Scott Cordischi On Sports: Who’s The “Turkey of the Week?”
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Just six days after we celebrated Thanksgiving, the question is: who was the biggest turkey in sports over the last week?
There are many deserving candidates.
Patriots defensive end Jermaine Cunningham was suspended for 4 games by the NFL for having tested positive for PED use, but he doesn’t take home the top prize.
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Nor does Norv Turner and his San Diego Chargers who failed to stop Ray Rice and the Baltimore Ravens on 4th and 29! You read that correctly. It was 4th and 29 when Joe Flacco dumped it off to Rice near the line of scrimmage and Rice managed to maneuver his way through the Charger defense as if it weren’t even there.
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh was a very close runner-up for having intentionally kicked Houston Texans quarterback Matt Shaub in his team’s Thanksgiving Day loss to Houston.
The winner for “Turkey of the Week” goes to the National Football League.
While the NFL may be the gold standard by which all other professional sports leagues are measured, they managed to put together a very forgettable week.
First, on Thanksgiving Day, we learned of an idiotic rule that if a coach throws a challenge flag on a scoring play that his team is not only penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, but that it also eliminates the use of replay on that particular play.
We can certainly understand the 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but to then say that the play cannot be reviewed seems ridiculous! After all, isn’t the intention of replay to try to correct as many mistakes made by officials as possible? The fact that Walt Coleman and his crew failed to see Justin Forsett’s knee AND elbow touch down at the 28-yard line was a HUGE mistake that should have been corrected but the league’s nonsensical rule wouldn’t allow for it.
But the bad week for the NFL didn’t stop there. They announced days after that ruling that the rule would not be changed this season and, instead, reviewed by the competition committee this offseason.
Lastly, the league did not suspend Suh for what was clearly an intentional kick to the upper legs/groin area of Schaub. Are they serious? Did they watch that replay and really believe that there was no intent?
It would be one thing if this were Suh’s first trip to the rodeo, but this maniac has proven to be 5 beers short of a 6-pack since he entered the league out of Nebraska taking cheap shot after cheap shot to opponents, most of which he has been fined for.
This was a chance for the league to send this nitwit a strong message and, instead, they did nothing.
Congratulations NFL! You were clearly the “Turkey of the Week!”
-After leading Penn State to an (8-4) record amidst all of the turmoil the program has been through, first year coach Bill O’Brien should be “Coach of the Year” hands down in college football this year.
-Boston College almost hired former Brown and UMass coach Mark Whipple a few years ago to be their head football coach. Will they consider him again this time around?
-They should also consider current Brown coach Phil Estes.
-Count me among those who wouldn’t be disappointed if the Jon Lester to Kansas City rumors turn out to be true. Where once Lester was a likeable guy, his inclusion in the fried chicken and beer incident and his demeanor on the mound the past couple of seasons have left a lot to be desired. Not to mention his subpar performance on the bump.
-Former Boston College Athletic Director Gene DeFellippo knew what he was doing when he retired this year. It’s called beating the posse out of town! DeFellippo single handedly destroyed the school’s two most important programs – football and men’s basketball with very poor decisions on his part. History should not be kind to DeFellippo.
-To some of the talking heads on Boston sports radio this week who were talking about the Patriots offense producing 108 points over the last two weeks. 35 of those points were produced by the Pats defense and special teams. Even so, 73 points in two games is quite impressive, but let’s get it right, shall we?
-Speaking of the Pats, I’m guessing that Sun Life Stadium in Miami will be half filled with Patriots fans on Sunday.
-I’d be happy with Mike Napoli in a Red Sox uniform but I wouldn’t go overboard trying to sign him.
-If you haven’t seen Indiana sophomore Cody Zeller play yet, try to check out the top-ranked Hoosiers. This kid’s a joy to watch.
-Tulane will be joining the Big East in all sports in 2014 while East Carolina will join for football only that same year. The conference is scheduled to have 13 teams in 2014 because they are anticipating the loss of either Connecticut or Louisville to the ACC sometime soon.
-It’s hard not to be thrilled for Tim O’Shea and the Bryant University men’s basketball team that upset Boston College Sunday. On top of being a very good coach, O’Shea is a class act and someone who is easy to root for.
-The Aaron Rogers “discount double check” commercials for State Farm are pretty funny.
-Just as Tom Brady was to Drew Bledsoe in 2001, San Franciso 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is to Alex Smith.
-Yesterday we were getting 3”-6” out of this storm, today barely a coating or slushy wet snow. If only we could all be meteorologists!
-So there will be no ceremony at the State House to light the “Holiday Tree.” Ahhhh, Rhode Island, where political correctness trumps balancing the budget, keeping taxes in check and jumpstarting the economy.
-What's next? The Holiday Bunny?
