Football Wrap Week 6A: More Irish Luck

I now have another reason to dislike Stanford, a program I've never been fond of since their basketball team was a national power in the mid-90's. As I wrote last week, they were my new Great Hope to send Notre Dame fans back into reality.

But in the rain of South Bend - a scene fit for poetry - their old conservative ways caught up to them as they lost in overtime. Three points I have.

1. Why did David Shaw call for 4 straight run plays up the middle on the 4-yard line? No creativity against a stingy defense. No running Josh Nunes for a bootleg or spreading out the offense to fool the defense. Hard-headed.

Football Wrap Week 5B: Mark Sanchez and the USC QB Curse

I start this week’s NFL wrap with a proclamation.

Mark Sanchez has thrown for less than 50 percent of his passes in every start this year. His passes were inaccurate Monday night. His decision-making was suspect. At this point, there’s nothing that says he should be keeping his job. But he is because the alternative is a cult hero in Tim Tebow who isn’t much better.

I don’t care if Sanchez went to two AFC title games and has no help around him. He’s not a NFL starting quarterback right now and he’s barely a capable game manager. But to be honest, it’s not his fault. It’s the USC QB curse.

In the 10 years that USC has been relevant, all of their quarterbacks haven’t panned out well in the NFL. Matt Leinart? Mentally wasn’t ready despite his gifts. John David Booty? Barely got any burn. Sanchez is next in line and unless something changes, so is Matt Barkley.

Football Wrap Week 5A: Notre Dame - Why I'm Not Thrilled They're "Back"

I guess it’s gotten too much to ignore. Notre Dame keeps on winning and we have to keep pretending they are still relevant because of their legacy.

I keep hoping teams will knock them out and remind folks that this isn’t the 80’s or early 90’s. But each week, they keep winning and the old echoes of South Bend keep getting louder and louder.

They beat Michigan State. They made Shoelace Robinson look silly in defeating Michigan. And now, they destroyed The U. A game that had to make all the former Miami players sick as the Irish scored 34 unanswered points.

This is the highest Notre Dame has been ranked since 2006.  5-0 is 5-0. I respect it. But I don’t have to like what it represents. Some Notre Dame fans getting high and mighty and pretentious. Media types saying Notre Dame is back.

Full disclosure. One of my last college friends was a proud Irish fan. A good acquaintance from college is a proud Irish fan. I don’t hate all fans. But I guess I dislike them the same way people dislike the Lakers, Yankees, Duke and all those hateable teams.

Football Wrap Week 4B: The Blues (Saints, Cam, Tony Romo and Me)

Who Dat Say Gonna Beat Dem Saints? In the words of Big and Dre "Me and You, Yo momma and yo cousins, too"#Packers #Saints #NFL
— Evan Barnes (@evan_b) September 30, 2012

2012 hasn't been kind to the Saints. They lost a thriller in the NFC playoffs at San Francisco. Then came Bountygate where the NFL accused of them of paying for big hits. Head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the whole season. And now the bottom has dropped out at they've fallen to 0-4.

If anybody is singing "Wake Me Up When September Ends", it's Drew Brees and Co. But on second thought, they might be singing Louis Armstrong "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" as they sleep on this week.

Clearly they're a team lost in the ocean. They've been in almost every game but something has fallen apart for them. Against Green Bay, they lost on a missed kick. It's the kind of loss that'll sting worse because it's almost a sign that it's going to be harder after this. Or it has to get better.

But chances are, it won't get better in the playoffs. They just gotta worry about getting back to .500
and that won't happen til November. The only thing they'll enjoy is when Drew Brees throws for a TD for his 48th straight game on Sunday for a new NFL record. Then sit back while my Chargers bring that kitchen sink to NOLA.

Football Wrap Week 4A: CFB on Steroids, Geno Smith and a Top Ten?

There were 3,160 total pts scored in 52 FBS games Tue. (60.8 PPG). Elias says that's 2nd highest avg on single day since 1937 (min. 15 gms)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 30, 2012

What happened Saturday in college football can only be described as football on steroids. An offensive explosion that showed how the game has changed up to this point. Some of the crazy numbers.

1) 5 guys passed for over 500 yards. Only 1 had done it all season so far. There were 6 performances last year total. So we’ve reached that by Week 5.

