Oil Spill

By: Mike Rifkin

On Thursday the Edmonton Oilers fired head coach Dave Tippett. The Oilers returned from the All- Star Break with back to back losses to the Vegas Golden Knights and the Chicago Blackhawks. Edmonton was outscored 8-1 in those two games. Tippett was 95-62-14 as the Oilers head coach and 1-7 in the playoffs. Edmonton currently sits in fifth place in the Pacific Division, six points out of third place in the division and five points out of the second wild card spot. Edmonton started the season 16-5-0 and are 7-13-3 since. Tippett will be replaced by Jay Woodcroft who coaches the American Hockey League affiliate in Bakersfield. 

The Oilers have two of the five best players in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatil. Both have won Hart Trophies and both are in the top three in the Art Ross race right now. After the firing of Tippett, McDavid is now on his fourth coach in seven seasons and Draisaitl is on his sixth coach in eight seasons.  In the McDavid /  Draisaitl era the Oilers have only advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs once and that was the 2016-17 season. 

Dave Tippett was the fall guy, but a lot of the Oilers problems start with Hall of Fame General Manager Ken Holland. Holland was very busy last offseason. He signed Zach Hyman from the Maple Leafs to a seven year 38.5 million dollar contract with an average annual value of 5.5 million dollars per season.  Holland also traded for former Norris Trophy and Conn Smythe winner Duncan Keith. Keith who is 38 years old has two years left on his contract at 5.538 million dollar AAV. Duncan Keith is a future Hall of Famer for sure but for the Oilers to take that whole contract is bad business. Holland re-signed former first overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to a eight year 41 million dollar contract with an AAV of 5.125 million dollars. Nugent -Hopkins has 33 points in 37 games this season but only six goals. They also re-signed defenseman Darnell Nurse to a eight year 74 million dollar contract that kicks in next season. Nurse had a career high 16 goals last season, this season Nurse has four goals and 19 points in 37 games. My issue here is not with these players they are very good but if you add McDavid (15.3), Draisaitl (10.4), Nurse (6.9), Keith (6.8), Hyman (6.7) and Nugent -Hopkins (6.3) they take up 52.4 % of the Oilers salary cap. 

But the real reason I will never take Edmonton as a serious Stanley Cup contender is their goaltending. Mikko Koskinen has a record of 16-8-2 with a Goals Against Average of 3.15 and a save percentage of .900. Mike Smith who has been out most of the season with injuries has a 2-4-1 record with a 3.83 Goals Against Average and a .890 save percentage. Smith will also turn 40 in March. They have to figure a way to upgrade that position and they have seen multiple goalies on the market at times. 

Hockey fans would love to see McDavid make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ken Holland has to figure a way to make this happen otherwise McDavid could potentially ask out of Edmonton.

Brian Flores lawsuit

By: Mike Rifkin

Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the NFL, New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins accusing them of sham interviews, incentivizing losing and pressure to improperly recruit players. Flores was fired after three seasons as Dolphins head coach posting a record of 24-25 and had a winning record the last two seasons. 

As of this writing there is only ONE African American head coach in the NFL and that is Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Sreelers. This past season there were three with David Culley who coached the Texans joining Tomlin and Flores. Culley was fired after one season even though most people were impressed with the fact he won 4 games with a roster that isn’t very talented. One of the worst kept secrets in the NFL was that Culley was going to be a one and done coach, but who knows if the 66 year old gets another opportunity to be a head coach. Flores is currently a finalist to replace Culley but hasn’t been hired yet. The prime example of somebody not getting a second chance is former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell. Caldwell coached the Colts for three seasons and even went to a Super Bowl. He also coached the Lions for four seasons and had ONE losing season and went to the playoffs twice. Caldwell had a winning record with the Lions. Caldwell did interview for the Jaguars and Bears head coaching vacancies, but ultimately did not get either. Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric Bienemy has interviewed for jobs the past couple of seasons and has yet to be hired.  The NFL has the Rooney Rule which requires teams to interview minorities for a coaching or front office position. Teams have used this rule to their advantage just to eventually get the guy they want. The NFL needs to change the Rooney Rule somehow. Now the other thing is I wish teams were transparent on why a certain guy was fired or why they didn’t hire someone. There are three prominent people who I would like to speak up on the issue of the lack of African American head coaches and they are Mike Tomlin, Tony Dungy and Marvin Lewis. Dungy was the first African American head coach to win a Super Bowl, and Marvin Lewis was the Bengals coach for 16  seasons and led them to seven playoff appearances, but those two voices along with Tomlin should speak up on this issue.

The other part of the lawsuit I want to talk about is Flores says in 2019 that Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross offered him 100,000$ to lose games intentionally for a better draft pick. If this is true Ross has to sell the team immediately. Why would a guy getting his first opportunity want to throw games knowing in all likelihood he could get fired for it and if it came out he would never get a second chance. To intentionally tank is something else the NFL and all major sports need to take a look at. But to ask a first time coach to tank is wrong, knowing if it came out he wouldn’t get a second chance. 

At the end of the day the NFL is a multi billion dollar industry, but it needs to get with the times. Stop protecting people like Stephen Ross and Daniel Snyder and say they are bad for the game. In 2022 there shouldn’t be one African American head coach, the NFL has to figure out a way to make the hiring process more fair.

NHL AWARDS

By Mike Rifkin

We have reached the NHL All Star break and here are my picks for the NHL awards along with the biggest surprise and disappointments from both conferences.

