Overruled

Pandemic? What pandemic? You didn't really think the National Football League was going to let a little old pandemic stop it, did you? No, sir. The calendar has rolled around to September again; and although we may remain locked in the grip of the worst health crisis of our lifetime, there's too much money to be made. So - pandemic be damned - the NFL is going full steam ahead with its 2020 season. Well, at least that's the plan. Indeed while the NFL is open for business, it certainly won't be business as usual. I mean, football (and the other sports too) with no fans in the seats? It just ain't right. But I guess it's better than no football at all.

Anyway, I waited until Labor Day (6 days ago) to consult my crystal ball, aka CB2, and get its forecast for the 2020 season. And, I don't know, maybe it got confused because there weren't any preseason games this year to get at least a glimpse of how all teams are going to look .... because its prediction for the two teams it expected to meet in Super Bowl 55 was so ludicrous that it was flat out unacceptable. So, like a 5th grade teacher unhappy with shoddily done homework turned in by a student, I instructed CB2 to "do over."

10 Down, Victory To Go

I have to admit it was looking kind of bleak. It was just past the midway point of the 4th quarter of Super Bowl 54 and the Kansas City Chiefs were trailing the San Francisco 49ers 20-10. The Chiefs' normally explosive offense hadn't scored a touchdown since the 1st quarter, had turned the ball over on both of their possessions in the 2nd half (on the first 2 postseason interceptions of Patrick Mahomes' career) and was facing a 3rd and 15 from their own 35-yard line. But little did we know it (although we should have) the situation wasn't bleak at all. Actually the Chiefs had the 49ers right where they wanted them.

You remember what happened next. A blown coverage by the 49ers left WR Tyreek Hill open for a 44-yard reception to convert that 3rd and 15. And all of a sudden, like one light turning on and the one right next to it shutting off, the Chiefs could do no wrong, while the 49ers collapsed like a house of cards. Three Kansas City touchdowns in a span of 5:01 later it was S Tyrann Mathieu (not 49ers CB Richard Sherman) and teammates celebrating under a confetti shower (photo above) after the Chiefs had won 31-20 for the franchise's first Super Bowl victory in 50 years.

DG177 - Part 1

Never mind that the 2019 NFL season is already finished, here in the House of Dread my calendar says that it's still 2018. So now - finally and better late than never (right?) - are some of the photos I saved of the NFL's players with dreads from the 2018 season, all crammed into one mega dread gallery. Part 1 of DG177 focuses more on the dreads themselves, and then in Part 2 we'll look at some of the accomplishments and happenings and highs and lows involving the players. There are so many photos available (close to a thousand) for every NFL game; and although I'd love to, there's no way for me to view all of them. So I apologize if there are no photos of your favorite players or dreads. I'm only including the best of the few that I saved.

When I said mega dread gallery, I meant it. There are even more photos than usual. But hey, a lot of us have a lot of time on our hands these days, so there's no reason for you rush through it. Take your time, and hopefully you'll enjoy.

And away we go.

1. We begin the "Helmets Off" section with a look at Saints RB Alvin Kamara with his dreads flowing at full blast for a change as he stretches before the preseason Week 3 game against the L.A. Chargers. Once the regular season began though more often than not he kept his dreads reduced, which unfortunately has been his custom throughout his career (although I am happy to report he finally broke that custom in 2019).

DG177 - Part 2

Now for the rest of Dread Gallery #177, and we'll continue our look at the 2018 NFL season with some of the plays where players with dreads on opposing teams encountered each other.

1. CB Lafayette Pitts gets credit for the Bills' 1st tackle of the season - and picks up their first penalty of the season as well - as he gives rookie WR Janarion Grant a rude welcome to the NFL at the 20-yard line on the opening kickoff of the Bills-Ravens game. Pitts' facemask penalty was offset by an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Ravens, so the ball remained at the 20. This was his only tackle of the game. It was the only kickoff return for Grant, who also had 54 yards worth of punt returns - 51 on the punt return featured in Part 1 and just 3 yards combined on his 5 other returns. The Ravens opened the season with a 47-3 slaughter of the Bills.
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