Time Out for Sports Talk: More Sunday Night Lights for the Pats
Todd: Another week of scattered thoughts from your resident scatterbrain…
Despite the couple of speed bumps the Bruins ran into north of the border this week (getting trounced by a combined 11-2 score), I wouldn’t worry much about them. Their blue line depth and top scoring line is being tested with all these injuries, and games like this were bound to happen sooner or later. Check back with me in a couple months when the Black and Gold get back most of the team that will be contending for a Cup in the spring (unless David Krejci’s bumps and bruises continue to linger).
As for the Celtics, it was tough seeing Marcus Smart go down with that high ankle sprain just as his game was rounding into form. The rookie will miss up to a month, but it hopefully won’t affect his progress much. I still like this mix of young talent, with Sullinger and Olynyk becoming an impressive duo on the boards. But the Green must improve their 3-point shooting, where they currently rank in third in attempts but are ranked dead last in the league in shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
How about some hot stove talk? What’s more likely to happen in the next few weeks—Red Sox brass admitting they made a mistake and giving Jon Lester a five or six-year contract in the neighborhood of $25M per year, or the Miami Marlins taking 25-year old super-slugger Giancarlo Stanton off the trade market with a 10-year, $300M deal?
I’m shocked to hear that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria would consider breaking the bank for any ballplayer, especially for an amount that would set a new high for a MLB contract. But Stanton might be the guy worth making an exception for, assuming he makes a full recovery after being hit in the face late last season.
Back to Lester, I find it interesting that Ben Cherington, et al met with his agents earlier this week for about two hours in a casual setting with no actual dollar amounts discussed. Can someone please tell me what these two sides could have talked about for two hours other than money? I sure hope it wasn’t Henry and Lucchino (who will presumably be active in these high-dollar negotiations) pitching Red Sox legacy and commemorative bricks, because the only thing that talks at this stage is green in color.
If I had to lay odds, put me down for old friend and current Cubs president Theo Epstein to offer Lester 7 years and $175 million, which I can’t envision the Sox coming close to matching (I’m also not sure they should if that winds up being the actual number).
On to football. After the Patriots’ impressive win over the Broncos, it suddenly looks like the Boys of Belichick can beat anyone. But the next four weeks are as a tough a schedule as any NFL team has this season—at Colts, vs. Lions, at Packers, and at Chargers, with the first and last of that quartet both happening in prime time.
The Pats’ challenge begins with the league’s highest scoring offense. No, that’s not a typo meant for Denver. The Indianapolis Colts have scored more points 290 points in nine games, and QB Andrew Luck actually has an outside chance of breaking both Peyton’s NFL passing yardage record (5,477 set last year) and Matthew Stafford’s record for passing attempts (727, set in 2012). He’s already thrown more TD passes in nine games this year (26) than he did in each of the last two full seasons (23). But with all those passing attempts he is also prone to turnovers (nine interceptions, six fumbles).
In many ways, the Colts look like a mirror image of the Pats. Both teams feature an offense predicated on strong QB play, two pass-catching tight ends, an offensive line that struggled early but is now starting to jell into a cohesive unit and a defense that can defend the pass but struggles getting pressure on the quarterback.
For the third straight game, I think this one has all the makings of an offensive shootout, with the team getting the last possession likely winning. It might even come down to the kicking game, where Stephen Gostkowski is having another great season and now needs only 36 points to become the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. The kicker he’ll pass later this season is the one and only Adam Vinatieri, who still happens to not only be alive and kicking for the Colts (now in his 19th NFL season), but is also a perfect 20-for-20 in field goals attempts this season. Perhaps he’s due for a miss? One can hope. Patriots 34, Colts 31.
Despite Mike trying to go easy on his picks last week, it was not enough for him to hold on to his slim lead. With three straight undefeated weeks, I have vaulted ahead in our head-to-head for bragging rights (3-0 last week, 19-7-1 season), but there are still many games left to prognosticate. This week I like the Saints over the Bengals, Browns over the Texans and the Chargers over the Raiders.
Mike: Ahh...the Pats are back this week. I can't stand football-less bye weeks. I need something to root for, and the night game last week was especially bad-though I did enjoy seeing the Packers hang 42 on the Bears in the first half.
On to the Red Sox, I can't see Jon Lester coming back, and it won't be his fault. I don't think Boston is going to offer him anything close to what he wants, and that will shut the door right there.
The thing is, I can't decide if this is a bad idea or not. Sure, he's been great, but will he continue on that path? And if he doesn't, you're on the hook for a ton of money. But, on the other hand, he might just be the best option out there. Like I said, I go back on forth on the merits of resigning Jon Lester, I'm just glad that I don't have to make the final decision.
Staying in baseball mode, I am getting a little wary of the talk of Boston signing Pablo Sandoval from the Giants. He's another one that is going to want a ton of money, and while he seems to fit Boston's needs, there are some big questions about him going forward. Will he be able to stay in shape? Will he be able to perform under the pressure in Boston? It's a lot of money and years to risk if it goes wrong, and the Dodgers might not be there this time to bail you out. I'd err on the side of caution and stay away. You might regret in the long run, but it seems to be the safer bet.
Getting back to the Patriots, this is a tough one to pick. Indy has been good this season, but New England is hitting their stride. Even though they are the road team, I give the Pats the advantage in this one 28-21.
For my picks (2-1 last week, 19-8 season): OK--so Todd has the lead now, let's see if it lasts! I'll take Denver over the Rams, San Francisco over the Giants and the Packers over the Eagles.
Our next LIVE show is on Monday, November 24 from 8-9pm. Our in-studio guest will be Glenn Arthur Pierce, author of ‘Naming Rites: A Biographical History of North American Team Names’. You can post your questions via Twitter using the hashtag #TOSTnov24 or call in at (617) 484-2443.
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