HART : Alex Ovechkin Capitals: The Capitals Captain has 29 goals and 58 points in his age 36 season. He is on pace to have a career season as he approaches the All Time goal scoring record. Ovechkin is 13 points ahead of the second best scorer on Washington who have been hit a bit by the injury bug. Other two finalists: Jonathan Huberdeau Panthers, Leon Draisatil Oilers. 

Norris: Cale Makar Avalanche: Makar leads all NHL defensemen in goals with 18 and is third in points for the first place Colorado Avalanche. 5 of Makar’s 18 goals are game winning goals. Other finalists: Victor Hedman Lightning, Adam Fox Rangers, Roman Josi Predators. I know there are only three finalists but all four of these defensemen are having tremendous seasons. 

Vezina: Igor Shesterkin Rangers: Rangers goalie has a record of 22-5-2 with a 2.10 goals against average, .937 save percentage and 3 shutouts. Goals against average is third, save percentage is second and he is tied for third in shutouts in the NHL. He has been fantastic for the surprising Rangers. Other potential finalists Frederik Anderson Hurricanes, Juuse Saros Predators, Andrei Vasilevskiy Lightning, Jacob Markstrom Flames

Jack Adams: John Hynes Predators: This is probably the most difficult one for me because there are 6 very good choices. The reason I went with Hynes is because of how deep the Central division is and Nashville is currently second in that division. Other candidates: Dallas Eakins Ducks, Craig Berube Blues, Gerard Gallant Rangers, Andrew Brunette Panthers, Mike Sullivan Penguins, Rod Brind’Amour Hurricanes.

Calder: Trevor Zegras Ducks. The young centerman is tied for second among rookies in points. Zegras also has the best assist of the season and a lacrosse goal. But the reason I put him over Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider is where Anaheim is in the standings. Anton Lundell of Florida is also having a tremendous season. 

Biggest Surprise East: New York Rangers. This can be conceived as a homer pick but if you were to tell anyone at the All Star Break that the Rangers would be in second place in the Metropolitan Division I would have said there is no way. Igor Shesterkin has been sensational. Chris Kreider is having a career year hitting 30 goals for the first time in his career, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad have been great for the Blueshirts. 

Biggest Disappointment East: New York Islanders. I want to preface this by saying I do believe the Islanders can make a run in the second half. But this team has been to back to back Conference Finals and has a lot of talent. In the first half they averaged 2.36 goals per game and only two teams scored fewer, the Coyotes and the Canadiens. 

Biggest Surprise West Anaheim Ducks. Similar to the Rangers I don’t think most people expected the Ducks to be in a playoff position. But the youth movement in Anaheim and John Gibson’s stellar play has Anaheim thinking playoffs. The Ducks will be interesting come the March 21st trade deadline they have three key players Rickard Rakell, Hampus Lindholm, and Josh Manson all pending unrestricted free agents who they could move for more future assets. Ducks fans haven’t been this excited since Gordon Bombay coached them.

Biggest Disappointment West: Winnipeg Jets. The Jets are too talented to be sixth in the Central Division.  Kyle Connor has been awesome for them, but they need more offense from Mark Schiefle who has 10 goals in 36 games and Blake Wheeler who has 2 goals in 28 games. Connor Hellebuyck has been very good with a 2.90 GAA and a .910 save percentage

Four Teams To Watch

By: Mike Rifkin

As we approach the NHL All Star break it means we are at about the halfway point of the regular season. Which means the trade deadline and playoffs are fast approaching. This article will look at four teams who are currently outside of the playoffs who I think can make a run in the second half. 

New York Islanders: I actually picked the Islanders preseason to win the Metropolitan division and why not because they did go to the Conference Finals the last two seasons. Currently they sit 17 points out of that second wild card spot but have five games in hand on the Bruins. In order to make this run the Islanders need to start scoring. They average 2.38 goals per game and the only two teams with fewer are the Canadiens and Coyotes. Three players who need to pick up the goal scoring for them are Anthony Beauvillier who has six goals in 34 games played, JG Pageau who has five goals in 35 games played and Kyle Palmieri who has one goal after signing a four year 20 million dollar contract this offseason. If the Islanders pick up their goal scoring you have to believe in Barry Trotz’s system which has led them to back to back Conference Finals.

Detroit Red Wings: To be honest I only put the Red Wings here because I really don’t trust anyone else in the East. ( side note still weird to call the Wings an Eastern Conference team). Detroit sits nine points back of the Bruins for the second wild card and the Bruins have three games in hand. But if you were to ask Red Wings fans how excited they are with their progress they would be ecstatic. The Wings have two potential Calder Finalists in Defenseman Mortiz Seider and Winger Lucas Raymond ( I hear everybody loves him) who currently sit third and fourth on the team in scoring. But the brightest spot for the Wings is that captain Dylan Larkin who has stayed healthy leads the team in goals and eventually they will get Jakub Vrana back from a shoulder injury. He had eight goals in 11 games for Detroit after coming from the Capitals. Now I don’t expect Detroit to get in. I expect General Manager Steve Yzerman to better his team if not for now for the future. The most dangerous team is a team without expectations. Now if Detroit wants to make a run they have to play better on the road they have a 6-12-3 record on the road.

