The Hot Takes House 6 is open for business. These are hot takes and fun from the weekend. Send us your hot takes to ImMad@unafraidshow.com, and they may make the next week piece. Do not read any further if you are easily offended.
The HTH now has the “Winner of the Weekend” at the bottom.
Send us your hot takes to ImMad@unafraidshow.com, and they may make the next week post.
FUN FACT: Nearly 3% of the ice in Antarctic Glaciers is penguin urine.
NFL
1. The Browns stuck with Hugh Jackson for two seasons of 1 win football, but fire him at 2-5-1. How does that make sense?
They would be 4-4 if not for some horrendous officiating. The Browns had a culture of losing. That does not change overnight. The team is much improved, but now ownership loses patience? Did the fans expect a team who has won 1 game in the past two seasons to instantly figure out how to win games?
The Browns offense has struggled. That means you replace the offensive coordinator mid-season, not the head coach that all the players love. You cannot get another head coach mid-season. Even if you could, he can’t install a system, gameplan, change the culture to his own during the season.
Another botched move by the Cleveland Browns.
2. FitzMagic is back. The Buccaneers have a huge math problem.
Football math is different than real life math. 1+1=2 in math and more is usually better than less. However, in football two quarterbacks are not better than one. Shuffling quarterbacks around only confuses the team, causes locker room division, and prevents winning.
We thought FitzMagic was dead, but thanks to Jameis Winston’s four interceptions last week he rises from the ashes. Neither option is good for the Buccaneers. Ryan Fitzpatrick only plays well when he is not named the starting quarterback. When his job is in jeopardy, he plays extremely well. And Jameis Winston has just not lived up to the hype that surrounded him in college and after his rookie year.
The moral of the story is that the Bucs season is finished and they need to plan for their future at quarterback.
3. How is the NFL going to figure out the possible 4-way tie for worst team in the NFL?
The Giants, Raiders, 49ers, and Cardinals are all awful. It is mathematically possible for all of them to finish with the with a tie for the worst record in the NFL. There should be a Super Bowl for the worst teams in the NFL called the Toilet Bowl. The worst team in the league should be determined on the field, and not with tiebreakers.
Imagine a world where during Pro Bowl weekend, the two worst teams played and the winner got the #1 pick. You would have great television ratings and interest.
The good news for the league is that even though the teams are bad, they still put up a good fight for tv ratings.
4. Seahawks performed the greatest team touchdown celebrations of all time.
College Football
5. If I’m Lincoln Riley, there is no way I leave Oklahoma and take the Browns Job. He can make way more money as a college head coach, has the opportunity to be a legend, and NFL longevity is rare. He can coach at Oklahoma for 20+ years with the way he is recruiting.
There is value in stability. Most coaches don’t learn that until they have job hopped one too many times. A lot of college coaches have NFL dreams, but more and more of them are starting to realize the benefit of running a successful college program. Riley will make much more money being the coach at Oklahoma. He won’t have to move his family around, and he will have longevity.
Lincoln Riley can stay at Oklahoma, which is a top 5 college football job and be a legend. Coaching legends are made in college, not the NFL. Think about how many legendary college coaches you can casually name compared to NFL coaches. College football has, Bear Bryant, Pop Warner, Woody Hayes, Eddie Robinson, Nick Saban, Knute Rockne, Bobby Bowden, Chip Kelly, David Shaw, Dabo Swinney and 20+ more. The NFL has Lombardi, Belichick, Parcells, Noll, and Landry; then you start to slow down and use Google.
It would be a terrible decision to leave Oklahoma where he can compete for National Championships every year for the Cleveland Browns who have won three games in the last three season. The grass is not always greener on the other side.
6. I love the arrogance of Alabama fans who believe they should be unquestionably the #1 team in any poll despite planing NOBODY.
Up to this point, Alabama has only played one team within the top 40 teams in college football. I admit Bama’s dominance has been unprecedented, but their schedule has been soft. They get their first real test this week as they head to Baton Rouge to play LSU. I have had them #1 in the Unafraid Show College Football Top 10 until this past week. Clemson has displayed the exact dominance against better competition over the last few weeks.
I will admit that if Alabama will be returned to the #1 spot if they take care of business this weekend. But if they do happen to lose, I suspect Bama fans would still expect them to be #1.
