Last Place Update - November 17

Meet the new Kings of the Cellar; definitely not the same as the old Kings, thanks to the 2-7 Detroit Lions' win over the Green Bay Packers. This week's Kings of the Cellar are the 2-8 Cleveland Browns. The Browns are enjoying a 5 game losing streak and been scored on by 30 or more points over the last three games. Five teams are a half game back, including the division rival 2-7 Baltimore Ravens and evicted Kings of the Cellar 2-7 Detroit Lions.

This week's honorable mention goes to the 4-6 New Orleans Saints defense. Over the past three games, the sieve of a defense allowed 1,425 yards, 526 of them came courtesy of the 5-5 Washington Redskins, hence costing defensive coordinator Rob Ryan his job. Remember, the Saints passed over Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel for Ryan. New Orleans has an bye this week, so maybe the defense will show some improvement.

Next loss...

The team named after legendary coach Paul Brown has a bye this week, so the 2-7 former Houston Oilers go to sunny Florida to take on the 3-6 Jacksonville Jaguars in a divisional matchup. The now Tennessee Titans lead the series 23-18, but the Titans are 8-6 against Jacksonville since 2008. They first met in Jacksonville's inaugural season of 1995, when the Oilers won 10-3. There are no overtime or postseason games in the series. Neither team has ever shut out the other.

Here are some historical scores for teams playing each other this week, November 17,

1974  Green Bay 19 - Minnesota 7
1974  Baltimore Colts 17 - Atlanta 7
1991  Minnesota 35 - Green Bay 21
2002  Minnesota 31 - Green Bay 21

Will Cleveland's off week cost them them their spot in the Cellar? Will the 2-7 Dallas Cowboys win now that Tony Romo is back? Will the Baltimore continue to collapse their way to the Cellar?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - November 11

Before we get started, I have a message for all of you who served or are serving our country. THANK YOU!!!!! Thank you for your service and sacrifice. You are most definitely appreciated. Now let's have some fun.

This week's Kings of the Cellar did not lose last week. Then again, they didn't play either. Hence, the 1-7 Detroit Lions hold on to the Cellar for one more week. The 2-6 Tennessee Titans had a chance to kick out the Lions, but their overtime win over my New Orleans Saints ruined that opportunity. The 2-7 San Diego Chargers and Cleveland Browns round out the bottom three. Cleveland is sporting a four game losing streak, but San Diego does one better by losing their last five games.

Today's honorable mention goes once again to the 2-6 Dallas Cowboys, losers of their last six. Say what you want about QB Tony Romo, but the Cowpokes are not the same team without him. This week, Dallas visits the New Sombrero to take on the 3-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unless the former America's Team can play 60 minutes of good football, Jameis Winston and the Bucs will notch win #4.

Next loss...

In a rivalry that goes back to the Great Depression, the former Portsmouth Spartans will travel to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. The now Detroit Lions trail the series 67-97-7 and are 7-25 against the Packers since 1999. They first met in 1930, when Green Bay spanked the former Spartans 47-13. The teams met in the postseason twice and the Packers lead that series 2-0. Both games were in the Wild Card round in 1993 and 1994. They went to overtime four times and the series is tied 2-2. The last overtime game was a 16-13 Detroit loss in 2005. The last time Green Bay shut out Detroit was 26-0 in 2009. The last time Detroit shut out Green Bay was 34-0 in 1973. Their last tie was 13-13, also in 1973.

Here are some historic scores from games played today, November 11,

1979  Chicago 27 - Los Angeles Rams 23
1979  Buffalo 14 - New York Jets 12
1984  Miami 24 - Philadelphia 23
1984  Los Angeles Rams 29 - Chicago 13
2001  Pittsburgh 15 - Cleveland 12 (OT)
2007  Denver 27 - Kansas City 11
2007  Pittsburgh 31 - Cleveland 28

Will Detroit hold on to the Cellar? Will the Browns and Chargers continue their collapse and take the Cellar? Will Dallas ever get a win without Tony Romo this season?

Stay tuned...

Have a great day!!!!

Last Place Update - November 4

The Cellar giveth and The Cellar taketh away. Thanks to their 29-26 victory over the 2-6 San Diego Chargers, the 2-6 Baltimore Ravens got evicted from the cellar. And this week, to paraphrase the old The Who song, meet the new Kings of the Cellar; same as the old Kings of the Cellar. Who's that? It's the 1-7 Detroit Lions! They are sporting a two game losing streak by the combined score of 73-29. The 1-6 Tennessee Titans trail the Lions by a half game and are a six game losing streak and have scored more than 7 points in each of the last two games.

This week's honorable mention goes to the 2-6 Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are 0-5 since Tony Romo went down. However, none of those losses were blowouts and the last four were by a touchdown or less. Nevertheless, as Stephen A. Smith would say, Dallas always finds a way to lose.