Dallas Stars: Currently Dallas is tied for the second wild card but I still don’t believe they have played their best hockey. Two years ago the Stars were playing in the Stanley Cup Finals and it is relatively the same core of players. Goalie Jake Oettinger has been tremendous for them with a 11-4-0 record, a 2.43 Goals Against Average and a .913 save percentage. Braden Holtby also has a .913 save percentage along with a  2.76 Goals Against Average and a record of 9-9-1. The  Stars top line of Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz are the top three scorers and are having tremendous seasons. They need a little bit more offense out of captain Jamie Benn who has 19 points in 42 games. They also need to figure out what they are going to do with John Klingberg who is a free agent after the season but has requested a trade. Dallas is a very dangerous team in the second half if their Stars shine bright.

Vancouver Canucks:  Vancouver sits four points out of the second wild card and nine points out of third place in the Pacific Division. Since Bruce Boudreau took over for Travis Green the Vancouver Canucks have played very good hockey. Offensively JT Miller has given them a spark with 15 goals and 44 points in 42 games played.  Forward Elias Pettersson has four points over his last five games and is playing with more confidence. Goaltender Thatcher Demko has been the one constant all season. He is 17-14-2 with a 2.57 Goals Against Average and a .918 save percentage. If the Canucks want to make a run they need to do two things. One is to improve on their league worst 69.5 percent penalty kill which has been bad all season long. The other is they need some more contributions offensively from players like Nils Hoglander and Vasily Podolkolzin who combined have 15 goals on the season. Vancouver averages 2.43 goals a game with the talent they have that number should be a little higher. 

TWIW V

By Jeff Knapp

Danhausen is All-Elite !!!

On Sunday, January 23, at The WRLD On GCW at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, Nick Gage, and Matt Tremont defeated Mark and Jay Briscoe for the GCW Tag Team Championships.

With Mickie James heading to the WWE Royal Rumble as Impact Knockouts Champion, the WWE has also offered Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay, formerly known as Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, the chance to compete in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble, which they declined the offer.

IMPACT Wrestling is teaming with Dory Funk Jr. and B. Brian Blair of Fingertip Productions and Diamond Dallas Page for a new unscripted series called Pro Wrestling Challenge.
According to a press release, IMPACT Wrestling, Dory Funk Jr., B. Brian Blair and Diamond Dallas Page have teamed with executive producer Joel Eisenberg for a new show that “focuses on the real-life sacrifices and dreams of a group of pro wrestling students presently enrolled in wrestling schools around the country.” Compared to the Oscar-nominated documentary Hoop Dreams, Pro Wrestling Challenge will present a “stark, truthful portrayal of pro-wrestling stars.”
Unlike other competition-based reality shows, the contestants will not share living quarters. They will remain in their own homes. “Some are homeless,” adds Blair. “They have literally given everything for their dreams.”

It appears that former WWE Champion Big. E is now on Smackdown.

WWE – RAW – Go Home Show For The Royal Rumble

The show starts with the weigh-ins for Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley for their WWE Title match at the Royal Rumble.

Bianca Belair vs. Queen Zelina – Belair connects with the KOD for the pinfall victory

WWE United States Championship: Damian Priest (C) vs. Kevin Owens – Owens wins via DQ when Priest refuses to break it up in the corner after the count of 5

Tamina, Carmella & Nikki A.S.H. vs. Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan & Dana Brooke – Rhea Ripley gets Carmella to tap out to her standing figure 4 submission.

Alpha Academy Academic Challenge for RK-Bro, which is a spelling bee. Orton misspells Dumbell on purpose.

Randy Orton vs. Chad Gable – Randy Orton his Gable with an RKO out of …..you guessed it, nowhere

Alexa Bliss is back in therapy and talks about how she met Lili

Austin Theory is backstage with Mr. McMahon, who wants another selfie from Theory

AJ Styles vs. Austin Theory – AJ connects with the Phenomenal Forearm for the 1-2-3

Rey Mysterio hypes up the WWE 2K22 game coming out on March 22, 2022

The Street Profits vs. The Mysterios – Rey connects with the 619 and pinfall

Miz’s “Must-See Birthday Extravaganza” For Maryse, which is crashed by Edge & Beth Phoenix, ends the show.

NXT

Dusty Classic, Round One Match: MSK vs. Jacket Time – Carter with a knee strike to Kushida. Carter and Lee attempt their MSK double-team finisher, but Kushida gets the knees up. Kushida picks the arm, and Carter senses what’s coming. Kushida looks for his trademark submission, but Carter’s fighting it! With quick assistance from Lee, Carter picks up the tight win! Next week they’ll face Edris Enofé & Malik Blade.

Falls Count Anywhere Match: Solo Sikora vs. Boa – Solo hits the Uso Splash through a table for the pinfall victory.

Duke Hudson vs. Guru Rhaaj – squash match – Hudson nails Guru with a razor’s edge for the 1-2-3

Six-Woman Tag Match: Toxic Attraction vs. Kay Lee Ray and Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta – Dolin attempts an inside cradle, but Pirotta hits Gigi with a running boot then connects with a modified facebuster slam for the victory

Dusty Classic Round One Match: Chase University vs. the Grizzled Young Veterans – GYV hit a double codebreaker on Hayward for the win. With that, they will face the Creed Brothers in the next round.

Io Shirai vs. Tiffany Stratton – Io connects with her top rope moonsault for the 1-2-3

OllieJayy performs her new single, “Make Them Fall.”

