The Fix Is In's 2022 NFL Season Review...The Last Hurrah?

SUPER BOWL XLVII


Told ya Mahomes would win it. No way the league would let its newest G.O.A.T. lose two out of three Super Bowls, especially with Brady sailing off into the sunset.  Did Sirianni know this? Is that really why he was crying before the game, and not because of the National Anthem? Hard to say. But we can say a couple of things about this high scoring, "exciting" affair:


1) the refs were a non-factor, until they were a factor. There were only nine penalties called the entire game. The only one of significance was the defensive holding during the Chiefs final, game-winning drive which got the internet up in arms (again). The Eagles DB admitted after the game that it was a hold (good for him for owning up to it, I guess?), but had it gone unnoticed, no one would've been crazed over the fact that the refs "let them play." Because, in fact, the refs did let them play. How many offensive holding calls were there? Zero. No one was flagged for offensive holding. So, if you tie that to the fact that the field was "slick," those two factors were plenty to stop the Eagles nearly record setting pass rush. Eliminate their pass rush and their defense is average. Patrick Mahomes can beat an average defense, and guess what? He did.


2) the only two sacks in the game were by the KC defense, and this was the only one that mattered. I can't embed it because the NFL won't allow it, but it was the play that Jalen Hurts fumbled and was returned for a KC TD, tying the game at 14-14. I've heard some say that this was reminiscent of Cam Newton's fumble in the Panthers v Broncos Super Bowl 50 game, which sent Peyton Manning off a hero. Was it an intentional fumble? Can't say for sure, but in slow-mo, (a) no one hits the ball out of his hands and (b) he does kick it away from himself and towards a whole mess of Chiefs. Again, I'm not saying it was entirely intentional, but falling on the loose ball apparently didn't come to his mind in that moment.


3) Mahomes' "injury." Once again as the NFL proved time and again this season, the story of the game was a comeback. This time, though, it was both a comeback in points (Eagles led by 10 at halftime) and from injury as Mahomes limped off the field (again). Is he/was he really injured? Maybe. Was he drugged up/too numb to feel it? Maybe. Either way, he didn't look very injured making those two big runs in the second half. So, was it all a part of the show? Maybe. I'll leave that for you to decide, but to an outsider who didn't care, it was a bit suspect to say the least.


And that, boys and girls, was the 2022 NFL season. I'm not sure I'll be back for the 2023 incarnation of this mess, but by September I may be up for another run. But if by now you can't see the proverbial forest through the trees, I can't do much more for you. So, stay safe and always remember: THE FIX IS IN!

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES


So, those were a hoot, huh? The Eagles seemed poised to get all the breaks in their game versus the 49ers given that the refs gave Davonta Smith a catch on a clear non-catch which "the NFL didn't see the proper TV angle on" to rule it a non-catch from the booth. But then 49ers QB Brock Purdy was "injured" and his backup was concussed, so without a functional QB, the refs didn't need to do anything to get the Eagles into the Super Bowl.


In the Chiefs-Bengals game, however, the refs had to do a lot of heavy lifting to get Mahomes into his third Super Bowl. Namely, they penalized the Bengals five times in the 4th quarter (nine times for the entire game - 2/3 came in the second half) while they ignored several seemingly obvious Chiefs penalties. The biggest "huh?" moment - in a game filled with "huh?" moments - came when the Chiefs had a third down play during which they came up short of a first down BUT a referee apparently blew the play dead SO in the do-over the Chiefs again came up short of a first down BUT the Bengals were flagged for defensive holding, giving them the first down while keeping the Chiefs drive alive. They still didn't go anywhere on that particular drive, but it was the beginning of another evening of #NFLRigged trending on Twitter as the refs continued to propel the Chiefs to the win. It was very reminiscent of the refs assisting the Rams into the endzone to win last year's Super Bowl over these same Bengals (three of the Bengals four total penalties in that game came on the Rams final, game-winning drive).


So, as I predicted, we get a Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl. The Andy Reid Bowl. The Kelce Brothers Bowl. The first-time ever two Black QB Bowl. Who wins, you ask? I don't think it matters too much as either team winning is a bit of a story, but I don't see Mahomes getting to his third Super Bowl and losing (again). The league wants a new GOAT now that Tom Brady has retired (again), so I'm picking the Chiefs. But I wouldn't be shocked to see the Eagles win, upping Hurts stock in the process.

