Between free agency and training camp, the NFL has been non-stop since the lockout was lifted. That’s a GREAT thing when you’re an avid football fan, like myself. That’s a bad thing when you’re a football blogger who is fighting a MEAN summer cold. But I can’t let the day go by without a recap and my thoughts on the top stories of the weekend.
News Story: The Eagles have been BUSY the past few days. In a surprising twist, Philly landed the hottest free agent in the market in CB Nnamdi Asomugha. In addition to that, they traded for CB Dominique Rodgers- Cromartie, signed Vince Young to a 1-year deal and DL Cullen Jenkins to a multi-year deal
My thoughts: The Eagles mean BUSINESS this time. I truly believe this is a desperation free agency for them, of sorts. The Eagles should have about 2 Super Bowls at this point, and with the Phillies and Flyers having major success, they were slowly becoming the 3rd fan fave in their town. These moves bring them back to the top and gives them a better chance and finally bringing home a Lombardi trophy. Sometimes desperation is good, because desperate measures can bring better results. We’ll find out starting Sept. 11th.
News Story: The Jets allegedly had comedian Adam Sandler call Asomugha to try and lure him to the Big Apple. Yeah, you read that right… Adam Sandler!
My Take: LMFAOOOOOO!
News Story: Speaking of the Jets, they inked a deal with WR Plaxico Burress for one year, and agreed to terms with Antonio Cromartie with a 4-year deal.
My Take: Plax back in NY could be a good thing. I think he fits in well with the team. How he will do on the field, is hard to say. Jamal Lewis and Michael Vick both had slow seasons when coming from incarceration, so it will be interesting to see how Plax responds. The deal was low risk, so it works great for both sides.
As for Cromartie, this was the right choice by NY all along. Asomugha was an upgrade, but an unnecessary one. Because the way I remembered it, poor tackling from the front 7 was the reason why the Jets didn’t advance from the AFC Championship Game last year.
News Story: Peyton Manning re-signs with the Colts on a 5-year, $90 million deal. The deal allegedly was undervalued for Manning’s resume, yet the cap-friendly deal helped the team re-sign Joseph Addai
My Take: I’d be a liar and a hater if I said I didn’t like Manning. Another classy move to show he’s a stand up guy. Very rarely do you see a man of his football caliber try and make a move for the betterment of the entire team. Kudos to him.
News Story: In more serious news, Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall told the media yesterday that he’s been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which has been known to stem from things such as unstable personal relationships, a negative self-image and a fear of failure. Marshall said no one has ever helped him since being in the NFL, and that he’s paid about $60K for treatment.
My Take: This is a HUGE step in the right direction for Marshall. Mental illness is very real, and a lot of times left untreated (particularly in the Black community). Marshall says he wants to lobby Congress for funding of the illness and I’m with him 110%. Too many times people leave their sickness unattended and allow it to consume them. I hope Marshall gets the help he needs.
Who is Chris Kluwe, you ask? Oh, just the punter for the Minnesota Vikings. Kluwe isn’t too happy with Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Logan Mankins and Vincent Jackson, all whom are listed on the antitrust case. It was reported earlier that Mankins and Jackson may demand free agency or $10 million payout in exchange for their signature to settle the case. Manning and Brees later came into play because they would like to be exempt fully from the franchise tag.
Enters Chris Kluwe, who took his frustration to Twitter to express his feelings about their actions:
Who knew that punters were so fiery!
If this info is true, I’m with Kluwe all the way. These guys need to sit down and stop trying to look out for self. Four guys shouldn’t hold up what 1900 men represent and want, which is to play football. The fact that Kluwe spoke about it in his Kanye-esque tweet shows that guys want the lockout to end and football to be back. I’m holding my glass up, too, Chris Kluwe. Let’s have a toast for the douchebags!
Hey ladies and gents. I hope you’ve all enjoyed your holiday weekend as much as I did. I took the time to go tweetless this weekend (Shameless plug: Follow me on Twitter @theNFLchick). But in doing so, my brain was working non-stop with random thoughts about everything, from football to music to movies. While I could have tweeted my thoughts, I decided to collect them altogether and create a blog post, similar to Peter King’s 10 Things I Think I Think from his MMQB column. Hopefully it’s not TOO all over the place and you can enjoy (and understand) my thoughts.
Happy Birthday Al Davis!
How ironic is it that the Oakland Raiders owner shares the same birthday as America’s Declaration of Independence. While Al’s birth certificate says he turned 82, he looks as old as the 235 year-old document of our freedom from the British Empire. Al’s still here with us, and still running things in Oakland. Happy 235- excuse me-82nd birthday, Mr. Davis. Something tells me Skeletor will see a few more birthdays form now.
I’m On To You, SWV!
As I get older, I translate a lot of music that I listened to growing up, in a way that my immaturity didn’t allow me to before. This weekend, I learned that one of my favorite 90′s groups SWV (or Sisters With Voices) were great singers, but their biggest hits were always about chasing someone else’s man or was on some freaky ish to try and grab/keep one. Think about it…. “So Into You” and “You’re The One” were about men that were unavailable but they wanted to get with them anyway. “Downtown” was about freaky things you had to do to get some of their, “love”, while “Anything” explained that they would do just about anything to keep that [unavailable] man around. I had no idea how naive I was back then, but I’ve seen the light in 2011. I’m piecing the puzzle together. I’m on to you Coco, Taj and Le Le… I’m on to you……….
