Last Place Update - August 12

This is getting to be fun. What was a dominating performance is now a real competition. The current Kings of the Cellar, the 45-69 Philadelphia Phillies, is only half a game in front of the collapsing 45-68 Miami Marlins. The Phillies are on a two game losing streak, but Miami is keeping it interesting by going on a two game winning streak. The AL's worst team right now, the 50-63 Boston Red Sox are no threat to either team by being 5.5 games behind Philly.

Today's honorable mention goes to the New York Jets. Yeah, I know it's not baseball related, but how often does a 6th round draft pick from last season seal his fate by breaking the jaw of the starting quarterback? Geno Smith will be out for six to ten weeks. An honorable mention also goes to the New Orleans Saints' defensive staff for its personnel assignment woes during the Black & Gold scrimmage. If that continues, a 7-9 record may be the least of their worries.

Okay, die-hard baseball fans, today's honorable mention also goes out to two teams. The 61-50 New York Yankees and the 61-53 Houston Astros are sporting matching four game losing streaks. The Astros are 3-7 in their last ten games while the Yankees are 4-6 in their last ten.

The defending Kings of the Cellar Champion, the 56-56 Arizona Diamondbacks, host Philly tonight. The Phillies lead the series 64-57 and are 3-2 against Arizona this season. However, the Diamondbacks won the last two games. They first met on May 7, 1998 and the Phillies won 4-1. These two teams never met in the postseason. They went to extra innings 14 times, with Philly going 6-8. Speaking of extra innings, their longest game went to 18 innings on August 24, 2013. Arizona won that game 12-7. The most runs the Phillies scored on the Diamondbacks was on August 20, 2009, when they won in a rout 12-3. The most runs Arizona scored on Philly actually happened over the last two days. The Diamondbacks spanked the Phillies 13-3 on Monday and 13-1 yesterday.

Will Philly hang on to the beer in the cellar? Will Miami take over? Will Boston continue to stand outside the door as an also-ran?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - Week 13

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. Today's entry begins on a somber note.  This past Saturday, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher murdered the mother of his three month old daughter and later committed suicide at the Chiefs' practice facility. Thoughts and prayers go out to Belcher's family, Kasandra Perkins and her family, and the Kansas City Chiefs organization.

   Now to the update...

   The 2-10 Chiefs played an inspiring game and beat the Carolina Panthers 27-21. Because of that and a Jacksonville loss, making both teams 2-10, the Chiefs are not Kings of the Cellar this week. The Jags' loss breaks the tie, so that honor goes to the Jacksonville Jaguars. After beating the Tennessee Titans at home, the Jags went to Buffalo and were dominated by the Bills. In both of their wins, Jacksonville kept the opposing teams to less than twenty points. However, in all of their losses, the opposing teams scored more than twenty points.

   And the broken record continues. This week's honorable mention, once again, goes to the 4-8 Arizona Cardinals and the 3-9 Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams lost games they could have or should have won. Their losing streak is now at eight games. Philly's new starting quarterback, Nick Foles had respectable numbers against the Dallas Cowboys, but it wasn't enough. It appears Philly's weakness is defense and Arizona's weakness is offense. The Eagles go to Tampa Bay to face an improved Buccaneers team. They have a chance for an upset, but it's only a toss-up. The Cardinals go to Seattle to play the Seahawks. Seattle is 5-0 at home. Upset Special? Maybe, but it's doubtful. Chances are, Seattle will avenge their Week 1 loss to the Cardinals.

Next Loss...

   Jacksonville hosts the New York Jets. Upset Special? Actually, the Jags have a real chance here. If the Jets continue to have quarterback problems, then Jacksonville could take advantage. The Jets are 2-2 since their bye week and have scored more than twenty points only once in that stretch. If the Jags play like they did against Tennessee, they will win. Otherwise, it's an easy loss.