THE PLAYOFFS


Yeah, yeah, I know. I should be more johnny-on-the-spot with updating this site, especially now that the playoffs are underway. But two things: (1) as mentioned previously, I have a new job with odd hours which keeps me preoccupied and (2) like much of the regular season, these NFL playoffs have been underwhelming. Which result was "stunning?" The Jaguars ridiculous come-from-behind win over the Chargers? Maybe (since there's no good reason as to why the Chargers woulda/coulda/shoulda blown a 27-7 halftime lead). The Bills squeaking past the Dolphins to then get crushed at home versus the Bengals with Damar Hamlin in attendance (more on this in a moment)? Perhaps.


But in reality, most of the results were pretty chalk. Yes, Tom Brady couldn't beat the Cowboys and was eliminated, but Brady looked soft all season. Meanwhile, the Cowboys once again then bowed out of the playoffs in a loss to Brock Purdy and the 49ers (as I've said, the Cowboys aren't going anywhere until Jerry Jones starts sharing revenue like all of the other owners do).  The "newest cardiac kids" the Vikings couldn't come from behind and beat the Giants who then promptly were stomped by the Eagles the next week. The Dolphins without Tua? Trash. The Ravens without Lamar? Trash. The Seahawks with Geno? Who cares?


What was interesting, to me at least, was that during Week 18 and Wildcard weekend, this trended on Twitter:

So, a question could be raised: Did the NFL notice this and essentially tell the refs to "stand down" and not tweak games in an overt fashion? While any publicity is supposedly good publicity, I'm not sure an extremely controversial call which would've skyrocketed the number of #NFLRigged tweets is something the league would want. It's bad enough for them than this trended twice in back-to-back weeks. A third week, or a horrendous call, might've sent this into overdrive.


The only major storyline the NFL had going appeared to be the Damar Hamlin "heart attack." Now, thankfully, he's fully recovered (though there is a lot of speculation online that Hamlin (a) actually died and/or (b) isn't as healed as the NFL wants you to believe - given his heart stopped two or three times and CPR can do damage, especially to one's ribs, while saving a life - because there's been no interview with him and the camera shots of him during the Bills-Bengals game weren't clear. It could've been anyone in that luxury box. I run a "sports conspiracy" website here, and the NFL has more power than a sports league should possess, but I'm not about to say the NFL can cover up the death of one of its players, no matter how damaging it might be to its business. Sure, anything is possible, but I need more evidence that what I've seen thus far to run with this notion, sorry.) Not to sound disgusting, but I think if Hamlin had either died or still be hospitalized, the NFL would've milked that storyline a bit more with the hashtags, etc to build a movement for the Bills. But this didn't transpired. Either it was because Hamlin was (again, thankfully) fine (given the circumstances) or the NFL didn't want to run with this story because it would've been a constant reminder to fans that a player was nearly killed on the field. That's not something the league wants at the forefront of each and every remaining broadcast.


So, while everything seemed to be leaning in the Bills direction - need for a new stadium, building up another young QB in John Allen, the Hamlin saga - the Bengals won. Why? Well, if #NFLRigged was trending, the NFL feeding into such an obvious storyline might've been too much, especially after both the Bucs and Rams won the last two seemingly telegraphed Super Bowls. Time for something less in-your-face.


All that said, I'll put out my Super Bowl prediction: Chiefs v. Eagles. It'll be the "Andy Reid Bowl" coupled with the "Kelce Bros. Bowl." Now, Brock Purdy is becoming a bigger story than I ever expected, and having him in the Super Bowl might make for great copy, but (to me, at least) he's not an NFL building block (yet). And while Joe Burrow is crazy good, he and the Bengals were just in the Super Bowl last year. I think the NFL would rather heap more praise on Mahomes (injured ankle or not) than once again give Burrow the limelight.


I could be wrong. I've been before which is why I normally don't make predictions, but since I'm typing and it's on my mind, I thought I'd put it out there. Might be a while before I post again.

WEEK 18


So let's start with the "story" of the week: the Bills in their first game since the Damar Hamlin "incident." And, as in typical "happy coincidence" style, the game started with an amazing Bills kick-off return for a TD, during which TV commentator Tony Romo compared it all to a movie (oddly enough, that movie was "Angels in the Outfield." Thankfully, Hamlin isn't deceased despite the analogy). The Bills went on to win the game -- thanks to an unheard of second kickoff return TD -- while eliminating the Patriots from the playoffs in the process.


