So many storylines were created after the first meeting of FC vs BOP that the What’s Wrong With Pray segment on TBI gained steam. Feit was riding great statistics from that game and Storm looked like an MVP candidate. O and Kut had 2 straight league games of dominance – and BOP looked like a lost team. ​However, 2 months is a long time in Jewball. And what comes up must come down. Feit and Storm each missed time and Vegh and O each had issues with Feit prior to a league game with the Lionhearts. FC would be without Feit against the Cronies and they were blown out. And with FC now in last place and BOP looking to make a run. What would the results be?

Mother Nature said that this game would be the coldest game possibly in Jewball history. Salem had to sit out. Eddie would as well. Legs had a siddur play which would make him leave early, And for FC, Vegh was and is still in Jersey (his bed ). But 15 Jewballers braved the climate and met for what was primed to be a real tough matchup. Pray started with the ball and showed that he wanted to utilize the run early but FC grabbed some flags and a 3 and out ensued. FC would follow the same path. BOP’s second drive was highlighted by Tom calling for the ball and Pray throwing it with ease for 75 yards and an early 1-0 lead. FC was definitely feeling the effects of a cold QB coming back in the cold from broken ribs. But Feit hung in there until a big Dave-O sack forced them to punt. Speaking of Dave-O, he would get himself some handoffs and take one to the house for a 2-0 lead. Next FC possession was looking good and they were driving down the field with throws to Storm, MK, and Tabak. 4th and 10 and Feit was ready to get his team on the scoreboard after a 3rd down blitz by Dave-O that sent them back, Dave-O jumped on 4th and the line called a free play. Feit kept playing but BOP didn’t. TD to Storm was called off and the redo down got a PJ’s hit on Feits arm that Dave-O nearly picked off.  BOP would give the ball back but this time Pray was waiting for his chance on D and picked off Feit for a pick 6. 3-0 BOP. FC looked lost. BOP would get the ball again but this time Pray found Mighty deep to make it 4-0. Mighty on the next FC possession would pick off Feit but Pray threw a bad ball to Storm who had the pick. FC gave it back. Pray would find Tom again for a bobble and toe tapping TD. 5-0 BOP and Legs would leave after a sack and great pressures all game. In comes Walls. FC would have some good drives at the end with TDs to Tabak and Storm. Prime would get in on the action as well with a TD reception. Final score 6-2 BOP. Great to see Feit back… FC has work to do… Jewball goes to my fellow TBI, Dave-O as he was tenacious and instrumental in the win. Honorable mention to Tom Pray and Mighty! But Dave-O made the difference!

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Jewball is an education. In a lot of things. We all know that. One of the first lessons it taught me was that adapting is necessary and expectations are a trivial pursuit. You never know what’s going to happen. I certainly didn’t know what was going to happen 21 years ago when I stepped onto an oblong patch of grass in Flushing Meadows Park – most certainly in sneakers. It’s two plus decades later and I still don’t know what will happen in the next decade or even next week. Week 17 was on the schedule up until a few days before the game. But things change. Things always change. People come and go. Sometimes over the course of years. Sometimes within a season. Sometimes within a span of a few weeks. Jewball has an uncanny ability to audible.

I remember when the Cronies started coming down. But it wasn’t always this exact group. There was a crony named Chadow and he may been the best of em. Certainly the most likeable. Certainly the most competitive. He was a keeper. I remember really hoping he’d stick. I definitely thought he liked Jewball more than Goldberg. I was wrong. Jewball is an education.

We make plans. We call Week 15 a League Game and we circle it on our calendar. Babies are born. Trips are planned. Things change. Week 16 is now a League Game. All the better. It’s the Commish’s 44th birthday. A great day to celebrate. Gronk v. Yaron! The two powerhouse teams coming into League Game 5. The buildup has been enormous. But then we get real life. Tragedy enters the picture and that same Chadow who Jewballed with us at the Revolution’s pre-dawn hours….loses his sister at 28. And Gronk is now out witha funeral to attend. And there goes the game as it was “meant” to be. 

