Tag: Bets

The 49ers were right to give up on Jimmy Garoppolo, and they’re about to be validated

The 49ers knew what they had in Garoppolo. Now they’ll experience frustrating deja vu.

When the 49ers, one of the NFL’s mainstays over the last few years, made a somewhat surprising run to the NFC title game last January, everyone knew something was missing.

A powerhouse offensive line buoyed by perhaps football’s best big man in Trent Williams? Check. A dynamic set of skill players, such as Swiss Army Knife receiver/running back Deebo Samuel? Check. A defense led by premium ball-stoppers and superstars in Nick Bosa and Fred Warner? Oh, heck, yes.

But a quarterback they could lean on, especially when it was time for a “gotta have it play” in crunch time? Uh, about that. Let’s just say Jimmy Garoppolo was more of a rusty anchor hanging onto the brig of one of football’s best rosters rather than a robust, powerful engine. It’s a huge discussion that will undoubtedly come into focus during the 49er’s matchup against the Rams on Monday Night Football and for the rest of the 2022 season.

Because they knew what they had, San Francisco not-so-subtly tried to move on from Garoppolo before the 2022 campaign began. But now that an injury to hopeful prodigy Trey Lance has forced their hand — the NFL world is about to be re-reminded of the impeccably low ceiling Garoppolo offers as a quarterback.

To be clear, I don’t think Garoppolo is the worst offensive signal caller in the NFL. In a league where it seems at least a fourth of the active teams seeks a new quarterback every offseason, Garoppolo offers a steady hand. On a good day, he can manage an offense and spread the wealth to his bevy of playmakers. On occasion (emphasis on occasion), he’ll make a big-time throw. And, for the most part, he won’t outright lose the game by himself. I know this isn’t a high standard I’m setting, but aside from the handful of stars some of us know on a first-name basis (“Pat,” “Lamar,” “Josh,” “Tom,” etc.) — the bar for professional quarterback performance isn’t positioned very high.

At the same time, that’s the exact problem the 49ers were hoping to finally rid themselves of this season. San Francisco’s in the middle of a Super Bowl window. A team with one NFC title and two appearances in the conference championship round in three years can’t afford to have an experienced quarterback who won’t move the needle much. The 49ers’ roster is so good that you’ll find them overcoming a quarterback like Garoppolo’s deficiencies more often than you’d expect from an average team. But when it comes to consistent, high-level play, when the squad lining up across from them is an elite playoff contender with a solid defensive front, Garoppolo will wilt. Like he seemingly always does.

Suffice it to say that’s not a flaw the 49ers can simply ignore. It’s fatal wiring for their grand Lombardi Trophy ambitions. They’re a team that needs a hero under center, not someone they sometimes have to carry on their collective back. And no: It certainly isn’t the play calls.

In 2021, Garoppolo ranked 22nd in the NFL with an average pass attempt of 7.5 yards. At the same time, his interception percentage was also 22nd at a hurtful/impactful 2.7 percent of all throws. This is who he is, and it’s who he’s been his entire career: A limited quarterback with flashes of competence who can never quite make you not dream of having something better.

The young Trey Lance could be a lengthy project when he gets healthy again. But his presence alone as a better athlete — who can make his plays with his legs and a stronger arm — gives the 49ers more promise in the long run. With Garoppolo back in the fold, for now, it’ll probably be an impossibly frustrating fit of deja vu. San Francisco will flutter about aimlessly around this midseason mark. Their core will start to piece it together during the stretch run as they get hot in a weak NFC. Then they’ll upset a heavyweight in the first round of the playoffs before they run out of steam in late January when Garoppolo fails to elevate them. Rinse, repeat, see you next year.

The 49ers were right to try and give up on Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback. And now they’ll likely waste a year of a championship window because they have to play him again.

The pick: Rams 24, 49ers 20

Before the Rams defeated the 49ers for last year’s NFC championship, San Francisco had Los Angeles’ number in a season sweep. I think this primetime matchup will resemble more of the pair’s recent date for the NFC than either of those regular season games. It’ll be grimy and probably a bit unwatchable, but the Rams are a better team overall.

