A pair of 2-11 football teams squared off in Nashville Sunday and the overall artistic score for this one was as bad as the win-loss records would indicate.
I made the trip out there to see Jeff and Deborah.
16-11 Jets was the final. It was 5-3 Titans at halftime. There was only one turnover in the game but there was a lot of ugly play. The Jet victory probably does more of a disservice than good for a franchise looking to select a quarterback early in the first round of next year’s draft.
Despite membership in different divisions, the Jets and Titans have played each other seven out of the last nine seasons with all but one of the games in Nashville. In 2015, they’ll play each other again – in New Jersey.
Tennessee probably would have won this game if it weren’t for an awful unsportsmanlike conduct penalty assessed against Titan captain Wesley Woodyard with seven minutes to go. The Jets were down 11-10 and looked totally dead offensively. On third and 15 from their own 19, Geno misfired badly in Eric Decker’s direction over by the Titan sideline. The Jets were bringing out the punt team and likely would have packed up for the flight home but then a flag appeared out of nowhere. It was determined that Woodyard somehow taunted Decker after the incompletion. I looked at the game tape when I got home and it looked to me that Decker shoved Woodyard after the two exchanged words. Perhaps an official heard something inappropriate but it probably should have been an offsetting situation at best.
The flag on that morbid fourth quarter drive allowed the Jets to get rolling. Former Titan Chris Johnson had a 37-yard scamper out of a direct snap to get Gang Green inside the five. Another Titan penalty on third down gave the Jets a couple more cracks at paydirt and Chris Ivory finally got it in to put this one away.
A comical final play of the game nearly resulted in a Titan TD but the only tangible outcome of that sequence was the loudest crowd reaction of the day.
Percy Harvin played on a bad ankle and was a total non-factor. Jet punter Ryan Quigley was the TSR player of the game with lots of long, good-looking punts. He was also unexpectedly asked to handle kickoffs. Jet place-kicker Nick Folk missed a first half trey attempt from 53. The crossbar clank job elicited howls of laughter from the high school football team from Knoxville assembled in our section. It was reported later that Folk told assistant Jet special teams coach Louie Aguiar before the game that his max range was from 51. The two sparred verbally after the miss but Folk would later ironically connect from 51. Just barely.
Titans QB Jake Locker’s left shoulder popped out of the socket after a violent hit by Quinton Coples in the second quarter. Coples landed with all of his weight on Locker just after Locker threw the ball. His non-throwing arm was sticking out in such a way that the flattening by Coples forced Locker’s left arm to twist unnaturally outward. As Locker lay on the ground, he held his left wrist to keep the now painfully deformed limb from moving. At the time, I thought it was Locker’s wrist that was damaged. Turns out it was the shoulder. When these same two teams met last season, Locker was carted off the field and taken to the hospital with a hip injury after two Jet pass rushers (including Coples) crushed Locker in a borderline dirty manner.
Locker was placed on injured reserve Monday. He will have surgery to fix the dislocation and will be a free agent next spring. Hard to say the eighth overall pick in the 2011 draft has been a total bust because he’s been hurt so much. Despite great promise out of the University of Washington, Locker started just 23 games for the Titans over four seasons.
Paid attendance was announced at 69,143 but there were no more than 45-thousand people in the building. LP Field’s longtime public address announcer Mike Donegan has become annoying despite solid execution of his basic job responsibilities. During key moments of the game, Donegan is shown on the video board trying to get a rise out of the crowd with hand motions and elongated hums on consonants. He should stick to descriptions and keep himself out of the entertainment side of things.
The weather was delightful. 54 degrees at kickoff with almost no wind. Before the game, we sipped on Stone “Enjoy By” IPA in the parking lot. Jim from Queens (now firmly based in Nashville) grilled really great franks from Porter Road Butcher. We threw the football around with Jim’s son and discussed who we’d take with our team’s respective lofty first round picks.
The night before, I made my first ever visit to Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of Vanderbilt University. It was Vandy vs. Purdue. Men’s hoops. SEC vs. Big Ten. The students had just started winter break so the courtside section they usually occupy was open to the public on a general admission basis.
Opened in 1952, Memorial Gym is a great place to watch a game. With a capacity of 14,326, the court rises above the seats nearest the floor. The team benches are situated on the baselines and there’s little in the way of distracting commercial sideshow or gadgetry seen typically in the newer arenas.
Vandy’s freshman point guard Riley LaChance had a big game, scoring 26 points on 9 of 13 shooting. He was key in breaking down Purdue press efforts and threw a crisp pass to open men. Vandy won by ten Saturday night despite entering the contest as a slight underdog. Admission was 15 dollars. Attendance was 9565. Veteran ref Jim Burr worked the game and appeared bothered by a bad hip. He was assigned to the Florida/Texas Southern contest in Gainesville the night before and finished the rigorous three games in three days routine by working the Tennessee upset of Butler on Sunday in Knoxville.
When I arrived at Nashville Saturday afternoon, we headed to Peg Leg Porker for barbeque and then had a couple pints at the nearby Yazoo Brewing Company. After that, we caught the tail end of Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn’s set at The Basement which was part of Grimey’s annual Christmas party. Grimey’s is the renowned Nashville record shop which sits atop The Basement, a live music venue.
We closed out the always fun visit to Nashville with a nightcap Sunday at the Hop Stop and then breakfast on Monday at the Pied Piper.
All the flights out of Nashville on the home team airline were full Monday so I caught a ride back on Southwest via Chicago Midway.
We just walked in a few minutes before tip and sat down in seats that would cost hundreds of dollars if it were a NBA game. The elevated aspect of the court seems to make it a better angle for those on the main level and the folks sitting upstairs appeared more on top of the action than away from it.
Jeff used to be a season ticket holder at Vandy games but became disenchanted by the University’s lack of appreciation for his loyalty.
But it’s kind of a unique situation there. Small enrollment relative to the rest of conference, beautiful campus, old facilities. Kind of like Northwestern and the Big Ten. I thought it was cool.
Have always thought Vandy had the weirdest gym in college ball. Interesting that you liked it so much. On TV it looks like even the best seats are a long way from the court.