Bourbon King is on my list of stuff to read because Remus is a ridiculously interesting person.
There's much speculation that Remus is the actual Great Gatsby as F. Scott Fitzgerald used to go to his lavish parties in Price Hill, where Remus would give away jewelry, cars, and other extravagant gifts to his guests.
While the lavish Price Hill Mansion has been demolished, the gates to the estate are a part of Elder High School's campus.
I know it rarely if ever happens. But things change. Especially when you look at the kind of $ that elite QBs of the current vintage are expected to make. So, yes. It's pessimism. :)
Doc, I fully agree with your take on last minute, penalties, last second shots, etc. The notion that the ref should let the players decide the game is about as lame as can be. So, let me understand this, we let the other team hold, giving them the advantage for creating a penalty or we let the defense hang all over the shooter trying score, giving them the advantage. Wake up!
Here's an example of a ref (a group of them, mind you) blowing a call because they didn't know the rules: In the Duke/Virginia game last week, a Duke player was fouled as time expired. After review, the player was not awarded the free throws that by rule he was entitled to. The game went into overtime and Duke lost. Subsequently, the ACC announced the refs "made an incorrect adjudication of the playing rules" by not awarding the free throws that could have resulted in Duke winning the game in regulation.
Nope, not going to concede the generation QB GOAT title to Mahomes over Burrow. Sorry. Still a lot of playing left for both of them (Barring career-ending high ankle sprains, or whatever). That said, I'll also throw fuel on the officiating fire. Personally, no team, not ever, should or could blame a loss on the officials - PERIOD. You play your best and beat the other team, the calls don't/won't decided it. But, and this is a BIG BUT, I simply cannot believe in back-to-back years a questionable defensive holding call is made with less than 2 minutes to play giving one team an extra shot at not only scoring the go-ahead points, but also running the clock down to "not enough time for the other team to come back" Last night's game? A great game by virtually all measures. Don't know about those commercials, or half-time; didn't watch most of the half-time performance and paid near to zero attention to the commercials. I do know Annheuser-Busch advertised and so did Doritos. End story.
How many NFL teams will run that Reid/Bieniemy motion/reverse motion play on the goal line next year? I could have thrown those two TD’s with a case of beer in one arm and bottle of Blanton’s under the other.
I don't know about anything else, but Eric Bieniemy called a brilliant game on offense and the Chiefs' comeback in the 2nd half was amazing. To know that Mahomes wasn't sacked once against that Philadelphia defensive line was incredible.
I agree with you on the zebras, Doc. When it's that close anything they call is going to be up for debate. Nonetheless, if I was a KC fan, I would be counting my yellow flag "blessings" after two weeks of amazing good fortune.
The field, however, was an obvious problem that makes you wonder if the NFL is qualified to even have such an event. Biggest game of the year in a warm weather stadium and you get that? Not a good look. Might has well play at Heinz if that is what you're offering the viewing public.
Finally, can we agree that a running quarterback is essential in today's NFL? I don't know how you can even consider drafting a pure pro style QB these days with the likes of Allen, Mahomes, Hurts, and Jackson running wild over the gridiron. Saint Joe can scramble and he is a fairly mobile QB but these running types are taking over the game, IMO.
The holding call at the end didn't bother me a ton. However, what DOES bother me is that nearly every close play in the final 2 minutes of a half is automatically reviewed. For instance, last night the refs stopped play as the Eagles were hurrying to the line after a close call. And they did something similar at another point allowing the Chiefs time to challenge the play.
Look...if we're going to micro analyze every play that happens in the final 2 minutes, fine. But let's be faster about it. Have a team of referees watching replays and ready with a decision ASAP. Nothing zaps the fun out of the final two minutes like stopping play for catch review.
And outside of the final 2 minutes, teams are supposed to be allowed to hurry to the line to run the next play. The pressure is supposed to be on the other team to make a decision quickly on whether to throw the challenge flag.