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The Bears’ last gasp 30-second lateral bonanza vs. the Giants was a perfect summary of their bleak afternoon

Yakety Sax was recorded specifically for moments like this.

If you look at the final 20-12 score of the Bears’ game with the Giants (+3), you’d think it was a closely-contested and heated affair between two surprising NFC teams. Look through their general offensive box score — 155 yards passing, six sacks, zero touchdowns on three red zone trips, three fumbles lost — and you see that Justin Fields and Co. actually “enjoyed” a bleak afternoon on the road.

That’s what made the Bears’ final desperate schoolyard toss around the field to try and win the game all too fitting. Like their overall effort on the day, the hook-and-ladder attempt showed hints of promise when it shuffled through the hands of Fields and offensive linemen like Teven Jenkins.

And by the end of all the flailing and lateral movement (over roughly 30 strange seconds), they ultimately moved the ball up the field very little:

Incredible! Look at the dots of this wild one, too:

Truly, what art.

Only the Bears could turn a 30-second play that seemingly touched the hands of every player on offense into absolutely nothing up field. At least it’s nothing out of character for a team that struggles to score 20 points and eclipse 300 yards of offense every Sunday.

Saquon Barkley had to take over at QB for the Giants and it actually went pretty well

Running backs playing quarterback! Mass hysteria!

In the slugfest unwatchable mess that was Giants and Bears (-3) on Sunday, we still got a few silly football surprises worth noting. For example, noted Elusive Athlete Daniel Jones had almost 70 yards rushing with two scores on the ground. The hapless Bears and Justin Fields, meanwhile, managed to piece together three red-zone worthy possessions and somehow failed to score a touchdown anyway.

But it’s Saquon Barkley’s cameo at quarterback for the Giants that should probably make most headlines. After an injury to backup Tyrod Taylor forced the Giants’ hand, they put their star running back … at quarterback. With hurt starter Daniel Jones on the field!

The result of this initial play (and drive)? A solid rush up the middle and field goal for the Giants!

If you’re the Bears, and you lose a team with 71 passing yards and a running back under center, it’s time to look in the mirror. If you’re the Giants, you should smile. You just won a game, 20-12, by bullying a team in an old-fashioned manner.

Lamar Jackson and Devin Duvernay’s double Houdini act on wild, bobbled deep pass had NFL fans in awe

Exhibit A that magic is real.

Everything was going in the Ravens’ favor in an AFC heavyweight matchup with Bills (-3.5) on Sunday. You might have thought Lady Luck was on Baltimore’s side when Buffalo started the game with two turnovers on three possessions. You also might have thought the Ravens were getting some home-cooking when they (eventually) jumped out to a comfortable three-score lead on one of the NFL’s best teams.

Both of those dice rolls were pale comparisons to what happened on one of the wilder connections you’ll see between Jackson and one of his favorite targets, Devin Duvernay. Midway through the second quarter, on a second-and-very-long, the Bills pressured Jackson and should’ve had the sack.

Instead, in what had to be an act of sorcery, the superstar quarterback slipped through three defenders and launched a tipped pass that had no business being caught. No one told Devin Duvernay:

Oh my goodness. The sequence of events there is almost worth a thousand words in themselves. The Jackson elusiveness is one thing. For Mark Andrews to effectively play “tip drill” with Johnny on the spot, aka Duvernay — is the best sign the football gods were ruling in favor of the Ravens early on Sunday.

NFL fans adored the Bengals’ chic white-striped uniforms in live action

This was a SHARP look for the Bengals.

Joe Burrow might have worn a floral suit that drew mixed reactions around the NFL world, but it seems everyone loved what the Bengals had cooking otherwise on Thursday night.

For their pivotal matchup with the Dolphins (+3.5) on Thursday Night Football, Cincinnati unveiled some unique white-striped “White Bengal” helmets and uniforms. The helmets specifically are the Bengals’ official alternate this season (which, for what it’s worth, they’re ranked third-best in our official rankings). What’s more, the Bengals even painted their centerfield logo and end zones at their home stadium with matching black and white stripes.