2) 2 guys had over 300 receiving yards in the SAME game. 4 more guys had 200+ receiving yards on the day.

3) Tennessee and Georgia combined for 95 points – 4 more than West Virginia and Baylor had combined after THREE quarters. Who said the SEC played defense?

Even as Beat ‘Em Down Month finally ends, that’s ridiculous. We’re seeing guys set passing records at crazy rates. You can blame the rise of the spread offenses that’s even trickled down to the HS level (and also the number of offensive geniuses in CFB).

Football Wrap Week 3B: Things Fall Apart

Pictures say a 1,000 words. I hate blaming the referees but after 3 weeks of horrible playcalling, the final play of Week 3 in the NFL season was perhaps one of the worst calls in recent memory. An interception that became a touchdown. A game-winning interception to quote somebody on Twitter.

We aren't talking about Russell Wilson playing well as a rookie. We aren't talking about the defensive efforts of both teams. We aren't talking about anything but that call. The worst possible scenario for this labor dispute has just unfolded - a game's outcome has been determined by the zebras.

Football Wrap Week 3A - Never Trust Clemson

Seems like every year Clemson tries to convince me that I’m wrong. I’m wrong for doubting any of their success. But no matter how hard they try, they won’t make these 3 words untrue.

Never. Trust. CLEMSON.

Clemson has followed this formula. Win great games. Get some national love. Get a prime time game and promptly find a way to crap the bed. Saturday was no different. Ranked No. 10, they faced No. 4 Florida State on ABC  and after taking a 31-28 lead in the third, they were gonna prove me wrong at my birthday bash.

Well an hour or two later, I checked my phone. Florida State won 49-37. Clemson gave up 21 straight points. 21!!! On national TV???? That sounds like some fraud business to me. And don’t tell me FSU is that good because clearly they are. This is about those Tigers acting like kitties once again.

Football Wrap Week 2B - The Replacements (and the NFL's Arrogance)

Week 1, I didn’t see the replacement refs mess up that much but that didn’t convince me all was well. The best thing the NFL could hope for was nobody to notice a huge mess-up and act like all was well.

That’s what happens when you patch a slow, bleeding wound with a kiddie bandage. It’s passable and you hope the wound’s manageable but you haven’t fixed the problem. Eventually it’ll get worse without treatment.

Week 2? I saw a bad call affect Tampa Bay. Mike Williams catches a great ball, takes 2 steps, gets hit and loses the ball out of bounds. Clearly he had possession but the refs said he didn’t.  CBS Sports’ Mike Freeman described otherscrew-ups as well.

Football Wrap Week 2A - Down Goes USC, Michigan State and Arkansas.

Usually I discuss USC and UCLA in a separate video so y’all can hear me discuss the local scene (which is still here) but I had to speak on something I noticed in the AP poll. USC’s steep decline from No. 2 to 13. 

*Also of note,  Stanford QB Josh Nunes and Matt Barkley came out of HS at the same time. I remember hearing a lot about Nunes in Upland despite Barkley getting all the hype. Almost funny how that worked out with them seeing each other*

Now as a UCLA fan, this is where I’d laugh and say they deserved it because they struggled most of the game. But a thought occurred to me. If these were two SEC teams playing a similar game and the higher seed lost on the road by only 7, would that team drop so steeply?

Football Wrap Week 1B (RG3's DEBUT, The Kicker and 40 Point Specials)

It was last year that I wrote about how Cam Newton had one of the most impressive debuts of anybody I had seen in any sport. He shattered the rookie record for passing yards and showed everybody that he could indeed be a passing QB, not just a runner.

One year later, what then can I say about Robert Griffin III in his debut?? 320 passing yards, 2 TD's (including an 88-yarder, the 2nd longest debut TD pass in history), ZERO Interceptions and defeated the Saints in the Superdome in front of his family and friends from New Orleans.

It's as good as you can expect a rookie to play. It's poise, command and great skill on display. It's the further evolution of the Black quarterback as a true dual-threat who can hurt you with his arm and legs.  And as Skins fan DragonflyJonez frequently announced on Twitter, he outplayed the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year in his house.

Football Wrap Week 1A (Pac-12 Makes a BIG statement)

(Trying something new this year - separating the Football Wrap into College and Pros. An attempt to keep both shorter and more focused. We'll see how this lasts)

Oregon State QB Sean Mannion helped the Pac-12 make big noise Saturday leading the upset over Wisconsin.