Transformers Was Great, But…………….
I love summer blockbusters. It’s part of the 19732836826 reasons why summer is one of the best seasons of all. Vacations, sundresses, cookouts and blockbuster movies all play a role into how awesome the summer season is. So when I went to see the 3rd installment of Transformers movie this holiday weekend, I wasn’t let down. It was excellent and definitely worth the $14.50 that was spent ( since when did movie tickets get so high before 6pm? 3-D my a$$!!). There’s just one problem: I’m an analytical maniac when it comes to movies and songs (see above for SWV analysis).
I usually pick out how parts of a movie make ZERO sense if it were a real life scenario. Now I know Transformers is from the old school cartoon (which, I’m proud to say I was an avid fan of the original back in the day. And don’t you dare judge my age), so of course logic goes out the door and this fictional tale is all about action. Aside from the fact that Shia LeBeouf should have died, I dunno…. 2 movies ago, I notice other things that just don’t quiet make sense.
For instance, Rosie Huntington- Whiteley (who portrays Carly, the girlfriend of LeBeouf in the movie) is beautiful without any question. But can someone tell me why was she beautiful the WHOLE DAMN MOVIE? Transformers was extremely messy.. lots of fire and destruction took place, yet Carly’s hair looked as good in the end as it did in the first scene she appeared in, early in the movie. While LeBeouf gets pretty dirty as the movie goes on, she’s still near perfect in the same duration. Her clothes looked clean, her hair was still in tact and oh… she was running full speed in Christian Louboutins for a good part of the movie. Now, I know what those shoes feel like. Man-made shoes are HARD on women’s feet. So you mean to tell me, she felt no need to kick her shoes off at any time once she knew she had to run for her everlasting life? Other than some dust on her cheek, she was almost flawless the entire movie. I know what you’re thinking.. it’s just a movie and you’re doing WAY too much right now… but this is how my brain operates. Pray for me, especially 10+ years down the road……..
The Awesomeness Of The 4th of July
Every year for the 4th, I go to my friend’s house for their annual cookout. At the end of the night, her family gets together and light up the fireworks for their own personal show. It’s become a tradition of sorts. So much, that the neighboring street now does fireworks of their own and the 2 streets have a “Fireworks battle”, going back and forth with who has the best fireworks display.
It’s pretty awesome (and illegal, since MD doesn’t sell most of the fireworks they had, but that’s not here nor there..), and it makes me appreciate my city a little bit more. If I had one day a year to love living in the city, this is the day. You don’t have to go downtown to see the big show, folks all around the area do their own shows. And in the process of doing that, friends come together, neighbors come together and communities come together. I know I sound preachy and you may not even buy what I’m saying but it’s true. Neighbors who barely speak to each other come out and talk about the fireworks beef and judge on who had the better display (which, by-the-way, my friend’s street lost BAD! The other street must’ve gotten their fireworks straight from the factory because I thought I was at Disney World). It’s a great chance to open lines of communication and getting to know the people you live by. And since going out on the 4th is becoming more and more dangerous, I look forward to kicking it around the neighborhood with my friends each and every year.
Reed vs Polamalu Debate
The NFL Network finally showed their final 10 players for their Top 100 NFL Players of 2011. Ed Reed went ahead of Troy Polamalu by 1 slot, going 5th overall. The ranking opened up a new Reed vs Polamalu debate that we’ve seen over the years. But this is where the debate should stop.
I’ve stated publicly that I’m not a big fan of the list. I believe that some players were ranked too high or too low or shouldn’t have been ranked at all. But one thing I think we need to realize is this: This list was ranked by their colleagues, other NFL players. Fans, analysts and coaches may think they have an idea, but none of us line up against these guys on Sundays. These guys see the players on the field, whether it be through tape or live action. Who better to rank our favorite NFL players than their peers?
I’ve said over and over, the Reed vs Polamalu debate is beyond stupid, mainly because they don’t play the same position and they both do different things for their respected squads. But let me say this: Just because one is more versatile or appears to physically do more than the other, doesn’t mean he’s better. I’ve seen a lot of debate about Troy being better because he does more, which is true. He lines up as a LB or in the defensive backfield. He always seems to be all over the field. But that in no way means that he’s more valuable or better than than Ed Reed. Reed changes the entire gameplan of a QB before he even steps on the field. Throws that QBs would make against other defenses, now have to be thought about 3 times or more when the Ravens are the opponent with Ed Reed in the lineup. A lot of Reed’s game changing ability starts in the film room, with players try to find ways to play around him. That within itself is just as big as what he actually does on-the-field.
In the end, you could probably flip a coin either way on who should be ranked higher, but both are great players in their own right. Why debate about 2 guys who’s skills are so different they could actually coexist on the same team, if need be? Would you have a debate about a DT vs LB? If not, then the Reed/Polamalu debate is moot. Let it go. I’m talking to YOU, Ravens and Steelers fans!
Manning vs Brady
Final thought, and I’ll make it quick. Brady’s SB wins gets him the #1 spot hands down. He’s worthy of it because he’s pretty good in the QB dept…. damn good actually…. but I’ve seen Belichick win games without Tom Brady.. 10 of them in 2008 to be exact. I’d bet 3 years of my salary that that would NOT happen if Peyton Manning went down with a season ending injury. Manning on the Colts is irreplaceable. I can’t say the same for Brady. But rings talk and SB losses walk, so………………..
