September 27, 2016 at 4:39 p.m.
Europe has the Ryder edge
Rays of Insight
Fall weather has taken over.
When you think fall, you think football.
And golf, apparently.
Actually, I rarely think about golf outside of the four majors, but a reader question came in about the upcoming Ryder Cup and it seemed a good time to branch out from the typical questions.
So, this month, I’ll take a swing at a golf question before moving on to the gridiron.
Hopefully my answer finds the fairway.
With the Ryder Cup this week, is this the USA’s year? Was Ryan Moore the best pick?
—Alex Hunt,
Knoxville, Tennessee
As the golf pro at Dead Horse Lake Golf Course, Alex may well be more qualified than me to answer this question. But what the heck, let’s give it a shot.
First, let’s look at the team.
When you think fall, you think football.
And golf, apparently.
Actually, I rarely think about golf outside of the four majors, but a reader question came in about the upcoming Ryder Cup and it seemed a good time to branch out from the typical questions.
So, this month, I’ll take a swing at a golf question before moving on to the gridiron.
Hopefully my answer finds the fairway.
With the Ryder Cup this week, is this the USA’s year? Was Ryan Moore the best pick?
—Alex Hunt,
Knoxville, Tennessee
As the golf pro at Dead Horse Lake Golf Course, Alex may well be more qualified than me to answer this question. But what the heck, let’s give it a shot.
First, let’s look at the team.
It is made up of Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker, Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson, J.B. Holmes, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar and Moore.
That list includes 11 of the top 12 players in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings. Moore was 20th. The highest-ranked player left off the team was Bubba Watson at No. 9.
So why Moore? Well, he’s had four top-10 finishes in six tournaments since mid-August. That started with a win at the John Deere Classic on Aug. 14 and concluded with a runner-up finish, in a playoff, behind Rory McIlroy at the Tour Championship.
Given that Watson has had just two top-10 efforts in his last 14 tournaments, I feel good about captain Davis Love III going with Moore’s hot hand.
Still, I’d give the slight edge to the European team, which hasn’t lost since Valhalla in 2008.
••••••••••
Which new starting quarterback in the first few weeks of the season has impressed you the most and has the most potential to sustain NFL success at his position?
—Jason McGraw,
Portland
Carson Wentz.
I choose him over Dak Prescott, who has a slightly better completion percentage and has also not thrown an interception for a few reasons.
The main one is, Wentz is doing it with far less talent around him.
Prescott has the best offensive line in football in front of him, a highly-touted running back in fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott and an all-pro wide receiver in Dez Bryant.
Wentz has none of those. His leading rusher Sunday was a rookie most fans had never heard of a day earlier. Jordan Matthews is a solid receiver, but the rest of the group of pass-catchers in Philadelphia are average at best. Still, he’s gotten better in each game, completing 74 percent of his passes for 301 yards Sunday against a Pittsburgh team most believe is a Super Bowl contender.
The Eagles also aren’t going to take away his starting job. Meanwhile, regardless of how well Prescott or Jimmy Garoppolo (he also deserves consideration) plays, they are likely to be pushed aside by Tony Romo and Tom Brady respectively.
Wentz is the unquestioned signal-caller in Philadelphia, and that’s not going to change any time soon.
••••••••••
What has happened to the Notre Dame football team’s defense and how can it be corrected?
—Matt Mathias,
Vincennes
Honestly, not all that much.
Let’s take a real look at the Fighting Irish defense over the last five years.
In 2012, when the team went undefeated through the regular season before getting blown out by Alabama in the national championship game, Notre Dame gave up 12.8 points per game. That was second-best in the country.
Since then, they have allowed 27.2, 29.2, 24.1 and 33.5 points per game. Yes, the numbers so far this season are the worst in that stretch, but the Fighting Irish have not been particularly good at stopping anyone in the recent past. The effort last season ranked them 41st in the nation — good enough if the offense is strong — but not impressive in any way.
I wish I could pinpoint a solution for you, but firing defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder is unlikely to do the trick. Nothing is that simple when your defense ranks 101st in the nation. Notre Dame is not stopping the run — it ranks 96th allowing 201 yards per game — or the pass (86th, 253 yards par game).
The Fighting Irish need to improve everything on the defensive side of the ball, and that’s not something that happens overnight.
That list includes 11 of the top 12 players in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings. Moore was 20th. The highest-ranked player left off the team was Bubba Watson at No. 9.
So why Moore? Well, he’s had four top-10 finishes in six tournaments since mid-August. That started with a win at the John Deere Classic on Aug. 14 and concluded with a runner-up finish, in a playoff, behind Rory McIlroy at the Tour Championship.
Given that Watson has had just two top-10 efforts in his last 14 tournaments, I feel good about captain Davis Love III going with Moore’s hot hand.
Still, I’d give the slight edge to the European team, which hasn’t lost since Valhalla in 2008.
••••••••••
Which new starting quarterback in the first few weeks of the season has impressed you the most and has the most potential to sustain NFL success at his position?
—Jason McGraw,
Portland
Carson Wentz.
I choose him over Dak Prescott, who has a slightly better completion percentage and has also not thrown an interception for a few reasons.
The main one is, Wentz is doing it with far less talent around him.
Prescott has the best offensive line in football in front of him, a highly-touted running back in fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott and an all-pro wide receiver in Dez Bryant.
Wentz has none of those. His leading rusher Sunday was a rookie most fans had never heard of a day earlier. Jordan Matthews is a solid receiver, but the rest of the group of pass-catchers in Philadelphia are average at best. Still, he’s gotten better in each game, completing 74 percent of his passes for 301 yards Sunday against a Pittsburgh team most believe is a Super Bowl contender.
The Eagles also aren’t going to take away his starting job. Meanwhile, regardless of how well Prescott or Jimmy Garoppolo (he also deserves consideration) plays, they are likely to be pushed aside by Tony Romo and Tom Brady respectively.
Wentz is the unquestioned signal-caller in Philadelphia, and that’s not going to change any time soon.
••••••••••
What has happened to the Notre Dame football team’s defense and how can it be corrected?
—Matt Mathias,
Vincennes
Honestly, not all that much.
Let’s take a real look at the Fighting Irish defense over the last five years.
In 2012, when the team went undefeated through the regular season before getting blown out by Alabama in the national championship game, Notre Dame gave up 12.8 points per game. That was second-best in the country.
Since then, they have allowed 27.2, 29.2, 24.1 and 33.5 points per game. Yes, the numbers so far this season are the worst in that stretch, but the Fighting Irish have not been particularly good at stopping anyone in the recent past. The effort last season ranked them 41st in the nation — good enough if the offense is strong — but not impressive in any way.
I wish I could pinpoint a solution for you, but firing defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder is unlikely to do the trick. Nothing is that simple when your defense ranks 101st in the nation. Notre Dame is not stopping the run — it ranks 96th allowing 201 yards per game — or the pass (86th, 253 yards par game).
The Fighting Irish need to improve everything on the defensive side of the ball, and that’s not something that happens overnight.
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