Next loss...

Since Detroit has a bye this week, we'll focus on the next team up. The former Houston Oilers will invade the former Louisiana Superdome to face the New Orleans Saints. The now Tennessee Titans lead the series 7-5-1 and are 4-1 against the New Orleans since 1996. They first met after the NFL/AFL merger in 1971, when the two teams broke even at 13-13, the lone tie in the series. The Titans and Saints never had an overtime game nor have they met in the postseason. Neither team has ever shut out the other.

Here are a couple of historic scores for teams playing each other this week from November 4,

2007  Atlanta 20 - San Francisco 16
2007  Dallas 38 - Philadelphia 17

Since there are only two scores from today, here are some scores from tomorrow, November 5,

1961  Los Angeles Rams 31 - Minnesota 17 (First ever meeting)
1967  Buffalo 35 - Miami 13
1972  Miami 30 - Buffalo 16
1978  Atlanta 21 - San Francisco 10
1989  Minnesota 23 - Los Angeles Rams 21 (OT)
2000  Philadelphia 16 - Dallas 13 (OT)


Will new head coach and former Minnesota Vikings/Pittsburgh Steelers TE Mike Mularkey lead the struggling Titans over former Chicago Bears QB Sean Payton and the improving Saints? Will Detroit lose, even with a bye this week? Will the Cowboys sweep the season series over the 3-4 Philadelphia Eagles?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - October 28

And now the herd begins to thin. For the second week in a row, we have a new team in the Cellar. That's right. The 2-5 Kansas City Chiefs won themselves away from the beer and now, the 1-6 Baltimore Ravens are this week's Kings of the Cellar. They beat out fellow the 1-6 Detroit Lions, because the Ravens are enjoying their second three game losing streak of the season.

This week's honorable mention goes to the 2-5 San Diego Chargers. Yeah, the 2-5 Dallas Cowboys should have gotten the mention because of their four game losing streak, but after further review, the ruling has been changed. The Chargers had their star players on the field, yet they still went on a three game losing streak and lost five of their last six games.

Next loss...

Baltimore may catch a break this week, because they will host this week's honorable mention, the former Los Angeles Chargers. The series is tied 5-5. They first met in 1997, when the Chargers won 21-17. They only went to overtime once, in 2012, when the Ravens eked out a 16-13 win. San Diego and Baltimore never met in the postseason and neither team has ever shut out the other.

Haven't done this yet this season, so here we go. Here are the historic scores for teams playing each other this week from October 28,

1951  San Francisco 44 - Los Angeles Rams 17
1960  Oakland 28 - New York Titans 27
1962  Los Angeles Rams 28 - San Francisco 14
1973  Miami 30 - New England 14
1973  Pittsburgh 20 - Cincinnati 13
1979  Cleveland 38 - St. Louis Cardinals 20
1984  Chicago 16 - Minnesota 7
1984  San Francisco 33 - Los Angeles Rams 0
1996  Chicago 15 - Minnesota 13
2007 Pittsburgh 24 - Cincinnati 13
2007 Indianapolis 31 - Carolina 7


Will the Ravens hold on to the beer in the cellar? Will Detroit kick Baltimore out and take over? Will the Chargers continue their epic collapse and secure the first pick in the 2016 draft?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - October 21

Well, it's about time. It took an overtime game to do it, but the 1-5 Detroit Lions got their first win and their eviction from the throne. Another 1-5 team has taken over. The Kansas City Chiefs are this week's King's of the Cellar. Why? Because of the four 1-5 teams, the Chiefs are the only team enjoying a five game losing streak. Along with the Lions, the other 1-5 teams are the Jacksonville Jaguars and, surprisingly, the Baltimore Ravens. The fight for the beer in the cellar is on.

Today's honorable mention goes to the 5-1 Atlanta Falcons. They blew an opportunity to dominate a New Orleans Saints team with one of the worst defenses in the NFL and kept coughing up the football in the red zone, resulting in a 31-21 loss. What's worse for the Dirty Birds, they created another Steve Gleason moment with Michael Mauti's punt block. Michael Mauti is the son of former Saint WR Rich Mauti, who played for the black & gold from 1977-83.

Next loss...

The former Dallas Texans will host the former Pittsburgh Pirates tomorrow night. The now Kansas City Chiefs trail the series 10-20-0 and have lost the last three meetings. They first met in 1970 and the defending Super Bowl IV champs made short work of the now Pittsburgh Steelers 31-14. They went to overtime three times and Kansas City leads the OT series 2-1. Their lone postseason game occurred in the 1993 season, which also happened to be the first overtime game in the series. Joe Montana and the Chiefs won 27-24. There is only one shutout in the series. In 1976, Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers rolled over Kansas City 45-0.