   These are usually fun, but not this one...not today. The Chiefs go to Dawg Pound to face the Cleveland Browns. Upset Special? As much as it should be one, it probably isn't. Kansas City beat a Carolina team that's 3-9 and Cleveland, although 4-8 and 2-1 since their bye week,  is clearly playing better than Carolina. If the Chiefs show up with their running game, a good defense, and the same level of intensity, then they could pull off a win in the Dawg Pound. Otherwise, as with the Jags, it's an easy loss.

Here are some historical scores for teams playing each other this week, on December 4:

1977  Green Bay 10 - Detroit 9
1988  Detroit 30 - Green Bay 14
1988  Los Angeles Raiders 21 - Denver 20
1994  Detroit 34 - Green Bay 31
2005  Carolina 24 - Atlanta 6
2005  Indianapolis 35 - Tennessee 3

Today in 1986 - Miami Dolphins vs New York Jets

Today in 1986, the Miami Dolphins went to The Meadowlands to take on the New York Jets in an exciting Week 3 divisional contest between two members of the great quarterback class of 1983. The best way to describe this game is that it was a carpet bombing by both sides.

   The Jets got on the board first on a 32 yard field goal by Pat Leahy. The Dolphins responded with a touchdown pass from Dan Marino to James Pruitt. Miami led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.

   Then the scorefest began. RB Johnny Hector scored both of his rushing touchdowns for the game, putting New York in the lead 17-7. Dan Marino responded in kind for Miami by throwing touchdown passes to TE Dan Johnson and WR Mark Duper. Ken O'Brien countered Marino by throwing two long touchdown passes of 50 and 65 yards to WR Wesley Walker. The Jets led 31-21 at halftime.

   The third quarter belonged to the Dolphins. Marino threw a 46 yard touchdown pass to WR Mark Duper. Fuad Reveiz later kicked a 44 yard field goal. Marino closed out the quarter by throwing a touchdown pass to TE Bruce Hardy. Miami led 38-31 at the end of the quarter.

   But the Jets would not be denied. RB Dennis Bligen tied the game on a 7 yard touchdown run. Miami drove and took the lead again on a 4 yard touchdown pass from Marino to WR Mark Clayton. On the last play of regulation, the Jets sent the game to overtime on a 21 yard touchdown pass from O'Brien to Walker tying the game 45-45.

   The Jets got the ball in overtime. There was a controversial call on the kickoff when Michael Harper fumbled and Mike Kozlowski recovered for the Dolphins. Before Miami could challenge the call, O'Brien quickly got the offense lined up and ran a play, which was a 15 yard pass from O'Brien to WR Al Toon. The Jets drove to the Dolphins 43 yard line where O'Brien threw the winning touchdown pass to Walker. The New York Jets beat the Miami Dolphins 51-45.

   For the Dolphins, Dan Marino threw 30-50 for 448 yards, 6 TDs and 2 INTs. Mark Clayton had 8 catches for 174 yards and a touchdown. Mark Duper had 7 catches for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns. Mark Brown had 2 sacks in the game, while Hugh Green had one sack.

   For the Jets, Ken O'Brien threw 29-43 for 479 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT. Johnny Hector ran 22 times for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns. Al Toon had 7 receptions for 111 yards and Wesley Walker had 6 catches for 194 yards and 4 touchdowns. Joe Klecko had 1.5 sacks and Bob Crable had half a sack.

   The Jets improved to 2-1 with the win. They finished the season at 10-6, 2nd in the AFC East. They made the playoffs, losing in overtime in the divisional round against the Cleveland Browns 23-20. The Dolphins finished the season at 8-8, third in the AFC East and missed the playoffs.