But it was played and it was a really good one – all things considered. There is not typo in the next sentence: The Cronies picked up Waldo as a last minute QB replacement for Gronk. Tall, calm, and can throw the ball. Good qualities for a QB. Gronk has those 3 plus a lot of other advantages, but the show goes on – Cronies hoped to give Liohearts a game. And they really did.

It was still cold but not nearly as frigid those who played Game 1 had it. Even though the Cronies were without Gronk and Goldberg – two great players on both sides of the ball – their defense is always formidable simply due to the combined menace of Munch and Solo at the line. Yaron’s options are somewhat limited. Plus he was down Ivry – a leading talent in our league right now. I wish I had the patience to go through the slugfest that was this game. I know it was back and forth. I know it was Logan and Ross over and over and over again for the TDs.

I know Yaron put up 1 right away – even before Logan showed up. Logan came late to the game of his life. Imagine if he could have made it one time! But he was responding to a fire emergency so good him. Pray stepped in for the hero. Jewball adapated. But Pray got pushed around by Singer and the Cronies adapted to the tune of a 1-0 hole. 

Waldo actually looked good right away. Jordan – looking 44 on the first drive – dropped two balls and the prospects on offense seemed dim for the Cronies. Once Logan arrived and was there to gnash his teeth at his teammates the defense picked up. Yaron was doing a lot of screens with Singer blocking, which works well, but Munch and Solo are masters of the lateral pursuit.

Waldo then started making serious strides as a QB. Fitting passes into tight windows and making nice decisions. Sliding grab by Jordan. Acrobatic catch by Maor. TD to Logan! Cronies are on the board and the game is tied!
Time for some Steveo Island action. The momentum shifts even further in the Cronies direction as Steveo drapes himself over Ross and gets a pick to show for it on the sideline streak. Waldo converts the turnover into points – once again finding Logan in the endzone. Yaron would soon test that Steveo/Ross matchup again….this time throwing the ball a bit higher and farther and Ross does what he does – uses his size to scoring effect. The game is tied. 

Both defenses clamped down for the second half and yards were hard to come by. The injuries started mounting on both sides. Yaron and Solo were limping around between plays. Logan reinjured his groin. Jordan pulled his glute in pre-game warm ups. And Zada took a shot early on that slowed him down. No one made any excuse and everyone kept at it – but when the game would end – only one side would be recovering with something to be proud of. And that side seemed to be the Cronies. Waldo gutted out the 3rd quarter – making smart plays and finding open men. A huge 1st down to Steveo. A pump and go to Logan for another score. A dump off to Logan and a wolverine loping sprint for yet his 4th TD of the game. Could the Cronies hold on? They found themselves clinging to a 4-3 lead with 10 minutes left. The impossible seemed to be happening! A win without their leader and the current MVP of Jewball.

Maybe Waldo had been asked to do too much and it was only a matter of time before the house of cards came crashing down. At midfield – a ball – a catchable ball – high, but catchable – especially for someone like Maor – glances off Maor’s hands and Yaron picks it. And so Yaron begins a drive that will decide the game. They need a score to keep the game going. Everyone knows what happened next. Everyone watched the video 100 times. Slowed it down. Took countless screenshots. Wait….that was just me? And speaking of that video….PJS giving new meaning to a PJS Perspective. The perspective of a man who needs a nice restraining order served on him. Anyway – for those who don’t know – after a sack that drove Yaron back and seemed to have iced the game – Yaron was faced with a 4th and 25 and the prospect of a loss. I can hardly bear to write this….

