Happy 30th birthday to the Lambeau Leap!
2 Likes
10-5 with all this. Itās been a miraculous season.
1 Like
I did not watch the game, but I feel pretty sure this is not enjoyable television. FIVE completions 6+ yards from the line of scrimmage. I wonder if that is a record on 44 attempts.
Mahomes is 29th in air yards per attempt this year, only qualified QB heās ahead of there is Burrow.
https://twitter.com/ByRyanWood/status/1740069382003495357
It was a bizarre situation.
The Packers name three captains before every game (rotates every game). Those guys go out to do the coin toss. Alexander decided that because he was from Charlotte - the game was in Charlotte - that he should be a captain, even though he wasnāt named one for that game. So, he not only went out with the three captains, but called the coin toss.
From ESPN:
Alexander, who joined the Packersā three game captains Aaron Jones, Quay Walker, and Eric Wilson at midfield, called tails and won the toss.
When referee Alex Kemp asked for his choice, Alexander said the Packers wanted to be on defense, which, technically speaking, is different from choosing to defer. Had Kemp not clarified, it could have cost the Packers a possession, with the Panthers receiving the ball to start both halves.
By rule, the winner of the coin toss can choose to receive, kick off or defer the choice to the second half. Alexander saying the Packers wanted to be on defense could have been interpreted as choosing to kick off.
Itās possible the only reason Kemp double-checked and asked Alexander if he meant defer was that coach Matt LaFleur makes it a point in the pregame meeting with officials to inform them of their choice should they win the toss.
LaFleur did not sound pleased with Alexander, who was playing for the first time after missing six games with a shoulder injury.
āThat was a big mistake,ā LaFleur said of Alexanderās call. āThatās something that you review with the guys before they go out there every time about, āHey, we win the toss, weāre going to defer.ā I went to the officials before the game, made sure they knew what we were going to do. We had an incident earlier this year where we had a similar situation, so always trying to be proactive in that approach.ā
LaFleur added that he believes Kemp clarified the matter because, āI donāt think they ever want to get that [wrong].ā Alexander didnāt seem to realize his mistake.
After the game, when asked about what happened, Alexanderās response was weird, too:
https://twitter.com/mattschneidman/status/1739046338229072350
Cliffs: Alexander made himself a gameday captain, called the coin toss without permission, opted to kick rather than defer (the ref helped him clarify what he meant to prevent a fuck up), didnāt seem to understand the difference between kicking and deferring, and didnāt seem to give a shit afterward.
3 Likes
Not surprised; always been a punk.
Seems obvious what he was asking for (defense/defer).
Leave it to old white men to take this SUPER SRSLY.
1 Like
This year has been the opposite of fun for everyone on offense. Mahomes hit his breaking point a few games ago. Kelceās looked tired and pissed all season.
Hardly any games have been fun to watch. Any chance at a late game comeback that could spark the team has either been dropped by the WRs, or blown by a WR being offsides. And now the Chiefs have OT problems.
One and done in the playoffs seems most likely. But with Mahomes, Kelce and a very good defense, who knows.
https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report/status/1740121494343045508
Seems like the Broncos could get in trouble for this if itās true.
1 Like
I was kind of thinking thatās like a hilarious alpha type move to just go out there of his own volition and call the toss, but listening to him talk in that video, he seems profoundly stupid, completely full of himself, and still unaware and incurious of why his call was wrong
4 Likes
I wish I knew what having that kind of hope feels like.
You kavetched all the way through your Dolphins crushing the Cowboys. Have some faith!
LOL
Broncos deserve all of this for hiring Payton who should have got a lifetime ban for bountygate.
1 Like
good 
1 Like
āPlay defenseā being interpreted as ākickā and not defer is one of the stupidest fucking things in sports.
Problem is, thereās a defined difference between choosing to kick/play defense and defer. Itās not some secret buried deep in the rulebook.
One can argue about whether or not he should have been suspended, but he directly defied the coach. He wasnāt a captain, but decided to make himself one. The captains were told what to do if they won the toss (defer), but he decided to both call the coin toss and announce that the Packers wanted to be on ādefenseā to start, which nearly lost them a possession. He wanted to be the center of attention and the team took a backseat.
Fortunately, the ref was cool and led him to the correct response.
And then in the interview, he didnāt seem to understand or give a shit about any of it. I think if all he did was make himself a fourth captain and just shake hands at midfield, he would have been talked to and then everyone wouldāve had a laugh. And if he did everything he did, but apologized later, he might not have been suspended.
Also, there has been skepticism about his latest injury. He had been practicing for a few weeks, but didnāt play - I donāt know if it was him deciding to sit out or the trainers/coaches decided.
I have a feeling thereās more going on with him beyond the coin toss, which might have contributed to the suspension. Heās been pretty bad this season, anyway.
1 Like
Definitely agree - it should just be that if you want to kick in the first half and receive in the second, you just say that. But as it stands, there are definitions and Alexander didnāt seem to care or know about them.
Deion chose to take the ball first in OT vs. Colorado State. Which meant not only that he didnāt get the benefit of going last in the first OT, he also had to go first in the second OT, because it was Norvellās decision at that point.
Of course the national media completely ignored this indefensible coaching decision, because they were too busy fellating Deion at the time.
1 Like