Sharks Give Kings First Shutout of the Season

When it comes to the rivalry between the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks, it's always a great series. Very close, very tight, very competitive, and everyone is into it. But for the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night, it was a tight game that ended up being in their favor, as well as coming with a shutout.

Sharks goalie Martin Jones managed 28 saves for his third shutout of the season and his 18th overall in his NHL career to lead the Sharks past the Kings 2-0 on Saturday night at SAP Center at San Jose.

The Sharks managed to eke out the win, thanks in part to the goal scorers in Marcus Sorensen and Joe Pavelski, and have now won two games in a row, and are sometimes right in the middle of the pack of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.

It was a big victory too, not just for the Kings, but also for Jones, who is now 8-3-2 against his former team in the Kings, and this was the first shutout that he put up against them in his career. And hey, that's a record that should make every Sharks fan happy, huh?

In terms of the Kings, goaltender Jonathan Quick didn't exactly have a pretty game. Yes, he also made 28 saves against the Sharks shooters and did play well for a lot of this game, particularly in the first period. But it was the second period goal by Sorensen that seemed to deflate him in this particular game. It seemed after that goal, he tried to do all he could, but it didn't feel like him before that goal. That doesn't make him a bad player. It just means that somehow that goal demoralized him for the rest of the game and even the rest of the team as well.

Good news for the Kings is that they're still tied for the top spot in the Western Conference with the Vegas Golden Knights. But this was also the first time that the Kings were shut out this season. I already mentioned Quick not playing well, but I would also say that Kopitar and Gaborik, the two main guys for that team, didn't necessarily come through. The only guy who really did try to put this team on his back on this game was defenseman Drew Doughty because not only did he play like he was the most important guy there, but he also got into a fight and had a bunch of chances on goal that didn't pan out. So that was a big plus for this team, and it's definitely something they could look on going into the Christmas break.

For the Kings to lose this game is not important, but it is demoralizing when you lose to a rival of this caliber and especially a former player of yours, who seems to know how to beat you in different ways. Martin Jones did that again tonight with a shutout and that's why he's the star of the game. But that's then and the Kings are still tied for the top spot, and I'm hoping they come out of the Christmas break ready to tackle the rest of the season.

Did The Mariners Hit A Low By Canceling FanFest?

Apparently, Mariners fans will not be able to enjoy listening to their team talk about the offseason when FanFest comes in January. And that's because FanFest actually won't happen.

The Mariners announced today that their annual FanFest, which is usually held around January of their offseason, will not go forward as planned this year as a result of the field not being ready by January for the event. Instead, they will push the event back to January of 2019, perhaps upsetting many fans who were hoping to see what this team had in store before spring training began.

President and CEO of the Mariners Kevin Mather said in a statement, "While disappointing, we felt a one-year break in FanFest was a better option than having an event that didn't provide the full experience our fans deserve."

As a replacement, Mariners GM Scott Servais and several players will be at various media appearances and events where they'll have a chance to talk about the upcoming season and all that, but it will not be like FanFests.

I've been to various FanFests, including the Giants, Padres, Angels, and White Sox, and let me tell you: Those things are fun, no matter what places they are in. Baseball fields, hotels, and all that are great, no matter what. So I don't understand why the Mariners thought cancelling the FanFest was actually a good idea. Having a semi-experience FanFest is better than having no FanFest, and with that, I'm deeply disappointed that the Mariners actually took this route without exploring their options.

I tweeted out at the Mariners a short while ago before writing this post, asking them why they wouldn't move into FanFest into CenturyLink Field, the home of the Seahawks, or even a downtown Seattle hotel? I mean, the White Sox use the Hilton in downtown Chicago as a place for their FanFest, so why shouldn't the Mariners? It's just confounding to me that they would disappoint their fans in this case rather than explore the options.

Now, look, I understand that the Mariners are deeply invested into giving the fans the full experience of what FanFest is. A lot of teams try to do that, because they want to maximize the fun that they expect to give their fans. But as I said before, a FanFest with even partial experience is better than none. I've talked to a couple of people, especially those who are White Sox fans, and they say that having a FanFest is the greatest thing in the world, because you get to learn what the team has done over the offseason to try to get better and improve on the season before. They don't care if they've got the full experience. They care that they're there, having fun and all that stuff. I understand that I'm talking about the White Sox, but I can imagine other fans of other teams would feel the same way too.