The Pac-12 has taken a lot of heat the last 2-3 years. USC battled sanctions, UCLA’s been embarrassing. If not for Oregon (and Rob Gronkowski's rise), the Pac-12 has had some inconsistent teams as the Ducks have been carrying the conference.

Well two weeks in, the Pac-12 is taking names and making statements. No. 16 Nebraska? Down to UCLA. No. 13 Wisconsin? Done in by Oregon State? And Oklahoma State? The team that barely beat Stanford last year in a bowl game. Outgunned and outmanned by Arizona and new QB Matt Scott.

Big ups to Oregon State also shutting down Heisman candidate Montee Ball, his first game without a TD in 22 games. They beat Wisconsin at their own game - ugly, low scoring and physical.

Football Wrap Week 0 (College FB returns on the Beat em Down Express)

It's baaaaaaaaaack! No, not college football season. The Football Wrap! Back to give you tidbits from the weekend in football. 

OSU head coach Mike Gundy: "Check's in the mail, Coach. Thanks for the scrimmage."

Week 1 of the College FB season is usually a Beat Em Down weekend so there’s almost nothing to get excited about. Top 25 teams and other folks battle cream puffs so it’s merely a good morale boost unless there’s an actual upset or marquee matchup.

The results are pretty ridiculous so if you’re looking for any analysis or insight, it’s usually with a grain of salt. I mean Oklahoma State blitzed Savannah State 84-0 so badly that proud booster T. Boone Pickens publicly said OSU needed to beef up their schedule.  Back in the day, I used to criticize some of these teams for playing weak when USC (in the Pete Carroll era) would always play somebody tough.

It’s also why I wouldn’t be opposed to starting college football polls after Week 2 or 3. 1) It’s hard to tell who’s the best when you play so many cream puffs, 2) It’d force more teams to play at least one tough non conference game. But then again, we don't want to shake the system up any more than it already is.

Football Wrap: Defense Still Dominates in NFL

So what do we know at this point, kiddies? No matter how good your offense is, come playoff time, your defense will be the deciding factor.

How else can you explain the 49ers and Giants still being here? It wasn’t just Alex Smith/Vernon Davis and Eli Manning/Hakeem Nicks. It was more of their defenses doing their part as well.

Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers had two amazing seasons which could either have them share the MVP or finish 1-2 with Rodgers winning. Yet all their throwing was no use to staring at a great defense or watching their defense finally let them down.

Consider the AFC too. Baltimore forced four turnovers on a rookie QB-led offense. And New England? Well, besides Tom Brady being Brady, ask Tim Tebow about that beating he took BEFORE halftime, let alone after.

Even in this offensive era, you still need a team to play great defense. I remember the Greatest Show on Turf being hampered by this 10 years ago. Super Bowl 34, they were up 16-0 and nearly gave the game back. The next two years, their defense let them down despite them trying to beef it up.

We all know what happened to New England in 2007, one of the greatest offenses in NFL history. Couldn’t sack Eli Manning, defend David Tyree or not let Plaxico Burress catch the GW TD wide open. Sometimes you can’t just outshoot teams off the field. Even in this offensive era, you have to have some semblance of a great D. That’s your NFL Truth from last week. On to the tidbits.

- Despite what I just said, give it up to Calvin Johnson, DeMaryius Thomas, Vernon Davis, Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles and Hakeem Nicks putting up record postseason catching numbers

- So 49ers/Saints for Game of the Year right? What more can you say. A 17-0 lead, a great comeback and a frenzied 4:02 to remember ending with the Catch 3. Vernon Davis crying reminded me of Terrell Owens crying after the Catch 2 although VD played much better than TO did.

- Want some more irony? Alex Smith got his revenge against Drew Brees and the Saints for what they did in Week 2 last year. For those who forgot, Smith led a late scoring drive against the Saints in SF only to watch Brees march down the field and set up a GW FG.

- Goodbye, Tebowmania. This is the postseason. You know? Where Brady shows his true genius. The Broncos getting housed by halftime made it feel even better.

- Genius strategy by the Pats running Aaron Hernandez out of the backfield. That’s a tight end, folks. Poetic justice of him being a factor in running his former college QB off the field.

