Turnabout Is Fair Play

Going to make this one brief and to the point.

It seems the American news media is leaving out one important detail about Vladimir Putin when it comes to covering the current events on the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. 

Remember when Putin put a bounty on U.S. soldiers a couple of years ago and then president Donald Trump pretty much ignored it? Well, perhaps turnabout is fair play (remember that it is said that ALL is fair in love and war) and a bounty should be placed on Putin's head. 

Send in the mercenaries and give Putin the same treatment that Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein received. 

After all, he is just as much a terrorist as they were.

Scumbag

 Simply put, this guy is a scumbag. 

Los Angeles Rams Win The Super Bowl

What a game! 

Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp holds the trophy.

The Los Angeles Rams defeated the upstart Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20 to win Super Bowl LVI on their home field at SoFi Stadium as wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the Super Bowl MVP,  hauled in two touchdown passes, including the game winner from quarterback Matthew Stafford (283 passing yards, three TD passes and two interceptions) with 1:25 remaining in the game. 

 

 

Kupp had eight receptions for 92 yards and the two scores in the game along with a huge seven-yard run on fourth down-and-one yard to go on their own 30-yard line with 4:36 left to play in regulation. Two Bengals penalties (holding and pass interference) helped the drive once the Rams got into the "red zone." Stafford connected with Kupp for the winning touchdown from one yard out and then the defense took over and squelched the Bengals offense as QB Joe Burrow was pressured and threw an incomplete pass on fourth down. 

Burrow passed for 263 yards and had one touchdown pass (a controversial 75-yard strike to wide receiver Tee Higgins) in the loss. Higgins hauled in the 75-yard scoring pass after getting away with a face mask against Rams defender Jalen Ramsey that knocked him to the ground, leaving Higgins uncontested for the catch and score to put Cincinnati ahead, 17-13 on the first play of the second half.  Higgins (four receptions for 100 yards) also had a six-yard TD reception from running back Joe Mixon on the option play that got the Bengals to within 13-10 with 5:47 left in the first half. 

The Rams scored first for a 7-0 lead when Stafford hooked up with WR Odell Beckham, Jr. on a 17-yard scoring pass with 6:22 remaining in the opening quarter. Beckham would later leave the game with a knee injury on a non contact play and did not return. Following the L.A. touchdown, Cincinnati got a 29-yard field goal from Evan McPherson to make it 7-3 but then Stafford threw for an 11-yard score to Kupp and a 13-3 advantage early in the second quarter. The score was 13-10 in favor of the Rams at the half. 

 

Bengals QB Joe Burrow and Rams QB Matthew Stafford meet up after the game.

After the big play to start the second half, the Bengals defense came up with another turnover as Stafford threw his second interception in the game off a deflection that eventually led to a 38-yard field goal and a 20-13 lead for Cincy with 10:15 remaining in the third quarter. Rams kicker Matt Gay drilled a 41-yard field goal with 5:58 left in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 20-16, setting the stage for the fourth quarter drama. 

 

 

 

The Rams defense came up big when it counted most, sacking Burrow seven times (including two each for Aaron Donald and Von Miller) in the game and pressuring him into the incomplete fourth down pass to seal the victory for the Rams.  

 

  

      CONGRATULATIONS to the LOS ANGELES RAMS - SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS! 

Super Bowl LVI Preview

 

The Super Bowl will feature the Los Angeles Rams playing the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium this Sunday and the Rams are slightly favored to win the game. They last won the Super Bowl following the 1999 season when they were located in St. Louis. 

Since then, they appeared in two other Super Bowl games and lost them both to the New England Patriots. The Bengals are appearing in their third ever Super Bowl, having lost twice to the San Francisco 49ers in previous games, following the 1981 and 1988 seasons. Both the Bengals and Rams are the fourth seeded teams from their conferences and did not face each other this past season. 

 

 

The Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 20-17 to advance while Cincinnati surprised the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-24 in overtime to get to the big game. Both teams pulled off surprises during the post-season as they face off to determine the champion for the 2021 NFL season. 

 

The Rams offense features quarterback Matthew Stafford, who finally got over the hump with three playoff wins so far after losing all three previous playoff games he appeared in with the Detroit Lions between the 2009-2020 seasons. Meanwhile, Bengals QB Joe Burrow is in his second season and has been stellar during the past couple of months, helping lead the team to this point with three playoff wins as they seek their first ever Super Bowl title. 

Bengals QB Joe Burrow and Rams Matthew Stafford are in their first ever Super Bowl.

Los Angeles thrives when their offense is clicking with Stafford hitting wide receivers Cooper Kupp (the leading receiver in the entire NFL this past season with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns) and Odell Beckham, Jr. who was a mid-season pickup from the Cleveland Browns. Tight End Tyler Higbee and WR Van Jefferson are other prime targets in the passing game. The running backs are Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson, who both average over four yards per carry and can catch the ball out of the backfield. 

On defense, Aaron Donald (12 1/2 sacks in regular season) leads the way and is flanked by Von Miller and Leonard Floyd (nine sacks) to form a serious pass rush. In the secondary is cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who had four interceptions this past season and safety Taylor Rapp, who also made four picks. The Rams defense has allowed 55 points through three games in the playoffs.  

The Bengals seem to be a team of destiny as they stormed back from a 21-3 deficit to win on the road against Kansas City two weeks ago. Burrow completed 70 percent of his pass attempts this year and his main target has been rookie wideout Ja'Marr Chase, who set an NFL record for rookies with 1,455 receiving yards on 81 receptions, which included 13 touchdowns. Along with Chase is Tee Higgins (74, 1,091 yards and six TD) and Tyler Boyd. The tight end is C.J. Uzomah, who is coming back from a knee injury to play in this one. Running back Joe Mixon ran for 1,205 yards and scored 13 touchdowns and is a dual threat, having made 42 receptions, including three scoring passes from Burrow. 

Defensively, the Bengals have caught fire at the right time, allowing just 59 points through three post-season victories. Trey Hendrickson led Cincinnati with 14 sacks this year while Sam Hubbard (7 1/2 sacks) and Larry Ogunjobi (seven sacks) bolster the pass rush. Linebacker Logan Wilson had four interceptions while Eli Apple, Mike Hilton and Chidobe Awuzie each had two picks. 

The key to success, as always, will be in avoiding turnovers in this game. If the Rams can get after Burrow with the tremendous pressure they bring on defense and force mistakes, then they should be on their way to a championship. But remember that Burrow was sacked nine times by the Tennessee Titans defense and the Bengals still prevailed. Rams QB Stafford also has to avoid mistakes that in the past have proved costly. One "X factor" could be Bengals rookie kicker Evan McPherson, who has been perfect on all field goal attempts in these playoffs while Rams kicker Matt Gay has been up and down throughout. Both kickers have made game winning kicks this post-season, but McPherson holds the edge.

The Bengals seem to have a certain mojo happening and it really reminds this fan of the way the New York Giants got hot at just the right time when they upset the New England Patriots twice in Super Bowls following the 2007 and 2011 seasons. Many felt they had no right being there in the first place, but they proved all the doubters wrong by winning those games. The choice here is the Bengals will do likewise, cashing in on an opportunity late in the game to defeat the Rams.

                        PREDICTION  -  Cincinnati Bengals 24, Los Angeles Rams 21