Will the Chiefs get any time to enjoy the beer in the cellar? Will one of the other 1 win teams knock Kansas City out and take over? Can Detroit win two in a row?

Stay tuned...

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - October 13

Can't quite say they're dominating, but the way the 0-4 Detroit Lions got spanked Sunday, they secured their place as this week's Kings of the Cellar. There are now eight 1 win teams, so we have to wait another week for runners-up. However, my 1-4 New Orleans Saints, fresh off their overtime win over Dallas, got rolled over by a 2-3 Philadelphia Eagles team in a game that should have been much closer.

Today's honorable mention goes to the 2-3 Dallas Cowboys. After losing in overtime to the Saints, the Cowboys went home to lose to the New England Patriots. Since Tony Romo and Dez Bryant went down to injury, Dallas is 0-3 and has been outscored 95-54.

Next loss...

The former Portsmouth Spartans will host the 2-3 Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Yes, the once 0-3 Bears are sporting a two game winning streak. Chicago leads the series 96-69-5, but the Lions have won the last four games. They first met in 1930, when Portsmouth won 7-6. They went to overtime four times. The Bears lead the overtime series 4-1, including the overtime kickoff return on Thanksgiving Day in 1980. Believe it or not, they have never met in the postseason. Their last tie happened in 1966, when the game ended 10-10. The last time Chicago shut out Detroit was 24-0 in 2001. The last time Detroit shut out Chicago was 20-0 in 1979.

Here's a bonus next loss. The New Orleans Saints will welcome hated archrival 5-0 Atlanta Falcons. New Orleans trails in the series 43-49 and were swept last season. However, the Saints lead the series in the Sean Payton era 13-5, but they are expected to lose their third straight to Atlanta. They first met in 1967, when New Orleans won 27-24. They went to overtime seven times and the Saints also trail that series 2-5, including the first one. On opening day in 1979, when on fourth down, Jim Pietrzak hiked the ball way over punter Russel Erxleben's head. Erxleben chased the ball to the two yard line and tried to pass the ball. Unfortunately, it floated only a few yards and landed in James Mayberry's hands, who ran it in for the winning touchdown. The Falcons won that game 40-34. They met once in the postseason in 1991, when the Falcons won 27-20. The last time New Orleans shut out Atlanta was 38-0 in 1987. The last time Atlanta shut out New Orleans was 35-0 in 1982.

Will Detroit lose again? Will they go 0-16 again? Will the Who Dats hand the Dirty Birds their first loss?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

And some lagniappe. Here is the overtime kickoff return from 1980 and the interview afterward. 

Last Place Update - October 8

As one regular season ends, another gets into full swing. It's time to see who gets the beer in the cellar for the 2015 NFL season, so let's have some fun.

By default, today's Kings of the Cellar are the 0-4 Detroit Lions. They are the sole remaining winless team, but should be 1-3 with the team they lost to, the now 2-2 Seattle Seahawks. However, that uncalled penalty means nothing today. There are 11 teams at 1-3, so no runners-up today. The Lions are sporting a six game losing streak dating back to December 28.

Today's honorable mention goes to the 1-3 San Francisco 49ers and 1-3 Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams won on opening day and haven't won since. The Niners are 2-7 since November 27 and the Chiefs are 3-7 since November 20. Another mention goes to my 1-3 New Orleans Saints, because their sole win came against a Cowboys team without Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. A game New Orleans should have easily won, it took a blown coverage in overtime for my Saints to get their first win of the season. New Orleans is 4-8 since November 9 and 1-6 at home since October 26.

Tonight, the 1-3 Houston Texans host the 2-2 Indianapolis Colts. Indy leads the series 22-4 and have won the last five games against the Texans. Houston hasn't beaten the Colts since 2012. They first met in 2002, then the Colts rolled 23-3. There are no ties in the series nor have the two teams met in the postseason. Neither team has ever shut out the other.

Next Loss...

The former Portsmouth Spartans host the former Chicago Cardinals on Sunday. The now Detroit Lions lead the series 31-27-5, but the once former Phoenix Cardinals won the last six meetings. They first met in 1930, a game that ended in a 0-0 tie between Chicago and Portsmouth. Their lone overtime game happened in 2002, when now Arizona won 23-20. They never met in the postseason. The last time the Lions shut out the Cardinals was when Detroit blanked the then St. Louis Cardinals 20-0 in 1969. The last time the Cardinals shut out the Lions was in 1942, when the Chicago Cardinals won 7-0.

Will Detroit find more controversial ways to lose? Will one of the 1-3 teams lay a huge egg this weekend? Will one of the undefeated teams post a loss?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Counting the Days...