Elsewhere in the AFC, everything went according to plan with the Jaguars beating the Titans to win the division and reach the playoffs, and the Dolphins fell into the 7th slot with a sad win over the Jets. But these two outcomes propelled Trevor Lawrence and (possibly) Tua Tagovailoa into the limelight as opposed to the likes of whomever the Titans could play at QB and the Jets Mike White.


Meanwhile, in the NFC, I was wrong. I thought for certain that the table was set for the Packers and Aaron Rodgers to reach the playoffs as the 7th seed. And maybe they were, as the Packers were awarded gift after gift by the referees early in their "must win" game versus the Lions, but they simply couldn't capitalize on those free opportunities. Instead, the Lions won as the Packers collapsed which propelled the Seahawks and Geno Smith into the playoffs. I didn't see that coming, but Geno is a decent story and it's likely whichever team was the NFC's #7 is going to be nothing but cannon fodder for the 49ers. As for the rest of the NFC, everything else was basically pre-set prior to kickoff in Week 18 and didn't matter.


So, as we head into the playoffs, how'd I do with my preseason predictions? Here's the teams I thought would likely reach the Super Bowl:


NFC: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, LA Rams, San Francisco 49ers, or Arizona Cardinals

AFC: Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, LA Chargers, Denver Broncos, or Las Vegas Raiders


The Cowboys, Eagles, 49ers and Bucs are still in the mix as are the Bills, Ravens, and Chargers. Likely, the Bucs and Ravens aren't going anywhere. Brady and his cohorts look soft, and the Ravens are nothing without Lamar Jackson. But the other five teams are certainly contenders.


I don't see the Dolphins, Jaguars, Seahawks or Giants reaching the Super Bowl given their rosters this season. This leaves the Chiefs, Bengals, and Vikings as teams I left off my list. Can the Bengals repeat as AFC champs? Maybe, but who outside of Cincinnati wants to see that? Do we really need more Mahomes in our lives? Perhaps, but only if they face off against the Eagles in the SB so we get the Andy Reid Bowl. And I could see the "cardiac kids" Vikings reach the Super Bowl, but perhaps only against the Bills so two teams with 0-4 records in the Super Bowl match up. Otherwise, I feel good that I'll be right with my predictions...despite often being wrong. We'll see soon enough.

WEEKS 16 & 17


Back in Weeks 4 & 5 below, I wrote: "I still dread the day a player is paralyzed and/or killed on the field for the whole world to see. But it's coming. Soon. And I'd bet dollars to donuts the NFL and its media partners already have a plan in place to deal with it when it occurs. They're not that naïve not to have pre-planned for such a horrific event."


Then, on Monday Night Football, I was (unfortunately) proven correct. Well, sort of. A horrible injury to Buffalo Bills Damar Hamlin was followed by CPR. As I write this, he's in critical condition. I hope and pray he neither dies or is paralyzed. But the NFL's response was typical. At first, just moments after the ambulance left the field, the NFL told everyone, "Five minutes and back to football." It's uncertain if members of the Bills and Bengals said "no way" or if the NFL came to it's senses (eventually), but thankfully, the game was ultimately postponed.


What was interesting was that during that uncertain hour or so while ESPN didn't know what was happening, its talking heads often sounded like this:

Notice that suddenly the NFL wasn't a sport. It was entertainment. At other times, it was called a business. They spoke about the league in real terminology. It was a subtle shift in language, but if one was paying attention, it was noticeable. And real.


But setting that horrific moment aside, there was a lot of entertainment and business decisions seemingly being made by the NFL over the course of the holidays. The biggest of which was that the Packers were suddenly in the playoff contention thanks to a lot of teams they needed to lose, losing repeatedly (like Washington which lost twice and were eliminated from the playoffs thanks in part to their head coach benching their starting QB Heinicke for Carson Wentz and apparently not realizing that if the team lost in Week 17 it was eliminated from the playoffs. Of course, given the headache its owner Dan Synder has been for the league, it should come as no surprise that Washington was knocked out). Now, the Packers aren't assured a playoff berth, but if they beat the Lions in Week 18, they are in. And which QB would the NFL want in the Wildcard round: Aaron Rodgers, Jared Goff or Geno Smith? You tell me.


Speaking of name brand QBs, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers won enough football to somehow reach the playoffs, too. They needed fewer breaks, but still got what was necessary to keep the GOAT around a week or two longer.


