Could the bye week have come at a better time for the Bengals? Sitting at 5-2, first place in the AFC North, coming off a 45-10 thrashing of the Bears, and having the Ravens and Steelers on the horizon; perfect time for a week off. Remember back in 2005 when everyone (well, everyone in Cincinnati) wondered what the team would look like if they only had a defense to match their offense? Well, we found out on Sunday. Anyone thought the Bengals would be 5-2 after Week 7? I certain didn't; I had them down for 6 wins total after the Week 1 loss to the Broncos. But after the bye, they've got Baltimore, at Pittsburgh, at Oakland, Cleveland. Going to Pittsburgh's going to be tough, but I don't think going 3-1 in the stretch is out of the question (although it might be now that I've mentioned it). After that, they finish up Detroit, at Minnesota, at San Diego, Kansas City, at New York Jets; 4-1, 3-2 at the worst. I'd live with 12-4 or 11-5 and an AFC North title, wouldn't you?
I'm torn about the current success UC football is having. On one hand, I love seeing college football excitement in Cincinnati. On the other hand, its making UC fans (of which I know plenty) as insufferable as OSU fans (of which I also know plenty). The reality is that UC won't get the national recognition it thinks it deserves (whether it actually does or not) because they're still relatively new to being a winning program, and history matters a great deal in college football (one of the sport's major drawbacks). UC die-hards all want to see the Bearcats in the BCS Championship game, but I just don't see it happening. An absolutely ridiculous set of circumstances would have to happen for that to occur. In no particular order, the following would have to happen:
-Between Florida and Alabama, one has to not make the SEC Championship game (Alabama being the most likely candidate, since Florida looks pretty safe in the East), and the other has to lose in the SEC Championship game. Of course, the catch here is that the team most likely to cause this scenario to play out is LSU, who's currently ranked #9 in the BCS. If the Tigers were to win out, which would require them going on the road at Alabama and at Mississippi, and avenge an their only loss to Florida in the SEC Championship game, there's no doubt in my mind that they'd make the BCS title game. And if either Florida or Alabama win the SEC, they'd pretty much be guaranteed a shot at the BCS title, even with a loss. What I'm getting at is that the SEC Championship winner (unless everyone loses from here on out and someone completely random wins the title) has a lock one of the top 2 BCS spots.
-After the SEC mess, Texas has to not win the Big 12. Given the BCS's history, it wouldn't surprise me if a 1-loss Texas team made the championship game if they still won the Big 12 title. So losing this week to Oklahoma State wouldn't eliminate them; losing to a junk team from the Big 12 North would.
-Iowa has to lose. Yeah, I know Big Ten + BCS bowl game = FAIL, but Iowa's ranked above UC right now, everyone loves them, and if they won out, they'd have wins at Penn State, at Wisconsin, and at Ohio State. That's pretty good.
-USC has to lose again. A one-loss USC would trump an undefeated UC, TCU, Boise State. and probably Iowa simply because they're USC (history, remember?). This week at Oregon is the best chance of this happening, but recent history suggests that it won't since they've already lost to a Pac-10 team this year.
-TCU and Boise State have to lose. Boise State's been there and done that before in BCS bowl games, and they don't have another hard game on their schedule. TCU still has to play Utah, but that game's at home, and they just crushed BYU in Provo, so I don't think it'll be a problem for them (sidenote: how much is TCU loving the fact that Virginia, while still terrible, has salvaged some semblance of a potentially respectable season? While its still not a great win, it looks a lot better now than it did in September.). I truly think that one of these teams would get a shot at the BCS title this year over UC because the BCS brass would want to see them get crushed by an SEC team so they could say, "See? Told ya so!"
If all those things happen, you could see UC play for the BCS title. But I'm not holding my breath.
Moving away from football, the World Series starts tonight, Phillies vs. Yankees. Hmm. Either the Yankees win their 27th championship or the Phillies go back-to-back. Neither outcome is desirable. Going back to football.
Virginia is currently a 7 point favorite over Duke this weekend. That line is complete joke. Duke's having their best season in, like, forever, and they can put up a ton of points. Duke's 4-3 and looking to make a bowl game, and they have 3 winnable games left (at Virginia, at North Carolina, and Wake Forest). Virginia is 3-4 and this is the only winnable game left. Duke's playing for something, Virginia isn't. Virginia loses to Duke in back-to-back season, and Al Groh will somehow manage to keep his job. Astounding.
