Conor Allen

  I'll be getting some "Game Of The Week Posts" in for the NBA and with March Madness on the horizon, a little NCAAM. I'll definitely be participating in some kind of Bracket Challenge this season, and by participate I mean I'll stare at the lines and seeds until my eyes glaze over. Gonzaga's gonna win it all anyway right? Their 24-0 and have +350 odds to take the crown. If I pick the Zags to go all the way I'll have to gloat...over the internet. Not the same as gloating right at your co-worker's face the day after the championship by the water cooler. Oh well, enjoy Creighton at Villanova. No.14 Creighton visits No.10 Villanova Wednesday night in a Big East Battle with just over a week to go before selection Sunday for the NCAA tournament. This is an intriguing matchup between two ranked teams, both playing their penultimate games of the regular season. They’re evenly matched, offensively and defensively. They’re each 11-0 when holding opponents to un...

While Super Bowl LV played out in front of a reduced crowd of 22,000 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, I had a little competition going of my own. My friend Neil invited me to participate in the Big Game Covers Challenge. Participants in the challenge select from up to 20 different cover challenges ranging from the over/under on the length of the National Anthem in seconds to which song The Weeknd would perform first, to more serious football matters like the over/under on total combined points scored during the game.  The most important cover for me was #16: What color will the liquid poured on the winning coach be? I knew the winning team would be the Bucs, and therefore the venerable Bruce Arians would be the one dumped on. I didn't get many of my picks right, but that one I did. But the color? What would the color be? I knew it was going to be a riveting day.  The game itself was definitely not interesting. I was in no way amazed that a man born the year the first St...

The story of Tom Brady is a looooooong one. And it isn't over. It's an amazing story, and it's not one dimensional. There are many, many triumphs. Nine conference championships. 581 touchdowns passes. Five Super Bowl wins, and now a 10th Super Bowl appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, the first time in NFL history a home team has hosted the Super Bowl. There's also a scandal involving air being let out of footballs. There's nearly an entire season lost to injury. There are three Super Bowl losses, including one to the NY Giants that ended an otherwise perfect season in 2007-2008.  The next chapter has a bunch of scary new characters. Travis Kelsey. Tyreek Hill. Patrick Mahomes. Also Andy Reid wearing a Covid-19 shield that fogs over repeatedly while he orchestrates a lethal offense. No matter, these villains only serve to further the plot.  I read ahead and this chapter is a great one. Brady and the Bucs will win at home and take down the defending cham...

Richard Sherman -(Calf) Out. Brandon Aiyuk-(Ankle) Out. K'Wan Williams- (Shin) Out. Robbie Gould (EVEN ROBBIE GOULD!) (reserve/COVID-19 List) Out.  Week 17 is coming for the 49ers, and the above list is just a few of the prominent players out for the final game of the season. I wish Richard Sherman could play every minute of every game. His intensity inspires me. It's ok though. I'm used to the injuries by now. Besides, when I read these names, I don't think about their injuries. I don't see them on sideline in street clothes (or this year up in a box with a mask on) I see them on the field. Vital. Healthy. Making big plays. I even see them signing new contracts, though not on the field. That wouldn't be practical. Someone cold get hurt and this team has already had enough injuries.  When I read "Richard Sherman (Calf) Out," I think about the good times. I think about his presence as a veteran leader. I think about his interception of Aaron Rodgers in ...

Last Sunday, I ended up on the floor.  Trailing the Washington Football Team 23-15 near the end of the 4th quarter, the 49ers had just picked up 22 yards on a great Kendrick Bourne catch for a first down to keep the game alive, when offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey was called for holding. The penalty negated the gain and one failed completion later the game was effectively over.  Seconds before I had been standing up cheering. Then, I tumbled in disappointment. It's been that kind of season.  But the good thing about being on the floor is that once you've hit bottom, you can only go up.  And by going up I mean you get off the ground, ignore any looks of pity from your girlfriend, walk over to a different screen in your house, and pull up the NFL Films YouTube channel.  I DEVOUR these videos. I watch them when I'm sad. I watch them when I'm happy. I watch them before games on Sunday to get excited, and I watch them on Tuesday afternoons because I have nothing bet...

As the 49ers prepare to take on the Washington Football team this Sunday at "home" in Glendale, AZ, I'm finding my thoughts drifting to Washington starting quarterback Alex Smith. I should be thinking about San Francisco. I should be calculating their probabilities of a playoff berth. I should be pondering whether posting up in Glendale for a month or more could actually help their focus, eliminate distractions. I should thinking about Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and Raheem Mostert and what happens when they link up with a healthy Jimmy Garrappolo in a Week 17 victory over Seahawks. A 48-0 win to end the regular season as the best 9-7 team in football, followed by an incredible playoff run that culminates in a Super Bowl re-match with the Chiefs... sorry I'm drifting again. Back to today and the realities of being 5-7.  It's easy to drift in 2020. Time has no meaning. Football games are played on Tuesday afternoons at 2. Players test positive. Players test nega...