Another example I would give is the Diamondbacks usually have FanFest at their spring training home up in Scottsdale and not at Chase Field, which is understandable because it's outside and in a great place like their spring training home. Fans may have a great experience there, despite it not being the full experience of their home field.

I just hope the Mariners know what they're doing and the risk they're taking by not having a FanFest. Not perhaps people will get over it and all that stuff and I probably shouldn't be making a big deal of it. But a FanFest is a FanFest and whether or not it's a full experience or not, it should happen, no matter what. Plus, if you want to do it, you don't have to have it in January. You could have it in February or even before leaving for Arizona for Spring Training games. I think those options could work, rather than getting rid of it for this year.

To me, the bigger picture about the Mariners is not FanFest. It's whether or not they'll actually field a good team come April and they haven't had one for a long time. Hopefully, they're time comes soon, because fans are getting restless up there and it's time for the Mariners to actually start standing up and making some noise in baseball.

Rams Scorch The Seahawks In Seattle

For a Seattle Seahawks team that is so used to playing on home field that they win almost all the time, it was the Los Angeles Rams that managed to deliver not just a loss but perhaps a crushing loss in a big way.

The Rams beat the Seahawks 42-7 in Seattle on Sunday, in a game that likely could deal a big blow to the Seahawks repeating as NFC West champs, and it was game where the Seahawks could’ve had the opportunity to tie for the NFC West lead and instead choked it away.

This has been one of the biggest disappointments of the Seahawks in recent memory, not just because they lost on home turf, which they don’t do often, but because they were blown out at home, which rarely happens, albeit if at all. For many, including the media, it’s an unacceptable loss and it’s one coach Pete Carroll summed up pretty well in his press conference.

He told reporters, “We’ve not seen us play like that and seen that kind of result…So it’s on all of us to hold ourselves accountable. We didn’t do that right, from any aspect of it.” No, they didn’t. They had a chance to perhaps tie for the lead in the NFC West on their home turf, and they blew it. If that wasn’t enough proof, try looking at the scuffle that happened between defensive stars Earl Thomas and Bobby Wagner. They weren’t happy about what the game was turning out to be, and they took out their anger by screaming at each other.

Biggest Takeaways

From the get-go of this game, I believe the one thing that lifted the Rams over the Seahawks was their ability to have great field position when they were given it. On every scoring drive they had, they started either at midfield or within Seahawks territory, and they utilized that to get a good running game going. It ultimately led to 244 yards against this Seahawks defense that doesn’t have their stars, including 152 and three touchdowns thanks in part to Rams running back Todd Gurley III, who really shouldn’t have had this kind of game in a place where it’s hard for opposing running backs to get any kind of traction.

The Rams also won thanks in part to their defense, who got after Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, sacking him seven times while forcing two turnovers. Clearly, the offensive line for the Seahawks did not help Russell Wilson in this game, and it was a heavy consequence, as it allowed the Rams defense to have a dominant day on the defensive side of the ball.

Winners and Losers

The biggest winner was the Los Angeles Rams, who will most likely gain the NFC West crown if they manage to win in Tennessee next week. But in this particular game, the Rams won on their running game. Gurley won on the day and that’s why he’s the MVP. Nobody else had the kind of day he did and in a place where you don’t expect a guy like this to thrive. The Rams defense also won as well, thanks in part to how they pressured the offense and how they got after the quarterback.

The biggest losers of this game? Well, everybody on the Seahawks. Both offense and defense. As I said before, Russell Wilson was sacked SEVEN times. Where was the offensive line when it was needed to protect him? Clearly they weren’t awake and ready for that game, and they allowed the Rams defense to run all over them. The special teams also lost this game, especially when they were trying to prevent a kick return. They allowed the Rams to start with decent field position and then turn it into points after points after points.