Now that the wait is over and we know who’s going to the Super Bowl, it’s a little bitter sweet for fans. Let’s face it: the supposed “big” game is rarely all it’s cracked up to be. It’s usually the lead-up to the championship that keeps everyone on their toes.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, although they’ve won 6 Super Bowl titles and have appeared now in 8, are an old-school team, boring and slow on offense with a ground-and-pound approach and a stingy defense that, like usual, is ranked high in the NFL (#1 in 2010 for total YPG).
The Green Bay Packers, led by the now-free-of-Favre’s-shadow Aaron Rodgers, are a more explosive team on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, but yet they’re still not the sexy choice for NFC representatives.
It is what it is, however, and while this isn’t a Drew Bress vs. Peyton Manning rematch, or even a Tom Brady vs. Matt Ryan showdown, Big Ben and Mr. Rodgers are certainly nothing to sneeze at. Sure, it’s not that great on paper. No one expects the over to exceed around 35. But with these teams in this atmosphere, we might just see the best Super Bowl in a long, long time.
Currently, the Green Bay Packers are favored by about a field goal universally. Of course, betting on football—especially the Super Bowl—isn’t like betting on online blackjack games. Nothing’s set in stone, nothing’s quantifiable; it’s all up for grabs. Even still, that’s a fairly safe bet as we see it.
Pittsburgh’s run defense is monstrous, stuffing everyone, but it’s also exploitable by way of play action and an ironically Roethlisberger-like mobile quarterback, ala Aaron Rodgers.
One thing neither the Ravens nor the Jets had was a playmaker at the QB position. Sanchez and Flacco are both pretty good pocket passers, but their ability to extend a play is about as good as that can of Crystal Pepsi you have in the basement. Rodgers, on the other hand, was second only to Michael Vick in rushing yards from the helm, and he has put the belt on all season long with rushing TD after rushing TD.
The Steelers are exploitable here because they’re not fast enough to cover all the bases. They will stuff the run, surely, but quick slants, deep outs, broken plays, and potential third down conversions all work in the Packers’ favor due to the type of dynamic, switch-‘em-up O they bring with them to Cowboys Stadium.
The game should remain very close, however, as the Steelers’ offense is definitely not a pushover. We all bore witness to what Rashard Mendenhall did to the third-ranked defense in the league, the New York Jets (Just Envy the Steelers?), and Big Ben can also turn broken plays into sandlot football and pick up key yardage in tough situations.
Many feel as if this game is a toss-up, the proverbial roll of the dice or a spin on the no download slots reel. But just like Pittsburgh did to the Jets in the first half, the Green Bay Packers should be able to dominate time of possession and keep the Steelers off the field.
Other than a forced throw in Chicago that resulted in an Urlacher INT, Rodgers has been playing out of his mind. Roethlisberger, conversely, threw 2 INTs vs. the Jets and should have thrown 4 to 6, and he wasn’t exactly Troy Aikman in his previous playoff game against the Ravens.
In the first half with the Ravens and the second half with the Jets, the Steelers were only on the field physically. Their spirits were in the locker room or off somewhere trying to send Jenn Sterger photos of their junk.
When Super Sunday rolls around, the Steelers will need to play all 60 minutes – something they’re not really accustomed to, whereas Green Bay has yet to take a down off all postseason.
When it’s all said and done, the Packers can keep the ball away from the Steelers and hold on to a lead late. True, Pittsburgh is going to score on Green Bay’s defense. They can’t match the Steelers’ physicality. But the object of the game isn’t to score; it’s to score more than your opponent.
This is something that the Steelers will fail to do, and we predict that the final score will be Green Bay 30 and Pittsburgh 24 – covering the spread but still a great game that comes down to some fourth quarter heroics.
I dunno about you, but I’m as excited as a fat kid with birthday cake on their plate. Wild Card Weekend is here and I cannot wait to see the games. Everytime I think of the NFL Playoffs, extra hard fist pumping comes to mind!
Eagles, Ravens and Colts… OH MY! So much going on. 8 teams, 4 games, but only 4 teams advance to the divisionals. Who will live to see another week? It’s time to pick the Wild Card Weekend games.
Saints (-11) at Seahawks: This started out as one of the most lopsided games on paper earlier in the week. The Saints are 11-5 headed to Seattle who ended the season with a dismal 7-9 record. I’m blown at the fact that the Seahawks, or any NFC West team for that matter, is taking up good playoff space. But that’s another story for another day. It just became really real this week in the Big Easy, however, when RBs Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas were put on IR. This means the Saints have pretty much NO running game coming into this weekend’s match up (please don’t insult my intelligence and remind me that Reggie Bush is on the roster…. he’s done very little at Tailback). To add insult to injury, New Orleans is 0-3 in road playoff games and Seattle is known to have one of the league’s loudest stadiums. Seahawks QB Matt Hasslebeck gets the nod this week as the starter, and the Seahawks have every reason to believe they can come out with a win with him at the helm. He’s had recent success against New Orleans. That being said… I’m too petty to pick Seattle. They shouldn’t even be in the dance if you ask me. I’m taking New Orleans because they’ve earned the right to be there, and will find a way to prevail over the obstacles they are facing.
