Mike Vrabel Punting Was Most Cowardly of Year
Mike Vrabel punt. | Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
Titans coach Mike Vrabel was lambasted for his decision to punt on fourth-and-2 on the Ravens 40-yard-line with the Titans trailing 17-13 in the fourth quarter. Nothing encapsulated his confounding decision more than the always-objective surrender index, which, according to them, determines how cowardly every NFL punt is, quantitatively.
Here are the numbers.
TEN decided to punt to BAL from the BAL 40 on 4th & 2 with 10:06 remaining in the 4th while losing 13 to 17.
With a Surrender Index of 138.87, this punt ranks at the 100th percentile of cowardly punts of the 2020 season, and the 99.92nd percentile of all punts since 2009. Surrender Index (@surrender index) January 10, 2021
Wesley Hitt / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Sunday s wild-card tripleheader ended with the Baltimore Ravens knocking out the Tennessee Titans, the New Orleans Saints beating the Chicago Bears, and the Cleveland Browns thumping the Pittsburgh Steelers. Let s take a closer look at some of what went down and what it means. For takeaways from Saturday s games, click here.
Holy cow, the Browns Justin K. Aller / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Who saw that coming? The Browns finally made the playoffs after 18 long years, only to have five coaches - including head coach Kevin Stefanski - and four players land on the COVID-19 list. They only practiced Friday, and they had to travel down the highway to face the Steelers in Pittsburgh, where they d lost 17 straight games dating back to 2003, including a 38-7 whipping in Week 6. It was all set up for another #asexpected Browns letdown. And then the game began.
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How to watch Alabama vs. Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl today without cable
The Crimson Tide and the Fighting Irish play for a spot in the college football championship game on ESPN.
Alabama finished this most unusual college football season with its usual perfect record. The Crimson Tide went 10-0 and won the SEC title to capture the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame joined the ACC for this season only and took a perfect record into the conference championship game, which it lost to Clemson. Despite dropping its first game of the year, the Fighting Irish claimed the No. 4 seed in the playoff over one-loss Texas A&M and undefeated Cincinnati.
With a 6-9 record in the 2020 season, the San Francisco 49ers have dealt with quarterback problems all year. Aside from Jimmy Garoppolo s recent injury history, there have also been concerns that the team might need better alternatives than their erstwhile backups at the position, Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard. With all that in mind, a recent article recommended three possible quarterbacks the San Francisco 49ers could target in the 2021 offseason, including erstwhile Detroit Lions star Matthew Stafford.
As explained on Wednesday by
Bleacher Report, Stafford won t be eligible for free agency until his contract expires after the 2022 campaign. While there may be a way for the Lions to move him during the offseason, that would result in a $24 million salary-cap hit. That, however, could potentially allow Detroit to rebuild with a new signal-caller, more money to address their weaknesses, and a long-term replacement for recently fired head coach Matt Patricia.
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Not all quarterbacks in the NFL are destined for greatness. Some have a few good years starting, then retire and enter civilian life. Others spend the ends of their careers as backup quarterbacks or playing in the Indoor Football League. And what about when the shoulder pads finally come off? Not every former player ends up as an analyst on ESPN like Matt Hasselbeck. David Garrard became a small business owner. Do remember when he was the quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars?
And if you ever wondered what happened to Jason Campbell, you’ll know soon enough! Plus, we’ll cover your favorite Pro Bowl quarterbacks and show you what they are doing now.