Trivia

• There were 3 Hall of Famers present, all with the Dolphins: Dan Marino, Dwight Stephenson, and head coach Don Shula.
• This was Shula's 17th season with the Dolphins. He coached the team from 1970-95, leading the team to five Super Bowls, winning two of them (VII and VIII). He also was the head coach for the Baltimore Colts from 1963-69, winning the 1968 NFL Championship, but losing Super Bowl III to the New York Jets.
• This was Joe Walton's fourth season as head coach of the Jets. He coached the team from 1983-89.
• Shula played for the Cleveland Browns (1951-52), Baltimore Colts (1953-56), and Washington Redskins (1957).
• Walton played for the Washington Redskins (1957-60) and the New York Giants (1961-63).
• Shula and Walton were teammates with the Redskins in 1957.
• Dolphins defensive coordinator Chuck Studley was the interim head coach for the Houston Oilers in 1983.
• Jets WR Wesley Walker scored more touchdowns in this game (4) than he did for the entire season in 1977 (3),  1980 (1), 1987 (1), and 1990 (0).
• Jets offensive coordinator Rich Kotite was the head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles (1991-94) and the Jets (1995-96).
• Kotite was a tight end with the New York Giants (1967, 1979-72) and Pittsburgh Steelers (1968).
• Jets defensive coordinator Bud Carson was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns (1989-90).
• Dolphins LB Mark Brown had more sacks in this game (2) than he did for the entire season in 1984 (1), 1985 (1), 1987 (1), 1988 (0.5), 1989-91 (0). He had two sacks his rookie season in 1983 and five sacks in 1986. 
• Both teams accounted for 1,066 yards of total offense, with 884 net passing yards.
• The six touchdown passes Marino threw are the most of his career in one game. He threw five touchown passes in a game several times.
• Marino threw more touchdown passes against the Jets (72) than any other team in his career. His next most was the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts (54). His least? The New York Giants (1).

The entire game is on YouTube in 15 parts. Here are the last two segments. I make no claim of ownership of any of the videos featured.

The end of regulation. The first two minutes and fourteen seconds of the video is blank, but the game continues after that with 1:11 left.

Overtime

Game stats can be found on Pro Football Reference at Miami Dolphins vs New York Jets - September 21, 1986.

Today in 1980 - New York Jets vs Denver Broncos

Today in 1980, the New York Jets went to Mile High Stadium to take on the Denver Broncos in a Week 11 contest.

Denver got things started with a 20 yard field goal by Fred Steinfort.  New York answered with a 36 yard touchdown pass from Richard Todd to Wesley Walker.  The Jets led at the end of the first quarter 7-3.

New York added to its lead with a Pat Leahy 23 yard field goal.  Then Todd threw a 31 yard touchdown pass to Johnny “Lam” Jones.  Denver responded with a 22 yard touchdown pass from Craig Morton to Riley Odoms.  New York led at halftime 17-10.

Dave Preston provided the only score in the third quarter with a 3 yard touchdown run and the game was tied.

In the fourth quarter, Denver took its first lead since the first quarter on a 1 yard touchdown run by Jon Keyworth.  The Jets tied the game again on a 1 yard touchdown run by Scott Dierking.  However, the Broncos took the lead for good on a 13 yard pass from Morton to Rick Upchurch.  The Denver Broncos beat the New York Jets 31-24.

For the Jets, Richard Todd passed 14-25 for 218 yards, with 2 touchdowns and an interception.  Lam Jones had 5 receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown.  Ken Schroy nabbed both Jets interceptions.

For the Broncos, Craig Morton passed 27-39 for 306 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.  Dave Preston had 10 rushes for 46 yards and a touchdown.  He also had 8 catches for 67 yards.  Haven Moses had 6 receptions for 90 yards.  Riley Odoms had 6 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.  Steve Foley had an interception.

The Jets went to 2-9 with the loss.  They finished the season at 4-12, fifth in the AFC East.  The Broncos went to 6-5.  They finished the season at 8-8, third in the AFC West.

Trivia

• This was Walt Michaels fourth season coaching the Jets.  He coached the team from 1977-82.
  
