Can anyone tell me why Sean Payton took two timeouts on succeeding plays in a tie game vs. New England when the Patriots started with 0:47 and no time outs remaining?
Those two time outs allowed New England to get in position for a game winning FG with 0:02 left.
Honestly, I wonder about the time management skills of some head coaches.
Oh yeah. As an adolescent/teen, Raiders fan back in the day, the prospect of a Chiefs matchup always excited and worried me.....Bill King exclaiming the ominous presence of Curly Culp and Buck Buchanan.....the names alone had me shaking my fist in fan fright.
Any time you are -5 on turnovers, you can pretty much count on getting beat soundly at any level, by any team from any level. Good grief, that was a downer to what had been a pretty decent holiday.
Really awful game by Purdy and especially the offensive line, but two of those turnovers were on tipped balls and one on the QB's arm getting hit right as he tried to throw. Ravens were a bit lucky that the turnover margin was THAT lopsided.
They have to be considered the best team, but if the game were replayed the 49ers would still have a good shot.
Of concern was the defense and its inability to get stops and pick the offense up. Some short fields after the picks are to be excused, but they nonetheless allowed Baltimore to score on 7 straight possession's, including multiple drives where the Ravens had early penalties to set up 1st and 20, etc. Can’t win if you don’t get stops, especially when you have a team well behind the sticks.
Different story without the Purdy picks? Absolutely. But the Niners continue to struggle with mobile QBs.
Ehh, I wouldn't get on the defense too much for this game. Lamar Jackson is really good and giving up 343 total yards to that offense isn't bad. The score (33 points) is a function of the short fields.
They had a couple of short fields, but this is not the first time they have struggled to corral a mobile QB. They definitely missed Armstead, but Lamar’s ability to buy time puts way too much stress on the Niners average secondary.
It’s a concern if they meet up with BAL again, though I don’t think the Ravens get out of the AFC.
They’re not tho - with Hufanga out, there’s a clear step down with rookie Brown. Oliver’s been benched, Thomas and Lenoir need help. Gipson is solid but unspectacular. They threw Verrett on the field and he was out of football. You got Moonie and a bunch of blah.
Not until the 49ers get healthy again. This looked too much like the losing streak, which just happened to include 2 losses to other very bruising AFC North teams. It's evident how fragile the 49ers are by how a few injuries change them completely.
It is true that Purdy's Interceptions were a product of Raven pressure, but that won't be fixed without healthy blocking.
We had prime rib, roasted asparagus with parmesan, macaroni and cheese, a green salad and parker house rolls. We were going to have profiteroles with mint chip and vanilla ice cream for dessert but we collectively tapped out on any more food.
My family does not usually have Christmas dinner. My son will typically wake us up at an ungodly early hour to open presents, so instead of dinner, we make a Christmas brunch. This year, it consisted of pancakes, bacon, eggs, homemade mac & cheese (from the Homeroom cookbook) and sliders.
Family gorged themselves on leftovers including a massive pumpkin spiced cake all throughout the day, so I had to postpone Christmas dinner to tonight. I made Southeast Asian-inspired minced turkey on broccoli slaw, sunamono, Asian-inspired coleslaw, and white rice instead, which I just had for breakfast too.
A nice little collectable bear (NOT a "Cal" bear) that goes nicely in a particular Christmas decorative group we have accumulated over the years. In part because it is a really cute little bear, in part because it was from my daughter, whose understanding of both a family tradition and how to make the gifting special made it more special than the gift itself actually is.
Cuisinart toaster/oven/broiler/air fryer. Close second was a book from my son entitled "Things I Need to Write Down Because I'm Old and I Forget Stuff".
