Oh, U that was bad

Del Olaleye: I committed sports treason and paid for it

Del Olaleye: I committed sports treason and paid for it
Watching an important game in a bar? It might work for you, but a bad move by Del. Revelry on Richmond / Facebook

I broke one of my Cardinal rules and I paid for it dearly. I’ve made it a point to not watch games that mean something to me around other people. I really don’t like being around people in general but when you throw a meaningful sporting event into the equation my annoyance with anyone breathing reaches new levels. From time to time people will ask me if I want to meet somewhere to watch a game and the answer is always no. I believe myself to be pretty calm and not reactionary in most aspects of life. Miami Hurricanes sports would be the exception. So what happened on the afternoon of March 15 is something I deserved and I’ll never allow the situation to happen again.

I’m partly a victim of circumstance. The Raheel and Del show on ESPN 97.5 was ending as the Oklahoma vs Rhode Island round of 64 game was coming to an end. We just so happened to be doing a show at a sports bar. The game went into OT so I decided to hang around at the sports bar to watch the finish. By the time that game ended the Miami Hurricanes game was about twenty minutes from starting so I made the decision to stay and watch. That was a mistake. Loyola-Chicago was the opponent and the trendy pick to pull an upset. The game was back and forth throughout and wasn’t decided until Loyola hit a game winning three with 0.3 remaining. I can’t remember the last time one of my favorite teams lost that way, certainly not in a game with that much importance. The loss was bad and the hour and a half drive home to stew was worse. The results aren’t really the point though.

I deserved that loss. I deserved for it to be that type of loss. Never break away from your sports-watching traditions. I don’t really care about Oklahoma or Rhode Island. Did I need to stay to watch that crappy game just because it went to overtime? The clear answer is no. For my troubles I got to sit through a game where every flaw I’ve witnessed throughout the season for my favorite team became magnified in the final seconds. It just so happens I got to sit through it with all my closest friends (we aren’t all that close and most weren’t my friends) as well. During the explosion of emotion after the Loyola shot went through net, two people threw the “U” in my face. I’ve seen rival fans and opposing players do that on TV. I’m pretty much numb to seeing that. It had never happened to me before. It was just the topper to a crappy 2.5 hours.

Never again though. I’d rather keep track of a game on gametracker than sit through being calm in a situation like that. There were no pillows to throw after a bad possession or a place to yell after giving up an open shot. No steps to sit on silently to calm down (these are all things that I do by the way). Pretending to be normal blows. Watch your games the way you want to watch them. If any person in life your asks you to watch an important game in a way you’re not accustomed to, you should ask yourself this question. Do I really need those people in my life? They clearly don’t have your best interest in mind. I paid for my high crimes against sports. Don’t suffer my fate.

I committed sports treason and I got a deserved punishment. The death of my team’s season. Watching that game in my rightful place at home doesn’t change the outcome but I know watching in public didn’t help.

I was clearly at fault but….

“Hey, Miami guard who might be a lottery pick, how about you make a bleepin free throw?”

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The Texans are back in action next week against the Dolphins. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

C.J. Stroud faced criticism in Houston's last few games as the Texans hit a rough patch after losing just two of their first eight games.

But the second-year quarterback remained confident and his strong performance last Sunday helped the Texans (8-5) to a 23-20 win over the Jaguars to enter their bye with a two-game lead atop the AFC South.

“When he is leading and playing the way he is playing, our entire team feeds off of him,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I am excited for his second year. I think he is showing a ton of growth, he is in a really great spot for us physically, mentally. I really love where he is and I am excited to see how he comes back after the break.”

Stroud threw for 242 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville to leave him ranked fourth in the NFL with 3,117 yards passing this season. That game came after he threw two interceptions in a 32-27 loss to Tennessee a week before for the team’s third loss in four games.

Those two interceptions brought his season total to nine, which are four more than he threw in 15 games a rookie. But the Texans aren’t worried about that statistic and believe he has grown in his second year.

“He’s made a lot of progress,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “There are some plays, like all of our players, that we probably wish he could have back, but happy he’s our quarterback, happy with what he brings to the table. ... Wouldn’t want anyone else leading this team.”

The Texans are in position to win their division for a second straight season despite dealing with several significant injuries on offense. Running back Joe Mixon missed three games early with an ankle injury and leading receiver Nico Collins was sidelined for five games with a hamstring injury.

They also lost four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for the season when tore an ACL in Week 8.

Mixon leads the team with 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and has added four touchdown receptions. His work in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati has helped the team deal with those significant injuries to the receiving corps.

Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing in seven games.

Stroud has continually raved about Mixon’s contributions on and off the field.

“He’s a servant, a helper,” Stroud said. “That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is.”

While Mixon has been the team’s most important new acquisition on offense, Danielle Hunter has been Houston’s new defensive star. The defensive end spent his first eight seasons in Minnesota before joining the Texans this year.

He has helped Houston lead the NFL with 84 tackles for loss after piling up 15 this season, which is tied for third most in the league. He also leads the Texans with 10½ sacks to help them rank second with 42.

Hunter been a great addition to a team that already had defensive end Will Anderson Jr., last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson ranks second to Hunter on the team with 13 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.

Ryans said this week’s break is much needed for a team that opened the preseason on Aug. 1 in the Hall of Fame game.

“It’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time.”

The Texans need to recharge this week with a brutal stretch of three games in 10 days when they return from their bye. Houston hosts Miami on Dec. 15 before a trip to Kansas City on Dec. 21 and a visit from the Ravens on Christmas Day.

“It’s Christmas and all that, but we can’t worry about that. All we can do is focus on Miami,” Caserio said. “And then when we get through the Miami game, then we kind of turn the page to the next. ... We’re either going to earn it or we’re not. Not to oversimplify it, but that’s the truth.”

The Texans will play those game without starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after he received a three-game suspension for his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.

Al-Shaair will be eligible to return for Houston’s regular-season finale against Tennessee.

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