With eight days to go for NaNoWriMo, I have a good idea what story wants to be told. It lost the battle for July's Camp NaNoWriMo, but the story that wants to be told is one I started over three years ago, Return To Origin. The story is inspired by one of my favorite History Channel shows, Ancient Aliens.

I started writing this story soon after finishing the first draft of The Curse. Then I made the worst mistake involving Return To Origin. I stopped less than halfway through to begin editing The Curse. Since then, the writing process has sputtered at best. There were other issues, but they're mostly resolved now. However, that's no excuse to stop writing a novel in favor of editing another one.

In December, I have another decision to make. With four novels somewhere in the editing pipeline, should I participate in the April and July Camp NaNoWriMo? If I had to decide now, the answer would be no. However, it depends on how much time the upcoming edits and revamps take.

Speaking of, I'm currently revamping my novella, Rickshaw, New Mexico. So far, there are some minor rephrases and clarifications that were needed. The challenge will be my novel, The Curse, which is getting an overhaul. The story will remain intact. However, as my two-star reviewer said, it needed another edit. He was right and that's what's happening. After Rickshaw, The Hunted is next, followed by The Acts of 1.


Now for some sports trivia...

• Congrats to the Kansas City Royals for winning Game 1 of the World Series. This is their first World Series game they won in 10,587 days.
  
• Since we're counting days, here's another one. It has been 38,725 days since the Chicago Cubs last won the World Series (1908). The days continue.
  
• There are quite a few for football. Here are the teams who never made it to the Super Bowl, with the number of days since their last championship: Detroit Lions - 20,752 days (1957) and the Cleveland Browns - 18,197 (1964). The Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars were born in the Super Bowl era, but never played in one.
  
• For one of the Super Bowl contenders, it has been 19,659 days since the Philadelphia Eagles won an NFL championship (1960).
  
• It's also been a long drought for three former AFL champions. The Buffalo Bills last won the AFL title 17,833 days ago (1965). It's been 18,554 days for the 1963 AFL Champion San Diego Chargers. Finally, the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) won their last AFL title 19,296 days ago (1961).
  
• One of the most famous Super Bowl games, Super Bowl III, it has been 16,720 days since the New York Jets won their only championship.

Counting all these days makes one thirsty. So who's drinking the beer in the cellar in the NFL? Why that would be this week's Kings of the Cellar, the 0-6 Oakland Raiders, who are on a 12 game losing streak and haven't won one since November 17 against the Houston Texans. This week's honorable mention goes to my 2-4 New Orleans Saints. This is a talent laden team who has performed like the New Orleans Saints teams of the 1970's. By no means is the season over nor have the Saints collapsed as past teams have. Unless they get their act together, they will be mentioned here again.

Here are historic scores for teams playing each other this week, October 23,

1955  Chicago Cardinals 24 - Philadelphia 24
1983 - Denver 14 - San Diego 6
1988  Minnesota 49 - Tampa Bay 20
1994  Denver 20 - San Diego 15
2011  Atlanta 23 - Detroit 16
2011  Houston 41 - Tennessee 7


Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - Week 17

Welcome to the final edition of the 2012 NFL Last Place Update.

   Congratulations 2-14 Kansas City Chiefs, by losing 38-3 to the Denver Broncos, you are the 2012 Kings of the Cellar Champions and new owners of the first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. The Chiefs will get a new head coach next year and could put themselves in a position to win as the Colts did this season. The 2-14 Jacksonville Jaguars put up a good fight by getting dominated by the Tennessee Titans, 38-20, but it wasn't enough. They get the second pick in the draft. The defending champ Indianapolis Colts went a very respectable 11-5 and earned a berth in the playoffs.

   The real competition has been for the honorable mention. For a while, it was a broken record, with the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles getting the mention for several weeks. Even Tampa Bay made it. However, none of these teams earned the nod. If the mention was only based on losses or straight losses, the 4-12 Detroit Lions would get the final nod...but it isn't. All of these teams were beaten by one unit on one team and they also earned multiple mentions. This year's Honorable Mention goes to the New Orleans Saints Defense, for allowing more yards than other defense in the history of the NFL. While giving up 530 yards to the Carolina Panthers, the Saints D allowed a season total of 7,074 total yards, eclipsing the 1981 Baltimore Colts defense, who gave up 6,793 yards. That's an average of 442 yards per game. The Saints' high powered offense only gained 6,574 yards.

Other thoughts...

   As I do with each conclusion of the final Last Place Update of the season, the updates are a tongue-in-cheek look at the worst teams in whatever professional sport is featured. However it's important to remember that only a tiny percent of our population is even good enough to play for a professional sports team. It doesn't matter if that team wins it all or dwells in the cellar. It's important to remember and appreciate that it takes a special kind of athlete to earn the privilege to play for a professional sports team, whether it's for only a season or a long, Hall of Fame career.