- Joe Flacco: 4 straight seasons with a playoff win. As much as you want to love Tim Tebow, Joe Flacco just wins ball games. He wins on the road too. Quietly consistent doing his job.

- Yo, Arian Foster was a beast in defeat. Loved how he and Ray Lewis traded jerseys because if there is one person in the league you want respect from, it’s Ray Lewis.

- Eli Manning’s new nickname should be The Bride cause who dishes out revenge better? Tom Brady in the Super Bowl, now Aaron Rodgers. As much as I want the 49ers to win, revenge is a dish Eli serves as well as anybody.

Oh yeah, that pass to Hakeem Nicks before halftime was beautiful/poor D.  That’s how you kill a team’s spirit (and my blog post praising Aaron Rodgers)

Looking ahead to this week, 49ers-Giants – a rematch the game where the 49ers earned national respect shutting down Eli’s last drive. But it reminds me of another famous meeting.

10 years ago, both teams met in the wild card and it was one of the craziest comebacks/collapses I ever saw. Giants were up 38-14 and cruising in the 3^rd and all a sudden, the Niners caught fire quick. They scored 25 points and survived a botched field goal attempt for the win.

It was the last time the 49ers were in the playoffs before this year. Here they are now. Finally better. Finally back to where they used to be in my youth. I’m sure older heads will remember the 1991 NFC title game where the Giants survived a slugfest with them.

Meanwhile, I remember the Pats-Ravens game in 09. The day I realized Ray Rice was a beast and Tom Brady isn’t invincible (even though Denver and Champ Bailey showed me that before). The Ravens thrashed the Patriots in a way I hadn’t seen them look in years. Think they remember that one?

The game could hinge on how Ed Reed is feeling after injuring his foot in the waning moments of last week. It’s hard to stop Rob Gronkowski but can the Patriots stop Ray Rice and force Joe Flacco to beat them?

My picks: 49ers (Can’t go with the Midgets despite Eli swinging his Hattori Hanzo so I go with the miracle worker Jim Harbaugh) and Baltimore.  Harbaugh Bowl Part 2 for all the marbles.

Football Wrap: Playoffs, Bowls and Perspective

Let’s start with a bowl wrap first shall we?

Rose Bowl – Oregon finally gets over the hump and wins a BCS bowl game under Chip Kelly. The Black Mamba De’Anthony Thomas showed out at home with that insane 91-yard TD run and a cruise control 68-yard run (he slowed up like it was a track meet). Big ups to Darron Thomas and LaMichael James atoning for last year.

And count me as a fan of Oregon’s Chrome Dome uniforms. It makes college football cool when a team not just gets cool unis but also wins with them.

Washington State in the 98 Rose Bowl had 2 seconds to run one last play and it didn’t work. Makes me wonder why Wisconsin didn’t just do a quick play instead of spike it. A great season for Russell Wilson and Montee “Let’s Make a Deal” Ball otherwise.

OutBack Bowl – Michigan State has been in 2 of the most thrilling games this season. Great comeback and Capt. Kirk Cousins deserves to go down in MSU lore for that.

Fiesta Bowl – Andrew Luck and Justin Blackmon had excellent auditions for the NFL but a kicker didn’t deserve to decide this game. Blackmon amazed the mess out of me with his size, elusiveness, Luck ran a brilliant 2-minute offense that he should have finished had the coach let him .

Luck reminded me of John Elway’s last game. Elway led a brilliant last minute drive to give Stanford the lead. But unfortunately Cal’s special teams ran The Play. As for Blackmon, who declared for the draft in his postgame interview, he's going to make an impact as soon as he gets called on the NFL stage. What a marvel

As for OK State, I wish they would’ve had a shot against LSU. But there’s no shame in them having a spectacular season. They have a case to be ranked No. 2 depending on what happens next Monday.

Alamo Bowl – We watched the Present and the Future. Robert Griffin the Great and his tailbacks ran ragged over Washington in maybe his final game as he helped Baylor have their best football season in ages. But Keith Price of Washington had a magical day. 7 total TD’s for the former Bellflower St. John Bosco product. 