• Michaels was a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers in 1951, the Cleveland Browns from 1952-61, and the New York Jets in 1963.
  
• This was Red Miller’s last season coaching the Broncos.  He coached the team from 1977-80.
  
• Denver’s assistant special teams coach/defensive assistant that season was Bill Belichick.
  
• Denver’s offensive coordinator Rod Dowhower was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 1985-86.
  
• Denver’s defensive coordinator Joe Collier was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills from 1966-68.
  
• Jets guard Randy Rasmussen was the last member of the Super Bowl III champions still on the team.  He played for the Jets from 1967-81.
  
• Broncos’ quarterback Craig Morton, wide receiver Haven Moses, and defensive back Bill Thompson were the only three players who played before AFL/NFL merger in 1970.  Morton played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1965-74.  He played for the New York Giants from 1974-76, before going to Denver in 1977, where he played the remainder of his career in 1982.  Moses played for the Buffalo Bills from 1968-72, before he was traded to Denver. He spent the rest of his career with the Broncos from 1972-81. Thompson played his entire career for the Broncos, from 1969-81.
  
• Morton passed for over 300 yards for the first time since 1970, when he passed for 349 yards with the Cowboys, spanking the Houston Oilers 52-10.

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

1969 – Buffalo 28 – Miami 3

1969 – Dallas 41 – Washington 28

1975 – Philadelphia 13 – New York Giants 10

1986 – Green Bay 31 – Tampa Bay 7

1986 – Miami 34 – Buffalo 24

1992 – Buffalo 26 – Miami 20

1997 – Dallas 17 - Washington 14

2003 – Oakland 28 – Minnesota 18

2003 – Green Bay 20 – Tampa Bay 13

2003 – Philadelphia 28 – New York Giants 10

2008 – Carolina 31 – Detroit 22

2008 – Dallas 14 – Washington 10

Game stats can be found on Pro-Football-Reference.com at New York Jets vs Denver Broncos - November 16, 1980.

Last Place Update - October 18, 2011

So much for the Cam Newton warning.  He played like a rookie quarterback against the Atlanta Falcons and threw three picks.  He still has the potential to be a very good quarterback and Carolina will improve.  Now for this week’s Last Place Update.

The 0-6 Indianapolis Colts once again earned their Kings of the Cellar title for the week by losing to rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and the 4-2 Cincinnati Bengals 27-17.  The 0-5 Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams are a close second.

Speaking of, this week’s honorable mention goes to Miami, because their loss to the New York Jets extended their losing streak to eight games.  Except for a 17-16 loss to Cleveland, the Dolphins have been easily beaten every week this season. 

A second honorable mention goes to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have also lost five straight.  Yes, they are rebuilding.  Yes, they’re not expected to do that well.  Their only saving graces are that they’re 10^th in rushing and 8^th in opponents’ passing yards.  They face the Baltimore Ravens this week on Monday Night Football for their sixth straight loss.  Look at the bright side.  They face a slumping Houston Texans in two weeks.

Next Loss…

Indy goes to the newly named Mercedes-Benz Superdome to face the 4-2 New Orleans Saints, who just got stung by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  This is their first meeting since Super Bowl XLIV.  Andy Dalton is no Drew Brees and Indy's only hope is a suspect Saints defense.  Expect the Saints to bring their A-game and spank the Colts. 

Miami hosts the 1-4 Denver Broncos.  This may be an Upset Special.  Tim Tebow starts for the Broncos.  Can Denver’s defense stop Reggie Bush?  Well…yeah, because he’s averaging 3.8 yards per carry this season.  He still dances too much.  This could be an ugly game and it’s Miami’s to lose.

The St. Louis Rams visit the 2-3 Dallas Cowboys.  Upset Special II?  Not if Dallas gets its act together.  Dallas had one of the hardest schedules up to this point in the season, facing teams that are .500 or better.  Okay, never mind.  This should be an easy Rams loss.