We are big fans of Lego Masters on Fox. For those unfamiliar, it's a reality game show where people compete to build the best Lego piece every week for a grand prize. It's a very well-done show generally, but this year during their 2-night holiday celebrity special, it was even better. Of the four celebrities competing with legitimate Lego builders, one of them was MARSHAWN FREAKIN' LYNCH!!! Dude is sooooo much my hero! We have seen three of four competitions so far and he and his partner have won two of them (a train that could break candy canes and a snowplow). He's playing for an Oakland charity that helps inner-city youth. He is so entertaining, especially with his tongue-in-cheek hyper competitiveness. If you get to see it streaming, it's a fun diversion.
The arguments are really bizarre too, like trying to argue that Oregon State would be a better media draw because they were better for the last two years. Uh, no.
PRO
Can anyone tell me why Sean Payton took two timeouts on succeeding plays in a tie game vs. New England when the Patriots started with 0:47 and no time outs remaining?
Those two time outs allowed New England to get in position for a game winning FG with 0:02 left.
Honestly, I wonder about the time management skills of some head coaches.
Cam Bynum making people's year
https://twitter.com/SkolBros/status/1739410319686939103
Raiders beat the Chiefs 20-14 despite QB Aidan O'Connell not completing a pass in the final 3 quarters.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401547351
For just a moment it was Raiders vs Chiefs and I didn't care that one of those teams wasn't in their city of origin.
Oh yeah. As an adolescent/teen, Raiders fan back in the day, the prospect of a Chiefs matchup always excited and worried me.....Bill King exclaiming the ominous presence of Curly Culp and Buck Buchanan.....the names alone had me shaking my fist in fan fright.
Dallas Stars are down by 1 with 2 seconds left. You'll never guess what happens ne... [looks at URL]...
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39174596/dallas-stars-score-twice-final-13-seconds-cap-3-2-win
49era lose 33-19 mainly because they threw 5 INTs
https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401547622
Just when the 49ers look like world beaters they have an ugly game. I stand by my earlier assessment about Shanahan.
Any time you are -5 on turnovers, you can pretty much count on getting beat soundly at any level, by any team from any level. Good grief, that was a downer to what had been a pretty decent holiday.
Really awful game by Purdy and especially the offensive line, but two of those turnovers were on tipped balls and one on the QB's arm getting hit right as he tried to throw. Ravens were a bit lucky that the turnover margin was THAT lopsided.
They have to be considered the best team, but if the game were replayed the 49ers would still have a good shot.
Of concern was the defense and its inability to get stops and pick the offense up. Some short fields after the picks are to be excused, but they nonetheless allowed Baltimore to score on 7 straight possession's, including multiple drives where the Ravens had early penalties to set up 1st and 20, etc. Can’t win if you don’t get stops, especially when you have a team well behind the sticks.
Different story without the Purdy picks? Absolutely. But the Niners continue to struggle with mobile QBs.
Ehh, I wouldn't get on the defense too much for this game. Lamar Jackson is really good and giving up 343 total yards to that offense isn't bad. The score (33 points) is a function of the short fields.
They had a couple of short fields, but this is not the first time they have struggled to corral a mobile QB. They definitely missed Armstead, but Lamar’s ability to buy time puts way too much stress on the Niners average secondary.
It’s a concern if they meet up with BAL again, though I don’t think the Ravens get out of the AFC.
The Niners' secondary isn't really average anymore, they're quite good. Lamar and company are also just good.
They’re not tho - with Hufanga out, there’s a clear step down with rookie Brown. Oliver’s been benched, Thomas and Lenoir need help. Gipson is solid but unspectacular. They threw Verrett on the field and he was out of football. You got Moonie and a bunch of blah.
Lamar is good too.
Not until the 49ers get healthy again. This looked too much like the losing streak, which just happened to include 2 losses to other very bruising AFC North teams. It's evident how fragile the 49ers are by how a few injuries change them completely.
It is true that Purdy's Interceptions were a product of Raven pressure, but that won't be fixed without healthy blocking.
At halftime I started to straighten up the house. By time I checked back it was basically over.
We sat down for dinner at halftime and never looked back.
Xmas Dinner
Made a shrimp cocktail, a standing rib roast with aus jus and horse radish, creamed spinach, and roasted potatoes. Good stuff.
