Knucklehead of the Week
I couldn’t resist the opportunity to make a Michigan man this week’s knucklehead, so congratulations, Taylor Lewan. The Titans’ temperamental offensive lineman was fined $30,000 for slapping an official’s hand during Tennessee’s win over the Packers. Lewan, who has a reputation as a hot head, was ejected. He also was tossed from a game earlier this season. The fine is a good chunk of money, but Lewan will get by; he gets paid $86,000 per game.
I tried to have lunch at Zombie Dogz on Brown Street last week, just to see what all the fuss is about. Unfortunately the line was out the door and I wasn’t going to wait with a bunch of hipsters for a hot dog. I’ll try again, and hope these magical dogs are better than those dollar dogs at the Reds games.
It's Michigan Week. Ohio State did what it had to do Saturday, which means it stopped a nutty 2-point conversion try by Michigan State in the fourth quarter. The result of Mark Dantonio's ill-advised decision that snatched momentum from his team was a 17-16 Buckeyes win.
Ohio State certainly would lock up a spot in the playoffs with a win over the hated Wolverines. Michigan will be motivated after getting embarrassed last year, but because the game is at Ohio Stadium and OSU will hold a massive edge at quarterback with J.T. Barrett, all signs point to the Buckeyes. Ohio State, 30-14 (style points will matter).
BTW, I love the fact that the game is at noon. It’s amazing that the TV-friendly Big Ten didn’t offer up the game for a primetime slot.
The Dayton Flyers and their fans are shellshocked. A season that looked so promising before the death of Steve McElvene, another injury to Kendall Pollard and surgery for Josh Cunningham has turned desperate. Give the Flyers credit for late scrapiness against No. 17 St. Mary's, but they awoke too late in a 61-57 loss.
The Flyers now take a clunky offense into one of those November tournaments that have been so good to them in recent years. They can’t feel sorry for themselves, and it might be a good time for the sophomores to step up because that class looks shaky (4-for-23 from the field Saturday).
The Bengals failed in the trenches when it mattered most in Monday night's 21-20 loss to the Giants. The offensive line was a sieve on Cincinnati's final drive, well, possession. The Red Rifle got swarmed like he stepped on a hornet's nest.
Despite their issues, the Bengals still had a chance to get the football back late, but allowed the Giants to shred them on the ground in an obvious run situation. Unlike recent years, a mediocre record could prevail in the AFC North. The Bengals aren’t even mediocre.
NASCAR legend Tony Stewart will retire after today's race at Homestead, getting only a golf clap because of the Kevin Ward tragedy. His car will have a special paint job, and wouldn't it be cool if there were a mention of open-wheel racing on his Chevy? Smoke will be spending more time at Eldora Speedway in the years to come. He'd look good in one of those Earl Baltes hats.
Trending up: Kris Bryant, Frank Mason III, Jared Goff. Bryant, only 24, is the new face of baseball. He's an MVP in just his second season and is the cornerstone of a Cubs team that will be favored to repeat as world champions. He also seems like a nice guy, much more likeable that Bryce Harper, who seems more interested in his hair than working his way out of an extended slump.
Trending down: Wilton Speight, Jurgen Klinsmann, Leonard Fournette. Michigan's quarterback situation is shaky. Speight is either out for the rest of his life or enduring a minor shoulder tweak, depending on the source. If Speight miraculously recovers and suits up in six days, expect the Buckeyes defense to hit him early and often. My shoulder hurts just thinking about it.
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