Waldo had played nice man coverage on Ross after Yaron was picking on Steveo a bit too much – Steveo is a great cover man – but a foot advantage is a foot advantage. Waldo stuck Ross and had batted a few balls away. On this final play of the game….Yaron went to Ross. It was a jump ball in the corner of the endzone. Waldo faded with Ross and the ball was placed deep. If untouched it would have likely landed in the back of the endzone and bounced out. A perfect pass to – say Prime – if Prime were running a deep route to the corner being chased by – say MK. But the dynamics are different with tall leapers. They don’t need to run top speed to a spot to meet the ball when it finally drops into their hands. Tall leapers can stop at a point well earlier. Stop. Leap. And be tall. That’s what Ross did. And that’s why this game went into OT. Waldo was behind him. The pass was a great pass to Waldo if he was the receiver. The problem was….he acted like the receiver when Cronies needed him to be the defender. While Waldo was waiting for the ball….Ross went up to get it. His jump, concentration, and ability to seize the ball from the grip of the sky was a thing of beauty. Heartbreaking beauty. As Logan said…when that catch was made…the game was over. OT would do the Cronies no favors. They were in shambles.

In the OT it was all Lionhearts. Yaron with an incredible flag pull on Jordan in the open field going full out dive that maybe saved a TD. And final play of the game – pump and go to Zada. Prefect throw – perfect hands….TD. Lionhearts win an OT thriller. One of those games where Ross should be content with the stats and the heroic shit at the buzzer. 

I never asked Yaron why he named his team the Lionhearts. I just assumed it was because he is and always will be cheesy AF. But I can’t deny what I saw two Sundays ago (And 3 Sundays ago as well). Call it cheesy. Call it a cliché. Yaron played with the heart of a lion. The pick. The TD throw. The flag grab. Three plays that were absolutely essential. 3 plays in all facets of the game that – if any were not made when they were made – his team loses. Yaron WILLED his team to that win. Should it have been that difficult to win? That’s another story for another day. For today, he gets another very well deserved Jewball.

I guess I’ll end with a personal note so as not to disappoint Steveo. As mentioned, Week 16 was touched by both death and birth. The untimely death of a Jewballer’s sister, may her neshama have an Aliyah. An the long ago birth of myself. It makes you think. Birthdays in general make you think. Especially as you get older. Mortality – all that fun stuff. What am I doing here? Has it been worth my allotted time? And – oh shit! – how much time do I even have? And of that time….how much is y’know…gonna be quality time? Birthdays used to be balloons and cake. Now they are systems checks and existential analyses. In a very legit way…it makes them better. Certainly, more meaningful. Before 30 birthdays are Purim. 30-40 they are Rosh Hashanah. 40 and up they are Yom Kippur.

For those of you in the Yom Kippur bracket – this isn’t for you. For the next generation. My wish for you – is that when you get up there and you need to take stock of how you lived (cuz – let’s be honest – 44…you pretty much made your bed) that you have something as fulfilling and unconflicted as Jewball to reference – so you can do that scan once a year and be confident you done good.

Jewball needed a charge going into the final stretch of the season and Week 15 was supposed to be that. First, because it was going to be a League Game. Then, because it was going to be a tackle game. In the end, it was neither, but I think it still found a way to wake us up from our long mid-season slumber. Because just like that we are looking down the barrel of another Jewball season being laid to rest. Just like that. The Draft Party feels like yesterday. How young and naïve we were. Feit taking Kut no. 2 overall. Yaron still expecting to be the top QB in league. Rabin hadn’t penetrated me or anyone in my family. Laura Curran had a job. And then….in a flash, everything changed. In a Flash, Feit needed a backup QB. Yaron lost a lot. Curran lost a lock. And Rabin took my ass all the way to the bank.

This isn’t to say we haven’t had our moments. We have. Great ones. A few of them were even on the field and related to playing the sport of football. But I’m not gonna kid myself. We have not had many great games of late. The motor got going a bit in Week 14 when Game 2 proved to be a hard fought battle between Yaron and Gronk that Yaron managed to just squeak out the loss. A week later in another wild contest in Game 2, the result was the opposite versus Pray.