Main Event: North American Number One Contenders Main Event Match: Tony D’Angelo vs. Cameron Grimes – Grimes hits his Cave In finisher for the pinfall after interference from Pete Dunne

Bron Breaker is shown leaving the arena, but LDF drives up and threaten him Tommaso Ciampa walks up and says he’s got the champ’s back as we now have a huge tag team main event match next week on NXT

AEW – DYNAMITE

TNT Championship Unification Ladder Match: Sammy Guevara vs. Cody Rhodes – In the end, the two begin trading shots on opposite sides of the ladder. Sammy hits Cody with one of the hanging belts, knocking him down to the mat below. He then unhooks both TNT Championship belts to win the match and become the Undisputed TNT Champion.

Handicap Match: Wardlow vs. Elijah Dean & James Alexander – We immediately see Wardlow nearly take the heads off of Dean and Alexander with a big clothesline. He then begins the powerbomb symphony on Dean then again to Alexander for the easy 1-2-3

Chris Jericho, Santana & Ortiz vs. Daniel Garcia & Team 2point0 – Jericho connects with a Judas Effect that sets up the pinfall victory for Santana & Ortiz. He leaves without them and yells something at them from the entrance aisle. There is some trouble within The Inner Circle.

Promo announcing that in 2 weeks Hangman Page & Lance Archer will fight in a Texas Death Match

MJF & Punk have more war of words, but The rest of the Pinnacle takes out Punk

Jade Cargill announces that Julia Hart will be her next opponent for her TBS Women’s Championship.

“Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Red Velvet – Hirsch get the 1-2-3

Unsanctioned Lights Out Match: Adam Cole vs. Orange Cassidy – They go all over the place, including backstage. In the end, with OC down, Cole makes his way to the top of the rafters by the entrance area and does a big pose once up there; however, the camera shot and his viewpoint are both such that no one realizes that Cassidy isn’t down below any longer but right behind him. Cassidy grabs hold of Cole and makes the big leap. The two crash down through some tables and production equipment below. He puts an arm over him and gets the three-count.

IMPACT

Chris Bey vs. Jake Something – Jake plants Chris with a spin-out powerbomb for the 1-2-3

The Guerillas of Destiny come out and attack Jake Something. “Speedball” Mike Bailey tries to make the save, but Jay White comes out and beats him down too.

G.O.D. Inform The Good Brothers that they are here and want the IMPACT World Tag-Team Championships. They claim that IMPACT is their house now.

Honor No More vs. IMPACT 5-On-5 Match Set for No Surrender by Scott D’Amore. It will be Chris Sabin, Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Rhino & Josh Alexander vs. Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, PCO, Vincent, and Maria Kanellis?? We’ll see if a 5th guy will be added. If the ROH alum wins, then they all get Impact contracts. If they lose, then they are out of there.

The Influence vs. The Inspiration – Cassie Lee connects with a code red like move on Kaleb for the pinfall

Gail Kim sets up an eight-Man Tag-Team match for next week. It will be “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Jake Something, Ace Austin, and Madman Fulton vs. Chris Bey, Jay White, and The Guerillas of Destiny.

9-on-1 Handicap Match: W. Morrissey vs. The Learning Tree – Morrissey dominated the entire Match against these “wrestlers.” I’m sorry, this was straight-up garbage—these guys were horrible to even look at.

Johnny Swinger vs. JONAH – JONAH lands a huge body breaking splash on Swinger for the easy 1-2-3.

PCO vs. Chris Sabin – The finish saw Maria distract the ref, allowing Mike Bennett to shove Sabin off the top. PCO is hitting the Electric Chair Drop for the pinfall victory.

WWE – SMACKDOWN

SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair starts off the show in the ring by cutting a promo about how great she is and what to look forward to at the Royal Rumble. She is then interrupted by Shayna Baszler, Aliyah, Natalya, and Shotzi Blackheart. Flair insults them until Sasha Banks comes out and all hell breaks loose. Leading to Sasha throwing Charlotte over the top rope.

Sheamus & Ridge Holland vs. Cesaro & Ricochet – Cesaro misses a blind tag from Sheamus to Holland, allowing Holland to end the match with a headbutt–wearing his protective mask–and pinning Cesaro.

Naomi vs. Sonya Deville – Naomi hits the Rearview on Deville, follows it up with a split-legged springboard moonsault, and covers for the three!

After the match, Sonya Deville announces that she’s entering the Royal Rumble tomorrow to get revenge on Naomi.

Jinder Mahal & Shanky vs. Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs – Boogs ends the match with his new finisher, the Boogs Clues–a power slam.

Main Event: The New Day vs. Madcap Moss & Happy Corbin – Big E takes the blind tag. Big E and Kofi work together to hit the Midnight Hour and pick up the win.

Seth Rollins Confronts Universal Champion Roman Reigns gets under Roman’s skin in the ring. Rollins insults Roman’s entire family, calling his cousins, siblings, parents–the whole bloodline–a joke. Reigns smack the mic free, and the two have words off-mic. Reigns attempt a Superman Punch, but Rollins has him scouted and ducks under, escaping up the ramp.

AEW – Rampage

Jon Moxley vs. Anthony Bowens – Mox connects with his finisher for the 1-2-3. 

We see Bryan Danielson watching backstage and taking an interest in Mox.

FTR vs. Lee Johnson & Brock Anderson – Arn Anderson attack Tully Blanchard at ringside as he tries to get involved. Still, FTR connects with a spiked pile driver double-team finisher for the pinfall victory. 