Outside of these two old-timers in Brady and Rodgers, there's a serious QB youth movement in the NFL's playoff teams: Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Herbert and Lamar Jackson in the AFC with Trevor Lawrence and Mac Jones possibly rounding out the field. Meanwhile, in the NFC, it's Hurts, Prescott, Jones, and Purdy with this year's comeback king Cousins in the mix. I could be wrong (because I'm too lazy to check), but I think all of those QBs outside of Cousins have five years or less experience in the NFL. That's what I've been saying about the NFL in recent years: the league is going to move away from the established, old guard QBs and grow a new crop of "future legends" to build up. And here that plan is, in action.


Funny how that worked out for the league, no?

WEEK 15


So, part of me thought I still had covid and hallucinated this entire week of NFL action because it was too unreal to believe. But, in fact, I had recovered and the NFL just started pulling out the stops with zero regard for what fans could believe was possible.


I'm not even sure where to start. There were three teams that came from 17+ behind to win the game -- a first in NFL history (for a single week). The biggest, most absurd was the Vikings who set the NFL record for largest come-from-behind win when they beat the Colts 39-36 after being behind 33-0 at halftime. I can't really explain how that happened, but well, it did. The Jaguars and the Bengals were the other two teams who came from 17+ back to beat the Cowboys and Buccaneers respectively.


The refs essentially handed the Monday Night Football game to the Packers to keep Rodgers in the playoff hunt, and well, the Baker Mayfield thing was last week. But before that, the refs seemed to aid the Raiders (!) in beating the Patriots thanks to this "touchdown":

And if that weren't enough...because it only tied the score, and didn't give the Raiders the win...this -- somehow -- happened:

I can't explain how that happened, and no one on the Patriots seemingly could explain it either. Just one of those things.


Then Sunday night, the refs decided to take any chance of winning away from the Commanders, too. This play should've given Washington the chance to tie the game with a potential 2-point conversion, but the refs snatched away the TD on this flag:

The Commanders weren't completely beaten with this bad penalty, but on the last play of the game, the refs allowed the Giants DB to get away with a murderous pass interference against the Commanders WR, and then the game was over. I guess that's what a team gets when it's owner causes as much trouble for the league as Dan Snyder has recently.


On top of this, the Eagles barely beat the Bears, the Chiefs needed OT to beat the Texans (!), and the Bills beat the Dolphins on a very "maybe" 2-point conversion. This league, my friends....


Merry Christmas!

WEEK 14


I have covid. Again. Been sick as a dog for the past 4 days, but I feel as if I'm turning the corner and won't need a hospital stay as I did during my first covid run back in 2021. That said, my brain isn't fully functional yet and staring at a computer scene just worsens my headache, but I felt it necessary to push through that and quickly mention the Thursday night football game between the hapless Raiders and the LA Rams.


Baker Mayfield, a member of the LA Rams for less than 48 hours, did this:

There is no real rational explanation for such an occurrence, but, well, here we are. We -- the ignorant football fans of the world -- can't comprehend the complexities of each team's offensive schemes and playbook without deep dive knowledge and understanding of such inner workings. Yet the dude who's been on the team for the length of a sneeze has enough command of all of this to match what the G.O.A.T. Tom Brady miraculously did on Monday Night Football...almost blow-for-blow as if the script was repeated.

Of course, solid play like this from the Raiders didn't hurt Baker and the Rams chances:

The Raiders defense -- according the Amazon Football talking head Richard Sherman -- apparently played the Rams man to man rather than zone, making reads and decisions easier on Baker at the end. Baker then just had to make the "easiest of throws" in hitting on three "go" routes. Also, the refs aided the Rams in their final drive, giving the Rams something like 27 free yards (and two free clock stoppages) along the way.


The outcome of a game like this should wake people up to the lunacy of the NFL. But, well, that never seems to happen. People just eat it up. There's probably more to discuss here, but really, I'm too covid-ridden to deal with this at the moment. So....

WEEK 13


Ok, the Monday Night Football game between the Saints and the Buccaneers was perhaps the most blatantly fixed game I've seen this season. The Bucs go up 3-0 after their first drive, do nothing on offense -- and I mean nothing -- for the next 45 minutes, then down 16-3, come from behind and win the game 17-16 in the final five minutes of play. Uh, wut?


Despite this outcome, the only shocking aspect of it all was that the refs took away the (first) game-winning TD pass Brady threw with :19 remaining because of offensive holding. That would've never happened in his Patriots days, especially in a home game as MNF was for Tampa Bay. Yet, never was this "dramatic" ending in doubt. The nullified TD just delayed the inevitable. Watching, you knew Brady and the Bucs were going to win. You could feel it, and like an old woman feeling a rain storm in her bunion, it happened.