Hard not to begin with the tackle game that wasn’t. There was snow. It came down midweek and it was the right amount. Just the right amount. Two very cold but sunny days followed and, though a tackle game was called for, it became a race against time. Would the snow stick around or would it melt under pressure like Yaron in a big game. We looked good for tackle. Singer transformed into Snow Pup and went to the groomer and everything. He was buffed and fluffed and ready to take on the world. Your commissioner checked the field on Saturday night. Still plenty of snow and forecast called for freezing temps until game time. Forecast was wrong. Snow melted over night and by the time PJs and Yaron checked the grass on Sunday morning, we had a windy but bright day and the grass could be seen on the field. The good news was, the turf was deemed playable and we adjusted on the fly as Jewball is adept enough to do. Some parts move around. Tom to early for Effie. Jack and Waldo to late for Storm and Legs. And play ball. 

I didn’t see all of Game 1, but I did see enough to know that Pray has made adjustments that are suiting him well. Sam’s excellent defensive play a few weeks ago injuring Pray’s throwing arm may just be the turning point of the BOP season. We shall see this Sunday. A Pray that is forced to think more about the short game than the long game is a dangerous Pray. His playbook has not completely eliminated the forward pass, but he’s certainly embraced the virtues of the run/screen game. They may make for boring football, but they certainly can engender consistently winning football.
It was cold out there for Game 1. Windy and bitingly cold. I couldn’t hang around the whole time. I had seen Pray take off and run one through Yaron’s defense for a score, but I had to go. Before I left I had the opportunity to see Big E stop Yaron on a 4th and short. The dude has quick hands. He may not catch up to you, but if you cross his path, he will pull your flag. I’ve seen him do it every time. What I also saw was Pray miss him for a TD. E is not quick of course, but he runs routes like a receiver. They are direct and his head is on that swivel eyeing the QB ready for the pass. On a 3rd and goal, E slanted underneath looking for the pass. He was open at the 1. Maybe Pray thought Zada would show up and stop Bigs, so he elected to throw elsewhere incomplete. 

When I returned to the game a few minutes before the start of Game 2, I was told Pray was up 3-1 and that E and O were having themselves a game. Later that week Munch would talk about I, but that’s a vowel for another day. Pray was running O out from the TE spot and picking up all kinds of yards. And E had caught a TD pass! Had blocked a ball! Had earned a Jewball. 

A little history. I met E in Israel. He was not my roommate, but by chance we were neighbors in the dorm. Like he said on TBI, we became closer in YU because he was an out-of-towner (Seattle) and my parents were very hospitable. My friends would go to my parents even (and perhaps purposely) when I wasn’t around. Fast forward 20 years and we get a chat going for my Israel year crew. E and I are reunited. He says he’ll play football. I humor him. It’s a miracle that I can still get out there and I’ve been doing it straight for 21 years. He came down, but I thought he’d break something in his first game and that would be that. Well, he has proven me wrong. And last week he proved himself as a player in this game. He’s not young and he’s not in the best shape. But he is a tough angry bitter son of a bitch. And he grits his way through shit. Jewball to you, old friend. 

Yaron lost that game 3-1. I was told his play calling was bizarre and self defeating. Sounds about right. How would he do in Game 2?

Game 2 was madness. Back and forth until the final buzzer in OT. It was once again Pray v. Yaron and Pray was happy to continue to do what worked in Game 1. His first score was a screen to Prime that Prime took down the sideline for 63 yards, thrashing people along the way. Prime protects that sideline like its made of weed. If you are a defender intimidated by his bark and his bite….you have no chance. And Yaron’s crew looked intimidated. It helped that Prime had the metallic purple fangs mouth guard going.

