NFL is more concerned with perception when it fines coaches over masks
What is the point of fining NFL coaches for failing to keep their face coverings in place when their maskless players are in close contact on the field and sidelines with opponents and teammates? The league says it’s because coaches who yell at players without their masks in place are more likely to propel potentially dangerous droplets into the air. Maybe. I think it has more to do with the NFL’s concern for optics.
It’s a habit: Have you noticed how coaches calling in plays to their quarterbacks still cover their faces even when speaking from behind a mask?
Word play: Nothing new here, but the modern football vernacular reminds us that players with “ball security
issues” too often “put the ball on the ground.” Translation: Fumblers are going to fumble.
What was: This boomer savors the memory of being at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium when Gale Sayers broke off big runs for the Bears. He was a unique talent whose knees couldn’t be saved by the era’s primitive medical procedures.
Hoop du jour: Now that the Maui Invitational featuring college basketball teams from around the country has been moved to Asheville, North Carolina, because of COVID-19 concerns, will coaches ditch their colorful Hawaiian shirts for red flannel?
Not bashful: It’s too corny declaring that 20-year-old Heat rookie Tyler Herro is living up to his surname. So I won’t. Let’s just say that the kid — another of Kentucky’s one-and-done prodigies — isn’t wasting his playoff opportunities.
Plan B: Men will have to find a different strategy for bailing on Christmas Day family gatherings now that the NBA has had to discard its annual five-game TV smorgasbord. There will be Christmas gatherings, won’t there?
TV timeout: What do you make of Bill Belichick in those Subway commercials? I think he’s remarkably lifelike.
Patriot games: I confess that until Sunday night, I sort of had forgotten how good Cam Newton can be when healthy.
Different: One of the last people I would have imagined taking over a college football program is Deion Sanders, the new coach at Jackson State. But if his personality and image don’t line up with our perception of what a coach should be, all the better. Stereotypes, like records, are meant to be broken.
The big boys: The best thing to come out of the delayed start to the SEC football season is the cancellation of nonconference mismatches. Not that Alabama won’t turn some league games into laughers.
A tougher test: If their improbable comeback against the Falcons was the stuff of fantasy, the Cowboys’ visit to Seattle on Sunday to face the impeccable Russell Wilson is a reality check that will tell us a lot more about Dallas … and its flaws.
Getting it done: They don’t receive much attention — not even in their home state — but the Tampa Bay Rays, holders of the AL’s best record, know how to find and develop talent. Marquee free agents are not knocking on their door.
Coming attractions: After winning the division for the eighth consecutive year and entering the NL playoffs as the top seed, is a Dodgers team finally clutch enough to close the deal? Some people root for upsets, but there’s something to be said for the best club winning the World Series.
Dignified: Kudos to the Dodgers for their low-key celebration after clinching the No. 1 seed. Drinking champagne instead of spraying it is a classy way to celebrate success while recognizing what a weirdly subdued season it’s been for everyone.