FOOTBALL IS BACK!! I’m as excited as anyone…but man, watching the 2nd halves of preseason football games is rough. A few thoughts on last night’s 20-18 Cowboys victory to kick off this column:
-Blaine Gabbert looked like a men among boys in the Hall of Fame game last night. 11 of 14 (two of the three incompletions were drops) for 185 yards.
-I’m completely overreacting to a game where first-stringers for both the Cowboys and Cardinals didn’t play…but I honestly believe Gabbert has a strong chance to eventually beat out Drew Stanton to be Carson Palmer’s backup QB. He was at least serviceable for a while last season in San Francisco…unlike his tenure in Jacksonville.
-I know it was a meaningless game…but I truly believe that Gabbert will start multiple games at QB for the Cardinals this season. No, he won’t beat out Carson Palmer but if and when Palmer gets hurt, I predict that the former Jaguars first round bust will be the next man up.
-Trevor Knight, the former Oklahoma and Texas A&M QB…well, not so great.
-Blowing a 15-0 lead and losing essentially on a missed 32 yard field goal by a backup kicker? Fortunately who cares…it’s only preseason!
-I’m so thrilled that Kurt Warner and Terrell Davis are being inducted into Canton this weekend. Warner had a roller-coaster career…a nobody to GREAT to awful to VERY GOOD…but he was elite for several seasons and is worthy of being a Hall-of-Famer in my book. Davis’ career was plagued by injuries but this Super Bowl XXXII MVP was among the top 3 RBs in the league for a few seasons.
-With longevity no longer a certainty for running backs, don’t be surprised going forward if we see more RBs retired before age 30 (a la Davis and Gale Sayers) enshrined in football immortality.
-With Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill dealing with an injured left knee once again, can we please finally put an end to this Colin Kaepernick free agency nonsense and get Miami to sign him? Matt Moore is a game manager who won’t win or lose many games on his own. Kaepernick might be able to inject a spark into that offense if he can once again learn how to read a defense. If Tannehill does play this season, I’m guessing he won’t last long on a balky knee.
-If only Jay Cutler and Tony Romo hadn’t retired…the Dolphins might be a good spot for both. But hey, my boy Brett Favre is available…  I’m kidding…I’m kidding!
-And after I wrote that sentence…I found this (i.e. Cutler is truly interested).
-Why are people bashing the fact that the Cubs gave a World Series ring to Steve Bartman? The guy had his life RUINED for trying to catch a FOUL BALL! Good for Cubs owner Tom Ricketts – this is the LEAST the team can do to even out for the awfulness Bartman has faced since Game 6 of the NLCS in 2003.
-Apparently the Cubs ordered 1,908 World Series rings. As a side note, I have a friend, a former long time Cubs employee, who received a ring and hasn’t worked for the team in a handful of years. Yes this is a nice PR move by the Cubs to give Bartman the ring…let’s not vilify it please.
-And PS – I still blame Moises Alou’s dumb reaction, Mark Prior’s meltdown on the mound, and Alex Gonzalez’s bungling of a routing double play ball for the 8th inning disaster that was Game 6 in 2003…NOT Bartman!
-Back to baseball on the field, I have news for everyone. No one is beating the Dodgers this season. Not happening. After acquiring star pitcher, Yu Darvish and two solid left-handed relief pitchers for not much in the way of prospects at the MLB trade deadline, this season’s champion might as well be crowned now. Sorry D-Backs fans…and Cubs fans like me hoping for a repeat.
-Speaking of the D-Backs, this article legitimately made me laugh. They’re not moving…anywhere…anytime soon. Chase Field needs some repairs and both the team and Maricopa County need to step up and find a solution. But threatening to move? It’s amateurish by the team and Major League Baseball. I wouldn’t be too concerned if I was a Diamondbacks fan.
-On the field, I have to give the DBacks a lot of credit for taking 2 of 3 over my Cubbies at Wrigley Field this week. They got destroyed on Tuesday but Zack Godley was great on Wednesday…and well, Paul Goldschmidt and his 3 HRs won the game yesterday. Arizona’s bullpen didn’t have a particularly great series but taking a road series from the second hottest team in the league is impressive.
-I’m very much looking forward to the three game rematch series next weekend at Chase Field! Cubs will get their revenge and take 2 out of 3!
-A few years ago, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester was cheered at the plate when he did anything but strike out. Getting a hit was miraculous. Therefore I never thought I’d see this day…(from Tuesday night’s game)
-Finally, which dumb coach(es) gave UofA votes in the Preseason College Football Coaches Poll? I’m about as optimistic a Wildcats football fan as anyone out there but there is no way in hell I’d ever vote them anywhere near the top 25 at this juncture. Pure insanity.
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Cohen's Corner 
Good takes. Quick thoughts on these.
Would give Gabbert an A-. Would have been an A+ before that last throw. Should have easily been a pick 6. Some guys on our flag team could have taken that back in for 6. He does that well again though he should be the #2 behind Palmer.
Thought Baker and Nkemdiche did amazing as well.
I do not think Kaepernick is being black balled but since you need to run a different offense with him in vs most other QBs, most teams probably don’t think it is worth changing the offense for a backup and the questions that will come when you sign him. Seattle was the best place for him.
Cutler absolutely plays in the NFL this season when someone goes down with an injury.
2003 Cubs I 100% agree. Alou just goes back to his position Prior doesn’t miss a beat and Gonzalez likely doesn’t make that error, which is the real reason for the game 6 loss.
Not writing the Dodgers as champs yet. Have to see good pitching perform consistently in the playoffs. Have never seen that from the Dodgers. Also their line up isn’t too threatening in the playoffs.
Think that was Goldschmidt’s MVP game. Too many MVP candidates on the Rockies, Nationals and Dodgers that will take votes away from each other.
I believe the way Arizona got two votes in the poll was someone accidentally selected or wrote in Arizona instead of Arkansas or Auburn.
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Good feedback on the Cardinals – I agree with you there. I may be a little too high on the Gabbert hype train though.
I do think Cutler stays retired…and as for Kaepernick, the only reason he isn’t signed right now is because of the kneeling craziness last year.
Goldschmidt has to be the NL MVP…but we disagree about the Dodgers. Their lineup is so darn consistent! When did Justin Turner get to be so good?
And wrong about AZ – has to be a RichRod coaching friend doing him a favor.
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No mention of LT or Jerry Jones going into the Hall of Fame this weekend…This is blasphemy!
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Both are worthy candidates of course! Jones has made a huge impact on the game since he bought the Cowboys franchise in 1988. LT was a great player…but like most RBs these days, his window of greatness closed abruptly and quickly.
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NL MVP – Should be Goldschmidt, but could see Harper stealing it because Arizona sports teams get no “National” love.
AL MVP – Has to be Altuve right now, but could Judge make a late season run for it?
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The league is catching up to Judge so I’m stick by my Altuve prediction from late-June. He just makes the Astros go.
In the NL, the Nats could survive without Harper. I don’t think the D-Backs would without Goldy.
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