   I wrote the NBA Last Place Update last week on a whim and was surprised by the number of views. There were more views for that entry than the previous two blog entries combined. After tomorrow's entry, if that trend continues, there will be weekly Last Place Updates for the NBA season.

   As much as I enjoy writing these entries, I need to focus on finishing the final draft of my upcoming novel and novella. The first draft of my second novel needs to be finished as well, hopefully before baseball season starts. So outside of the possible updates, there will be fewer posts for now. However, I may continue the series trivia posts for the NFL playoffs.

   Hats off to the NFL players and coaches for another great season!!

   Thank you, Reader, for taking the time to read these entries!!!

   Hope you all have a Happy New Year!!!

Last Place Update - Week 16

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. Hope you all had a great Christmas. Even though they all lost last week, the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders, and Detroit Lions are officially eliminated from cellar contention. Now it's down to one game, so let's get started.

   The 2-13 Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars share this week's title as Kings of the Cellar. However, a Chiefs loss on Sunday will seal the first pick in the 2013 draft and make them the 2012 NFL Kings of the Cellar. The Jags can win the title with a loss and a Kansas City win. The Chiefs lost their third straight to the Indianapolis Colts by a respectable 20-13 score. The Jaguars lost their fourth consecutive game and remained winless in the regular season against the New England Patriots, also by a respectable score of 23-16.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 6-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After winning four straight games, they went on to lose five in a row, including a 41- 0 spanking by the New Orleans Saints and a 28-13 loss last week to the St. Louis Rams. The Bucs go to Atlanta and will probably win, because they'll face the Falcons' second and third team players and...oh, never mind. If they play with the same imploding precision they have over the past few weeks, Tampa Bay would even lose to the 1976 Buccaneers.

Next Loss...

   Kansas City travels to Denver to face the Broncos. Upset Special? It could be an upset special only if Denver had already locked up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The former Colts quarterback will give the Chiefs' secondary a clinic that the current Colts quarterback couldn't. This will be an easy, if not dominating, loss and Kansas City will clinch the first pick in the 2013 Draft.

   Jacksonville goes to Tennessee to take on the Titans. Upset Special? This is a tough call, but the answer is no. Tennessee was surprised in Jacksonville and they won't be surprised this time. The Jags will make a game of it, but this will be a solid Jacksonville loss and they'll clinch the second pick in the 2013 Draft.

Here are some historical scores for teams facing each other this week, December 26:

1987  Cleveland 19 - Pittsburgh 13
1993  Detroit 20 - Chicago 14
1993  Buffalo 16 - New York Jets 14
1993  Dallas 38 - Washington 3
1999  Tennessee 41 - Jacksonville 14
1999  San Diego 23 - Oakland 20
1999  Baltimore 22 - Cincinnati 0
2004  Detroit 19 - Chicago 13
2004  Dallas 13 - Washington 10

Last Place Update - Week 15

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. We again begin on a somber note. Thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre.

   Now to the update...

   We again have a tie for this week's Kings of the Cellar. The 2-12 Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars are in a dead heat to see who gets the first pick in the 2013 draft. If either team loses this week, they will eliminate 4-10 Oakland, Detroit, and Philadelphia from contention. Both of Kansas City's wins are against NFC South teams and all they have left are AFC teams, including a divisional game at Denver. Jacksonville's two wins are against divisional opponents, including Tennessee, who they play in Nashville next week.

   This week's honorable mention goes to...what do you mean, not Arizona? That's right, no broken record this week. The Cardinals finally broke their nine game losing streak against the team that is this week's honorable mention, the 4-10 Detroit Lions. Detroit has a six game losing streak, now the longest active losing streak and have been beaten by a touchdown or more in their last three games. The Lions host the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. This could be an upset special if Detroit can catch the Falcons after a big win, like Atlanta caught the New York Giants after a big win.

Next Loss...

   Jacksonville hosts the New England Patriots, who are coming off a tough loss against the 49ers. Upset Special? Yeah, right. Although two of New England's four losses came on the road, they were also to winning teams. Jacksonville is 0-3 against the AFC East, losing all three games by at least a touchdown. The Jaguars will get spanked in this game and eliminate the Raiders, Lions, and Eagles from Kings of the Cellar contention.

   Kansas City hosts the defending Kings of the Cellar champion Indianapolis Colts. The Colts were eliminated from a repeat weeks ago, so does this mean this is an Upset Special? Maybe. The Chiefs won their last home game against the Carolina Panthers, but Indy is a much better team. The Colts are 3-4 on the road, but all three of those wins came against losing teams. Again, is this an Upset Special? Maybe, but probably not. Kansas City hasn't shown they can score a lot of points, so unless their offense shows up, this will be an easy Chiefs loss.

