Becham Got My Attention - Twice
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Mark [email protected]
That’s exactly what New York Giants rookie Odell Beckham Jr. did Sunday night when the Giants hosted Dallas.
First, there was what some are saying was the best, most athletic catch in football history. Beckham leaps over a defender who was called for interference, twists his body, and makes a one-handed, three-fingered catch while falling into the end zone. If this play had been made in the Super Bowl, its legendary status would never be questioned. It shouldn’t anyway.
If you’ve seen it, it’s hard to argue the point. If you’ve not seen it, it’s well worth the time to track it down on the internet. It’s that good.
But the play that made me smile the most involved Beckham and referee Bill Vinovich calling off an unnecessary roughness penalty on Cowboys safety Barry Church. The flag was thrown originally because Church was believed to have hit Beckham out of bounds.
“There is no foul for unnecessary roughness on the play," Vinovioch announced. “The runner was still inbounds, and took a flop.”
Man, what I wouldn’t give to hear, just once, that explaination during a college basketball game.
Here’s what else in the world I’ve wondered about:
If USC beats Notre Dame Saturday in Los Angeles, will the Irish repeat what they did in 2009; decline a bowl invitation? Seems unlikely, given ND has secured a winning record for the season, and Brian Kelly isn’t necessarily on the hot seat.
Yet.
Everyone understands the defensive unit has an inordinate number of injuries; it’s possible the Irish will have seven starters out for the USC game. Frankly, the Irish could use the extra practices that come with any bowl bid. And if 2015 starts the way 2014 ended, Kelly’s chair may warm up in a hurry.
Incidentally, with a bid Kelly would be the first Notre Dame coach to lead his team to a bowl game in each of his first five years at the helm since Lou Holtz. Starting with next season’s opener, Kelly will also become the longest tenured coach at ND since Holtz.
And another thing; This is one of my favorite times of the year, with plenty of college basketball tournaments and now the big push for college bowl games going on.
This year, 76 Football Bowl Subdivision teams will receive bowl bids, and neither Purdue nor Indiana will meet the minimum six wins for bowl qualification. In this day and age, bowl eligibility is a minimal standard for a successful season, and less than half of the 128 FBS schools will stay home.
So perhaps we can make things a little more interesting, and come up with a better definition of “bad football teams.”
There should be a tournament for the remaining 52 teams. Would someone out there with a college football video game want to conduct such a tournament? Seed and bracket the teams (avoiding conference matchups and rematches as long as possible) with the losing teams advancing to the next round. Let’s say bowl eligible teams left out in the cold get an automatic first round game, while the only winless team, SMU, would get a bye.
If such a tourney existed, 35 spots would be clinched right now. Indiana and Purdue are the only two Big 10 qualifiers at the moment. Rutgers can gain bowl eligibility with a win, and the loser of the Illinois at Northwestern game Saturday will qualify for the tournament.
Incidentally, the Southeastern Conference has the fewest qualifiers to date. Vanderbilt is in, and can get Tennessee an invitation with a win over the Volunteers on Saturday. Kentucky needs a likely loss at Louisville to get in.
Among the remaining “Power Five” conferences, the Big 12 has the most teams clinched with three. Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech are in. Oklahoma State, Texas and West Virginia are all on the bubble. The Pac-12 (Colorado and Washington State) and ACC (Syracuse and Wake Forest) each have two qualifiers for the loser’s tournament at this point.
If anyone actually wants to run or participate in such a tournament, send me an e-mail at [email protected] Let’s see what we can put together![[In-content Ad]]
That’s exactly what New York Giants rookie Odell Beckham Jr. did Sunday night when the Giants hosted Dallas.
First, there was what some are saying was the best, most athletic catch in football history. Beckham leaps over a defender who was called for interference, twists his body, and makes a one-handed, three-fingered catch while falling into the end zone. If this play had been made in the Super Bowl, its legendary status would never be questioned. It shouldn’t anyway.
If you’ve seen it, it’s hard to argue the point. If you’ve not seen it, it’s well worth the time to track it down on the internet. It’s that good.
But the play that made me smile the most involved Beckham and referee Bill Vinovich calling off an unnecessary roughness penalty on Cowboys safety Barry Church. The flag was thrown originally because Church was believed to have hit Beckham out of bounds.
“There is no foul for unnecessary roughness on the play," Vinovioch announced. “The runner was still inbounds, and took a flop.”
Man, what I wouldn’t give to hear, just once, that explaination during a college basketball game.
Here’s what else in the world I’ve wondered about:
If USC beats Notre Dame Saturday in Los Angeles, will the Irish repeat what they did in 2009; decline a bowl invitation? Seems unlikely, given ND has secured a winning record for the season, and Brian Kelly isn’t necessarily on the hot seat.
Yet.
Everyone understands the defensive unit has an inordinate number of injuries; it’s possible the Irish will have seven starters out for the USC game. Frankly, the Irish could use the extra practices that come with any bowl bid. And if 2015 starts the way 2014 ended, Kelly’s chair may warm up in a hurry.
Incidentally, with a bid Kelly would be the first Notre Dame coach to lead his team to a bowl game in each of his first five years at the helm since Lou Holtz. Starting with next season’s opener, Kelly will also become the longest tenured coach at ND since Holtz.
And another thing; This is one of my favorite times of the year, with plenty of college basketball tournaments and now the big push for college bowl games going on.
This year, 76 Football Bowl Subdivision teams will receive bowl bids, and neither Purdue nor Indiana will meet the minimum six wins for bowl qualification. In this day and age, bowl eligibility is a minimal standard for a successful season, and less than half of the 128 FBS schools will stay home.
So perhaps we can make things a little more interesting, and come up with a better definition of “bad football teams.”
There should be a tournament for the remaining 52 teams. Would someone out there with a college football video game want to conduct such a tournament? Seed and bracket the teams (avoiding conference matchups and rematches as long as possible) with the losing teams advancing to the next round. Let’s say bowl eligible teams left out in the cold get an automatic first round game, while the only winless team, SMU, would get a bye.
If such a tourney existed, 35 spots would be clinched right now. Indiana and Purdue are the only two Big 10 qualifiers at the moment. Rutgers can gain bowl eligibility with a win, and the loser of the Illinois at Northwestern game Saturday will qualify for the tournament.
Incidentally, the Southeastern Conference has the fewest qualifiers to date. Vanderbilt is in, and can get Tennessee an invitation with a win over the Volunteers on Saturday. Kentucky needs a likely loss at Louisville to get in.
Among the remaining “Power Five” conferences, the Big 12 has the most teams clinched with three. Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech are in. Oklahoma State, Texas and West Virginia are all on the bubble. The Pac-12 (Colorado and Washington State) and ACC (Syracuse and Wake Forest) each have two qualifiers for the loser’s tournament at this point.
If anyone actually wants to run or participate in such a tournament, send me an e-mail at [email protected] Let’s see what we can put together![[In-content Ad]]
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