Bump N’ Run w/ KT: Heartbreaking Giants Loss, What Is A Catch And Monmouth Basketball Shocks UCLA

Sunday night was a tough one for good ol’ KT as the Giants once again had victory snatched away and lost to the New England Patriots. It was a bad weekend for the local football teams for the most part as fans around the tri-state area were probably ready to either commit a crime or just sit drink heavily. Let’s get started with the heartbreaker that happened at MetLife of Sunday.

What Is A Catch?

This has been covered since the end of the Giants-Patriots game but it has stayed with me since Sunday night. The NFL has a problem with the “catch rule” and exactly what a catch is. Millions of people assumed that Odell Beckham Jr.’s touchdown catch was actually a catch, even though Malcolm Bultler knocked the ball out of his hands. The call on the field was a touchdown and since all touchdowns are reviewable, the call was overturned and the Giants settled for a field goal and ended up losing the game 27-26 ending their three-game winning against the Patriots.

With the overturned catch, pundits have begun discussing what a catch really is. Was Dez Bryant’s non-catch against the Green Bay Packers in last year’s playoffs actually a catch? What about Calvin Johnson’s non-catch against the Chicago Bears a few years ago? For the Beckham catch, he had two feet down and possession so doesn’t that constitute a catch? I don’t know but this ridiculous catch/non-catch rule cost the Giants a win against the Patriots….in addition to Tom Brady slicing up the New York defense in the last two minutes of the game.

The Jets Lost Because Of Player Execution, Not Coaching

On Thursday Rex Ryan made his return to the Meadowlands as his Buffalo Bills defeated his former team the New York Jets 22-17. The game saw two different Jet teams, the first half team resembling the 1995 New York Jets and the second half team actually looking like the 2015 Jets. This fact has nothing to do with the coaching on either side of the ball but instead it had everything to do with the lack of execution from the team.

The lack of executing came to a head when Ryan Fitzpatrick’s pass to the back of the end zone in the Jets’ next to last possession fell incomplete. On that play, where many people thought the tight end Kellen Davis did not turn around quick enough, Eric Decker was actually screened by Davis leaving Decker unable to even attempt the catch. There were many other miscues by the players but you Jet fans know those already. Do not point the finger at Todd Bowles so fast…you could have Rex Ryan back as your head coach again you know.

Around The Country

• Does anyone else believe in karma when you look at the Dallas Cowboys season right now? This is what happens when you sign low-character players.

• I am beginning to feel that Oklahoma State may run the table and crash the College Football Playoff. Their 35-31 come-from-behind win over Iowa State on Saturday night showed two things. For one it showed that playing two quarterbacks in a high-powered offense could actually work contrary to prior years. Secondly the Cowboys defense is not as bad as everyone believes as they stopped Iowa State late in the game when they needed to. If they defeat Baylor and Oklahoma, you will have a surprise entrant when the final CFP ranking is released in a few weeks.

• The Carolina Panthers are 9-0 and are one of the three undefeated teams left in the NFL as of this writing but I am not sold on this team at all. Cam Newton is playing like a MVP candidate but with only Greg Olson to throw the ball to, I don’t see the Panthers making a run in the playoffs without a viable wide receiver option. I also don’t see Jonathan Stewart staying healthy for the remainder of the season as he does have injury issues. They need more of a body of work and a win against a good team in order for me to take them seriously.

• Finally to end Bump N’ Run this week, a huge shout-out goes to my alma mater Monmouth University. No not their football but instead their basketball team. Late Friday night, my Hawks defeated legendary college basketball power UCLA in Los Angles 84-81 in the biggest win in Monmouth athletic history. During my time there, the athletic program was on the up-tick with basketball and the football programs winning multiple Northeast Conference championships but with this win, it seems that the program has turned a corner and may be one of those mid-major schools to contend with in the college landscape. Big win for King Rice and Monmouth basketball. GO HAWKS!!