Here are some scores for teams playing each other this week, December 18:

1921  Chicago Cardinals 0 - Chicago Staleys 0
1960  Philadelphia 38 - Washington 28
1960  Los Angeles Chargers 50 - New York Titans 43
1966  Philadelphia 37 - Washington 28
1994  San Diego 21 - New York Jets 6
2000  Tampa Bay 38 - St. Louis 35
2011  Miami 30 - Buffalo 23

Last Place Update - Week 14

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. Once again, we begin on a somber note, this time with the death of Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jerry Brown, who died in a car accident. His close friend and teammate, nose tackle and former University of Illinois teammate, Josh Brent, was driving. Thoughts and prayers go out to Brown, his friends, family, and the Dallas Cowboys organization. Now to the update.

  The 2-11 Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs share this week's title as Kings of the Cellar. Both teams had recent wins and gallant performances, but both lost this week. Although it's easy to name KC as this week's Kings, the tie will stand. At least they're performing better in recent weeks than honorable mention runners up, the third place 3-10 Oakland Raiders and 4-9 Detroit Lions.

  Speaking of, the broken record of honorable mentions is kind of fixed. The Philadelphia Eagles won, getting them off the radar for now. Congrats Philly, on a well earned win. However, the "kind of" part is that this week's honorable mention, once again, goes to the 4-9 Arizona Cardinals, for two reasons. First, that they lost their ninth consecutive game, which is the most in the NFL right now, and second, that they got spanked by the Seattle Seahawks 58-0. This is the worst loss of the season and in Cardinals history. Even though they have the same season record as other teams. this earns them the title as the NFC's worst team this week. The Cards host the also struggling Lions. A win here would get Arizona off the radar and Detroit on it. This one's up in the air.

Next Loss...

   Jacksonville goes to Miami to take on the AFC in-state rival Dolphins. Miami is 2-5 since their bye week and is primed for an upset. So is this an Upset Special? Maybe. If the Dolphins show up or if Jacksonville shows signs of Jets lag, then Miami will hand the Jags an easy loss. The bottom line is it's a toss-up, which means the tie goes to a Jacksonville loss.

   Kansas City goes to Oakland to take on the Raiders in the AFC West Cellar Bowl. A KC loss would keep them at the bottom of the heap, but a win will at least, get them out and bring the Raiders in. Upset Special? This is one of the great rivalries, so it's possible. However, Oakland beat the Chiefs in Kansas City, so chances are, this is yet again, another easy Chiefs loss.

Here are some historical scores for teams playing each other this week, on December 11:

1932  Chicago 9 - Green Bay 0
1977  Chicago 21 - Green Bay 10
1977  Tampa Bay 33 - New Orleans 14   (Tampa Bay's first ever win)
1994  Green Bay 41 - Chicago 3
2005  Minnesota 27 - St. Louis 13
2005  Denver 12 - Baltimore 10

Heisman Trophy Trivia

It's not often I do two entries in one day, but here we are.

   While watching the Ole Miss/LSU game, CBS posted their the trivia question of the game. It involved the two Mannings who were Ole Miss quarterbacks, Archie (1970) and Eli (2003). Both men were 3rd in the Heisman voting in their senior seasons. CBS asked the question who were ahead of Archie and Eli in the Heisman voting? Here is the answer.

   Archie was 3rd behind Joe Theismann and winner Jim Plunkett. Eli was 3rd behind Larry Fitzgerald and winner Jason White.

That trivia question inspired these two trivia questions.

1) Which NFL team drafted the most Heisman winners?

The Detroit Lions drafted 10 Heisman winners.

1936 Larry Kelley - E (Yale)
1937 Clint Frank - RB (Yale)
1942 Frank Sinkwich - RB (Georgia)
1946 Glenn Davis - RB (Army)
1949 Leon Hart - E (Notre Dame)
1955 Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy - RB (Ohio State)
1969 Steve Owens - RB (Oklahoma)
1978 Billy Sims - RB (Oklahoma)
1988 Barry Sanders - RB (Oklahoma State)
1989 Andre Ware - QB (Houston)

2) Which NFL teams have never drafted a Heisman Trophy winner?

There are 5 teams:

Miami Dolphins
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
San Diego Chargers
Seattle Seahawks

There are three teams who drafted Heisman winners, but no longer exist:

   The Brooklyn Dodgers drafted 1939 winner Nile Kinnick from Iowa in 1940. The Dodgers were in the NFL from 1930-44. The Boston Yanks drafted QB Angelo Bertelli from Notre Dame with their first ever pick in the draft in 1944. Boston was in the NFL from 1944-49. The New York Bulldogs drafted RB Doak Walker from SMU in the first round. The Bulldogs were in the NFL from 1949-51. They were the Bulldogs in 1949 and the Yanks their last two years.