You could also see the playing for nothing Saints let this game slip away. Their final drive -- which could've/should've sealed the Bucs fate -- instead saw QB Andy Dalton get sacked for -10 yards and then throw an incomplete pass. Then, a weak punt put the Bucs right back in the game with 2:29 left and a time out. The Saints defense, which gave up 220 yards in the first 55 minutes of the game (72 of which came on the opening drive which resulted in a FG), suddenly allowed 130 yards in two drives and a pair of touchdowns when it mattered most in the game.


ESPN pays the NFL around $100 million for the broadcast rights to each Monday Night Football game. Do you really think they'd pay $100 million for Tom Brady to lose 16-3 to the 4-8 Saints? But would it shell out $100 million for a dramatic, come-from-behind Tom Brady rally against the 4-8 Saints? You bethca. That's what happened Monday night, and yet fans lapped it up as usual (the NFL's TV ratings apparently are setting records this year...somehow), especially as Brady left the field with this gem:

Oh, and there's a new "problem" in the NFL: players faking injuries for automatic time outs. Now, I've seen this myself and it's bad, both on an acting level and a sportsmanship level. But, as usual, the NFL apparently never thought this could/would be a problem, so it reacts as haphazardly as the league is wont to do and now threatens to take draft picks away from teams attempting this ruse.


Of course, it begs the question, if players know how to act injured here, who's to know when/where else they "act" out on the field. I've seen some sad attempts at tackling, catching, throwing, etc each and every week as well. As these people acting like athletes as well? Is it all a show? I'll leave that up to you to decide.


One last thing as it's on my mind at the moment: what's up with Russell Wilson? Is he that much of a jerk that the rest of the Broncos have grown to despise him? I'll tell you a story which may explain why this is exactly what's happening in Denver. Way back in the late 70s-early 80s, my father was a bank manager where several of the Chicago Bears banked. One day, one of the offensive lineman came in and was talking with my dad when he told him, "We want Vince Evans to be our QB. We hate Bob Avellini (who -- side note -- apparently was recently sentenced to 18 months in prison for a DUI), but our coaches want him as our QB. So, none of us are going to block for him." Which is exactly what the Bears linemen did -- they let Avellini struggle/get sacked until the Bears coaching staff benched him for Evans. So, it's quite possible that the Broncos dislike Wilson enough that they're willing to throw away the season if it means getting him removed from the team. We'll see if that's what plays out here or not.

WEEKS 10, 11 & 12


Hmm. Lost track of time there what with Thanksgiving and all. Sorry 'bout that, sports fans. If anything of significance happened, I might be more Johnny-on-the-spot, but the NFL has become a creature of habit in a way. Like this for example:

One is a catch and a touchdown; the other is an incomplete pass. You tell me the difference between the two plays. Oh, I know the NFL and its officials would say "this is a TD because of A, B, and C," and "this is incomplete because of X, Y, and Z." But use your eyes. One's a TD because the NFL loves Mahomes, and the other is incomplete because it wasn't Tom Brady throwing it for the Patriots. As my certain members of my family often say, "football is stupid."


Despite such obvious failings, fans can't/won't stop watching. Case in point:

Why is this? Two reasons mainly. One, sports must be watched live. Sure, I know some people DVR (if you had a VCR, could you still record digital TV onto a VHS tape? Just curious.) games and watch them in half the time. But for the most part, sports like the NFL must be consumed as it happens, or else you're "missing out." This is the main reason networks and streaming services willingly fight over sports broadcast rights, and why leagues are making so much money. Addicted fans need live sports to survive. Live sports means you don't miss commercials. Advertisers pay through the nose to get eyes on their products. It's a vicious circle, but very effective and profitable for all involved.


The other reason fans are tuning in is that despite scoring being down this year, games decided by one score or less are up. This means games are more "exciting" until the end. I heard a stat, might have been on Thanksgiving (can't remember), that said that through Week 11, there were something like 114 games that were one score games in the fourth quarter this season (this piece states that through Week 8, there were 94 one score games). That amounts to an average of 10 game per week. That's insane. Parity isn't that effective. Something else is afoot. Or the NFL (and its broadcast and advertising partners) are really lucky. You pick.


I'll leave you with this, a snippet from an interview with former Packers back-up QB Deshone Kizer for two reasons. One, someone needs to get Aaron Rodgers a copy of The Fix Is In stat. Two, note how the host(s) instantly dismiss the "conspiracy theories" without a thought, laughing in a rather odd manner about it as well, while Kizer -- to his credit -- tries to get them to listen, saying they shouldn't be so dismissive so quickly.

