SZ694

BY JIM DAWSON

DECEMBER 3, 2018

A QUESTION OF BALANCE – PATS RUN AND PASS TO BEAT VIKES 24-10

The Patriots showed the Vikings how to use both the run and the pass to overcome a tough adversary. It just took longer than Pats fans wanted. On the day, the Patriots would rush for 11 first downs and pass for 14. They used 7 different runners to gain 160 yards: Michel led the way (17 carries for 63 yards). Edelman (2/35), White (6/26), Burkhead 7/20), Cordarrelle (1/6), Develin (4/5 and 2 TDs!) and Brady 2/5 helped out. Yes, Tom Brady, feeling his oats, ran 5 yards for a 1^st down on 3^rd and 3 on their 2^nd possession.

As I mentioned last issue, the Patriots need to run to offset the opposition’s pass rush. Sunday, Brady wasn’t sacked at all and the Vikings had only 1 QB hit. On the D side, the Pats had 2 sacks (Flowers and Butler) and 6 QB hits (Lawrence Guy had 2). NE put good pressure on Vikings QB Kirk Cousins all game and he threw 2 INTs, one right after Brady threw his only INT.

Brady (24 of 32 for 311 yds.) often had all day to throw, and he passed the ball around to 8 different receivers, none named Phillip Dorsett! He had a plethora of riches with Rex Burkhead (2 for 2, 21 yards) and Gronk (3 for 4, 26 yards) in, though still shaking off a balky back. At one point Gronk was a yard from the 1^st down, but couldn’t drag the one defender for the 1^st. That’s not the Gronk we know, but we’ll take him any way we can.

The Patriots outplayed Minnesota the whole first half, and were up 10-0 when the D let down just before half. Before that last drive, Cousins was 9 of 13 for 32 yards! He was 6 for 6 for 69 yards and a 5 yard TD to Adam Thielen, his only catch of the half, as the Pats D clamped down well on him (10 targets, 5 catches for only 28 yards).

So, as a Pats fans, I was miffed that after controlling the game, the Pats let down and were only up 10-7 at half. I was even more peeved when the Vikings tied the game 10-10 (sorry, my Minnesota amigos, your defense at least played well). But the stronger team prevailed. On their 2^nd possession of the 2^nd half, the Pats had a chance for a 48-yard FG but Gostkowski had a rare miss. It didn’t help that on the ‘drive’, NE had 3 penalties on the offense. On their 3^rd possession the team went 75 yards on 4 plays. Josh

Gordon did the honors with a 24 yard TD catch. On the Pats 4^th possession at the start of the 4th quarter, Julius Edelman returned a punt 23 yards to the 50. Set up with that good field position, the Pats used a pass interference penalty drawn by Gordon, some runs and a 10 yard catch by Gordon to the 2 that resulted in James Develin’s 2 yard TD run. Aaaah! With a 2 touchdown lead, Pats fans could now relax a little. On to Miami.

LEFTOVERS (ALL STATS VIA GAMEBOOK)

Amazingly, Josh Gordon did not have a 1^st half pass thrown his way. His 3 for 3 and 58 yards and a TD in the 2^nd half made up for it.

Oddly, the Vikings went away from their run game. In the 1^st half, Dalvin Cook had 5 carries for 62 yards (12.4 avg.). He would end up with 9 carries for 84 yards (9.3 avg.). Cook was much more effective than Latavius Murray (4 for 11 yards). But Minnesota only ran the ball 13 times in the whole game. The Patriots ran it 39 times.

Penalties continue to be a bugaboo. The Pats had 7 for 60 yards. One (Brandon King) negated an Edelman return off 22 yards to the Minny 44. Surprisingly, Gronk had 3 of the penalties.

The Patriots have been looking for someone to be a goal line force capable of getting a yard or two for a TD ever since LeGarrette Blount left. They may have found that force in James Develin, who scored from 1 yard out and 2 yards out. This against the best NFL red zone defense in the Vikings. Develin started the game listed as the tight end.

Minny was 3 for 12 on 3^rd down. NE was 7 for 14.

Noticed #22, Obi Melifonwu, who is a safety. Obi is 6’4” and 224 lbs. He was added when the Raiders cut him. NE has used Chung, who is 5’11”, to guard TEs. Look to see if Obi is groomed to take that role. Melifonwu had a tackle on special teams Sunday.

BULLETS

• The NFL still doesn’t get it. The domestic abuse by KC RB Kareem Hunt is a case in point as the NFL only put him on the ‘exemption list’. When video surfaced, KC cut Hunt who had lied to them about the incident. Before you congratulate the Chiefs, be aware that they drafted WR Tyreek Hill despite knowing that he had been charged with punching his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach. The NFL doesn’t want to know.

