NFL News
When the purveyor of any product dilutes those goods, the result is a mash of some of its better things and many of its worst.
So even if the NFL gave us a compelling matchup on Thursday, it would still be damaged. Damaged by the short week of preparation for the teams, damaged by players still hurting from a game four days ago, and damaged by its billing as a marquee game when in reality is just the only game in town.
Hence the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns. Yay us! The Jets are 1-1 and on in primetime for the second time in three weeks. Let us remind you that they are, well, no so great. The Browns? They haven’t won a game since late in the 2016 season, giving us a bit of a storyline and not much else. Will the Browns ever win? Is this the one? You can almost feel the excitement.
Almost, but not quite.
Some years ago, an NFL coach whose team was playing a Thursday night game – on the road and against a division opponent – told this reporter (then with USA Today): “We’re going to lose. We couldn’t practice Monday after all of the injuries Sunday, we had a walk-through on Tuesday and we’re traveling today (Wednesday). We’re going to lose.”
He simply accepted that. The NFL had scheduled a loss for him and his team. And he was correct. His team lost.
So it’s a jaundiced eye we turn toward Thursday night football from this couch. The product isn’t up to standard and neither is this matchup. We can wait until Sunday for our taste of the NFL.
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman
Where To Go For A Breathtaking Bike Ride
2018’s Happiest Places In America
-
Correa joined the Mets with a $315 million contract. Recently, baseball player Carlos Correa announced that he had cut...
-
Oklahoma and Texas will depart from the college sports conference at the end of the season. The Big 12...
-
Robert Kraft wants to re-sign Brady just long enough that he can retire as a Patriot. Earlier this week,...
-
The skilled third-baseman will be enshrined in Cooperstown. Scott Rolen is one of the most skilled and recognized third-basemen...
-
Brady’s 23rd football season has ended. On Monday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys went head-to-head for...
-
Smith has been fired after one season with the team. Over the weekend, the owners of the Houston Texans...
-
Pelé passed due to complications related to colon cancer. On Thursday night, the sporting world received unfortunate news: Pelé,...
-
His return heralded a victory over the Phoenix Suns. On Sunday, Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas needed to take...
-
Mayfield will be available on waiver to other NFL teams. After an underwhelming performance in his current role as...
-
Mike White led the team to a decisive victory over the Bears over the weekend. On Saturday, the New...
-
The game has been moved out of New York due to an encroaching snowstorm. This weekend, the Buffalo Bills...
-
Negative pushback prompted the team to give the role to someone else. Recently, the Brooklyn Nets have been in...