Current random sports obsession- college volleyball. Can't get enough of it. I mentioned it last year during the Olympics, and I'm still watching it (the women's game is on now, the men play in the spring). If you're bailing on the World Series like me, I suggest you check out Ohio State at Penn State tonight on the Big Ten Network. Penn State's the #1 team in the country, the 2-time defending National Champion, and riding an 80+ game win streak. Needless to say, they're good.
Okay, I've wasted enough time. In the words of President Bartlett, "Break's over."
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Sky Is Falling!
That's it, its over, time to pack it in. Okay, maybe not. We don't handle success very well here.
The Bengals lost to the Texans on Sunday 28-17 in a game where the Bengals D completely disappeared in the second half. I chalk that up to the lack of pass rush on Matt Schaub, which was due to large part to injures to Antwon Odom and Domata Peko. Push rush was a major problem last year and seemed to be righted this season. Now, I don't know. Rookie Michael Johnson, who was a beast in college at Georgia Tech, is going to need to step up fast. And since neither tight end can seem to hold onto the ball, Chase Coffman might need to step up fast as well.
Speaking of Georgia Tech, thanks to their victory of Virginia Tech on Saturday, Virginia is currently in first place in the ACC Coastal Division, sitting at 2-0 in conference play, the only team in the Coastal without a conference loss. Sure, they still have to play Georgia Tech, Miami, and Virginia Tech, but for now (and at least another week, since Georgia Tech is going to Charlottesville this week and the worst that can happen is they lose and remained tied), the Virginia Cavaliers are a first place team. I told you the sky is falling.
Alabama is hands-down the best team in the country right now and Mark Ingram should be leader in the Heisman clubhouse. Not that any of it means anything in the middle of October.
A six-part docu-series on IFC debuted last night called Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyers Cut). I haven't seen it yet, but from the reviews, its looks really good. IFC's also showing a lot of old Monty Python stuff right now as well, which is always a good thing.
After it was referenced in last week's episode of Castle, I saw The Sting again for the first time in a while on one of HBO channels over the weekend. Is there a better con-man movie? I don't think so. I think people tend to gravitate toward Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid when then think of Robert Redford and Paul Newman. I like The Sting better.
Finally, my thoughts on the so-called Balloon Boy and his family. I have to admit, when this story first broke, I didn't care about it. I didn't care that some kid in Colorado might be flying away in some balloon. I didn't care when the balloon was found sans kid and it was thought that the kid might have fallen to his death. And I didn't care when it was discovered that the kid was just hiding in the attic the whole time. But now that its been revealed (allegedly) that this thing was a complete hoax, I'm all in on this story. Faking a missing child situation with an accidental launch of balloon contraption in an effort to leverage yourself your own reality show after you've already appeared on a reality show? There's nothing about that that isn't awesome (you know, in a completely deranged sort of way). The sheriff in this case needs to be right. These allegation have to be true; I think I'll be crushed if they aren't. Its the reality show angle that pushes this story over the edge. This was all (allegedly) a publicity stunt? Really? What part of making people think your kid may have floated away on a balloon would a reality television producer look at and say, "Yup, those people need to be on television more often."? People have done some crazy shit to get their own reality show, but fake sending your kid up in a balloon is a whole new level of crazy. The sky is falling indeed.
The Bengals lost to the Texans on Sunday 28-17 in a game where the Bengals D completely disappeared in the second half. I chalk that up to the lack of pass rush on Matt Schaub, which was due to large part to injures to Antwon Odom and Domata Peko. Push rush was a major problem last year and seemed to be righted this season. Now, I don't know. Rookie Michael Johnson, who was a beast in college at Georgia Tech, is going to need to step up fast. And since neither tight end can seem to hold onto the ball, Chase Coffman might need to step up fast as well.