That might have been one of the most exciting bowl games I've seen. You literally had to stay tuned otherwise you'd miss the next score because no lead was safe. By the way, this is your Pac-12 QB watch next year:

Matt Barkley (USC), Darron Thomas (Oregon), Keith Price, Matt Scott (former All-State dual-threat QB here in CA now at Arizona under Rich Rodriguez). That's a deadly 4 pack, not to mention Jordan Wynn at Utah.

I have to agree with ESPN’s Gene Wojo who tweeted his frustration about college kickers being frequently put into the role to win games. Having a money kicker is extremely important and with all the specialization going into HS kickers these days, there’s no excuse for college coaches not to offer scholarships.

There’s also no excuse why in this era of spread offenses, coaches don’t take more chances to score in the end zone instead of play for the field goal.  Especially if your quarterback is elite or on a roll.

While kickers have an easy job, coaches have a job to make it easy for them instead of arrogantly forcing them to atone for mistakes. To quote Gene Hackman in The Replacements, winners want the ball and before you give the kicker a chance, give your regular offense a chance to finish what they started if they have time.

NFL Tidbits.

Matt Flynn huh? Outdueling the Lions off the bench with the greatest day in Packers QB history huh? Shout out to the Lions possibly hurting Aaron Rodgers' MVP chances, their playoff mojo and the rep that the SEC typically produces crappy QB's.

Tampa Bay ends the year losing 10 straight.  Raheem Morris went from great coach to out of a job. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (c) Gang Starr

Scariest injury news? Ryan Clark of Pittsburgh sitting out next week’s playoff game due to a sickle cell condition. Props to Mike Tomlin doing the right thing.

Another year, both my Cowboys and Chargers are out of the playoffs and nobody to blame but themselves. The Chargers shot themselves in the foot too early and too late and the Cowboys did the same. And there’s no sign of things potentially changing in 2012 now that Norv Turner will be back as Chargers head coach and Jerry Jones is still the GM.

Pardon me while I go barf in the corner. You are what your record shows and being 8-8 says the Chargers are average despite having above average parts. The Cowboys are slightly above average but can’t be a guarantee to win big games (they have before but aren’t consistent).

Congrats to Cam Newton having the greatest NFL rookie season I’ve seen since Edgerrin James. Has anybody had a better 2-year run short of winning an professional championship? JUCO Nat’l Title, NCAA Nat’l Title, Dominated as a rookie QB in record fashion.

Killin em with a smile the way I remember another rookie doing throughout his "Magic"al career 

I don’t know which offense is scarier – Green Bay, New England or New Orleans. Since I said let’s discuss the playoffs.

Denver v. Pittsburgh. Tim Tebow backs into the playoffs and will promptly be thrown out by the wolves of Steel Town. I can’t wait!! Virgo Gumbo Pick: Pittsburgh

Detroit vs. New Orleans – As great as NO is, do NOT be surprised if Detroit opens up a shocking can because Detroit’s offense can go off in an instant. Calvin Johnson remains a difficult matchup and the Saints are still smarting from Seattle running on them. Yet if Matt Flynn destroyed Detroit, what will Brees do? VG Pick: Saints

Cincinnati vs. Houston – The surprises of the season. The patchwork Texans battling injury to reach the playoffs while Andy Dalton attempts to do his Joe Flacco/Mark Sanchez impersonation. Carson Palmer, meanwhile, has to enjoy this karma at home. VG Pick: Houston

Atlanta vs. New York – You never know which Giants team will show up. The team that beat Dallas and New England and stared Green Bay in the face or the team that sputtered down the stretch. Atlanta on the road is far more overrated despite Matt Ryan and that offense. VG Pick: Giants

Drew Brees and Tom Brady both shattered Dan Marino’s record of 5,084 yards (while Maurice Jones Drew quietly won the NFL rushing title and Rob Gronkowski destroyed several TE records.). It’s impressive once you keep it in context. Marino and Elway slung that rock in an era dominated by running backs and smaller wideouts. Brees and Brady have dominated a more pass-happy era and have excelled at their craft.

Consider this though. 10 QB’s passed for over 4,000 yards. In 1996, only 3 QB’s passed for over 4,000 yards. 10 years ago (2001 season, 02 playoffs), only 2 QB’s did it – including Kurt Warner with an insane 4,830 yards. Times have changed so you can appreciate the now while acknowledging how much more special it was in the past.