A Disgrace By The Seahawks

This has been the most embarrassing game that I’ve seen out of the Seahawks recently. Unfortunately, I’m not going to say that the Rams played well today and had a game they deserved to win. I can’t say that here. They should not have had the game they had on Sunday. And look, Todd Gurley III and Jared Goff are great players and they could have a chance to get to the Super Bowl if they keep playing like this, but this was a disgrace on the part of the Seahawks. They played like a team that didn’t care about winning this game or even making an effort to move the ball downfield and try to get points. The offense was a mess, the defense was even worse, the special teams was atrocious and Pete Carroll did a fabulous job by saying everyone is accountable, because he’s right.

The blame is on everybody. In reality from this game, there really is no winners. There’s a bunch of losers and it’s all right on the Seahawks players and coaches. The Rams took this game, ran away with it, and are now looking to rewrite the NFC West with them as the new kings. The Seahawks gave that right to them. They could miss the playoffs. And that will not sit well with the people in Seattle and the reporters who expect this team to be in it year after year.

Aaron Rodgers May Not Save The Packers

There's a lot of good news for Packers fans these days. With the latest that Aaron Rodgers is likely to return for this Sunday's game, many are hoping that Rodgers can be the guy to lead this team into the playoffs, despite having struggled through many games of the season without him. But for one columnist, he believes that Rodgers may not been able to do enough to save the season for them.

Jordan Schultz, a Yahoo Sports analyst, told his readers today that he believes that Rodgers will not be able to propel the currently 7-6 Packers enough to even make the playoffs. Schultz cites the fact that in order for the Packers to even have a chance, he would have to win out against three quality opponents in Carolina, Detroit, and Minnesota and those are tall orders, considering that all three are potential playoff contenders, especially Minnesota.

Another issue he cites is that despite the Packers offense holding on without Rodgers and getting a 3-5 record as a result, the rest of those teams he cited are facing a badly beaten up Packers secondary that has been known to give up plays for the better part of the season, and that if this continues, then Aaron Rodgers's contributions will not matter for the Packers.

In the game against Tampa Bay, the secondary defense was definitely a problem. It gave up 270 yards and two touchdowns to a guy who has failed expectations much of this season in Jameis Winston. Against the Bears, it gave up 297 yards and a score to the incompetent Mitchell Trubisky. You can't give up those kind of yards against teams that you should be beating, both on offense and on defense. They're wins, of course, but they are wins that also forsee what could happen to the Packers.

As far as the playoff picture goes, they're ninth in the NFC playoff picture and that's a tall hill to climb and I'm not sure Aaron Rodgers is going to be able to win out against three quality teams to get over the hump, but I've been wrong before when it comes to Aaron Rodgers. Probably not this time.

Look, I tend to side with Scultz on this very issue. Aaron Rodgers is not going to be the main problem when the Packers face off against three good teams. It's going to be how the defense works. They've struggled since Aaron Rodgers went out, though you could say they struggled when he was there. So the defense definitely has to step up for the last three games if they're going to win out and get into the playoff picture. I just find it hard to believe it could happen.

But there's one thing I will say about Aaron Rodgers: He is next to Tom Brady in terms of clutch and moving on his feet. In fact, he could be the next superstar of this league when Brady retires. He's already become that in the NFC right now. But I think for this particular case, it's a long uphill battle that I hope they can do, but as long as the defense acts the way it is, they're not going to win all those games. It's going to be too hard and they're already banged up enough as it is.

So I will say this for the Packers: I hope it works and I hope Aaron Rodgers delivers. But even if there's one loss, you shut him down for the rest of the season, because one loss is most likely the doomsday scenario for the team this season, and I don't want Aaron Rodgers to get any more hurt if there's no meaningful game for him to play in.

Can Kinsler Be An Impact Player With The Angels?

The Los Angeles Angels will tell you that no matter what age a player is, they were desperately in need for a second baseman. Well, they finally got a second baseman, but perhaps not at the age they may have wanted him.

On Wednesday, the Angels went out and acquired Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler. They sent back two prospects as part of the deal and those prospects probably wouldn't have mattered for the Angels for the future.