And folks, let’s just say that all looked terrific in real-time before and after the action:

I know the Bengals have a famous orange and black aesthetic. But hoo boy, in this fashionista’s eyes: I’d consider making this new tradition more of a full-time thing.

NFL fans couldn’t believe the astronomically high standards Tony Gonzalez set for Tua Tagovailoa

Gonzalez is a really tough critic!

In his third NFL season, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been no stranger to criticism. Before Miami started the 2022 season, many in the NFL world felt the former Alabama product didn’t have the arm strength to last as a pro.

Now that the Dolphins have started 3-0, buoyed by a blossoming Tagovailoa no less, they’ve begun to open some eyes. One person, Thursday Night Football analyst and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, still isn’t quite a fan of Tagovailoa’s play. That might be an understatement.

In the pregame of Miami’s “darling” matchup with the Bengals (-3.5), the NFL legend said that the Dolphins’ passer essentially has to have a perfect, sparkling game every single time he plays.

Uh, alright?

“That’s what the great ones do now.”

No. No, they do not. Not every game, anyway.

Look, I’m not sold on Tagovailoa long-term just yet, either. But to expect the young quarterback to throw for 400-plus yards and six scores in every game is ludicrous and hyperbolic. I’d settle for a clean sheet and more than a few big plays downfield, but that’s just me. Though, I’m not the one setting the impossible bar for a young player trying to mature.

The Dolphins are coming for the Bengals’ crown as NFL darlings on Thursday Night Football

If Miami wants to be the new feel-good story, they gotta beat Joe Cool.

The Bengals weren’t always considered a heavyweight in the current NFL pantheon. For most of the 21st century, they were either a playoff paper tiger (no pun intended) or an outright laughingstock. Then Joe “Cool” Burrow came around and flipped the team’s fortunes virtually overnight as they made a surprise Cinderella run to Super Bowl 56.

A year later, Cincinnati has some new company in the “does the glass slipper fit?” ranks in the form of the Miami Dolphins. During an undefeated 3-0 start, Miami has looked terrific. New head coach Mike McDaniel is pushing all the right buttons and Tua Tagovailoa looks like the franchise quarterback he was drafted to become. And with wins over the Ravens and Bills (that, yes, did involve a bit of luck) — Miami can boast that it’s undoubtedly beaten “legitimate” squads.

But is it sustainable in the long run? And will the Dolphins and Tagovailoa be able to upend Burrow’s Bengals and take a firm pole position as the NFL’s new darlings?

We’re about to get an answer in an oh-so-fitting matchup between the two new AFC powers on Thursday Night Football tonight.

Before this pair and some of their more prominent names settle their differences, it’s worth noting Miami is following essentially the same template as last year’s/this year’s Bengals. They gave their young quarterback weapons and downfield security blankets to help elevate their play.

After the near entirety of Burrow’s rookie 2020 campaign was lost due to a knee injury, the Bengals went out and got him one of the most explosive receivers in pro football — Ja’Marr Chase. The young wideout would join a suddenly gifted supporting cast featuring Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon. While Burrow still hit the deck, er, turf more often than Cincinnati would prefer (it’s a problem that hasn’t gone away), he clicked with his new best friends on offense en route to an AFC title and a Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Miami pulled off the same strategy for Tagovailoa this offseason. Many in NFL circles have long wondered whether the former Alabama product had the arm strength to survive as a pro and legitimate field-tilting quarterback. It doesn’t seem like the Dolphins had those same concerns. And so the South Beach higher-ups went out and pulled off a blockbuster trade for Tyreek Hill. They added him alongside Tagovailoa’s former Crimson Tide teammate, Jaylen Waddle. The two playmakers are now both in the top three in the NFL in receiving yards. Most importantly, it doesn’t seem like defenses have an answer for two options that can take the top off the field at any given moment.

As it turns out, the best way to determine whether your quarterback has “it” is by supporting them. And when they have help, they can turn your team into a contender. What a novel concept.

The Bengals and Burrow have struggled somewhat to start the year.

At 1-2, with plenty of season left (14 games!), they can more than get back on track with their high preseason expectations. But make no mistake: Tagovailoa’s Dolphins look revitalized. They know they haven’t been here, in the national spotlight, for a long time. There would be no better way to legitimize their upstart campaign than by knocking down last year’s darling a peg or three.