TBS Women’s Championship: Julia Hart vs. Jade Cargill (C ) – Jade hoists her up and hits her Jaded finisher for the pinfall victory.

AEW Tag-Team Championship: Private Party vs. Jurassic Express ( C ) – Private Party looks for the Gin ‘N’ Juice finisher, but Jungle Boy counters with a Canadian Destroyer. Luchasaurus hits the ring, and they hit the Jurassic Express finisher for the pinfall victory to retain the titles. 

After the match, The Gunn Club attacked the J.E., leaving them beaten in the ring.

Re-Writing History

By: Mike Rifkin

On Tuesday the Baseball writers association of America elected one player into the 2022 Hall Of Fame class. That player is former Red Sox DH David Ortiz who was in his first year of eligibility and received 77.9 percent of the vote. Ortiz, a three time World Series Champion, World Series MVP, and ALCS MVP hit 541 homeruns in his career and was one of the most clutch players of his era. Ortiz was associated with PED usage but never tested positive for any substance. Do I think Ortiz is a Hall of Famer? Yes there is no doubt in my mind that Ortiz belongs in the Hall of Fame. 

The other big story that came from Tuesday’s announcement is that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were NOT elected into the hall by the voters in their final year of eligibility. In 2014 the hall changed the process of a player being on a ballot from 15 years to 10, if 15 was still the number I do believe Bonds and Clemens would be in the hall of fame. Bonds, the all-time home run record holder, was also a seven time MVP, 14 time All Star, eight time gold glove winner, 12 time Silver Slugger and a two time batting champion for the Pirates and Giants. Bonds was the most feared hitter of his era. Bonds in his final year collected 66 percent of the vote.

Roger Clemens was a former MVP, seven time CY- Young award winner, 11 time all star, seven time ERA leader, and two time World Series Champion who won 354 games and had a career ERA of 3.12. Clemens also won the pitching triple crown twice. The pitching triple crown is leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts.  In his final year Clemens collected 65.2 percent.

The baseball Hall of Fame is a museum of the history of the game. Voting is a privilege for the Hall but if you are going to vote for one individual associated with steroids you should put them all in with the asterisk we believe these guys used. But if they never failed a test how could you do that? One of the biggest blunders in the hall as we talk about steroid era players being in the hall or not is the fact that the man who oversaw baseball at the time Bud Selig is in the hall of fame. Now if he knew this was happening under his nose and he did nothing to stop it but he gets rewarded is very confusing. In his first year on the ballot Alex Rodriguez collected 34.3 percent of the vote it will be interesting how far he moves up. Because if Rodriguez gets in then there should be an uproar over Bonds and Clemens. The Hall of Fame is a place of history and whether Baseball likes it or not the steroid era is a part of baseball history so either all associated go in or nobody should go in.

The Gamble Is Paying Off

By: Mike Rifkin

This past offseason the Los Angeles Rams decided to go all in, and that has led them all the way to the NFC Championship Game. On Sunday the Rams defeated the reigning Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-27. And all three of the major additions had a major impact in the win.

Matthew Stafford, who was acquired in the offseason from Detroit in exchange for Jared Goff and two first round picks, had a really good season but struggled with turnovers down the stretch. But the acquisition of Stafford would not be judged until the playoffs. In the Wild Card Round against the Cardinals Stafford didn’t have to be his best but he did go 13-17 for 202 yards and two touchdowns. On Sunday against the Bucs Matt Stafford had to be at his best and he was going 28-38 for 366 yards and two touchdowns, he also had a rushing touchdown. After the Bucs rallied to tie the game Stafford had 42 seconds to go down the field. And he did in two pass plays to Cooper Kupp, the NFL’S leading receiver, which led to a Matt Gay game winning field goal. 

Odell Beckham who was signed as a free agent after the Browns released him has found a home with the Rams. On Sunday against the Bucs Beckham had six catches for 69 yards and averaged 11.5 yards per catch. For the Playoffs Beckham has 10 catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. In the regular season Beckham had 27 receptions for 305 yards and five touchdowns. Beckham’s role got bigger once Robert Woods tore his ACL and Beckham has stepped up.

At the NFL trade deadline the Rams made another major splash trading 2022 second and third round picks to the Denver Broncos for Von Miller. Miller was the Super Bowl 50 MVP, had four tackles, a sack and a forced fumble Sunday against the Bucs. Miller in 2 games this playoffs has 10 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble. Miller may not be the same player he was during his Broncos days but his presence alone helps Leonard Floyd and Aaron Donald create pressure on quarterbacks. 

The only thing standing in the way of the Rams going for their second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons are their division rival the San Francisco 49ers. A team the Rams have lost to six consecutive times and wouldn’t be in the playoffs had they not come back from a 17-0 deficit to beat the Rams in week 18. If the Rams are going to win the NFC Championship the guys that they went all in with have to be major factors and if they are, the gamble has paid off.

TWIW – This Week In Wrestling

By Jeff Knapp

Just days after William Regal was released by the WWE, we found out that Tommy Dreamer put out a proposal to Regal to come to Impact in some type of capacity. Regal’s 90 day no compete clause expires on April 5th

 Tommy Dreamer said: “If you look at management, and you look at, let’s say, the New York Giants, their G.M. is retiring, and then there goes the head coach that he picked. There goes everyone associated with that person. Triple H is no longer in charge, and everyone associated with him is gone. The only guy who’s remained is Shawn (Michaels), but Shawn was a Vince guy before he was a Triple H guy. Regal, the moment I heard (he was let go), I shot him a text and said, ‘If you want to be a commentator at Impact or if you want to be a General Manager figure, just let me know.’ He will have something when he chooses to.”