Even at 35 years old, which is what Kinsler is, he can still operate as one of the most reliable second basemen in baseball today. However, his age and his numbers last year do signify something. He batted .236/.313/.412 with 22 home runs and 52 RBIs. Not exactly power numbers, especially for a guy who may start to slip as his age gets to him.

Now I understand that age is just a number and for the Angels, that's all it is. But even with Detroit last year, who are terrible overall, Kinsler is part of that issue and 35 is the relative issue where you see numbers start going again. Even Albert Pujols, their current DH, has been starting to hit lower numbers as he gets older with age. That doesn't mean they're still productive, it just means they're not the superstars they once were early in their season.

Back in 2016, when it was the last time Kinsler was actually a dominant force, he batted .288 with a .348 on-base percentage and .484 slugging percentage, which was pretty good at the time but it didn't help Detroit in getting to the playoffs, nor did his slumping numbers this season helped the Tigers at all.

His fielding may be more of the upside. In 2016, when he was a Gold Glove winner, he had a mark of 1.7 defensive wins above replacement, which is pretty darn good, and that's something the Angels need. The last two options they had in Danny Espinosa and Brandon Phillips, it did not work out. Espinosa batted near .150 and was designated for assignment midway through the season and Phillips proved to be a bust after coming over from Atlanta in a trade deadline deal.

There's plenty of opportunity for Kinsler to return to the numbers he had early in his career. However, it's a gamble that GM Billy Eppler is taking. Kinsler is clearly not the same player he was early in his career when he went to the World Series with the Rangers, and he has struggled despite his success in Detroit in some seasons. But a second baseman is what the Angels need and Eppler is going to take those chances if it means getting somebody who's reliable there. They haven't had that much recently. I hope Kinsler is the answer and I actually hope he can return to the stellar numbers he had in 2016 and before. But age is a big factor, and Kinsler is in that category where numbers start to recede, and that's something I'm very concerned with with this team going forward. I don't want him to turn into a bust like Espinosa or Phillips last season. I just hope he's the answer for this team as it continues its search for a reliable second baseman.

Cubs Revamping Their Bullpen With Morrow?

The Chicago Cubs are certainly making splashes this offseason and it looks like it's got some optimism with Cubs fans going. The question is: Will it last?

So far this offseason, the Cubs have made a big signing by getting pitcher Tyler Chatwood out of the Rockies and onto their bullpen. Today, they may have taken a big gamble by signing reliever Brandon Morrow, who last we saw was a World Series team in Los Angeles. So, based on this signing, it looks like Wade Davis is on his way out the door.

For the Cubs, they had many options in their bullpen that they could've used as a closer and they could've resigned Wade Davis as well, had he asked for less money. But the Cubs are trying to take a page out of the Dodgers last season and signing Morrow in hopes that he can handle the ninth-inning duties, like he had done a couple of times in LA when Kenley Jansen was unavailable.

Carl Edwards Jr. is not quite up to the level yet where you could rely on him as a closer. Justin Wilson, who came over in the Tigers trade that sent a prospect to Detroit, had been a complete bust so far. You can't count on both of them to be reliable for you when you're in a close-game jam and need to get out of the game. Brandon Morrow has shown you he can do that and it looks like the Cubs are making this gamble in hopes they can bring over some luck from last year's World Series, where Morrow was terrific.

Morrow paid off big time last season in LA. Before then, it was a bit of an unknown. He was initially signed to a minor league contract with the Dodgers last season and he worked his way up the season. He had come off a season where he missed a lot of playing time with a shoulder impingement surgery, and has struggled with the Blue Jays and Mariners before landing in LA. But you want to know the last time he handled closing duties full-time? Try the 2008 and 2009 campaigns with the Mariners. He earned 16 saves in those games.

I'm hoping it works out for Brandon Morrow somewhere, and I can understand him wanting to be a closer again with some team. It wasn't going to be with the Dodgers, who already had their closer in Kenley Jansen, who is a much better closer and is a superstar. Morrow was not going to be able to get that close to Jansen while in LA and his desire to be a closer again was not going to sit well. Going to Chicago carries two big risks: One is the expectations to win the World Series again. Right now, the Cubs are expecting success like the Red Sox so any player who comes in, either pitcher or regular player, is going to face those same high expectations. The number two risk is his age and injury factor. He turned 33 in July, which means he's getting to the point where any bad season could end his career and he's already had a major shoulder surgery so if he has to go through this again, he might not be that same player the Cubs were hoping for. Those two things alone are why this makes it risky for the Cubs and it better not go that way, because then the Cubs would be dead in the water when it comes to closing and they won't get back Wade Davis if he signs with another team.

