Sports Biggest Goats of 2015
No one wants to be the goat—and I'm not talking about the Greatest Of All Time. You may question why a humble member of the animal kingdom came to symbolize individual failure, but there is no questioning what it means when someone is made the goat. It's especially damaging in sports, where failure can reach beyond a person’s career and become part of the individual's identity.
When someone is labeled a goat, the damage is already done. Not only has the person been singled out as solely responsible for disaster, but everyone around that person—the team, the organization—has essentially abandoned ship. So, the goat is often also the person left holding the bag.
The label is often deserved, but sometimes it’s not—but the greater the visibility, real or symbolic, of an athlete, the greater the risk of becoming a goat. Coaches, quarterbacks, closers, expensive free agents and any other position that routinely pushes a person’s chips into the pile—regardless of the hand—are the most likely to find themselves a hero one minute and a goat the next.
These are the biggest sports goats of 2015.
Kobe Bryant
1 of 10
To say it hasn’t been Kobe Bryant’s year would be quite the understatement. Although his play has been improving of late, it’s mostly because it didn’t have anywhere to go but up at a certain point.
In early December Bryant was “shooting a career-worst 29.6 percent from the field, which put him on pace to potentially become the first player in the shot-clock era to shoot less than 30 percent from the field while taking 15 shots per game,” according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com. Yikes.
Finally willing and/or able to read the writing on the wall, Bryant mercifully announced his impending retirement (following the season) via a poem in late November. Yes, via a poem, which is a pretty weird way for Kobe to go out, but who cares as long as he’s actually going.
Colin Kaepernick
2 of 10
A career that started off with such promise for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick when he took the reins in San Francisco back in 2012 seems like it might already be over. Having struggled mightily in the first few months of the post-Jim Harbaugh era that began in 2015, Kaepernick was put on season-ending injured reserve in November, replaced by former first-rounder Blaine Gabbert.
Although the Niners remain destined for a last-place finish in their division, Gabbert’s efforts, while not necessarily translating to wins, have been appreciated enough that it’s hard to imagine these two coexisting peacefully in the future. That's especially true after Hall of Fame legend Joe Montana recently came out firmly as Team Gabbert to Sporting News.
Rob Ryan
3 of 10
Having presided over New Orleans defenses over the last two years that have been described as historically bad, in November the Saints, who are poised to finish in the NFC South basement, fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
In true Ryan fashion, following his latest termination, Ryan made light of the situation with an ill-advised joke on NFL GameDay (via the New York Post). “Everything in New Orleans is being blamed on me, including Katrina, and I think it’s a little far-fetched.” Yikes, bro.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Jonathan Papelbon
4 of 10
Despite whatever value he may have added to teams throughout his career, it’s hard to imagine relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon is ever missed terribly when he’s gone.
The guy’s generalized awfulness was on full display this past fall in Washington, when Papelbon grabbed Nationals teammate Bryce Harper, the eventual NL MVP, by the throat in the dugout for what he apparently perceived as a lack of effort. Papelbon was suspended four games for the incident and deservedly so.
Most players would’ve probably accepted the terms of the suspension and moved on, but we’re not talking about most players. In December Papelbon filed a grievance against the Nationals for failing to pay his salary for those four games. Most recently it was reported that Papelbon has a whopping 17 teams on his no-trade list. Making things even more difficult for the Nationals is that 29 teams probably have the rapidly aging 35-year-old reliever with diminishing skills on their do-not-trade-for lists.
Derrick Rose
5 of 10
Whatever remaining hope there is that Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will finally return to form after suffering a series of injuries over the last few seasons seems to be fading fast. Though he has finally returned to the court, playing consistently in Chicago this season, he has remained tentative, perhaps still “spooked by injury,” as the Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley phrased it, putting up near career-low numbers along the way.
Rose has been getting hammered by the local sports media and has been at the center of constant trade rumors at a national level. Whether or not a serious market even exists for Rose’s services is yet to be seen, but one thing is already perfectly clear: The party is over for Derrick Rose in Chicago.