These were my only major complaints with the officiating overall. I wasn't sure I even wanted to watch the game but ultimately put a little money on it and watched. I'm glad I did...it was actually a pretty awesome game overall. And I loved the Rihanna halftime show, too.
Frequent Perusers know my wish: Ban replay in all sports, in all its forms. You could just as easily be describing the last 2 mins of any close college bkb game. Games aren't perfect. Why should we demand the officiating be?
Replay doesn't need to be eliminated. It does need to be refined and improved. It needs to grow organically, as different sports figure out where it has worked and hasn't. That's the problem; the almost inexplicable resistance to tinkering with it and fixing it. That includes the long stoppages, which is problem number one. But junking it is silly. It would ultimately lead us back to more games being decided by mistakes. That's going backwards. Like you said, the game is faster than the ref's human eye, which is struggling to keep up. They need help. The camera's eye can handle the speed much better.
I don't quite share your disdain for replay but I'm starting to get there. I just don't know why some of these take so long. Why isn't there someone there ready to review instantly and send down the decision to the refs on the field???
Yes. Mahomes’ run on one leg. In the second half. And ACCELERATING. It was like Kevin Costner’s character in For Love of the Game as he’s about to throw the biggest pitch of his final game right after injuring his arm: “OK, this one’s gonna hurt a little.”
I love Burrow and have 2 of his official jerseys that collectively cost more than my first car. But Mahomes is the man until further notice. I wanted the Chiefs (Kelce mainly) to lose with every fiber of my being, but that QB has magic. While I honestly think the Bengals would have beaten both of those teams with their OL intact, I doubt the Men could have come all the way back last night even if they had won in KC (Lou’s bend-but-don’t-break D would have been overwhelmed in the first half against the 4 down Eagles). Bottom line: the Bengals only have magic when Joe has time, and we still haven’t seen that in the playoffs yet.
Yeah, on what planet does he reside??? It wasn't until the Bengals had run off about 7-8 in a row this year that they finally mentioned them and Burrow along with Chiefs/Mahomes and Bills/Allen. Give me a break...
And unquestionably the greatest Bearcat football player of all time (with no one in the rear view mirror) and a first ballot HOF'er. I will overlook his underdog schtick and motivations and his WWE persona.
Big thumbs up. Lots of guys do far worse trash talking. Kelce's a class act most of the time. Extemely likable, magnetic personality. Too many sour pusses on here today.
If you get a speeding ticket for going 36 in a 35, are you just going to shrug and pay it, saying they were right, I was speeding? No, you're going to pitch a fit, saying why didn't the cop get the guy in front of me going 50 mph and the cop just had it in for you because its the end of the month and they have quotas to fill. Same energy here with the refs and their selective penalties.
I'm not saying the NFL is scripted, WWE style... but the league is too big, too powerful, and run by human beings with all their implicit biases and potential for error, to think there's no chance at all someone's putting a thumb on the scale of fairness. You'll always have mistakes, but the number of questionable, high profile penalties called that have affected the outcome of games is starting to get noticeable. At the very least, it's making watching the games much less enjoyable.
OG Dan in the NKY sez: I am also reading “Bourbon King” and find it fascinating. It reads like a novel, except that all of it really happened! Like Doc I have trouble focusing on one read, and I regularly read two books at a time, and then digress to a periodical. The over zealous individuals who somehow passed the Volstedt Act had to be crazy to think you could legislate against imbibing. This is why God gave us grain and grapes! I have read that Jesus wanted us to enjoy good wine. I have enjoyed beer since my mommy let me sip the foam from her Bavarian’s bottle while I was in diapers!
Also enjoyed the Mahomes v Burrow writing. Look forward to every TML.
Dan, if you like the topic and want more Prohibition reading, check out "Last Call" by Daniel Okrent. Very informative. Ken Burns' "Prohibition" used some of the material and is also worthwhile if you have six hours to watch.