Morrow is the best chance they have as a closer at this point. The next most reliable one is Pedro Strop, who is better off in the earlier innings rather than the ninth and has a sub-3.00 ERA, not good enough for a closer. Morrow's the guy. Morrow is going to be the one they throw out there, so let's hope that great 2017 season in LA translates to a great 2018 season for the Cubs.

Terrible Decisions By NFL on Seahawks-Jaguars Game

The Seahawks-Jaguars game was a mess. Not just the game itself, but also at the end.

On the game on Sunday, just before the game, four players were flagged for personal fouls stemming from a fight that happened on the recent play while two of those players were ejected following the brawl.

This all started when the Jaguars got a first down to seal up the 30-24 win. After that, on that first down, the Seahawks' defensive back Michael Bennett and Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette were both handed unnecessary roughness calls for the scrum that happened following the kneel down. Sheldon Richardson, another Seahawks defensive player, was given the boot.

On the very next flag, Quinton Jefferson of the Seahawks was given the flag for unsportsmanlike conduct and was also ejected. As he was to head into the locker room, fans in the stands started throwing things at Jefferson. Jefferson immediately tried to rush into the stands and get physical with these people. Thankfully, the security staff managed to hold Jefferson back and left the stadium.

As for the four people, the Jaguars say that they will be contacting four individuals involved in that throwing of objects and will ban them from future games.

As for the NFL, they have released a statement saying that there will be no punishment for the players that were flagged and ejected in that scrum. Seriously?

Despite the loss, Seattle remains a game back of the Rams for possession of the NFC West, and they're tied with Atlanta for the sixth seed in the NFC. They didn't need all of this to happen at the end of the game but it just did.

Look, I do agree that not all of the players should've been suspended, but I felt like Quinton Jefferson should've gotten at least a one game suspension. AT LEAST a one game suspension. Have we learned nothing from the Malice at the Palace incident that happened back in 2005? When we confront the fans, no matter how much they hate certain people, we cannot fire back. We can't do that. That should be automatic and the league didn't make a good statement here. They made a terrible one by letting them all go off the hook. Fining is not letting people off the hook. They can pay the money. But in the very least, Jefferson needs to get one game.

What Jefferson displayed was terrible sportsmanship and it doesn't matter if you were thrown at. You can't retaliate. You have to be the bigger man and walk away, and Jefferson didn't do that. Ron Artest, when he was on the Pacers, didn't be the bigger man, and he got sent away for a bunch of games. I'm not saying Jefferson needs to earn a harsh penalty, because security did a fantastic job holding him back, but he needs to face the music of what happens when you try to go after fans.

I may be a Seahawks fan, but what I saw yesterday disappointed me. I couldn't believe the Seahawks players acted like that, and Jefferson, in particular. Fighting doesn't solve problems, fighting with fans is a definite no-go, and there needs to be punishment for that. The NFL has no excuse here, and they look bad after not sending a clearer message in this game.

A Threat From The Marlins To Stanton?

So Giancarlo Stanton is out of Miami, being traded just this weekend to the New York Yankees, where he and Aaron Judge could turn out to be the best 1-2 power combo in the league next season. But, apparently, the drama surrounding him with Miami is not over yet, and this latest development out of Miami goes back to when Stanton was going to either go to St. Louis or San Francisco, not New York, where he did land.

Yahoo Sports writer Jeff Passan posted this tweet earlier today:

The backstory of the Giancarlo Stanton trade is bonkers. Miami threatened that if he didn’t accept a trade to St. Louis or San Francisco, he would be a Marlin for life. He called their bluff. And because of it, he’s a New York Yankee.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 11, 2017

This is somehow a new level of intrigue, because it showed that Miami was trying to gain the upper hand over Stanton, who had all the power in the world to block a trade and did that with both St. Louis and San Francisco. The tweet further seems to imply that being a Marlin for life was a punishment, which to many cases, it is, because of their recent few years of being an awful team.

