A Grip on Sports: We can’t even get worked up about the M’s right now as we switch our focus to football and all that it entails

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It was great to see the NFL on our TV last night. To watch guys fly around. Make big plays. To notice new players and plays. To find some solace in, despite the regular season still being a few weeks away, the officials are in midseason form.

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• Anyone else notice the Seahawks lost? As if it matters. But what we laughed about is how they lost. A last-second field goal from 46 yards. As Brayden Narveson’s boot floated further and further to the left en route to the goal posts, we couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if one penalty had been called.

Yes, we almost always focus too much on officiating. We admit it. But as Mason Rudolph took the host Tennessee Titans down the field one last time Saturday, we were confident something untoward would happen to decide the game. It’s in the league’s DNA. And it did.

The play in question? Rudolph read a Seahawk blitz and took off up the vacated middle of the defense with a little more than a minute left. Tennessee was still at midfield. Marquis Blair, the veteran safety, was on the field, trying to earn a roster spot. He closed quickly on Rudolph, trying to limit the damage. He saw the quarterback go into a late slide and tried to avoid him, twisting his body in a weird way to do just that.

A 10-yard run wasn’t enough for Rudolph, himself trying to assure a spot on the 53-man roster. The veteran slid to his left, trying to draw a penalty on Blair. There was contact. There is not supposed to be any. But it was not enough for a flag, even with what was left of the crowd pleading for one. Then there was, some 3 seconds after the play, something yellow thrown from deep in the secondary.

As the replays showed what happened, and then something surprising, a group of Craig Wrolstad’s crew (fixed from earlier), including Wrolstad as referee, gathered to discuss the play. And we wondered if, with the game on the line, if they would have the nerve to move the Titans back 15 yards.

What the replay had revealed was Rudolph, the former Steeler starter, losing his cool. Blair must have said something. Maybe called Rudolph out for a slide that took Blair’s legs out from under him. Or something like that. Whatever it was, Rudolph took exception. And, while still sitting on the grass, threw the ball at Blair. That’s a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty folks, one that is called time and again in NFL games. And probably the reason for the late flag. Or not.

Wrolstad and his guys talked a while. Finally, he broke away and announced there would be no penalty for Blair’s contact. The fans booed. But the unsportsmanlike conduct? That was just ignored.

Big deal, right? It’s preseason. Time for everyone to get back into the swing of things. The officials will get it right in a few weeks. Sure they will.

As Narveson’s kick tucked inside the left upright about 80 seconds later, we couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if he had to make the kick from 61 yards. Oh, sure, the rookie had already connected from 59 yards, so he has the leg. And who knows what would have occurred in the final few plays if the Titans had been moved back for Rudolph’s temper tantrum. Heck, we wonder how a flag there would impact Tennessee’s roster decisions, being the journeyman quarterback showed again he may not be trustworthy.

That’s how close the margins are in the NFL. It’s a league with thousands of players trying for hundreds of spots. Musical chairs with real-world consequences. Except if you are charged with adjudicating the plays on the field.

Just think. We are just a couple weeks away from when a play like Saturday night’s will be shown over and over on your big screen. Arguments will erupt on the decision. Yelling, screaming. Pro, con. Anything but the ambivalence shown last night.

Folks with worthless betting slips will take to the Interweb to complain. Others will cash and walk away quietly. Some guy on Fox will blame it on an anonymous functionary no one has ever heard of in the NFL’s New York offices. An ESPN talking head will point out 73 other times the same thing happened and drew a flag. The folks on the NFL Network will show a feature on some kid who brought the ball out to Narveson’s snapper. Rudolph’s toss will turn into an Instagram meme.

And seven days later Scott Hanson will show us 1,927,301 highlights and we’ll forget all about it.

We can’t wait. How about you?

