NFL 2024 Season - Week 12
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Week 12
Hot to Trot
Try, Try, Try, Try, Try Again
Week 11
Mouse Trap
Must Game
Malfunction
Easy Does It
Old Foes
Falcons Fly into Mile High
Matter of Time
Improv
To the Brink
Week 10
Odd Man Out
Lions come Calling
Rookie versus Veteran
Call to Action
Full Reverse
When 8-0 is 4-4
Game of Contradictions
NFC West Bunch
Early Boarding
Week 9
Not Enough, Too Much
Real or Imposters
Groin Shot
Best Show
Saddle Up
Dull Edges
Telling Actions
Annihilation Formula
Week 8
No and No
Old Glory
Rookie Face Off
Adding it Up
Holding On
Jets Down
Unload and Reload
No Surprise
Career Paths
It Hurts
Week 7
Harbaugh Monday
Kids Camp
Barkley Back
Bird Battle
Mouse Time
Too Many?
Gone Shopping
Not Bad
40 for 3
Week 6
Try New
Night Vision
Trap Door
Looking Up
Wake Up Call
All Good Things
Bad Idea
Unexpected
Fire One
Week 5
Yes & Yes
Old Rivals
Rookie Sensation
So Close
Lunch in Seattle
Wake the Roosters
No Respect
Too Sweet
Turtle Flip
Week 4
Landmine
Bottoms Up
Winners and Losers
Call Me
Short Line
Reality Bites
Like Tonight
Uptick
Challenge Generates Performance
Week 3
Two Times
Reduced Value
Stars Down
The Other 21
Opportunity Knocks
Lots of Questions
Move Along People
Times Up
Week 2
Confidence Game
First and Second Picked QB's
Avoiding the Donut
Do or Die
One for the Road
Likewise
Adjustment Bureau
Down ... Not Out
Week 1
Time Marches On
Cashing the Trade
Start Here
Say What
Quick Up, Quick Down
Brazil Play Date
Top Two Open
Super Bowl Pick
Season Win Totals
Moving on Up
Breakout to Breakdown
Preseason 4
Preseason Wrap
Rookie Playoff Run
Preseason 3
Short Memory
Two In, One Up
Eagles Hunt
Winning Formula
Preseason 2
Quarterback Shuffle
One Two, or Two One
Starters Sit
Remote Control
Money be Damned
Preseason 1
One Season to the Next
Public Shift
Comets in the Night
Offseason
Mahomes Chasing History
All's Well that Ends Well
Ups and Downs
     
 
Telling Actions
by Dennis Ranahan

Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.”

He’s right. And sometimes you have to see those moments that are sure to predict the future. I have observed defining moments in all sports, and I’m not talking about the heroics that win games, but rather the actions that indicate certain doom is soon to follow.

In 1988, the Los Angeles Lakers were celebrating their second straight National Basketball Championship and in the locker room CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger was interviewing head coach Pat Riley while champagne showered in the room. The year before, when the Lakers won their first title under Reilly with Kareem Abdul Jabar playing a major role, in the wake of that title Riley said, “We will be back here again next year, this team will repeat as champions.”

They did.

The prediction and realization prompted Musburger to ask Riley whether he would now predict a third straight title for his Lakers? Before the coach could speak, Jabar, who had been listening to the exchange, put a towel in Riley’s mouth and indicated that he didn’t want the responsibility of a third straight title.

Jabar knew the work and challenges of winning it all, and didn’t want to commit to that level of effort again. He didn’t know that is what he was saying with the towel, but I did. Jabar won six NBA titles in his career, none after he stopped his coach from challenging him to win another.

I am a lifelong San Francisco Giants baseball fan. While fans of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs were always getting headlines on how long it had been since they won a World Series, us San Francisco fans had never won one. That appeared ready to change in 2002 when in the sixth game of the World Series the Giants took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning.

Starting pitcher Russ Ortiz was sailing along and victory was just eight outs away when he was replaced by Giants manager Dusty Baker. Ortiz began to walk off the mound, but Baker stopped him and tossed him the ball a departing pitcher usually leaves at the mound for his replacement.

“Oh no,” I blurted out while attending a friend's Halloween party and watching the game in his family room. No one else in the room seemed to know what I was responded to, but tossing that ball like here is your souvenir of a World Series win was a fatal error. It wasn’t over, and you can’t do that on an opponents home field without paying a price.

The Angels scored three runs in the seventh, and three more in the eighth to win Game Six, 6-5. The next night, they won the series with a victory in Game Seven. I would be left waiting another eight years before the San Francisco Giants finally won their first World Series.

Tom Brady played in ten Super Bowls and won seven of them. After he guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV he had some extra fun in the team’s victory parade. Instead of having the parade on land, the Buccaneers opted to have a boat parade with their athletes spread out in a number of crafts.

During the celebration, Brady decided it would be fun to toss the Super Bowl Trophy from his boat to another, a move that could have found the Vince Lombardi Trophy sinking in the harbor. The pass was complete, but my radar went off and I knew that action was the behavior of a man done winning Super Bowls and now ready to simply bask in past glory.

The fact that Brady needed assistance exiting his boat, a little too much to drink the cause, was further evidence that the winningest Super Bowl quarterback of all time was done being focused on the future, and simply enjoying accomplishments already completed.

He will never win another one, I told Kevin, my son, as we watched the festivities.

He didn’t.

Last week, we had another athlete taking action that is certain to spell doom for his otherwise surging National Football League team. The Chicago Bears had a three point lead on the road against the Washington Commanders and time on the clock for only one more play. The celebration of the Bears win started early for second-year defensive back Tyrique Stevenson, who was waving in mock tribute to the Washington fans when the ball was snapped fifty yards up field.

Commanders Quarterback Jayden Daniels had ten seconds to scramble around in the pocket before getting a clear path to launch a desperation Hail Mary pass. That was enough time for Stevenson to get back into the play that he missed the snap on, time to run towards the scrum as Daniels' pass would fall just short of the endzone.

Stevenson leaped up and tipped the ball into the endzone where Washington receiver Noah Brown caught it with the ease of a father tossing one underhanded to his four-year-old daughter.

Game over. Commanders win. Stevenson is roasted by the media and his hometown fans.

He apologies and hopes to move on.

Not so fast I suggest. His arrogance heading into that final play was not only his; he was in a context set that had many more Chicago players enjoying the same level of optimism that spilled over to arrogance. Stevenson was just the lightning rod that lit up a deeper concern in the Bears camp.

You know what that means?

It means we can cash a ticket this week betting against the Bears.

Qoxhi Picks: Arizona Cardinals (pk) over Chicago Bears