WEEKS 8 & 9


As Jim Nance is wont to say, "Hello, friends."


I'll be honest with you all: this portion of my website has become a serious chore to update. I used to love writing about this subject -- and still do to a degree -- but now....with this NFL season....the joy is gone. Long gone.


It comes down to really just not being interested in watching/following the NFL (or any sports) anymore. I have more important and more interesting things to take up my time now. I'm done with the sports media and trying to break into their sad little club. I'm sick of the spin put on "isolated incidents" and "bad calls" and the rest. I've run this website since 2006, and nothing -- nothing -- in sports has changed.  Not that I thought that I'd have an impact on these multi-billion dollar businesses, but I had hope fans in general may have. Instead, they continue to swallow the Kool-Aide and act as if everything is fine.


As I said at the beginning of this season, I can only point out so many "bad calls," unlikely outcomes and storylines in so many different ways. It's the same thing week after week and trying to write about that in a new and/or creative way is draining when you're no longer interested. I think my regular fans who visit this site can understand. You, too, are probably over and done with the NFL and the rest as I am.


This is not to say I'm not going to keep an eye out for the truly suspect or the on-going corruption in sports in general. I have several outstanding FOIA requests in with the FBI as I type this. "Scandals" continue to break, like the cheating uncovered recently in chess, fishing, cornhole, and Irish dancing (seriously). So, I'm always keeping an eye out for that. Plus, with the upcoming Daniel Synder lawsuit(s) as well as the Jon Gruden suit, more about the NFL may be uncovered soon...if we're lucky.


Anyways, what are the predominate stories in the NFL this year? The Eagles are undefeated. Both New York teams are competitive. The Bills -- if Josh Allen can stay healthy -- appear to be the next anointed NFL team (the fall back team in the AFC appears to be the Chiefs with Mahomes). The Seahawks are the main Cinderella, while the usual heavies the Packers and Buccaneers are fallen to pieces. Brady may still make the playoffs -- the Bucs division is pathetic -- just to get one last rating boost. But Rodgers, Brady and Stafford, perhaps the last remaining of the "old guard" QBs in the NFL, have lost their luster and no longer appear protected by the refs out on the field. They look old and they are not getting the calls (Brady did seemingly catch a break at the end of the Rams game in Week 9, but again, does the NFL really want the Falcons or Saints in the playoffs by winning the NFC South?)


The NFL is pushing its young QBs to create the "Next Gen" stars they can bank on for 5-10 years, and it seems to show. Allen, Mahomes, Herbert, Jackson, Burrow, Tua, Hurts, and maybe Prescott and even Fields are the future. The NFL likely will make them happen now. So, look out.


As for my preseason picks for teams to watch, I'm about 50/50 at this point. I was right about the Bills, Ravens and Chargers in the AFC and the Eagles, Cowboys and 49ers in the NFC. But I didn't foresee the cliff the Packers, Bucs, and Rams were about to fall off of, nor did I expect the Cardinals, Raiders and Broncos sputter so badly considering the QBs in play. I guess the NFL does still have a surprise or two up its sleeve. We'll see how the rest of the season plays out from here and who really gets the bandwagon push from the league.

WEEKS 6 & 7


So, this season has become upset city, hasn't it? The Buccaneers, the Packers, the Rams, and the the 49ers in the NFC are all, shall we say, underperforming? The Jets may have ended the Packers 30-year dynasty (of sorts) with their win in Week 6 while the Commanders emphasized it with a win in Week 7. Tom Brady's "farewell" tour is anything but exciting, and instead feels almost sad. Almost. And believe it or not, the Seattle Seahawks -- with Geno Smith at QB, not Russell Wilson -- is in first place in the NFC West.


It might just be me, but from what I've seen, the downfall for both Brady and Rodgers seems to be that their teams are not getting the calls they usually enjoy. Oh, I know Brady and the Bucs squeaked out a win versus Atlanta thanks to a ridiculous "roughing the passer" call, but has that really saved the Bucs from a sub .500 record? Maybe the NFL is trying to show these old QBs the door in a not-so-subtle way.


Things in the AFC are a little different. It's just Chiefs and Bills, Bills and Chiefs. Russell Wilson and the Broncos? No shows. Derek Carr and the Raiders? Nope. Justin Herbert and the Chargers show some life, but they just dropped a winnable game to the upstart Seahawks. The Bengals, Ravens, Titans and Colts are all very "meh."