Winner:
Jets at Colts (-3): Despite the Colts finding a way to make the playoffs after losing so many key players this season, the Jets have reason to worry. They lost to Indy in the AFC Championship game last season and a Rex Ryan-led defense has had no luck in beating Manning and Co in recent memory. Ryan said earlier this week that, “it’s personal”, regarding this weekend’s match up. And it should be. Mark Sanchez has been hot and cold this season, but the Jets are a run-heavy offense that can attack the Colts’ depleted D. Manning will always be Manning, he can make wine out of water. And he’s done just that with the castoff of players he’s had this season. But one has to wonder if the injuries are too much to handle, now that it’s playoff time. Beating the Titans was cool, because the Titans weren’t really that good this year anyway. But the Jets are better than the Titans. And they have more skills players that are healthy than the Colts, including Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and LaDainian Tomlinson. Rex and that sweater vest finally gets the monkey off his back this weekend.
Winner:
Ravens (-3) at Chiefs: Of course, I hold a real interest to this game, because I’m a Ravens fan. Dan Kolko from MASN Sports broke down the rankings between the Ravens and Chiefs on paper and they seem to be very neck and neck (except overall offense.. my Ravens really tanked in that dept). But if you lookpast the stats, it’s not that simple. Case-in-point: In addition to playing the Steelers twice a year, the Ravens also played the Jets, Patriots, Falcons, Saints and Bucs, while finishing their division with a 4-2 record. The Chiefs played the NFC West (and y’all KNOW how I feel about that division) while playing the likes of Houston, Tennessee and Buffalo. They finished 2-4 in their own division, and was blown out at least once by the Broncos, Chargers and Raiders. Not to discredit what KC has done this season…. they took helm of a division previously OWNED by San Diego. But it’s hard to ignore the schedule and division differences. Baltimore knows how to play on the road and win, and KC may be prematurely playing with the big boys. I think KC is a strong team, and they will find some success running the ball against the Ravens. But I think Baltimore is better built for the playoffs while having experience on their side.
Winner:
Packers at Eagles (-3): This one will be a good one. Both of these teams are built for post season football. There is no real advantage for this game. The Packers have a losing road record, and the Eagles are 4-4 at home this season. But there are 2 key elements that may make a difference in this game- health and momentum, both of those in Green Bay’s favor. Aaron Rodgers has played well since going down with a concussion last month. He had a great game in the 45-17 routing of the Giants, and did just enough to beat the division rival Bears last weekend. The Eagles, however, haven’t been so lucky. They ended the season on a 2-game losing streak and have seen some key players go down with injury, including Vick who was hurt during the Vikings game. Vick will start this weekend and of course Philly has the likes of DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and LeSean McCoy to take the pressure off of #7, but the Eagles offensive line isn’t that good. Packers LB Clay Matthews may have a field day this weekend if Andy Reid doesn’t find a way to protect his QB. I expect Matthews to get into Vick’s face often this weekend. As good as the Eagles have been, Green Bay was the one team I didn’t like them to be matched up with so soon. Well, they are. With health and momentum on their side, I expect us to wave goodbye to Vick’s great season, a tad bit premature than expected.
Winner:
There you have it. Let me know your thoughts. Agree, disagree? If so why? Feel free to chime in your thoughts. In the meantime, have a wonderful Wild Card Weekend and if your team is playing (like mine), I hope you get the outcome you wanted!
Congrats to my Ravens for going to the playoffs 3 straight seasons in a row. In this franchise’s short history, the Ravens have done so much in so little time. Playoff berths, division titles and a Super Bowl is quite a feat. The next step is another ring back to Charm City, but I’ll take it one week at a time right now. Ravens QB Joe Flacco also has a few accolades to go with this joyous occasion. He became the 6th fastest QB to throw for 10,000 yards, tied with 2nd most wins by a QB in his first 3 seasons with 34 regular and playoff wins, and last but not at all the least, joins Dan Marino and Bernie Kosar as the only QBs to go to the playoffs their first 3 years in the league. People always talk about my main man Joe, but you don’t make accomplishments like this being a mediocre QB. Ask Kyle Boller, who had a better defense than Joe did during his tenure in Baltimore.
XP: Dear Ed Reed…. we love you dearly, but if you lateral a ball one mo’gin………………..
Yesterday was a sad day for the state of New York. Buffalo got that azz beat skull dragged by the Patriots, the Jets gave up 38 points in a loss to the Bears and the Giants got mudd stomped by the Packers. The G-Men still look dazed from last week’s epic fail in the Eagles come-from-behind win, and Buffalo didn’t have a real chance in hell against New England this time around.
But if you’re looking for a silver lining, it’s simply this…. the Jets still earned a playoff berth due to Jacksonville’s loss to the Redskins. But going into the playoffs, you have to be concerned as a Jets fan. The Jets have one of the top defenses in the league, yet gave up too many points in yesterday’s loss. The Jets have also lost 3 of their last 4 games. Get it together Gang Green… and fast.
It’s Shout Out time! Let me show some players/teams some Week 16 love.
S/O to Tim Tebow for doing the unthinkable: Throwing for over 300 yards in his first NFL season. Tebow brought the Broncos back from a 17-point deficit at halftime to beat the Houston Texans, 24-23. I’m a Gators fan and a Tebow supporter, but even I didn’t think he would throw for 300 yards. I’m happy for him and even more so proud that he’s shown all the naysayers, myself included, that he can be a decent QB in this league.