Speaking of Georgia Tech, thanks to their victory of Virginia Tech on Saturday, Virginia is currently in first place in the ACC Coastal Division, sitting at 2-0 in conference play, the only team in the Coastal without a conference loss. Sure, they still have to play Georgia Tech, Miami, and Virginia Tech, but for now (and at least another week, since Georgia Tech is going to Charlottesville this week and the worst that can happen is they lose and remained tied), the Virginia Cavaliers are a first place team. I told you the sky is falling.
Alabama is hands-down the best team in the country right now and Mark Ingram should be leader in the Heisman clubhouse. Not that any of it means anything in the middle of October.
A six-part docu-series on IFC debuted last night called Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyers Cut). I haven't seen it yet, but from the reviews, its looks really good. IFC's also showing a lot of old Monty Python stuff right now as well, which is always a good thing.
After it was referenced in last week's episode of Castle, I saw The Sting again for the first time in a while on one of HBO channels over the weekend. Is there a better con-man movie? I don't think so. I think people tend to gravitate toward Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid when then think of Robert Redford and Paul Newman. I like The Sting better.
Finally, my thoughts on the so-called Balloon Boy and his family. I have to admit, when this story first broke, I didn't care about it. I didn't care that some kid in Colorado might be flying away in some balloon. I didn't care when the balloon was found sans kid and it was thought that the kid might have fallen to his death. And I didn't care when it was discovered that the kid was just hiding in the attic the whole time. But now that its been revealed (allegedly) that this thing was a complete hoax, I'm all in on this story. Faking a missing child situation with an accidental launch of balloon contraption in an effort to leverage yourself your own reality show after you've already appeared on a reality show? There's nothing about that that isn't awesome (you know, in a completely deranged sort of way). The sheriff in this case needs to be right. These allegation have to be true; I think I'll be crushed if they aren't. Its the reality show angle that pushes this story over the edge. This was all (allegedly) a publicity stunt? Really? What part of making people think your kid may have floated away on a balloon would a reality television producer look at and say, "Yup, those people need to be on television more often."? People have done some crazy shit to get their own reality show, but fake sending your kid up in a balloon is a whole new level of crazy. The sky is falling indeed.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Enough With The Cardic Cats
Another week, another Bengals game decided in the last 60 seconds. Is it getting old? YES. Please, for the love of God, can we get a game that isn't a nail biter? There's no way I can take this every week for the rest of the season. Okay, that's a lie. Obviously, if they go 15-1, I'll take it every day of the week and twice on Sunday. If they win division, I'll take it. Hell, if they just make the damn playoffs, I'll take it. Because then, it'll be all worth it. But right now, as its happening, it sucks. But they're winning, so it doesn't suck that bad. In fact, the more I think about it, we're really got nothing to complain about. Four straight wins, including going 3-0 the first time through the division, and sitting in first place? That's more than anyone here could have asked for after Week 5.
But seriously, I'm already over the "Cardiac Cats" moniker that's been bestowed on the Bengals. I was over it before it started. I love Gus Johnson (I've watched this video at least 35 times), but we really didn't need that nickname.
Perhaps I spoke to soon about the demise of the Moeller High School football program. They thumped Elder last Friday and are currently ranked as the top team in Cincinnati (though they're nowhere to be found on the current USA Today Super 25 rankings, which have St. X at #10, again showing the utter uselessness of trying to rank high school teams nationally). This now makes the season ending St. X-Moeller match up ginormous (and yeah, I'm stoked that "ginormous" is in the spell-checker). Clearly the rivalry isn't dead. My bad.
The more I watch Modern Family, the more I'm thinking that its the best new show of the season. You should be watching it.
I'm in 3 fantasy football leagues this season. Last week, I scored 153.98 points in one league, which is a shitload of points (especially given that its a 16-team league, which is a shitload of teams). In another league, I scored 36 points. Sometimes I hate fantasy football. This is one of those time.
Another awesome 30 for 30 documentary aired tonight, on Baltimore losing the Colts then gaining the Ravens (nee Browns) as told through the eyes of the Colts Marching Band, which continued to play and perform for the 12 years Baltimore didn't have a team. As I said, it was excellent, but I would have liked to have see more on the getting-a-team-by-stealing-someone-else's angle since that's exactly how they lost their first team. For all the hate I throw on Cleveland (all of which is totally deserved), I really did feel bad for the Browns fans when the team left for Baltimore. There should be football in Cleveland (even if they can "win" a game where their quarterback only completes 2 passes, 3 if you include the interception) and there should be football in Baltimore. But it shouldn't have gone down like it did. Given that the film was about Baltimore and its fans, that fact was mentioned but obviously glossed over and not covered in depth.