Congratulations to Deonna Purrazzo for winning the ROH Women’s title

Mustafa Ali has requested his release from the WWE. On Twitter he put out the following statement “I have a message that is much bigger than my dreams in pro wrestling,” Ali wrote via his official Twitter page this afternoon. “Despite my best efforts, I will not be able to deliver this message while working with WWE.” “Therefore, I am requesting my release from WWE.”

As of this writing the WWE has not granted Ali his release from the company.

Earlier this week the WWE announced that they are officially returning to Saudi Arabia next month and they will present the Elimination Chamber PPV from the Jeddah Superdome

AEW star Cody Rhodes is currently not under contract with AEW as either a wrestler or an EVP. He is scheduled to wrestle Sammy Guvarra to unify the TNT Championship

Happy 50th Birthday to R-Truth

With NJPW returning to AXS TV with new programing on March 3rd, they will run past matches leading up to that date.

AXS TV’s complete New Japan Pro-Wrestling Classic Lineup is as follows:

Thursday, January 20: Wrestle Kingdom 12, Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho

Thursday, January 27: Wrestle Kingdom 12, Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito

Thursday, February 3: G1 CLIMAX 28 Final, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi

Thursday, February 10: New Beginning in Osaka: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White

Thursday, February 17: Best Of The Super Juniors 26: Juice Robinson vs. Jon Moxley

Thursday, February 24: G1 CLIMAX 29 Final, Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White

Upon being officially brought over from NXT UK to NXT, WALTER had his name changed to Gunter Stark, which was then shortened to just GUNTER. 

Tom Hannifan is now the official play by play announcer for Impact Wrestling. He was previously better known as Tom Phillips in the WWE.

WWE 2K22 will officially launch on March 3rd with Rey Mysterio on the cover and multiple versions available including a NWO edition

Sami Zayn has resigned with the WWE. The length of the contract has not been released

Jon Moxley returns to AEW after being away getting himself better. One day at a time. We have your back

The updated card for the NWA Powerrrtrip ppv is:

“I Quit” Match: Nick Aldis vs. Thom Latimer

NWA World Women’s Championship: Kamille (c) vs. Taryn Terrell

Chelsea Green vs. Kylie Rae

Tyrus, Marshe Rockett and BLK Jeez vs. Cyon, Mims, Rush Freeman, Mims, and Alex Taylor

WWE – RAW

Bianca Belair & Liv Morgan vs Doudrop & Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch – Doudrop turned on Lynch to steal the pin for their team. 

Non-Title Match: United States Champion Damian Priest vs Kevin Owens – Owens win with the Stunner. 

Austin Theory vs Finn Bálor – Theory picked up the clean win over Finn Balor

Rhea Ripley vs Nikki A.S.H.  No Contest – Zelina Vega & Carmella distracted Rhea and allowed Nikki to attack Rhea and the match never happened.

Omos vs Reggie w/ 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke – The entire match was less than 1 minute. The bell rings, Omos chokeslams Reggie, Omos wins. 

Eight Man Tag Match: The Street Profits & the Mysterios vs the Dirty Dawgs and Apollo Crews & Commander Azeez – Ford pick up the win for the Profits & Mysterios by hitting his Frog Splash

Main Event: Bobby Lashley w/ MVP vs Seth Rollins – Lashley won by DQ when the Hurt Business (now only Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin) attack Bobby Lashley. After the match, Lashley took out the Hurt Business and the Usos showed up and attacked Seth Rollins.

NXT

Grayson Waller vs Dexter Lumis – Waller win after his new bodyguard attacked Lumis when the referee was distracted. 

Dusty Classic Opening Round Match: Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen vs the Creed Brothers – the Creed Brothers picked up the double team win to advance to the semi-finals. 

Dante Chen vs Guru Raaj – Dante Chen won by Disqualification when a returning Duke Hudson attacked him shortly into the match

Ivy Nile vs Kay Lee Ray – Nile won after Rose distracted Ray. After the match, Toxic attraction clashed with Ray and Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta.

Dusty Classic Opening Round Match: Malik Blade & Edris Enofé vs Legado del Fantasma – Malik & Edris pulled off the upset after Santos Escobar’s attempt to distract them backfired, leading to Bron Breakker literally carrying Escobar to the back

Dakota Kai vs Yulisa Leon w/ Valentina Feroz – Kai picked up the win after a great kick to the face.

Main Event: WALTER vs Roderick Strong – WALTER wins after connecting with a powerbomb. After the match WALTER announces the winner of the match is GUNTER….his new ring name. The night ends when Imperium and the Creed Brothers hit the ring and all six men began to brawl.

AEW – DYNAMITE

Adam Cole & Britt Baker vs. Orange Cassidy & Kris Statlander – Britt goes through a table which enrages Cole, and when Cassidy has his back turned, Adam takes him out and nails him in the back with his exposed knee for the win

A segment in the back that leads us to believe there is trouble in the Inner circle between Jericho and Ortiz and Santana.

Shawn Spears vs. CM Punk – Punk hits the GTS very quickly on Spears for the win

Cody Rhodes delivers another amazing promo and talks about how he built the forbidden door

Malakai Black & Brody King vs. The Varsity Blondes – The house of Black pick up the pin fall victory

Frankie Kazarian vs. Lance Archer – Archer hits a chokeslam, then connects with the rip-code into the hell-a-coaster. Finally Archer hoists Kazarian up to the top and brings him off the top with his Blackout finisher for the pin fall victory.