Pray scored again while Yaron was still figuring his shite out. On the ground again, but with Pray running it’s less about intimidation and more about reflexes. How quickly can your brain react to the fact that the QB is….and he’s passed you – flying down the opposite sideline and gone into the distance. 2-0 Pray. It was looking like another stress-free win for Pray and demoralizing loss for Yaron (his 6th in a row). I wish I could say what happened next that turned the tides. From the box score, it seems that Yaron’s squad contributed on defense (despite the numerous missed flags which lead to half of Pray’s points on the day) and Pray’s team did not. Pray was picked twice (both by Jack). Pray was sacked three times (Daveo 2 and Beast 1). Yaron threw zero picks and was sacked zero times. And he started to find his receivers in tight spots. The scoring was kicked off when Yaron found his safety blanket Jack on a cross to make it a one score game. Shortly thereafter, he slings a well-placed ball to Zada on the out from the 6 and we have a ball game.

Bron was on the comeback trail and soon, with the score knotted, the game took on a different dynamic.  Although there was an expectation Yaron would eventually do his thing and lose, Pray was forced to make something happen and dig a little deeper. Prime and O were still reliable for the screen/TE roll out combo and – with Yaron’s team missing flags in the first half – drives were easy. From Yaron’s 15, Pray runs right and zings one cross body to a counter-cutting Waldo. What’s Wrong With to Where’s for the score! The giant from Pitt makes a nifty catch using his big frame and mitts and gives his team the lead once again.

Yaron punched right back with an incredibly timed 20 yard pass thrown before MK turned his head but settling into his arms at the precise moment when Waldo had nice coverage but imperfect field awareness. Yaron became really excited and confident. You can tell he’s feeling it when he rushes his team down the field in a way that signals a hurry up offense, but once they get to the spot he calls his players into a 4 minute huddle.

Game tied again which is prime time for Prime time. I wish I could say it took anything more than Prime being Prime. A screen and hardnosed dash to the end zone. The first half ends. Pray takes a lead into the locker room. 

The second half starts with a big play by Daveo – who had himself a hell of a game from TE slot. Both teams had made a defensive adjustment. For Pray, they went to a man, with Jordan covering the TE. For Yaron, they stopped missing flags. Jordan watching Daveo worked very well to limit his touches….except for the one time. Daveo springs from the TE slot as if he has the ball, which had been a running joke for a while…except this time he stops and cuts back. Precisely on the cut back Yaron feeds him the ball and the kid takes off. Jordan is still recovering from the cut. Now it is Pray’s team’s turn to miss flags. They oblige and Daveo is through. He has one man to beat. Jordan has tracked him down and MK is blocking some ghost at midfield while Daveo and Jordan size each other up down the sideline. When Jordan is about to close in, Daveo jams on the brakes and – for the second time in the same play – Jordan flies past him. Daveo scores. Game knotted again.

Yaron was really pumped. Pray was confident these scores were mild setbacks. He seemed right. With ease, he put up two quick TDs. One to Tom. One to Jordan. With a half hour to go in the game, chances seemed good Yaron would suffer another almost W. Pray would not score or really do much on offense for the rest of the game. Yaron did a lot.

He starts with a TD to Jack. Routine stuff. No big deal. But it took a while and the clock was not his friend, having been chasing two scores with only fifteen minutes left. Pray was also guaranteed ball last because of….well….yknow….because Jewball. So, on his final possession – Yaron reads the defense and maybe realizes that it’s man coverage and nobody is taking him. Or maybe he just panicked. But, either way….in a big spot and with everything on the line – the man who is broken both emotionally and physically……SPRINTS to the right sideline and gets the edge. He flies down that sideline like his life depended on it and he silences the crowd and his critics and most importantly the millions of voices in his head. Wait…..wait…no….they are still there. Like I said, Pray didn’t do much on offense the rest of the way so the best ending we can come up with here for Pray is a tie. 