S/O to the Detroit Lions for finally getting it. It may be a little late, but it’s a great confidence builder for 2011 and beyond. Detroit just made next year’s NFC North a competitive division again.
S/O to Peyton Manning for the most awkward, funniest run I’ve ever seen.
Dude looked like a bobble head out there. Fantasy football owners are beyond pissed that he didn’t score, but that slide was epic! I never knew you had it in you, Pey-Pey (yeah.. I just made that up. He needs a nickname for that play alone!).
S/O to the Bengals for knocking the Chargers out of the playoffs. Before I get swarmed with, “I can’t believe you” and , “You’re rooting against your boo, Philip Rivers?”, let me say this. Cincinnati did everyone else in the AFC a favor. No one…. and I mean just that… NO ONE.. wanted to see San Diego in the playoffs. My team included. The fact that Cincy wiped them out of contention is a football godsend. The Chargers would have been a problem. And I don’t feel bad about my thoughts at all.
XP: I hope my boo understands and isn’t mad………. it’s just business, not personal.
S/O to the Arizona Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys for giving us a good game to watch on X-mas night. It usually works that way, 2 bad teams on paper making it interesting. Last year it was the Lions/Browns. this year it was the Cowboys/Cardinals. It must really suck, though, if you’re a Dallas native who dropped your Xmas plans to go to Arizona and witness your team lose to a team that’s badder than you…….
S/O to the Carolina Panthers for winning the #1 overall pick for the 2011 NFL Draft. If you’re gonna suck, you gotta be the best at it, and Carolina was without a doubt the worst team in the league this year. The beauty about parity in the NFL is you can go from garbage to a playoff contender in no time. But for now, it doesn’t hurt that you get first dibs on college’s best because you just can’t get right.
S/O to the NFL for wimping out and canceling last night’s Vikings-Eagles game. The NFL of old would have never canceled a game. I know it’s all about the fan safety and what not… but ask people that attended the Ice Bowl, the Snowplow Game or the Freezer Bowl if they wished they would’ve had the same courtesy. I’m just saying……………….
If you had to caption the fight between 49ers head coach Mike Singletary and QB Troy Smith on the sidelines during yesterday’s game against the Rams, what would you think it was about?
My guess is, it went like this:
Mike Singletary: If you keep throwing dumb ass INTs like that, not only will I bench you right now but I’m gonna cut your ass come tomorrow!
Troy Smith: Cut me?! How are you gonna cut me when your ass is on the chopping block your damn self?!
MS: This isn’t about me….. Right now, I HAVE THE POWER! (In He-Man voice). Don’t make me drop my pants to my knees again, boy!
TS: Old man, sitcho dumb azz down. I promise you, you’ll be gone before me!
Welp… guess which one was right? Bye Bye Singletary……….. It’s been real!
This has probably been the best football weekend of my life! Thanksgiving football, to college football on Friday and Saturday, back to the good ol’ NFL games we love on Sundays. If you’re a football fan, you were in heaven this weekend, like I was. Let’s take a look at what happened.
The Ravens beat the Bucs yesterday 17-10, something that I thought would happen but I won’t lie, I was nervous about the game, going into Sunday. I’ve said this week in and week out, I have no idea what team this is at times. But I finally came to the conclusion that the Ravens are a team that will not blow out anyone. They simply don’t know how to push the pedal to the medal and cruise through a win. They just win games. And at 8-3 in a tough AFC conference, I don’t see why I should cry, moan or even complain.
Would I like my team to show me some more? Yes, of course. Would I like to see a blowout of inferior teams? Sure, I’ll take it. But it’s not who they are. As long as they continue to win games, I’m okay. I’ll no longer complain about how they play games, as long as they win them. I am officially quiet, lock my lips and throw away the key!
Okay y’all know that won’t really happen, but I’ll do my best…..
Who am I kidding, no I won’t!
Dear Bears fans: I have doubted your team. I said they weren’t that good offensively, and that if it weren’t for the defense, you’d be nothing. And even if that was somewhat true earlier in the season, none of that matters now. What matters is that you are 8-3 and have beaten an Eagles team that was flying high coming into yesterday’s game. You gave Vick his first INT of the season and you beat them in your house. It’s time I start showing love….. You’re better than I thought!
OT: My condolences goes to the family of the Bears fan that lost his life at yesterday’s game. No ever expects to hear such awful news, especially after a Bears victory.
If you’re a Bills fan, you have to be sick to your stomach right now, after yesterday’s heart breaking loss to the Steelers. The Bills had a chance to win it in OT but Stevie Johnson couldn’t hold on to the possible game winning TD.
Bills fans have gone through the disappointment all year long. Just last week, I decided to jump on the unofficial Bills support wagon… you know, for support. I hate to see teams that play to win, fall short. I empathize with Bills fans right now.
OT: In case you missed it, I had to tell Johnson to sit his azz down. If you didn’t hear about his antics, check out my post here.
On the flip side, if you’re a Steelers fan, you can’t tell me you don’t think that the football gods have switched from being Cowboys fans to Terrible Towel waving monsters. You know the saying, better to be lucky than good sometimes. But as long as it comes with a win, who cares, right?!
The way Browns RB Peyton Hillis has played, fans have been looking for nicknames for this emerging beast of a back. Dude deserves recognition for carrying the Browns on his back (literally and figuratively). Based on fan forums and other sites, they think Hillis should be called the following:
“The Avalanche”- Because he’s white, runs downhill and is unstoppable (Ummmmmm………………)
Peyton “Pit Bull” Hillis – to go with the Dawgpound? (The SPCA nor the NFL would approve. Next!)