The only shocker is the New York Jets being in actual competition in the AFC. But the Giants are doing the same in the NFC...so far. What this goes to show more than anything, I believe, is that the NFL is really leaning into its "parity" and keeping it all interesting late into the season. Too many "bad" teams are winning while "good" teams are looking awful. Will this really last? Or will these teams make late season pushes to make things more lively? Methinks this will happen while at least one Cinderella keeps dancing.


Sorry for the lame-ish post, but I'm on vacation right now. The next one will be better. Probably.

WEEKS 4 & 5


This might become a biweekly update thing because I'm busy/lazy/uninterested in the weekly going-ons in the NFL because it's the same B.S. week-in, week-out. LIke, go figure, Tom Brady got the call and it probably saved the game for the Buccaneers.

What part of this truly surprises people, especially sports fans? We've all seen it before. Just choose your star athlete: Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, LeBron James, etc. The stars (almost) always get the calls. It affects game outcomes, fan bitch, and the leagues don't care because they get what they ultimately want. So, to post week after week telling you, "Hey, look, so-and-so got the call," or "Team X got screwed" is more than redundant. Here's just a couple of examples:

How is it not running into the kicker? Because the owner of the "Commanders" is under investigation and giving the league yet another black-eye while the Cowboys are ratings gold, that's how. Or...

How weren't the Packers flagged for holding #53 of the Giants in that photo? (And they weren't, I double checked). Because Aaron Rodgers is still one of the league's "golden boys" and his O-line is allowed to get away with murder (even though the Packers still lost the game in London). This is NFL Manipulation 101, people.


What got my attention over this two weeks; however, were these plays and stories:

I'm old enough to remember when the NFL "solved" the concussion problem within the game. I mean, we all knew it was complete B.S. with the updated helmets, tackling methods, etc. employed to "make the game safer." But these past two week have revealed how much of blatant lie the NFL was feeding everyone. I still dread the day a player is paralyzed and/or killed on the field for the whole world to see. But it's coming. Soon. And I'd bet dollars to donuts the NFL and its media partners already have a plan in place to deal with it when it occurs. They're not that naïve not to have pre-planned for such a horrific event.


Who's would then be to blame? Everyone in the NFL, players included. The players union (NFLPA) doesn't care about their rank and file. If they did, they wouldn't have allowed Tua Tagovailoa back out onto the field so soon after his initial (non) concussion. But can't miss a game check, right? Can't have a player lose his starting job, no matter what drugs need to be taken to numb the pain or which "protocols" need to be circumvented. And the players, although pawns in many regards, are willing to do whatever it takes to play as seen by the Alex Smith piece above and this article/interview with Joe Burrow. And if you're still dumb enough to not believe this is the truth, just eyeball this insane story which took a deep backseat to most everything else NFL-related:

If the much-lauded -- and much-injured -- Watt brothers aren't the poster children for PED usage in the NFL, I don't know who are. And I would think (I'm no doctor), that needing your heart shocked back into rhythm isn't a normal occurrence for a "healthy" athlete. Yet, here we are. What a role model.

WEEKS 2 & 3

I know this ad is for ESPN's College Football, but this is basically telling you what the NFL really is (and apparently, so is NCAA football). It's not a sport, it's a TV reality show disguised as a sport and fans eat it up by the bowlful. It's like my book's thesis summed up in a :45 second commercial (I know that the ad is 1:00 long, but the last :15 seconds are people clapping like trained seals).


Otherwise, a lot of football-like stuff happened. Like, here's the potential MVP Josh Allen on 4th down with the game on the line:

But NFL players don't/can't/won't tank games. Right? This is full-on, hard-nosed legitimate competition. Which results in this (from the same game as above, mind you):

Yea, football!


How 'bout this for good officiating?

See? I don't necessarily need to update this page each week of the NFL season because it's the same damn thing week after week, year after year. There's just new twists and spins added to the show to keep fans engaged. Which was why the NFL & ESPN/ABC gave fans two Monday Night Football games during Week 2 and not opening weekend as per usual:

I've been saying this for years: if the NFL and it's broadcast partners had half a brain, they would stagger games throughout Sunday with kickoffs every half an hour. No idea why they think it's best to have a set of 1 pm EST and 4 pm EST games when it's possible to have them spread throughout Sunday leading to the finale on Sunday night. Keep these dopes engaged and betting on games with each passing moment. That's what I'd do. Because you still have grown men acting like this in relation to the farcical events:

I'm not going to bother to break down individual games/outcomes at this point because, if you haven't noticed, there's a whole lot of "parity" going around. Only the Dolphins and Eagles remain undefeated after three weeks, otherwise most every other franchise is either 2-1 or 1-2. I mean, seriously, the Packers and Bears are tied for first place in the NFC North -- and the Bears, fixed or not, are horrid.