Joe B is not leaving. Name one franchise QB to switch teams after their first contract. Does not happen. Thinking that Joe B could leave is the same as thinking that the Reds will re-locate when the only team to move in the past 50+ years was the MLB owned Expos. Either an ill-informed take (which I know you are not Patrick) or typical Cincinnati pessimistic drama.
In the pocket, Mahomes has the ability to stay 1 fingernail from whoever is trying to touch. It's not luck, it's a unique skill, and he's better at it than anyone I have seen since Tarkington. (Who?)
It's maddening. I'm a Philly boy and I kept asking for a delayed blitz but the only blitzes I saw resulted in a big play for KC. Mahomes is just good. Is he better than Joey B? I don't think so, or at least there is no way to tell yet. Mahomes has a much better O Line. Evidence yesterday, Philly has the best D line in football. The Bengals get 1 more year to draft & trade & spend to get Joe B the line he needs. Then we'll see which team is better. Last A Donald was the difference, this year C Jones (Philly handled him, btw). Next year it should be Joe B. Let's see what the front office does to help him do his job.
People likely would have assumed they were bungling but the Bengals could have drafted KC's instantly stellar C Creed Humphries instead of Carman there in the 2nd round. Although I still hold possibly unfounded hope 97 might be a slight upgrade at LT and/or there's at least a credible 3 way division of labor possible among the big 3 OTs as it stands now. Continuity out of the gate at the least would be improved
Bourbon King is on my list of stuff to read because Remus is a ridiculously interesting person.
There's much speculation that Remus is the actual Great Gatsby as F. Scott Fitzgerald used to go to his lavish parties in Price Hill, where Remus would give away jewelry, cars, and other extravagant gifts to his guests.
While the lavish Price Hill Mansion has been demolished, the gates to the estate are a part of Elder High School's campus.
I know it rarely if ever happens. But things change. Especially when you look at the kind of $ that elite QBs of the current vintage are expected to make. So, yes. It's pessimism. :)
Doc, I fully agree with your take on last minute, penalties, last second shots, etc. The notion that the ref should let the players decide the game is about as lame as can be. So, let me understand this, we let the other team hold, giving them the advantage for creating a penalty or we let the defense hang all over the shooter trying score, giving them the advantage. Wake up!
Here's an example of a ref (a group of them, mind you) blowing a call because they didn't know the rules: In the Duke/Virginia game last week, a Duke player was fouled as time expired. After review, the player was not awarded the free throws that by rule he was entitled to. The game went into overtime and Duke lost. Subsequently, the ACC announced the refs "made an incorrect adjudication of the playing rules" by not awarding the free throws that could have resulted in Duke winning the game in regulation.
I was reminded of most of you mobsters early in the 3rd quarter when Gronk’s Kick of Destiny went far left.
Nope, not going to concede the generation QB GOAT title to Mahomes over Burrow. Sorry. Still a lot of playing left for both of them (Barring career-ending high ankle sprains, or whatever). That said, I'll also throw fuel on the officiating fire. Personally, no team, not ever, should or could blame a loss on the officials - PERIOD. You play your best and beat the other team, the calls don't/won't decided it. But, and this is a BIG BUT, I simply cannot believe in back-to-back years a questionable defensive holding call is made with less than 2 minutes to play giving one team an extra shot at not only scoring the go-ahead points, but also running the clock down to "not enough time for the other team to come back" Last night's game? A great game by virtually all measures. Don't know about those commercials, or half-time; didn't watch most of the half-time performance and paid near to zero attention to the commercials. I do know Annheuser-Busch advertised and so did Doritos. End story.
How many NFL teams will run that Reid/Bieniemy motion/reverse motion play on the goal line next year? I could have thrown those two TD’s with a case of beer in one arm and bottle of Blanton’s under the other.