I've often thought about what it would be like to lose a sports franchise (a major one, that is; I'm not counting the Rockers, Mighty Ducks, Jungle Kats, Silverbacks, Stuff, etc. of the world in this conversation). Obviously, the Reds weren't ever going anyway. But the Bengals were are different story. I remember when it was thought at Mike Brown might move the team out of Cincinnati, back in 1993 or so. Wasn't he in talks with St. Louis, who ultimately got the Rams out of Los Angeles? I seem to recall that. Anyway, I can't even imagine what that would have been like. What would I have done as a fan? I don't know. I certainly wouldn't follow the team to the new city (I'd be betraying my hometown) and I could never just adopt a random new team to cheer for (because those fans are the ones that bother me the most). Are there any other options? I doubt I would stop watching the NFL altogether, but you never know. At the very least, it would probably make playing fantasy football easier.
But seriously, I'm already over the "Cardiac Cats" moniker that's been bestowed on the Bengals. I was over it before it started. I love Gus Johnson (I've watched this video at least 35 times), but we really didn't need that nickname.
Perhaps I spoke to soon about the demise of the Moeller High School football program. They thumped Elder last Friday and are currently ranked as the top team in Cincinnati (though they're nowhere to be found on the current USA Today Super 25 rankings, which have St. X at #10, again showing the utter uselessness of trying to rank high school teams nationally). This now makes the season ending St. X-Moeller match up ginormous (and yeah, I'm stoked that "ginormous" is in the spell-checker). Clearly the rivalry isn't dead. My bad.
The more I watch Modern Family, the more I'm thinking that its the best new show of the season. You should be watching it.
I'm in 3 fantasy football leagues this season. Last week, I scored 153.98 points in one league, which is a shitload of points (especially given that its a 16-team league, which is a shitload of teams). In another league, I scored 36 points. Sometimes I hate fantasy football. This is one of those time.
Another awesome 30 for 30 documentary aired tonight, on Baltimore losing the Colts then gaining the Ravens (nee Browns) as told through the eyes of the Colts Marching Band, which continued to play and perform for the 12 years Baltimore didn't have a team. As I said, it was excellent, but I would have liked to have see more on the getting-a-team-by-stealing-someone-else's angle since that's exactly how they lost their first team. For all the hate I throw on Cleveland (all of which is totally deserved), I really did feel bad for the Browns fans when the team left for Baltimore. There should be football in Cleveland (even if they can "win" a game where their quarterback only completes 2 passes, 3 if you include the interception) and there should be football in Baltimore. But it shouldn't have gone down like it did. Given that the film was about Baltimore and its fans, that fact was mentioned but obviously glossed over and not covered in depth.
I've often thought about what it would be like to lose a sports franchise (a major one, that is; I'm not counting the Rockers, Mighty Ducks, Jungle Kats, Silverbacks, Stuff, etc. of the world in this conversation). Obviously, the Reds weren't ever going anyway. But the Bengals were are different story. I remember when it was thought at Mike Brown might move the team out of Cincinnati, back in 1993 or so. Wasn't he in talks with St. Louis, who ultimately got the Rams out of Los Angeles? I seem to recall that. Anyway, I can't even imagine what that would have been like. What would I have done as a fan? I don't know. I certainly wouldn't follow the team to the new city (I'd be betraying my hometown) and I could never just adopt a random new team to cheer for (because those fans are the ones that bother me the most). Are there any other options? I doubt I would stop watching the NFL altogether, but you never know. At the very least, it would probably make playing fantasy football easier.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
O Captain, My Captain
Caught the last half of Dead Poet's Society yesterday evening (on VH1 Classic, of all channels). A great movie, one of my favorites. Then later in the night, it was referenced in How I Met Your Mother. Clearly, its a sign. For what, I don't know, but a sign none the less.
