of those Saturday night games. With an extra day of rest, they also went on to win the AFC Championship in six of those eight seasons. The Patriots are just 1-2 in the Brady Era AFC Championship games that came after a Sunday victory in the divisional round.

The only Saturday night playoff loss for the Patriots in the Brady Era came after the 2005 season, a divisional round game at Denver. The only one-and-dones of the Brady Era – 2009 and 2010 – came when the Patriots opened the playoffs on a Sunday.

Despite Brady’s late-season struggles, it’s hard to look at these stats and not like New England’s chances to repeat. While Minnesota in February might not sound as appealing as Miami, the forecast inside U.S. Bank Stadium for February 4 should be 72 and clear.

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Totally Uninformed Bowl Game Gambling Picks – Round 8

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New Year’s Day is upon us. One last day to waste watching football on your couch from noon to midnight. The last three meaningless bowls kickoff early in the day, with the playoff kicking off late this afternoon.

My last round of picks went just as well as most of my other picks this bowl season – not great. With my Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee in hand, I try my best at picking the final five games before next week’s national championship game. Just like the consolation bracket in your fantasy football league, I don’t have much left to play for. Just trying to save some face at this point.

Round 7 (1-3) / Overall (11-23 )

OUTBACK BOWL – Michigan vs. South Carolina – 12 p.m. ET SC +12

PEACH BOWL- No. 7 Auburn vs. No. 12 UCF – 12:30 p.m. ET AUBURN -9.5

CITRUS BOWL – No. 14 Notre Dame vs. No. 17 LSU – 1 p.m. ET LSU -3

ROSE BOWL GAME (CFP SEMIFINAL) – No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Georgia – 5 p.m. ET GEORGIA -2.5

SUGAR BOWL (CFP SEMIFINAL) – No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Alabama – 8:45 p.m. ET
ALABAMA -3