In terms of the Giants deal, the NL MVP last year admitted that he growing up as a Dodgers fan swayed his decision against the Giants, which is understandable but Miami doesn't care whether you go to the Giants or the Dodgers as long as you're not with the Marlins anymore. But yes, I do understand why he doesn't want to go to the Giants in this particular case.

Look, either way, the Yankees made more sense because they did make it to the ALCS last season before going out to Houston. The Giants and the Cardinals both failed to make the playoffs, plus they weren't willing to bring on a huge deal that the Marlins weren't willing to pay most of.

When Stanton signed his 13-year deal, it had a no-trade clause. He exercised it not to go to those two places, and it appears Marlins boss Derek Jeter was fuming when Stanton was refusing to waive it and it seemed like he was the one that made the threats, not the team himself.

Look, Jeter doesn't want anything to do with Stanton anymore. He believes the deal was unwarranted just based on his recent history and his injury-prone problem and that he was better suited than not to go to other team. But the one thing the Marlins should not do is threaten people out the door. I don't care who it is. Stanton called their bluff and wanted to go to a better team. That's all this was, and because of that, Passan is right that he's a Yankee. If you trade a guy, you trade him to a team already contending but also to a team that's not in your league. That's how it should work most of the time with big stars.

I doubt there'll be an investigation from MLB about this, but here's the thing about the Marlins: If this is true, this just made them look small, especially Derek Jeter. He could be ridiculed for a while if he threatened Stanton in any form of way. I don't think he'll be that way and I know he wants to rebuild and rebrand this team in an image that's a winnable image. But no threats. That is a no-go zone, but it's all in the past, and what Stanton should work on now is trying to become a part of a winning culture in the New York Yankees and his resume in Miami could help him with that.

Biggest NFL Disappointment This Season?

When it comes to every NFL team going into a new season, there’s always going to be expectations about where this team is going to be and where it’s headed. For some, the expectations are very low and therefore people don’t expect much out of them. Then, for other teams, there are these expectations that are very high and they fail miserably.

NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner capitalized on three teams that he believes are the most disappointing in this season, and he’s gone through a lot of tape to figure this out. He believes that the three most disappointing teams are the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You can vote on his poll on his Twitter feed and figure out what the general consensus but let’s go through these three teams and figure out who is the biggest disappointment this season?

Watching film & disappointed in QB play & O performances this season! Which team is most disappointing based on expectations?

— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) December 5, 2017

 

New York Giants

Kurt Warner, like most of us, understands why the Giants are high on the list of the biggest disappointments of the NFL this season. Sloppy offensive play, no Odell Beckham Jr., and Eli Manning is perhaps having one of his worst seasons of his career. They also have dysfunction at the top, as they just released their head coach and their GM.

Many were expected for the Giants to compete for the Super Bowl after last season, when they made the playoffs and got to the second round before being bounced by the Packers. But there was one thing that may have crushed most players on this team: Going to South Beach before the Packers game. There was a lot of questions about that after that loss, and based on what’s going on this season, they may feel like they’re still here.

The Giants are tied for second-worst in the conference, and that’s just because of sloppy offensive play. Eli Manning isn’t his same old self and he doesn’t have his biggest receiver in Odell to throw to. The defense can only help you so much, but when your offense isn’t producing and you have a coach who’s not a leader in the locker room, you can expect a season like this, and it’s definitely not going over well in New York.

Denver Broncos

Many expected the Denver Broncos to either compete for the AFC West or at least slide their way into the playoffs. But nobody expected them to have a season like this. Most of the season, the Broncos’ biggest issue has been quarterback. They’ve been recycling through Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian, and Brock Osweiler, with no real success from any of them, and that may have first-year head coach Vance Joseph on the hot seat.

Now I understand Joseph is a defensive guy and the defense didn’t do all that well on Sunday, but a head coach is going to be the fall guy and in this case, he may very well be.