Skye Blue vs. Serena Deeb – Deeb applies the serenity lock for the submission victory.

Main Event: The Acclaimed vs. Darby Allin & Sting – Allin connects with his Coffin Drop finisher for the 1-2-3.

IMPACT

Chelsea Green vs. Tasha Steelz (Knockouts #1 contender) – Steelz connects with a crucifix bomb for the 1-2-3.

Decay vs. The Influence – Rayne and Dashwood score the victory after Rosemary gets injured and the two beat Havok in an impromptu two-on-one handicap match.

We get a promo: The Quintessential Diva is Coming!

VSK & Zicky Dice vs. W. Morrissey – Morrissey dominates and gets the east pinfall victory

We are informed by Scoot D’Amore that W. Morrissey will get his shot at the IMPACT ppv No Surrender

ROH World Championship: Jonathan Gresham (C) vs. Steve Maclin (Pure Rules) – with Macklin unable to use the ropes to break the hold, Gresham locks in the figure 4 and while Macklin is in pain, he leaves his shoulders down for the 3 count.

Doc Gallows & Joe Doering vs. Heath & Rhino – 

Winners: Doc Gallows & Joe Doering

Main Event: Charlie Haas vs. Josh Alexander – “The Walking Weapon” earning the “W” with an ankle lock submission.

After The Match: Honor No More Invades Again which leads to Chris Sabin, Willie Mack and Rich Swann to come out and help.

WWE – SMACKDOWN

The show starts out with The Usos accepting  tag match that if they lose, they can’t be ringside at the Royal Rumble, but if Seth loses, he will forfeit his match against Roman

 Sir Kofi Kingston w/ Big E vs Madcap Moss w/ Happy Corbin –  Raw’s Big E showed up to support Kingston as Woods is still out on injury. Kingston defeated Moss with a non-finisher jump kick. 

 Natalya vs Aliyah – Short match that saw Aliyah win by DQ when Natalya refused to heed the ref’s warning. Post match, Xia Li “the Protector” saved Aliyah from a post-match attack.

The Viking Raiders vs Los Lotharios – Short match that saw the Raiders pick up the win with the Viking Experience.

 SmackDown Women’s Championship Contenders Match :Charlotte Flair(c) vs Naomi – Sonya Deville appointed herself the special guest referee and, in a throwback to the  Montreal Screwjob , Deville claims Naomi tapped in a Figure Four when she clearly didn’t. Even McAfee references Bret Hart/the screwjob.

 Ricochet vs Sheamus w/ Ridge Holland – Short match that saw Sheamus return to an impressive form as he picked up the easy victory in short fashion.

 Main Event Special Stipulation Non-Title Tag Match : Seth Rollins & Kevin Owend vs The USO – Rollins picked up the DQ win when Roman Reigns attacked. The Usos are now barred from ringside during the Universal Championship match in eight days.

DALLAS VS 49ERS

NOT THE RUNNING OUT OF THE CLOCK WE WANTED

By Mark Halpern

   As you are all very well aware, I am a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, and I am doing my best in corrupting my kids and getting them to go along with it. What I witnessed on Sunday afternoon was yet another game in which the Cowboys had an excellent chance in moving forward this past weekend but, whether it was rivalry jitters, the wrong game plan, lousy coaching and any other excuse that we Cowboys fans can make come to the surface isn’t going to change the fact that the season is over yet again for the Cowboys.

    Before I get started on my problems, I will be the good Dallas fan I am and I’m going to congratulate the 49ers and wish them luck in Green Bay because they are going to need it.

    Now back to the issue at hand. What happened in Arlington this past Sunday was not a first. We have seen this team get exploited this past season by the hands of different teams they should have beaten. First Tampa, the Cowboys, lost a game they should have won due to terrible placekicking. The Bronco game was another team with weapons, but they shouldn’t have matched and won that game. How about the Arizona game late in the season? Arizona was depleted on both offense and defense, and they still came in underdogs and took care of business. However, for Arizona, it is over for them as well. Those 4 games made all the difference this season. Add those 4 games and make them wins. Dallas would have been the #1 seed. However, you show your vulnerability when you underestimate your opponents and take the game cautiously. One of the big things is that the Cowboys were not good at all this season when having to come back from being down most of the game. 

     Next, I am moving on to the injury front. Offensive lineman Tyron Smith has been injured a lot again this season, and that’s a player you visibly miss because he blocks the weak side of Dak. Why the hell was Zeke Elliott playing with a partially torn PCL. Tony Pollard IS more than a capable back. He could have been the prime starter while Zeke had surgery. If Zeke had surgery early in the season, the Cowboys would be in the territory of Tennessee with them getting Derrick Henry back and at almost 100%. Dak’s calf injury shows why Dallas must prioritize getting a better backup Quarterback. Look, I like Cooper Rush but, he isn’t a viable backup. There will be plenty to pick from after this season, and anyone knows Dallas overpays for players, so they will all be jockeying for position after the season. Other injuries happen and sometimes at the worst times. Losing Gallup on the last game of the season to a torn MCL hurt but, Cedrick Wilson played well in his absence, making his case for next season.