“White Rhino”. A white rhino is rare, as are productive white running backs (What the hell kind of explanation is this???)
Peyton “The Bull” Hillis- He reminds me of a 2500 lb Bison trampling over tourists in Yellowstone Park (Really?! Well, alright!)
Peyton “wha choo talkin bout” Hillis ( Okay this kinda wins in my book!!!)
In any event, give this dude a nickname, and STAT! When I first saw him against the Ravens Week 3 of the season, I kept calling him Fake Azz Brandon Jacobs, because of his ability to run any and everything over like Jacobs used to do. But Jacobs isn’t playing as high as level as Hillis is, so he needs to get his shine on.
The best part of the weekend was the KO of Titans DB Cortland Finnegan, by Texans WR Andre Johnson. If I look at Johnson, he seems to be a nice, quiet guy. Not one to get into a lot of fights. But he shocked the hell out of me when he decided to do something about Finnegan’s over aggressive play during yesterday’s game.
I’m actually surprised that someone didn’t start swinging and connecting on Finnegan sooner. He’s been voted one of the dirtiest players by 100 of his own NFL peers. To say you didn’t see this coming is foolish…. naive even. Andre Johnson just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnson is not only fined, but suspended. But in my opinion, he should get a heavy fine and be allowed to play. He only did what all of the other WRs around the league wanted to do anyway. Is my opinion extremely hypocritical? I’m sure it is, but I don’t care. I’m not a huge boxing fan, but it looks to me like Finnegan was on the brinks of being knocked the f@#k out!
Dwayne Bowe is BALLIN! If you have him on your fantasy team, you’re dancing a jig for his presence and points every week!
Can someone explain to me how the Raiders had only 16 yards of rushing yards yesterday??? SIX-TEEEEN! A 1 and a 6. Darren McFadden had 8 rushes for 2 yards in yesterday’s loss to the Dolphins. TWO!!! What the hell is Oakland doing? If it weren’t for Jacoby Ford the Raiders would have sucked worse than that. Just when you think Oakland possibly turned a corner, they find ways to prove everybody wrong……………………………..
If you needed a reminder, the Falcons are the team to beat in the NFC, without question. They continue to find ways to win and Matt Ryan continues his great run of winning at home. The Packers, Eagles, Giants and Saints are still in the mix, but they must bow down to Atlanta right now. None of them are playing as good as they are.
The Broncos are a sad bunch.
They were just caught cheating (a Spygate II, if you will), but no one cares, because they’re not even winning with the cheating. We were all over Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots 3 years ago with the original Spygate. But folks think Belichick is an evil genius and they almost went thru a perfect season, too. No one cares about Josh McDaniels, who has gone 5-16 since going 6-0 last season. If you’re gonna cheat, at least cheat AND win. They can’t even get that part right!
Once again, the Chargers have proven to have Peyton Manning’s number, picking him off 4 times as the Chargers D steamrolled past Indianapolis, 36-14. My boo Philip Rivers didn’t even have to do much work, he allowed his defense to pitch in with the winning. For whatever reason, the Chargers always give the Colts a fit, and last night was no different. If I’m the Chiefs, I’m concerned. This is exactly the time of year when the Chargers turn it on. They have yet to lose in December with Norv Turner as their coach. And with their fairly easy schedule the remainder of the season, the Chargers can end up with an 11-5 record. This will be interesting to watch how this plays out in the final weeks.
Does anyone care about tonight’s game??? Me neither……………………………………………………………
Here we are, Week 11, and I still don’t know who my Ravens are. Usually, you find out more about your team when November hits, but I still don’t quite know. They tend to play up(or down) to their level of competition, they are hot, then cold, then hot again. They are so bipolar it’s ridiculous. In the 1st half, the Ravens looked like they were going to steamroll past the Panthers. Flacco’s 2nd play from scrimmage was a 56-yard bomb to TJ Houshmandzadeh for a score. The Ravens came back in the 2nd half and only scored 3 more points in the entire half, and let the Panthers hang around until the defense stepped in and put them away for good. I’m happy that the Ravens are 7-3 and have played with some of the best teams in the league, but I also have to wonder if this team is playoff caliber as well. Hopefully, they can prove it to me as they have the Bucs, Saints, Texans and Steelers coming up. Only then will we be able to see what Ravens team will show up for December and beyond
XP: Congrats to Houshmandzadeh for catching his 600th pass as well as Derrick Mason for catching his 900th pass. The Ravens WRs boast to be the only group to have at least 600 catches in their top 3 guys. Now if we can start getting more of those passing TDs……………
Bye Bye Chilly! Vikings fans, if your mission in life was to see Brad Childress get to stepping, that’s exactly what he did yesterday.
If I told you that after Week 11, the Jacksonville Jaguars would be at the top of the AFC South, would you had laughed at me??? I’m gonna go with a yes! But it’s true. As of right now, the Jags are holding on to 1st place, after seeing the rest of their division falling to defeat this past weekend. Isn’t it wacky how the NFL can be?!
If you are a Raiders fan, you’re pissed because your team totally crapped out during yesterday’s game against the Steelers. But with anything in life, there is a silver lining. The open hand slap heard around the world, by Raiders DL Richard Seymour was definitely a moment folks won’t forget anytime soon.