If I had to vote for MVP, give it to Aaron Rodgers. The quietest 15-1 season I’ve ever seen and remarkably efficient. His defining moment is either his 6 TD game (4 passing, 2 rushing) or his 1-minute drill against the NY Giants to win the game. 

Football Wrap Week 14 - Bizarro Sunday

When I got out of church Sunday, I did my usual thing and checked the NFL scores since I always miss the early morning games. My eyes couldn’t believe what happened and it felt like the 14^th games of the season were a trip through the Twilight Zone. A recap.

Packers lose to…the Chiefs?? New coach, new QB in Kyle Orton. They didn’t just beat the Packers, they made them look average. The Packers looked completely uptight while losing for the 1st time in a year. No reason to worry though.

Colts…win?? This shocked me more than the Packers losing but to happen on the same day? Donald Brown’s 80-yard run to clinch the win was a thing of beauty. But dang Tennessee, ya’ll had to be the patsies to spoil a winless season.

Chad Ochocinco scored?? How many mothballs were both of them boys under before they finally emerged to score. I tripped out seeing #85 actually catch a ball and actually get tin the end zone.

The Panthers ran a play…inspired by “The Annexation of Puerto Rico???" (Blast Youtube for no embedding).  Little Giants was one of my favorites growing up so props to Ron Rivera and the Panthers' offensive coordinator for pulling this off.

The Pride of Compton Dominguez HS, Richard Sherman had an interception for Seattle Sunday.

Seattle put up 35….on the Bears??? I know Caleb Hanie is their quarterback but this is still the Bears defense right?

San Francisco saw the lights go out TWICE! And then turned out Pittsburgh’s lights.

Reggie Bush had 200+ yards??? I hadn’t seen him run that happy in ages and it looked like the USC Bush. Quiet as kept, dude is close to 1,000 yards on the ground for the first time ever and Miami looks like the fountain of youth for running backs. Ask Ricky Williams.

5 players scored for the Pats and not one of them was Rob Gronkowski, the league leader in TD’s. Outside of a big catch, Gronk was MIA.

The Eagles scored 45 points…on the Jets??  And Brent Celek /(above) had 153 yards after being forgotten this year? Read that again, 45 Points on the JETS!!! You need to convince me that happened.

My Chargers blasted the Ravens….by 20?? I nearly lost my mind walking out of church tonight cause I expected Baltimore to put up a fight and for Joe Flacco not to look shook. Antuan Barnes repped the name right with 4 sacks.

Yet somehow, there was some normalcy in all of this wackiness....

Calvin Johnson had 200 yards and 2 TD’s. And he was facing his usual double/triple teams vs. Oakland. And he faces my Chargers next week. YIKES!!!

Men At Work (c) Kool G Rap - Brady and Belichick did what they do best. Make inferior talent look silly.

Tom Brady beats Tebow. Big ups to the Patriots D forcing turnovers and Brady showing why making mistakes against him will cost you. All is right in the NFL universe thanks to New England and Tebow looking lost on a few scrambles showed why he’s not all the way there.

My teams shined in big wins. Dallas beating Tampa Bay with ease to move closer to clinching the NFC East. Phillip Rivers extended his December record to 23-2 and keep the Chargers in the hunt. But Calvin Johnson boy.....

The Bills guaranteed another losing season. Remember how cool it was that they were 5-2? They haven’t won since. I'm gonna keep paraphrasing Chris Berman: “Nobody….circles the drain…..like the Buffalo Bills”

Drew Brees destroyed the Vikings (304 yards away from Dan Marino’s 5,000 yard record) – Every time I look up, it seems like the Saints always beat the Vikings. And a record that I always thought Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady will pass will be done by a guy the Chargers gave up on too soon.

The Giants continuing their downward spiral after the Cowboys helped get them out of it. The flip side of Eli Manning’s comebacks is that the Giants have been inconsistent all year. Can’t Truss Em Like Public Enemy said.

To add to all the madness, I started Doug Baldwin (Seattle) and Percy Harvin (Minnesota) on my fantasy team in the playoffs. They combined for a grand total of 5 points. Meanwhile I sat Brandon Marshall and Donald Brown, who combined for 47 points. I ended up losing my matchup by TWO points.

Bizarro Sunday, ladies and gents. I had no words for it.