   The game itself was disgraceful. Dallas not putting up more than 7 points in the first half was Ludacris. You could see Zeke was slow but, when you are Elliot, you get the say, not the coaches, and that’s a problem. The penalties killed them as well. You can’t win a game if you commit 14 penalties. Now, mind you, some of them were terrible calls, but you can’t fight city hall. The one penalty that killed Dallas was the hold by Gregory at the end. Ok, I am setting the record straight here; Gregory thought it was the running back and tackled the guy. Unfortunately, it was an offensive lineman, and it became the holding call that killed us. So, in the words of Bill Murphy, “I Absolve you.” Overall, the Dallas defense, while giving up penalties, kept the game close. Deebo was a beast, and he was ready for the task of taking it to one of the best defenses in football. 

     So now that I cleared my mind of all the crap let’s get to the Elephant in the room. Obviously, the final play with 14 seconds is the play I am referring to. Dallas was just about 46-47 yards away and had time for 2 plays. However, that isn’t what happened. On the final play, Dak took off running up the middle and knowing you have no timeouts, you don’t try for extra yards; you slide early and get up and spike it with 2 seconds to go, and you would have been at the 35 for a final play. The ref bumping into Dak bothered me but, he was trying to spot the ball, and it’s the rule you can’t spot the ball yourself, and that is the 2 seconds Dallas needed to try for one more play. Dak tried to make the play of the year but failed.

   Now I am a die-hard, all go, non-stop Dallas Cowboy fan, and I will be loyal to them to my final breath. I love the Cowboys, and we need to bring back the Lombardi Trophy to Dallas. In Conclusion, stay tuned to Halpern’s Final Offer on the network page and on our live shows, as I will explain over the next few months what they need to do to rebuild this team and make changes. 

Ranking The Coaching Vacancies 

By: Mike Rifkin

There are currently eight teams in the NFL that have a head coaching vacancy. The Broncos, Jaguars, Raiders, Dolphins, Giants, Bears, Vikings and Texans all have openings and there are pros and cons to all of these teams. Let’s rank all the vacancies from worst to best.

8) Texans: The Texans fired head coach David Culley after one season. Culley actually did better than a lot of people would have imagined winning four games for the Texans. The story in Houston will continue to be what happens to quarterback Deshaun Watson who didn’t play for the team this season due a legal situation where Watson was accused of 22 sexual assaults and misconducts. Prior to the allegations Watson did tell the Texans he did want to be traded. Rookie Davis Mills did show some promise. It is going to take some time for the Texans to be competitive in the AFC. 

7) Giants. The Giants fired head coach Joe Judge after two abysmal seasons. General manager Dave Gettleman retired after four seasons. Gettleman has put the Giants in a tough spot based on contracts he handed out the Giants have no cap space this offseason. Over the past five seasons the Giants are tied for the worst record in the NFL.  I want it to be noted that I believe there is a lot of talent on this roster especially on offense with receivers Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney and Darius Slayton. The major question the Giants have to answer is Daniel Jones, the quarterback of the future. The team has until May 3rd to decide if they are picking up his fifth year option. I would NOT pick up the option. Don’t allow a new general manager and new coach to inherit the same quarterback. 

6) Jaguars. Hand up I want to put them higher on the list but can’t. Urban Meyer was fired for being a clueless idiot and doing things real coaches don’t do. But this is a job I really like because whoever becomes the coach inherits Trevor Lawrence who struggled as a rookie but has a ton of upside. Another reason I would put this job higher is there is no expectation of winning right away so a first time coach may get an opportunity to build the team the way they want. 

5) Bears: Head coach Matt Nagy was fired by the team after four seasons and two playoff appearances. If someone takes the Bears job they inherit Justin Fields who showed some glimpses in his rookie season. David Montgomery when healthy is a very good running back. Plus a defense that is still very talented led by Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn who broke the season record for sacks in a season. The Bears will also have 34 million dollars in cap space this offseason. But the biggest thing for me is there is a chance the Bears will not have to play against Aaron Rodgers if he were to leave Green Bay this offseason.

4) Dolphins. The most shocking fire came from Miami where after three seasons Brian Flores was relieved of his duties. Flores was 24-25 in three seasons and his team showed a lot of fight. Whoever gets the gig has to answer one question: Is Tua Tagovailoa their quarterback? Defense is elite, they really need to get some offensive playmakers and work the offensive line. The Dolphins have around 68 million dollars in cap space which right now is tops in the NFL. 

3) Raiders: Made the playoffs this season. Derek Carr is a very underappreciated quarterback, Josh Jacobs is a solid running back. Need to continue to develop the offensive line but the biggest negative is the division where they play Mahomes and Herbert twice a season. The Raiders have about 39 million dollars in cap space this offseason.

2) Vikings: Mike Zimmer was fired after eight seasons as the Vikings coach. He had a record of 72-56-1 and a 2-3 postseason record. An explosive offense of Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen should be appealing to any coaching candidate. Like the Bears if Aaron Rodgers leaves Green Bay the door is wide open for the Vikings to control the AFC North

  1. Broncos: Vic Fangio was fired after three seasons going 19-30 in those seasons. Denver has a lot of talent on offense with Jerry Jeudy, Cortland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Noah Fant. Javonte Williams had a good rookie season. Their defense allowed the third fewest points at 18.9 points per game. Defense also was 8th in yards allowed giving up 326.1 yards per game. Denver has been missing a quarterback since Peyton Manning retired and landing a big head coach could sway a major quarterback into playing for the Broncos.