IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO TOP CHIEFS-RAVENS

 

For the National Football League ,,, not just another 

opening, another show ...

The NFL is becoming NASCAR-(un)like(able) – too 

many unnecessary rules. Saturday night … four times in 

the first half, including three during their first series at 

Kansas City, the Baltimore Ravens were called for 

offensive linemen not being close enough to the line of 

scrimmage. Who knew? … “It’s something [the NFL] 

said it would crack down on,” noted NBC’s CHRIS 

COLLINSWORTH, otherwise dismissing the latest 

nonsense that comes under the heading of illegal 

formation (too many men in the backfield, etc.) … 

Wanna bet that doesn’t last long … The first was walked 

off, negating a short second-down gain. The second 

served to offset pass interference charged to KC … the 

third wasn’t accepted … They didn’t appear to bother 

Baltimore too much, rolling to a touchdown that was 

quickly matched by QB PATRICK MAHOMES and the 

Chiefs … before the teams settled down and the defenses 

took over (sort of).

By the way … is there a player that Collinsworth doesn’t 

think is all-world ... at the very least? What happened to 

the balanced but critical when required talking head that 

has gone from best to just another hack announcer … 

who talks a lot without saying much? Just asking.

So, how in the world, did Baltimore’s “ZEROMAN” 

SMITH get away with a hard push, standing well out of 

bounds, that sent an off-balance Mahomes to the 

ground?… No big deal for Mahomes who, two snaps 

later, found a wide-open XAVIER WORTHY for a 35-

yard TD toss and a 27-17 lead.

While we’re at it … does anybody miss DAN 

PATRICK, directing the halftime show with TONY 

DUNGY and RODNEY HARRISON, as much as I do? 

He brought out the best in everyone – especially 

Harrison. JAC COLLINSWORTH, the son of, doesn’t 

cut it. In case you haven’t heard, he’s long gone on Notre 

Dame-on-NBC play by play (after two seasons).

Good luck to the rest of the NFL to beat, even match, the 

excitement, much less the finish of Game 1 of a 544-

game regular-season schedule. I mean, how often do you 

see it come down to the final play … when the trailing 

team apparently closes to one, and we see the coach 

clearly ordering a two-point conversion try, going for the 

win … only to have what originally was called a good 

catch overturned when replay showed the receiver barely 

had a tip of his toe on the line? … “He should wear white 

shoes,” Mahomes said.

Finally … wanna bet Baltimore coach JOHN 

HARBAUGH has a (cliché alert) low man on the 

(staff’s) totem pole go through the game, snap by snap, 

and count every time an offensive lineman (both teams) 

could have/should have been found guilty of (by new 

definition) “lining up in the backfield.”… They tried but, 

for a change, the officials weren’t the story ... and took 

over the game. Mahomes, LAMAR JACKSON and 

friends wouldn’t let them … If Jackson, the Baltimore 

QB, could throw long consistently, the Ravens would be 

unbeatable.

Until next time ...