• Saturday was a sports fan’s smorgasbord. There were NCAA football championships: Oklahoma over Texas 39-27 for the Big 12. Alabama over Georgia 38-35 for the SEC. Oklahoma’s QB Kyler Murray got them into the playoffs (CFP). However, Murray, who was drafted with the 9^th overall pick in June by the Oakland A’s, will play baseball next year. Murray, an outfielder for the Sooners, is 5’10 which is probably why no NFL.

Georgia blew a 2 TD lead against ’Bama. The Bulldogs coach, Kirby Smart, tried a fake punt at midfield with the game tied. The Tide then scored the go ahead TD. Not Smart!

• A strange side story in the Alabama-Georgia game was the revelation that the Tide’s QB Tua Tagovailoa admitted to being disciplined by his father, Galu, who would hit him with a belt if he didn’t do well academically or when playing football.

• The Bruins, doing their best despite injuries, got into a 2^nd period brawl with the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Even Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask wanted to fight Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard. After the fight ended, the Bruins PA system played Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance.

• Saturday was also NCAA basketball. Creighton gave the #1 team Gonzaga a tough fight before succumbing 103-92. Gonzaga gave Duke its first loss. The PC Friars used their inside game and good mix of youth and veterans to handle the URI Rams 59-50.

• Also on Saturday the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Wild 118-109 in Minneapolis. The Green won over the Wild whose lime green uniforms looked like popsicles.

EMAIL

I knew it was Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love” but I had to look up Willie Dixon.

Matthew Dawson

Matt, so you get partial credit. - Z

Jim - read Zine all the way thru today - I think I might just know answer to Trivia - I just put Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon "Live at the Village Gate" on turntable - with Spirit recently going thru litigation with Led Zeppelin, I seem to remember Dixon also sued Zeppelin for plagiarism - the song-I have nary a clue.

Ken Forestal

You are right, Ken. Willie Dixon. It was Whole Lotta Love. - Z

Howdy Jim. My guess is Willie Dixon who wrote a ton of great blues numbers recorded by other artists. Also, he sued Led Zeppelin for basically using his "You Need Love" (recorded by Muddy Waters) song, juicing it up and calling it "Whole Lotta Love".

Bobby Sisto

Bob, yes the answer is Willie Dixon, one of the greats who doesn't get enough credit for his songwriting and band work.

And you knew he sued and won in his lawsuit against Led Zep for Whole Lotta Love. - Z

Sportzine was written while listening to The Saw Doctors’ Sing a Powerful Song.

Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz

THE HOT CLUB

Things were a little slow so I told Foot Joy, the Bear and Beth that I had learned that a wombat’s poop is cube shaped. Within seconds, Beth showed us visual confirmation of that on her cell phone.

In a conversation with the usual cast of characters, including Special K, I mentioned that one of the only words in the English language that does not have a rhyme is ‘orange’. Shortly thereafter, Foot Joy held up his cell phone and showed us ‘sporange’. Sporange, per the Oxford Dictionary site, is a very rare alternative form of sporangium, which is a botanical term for a part of a fern. So I told Foot Joy that this was such a rare term that I refused to accept it as a rhyme for orange.

Amanda was wearing a bracelet made of bent forks. I thought she said the bracelet was made of cork. The Bear said that in Portugal a lot of things are made with cork. I told them both that we used to have spoon rings. They were made out of bent spoons.

ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION

Last time, I asked you to name the bluesman who wrote many hits that were recorded by others, played in a house band that backed many other great blues men, and who sued a major rock group over not getting credit for writing one of their big hits. Only Ken Forestal and Bob Sisto had the complete answer – Willie Dixon and the song was Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love. Matt Dawson knew the song but not the artist.

Willie Dixon wrote Hoochie Coochie Man, You Shook Me, I Just Want to Make Love to You, Little Red Rooster, Spoonful, Back Door Man, My Babe, I Ain’t Superstitious and I Can’t Quit You Baby among others. Per the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Dixon sold many of his songs for $30 each so he never got the royalties.

While at Chess Records, Dixon produced, arranged and played bass on sessions for Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson.

(Source – rockhall.com). Wikipedia noted that in 1987 Dixon won a settlement vs. Led Zeppelin for use of his music in Bring It On Home and the lyrics from You Need Love on Whole Lotta Love. Willie Dixon is in the Blues and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame.

THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION

This singer has a voice for white soul. He can play guitar, sax, and harmonica. In the ’60’s he had a top 30 hit with a group and a #10 song on his own. In the ’70’s he had a platinum album. In the ’90’s, Rod Stewart had a #5 US hit with this man’s song. Name?