7. Can Washington State win out? If they do, can they make the College Football Playoffs?
Since the beginning of the season, I have said Washington State was on the verge of a special season. I am hesitant to believe they will finish the last four games without a hiccup. They play Cal, Colorado, Arizona, and Washington. The good news is three of the four games are in Pullman. However, if they do they can absolutely make the College Football Playoffs.
Assuming Alabama and Clemson win out, Wazzu would need Notre Dame, Oklahoma, or the Big Ten Winner to lose one game. If any of those things happen, the Cougars will be a lock for the College Football Playoffs.
8. Which four teams will make the College Football Playoffs after week 10?
Right now, I have the four playoff teams as Clemson, Alabama, Notre Dame, and LSU. However, I believe the four best teams are Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, and Notre Dame.
The eye test leads me to believe Oklahoma is the second best team in the country. They have the best offense in the country. And if Oklahoma can play even a little defense, they will give Alabama fits. But, you get the rankings that you earn.
MLB
9. David Price got robbed out of the World Series MVP.
He started two games and got two wins in a five-game series on short rest and came out of the bullpen in two other games. We have NEVER seen a starting pitcher pitch in four consecutive playoff games. And we didn’t even talk about the fact that Price did it in a five-day space. He only had one rest day.
At least David Price finally shut up all the naysayers who have talked trash about his postseason play throughout his career.
10. Dodgers offense was awful in the World Series and has been awful since the NLCS. They got virtually no production from either catcher, Bellinger, Hernandez, Machado, and Taylor. Did I miss anyone?
To call the Dodgers offense anemic during the world series would be an understatement. I believe in the quote that says, “A man’s strengths flow from the same well as his weaknesses.” This quote applied to the Dodgers. The lived by the homerun swing to win their 6th straight NL West title, and they died by the homerun swing in the World Series.
The list of Dodgers hitters who hit well during the world series is David Freese, Puig with a small side of Justin Turner. As a Dodgers fan, it was so frustrating to see the number of popups and easy flyballs. As good as this team is, I am unsure if homerun ball can win a World Series.
At this point, Dodgers fans would be much happier with homegrown Corey Seager at SS than paying Machado $300 mill.
11. Dave Roberts might as well let the computer manage the games.
I think Dave Roberts is a good manager until the playoffs. Data and analytics are an important part of sports. Roberts relies on the computers and the baseball “book” way too much. Managers need to use analytics to make their lineups and set their defense. However, it is always important to remember that analytics are the predicted outcomes of hundreds or thousands of scenarios. The reality is analytics are always right in the long term. But, in the short term of one playoff series, the numbers can skew. It is extremely important for managers to use intuition, feel, momentum, and gut feelings to win playoff games.
Dave Roberts took Rich Hill out too early in the 2017 and 2018 World Series. He also put Madsen in three times for relief pitching during the World Series. Each of those times he got beat up. Everyone in the stands and at home watching on television knew what was going to happen the second and third time.
12. The Boston Red Sox had to win the World Series or their season was a complete failure.
The Red Sox had 108 wins, the best hitting team in baseball, set the single-season strikeout record for pitching and were healthy. Let’s not forget they had the highest payroll in all of baseball. Anything besides a World Series would have been an abject failure. You only get so many opportunities at championships. If Boston lost the series, this team would have been the most disappointing team in baseball history.
NBA
13. Cleveland Cavaliers proved they are the worst run franchise in sports when they fired Tyronn Lue 11 days into the season.
Bad companies run off their best talent (LeBron), let successful leaders leave (Griffin), are constantly over budget/salary yet understaffed (talented roster). The Cavs have hit the trifecta.
How on earth did you believe Ty Lue was good enough to keep as your coach when you have a championship caliber team, but somehow not good enough to coach your non-playoff roster? You have to assume that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert thinks Lue is a bad coach if he fired him 11 games into the season. So my question is, why would you let a bad coach lead your championship level team. It makes no sense and only proves the incompetence on Dan Gilbert as an NBA owner.
Cavs firing Ty Lue makes me believe Gilbert believes the same nonsense Tristan Thompson said: ‘ they should be the favored in the East. Lue was dealing with maybe the worst roster in the league and figuring out how to play without one of the best players of all time on his team.
Lue is 128-83 in his head coaching career and 41-20 in the playoffs. He has three trips to the Finals, an NBA title. He has multiple Game 7 wins. One on the road in the ECF & a Game 7 on the road in the NBA Finals.
WINNER OF THE WEEKEND
The Warriors response to Fergie’s ex-husband Josh Duhamel saying Draymond Green should apologize to Fergie for laughing at her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner was Classic.
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