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WSU: It’s a big day in Pullman – though nothing is happening. Wait, that didn’t come out right. Nothing is happening on the field. The Cougar football team has the day off. But in the coaching offices, the lights are on. A decision is being made. Jake Dickert, Ben Arbuckle and maybe one or two others will gather and decide who the starting quarterback will be. The rest of us will sit patiently, waiting for smoke to rise from the building’s chimney. Will it be John Mateer? Zevi Eckhaus? The old veteran, TBD? One thing we’re sure of? Saturday’s scrimmage – caught in photographs by Tyler Tjomsland – is only part of what the coaching staff will use to make its decision. Greg Woods has all that covered this morning in this story. … Yes, we know that decision is foremost in your mind. But instead of complaining about the black smoke being released this morning, focus on what’s really important. Life. Family. Resilience. Finding your way. All of which Greg covers today in this can’t-miss story on linebacker Kyle Thornton and his mother. Hasn’t the picture we ran above, with Thornton around 14 years old, been enough to entice you to follow the link? It did just that for us. … Elsewhere in the (new and old) Pac-12, Jon Wilner takes a stab at predicting the ACC football standings in the Mercury News. … We will try to link every scrimmage from Saturday but we start with the Pac-12’s other member, Oregon State. The Beavers’ defense is still ahead as new coach Trent Bray prepares to designate a starting quarterback, just like the other Pac-12 school. … The numbers stories on the Oregonian website continue. The paper is at No. 14 for Oregon State and Oregon. … Yes, Washington held a “mock game” Saturday, whatever that is. Wouldn’t trying to imitate the game-day experience have to include a crowd, something that wasn’t in play yesterday at Husky Stadium? Dealing with everything a crowd of 70,000 people brings would be crucial to seeing how the players react. It’s something Carson Bruener is well aware and handles like the veteran he is. … Oregon held another scrimmage with Dan Lanning happy some issues were cleaned up. The Ducks are still dealing with injuries, major and minor. … Yep, recruiting never stops. … Is there a better defensive lineman name in college football than Bear Alexander? The USC veteran hopes to have a better year. … One UCLA player hopes to be the running back workhorse. … The new quarterback coach has hit it off with his Arizona pupils. … In the Mountain West, we can pass along scrimmage stories from Utah State, Boise State, Hawaii (as well as a column on its scheduling practices) and Air Force. … New Mexico needs a new athletic director. … Can Colorado State earn a bowl berth this season?

Idaho: The Vandals’ receivers are a young bunch, as Peter Harriman tells us in this story that also covers UI’s Saturday scrimmage. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Weber State’s tight ends consider themselves a “journeyman” group. … Former Montana head coach Bob Stitt is running a high school offense these days.

Indians: Vancouver came into Spokane for this late-summer series having been dominated by the Indians throughout the Northwest League season. But after last night’s 5-4 victory at Avista, the Canadians are assured of at least a split of the six games. Dave Nichols was there and has this coverage. … Elsewhere in the NWL, Hillsboro held off host Eugene 5-4 and Everett dominated Tri-City 11-5 in a game cut short by last night’s thunderstorms on the West Side.

Zephyr: A sellout crowd at ONE Spokane Stadium. An early goal. A great night? Well, all that was missing in the Zephyr’s franchise first match with Fort Lauderdale United FC was a win. The visitors scored late and earned a 1-1 draw. Colton Clark witnessed the first USL Super League in Spokane history and has this story. Kathy Plonka adds a photo gallery.

Seahawks: Sure, the Hawks lost. But did you see the touchdown catch Easop Winston Jr. had? Reminded us of his Washington State days. It came on a perfect pass from Sam Howell, who certainly showed he’s ready for whatever he has to do this season. … With the contest coming down to the final seconds, Mike Macdonald was able to practice head coach end-of-game scenarios for the first time in a game, exhibition or not.

Mariners: Five consecutive losses. Fourteen strike outs. Six games back of Houston in the loss column. Numbers, like the 7-2 score from Saturday in Pittsburgh, aren’t in the M’s favor right now. As if the offensive ones ever were. Want another number? Playoff odds are getting slimmer every day. … Cal Raleigh is more than a catcher. He is also a leader.

Sounders: OK, finishing top eight in the Leagues Cup tournament isn’t something to sneeze at. (An aside: In this pandemic day-and-age, should we retire the term “nothing to sneeze at” as it means more than it used to?) But if Seattle could have just been on the opposite side of the bracket from LAFC, the Sounders probably would have finished second. They weren’t beating their Los Angeles rivals in the quarterfinals or the championship or whatever. Not these days. The 3-0 defeat just seemed preordained.

Motorsports: Doug Pace has a Sunday feature on a Spokane legacy who has a third consecutive motorcycle championship in his sights.

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• We mentioned Saturday we would talk about the M’s today. We lied. We know they lost again. Fell further back in the American League West. We just aren’t able to muster the outrage we thought we would. This team’s flaws are well known. Have been since about May 1. It’s not as if the front office hasn’t tried to fix them. Within the franchise’s self-imposed boundaries, of course. It hasn’t worked. Football season is about to start. No one is going to care anymore. Maybe we’ll work up some indignation tomorrow. Maybe not. Until later …