A Grip on Sports: Like an ancient prophet, our cries in the wilderness went unheeded over the football weekend
A GRIP ON SPORTS • It doesn’t help, does it? Yelling at the TV. Offering, loudly, unsolicited coaching advice. For some unexplainable reason, no one ever listens. Except those in your home or watering hole that are forced to because they happen to be within range. You know, the lady two apartments away.
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• Our vocal cords are a little sore this morning. Too much exertion over the weekend.
It started Friday night, actually, during the first half of Stanford’s epic comeback win at Colorado. Nothing extraordinary in what we were yelling though. Disgust with some of the flags. It was a Pac-12 game after all. And there were a couple decisions that seemed indefensible – at first. Then replay would role, we would take a sip of our Diet Pepsi and forget we ever were upset.
Then came Saturday. And worries about officiating seemed to melt away. Or, more precisely, were buried under an avalanche of 21st-Century coach-think. It was a trend that would continue until we turned off the TV in disgust Sunday afternoon.
Kick the darn field goals. Take the points. Trust your defense.
No one, from a baby-faced Dan Lanning to the aged sage Pete Carroll, escaped our verbal wrath. But like the prophet in the wilderness, our lamentations were ignored. And led to the prophesied downfall.
Ya, we get it. Modern-day football – a term that has been in vogue since the 1920s – at all levels is all about offense. The rules have been tweaked for decades with an eye on improving the edge that side of the ball enjoys.
Defense is for suckers – or Iowa fans.
But sometimes it makes sense to trust that group. To cut into a lead instead of chasing the elusive seven points that may or may not stand up. Of course, that conflicts with the never-kick crowd – darn whippersnappers – who have taken control of the media – social and old-school.
They have the numbers to back them up. Fine. But do numbers take into account the human element? Humans, and every coach this side of Nick Saban seems to fit into that category, are often irrational. And motivated by fear. Being ahead means playing it safe. Being behind means attacking. It’s been that way since even before Gonzaga University dropped its football team.
When Oregon had a chance to kick a couple gimme field goals in its showdown at Washington on Saturday, the never-kick crowd was ready to pounce. The momentum-is-key crowd was on their side as well.
Lanning, the former Georgia defensive coordinator, is in both camps. He eschewed chances inside the 10 to cut into the UW lead at the end of the first half and late in the third quarter. He didn’t punt at midfield late in the game, trying to guarantee a win instead of trusting his defense.
Please don’t think our reaction was happening in hindsight. The yelling came pre-play. As did the yelling yesterday during the Seahawk game.
When will Carroll start trusting this defense? The guy has never … OK, even we can’t keep a straight face with that one. But we’re pretty sure he’s still a bit shell-shocked from last season when the defense stopping anyone was a unicorn-like event.
But Bobby Wagner, Jamal Adams – to name two veterans back on the field in Hawk uniforms – and company may just be trustworthy this season. It’s time for Carroll to re-learn that.
The Seahawks’ offense wasn’t at its best Sunday, mainly because the GPS of its driver, Geno Smith, was malfunctioning. In his worst performance as their quarterback, Smith still got the Hawks within short field goal range twice late in the eventual four-point defeat. And twice Carroll went for the knockout blow.
But even if successful, all Carroll’s strategy would have done would have motivated the Bengals and Joe Burrow to air-it-out. To fight for points instead of running clock. Not protect a lead but to regain it. Kicking the first would have meant the second was for a lead – with less than a minute left.
And, remember, it’s not second-guessing if you are yelling such things at your TV before they happen. Even if everyone else who shares the domicile has already fled to quieter rooms.
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WSU: No decision-making woes at Washington State this fine Monday. Not after a 44-6 loss. Well, Greg Woods has identified some. The coaching staff will have to decide which players are best suited for their positions taking the field this Saturday against Lanning’s ninth-ranked Ducks. In Eugene. … Greg has no worries about rankings either. The 4-2 Cougars are no longer in the top-25. … Former WSU quarterback Gardner Minshew didn’t play his best yesterday for Indianapolis. Taylor Newquist summarizes his performance in the S-R’s NFL locals roundup. … The volleyball team swept visiting Colorado. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has his rewind of the weekend’s action. … He also, in the Mercury News, looks at the chances GameDay will come back to the West Coast this season. There is big-time football out here even if there isn’t going to be a big-time conference soon. … The Pac-12 season is unfolding pretty much as some expected. … The aggression Lanning and the Ducks employed was turned against them by now-fifth-ranked Washington. Now the Huskies can be aggressive in helping Michael Penix Jr. win the Heisman. … The Ducks’ exemplary season stats were tarnished a bit. … Oregon State has the perfect head coach for its program. But can the Beavers keep Jonathan Smith around? … Colorado heads into its bye week looking to regroup after starting it a half too early. … Utah is trying to get its best safety on the field for the first half of Saturday’s game at USC. … Can UCLA keep winning with its quarterback issues? … A bowl berth seems within Arizona’s grasp after the big win in Pullman.
Idaho: As we expected, Dan Thompson returned to today’s S-R with more thoughts on the Vandals’ 23-21 loss at home to Montana. He feels they were a little too amped-up for the showdown. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana State routed Cal Poly even though the Mustangs’ starting quarterback returned to action.
Seahawks: The defense did its job. The offense? Too many misfires. Self-inflicted wounds. … Adams played the entire game and made some typical Jamal Adams plays. … There are always grades. And things to learn.
Kraken: Welcome home Seattle. Now win some games.
Mariners: Texas took a 1-0 lead in the ALCS on Sunday, throwing a shutout at the host Astros.
Sonics: Larry Stone is laughing. It has to do with Oklahoma City, the Thunder and a bond issue to pay for a new almost $1 billion arena. Karma has a way of rearing its ugly head.
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We are headed out of town again. This time taking Kim and hitting the East Coast. Scouting out places California and Stanford will be playing basketball games next season. Yep, we’re visiting ACC country for a couple weeks. Going to see old friends, old players and old leaves falling from trees. Guess which one of us is looking forward to the last one? It might surprise you. Mainly because as long as we’re not doing the raking, we can appreciate the beauty. Until later …