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John Leypoldt was a long time kicker for the Bills. But later in his career, he had the honor of being the second kicker, and first sustained kicker, in Seattle Seahawks history. He replaced Don Bitterlich after three games during the inaugural 1976 season for Seattle. Leypoldt died in 1987, so we'll have Bitterlich do the honors of kicking off, even though Bitterlich's entire NFL career consisted of only those three games. He steps into one and the kick comes down at about the five-yard line.
Was it dirty or was it not?
It seems that the NFL needs to re-clarify what constitutes a "legal" pick play, and exactly what is offensive pass interference. Wes Welker clobbered Aqib Talib in what looked like an accidental collision in the middle of a play. Welker received no penalty.
But the Patriots did. They lost their best cover man. Second year in a row he had to leave the ALCS with an injury.
Dirty? No. Penalty? Yeah.
 The NFL might want to examine pick plays, thanks to what happened to Aqib Talib on Sunday. (USA TODAY Images) |
Again. Dirty? No. Penalty? Yeah.
So, if you are Belichick, you're in the War Room, and the Patriots are up in the 2014 Draft, and you take the word "value" out of the discussion, what position do you fortify?
Wideout? Cornerback? Pass rusher?
I'll take option D. All of the above.
Because an upgrade at all three positions dramatically changes the outcome of Sunday's AFC Championship Game.
Sad to see linebacker coach Pepper Johnson leaving the Patriots. Go watch the Super Bowl XXXVIII film and enjoy what the NFL Films cameras caught on the sidelines. "There's no more practices! There's no more games! This is it, men! This is the season!"
Geek of the week: That was the worst non-profane postgame interview in at least the last 20 years. It looked like Richard Sherman was going to drop one or two F-bombs, then tear Erin Andrews' head off. We can understand him being torqued off at Eric Crabtree. But hey, Richard, you just won the game. You're going to the show. A little poise, perhaps?
So, Pete Carroll is going to the Super Bowl, and Belichick is not.
See what happens when Carroll doesn't have Bobby Grier to deal with?
And remember, he did this with pros, not some wide-eyed pumped and jacked college kids.
Meanwhile, Colin Kaepernick has some growing up to do.
There isn't any team in the league that publicly or privately wouldn't love him as their quarterback of the future. He can throw and he can run. And he's very good at both.
But he isn't yet a winner. Those three turnovers were brutal. You had Seattle dead to right in that loud crib of theirs. You were going to go to the show. And you gave it away.
Those two picks. Ugh. Grow up, Colin.
It's supposed to snow in greater New York on February 2, so say some long range weather reports.
Peyton needs to hang with brother Eli for a bit. Subject: What to do when it's cold and snowing outside.
And don't ask dad. He played in New Orleans and then Houston. Warm and humid, then a dome. Nope, ask little brother.
Back to school: So, UMass actually did bring back Mark Whipple as head coach. He wants to bring more championships to UMass. What exactly does this mean? Remember, UMass is now in the MAC. Winning that league means a trip to one of these three bowl games: the Little Caesar's Bowl (Detroit), the GoDaddy.com Bowl (Mobile, Alabama) or the Beef O'Brady's Bowl (St. Petersburg, Florida). These bowls take the top MAC teams. Too bad there's no more BCS. UMass could have gone the way of Northern Illinois or Central Florida. With this new playoff system, those three bowls are your picks.
Back to school II: Personal note. My daughters go to Fresno State. They won the Mountain West Conference and earned a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl. Being in the marching band, they got to go to the game, and the wife and I tagged along. For winning that league, Fresno State got to play in a substandard stadium with lousy acoustics in the middle of some dirt field on the eastern edge of town. The stadium is named for someone named Sam Boyd and is the home of UNLV, a school better known for basketball. And, to boot, the Bulldogs got whipped by USC, whom they lead off the 2014 season against. Fresno State actually had a chance to go to the Fiesta Bowl before losing their regular season finale to San Jose State. It's schools like Fresno State and UMass that are going to miss the BCS the most.
Seattle is going to wish the Super Bowl were in CenturyLink Field. If you're going to finally play a cold weather Super Bowl, their venue is the greatest. And if it doesn't rain, their city would be a great place to go for the doting football public.
But no. New York uber alles. If there has to be a first cold weather venue, you almost can't not make it the largest city in the USA.
Now, if it does snow, and the fans get stuck in the city and cannot make it out to New Jersey, then we've got a problem.
Or, if New Jersey Governor Chris Christie decides to mess with the George Washington Bridge again, that would be the ultimate.
Speaking of cold weather venues, any chance Gillette gets to host a Super Bowl?
Doubt it. Boston is too far away. Providence is not a Super Bowl city. People from all over are not going to want to convene in a town. This writer grew up in a Massachusetts town. They are the loveliest and most Rockwellian places on earth. They are not for Super Bowls. Cities are.
Now, on a more serious note. The Sochi Winter Olympics begin next month. All you hear are acts of terrorism going on in that corner of Russia. Now some groups are threatening the Games.
Never mind the weather or traffic. Any issues on security at MetLife Stadium? Let's hope not.
Remember him: He is remembered more these days as a failed head coach at Washington. But Jim Zorn, the first quarterback in Seattle Seahawk history, had a nice run to begin that franchise which is now headed to its second Super Bowl. Zorn spent his first nine years as Seattle's quarterback, which happened to be the first nine years of that franchise. The high water mark of Zorn's time in Seattle was a pair of 9-7 seasons in 1978 and 1979. They came at a time when Oakland and Denver dominated the AFC West, but Zorn won over the Kingdome fans with his scrambling style and generally good play. He completed 53 percent of his passes during his time in Seattle and had a passer rating of 67.9. He won't ever be seen in Canton, and Dave Krieg, Matt Hasselbeck and Russell Wilson had or will have better numbers than Zorn. But Zorn remains a folk hero in Seattle.
Two weeks now to prepare for the Super Bowl. Denver and Seattle. The best offense against the best defense.
You'll hear a lot about Manning over the next two weeks. It may be all you'll hear. You're sick of him already. What will it be like at kickoff?
Remember that Manning still actually has to play the game. His last Super Bowl ended in the first championship ever for the New Orleans Saints.
The Seahawks have never won a Super Bowl. Hmmm. Nice symmetry.
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