Your “Engage Tire Fire Protocol!” Wednesday Evening Open Thread

NFL News:

• Jay Cutler has cleared concussion protocol, and will start Sunday versus Denver.
  • The Broncos will counter with (spins wheel) Trevor Siemian.

• Devonta Freeman has cleared concussion protocol & will return to the Falcons active roster.
  • Worryingly, it’s his third concussion since November 2015, pushing him close to Trent Green & Emmitt Smith territory.

• The Josh Gordon rehabilitation tour continues apace with a lengthy column over at Peter King’s word factory.
  • The highlight is the story about Gordon making $10K/month selling weed out of his dorm at Baylor.
    • Baylor – a school so conservative they only repealed their ban on dancing in 1996, and their ban on “homosexual acts” in 2015.

• Sebastian Janikowski is likely finished as an active player.
  • He was one of three players left from the 2000 Draft.
    • The others are Shane Lechler & some guy named Brady.
  • The Raiders are keeping him on IR, removing cornerback Antonio Hamilton instead.
    • He now remains inactive for the remainder of the season.
  • His replacement, Giorgio Tavecchio, who spent the previous four training camps with Oakland, has converted 12 of 15 field goal attempts, and 25 of 26 extra point attempts.

Finally, the Eli benching.

We all had a good laugh in the Open Thread last night about it when the news came out. Let’s see what the light of day has brought to the sports pages of New York:

Calm retrospection I see. And Twitter?

Lockerroom chaos…

Season over before Thanksgiving…

Geno Smith…

Dear God… THE GIANTS HAVE BECOME THE JETS!!! pic.twitter.com/Ik1TyH6Wor

— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaSports) November 28, 2017

When you get a text saying work is optional this weekend pic.twitter.com/b8zG3NY8MN

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) November 28, 2017

The shock of the move – benching a franchise player during the regular season – I think is what is jarring to most people. When the Vikings benched Favre, the injuries made that logical & palatable to most people, and Peyton missed that whole season due to his neck explosion. Eli has started 210 consecutive games; Marmalard is next on the active list at 187. When most franchise players are released from their teams it’s usually at the end of the season, usually amidst news of either coaching firings or draft preparations, so there’s a few tears but a clean break.

John Mara on the Giants tanking: "That's complete bullshit. We would never do that."

— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) November 29, 2017

I’m going to use this point from the NY Post as an example of where, deep down in the analysis, there is some measure of rational observation of the need to make this move:

Q: Is this unfairly cruel to Eli Manning?
A: Of course it is, but it is far from unprecedented. When players say they want to “Pull a Strahan’’ they are referring to playing their entire career with one team and announcing their retirement as they hoist the Lombardi Trophy, just like Michael Strahan did. Very few are able to do so. Don’t forget, on the day Phil Simms was released, Wellington Mara sat in the back of the room and wept. Joe Namath, Joe Montana and Brett Favre all moved on and wore different uniforms. After the shock wears off, this could end up being a positive development for Manning, if he gets to finish up with a team on the rise.

Still, it’s fun to picture Eli on the sidelines at the O.co this weekend, eating an All-Star Dog – topped with warm chili, jalapenos and creamy mac ‘n’ cheese – while the Raiders break Geno Smith in half.

I believe I’ll let Cinderella play us out,

I’m including this for Hippo, as (spoiler) Everton dropped four on West Ham today, with Rooney notching a hat-trick, which included a goal from midfield on a clearance boner by the Hammers.

Not exactly “Up the irons”, eh boys?

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL:
  • Lightning at Bruins – 7:30PM | NBCSN
  • Sens at Habs – 7:30PM | Sportsnet
• Futbol:
  • MLS Soccer Playoff:
    • Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew SC (Leg 2) – 7:30PM | FS1 / TSN
  • Liga MX:
    • América vs. Tigres – 9:55PM | UNI
• NBA:
  • Hornets at Raptors – 7:30PM | Sportsnet1
  • Warriors at Lakers – 10:30PM | Sportsnet1
•  NCAA:
  • Men’s basketball:
    • Clemson at Ohio State – 7:15PM | ESPN2
    • Penn State at NC State – 7:15PM | ESPNU
    • Michigan at U*NC – 7:30PM | ESPN / TSN2
    • Duke at Indiana – 9:30PM | ESPN
    • Miami at Minnesota – 9:15PM | ESPN2

It’s been quite the day. NO SURPRISES TONIGHT, M’KAY?!