They’re a disappointment just because they don’t have a reliable quarterback they can count on. They’ve lost eight in a row and there’s going to be many questions surrounding this team, including whether or not John Elway has lost control of the team, from management on down.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I was actually amazed to find that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 4-8 on the season, which many have considered a disappointment, just based on the idea that quarterback Jameis Winston was supposed to take the next step in his career. But this season seems to have been filled with bad decisions.

Take Sunday’s game against the Packers. Now, despite doing well for most of that game, including a dominant third quarter, they were trailing the Packers with a chance to tie the game. Winston, instead of handing it off, faked it and rolled to his right. No one was open and he was forced to make a throw to Chris Godwin that the Packers knocked down. They had to settle for three points after that.

Winston’s decision making has been a big part for Tampa Bay, which is why they have not done well for a lot of the season. Head coach Dirk Koetter tried to take blame off of Winston by saying that the fumble was blamed on the Packers’ pass rush and his quarterback’s inexperience with that rush.

Winston is still young, which means he still has time to develop and become a star quarterback. But Tampa Bay’s struggles have fallen squarely on him, whether he deserves it or not, but that could serve as a catalyst for him improving next season, if he is able to do that.

Who’s The Biggest Disappointment?

Now Kurt Warner’s poll question may come as no surprise, considering those teams are considered the most disappointing teams in the NFL, although you could throw a couple other teams in there, like the Bears and the 49ers. Who deserves the title of ‘Biggest Disappointment’ this season?

It’s got to be the New York Giants. No question about it. Everybody expected them to be a Super Bowl contender again, not fall completely out of it and have a head coach that doesn’t take accountability or have a leadership role. He took the Phil Jackson approach on this, calling everybody out and not holding accountability himself. Eli Manning is not the same player he was and most of the offense is either inept or out on injured reserve. It can’t all be Eli’s fault, but McAdoo has put in on there.

The Giants are just dysfunctional this season, and I was not expecting this. Not everybody deserves the criticism, but as many people would say, it’s a team effort. There’s already been some changes on that team, but I would not be surprised if we see some more changes coming to this team in the offseason.

So, Kurt Warner, I will answer your question: The biggest disappointment is the New York Giants.

We're Heading Down A Dark Path With LaVar Ball

LaVar Ball's decision-making with his kids may be leading him down a path that may be irreversible and may cost him his kids a chance to be stars in the NBA, or even at college, for that matter.

The latest news involving LaVar Ball is that he has decided to pull his middle son, LiAngelo Ball, out of UCLA. He told reporters on Monday, "We are exploring other options with Gelo...He's out of there."

This stems back to when Ball was one of the three players that was indefinitely suspended after a shoplifting incident in China, where UCLA was playing at the time. Ball has not even played a single game for the school after being suspended from the team. Teammates Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were the other two guys suspended, but their parents seem much smarter and much more aware of the consequences surrounding their kids than LaVar probably does.

UCLA coach Steve Alford was informed of the issue on Monday and wished nothing but the best for Ball, but you can tell that the UCLA officials were probably happy about the split. They were probably done with the whole Ball family drama.

LaVar Ball has called out UCLA multiple times about the suspension and the latest says that he believes the punishment being served to LiAngelo Ball is much harsher than the ones he got from China. Here's the thing, LaVar: China's punishment was WAY WORSE than what he's getting from UCLA. In China, you can't move around freely because you're in jail or on house arrest at a hotel. At UCLA, he got an indefinite suspension, which means he can still move around freely. USA is a democracy, China is not. We know what's a worse punishment.

There's one thing I understand about LaVar: He has not respect for the system and how investigations go and all that such. He believes his kids are the holy grail for basketball and everybody else, both NCAA and NBA, are just small breadcrumbs compared to him. But I tweeted at Sarah Spain, an ESPN writer, about this very issue: LaVar is a danger and he's becoming an increasing danger every single day, and what I've said a long time ago about the Ball kids is that they have to learn sooner or later to stand up to your dad, because this is not how parenting should work. I understand that I don't know anything about how parenting works, but my father was not like this. He was at times harsh, but he didn't go over the top with this stuff. He understood the consequences and what I needed to do to learn from the. LaVar Ball doesn't get it, and my guess is he never will until it's too late. UCLA had the right to do this, and I'm glad they made the smart choice, but this is another example about why LaVar Ball is an ever-increasing concern to the basketball community, because this is the type of behavior that we really shouldn't see from players' families.