In OT – which was agreed to be a one and one – Yaron throws a really sloppy bad idea of a pass to…probably Jack…that Waldo picks off at the 20. Yaron hangs his head and starts muttering to himself. He wonders where he left his favorite noose. Pray will surely punch it in from the 20 and another loss will be hung on him before he hangs himself. BUT WAIT! Waldo had it….and then he didn’t. Yaron’s favorite linemen BEAST to the rescue. As  heady play as you will ever see….On the catch Beast wraps his arms around Waldo from behind and the ball comes out and hits the floor. No Catch! No Pick! Yaron lives! 

And MK lives as well. One thing you can say about Yaron. He never gets scared off by failure. He will keep going back to the long ball. He believes in himself and his receivers. MK on a deep route and the hook up is consummated. Catch and run. 7-6 Yaron. Pray’s final gasp is a pick by Jack. That’s your shoot out of a ball game. Second week in a row I go home with an L but feeling like there was a reason to show up regardless. Jewball to…..I guess Yaron, even though Daveo played very well and Jack had a nice stat line. Yaron gets it because he lead his team. Never more-so than on that final do or die drive when he took off down that sideline with six guys on his back.

The year has just begun but I’m starting to get that sinking feeling. Another Jewball Season is 3 quarters done. All 3 Bowl Games behind us. So much to look forward to, but even more to look back on. These recaps get harder and harder to write. Not just because keeping it fresh this late in the year becomes challenging, but because…well…it’s depressing that a Jewball season – like all good things – is finite. So be it. Week 14 was very much needed. It sets the stage for the final lap of this 2021-2022 season. My hope is that our best football is ahead of us. 
While there are plenty of races still up for grabs and storylines to be written…Who will win the League Championship? Rookie of the Year? Most Improved? TD Leader? One question seems to be answered on a weekly basis – each time with emphasis added. Change the formula, the motivation, the role, the narrative, the players, the pieces, the field position, the weather…Change it all! And yet no one has been able to knock Gronk off his firm position of dominance atop Mount Jewball. For those gunning to do it – 6 Weeks Left. Clock is ticking. 
You may be saying….this is supposed to be the recap. Not an Ode to Gronk. Not a ballad of praise for one player when there are so many players having big seasons. Well, you must be right – let’s get to the recaps so I can stop talking about Gronk.