I’m sure Steelers Nation thinks this is classless and tacky. And they should. But most non-Steelers fans find it quite amusing. While Seymour has said that he reacted based on Roethlisberger running up on him, his Raiders teammates believe otherwise, speculating if Ben said something to provoke him. Either way, open hand slapping someone isn’t the answer. But it made a blowout game much more interesting, I’ll admit.
If you’re a Jets fan, than this has to be the most agonizing, yet exciting year of your football life. Every Jets game seems to come with nail biting excitement, down to the wire, especially the past 3 weeks. The Jets found a way to beat the Lions in OT. They won during the closing seconds of OT, against Cleveland. And yesterday, Mark Sanchez marched his team down the field, going 72 yards in 45 seconds. Sanchez’s game-winning TD pass to Santonio Holmes was one of the many great Jets plays by the former Steeler. If I’m a Jets fan, I have a heavy dose of Prevacid and Xanax in my medicine cabinet, but I’m loving what’s going on in the process.
Sidenote: If you’re a Texans fan, you have to be sick to your stomach every time the defense steps on the field. You need Prevacid, too. And prayer…………..
I am officially rooting for the Buffalo Bills for the rest of the season. I am also officially shaking my head at the Cincinnati Bengals for the rest of the season as well… Just awful!
Say what you want about Tampa Bay, but they are 7-3 and just shut out the 49ers, who have played 2 good games prior to meeting the Bucs yesterday. I don’t care how bad a team is, to shut out an NFL team is very hard to do. Raheem Morris has these guys believing, and it’s a great thing to watch. The NFC South (minus the Panthers) will be very interesting to watch going down the stretch, with Atlanta and New Orleans playing so well.
Speaking of the NFC West, can someone please blow up that awful division. They were 0-4 yesterday….. It’s amazing how boring one entire division can be.
The Colts are no longer the team to beat…. of course Peyton Manning will always keep them in games. But they are banged up, battered and bruised. Yesterday’s game against the Pats showed me that Manning isn’t totally in sync with the newer guys on offense. And until they get healthy again, we may have seen the Colts best days, at least for this year.
On the other hand, Philadelphia is becoming the team to beat in the NFC. Beating the Giants was huge, and they are clicking on all cylinders.
We may have seen the last of Vince Young in a Titans uniform. After throwing his shoulder pads in the crowd and having an argument with Titans head coach Jeff Fisher shortly after yesterday’s loss to the Redskins, Young walked out of the lockeroom and maybe out of a starting job. I think this is the last days of Young in Tennessee. Say your goodbyes, Titans fans…… say your goodbyes….
Oh and if you don’t know, now you know… Philip Rivers is awesome!!!!
Without a doubt, Week 10 of the NFL was probably one of the best weeks in football in a while. Hail Mary passes, record breaking games and unexpected wins flooded our headlines this past weekend.
As you know, I usually give my Ravens first dibs on my blog space. I love my guys in purple and black and they deserve my fandom, but that game was damn near 7 days ago. Good game, but they lost. And as of right now, someone else has earned the floor. His name??? Michael Vick.
Last night, Michael Vick played like he was out of his freaking mind last night, becoming the first player in NFL history with at least 300 yards passing, 50 yards rushing, four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a game. In a day that Donovan McNabb should have had reason to have a great game (He just signed a $78 million contract extension), it was Vick who stole the show. It was a great sight to see, from the first play of scrimmage until the very end. Andy Reid should be thanking the football gods for saving his fat behind, because now he looks like a genius. Even though McNabb was traded in favor of Kolb, Vick has taken full control of this Eagles team and looks like a different QB than the one that played for the Falcons. And to add to the great night, Vick has this to say on Twitter this morning:
So, so true. Oh sweet redemption! Good for you, Vick!
OT: With McNabb’s astronomical contract extension, one has to wonder how much Vick is actually worth?? As of right now, he’s the better QB than McNabb and he will be a free agent this offseason. Philly has a lot to ponder in what to do, since they extended Kolb’s contract. But if they don’t want to pay him, there are tons of other teams that could use Vick’s services right now. And I don’t even want to think about how much Peyton Manning will receive, all thanks to McNabb’s new contract. But Vick and Manning deserve it. The jury is still out on McNabb on whether or not he was worthy of the contract.
I’m loving the way the Browns are playing right now. Granted, they lost to the Jets at the end of OT on Sunday, but they lost to a very good Jets team and held their own thru 5 quarters. No longer a pushover team, the Browns have a lot to build from, for the future.
Dear Buffalo: It’s about damn time! I bet you made a Soul Train line all the way through the tunnel after that game, too!
You should have. You earned that win weeks ago. Congrats to you.
The Bengals are sad…………………………………………….. That’s all I got!
Was anyone else in awe- and shock- like I was when Tom Brady picked the great Steelers defense apart, piece by piece, on Sunday night? I picked the Pats to win the game, but never did I think they would win like that. Brady had 30 completions, 350 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 0 sacks and a passer rating of 117.9. It’s no secret that Brady knows how to win in Heinz Field, winning 4 out of 5 at Heinz Field, but to embarrass a very good team, in similar fashion that Cleveland did to them just the week before, was poetic. This is why you love the NFL. Good teams know how to redeem themselves against a quality opponent.
