Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End:
*Just when the Cowboys trusted Lance Dunbar and just when the change-up back added a much-needed dimension to Dallas' offense - poof - he's gone. Here, then not. Like one of David Blaine's coins. Hope you enjoyed that refreshing burst on Thanksgiving, because Dunbar is Done-bar, out for the season with a torn knee ligament. Joseph Randle and Phillip Tanner will attempt to fill Dunbar's role. But make no mistake, this is a priority injury to a backup player. In much better news, sounds like Sean Lee will return for next Monday night's game against the Bears.
*Alabama lost on the road to its rival on a day when it missed 4 field goals and had one returned 109 yards for the game-deciding touchdown. On a neutral field I'd take 'Bama over Auburn 9 out of 10 times. And therein lies the beauty of college football. Raise your hand if you picked Auburn and Missouri to play in the SEC Championship Game. Nobody? That's what I thought. Last year the Tigers-x-2 were 2-14 in conference play.
*Any game that ends with Nick Saban unhappy is a good game.
*After watching Ohio State slip past a mediocre Michigan team on the game's final play, I'm not convinced of the Buckeyes. Their schedule strength is 61st, the price for scheduling San Diego State and Florida A&M at home. Ohio State will be tested big time in the Big 10 Championship Game against a Michigan State team that won all 8 of its conference games by 10+ points. If the Buckeyes reach the BCS title game against Florida State, they'll be double-digit underdogs.
*We all used the replacement refs as a punch line and just couldn't wait for the "real refs." Remember when you actually applauded their return? But, seriously, NFL officials are having a ridiculously horrible season. With memories of the inexplicable non-call in the end zone of Patriots-Panthers still fresh, last night Jeff Triplette's crew botched the end of Redskins-Giants. With Triplette signaling first down and the line judge clearly motioning for the chains to be moved, oops, it was actually still third down. And then instead of 2nd-and-10, um, it was 4th-and-1. "The stakes were moved incorrectly," Triplette said, as if they magically, erroneously moved themselves. I'm not saying it directly cost the Redskins the game, but I've never seen a more fundamental, egregious error at more pivotal time in an NFL game. It certainly changed Washington's play-calling. For years I've called for the banishment of football's archaic "chains." And these days I'd love to see human referees leave the sport with them.
*If you missed my Top 10 Whitty Comments on Cowboys-Raiders over the weekend, consider them leftovers over in the
NBC 5 Blue Star Blog fridge.
*While on the couch burping turkey and sipping spirits with the family over Thanksgiving several topics arose. Including, "Would you rather be fired or dumped?" Consensus: Fired. Good jobs are much easier to come by than good spouses. Amen to that.
*In honor of Cyber Monday,
DFWSportatorium will be free all day! Next week? We'll see.
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*I love New York. But I hate New York sports fans. Therefore I'm enthralled at the Big Apple demise currently rotting away. Consider: Both the Yankees and Mets missed the baseball playoffs. The Jets and Giants are each 5-7 and in third place in their four-team divisions. And here come the Knicks and Nets, starting the NBA season a combined 8-25. Jason Kidd got fined $50 large for his soda shenanigans and the Knickerbockers have lost 9 straight. Meanwhile, Gotham's quarterbacks - Geno Smith and Eli Manning - have thrown 37 interceptions. Delicious.
*Next time you start to rip Jason Garrett for his mind-boggling game management, the guy across from him next Monday night might even be worse. In overtime yesterday in Minnesota the Bears had the ball 1st-and-10 at the Vikings' 32. On first down, against the NFL's 30th-ranked defense, Matt Forte plunged ahead for a precious 3 yards. And on second down ... the Bears attempted a field goal. Of 47 yards. Against the third-worst defense in football. Robbie Gould is one of the best kickers, but he's even better from 44 yards. He missed. Bears lost. Trying that long of a field goal on 2nd down makes you wonder how Marc Trestman ever got a head coaching job in the first place.
*With Jose Calderon sidelined with an ankle injury the Mavs' late-game offense ground to a halt the last two games. Only 7 points in the last 6 minutes of a gut-wrenching loss in Atlanta last Friday night. And then only 10 more in the final half of the fourth quarter of a loss to Minnesota. Shane Larkin and Gal Mekel are promising young guards, but experienced point-guard play is priceless. It killed the Mavs last year. It's suddenly stunted their growth this year.
*I know TCU is having a forgettable season and I realize his pants seem to be perpetually falling down, but
Gary Patterson calling Baylor coach Art Briles "classless" is just confounding.
*Don't look now, but only 4 teams in the NFC - Saints, Panthers, Seahawks and 49ers - have more wins than the Cowboys' 7.
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Best violinist. Ever.
*These days between plays football players put their mouthpieces ... everywhere. In their sock. Under their wristband. Wedged in their helmet. In their mouth, used as a chew toy. What happened to the strap that once held the mouthpiece dangling from the facemask? Has functionality been replaced by fashion?
*Dead 'n Gone:
Train derailment in The Bronx kills four (always fearful of a train jumping off those thin metal rails).
Massive construction crane collapse at World Cup stadium in Brazil kills two (never understood how those things didn't just bend in half).
And the star of the Fast and Furious series dies in a car accident involving, yep, excessive speed (I outgrew driving fast at about age 22 and movies about watching other people driving fast soon thereafter).
*Welcome to the club,
The Hindenburg Project. Long been a Led Zeppelin fan and these local guys are by far the best tribute band in Texas. On Jan. 24th they're playing at the new Gas Monkey. Today they're one of our new advertisers.
*Today? Gonna do in-depth writing.
Whitt's End is fine and all, but I miss really digging into the details of an interesting story and expounding some long-form opinions. And tonight, of course, is Seahawks-Saints. Don't be a stranger.