Gronk had a hell of a Week 14. He was slotted in for a both doing double duty as receiver for Pray in Game 1 and QB v. Yaron in Game 2. Yaron, meanwhile, took the ball and manned the huddle in both the early and late game.
No question, Yaron has been on a bad run. He’s not exactly throwing badly, but he’s been stuck in a very Rabin of the Renaissance period category: Just Enough To Lose. You can break down certain things he does well and conclude that he should win the games he starts. No one is more engaged. His arm is brilliant. His will is undeniable. His play-calling is….um…..it’s….y’know….it’s….creative! But you take these pieces – and it’s confounding because they don’t translate into wins as much as you would think. I’m sure Daveo can tell you what his W-L record is as a Jewball starting QB….and…I’m gonna guess it’s hovering around .500. And that shouldn’t be the case for how good he is. 
He did just enough to lose both Games on Sunday.
Game 1 it was two egregious picks early in the game that Pray converted into TDs with Gronk to put Yaron in a 2-0 hole before he could catch his breath. Pray to Gronk just looked too easy. That being said, both early TDs came as a result of non-calls (which we like) where Yaron’s squad for sure could have benefitted from calling a pick play on one and a hold on the other. We play through. Back to Pray and Gronk. Pray would basically throw it up in the air and unless Gronk decided to straight drop it (which happened twice), he’d just post up and come down with the ball. I told Mighty – who was in on those plays – there was a time when Mighty would definitely make you think twice about catching a ball over him. You may catch it, but it would be a very violent encounter. May those days return!
While Pray was scoring with relative ease (he looked really good and poised and had an excellent synergy with both Gronk (2 TDs) and Singer (3TDs), Yaron was just unable to find the answers on offense. The final is 6-4 but it was 6-1 for most of the game. Pray had the game won at the half. This week’s TBI guest had a special game with a TD and a sack and a very good showing considering he was up against Munch. Munch got his stats by the end of the game (3 sacks) but I don’t think he had any (or maybe just had 1) while Pray put up his 6 TDs. Too little too late.
Jewball without doubt to the injured Pray for looking uninjured and inspired. Crazy line – 5 TDs thrown, 2 Picks, and a sack! Heal up bro!!! BOP needs you to repeat!
Game 2 was the better game by all accounts, but a tough one to swallow personally as I lined up with Yaron and once again it was a JETL game. Proud to say I was part of it, even on the losing end. It was the first close game that didn’t result in a tie since Week 8. Even better, the score was kept low. Both teams prioritized defense and TDs were hard to come by. As they should be! 
In this game, as mentioned, Gronk was throwing for his team and if there ever was a game that shows you why he is in the driver’s seat for season MVP…
I guess we need to start from the end. Tom is getting the Jewball. Why? He scored 2 of his teams 3TDs. He didn’t miss flags on defense. He blocked. And he picked up a bunch of big 1st downs. 
I know Tom has gotten Jewballs before, but it is a testament to Gronk’s greatness as a QB this season that he makes everyone look good. Attention Jewball QBs: Gronk gets in the huddle and doesn’t start with a.) who are my best receivers and b.) how can I expose the defense to get those guys the ball. He gets into the huddle and starts with a.) Holy S***! there is huge mismatch here and b.) There is a huge hole in the defense there. He starts with: I’m throwing to the receiver with the mismatch. It’s his job to catch it. I’m throwing to the space in the defense desperate to be exploited. I’m throwing where there is ALREADY an opening.
I feel like some QBs (Yaron, for example) calls plays as if all things are equal. Jordan run a pump and go is a neutral play call. It’s just a thing. It’s words. If Jordan is matched up with someone who will bite (I know who you are)…hell yeah. It’s guaranteed. If Jordan is matched up with Logan…it’s the same play call but it’s just not gonna work. A QB needs to see that it’s Logan out there and either send Jordan to the other side or….do something else.
Same concept, different angle: It’s easy to see which side of the defense is stronger. So how about this…never run a screen to the stronger side. Never. Not once. Make the defense adjust. I feel like some of our QBs do the defense too many favors in the name of “mixing it up.” It’s a good recipe for going home frustrated with an L around your neck.
I’m saying this with no offense to Yaron or anyone, but really as a compliment to Gronk. Tom is tall. Klink is not as tall. Throw it up to Tom. That’s how Gronk’s first TD was scored. By him seeing something and knowing it was virtually a sure thing. I encourage our other QBs to stop making their lives so difficult. If you are play-calling without actually taking into account the defenders – who they are where they are – you are hopelessly spinning your wheels.
Unlike in Game 1, the score was not run up on Yaron. In fact, Gronk was a bit stymied. The fierce combo rush of Legs and Kut produced 7 sacks! Yaron was sticking around, eventually cashing in with a remarkably awesome 4th and long laser beam to Kut in the back of the end zone. And even more fairness to Yaron, his players let him down on a number of occasions. Legs and Rook had almost TDs that a little extra effort and focus would have brought to actualization. Indeed, Prime seemed to have a TD but his world famous stiff arm was called a flag guard by Irv. The same Irv that extends his TD Leader status by scoring on an out, beating Jordan in man coverage easily and putting his team up by 1. Prime would not be denied the next time he got his hands on the ball. Like all of the players in Game 2, Prime was locked in. It felt like a warzone out there. Bodies were flying. Pants were coming down. Yaron, ankle tackle on Logan. Logan, collision with Rook saving a huge game changing gain. Gronk taking a Yaron bullet pass to the face from a yard away and shaking it off.
In the end, it was Tom who made the difference Getting open. Keeping it simple. See the ball. Catch the ball. Gronk will find you. Tom scored on a catch and run to put Gronk up 3-2 and the defense did the rest. Excellent game that stings still for all the best reasons. 
Week 15 coming up next. Gronk is out. Who will step up?