Can someone explain to me how the Titans allowed the Dolphins to beat them with NO QB’s?? NONE? Did I miss something? Out goes Henne and Pennington, in comes the wildcat. Seven plays, 49 yards and that’s before the 3rd string QB came in.The Titans were hurting on the QB side as well, as Kerry Collins left the game with a calf injury. But Tennessee has Chris Johnson, Randy Moss and Kenny Britt. How they allowed themselves to lose to a team that went through a series of wildcats is a mystery to me.
XP: Chad Pennington, PLEASE retire! Now is the time, please and thanks.
Signed, The NFL and their fans…..
The Cowboys saw… the Cowboys came… and the Cowboys conquered.. in the Meadowlands. Congrats to Dallas and their win over the NY Giants after their controversial firing of Wade Phillips. They played with a purpose and looked good on all sides of the ball, the first complete game I’ve seen of Dallas all season. I just have one question though…. am I the only one that wonders if Jason Garrett set Wade Phillips up??? Just me?? Okay…………………………..
How petty is Todd Haley for not shaking Josh McDaniels hand? Very petty, but I have to say, I love it. The Broncos-Chiefs rivalry was on life support until the Broncos shellacked the Chiefs, 49-29.
“The Snub” handshake situation makes this even more interesting, and now the AFC West rivalries have some life again. Haley wouldn’t say what was said during their postgame chat, and he later apologized for not shaking his hand (he says his emotions got in his way), but Haley knows damn gooden well he’s not sorry. Don’t be petty AND fake. Be real in your underwear and leave it at that.
Usually I start with some commentary about my Ravens. They’re my team so I give them the floor before everyone else. That’s what fans do, show their own team some love. But I can’t this week, because my boys were on a bye. And let me tell you, it felt GREAT to have a stress free football day. No cursing at the TV, no double doses of Prevacid because my stomach is in knots, no highs and lows for 3.5 hours. It was a great feeling to watch games and not feel like this:
Just football without any worries. As much as a bye week is needed for my nerves, I missed seeing my guys in action this week. I’m glad they’ll be back this Sunday. I actually enjoy cursing at them. It’s therapeutic. And if you’re wondering if I’m too emotionally vested in this, then you could say that I may be. But hey, who isn’t?!
Poor Randy Moss…. How are you one of the greatest WRs in the history of the league, yet, you get put on waivers after only 4 games with the Vikings?? Where is the love for Randy, y’all? I guess that’s a stupid question, considering Terrell Owens has gotten the same treatment over the years. While people question Moss’s personality traits and dedication on the football field, I simply blame his hairstyle for his demise on his teams.
I mean, who still wears crazy cornrow braids in 2010? You’re a grown man Randy.. cut your hair and I guarantee you people will treat you different. I don’t know who’s worse between Moss and Allen Iverson. And they both wonder why folks don’t want to be bothered…. Psssssshhhh!
On another note: What the hell is Brad Childress doing? He doesn’t have many healthy WRs on his team, yet you let Moss go? You could have at LEAST waited until Sidney Rice was back fully. Word on the street is, he lost control of his team and was looking to gain it back with this surprise move, to show that no one is exempt. Oh…….. okay! I’m not sure this was the way to do it, though. Childress is officially on Firing Watch, now.
Damn…. The Bengals look like the Bungles again, except they have way too much talent for that kind of buffoonery. Stay strong, WhoDey Nation.
I seriously want Buffalo to win a game. They play their heart out every week, and come up short. KC wasn’t even trying that hard and they STILL won the game. The agony of defeat can slowly eat away at you. This isn’t the 2008 Lions, they were a BAD team. This Buffalo team isn’t a bad team. They have just had every bad bounce you can imagine. Looking at the schedule, the Bengals may be the team that they get their 1st win from, and that’s in 3 weeks. My heart goes out to those guys. I’m rooting for you.
The Cowboys…… man, do I REALLY have to discuss this…… I mean, everyone else has. Lemme just shake my head at y’all.
Mike Shanahan… you keep coming up with reasons (*cough*EXCUSES*cough) as to why you put Rex Grossman in during the final minutes of the Lions game. Make up your mind, is Grossman a better suit to run the 2-minute offense or is McNabb really out of shape? And did you even talk to McNabb about this in advance? Whoever thinks Sexy Rexy is better fitted than McNabb to bring his team to a comeback victory is smoking something that I want NO parts of.
Can someone explain to me how the Jets were shut out? ZERO points… I still think the Jets are top contenders, but I have to say, their stock just went down a bit. NO points, though?! Not a good look……….
My boo Philip Rivers finally got a win!! And here’s an interesting stat: He has 2,649 passing yards. The most thru 8 games in NFL history. Now if only the Chargers can convert those yards to wins………….
I’m extremely happy for Troy Smith. All he wanted to do since being drafted by the Ravens in 2007 was get a chance to start. Well, he did and he took full advantage. Smith ran for a TD and threw for a TD, as the 49ers defeated the Broncos, 24-16, in London this past Sunday. I’m happy to see him do well in his 1st opportunity.
The Tampa Bay Bucs are 5-2. Guess it’s time to give them their props.
Sidenote: 2010 Panthers = 2009 Buccaneers.
Shout out to all of the fans that dressed up for Halloween while going to the game. I saw some good costumes, from the broke down Brett Favre to the blind referees at the Saints game. But ummm…….. this costume takes the cake.
Peyton Manning can turn water into wine. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