This brings up one final critical point about this Cincinnati-Miami Thursday night battle: The NFL’s glass slipper can only properly fit one team at a time.

The pick: Bengals 30, Dolphins 24

By the end of the year, I do think both of these squads are firmly in the AFC playoff picture. But for now, I like the battle-tested Bengals and Burrow, at home, better than a Dolphins squad that might be reading their newspaper clippings a bit too much after some huge wins.

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MLB fans reacted to Aaron Judge’s historic 61st homer by reminding him of the true home run record

Baseball fans had lots of fun roasting Judge’s AL record.

Aaron Judge made American League history Wednesday night when he socked his 61st home run of the 2022 season on the road against the Blue Jays (-1.5). Sixty-one years after Roger Maris first notched the AL record for the Yankees, Judge officially ties him in the record books.

But not everyone was so enthused about Judge making American League history. You see, while they’ve played over 120 years of American League baseball, Judge’s home run isn’t the overall MLB record. That still belongs to Barry Bonds, who hit 73 in 2001.

If we’re being extremely technical (and correct!) Judge’s AL record actually isn’t even in the top-five most in a single season in MLB history, either. Bonds and several seasons from Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in the late 1990s and early 2000s still pace ahead of the young Yankee.

So, what’s all the hoopla about a man tying for seventh all-time in a single season in the lengthy history of MLB baseball? That’s exactly what fans wondered about in the aftermath of Judge’s 61st home run.

Tua Tagovailoa had the perfect response for a Cincinnati fan who shouted ‘[Expletive] Bama’ at him

Oh yeah, there’s no great comeback to that.

Amid their preparations for a matchup with the Bengals (-4) on Thursday Night Football, the Dolphins decided to hold some of their walkthroughs at Nippert Stadium — home of the Cincinnati Bearcats college football team.

And while several Miami players, including Tua Tagovailoa, walked away from Wednesday’s practice, a Cincinnati fan decided to try and heckle Tagovailoa. How? By hammering on his college football career with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Rather than take any offense to the fan’s words, Tagovailoa calmly looked in the direction of the fan and shut him down with a reference to the Bearcats’ 27-6 loss to Alabama in last year’s College Football Playoff:

(Warning: NSFW language in the tweet)

“Y’all lost to us!” Phew, nothing more needs to be said.

Good for Tagovailoa. After how well he’s played during the Dolphins’ strong contending start, this is yet more poise from one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in the early goings of the 2022 season.

Umpire called 3 balks in one at-bat on Marlins’ Richard Bleier and MLB fans were stunned

Sooooo, does anyone know what a balk is now?

With a 6-3 lead in the eighth inning, the Marlins and Richard Bleier were set to close out a nice win on the road against the Mets (-1.5) on Tuesday night. Evidently, no one told Bleier or the Marlins that they would run into some extremely mystifying balk issues.

You see, when New York’s Pete Alonso tried to ignite a late rally, first base umpire John Tumpane called Bleier for a balk. Okay, sure. It happens. Then he called him for another balk. Uh, alright? But if Bleier broke the rule, he broke the rule, I guess. Then Tumpane called the pitcher for another balk. In one at-bat.

Okay, alright. Let’s slow down. What happened in this confusing scene at Citi Field?

You know an umpire’s call is weird (and probably a little out of bounds) if even the TV broadcasters are stumped as to what constitutes calling a balk three times out of the blue. (Note: Marlins manager Don Mattingly would be ejected for arguing the rulings.)

For reference, the MLB rule defines balks like this:

A balk occurs when a pitcher makes an illegal motion on the mound that the umpire deems to be deceitful to the runner(s).

I mean, there was one guy on base (who would eventually score thanks to all the balks) for Bleier. Do we really believe he made an egregious illegal motion three times in an inning? You know, three more than he’s ever been called for balks in his entire career?

Yeah, this was the definition of an umpire probably taking way too many liberties with a clearly defined but very subjective rule in practice. For what it’s worth, the Marlins went on to win 6-4. But I still fully understand why Bleier was so upset.