If these kids don't stand up to their father and tell him that what he is doing is not helping their careers, I don't think they'll have careers in the NBA. LaVar is jeopardizing everything and making it harder for his kids to be successful in the NBA. I do believe these kids can have good futures if they have a father that takes his hands off the wheels in terms of their careers, but I know my voice is going to fall on deaf ears with LaVar. I don't care, though. Kids sometimes need to learn to be smarter than their parents, and this is one of those cases. If the Ball kids can't do that and understand the consequences their father is making for them, it's going to be harder for any of them to succeed in the NBA. It just is, and I don't want that to happen to any other good player that may be coming to the NBA.

Ben McAdoo Fired By The Giants

The New York Giants have finally ripped off the bandaid of a terrible season.

Today, the Giants officially cleaned out their front office and coach, relieving head coach Ben McAdoo of his duties and firing longtime GM Jerry Reese, who was with the team when the Giants won the two Super Bowls.

Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network was the first to report this, and since then, many have retweeted and shared this story among others, and for me, it was a longtime move that I felt should've done weeks ago.

Reese had been with the Giants since 1994 and had been in the GM role since 2007. He was a scout before becoming director of player personnel in 2004 and under his leadership as GM, they won two Super Bowls, Super Bowl XLII and XLVI, and that allowed quarterback Eli Manning to become one of the most prominent quarterbacks of this time. But now things have changed, it seems, especially this season.

The Giants are now 2-10 after a loss to the Raiders on Sunday, and that is considered an unacceptable record by most, especially for a prominent team like the Giants, who are supposed to be good year after year. That record led to the dismissal of McAdoo, who basically wrote his own downfall after deciding to bench Manning for this game and letting Geno Smith get the starting nod. Before this game, Manning started 210 consecutive games and had two Super Bowl wins and MVPs during that time.

The benching of Manning led to public criticism from writers, sports fans, and even players like Chargers QB Philip Rivers, which forced Giants owner John Mara to go on the defensive and say that he was "furious" about the criticism, which leads to believe ownership is also in a turmoil as well.

Although Manning took the benching well, you can tell he was upset about it, telling reporters after the game on Sunday, "I don't want that. I don't want anybody to get fired...When a coach gets fired, it's usually because the team, the players and myself haven't performed up to our duties."

Manning is usually right. When the team's not playing well, it usually falls on the coach. The coach is usually the one responsible for being the leader and the game-changer in the locker room, not the players. When a team isn't producing or is falling short of expectations, the first place to get the blame is the coach. Although players would like to get the responsibility and have the blame fall on them, we, in this business, usually turn to the coach as the guy, who has lost the leadership of the locker room.

I feel bad that Eli Manning has to go through this. I don't believe this is all his fault and I think this team could've done a lot better this season. But, now things are taking a different turn with the Giants, and it's a turn that most of us don't like. When you do poorly in New York, it tends to send panic among its inhabitants. And that's what's happened to the Giants. They fell and they can't get up. They should've pulled the painful bandaid off a weeks ago after the Giants lost to the Niners, and they didn't, which concerned me. Now, they've pulled it off and it may have been too late. Eli Manning could've played in this week's game had there been a change sooner.

As for the Giants, they'll try to get some wins the last few weeks under Steve Spagnuole. Kevin Abrams will be taking over as interim GM, but the likely end game is that both positions will be changed over the offseason, and they're going to have to make an important change in those positions if they ever expect to return to prominent status again, let alone keep Eli Manning throughout the rest of his career.

It's definitely a mess with this Giants team and I believe they should've made this change a lot sooner, and I hope there's a direction with getting this team back to prominence. If it doesn't go like that, though, they'll be in bad publicly with the New York newspapers and tabloids, and when you're in a prominent market like that with this bad team, that's usually bad news. I hope it doesn't turn out like the Knicks. They need to get better and get better starting now.