I don't know about anything else, but Eric Bieniemy called a brilliant game on offense and the Chiefs' comeback in the 2nd half was amazing. To know that Mahomes wasn't sacked once against that Philadelphia defensive line was incredible.
I agree with you on the zebras, Doc. When it's that close anything they call is going to be up for debate. Nonetheless, if I was a KC fan, I would be counting my yellow flag "blessings" after two weeks of amazing good fortune.
The field, however, was an obvious problem that makes you wonder if the NFL is qualified to even have such an event. Biggest game of the year in a warm weather stadium and you get that? Not a good look. Might has well play at Heinz if that is what you're offering the viewing public.
Finally, can we agree that a running quarterback is essential in today's NFL? I don't know how you can even consider drafting a pure pro style QB these days with the likes of Allen, Mahomes, Hurts, and Jackson running wild over the gridiron. Saint Joe can scramble and he is a fairly mobile QB but these running types are taking over the game, IMO.
I wouldn't say a "running QB'' per se. I'd say a QB who can run, but is better at evading a pass rush. Burrow, Tua, Russell Wilson when he was good.
The holding call at the end didn't bother me a ton. However, what DOES bother me is that nearly every close play in the final 2 minutes of a half is automatically reviewed. For instance, last night the refs stopped play as the Eagles were hurrying to the line after a close call. And they did something similar at another point allowing the Chiefs time to challenge the play.
Look...if we're going to micro analyze every play that happens in the final 2 minutes, fine. But let's be faster about it. Have a team of referees watching replays and ready with a decision ASAP. Nothing zaps the fun out of the final two minutes like stopping play for catch review.
And outside of the final 2 minutes, teams are supposed to be allowed to hurry to the line to run the next play. The pressure is supposed to be on the other team to make a decision quickly on whether to throw the challenge flag.
These were my only major complaints with the officiating overall. I wasn't sure I even wanted to watch the game but ultimately put a little money on it and watched. I'm glad I did...it was actually a pretty awesome game overall. And I loved the Rihanna halftime show, too.
Frequent Perusers know my wish: Ban replay in all sports, in all its forms. You could just as easily be describing the last 2 mins of any close college bkb game. Games aren't perfect. Why should we demand the officiating be?
Replay doesn't need to be eliminated. It does need to be refined and improved. It needs to grow organically, as different sports figure out where it has worked and hasn't. That's the problem; the almost inexplicable resistance to tinkering with it and fixing it. That includes the long stoppages, which is problem number one. But junking it is silly. It would ultimately lead us back to more games being decided by mistakes. That's going backwards. Like you said, the game is faster than the ref's human eye, which is struggling to keep up. They need help. The camera's eye can handle the speed much better.
I don't quite share your disdain for replay but I'm starting to get there. I just don't know why some of these take so long. Why isn't there someone there ready to review instantly and send down the decision to the refs on the field???
Yes. Mahomes’ run on one leg. In the second half. And ACCELERATING. It was like Kevin Costner’s character in For Love of the Game as he’s about to throw the biggest pitch of his final game right after injuring his arm: “OK, this one’s gonna hurt a little.”
I love Burrow and have 2 of his official jerseys that collectively cost more than my first car. But Mahomes is the man until further notice. I wanted the Chiefs (Kelce mainly) to lose with every fiber of my being, but that QB has magic. While I honestly think the Bengals would have beaten both of those teams with their OL intact, I doubt the Men could have come all the way back last night even if they had won in KC (Lou’s bend-but-don’t-break D would have been overwhelmed in the first half against the 4 down Eagles). Bottom line: the Bengals only have magic when Joe has time, and we still haven’t seen that in the playoffs yet.
Kelce was once again lame in the postgame. "Nobody said we could win.''
Right.
Yeah, on what planet does he reside??? It wasn't until the Bengals had run off about 7-8 in a row this year that they finally mentioned them and Burrow along with Chiefs/Mahomes and Bills/Allen. Give me a break...
