Can’t Young have a little fun?
Media made too much of Chase Young shouting, “I want Tom.” Can’t a kid have a little fun? The precocious Washington Football Team pass-rusher knows where to find No. 12 — in the pocket — though Brady’s been sacked only 21 times this season.
Playoff palaver: A reasonably circumspect Bucs coach Bruce Arians, on meeting the WFT Saturday night: “We’re not playing a 7-9 team. When Alex Smith plays, they’re a 4-1 (actually 5-1) team. We’re not playing Dwayne Haskins.” Ouch.
Developing story: Reaching the playoffs is nice, but WFT fans may want to throw a parade if the Washington Post’s scoops about sexual harassment inside the organization result in the NFL forcing Daniel Snyder to sell the team.
Local ties: Old Dominion fans of a certain age may remember the night in Chicago when Norfolk’s own Billy Mann scored the game’s last four points — his winning basket coming in the final seconds after he stole an inbounds pass — as Paul Webb’s Monarchs upset No. 1-ranked DePaul 63-62. Sunday is the 40-year anniversary.
Wake-up call: It’s already been made clear that those of us counting on 2021 to be an improvement over 2020 should think about grading on a steep curve.
Reality check: As Yogi Berra said, the future ain’t what it used to be.
Recency bias: Anyone, from the evidence of a single game, who cooled on Trevor Lawrence as the NFL’s No. 1 pick to jump on the Justin Fields bandwagon just might be a talk-show host.
Waiting game: Major League Baseball is taking its time deciding whether the National League will use the designated hitter this season, making it difficult for teams to know whom to acquire. It’s as if Commissioner Rob Manfred is begging for more bad publicity.
Quick hit: The current college basketball season is mostly a rumor.
Postmortem: Don’t overthink it. The Eagles’ Doug Pederson coached to lose the game.
Not so fast: He enjoyed a nice run after coming off the Philly bench, but longterm, Jalen Hurts is not an NFL starting quarterback.
Idle thought: The world would be a quieter place if fewer people pretended to be NFL draft experts.
Future watch: Who among the current crop of college quarterback hotshots will make the smoothest entry into the NFL? Before I hazard a guess, tell me which rookie gets to play behind the strongest line and with the best receivers and coaches. It’s still a team game after all.
Color scheme: Caught a little of the North Carolina State vs. Clemson basketball game this week. Last time I checked, N.C. State’s colors were red and white. On this night, the Wolfpack wore all black. By order of its clothing company is my guess.
Money once again usurping tradition.
Heat check: Playoff hype includes mention of the resurgent Ravens’ five-game winning streak. Baltimore has looked sharp, yet four of those five victories came over teams that finished a combined 17-46-1.
On the line: Fairly or not — I say, not — if Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson falls to 0-3 in the playoffs, it will color his narrative for the next 12 months.