Wily Coyote quarterbacks at their best under pressure

Wily Coyotes - The old guys playing quarterback lit it up early Christmas weekend in the NFL before Sunday games ever hit the RedZone channel. Then on Sunday, three more closed it out. Ryan Fitzpatrick, at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, is a 38-year-old journeyman who jokingly calls himself the Amish Rifle because of his long beard. He has played for eight NFL teams: the Rams, Bengals, Bills, Titans, Texans, Jets, Buccaneers and Dolphins. “Fitz Magic” was insane in the fourth quarter Dec. 26, leading the Dolphins to a 26-25 come-from-behind win over the Raiders. Fitz completed 9 of 13 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. He and his wife Liz have seven children, and he always wears his wedding ring on and off the field. Drew Brees led the Saints to a 52-32 win over the Vikings on Christmas Day, throwing for 311 yards and engineering an offense that saw Alvin Kamara score six rushing touchdowns, most in NFL history. Brees, at just six feet tall, is 41 years old and has a master’s degree from Purdue University. Brees holds a bunch of NFL records. He and his wife Brittany have four children. And he is wildly rich. Tom Brady, 43 years old, is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. He’s a graduate of the University of Michigan. On Dec. 26, Brady was 22-for-27 for 348 yards and four touchdowns, as Tampa Bay clinched a playoff berth with a 47-7 victory over Detroit. Andy Dalton, 33, the Red Rifle, in his first year as a Dallas Cowboys backup, torched the Eagles and sent them home for the season, engineering a 37-17 victory by going 22-for-30 with three touchdowns. Dalton is out of TCU and lives his life as a Christian first. I’ve run into those guys on the football field, but mostly have been run over and lit up by them. I know Jesus has no idea it's game day, but they don’t know that. Ben Roethlisberger, 38 years old, is 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, and father of three. He was 34-for-49 for 342 yards and three touchdowns, engineering a come-from-behind 28-24 win over the Colts to clinch a divisional championship. Big Ben is out of Miami University of Ohio. Ben’s biography on Wikipedia casts a shadow on his personal conduct over his long career, but I have no intention of adjudicating any of that in this column. On Sunday night, the quick and cerebral Aaron Rodgers, 37, a California Golden Bear out of Cal Berkeley, was at the controls in a 40-14 win over the Titans by throwing 21-for-25 for 231 yards and four touchdowns, including three to Davante Adams. Rodgers used to date race car driver Danica Patrick. Imagine sitting at a table next to them in a restaurant. I know – in 2020, imagine sitting next to anyone. Rodgers is a humanitarian, and he gives time and money to charitable causes. Perhaps that’s where his State Farm commercial money goes?  

Kevin Greene - Former All-Pro and Hall of Fame outside linebacker Kevin Greene passed away last week at the age of 58. “Great guy” is what everyone who knew him is saying, but when “no cause of death” is released on the untimely death of a famous person, then the not-famous people make up causes. My observation from a great distance with no evidence other than experience is that steroids “may” have been part of his life, but it seems no one wants to go there because Greene’s personality was ragingly positive. 

NBA game - Sit down with a $1.49 steno pad and list all 30 teams in the NBA just from inside your head with no online assistance. Then match up the mascot, head coach and at least two players on each team. Sports is about stats and attracts certain people who hide inside the matrix, flashing uncanny abilities often at the expense of social cues or jokes. I looked at the NBA standings and said to myself, “I didn’t realize there were 30 teams.” I knew a student who could name every team in every league, including the North American Soccer League, which ran from 1968-84. The stats are the social security for these individuals. I once told a press box savant that his crab cake just moved sideways and he simply made a notation that “Crab Cake” was in the game; evidently, it’s in my game as well.   

Snippets - Christmas was more flat than phat. I feel like a fat cat on a sun porch. I am hoping for winter sports to progress so I can get out there and do what I do, whatever that is. Go on now, git!