Last Place Update

Welcome to the first Last Place Update for the 2012 NFL season. Things are definitely much different than they were at this time last year.

   Although there are two 0-4 teams, this week's Kings of the Cellar go to the New Orleans Saints, who have gone 0-4 for the first time since 1996. This is a team that should be at least 2-2, or even 3-1, but after four games, the defense has allowed more yards than the 1-15 1980 team, 1,853 to 1,517. Because of the sheer amount of talent on the team, with a grossly underachieving defense and mediocre running game, I've chosen my beloved Saints to dominate the cellar.

  The other 0-4 team, the Cleveland Browns are by far a worse team than the Saints, but they're expected to lose. Once the Saints win a game, the cellar will belong to the Browns. What's worse than being 0-4 is that Cleveland have lost 13 of their last 15 games, including 10 straight. The last time Cleveland beat a team with a winning record was in Week 9 of the 2010 season when they beat the New England Patriots 34-14, handing the Pats their second and last loss of the regular season.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 1-3 Detroit Lions. After winning their first game of the season, the Lions have lost three straight, making them the lone occupants of the NFC North cellar. As with the Saints, Detroit is a better team than their record indicates. The Lions losses are by a touchdown or less. On a positive note, they have a bye this week.

   Next Loss...

   The Saints will host the San Diego Chargers in the Superdome on Sunday night. This is my Upset Special. The Saints' defense had its best outing of the season against a high powered Green Bay Packer offense, losing on a missed field goal attempt. Drew Brees shines in prime time and he is playing his old team.

   Cleveland will go to The Meadowlands to face their former NFL Century Division rivals, the New York Giants. The Browns won their last meeting in 2008, but they won't this time. Their best chances are if Eli Manning has a bad day or if the Browns' defense rises to the occasion. This should be an easy loss for the Browns.

Last Place Update

December 27, 2011 – Welcome to this week’s Last Place Update.  The 2-13 Indianapolis Colts’ two game lead is gone.  They went off on a two game winning streak and are now tied with the St. Louis Rams.  And for the first time this season, the Colts are no longer Kings of the Cellar.  That honor now goes to the Rams for getting shut out by the Pittsburgh Steelers (minus Ben Roethlisberger…Charlie Batch was the Steeler QB) 17-0.  The last time Pittsburgh shut out the Rams was in 1981, 24-0.

The Colts beat the Houston Texans 18-16 and will not have a honorable mention this week.  Congrats on two straight wins.  And congrats to the Minnesota Vikings for pulling off the upset special over the Washington Redskins.  You too, will not have an honorable mention.

This week’s first honorable mention goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  True, there are teams with fewer wins, but nobody has a longer losing streak, which is now at nine straight.  It’s one thing to lose close games to good teams, but the Bucs got spanked by a losing team, the 4-11 Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Bucs even got swept and dominated by the 6-9 Carolina Panthers.

This week’s second honorable mention barely goes to the Cleveland Browns, who just edged the Chicago Bears for the honor.  Cleveland lost five straight and ten out of their last twelve, but the Browns have not been blown out during this stretch.  However, their wins were against opponents with losing records.  Even Tampa Bay beat two playoff teams.

Before we go to the next loss, I want to make a couple of comments.

First, congrats to Drew Brees for breaking Dan Marino’s single season passing yards record while leading the New Orleans Saints to a dominating win over the Atlanta Falcons.  He did it in fifteen games versus Marino’s sixteen games.  The only downside is if they have to play again in the playoffs.  Not only is it hard to beat the same team three times in a season, but some of the Atlanta players didn’t like the drive for the record and are itching for a rematch.  Here's the link to WWL Radio’s Jim Henderson’s call on the record-breaking play.

Jim Henderson's Call When Brees Passed Marino

Second, congrats to the Detroit Lions for making the playoffs for the first time since 1999, when Barry Sanders ran the ball all over the place.  And who was one of their quarterbacks?  Current Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch.  He and kicker Jason Hanson are the only two players from the 1999 team who are still playing in the NFL and Hanson is still with the Lions.

Next Loss

St. Louis hosts their divisional rival of over 60 years, the San Francisco 49ers.  Upset Special?  Only if the Rams play the Niners like they played the Saints.  Although San Francisco struggles to score touchdowns in the red zone, St. Louis doesn’t have the offensive firepower without Sam Bradford.  Now if Bradford is healthy enough to play, then this will be an upset special.  If he isn’t, then this will be an easy Niners win, who will clinch the #2 spot in the playoffs

Indy goes to Jacksonville to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Upset special?  Why not?  If the Colts play like they did the last two weeks, they should win their first road game.  Indy will finish the season on a positive note with another upset win.