Prologue: Sometimes procrastination pays off. For example, this recap. I sit here writing on a 2022 Bowl Friday, feeling higher than those who partook in stimulating conversation and stimulants after the game. Why so high? I mean….how much nachas can one guy ask for! Seeing this family come together on the eve of the eve of the New Year. Glasses raised in circle of mutual respect and pure devotion to the fellowship. Coming out to play the game we love in the way we love; for the love of the game and the love of the way. Coming out to just connect for the sake of passes and for the past’s sake. The game is the game and it was a good one (Pray over Yaron in a nail-biter. See the vids for the story). But on the sideline was another world of good. Singer, Daveo, Kut, Klink, Mighty, Snow, Steveo and the crew….drawn to the source – pulled in with a force as eternal and irresistible as gravity. As irrepressible as the sunshine that flooded down today. And I am zocheh to see it. And Spira, who welcomed me in as I welcomed you in – is there to see it. And participate in it. Beyond a dream. It’s a f***ing peleh.
January. Another year. One more link in our chain. It’s here and we show no signs of a letdown. Just so blessed. Wishing us all a New Year that advances us in every way – toward our righteous goals – health, fulfillment, security, peace….all that good stuff that Jewball promotes. Let’s get it. And even better – Lets get it together.
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The Revolution has never seen a throwback game quite like Week 13. Let me count the ways.
To begin with, due to Covid and midseason healing, Jewball could only muster up a single game a la 2012. A first for the season. Perhaps a first for a non-tackle game in a number of seasons. Then we have Zezzy gunslinging like its 2010 and hobbling around like its 2015. All that was missing was his kids blowing away on the periphery like 2009. Add to this that it was classic 2008 scrambling to deal with cancelations and lateness and what field? and what time? and swapping players around to make it work. And to top it all off it was 2006 ugly-ass football. Bunch a mangy Jewballers bumbling around as if they were just learning what the game was all about.
Daveo said it best when asked to talk about the game on TBI. “I don’t want to,” the former Commish said in that lifeless monotone he must have picked up in broadcasting school.
The hour is late so….really what is there to say about this game? There is a final score on the website that represents a fallacy. Something that happened after Zez and I left the field. QBs were switched…scores happened. Think it says final was 6-4 with Gronk on top. Well, if this were Torah, that would be the drash and the recap is the pshat. This game wasn’t close. Zez rolled in a bit late, which didn’t help, but something was so off from jump. Sorry Bert, but I have to. I think one of the first things that went horribly wrong for Dark was on Zez’s first full drive from the 5, he throws a screen to Bert and – granted Zez whips it in and his receivers were all struggling to handle his heat – Bert bobbles it into the hands of Salem for a P6 that made it 3-0. That play represented the entire day. In that Zez and his receivers were not in rhythm. In that Zez made a curious play call having Bert not being a blocker for a screen pass, but instead receiving it. And finally…in that Zez threw a pick. A few – like that one – were not on him, but I think there were 7 on the day (5 to Mighty). Rabin had thrown a few as well. I believe Colors intercepted Dark 9 times on the day. Cue Principal Edward Rooney noting how many days Ferris Bueler missed school.
On the other side….well…we know Gronk loves to take advantage of a discombobulated team. No one exposes weakness like our most powerful ranker. And Dark was exposing itself all day – and not in the way PJs encourages. Munch and Salem had Zez on the run and throwing those picks….and that’s really the story. Think it was 5-1 when the switch was made. And Gronk won after the switch as well. Jewball to Gronk? Nah, he was very good, but Dark made everything so easy for him. We were just a mess. Mighty gets it by default for the crazy number of picks plus the TD.

Week 14 Teams to follow…