Kelce is downright unbearable.
Maybe, but he is a Super Bowl champion. There is that...
That has nothing to do with bearability.
And unquestionably the greatest Bearcat football player of all time (with no one in the rear view mirror) and a first ballot HOF'er. I will overlook his underdog schtick and motivations and his WWE persona.
Big thumbs up. Lots of guys do far worse trash talking. Kelce's a class act most of the time. Extemely likable, magnetic personality. Too many sour pusses on here today.
So are a lot of other highly unlikable folks.
If you get a speeding ticket for going 36 in a 35, are you just going to shrug and pay it, saying they were right, I was speeding? No, you're going to pitch a fit, saying why didn't the cop get the guy in front of me going 50 mph and the cop just had it in for you because its the end of the month and they have quotas to fill. Same energy here with the refs and their selective penalties.
I'm not saying the NFL is scripted, WWE style... but the league is too big, too powerful, and run by human beings with all their implicit biases and potential for error, to think there's no chance at all someone's putting a thumb on the scale of fairness. You'll always have mistakes, but the number of questionable, high profile penalties called that have affected the outcome of games is starting to get noticeable. At the very least, it's making watching the games much less enjoyable.
You like your tinfoil hat?
Maybe you're living in a cave, Doc. Time to get out and see the sky and reality.
I think Jdude's point bears consideration.
OG Dan in the NKY sez: I am also reading “Bourbon King” and find it fascinating. It reads like a novel, except that all of it really happened! Like Doc I have trouble focusing on one read, and I regularly read two books at a time, and then digress to a periodical. The over zealous individuals who somehow passed the Volstedt Act had to be crazy to think you could legislate against imbibing. This is why God gave us grain and grapes! I have read that Jesus wanted us to enjoy good wine. I have enjoyed beer since my mommy let me sip the foam from her Bavarian’s bottle while I was in diapers!
Also enjoyed the Mahomes v Burrow writing. Look forward to every TML.
Dan, if you like the topic and want more Prohibition reading, check out "Last Call" by Daniel Okrent. Very informative. Ken Burns' "Prohibition" used some of the material and is also worthwhile if you have six hours to watch.
Thanks!
If Joe Burrow had had half the time to throw two weeks ago that Hurts had most of last night, he'd have crushed KC.
As a Bengal fan, I hope he and his agent don't decide that that will never happen here and move him to a team that where it will.
Joe B is not leaving. Name one franchise QB to switch teams after their first contract. Does not happen. Thinking that Joe B could leave is the same as thinking that the Reds will re-locate when the only team to move in the past 50+ years was the MLB owned Expos. Either an ill-informed take (which I know you are not Patrick) or typical Cincinnati pessimistic drama.
Agree re him having time to pass.
In the pocket, Mahomes has the ability to stay 1 fingernail from whoever is trying to touch. It's not luck, it's a unique skill, and he's better at it than anyone I have seen since Tarkington. (Who?)
It's maddening. I'm a Philly boy and I kept asking for a delayed blitz but the only blitzes I saw resulted in a big play for KC. Mahomes is just good. Is he better than Joey B? I don't think so, or at least there is no way to tell yet. Mahomes has a much better O Line. Evidence yesterday, Philly has the best D line in football. The Bengals get 1 more year to draft & trade & spend to get Joe B the line he needs. Then we'll see which team is better. Last A Donald was the difference, this year C Jones (Philly handled him, btw). Next year it should be Joe B. Let's see what the front office does to help him do his job.
I believe. I just don't know if I care any more.
People likely would have assumed they were bungling but the Bengals could have drafted KC's instantly stellar C Creed Humphries instead of Carman there in the 2nd round. Although I still hold possibly unfounded hope 97 might be a slight upgrade at LT and/or there's at least a credible 3 way division of labor possible among the big 3 OTs as it stands now. Continuity out of the gate at the least would be improved