But all of this may be moot given the outcome of Hurricane Ian. I hope everyone comes out of this storm ok and that the damage isn't as extensive as expected, but if the Buccaneers (or the 2-1 Jaguars) come out of this #TampaStrong (or #JacksonvilleStrong) look out: a Super Bowl is likely in the immediate future.

WEEK 1


Maybe this is a dumb observation, or maybe it's just me, but have you ever noticed that if you (or someone you know) starts to watch a game after it begins -- perhaps sometime into the first quarter or later -- you/they don't seem as interested in the game compared to if they watched it from the opening kickoff? It's as though you need to be absorbed by the game from the get-go or it's just not as interesting. And this would make sense if you compared an NFL game to a movie or a TV show or even a book (do people still read books?). If you miss the beginning, it's more difficult to be drawn into the story. I feel this goes for NFL games, and it's just another sign that not all is as it appears in football-land.


Myself, I feel as though this is all a diversion. Due to a near tropical rain storm we had in Wisconsin Sunday, I was forced to be inside so I kept Week 1 on TV as background noise just to see what was what. And it was business as usual. I heard one announcer tell me early in a game, "Well, early in the season, the refs are going to call the game tight and follow the rule book closely." Then, sometime around the end of the third quarter, this same announcer said, "I really like that the refs are letting them play out there and not getting involved." Huh? Which is it? And which should it be?


As for who won and lost, who cares? Week 1 is made for overreaction regardless of the outcome. Maybe Cowboys fans have a legitimate reason to overreact given their effort and outcome on Sunday Night, but the rest of the league still needs to take shape and focus before we can see what the NFL wants. One observation I can make is this: The NFC is terrible, and there's very little there in which to be interested . Even though I made my predictions below on which teams "matter," after seeing the effort this weekend, I wouldn't be surprised to seem some dark horse Cinderella team emerge in the NFC. Because if the best story the NFL has coming out of the NFC is yet another Tom Brady run, it's going to be a long, long year.

Preseason: I make no promises that I'm going to be Johnny-on-the-spot updating this section each week. Why? Well, a couple of reasons. One, I do have a life outside of this website, you know? Two, I have a new job so it's affecting reason number one. And three, how many times can I write "Wow, the refs really gave Team X a break this week..." before people get it?  I can only word that so many ways and show so many examples of the corrupt NFL manipulating games before it gets boring and repetitive. I mean, to me, it already is. But my fans seem to love it, so I'll give it another go this season which may be my last (something I've threatened since, oh, I don't know, 2016?) because really, I don't care about this league anymore or the myriad of ways in which it outright lies to its fans. It's right in your face with things like the entire Deshaun Watson fiasco, yet the football fans continue to lap it up as if it's some special gift from heaven.


Anyway, keep an eye out for the "point of emphasis" for officiating this season (illegal contact). I'm sure it'll be a big deal until it's not, and then suddenly become important for one call in the playoffs that changes the outcome of a game so the announcers can say, "Well, it's been a point of emphasis all season. These guys should know better by now...."


Oh, and there's only a handful of teams that actually matter this season. Your Super Bowl will be a mix of one of these franchises:


NFC: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, LA Rams, San Francisco 49ers, or Arizona Cardinals

AFC: Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, LA Chargers, Denver Broncos, or Las Vegas Raiders


To pick who it'll actually which teams will be the actual matchup is tough because I haven't seen one iota of NFL coverage yet this year (thank God). I actually lean towards Philly, SF, AZ and maybe Green Bay (even with Rodgers and his psychedelics) in the NFC because I'm not certain Brady really has one more Super Bowl run in him even though he's such a talking point, the Rams won it last year (highly doubtful they'll repeat) and Jerry Jones still owns the Cowboys. As for the AFC, all five of those teams are decent stories. The Bills seem too obvious, especially now that their new stadium is secure. The Broncos have a new ownership in place, and the billions paid to enter the cabal of owners often buys more than just a team. The Chargers need to boost their LA fanbase and have a great young QB to hype while the Raiders success in Vegas would be a boon for the NFL's gambling ties (but a Davis still owns the franchise, so....). But I'd be surprised to see any team outside of list sniff the Super Bowl this season. Stay tuned....

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