Good morning, all! I hope your stretch between Christmas and New Year’s is going well. As I wrote in the last newsletter, I am not posting as much, during the break but that I would occasionally sent out a newsletter. This is one of those times.
Above is a video on why Aaron Glenn should be one-and-done as head coach of the New York Jets.
Here are some other thoughts, as I watch the suddenly prolific New York Giants offense:
The Houston Texans are for real and the credit goes to GM Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans. The Texans have the best defense in the NFL and they play fundamental football on both sides of the ball. That is a credit to Ryans and his coaching staff. Houston started the season 0-3 but has won 11 of its last 13 games, entering Week 18, and are playoff bound for a third straight season. Granted the LA Chargers offensive line was decimated, but give credit to the Texans for going into SoFi Stadium and staging another workmanlike performance to win, 20-16, Saturday night. This team could be dangerous in the playoffs.
Well, the Shedeur Sanders critics are rather quiet today, aren’t they? Yes, he was intercepted twice, but he quarterbacked the Cleveland Browns to an upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, 13-6. Sanders threw a TD pass and was 17-for-23 for 186 yards in the air. Now the AFC North will be on the line, when the Steelers host the Ravens on Sunday; time to be announced.
Congratulations to the Patriots for winning the AFC East. What a turnaround. Mike Vrabel is my choice for Coach of the Year.
Give coach Sean McDermott credit for going for the win against the Eagles, in Philadelphia’s 13-12 win at Buffalo, after the Bills scored a TD with five seconds left. The Bills, however, have nobody but themselves to blame. They missed the extra point, after their first TD, then QB Josh Allen missed a wide open Khalil Shakir in the end zone on the two-point conversion attempt that would have given Buffalo the win.
Wow! The Las Vegas Raiders really are that bad.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport claims the Giants will bring back Joe Schoen as GM next season and that they would consider drafting a QB, if they get the overall number one pick in the draft. Well, it does not appear as if they will get the first pick, following their win over the Raiders on Sunday. And drafting a QB with the number one pick would be nothing short of ludicrous, unless some NFL team was willing to trade the house for Jaxson Dart. My conclusion: do not believe the clickbait.
This is making the rounds on social media, but in case you missed it: over the weekend 104-year-old World War II Veteran Domenick Critelli performed the National Anthem before the New York Islanders-New York Rangers game. Wow!
How about a baseball factoid to warm you up on a cold December day? Nolan Ryan is the only pitcher to have struck out Hank Aaron, Roger Maris, Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr.
Here is a note, courtesy of Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Since November 2023, the Boston Red Sox have made 44 trades that involve players on the 40-man roster. Only the Tampa Bay Rays have made more in that time with 49. The Baltimore Orioles rank third at 39.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and have a marvelous Monday! Yes. It is Monday!
DAN