We were over at CJay and Elle's for Christmas. We had Chinese food from Becky's Chinese Restaurant in Rockridge.
We had prime rib, roasted asparagus with parmesan, macaroni and cheese, a green salad and parker house rolls. We were going to have profiteroles with mint chip and vanilla ice cream for dessert but we collectively tapped out on any more food.
Made Spaghetti Carbonara, Chinese Sausage and shitake mushroom fried rice, and salmon.
My family does not usually have Christmas dinner. My son will typically wake us up at an ungodly early hour to open presents, so instead of dinner, we make a Christmas brunch. This year, it consisted of pancakes, bacon, eggs, homemade mac & cheese (from the Homeroom cookbook) and sliders.
Family gorged themselves on leftovers including a massive pumpkin spiced cake all throughout the day, so I had to postpone Christmas dinner to tonight. I made Southeast Asian-inspired minced turkey on broccoli slaw, sunamono, Asian-inspired coleslaw, and white rice instead, which I just had for breakfast too.
My holiday go to is Cornish game hen. With honey nut squash, stuffing, and roasted brussel sprouts.
Your favorite gift this year
A nice little collectable bear (NOT a "Cal" bear) that goes nicely in a particular Christmas decorative group we have accumulated over the years. In part because it is a really cute little bear, in part because it was from my daughter, whose understanding of both a family tradition and how to make the gifting special made it more special than the gift itself actually is.
No 1 is renting us an R34 in Japan to drive for a day when we're there.
I guess I need to google Japanese road signs.
STOPU
Sweatshirt of my favorite English football (that's soccer to you Yanks) club.
Cuisinart toaster/oven/broiler/air fryer. Close second was a book from my son entitled "Things I Need to Write Down Because I'm Old and I Forget Stuff".
This puzzle. It's on the kitchen table halfway done now.
https://www.whitemountainpuzzles.com/products/how-grandma-cleaned-1657pz-1000-piece-jigsaw-puzzle?_pos=5&_sid=8501fa224&_ss=r
CAL
We are big fans of Lego Masters on Fox. For those unfamiliar, it's a reality game show where people compete to build the best Lego piece every week for a grand prize. It's a very well-done show generally, but this year during their 2-night holiday celebrity special, it was even better. Of the four celebrities competing with legitimate Lego builders, one of them was MARSHAWN FREAKIN' LYNCH!!! Dude is sooooo much my hero! We have seen three of four competitions so far and he and his partner have won two of them (a train that could break candy canes and a snowplow). He's playing for an Oakland charity that helps inner-city youth. He is so entertaining, especially with his tongue-in-cheek hyper competitiveness. If you get to see it streaming, it's a fun diversion.
Go Bears!!!
OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY
In his Christmas message, Trump literally tells his political opponents to rot in hell and merry christmas to his supporters in back-to-back sentences
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/111642745146668045
I'm not clicking on that, I'll take your word for it
DBD AV CLUB
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
[Cal fans last month] "I guess SMU is our new secondary rival since we play them every year"
[Cal fans today]: "The best thing in life is to crush Florida State fans, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women"
what did I miss?
FSU trying to shit on Cal in their lawsuit vs the ACC.
The arguments are really bizarre too, like trying to argue that Oregon State would be a better media draw because they were better for the last two years. Uh, no.
Just a ridiculous claim. Laughable really
...and Stanfurd also. Kinda weird to realize we have more in common with 'Furd in this scenario than in, well, ever.
Down by 5 with 3.8 seconds left, Vermont beats Yale
https://twitter.com/mcallistermike1/status/1731137441933697381
Previously, it was Lincoln Riley who proved he didn't know how to cook brisket or salmon. Now watch Dan Lanning commit a crime against these steaks.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C1LY9HhrmD5/?hl=en
NMSU magical two years are over as Jerry Kill steps down from HC position.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39174620/sources-new-mexico-st-head-coach-jerry-kill-stepping-down