Chip Kelly
6 of 10
Eagles head coach Chip Kelly went 10-6 in his first two seasons at the helm in Philadelphia, and in 2015 was handed full control of the team. He wasted no time in making this his team, jettisoning the remaining high-profile talent from the Andy Reid era and replacing it with players that better fit whatever it is he’s trying to do.
Though unless he was actively trying to turn a 10-6 team into a 6-10 team, at this point Kelly’s vision remains unclear. While the Eagles look like they will finish stronger than they started, the Philly media has already turned on Kelly, so have the fans and maybe his own players. Maybe he’ll get another season with the team, but it’s hard to imagine him turning this sinking ship around.
DeMarco Murray
7 of 10
The last two seasons have truly been night and day for running back DeMarco Murray. With the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, Murray was the toast of the NFL as the league’s leading rusher, having finished a full 500 yards ahead of his closest competitors.
A free agent in 2015, Murray and the Cowboys were unable to come to terms during a contentious negotiation period, which led to him signing with the division-rival Eagles, despite his downhill running style being a very bad fit for the scheme Chip Kelly runs. It was a move that hurt the Cowboys, the Eagles and Murray himself.
Unlikely to even get close to the 1,000-yard mark, let alone the 1,800-plus one from a season ago, and frustrated by a lack of playing time, Murray recently made waves when it was reported he had taken his complaints straight to owner Jeffrey Lurie, seemingly going over the head of his coach. For his part, Kelly remains unconcerned about Murray’s concerns, which isn’t likely to help the embattled running back’s case moving forward.
Jerry Jones
8 of 10
The Cowboys surprised everyone with their 12-4 record in 2014, good enough for a division win and their first postseason appearance in five years. Owner/GM Jerry Jones was in his glory as a one-man hype machine, basking in the glow of every camera that pointed his direction. Riding that wave of self-satisfaction into the offseason, Jones’ already-suspect judgement was further clouded by the success he had stumbled into. Instead of working to keep the team together, the Cowboys went in another direction entirely.
They cut ties with their league-leading rusher in DeMarco Murray without even floating a “legitimate offer” to him before the free-agency period began, according to ESPN.com's Jean-Jacques Taylor. They decided to play hardball with wide receiver Dez Bryant, who ultimately missed all the offseason minicamps and OTAs, despite giving in and offering him exactly what he had wanted from the get-go. Instead of searching for a viable backup for an aging and injury-prone Tony Romo, Jones opted to focus his efforts on luring an alleged violent abuser in defensive end Greg Hardy—a decision he’s been struggling to defend ever since.
Matt Harvey
9 of 10
After missing the entire 2014 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, New York Mets ace Matt Harvey returned to the field this past season and immediately returned to form. Named the NL Comeback Player of the Year, Harvey was 13-8 with a 2.71 ERA, anchoring a pitching rotation that took the Mets all the way to the World Series. Although the season was an overall success, it didn’t exactly end on a high note.
Harvey pitched a brilliant eight innings against the Kansas City Royals in Game 5 of the World Series, at which point Mets manager Terry Collins attempted to hand it over to the bullpen to clinch a 2-0 win. Harvey protested, ultimately got his way and then was yanked after putting the tying run on base. The game went to extra innings, ending after 12 when the Royals unleashed their bats to the tune of five runs.
Referees
10 of 10
Being a referee has always been a thankless job, but never more so than in 2015. Week after week, the level of officiating in football, particularly, reached impressive new lows at both the college and pro level. Among the most egregious errors in the NCAA this season was the botched non-call on the epic eight-lateral play that allowed Miami to upset Duke, which resulted in suspensions, and a controversial touchdown a week later on which Nebraska stunned Michigan State.
In the NFL at this point, the rules have gotten so complicated and murky that the zebras seem to have absolutely no idea what constitutes a catch, resulting in an endless series of baffling calls that have plagued the season. The situation has gotten so out of hand, in fact, that the league Competition Committee recently approved a “limited adjustment to officiating procedures,” in hopes that cartoonishly bad calls won't ruin the playoffs.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
