Ready to roar
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers enter their
College Football Playoff semifinal as strong favorites over Ohio State. For a full breakdown of the CFP and Heisman contenders,
Carson Wentz is catching flak for reacting selfishly after falling behind Jalen Hurts on the Philadelphia depth chart. Maybe Hurts can relate. When he was replaced by Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama, Hurts transferred to Oklahoma, a move that strongly suggests he wasn’t any happier about his demotion than Wentz is now. There are good and bad ways to handle disappointment, but what quarterback is content to ride the bench?
Deep thoughts: As silly as it may seem, I worry that petty complaints over firstlady-elect Jill Biden’s use of the honorific “doctor” may have unintended consequences for the sports world. If calling herself Dr. Biden is considered pretentious, will the mob next go after Dr. J? And what about Doc Rivers? Will he be forced to use his given name of Glenn? These are some of the things that keep me awake at night.
Casual attire: A salutary effect of the coronavirus disruptions is the sight of NBA and college basketball coaches eschewing suits and Oxfords for pullovers and sneakers. The relaxed look works. There was never any point to coaches dressing as if they were going to job interviews.
Future watch: Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence may be relieved that the Jags jumped the line on the Jets for the No. 1 draft pick, but how is the sport helped when the top quarterback prospect plays in an NFL backwater?
No doubt: Is there any question that the NFL will add a 17th game to each team’s schedule for 2021? As a man once said, follow the money.
This guy: Tackling dummies have more self-awareness than soonto-be-ex-WFT quarterback Dwayne Haskins. He’s making it easier every day for Ron Rivera to show him the door.
Local legend: With
Alex Smith nursing a strained calf, a potential Christmas present for Old Dominion fans would be Taylor Heinicke relieving Haskins on Sunday against the Panthers. The former Monarchs star has been
taking practice reps.
Revised analysis: Washington’s victory over the Steelers doesn’t look quite as impressive now that Pittsburgh has dropped three in a row. But it still counts.
Eye test: Judging simply from what we saw last Saturday, Notre Dame and Ohio State don’t belong in football’s final four.
History lesson: Not to ruin the holidays for Irish fans, but in arguably its four highest-profile postseason games under Brian Kelly dating back to 2013 and including the ACC title-game loss to Clemson, Notre Dame has been outscored 150-55.
Familiar foes: Not that big-time college football is predictable or anything, but if Alabama and Clemson reach the national championship game, it will be their fifth playoff meeting in the past six years.
Against the grain: Clemson coach Dabo Swinney can be annoying as hell, but I’m getting a kick out of his rebellious decision to slot Ohio State at No. 11 on his ballot in the coaches’ poll. Sure, 11 is a trifle low, but neither does OSU deserve the
AP’s No. 3 position. Not after playing only six games when other schools showed their mettle between nine and 11 times.
Blunder revisited:
While Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has earned plaudits after some recent career-saving performances, his resurgence only makes some of us wonder again how Chicago could ever have drafted him over Patrick Mahomes.
Still the man: Despite a knee injury limiting him to a single 2020 tournament appearance, Roger Federer has been voted the fans’ favorite for the 18th year in a row. Tennis should retire the trophy with Federer or count on his fans to keep voting for their fave long after he hangs up his racket.
Obscene: Recently, a Stephen Curry rookie card sold at auction for $611,000. So now we have a better understanding for why the very rich need those tax breaks.
New rule: TV haircuts and ink-stained wretches must stop asking college coaches about “overcoming adversity” due to COVID. Teams are well-supported, medically supervised operations going through tricky times. But save the adversity lingo for quarantined and out-of-work men and women trying to hold it together.