Minnesota takes on their divisional rival for over 50 years, the Chicago Bears, at home.  Could this be a third upset special?  Not this time, even at home.  The Vikings will put up a good fight, but Chicago should end the season with a win.

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week: December 27,

1987 – San Francisco 48 – Los Angeles Rams 0

1992 – Kansas City 42 – Denver 20

1992 – Pittsburgh 23 – Cleveland 13

1998 – San Francisco 38 – St. Louis 19

1999 – New York Jets 38 – Miami 31

2003 – Philadelphia 31 – Dallas 7

2003 – New England 31 – Buffalo 0

Last Place Update

November 15, 2011 – As much as things change, they remain the same.  What’s the same?  Why it’s the 0-10 Colts, of course.  They lost to a struggling Jacksonville Jaguars 17-3 at home and the Colts continue their season long reign as Kings of the Cellar.  The Colts have a two and a half game lead over Minnesota, Carolina, St. Louis, and Miami, all 2-7.

What's different?  Miami's winning games.

By winning their second consecutive game over the 3-6 Washington Redskins, the Dolphins are off the Last Place radar for now.  However, because of Miami, Washington earns this week’s honorable mention.  The Skins lost five straight and face a resurgent Dallas Cowboys.

This week’s second honorable mention goes to the 4-5 San Diego Chargers, just beating out the 2-7 Carolina Panthers for the mention.  The Chargers were supposed to be the team to beat in the AFC West…well, they’re proving they can be beat, losing four straight.  This week, they go to the Windy City to face an improving Chicago Bears.

Next Loss

Here’s a guarantee.  The Indianapolis Colts will not lose this week.  Okay, they won’t lose because they have a bye.  They’ll face the Carolina Panthers next week in their quest for the first pick in the draft, the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

Speaking of the Carolina Panthers, they will visit Ford Field to play the Detroit Lions.  Upset Special?  Nah.  Detroit will take their loss to Chicago out on the Panthers.

The Rams and Arizona Cardinals won last week.  St. Louis hosts the Seattle Seahawks and is my Upset Special.  The Rams will get their third win. The Cards will get torched at Candlestick by the San Francisco 49ers.

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week: November 15,

1964 – Denver 20 – New York Jets 16

1987 – New York Giants 20 – Philadelphia 17

Today in 2003 - Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions

November 8, 2003 – Yes, we have another entry featuring the Chicago Bears.  Today in 2003, the Chicago Bears visited Ford Field to take on the Detroit Lions in a Week 10 divisional matchup.

The only scoring in the first quarter was a 24 yard field goal by Jason Hanson and Detroit led 3-0.  In the second quarter, the Bears got on the board with a Paul Edinger 43 yard field goal.  The Lions answered with a 25 yard field goal by Hanson.  Detroit led at halftime 6-3.

In the third quarter, Chicago took the lead on a 12 yard touchdown pass from Chris Chandler to Desmond Clark.  Detroit responded with Hanson’s third field goal of the day, this one from 30 yards.  At the end of the quarter, Chicago led 10-9.

Hanson kicked a 48 yard field goal, his fourth, and Detroit took the lead to stay.  The Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears 12-10.

For the Bears, Chris Chandler passed 16-28 for 149 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.  Desmond Clark had 4 receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown.  Alex Brown had a sack. 

For the Lions, Joey Harrington passed, 24-38 for 238 yards.  Scotty Anderson had 5 catches for 77 yards.  Kalimba Edwards had a sack.  Boss Bailey and Barrett Green each had half a sack.  Corey Harris had an interception.

Both teams went to 3-6.  The Bears finished the season at 7-9.  The Lions didn’t fare as well.  They finished the season at 5-11.

Trivia

• This was Steve Mariucci’s first season coaching the Lions.  He coached the team from 2003-05.  He was the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 1997-2002.
• This was Dick Jauron’s last season coaching the Bears.  He coached the team from 1999-2003.  He was the interim head coach for the Lions in 2005, when Mariucci was fired.
• Jauron played for the Lions from 1973-77.
• Bears assistant coach Todd Haley is now the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.
• Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, and Patrick Manelly are the only members of the 2003 Bears who are still with the team.
• Jeff Backus, Dominic Raiola, and Jason Hanson are the only members of the 2003 Lions who are still with the team.

Here are some historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week, on November 9,

1952 – New York Giants 23 – San Francisco 14

1975 – St. Louis Cardinals 24 – Philadelphia 23

1981 – Dallas 27 – Buffalo 14

2003 – Jacksonville 28 – Indianapolis 23

2003 – Dallas 10 – Buffalo 6

2008 – Atlanta 34 – New Orleans 20

2008 – Minnesota 28 – Green Bay 27

Game stats can be found on Pro-Football-Reference.com at Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions - November 9, 2003.