Happy New Year

First post of 2019, so Happy New Year to All!

 I'm going to try to post more than the NFL and sports this year, but it was Wild Card weekend so  this post will still be a lot about the Chargers.

 Wild Card Weekend
This really is a different Chargers' team. They can and do win in a different way every week. This time it was the defense and kicker Michael Badgley.

The one thing the Chargers need is a punter. Donnie Jones only getting 38 yards with the help of a good bounce.

The announcers talked about the Chargers playing three safeties like this was something put in just for the Ravens. I've mentioned it here before that the Chargers have played a lot of three safety this year. What the announcers failed to notice was that the Chargers were playing 7 DBs! Seems like the exact opposite of what you would want to do against a run heavy Ravens team, but it worked.

The redemption tour continues in New England where Phillip Rivers can get another monkey off his back. Rivers is 0-7 vs Tom Brady, including 0-2 in the playoffs.

In the "I didn't know that category," Phillip is 4-0 on Wild Card weekend. 

Spurs
Spurs organization is still the classiest in sports. Before the Raptors game they played a tribute to Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. The fans still booed.

At one point the Spurs dropped down to as low as 12th in the Western Conference. They have surged back to the 6th spot, winning 8 of the last 10 and 5 straight. Pop has reinvented the Spurs again. Spurs are winning with offense! 119, 108, 125, 120, and 122, that's the Spurs points during the 5 game winning streak.

NCAA Football 
I don't have cable so didn't see the Clemson beat down of Alabama, but it seems I wasn't the only one. The game drew a 14.6 overnight rating, the lowest of any game in short history of college football playoffs. I know it's a small sample size (just 5 years since Div 1 football went to a playoff system), but many are saying the 3rd Clemson-Alabama match up is justification for not expanding the playoffs. Especially with Alabama now appearing in 4 straight Championship games and Clemson in 3 of the last 4. But my take on the Playoffs is that it proves Div 1 college football needed a playoff. Again, small sample size, but the #1 ranked team (the one that would have been awarded the Championship pre-playoffs) has never won. Even more telling is that the #4 ranked team has won twice and the #1 team has failed to make the Championship game twice.