Had a solid weekend for beating rival teams. St. X beat Elder on Friday, Virginia (shockingly) beat North Carolina on Saturday, and the Bengals beat the Browns on Sunday. Is it sad that I thought the biggest win of the three was St. X? Elder is clearly X's biggest football rival right now, but it wasn't always that way. In fact, when I was in school, Elder probably ranked 3rd in terms of GCL rivalries, behind Moeller and LaSalle. Moeller was the powerhouse back in the day, LaSalle was the "King of the Road" game, and Elder was just Elder. But now, Elder's the #1 rival, dwarfing both Moeller and LaSalle. Funny how it is.
Speaking of funny, how the hell did Virginia pull off a victory? Is Carolina just that bad? As much as I would have loved to see Groh go 0-12, its always nice to beat Carolina, especially when its a year where they were supposed to be good and the Hoos are so bad.
Note to the Bengals- have a game won or lost before the final minute of regulation/overtime. Please.
Apparently, the baseball regular season ended on Sunday. I can't remember ever being less enthused about a baseball postseason than this one. I read a stat yesterday that said since August 23 (ie- the last 6 weeks of the season), the Reds were 27-13, the best in baseball. They finished 78-84, 4th place in the NL Central, 13 games out. Does this mean we (Reds fans) should be excited for next year? Does one's finish to the previous season have any real bearing on one's performance next? Some say "yes." Look at the Bengals; they were miserable last season, but they managed to finish strong and win their last 3 games. Now, they're 3-1 and tied for first place in the AFC North. Sure, its a tenuous 3-1 (they could be 4-0 as easily as they could be 1-3), but 3-1 is 3-1 at the quarter pole. So maybe there's some reason to hope next spring.
All signs point to Ken Griffey, Jr. retiring from baseball. He got a huge standing ovation from the Seattle fans on Sunday was even carried off the field by his teammates at the end of the game. Its tough to come back from getting carried off the field. I've made my thoughts known on Ken Griffey, Jr. He was the best player I ever saw (and will ever see). If this was his last year, he'll be headlining the Hall of Fame class in 2014, the first year of his eligibility.
I'm incredibly stoked for ESPN's 30 for 30 series that starts tonight. Hands down, this looks like the coolest thing ESPN's ever done. 30 documentaries by 30 filmmakers covering topics from the past 30 years (since this is ESPN's 30th anniversary). Its a complete 360 from the"me, me, me" 25th anniversary celebration, which is a good thing. The subject list for 30 for 30 just looks incredible. Tonight's doc is about the trade of Wayne Gretzky from Edmonton to Los Angeles, done by Peter Berg (director/producer of Friday Night Lights, both the movie and the TV show). I plan to watch all 30 films, but I'm particularly interested in the ones on Allen Iverson, Reggie Miller and the Knicks, fantasy sports, Terry Fox, and June 17, 1994. Again, this just looks so cool.
In other TV recommendation news, you should be watching Modern Family, Glee, and FlashForward. All good, in completely different ways.
Final thought- I read from a friend that the ideal frequency for chest compressions during CPR is 100 bpm, which happens to be the same tempo for both Stayin' Alive and Another One Bites The Dust. Now THAT'S a sign.
Had a solid weekend for beating rival teams. St. X beat Elder on Friday, Virginia (shockingly) beat North Carolina on Saturday, and the Bengals beat the Browns on Sunday. Is it sad that I thought the biggest win of the three was St. X? Elder is clearly X's biggest football rival right now, but it wasn't always that way. In fact, when I was in school, Elder probably ranked 3rd in terms of GCL rivalries, behind Moeller and LaSalle. Moeller was the powerhouse back in the day, LaSalle was the "King of the Road" game, and Elder was just Elder. But now, Elder's the #1 rival, dwarfing both Moeller and LaSalle. Funny how it is.
Speaking of funny, how the hell did Virginia pull off a victory? Is Carolina just that bad? As much as I would have loved to see Groh go 0-12, its always nice to beat Carolina, especially when its a year where they were supposed to be good and the Hoos are so bad.
Note to the Bengals- have a game won or lost before the final minute of regulation/overtime. Please.
Apparently, the baseball regular season ended on Sunday. I can't remember ever being less enthused about a baseball postseason than this one. I read a stat yesterday that said since August 23 (ie- the last 6 weeks of the season), the Reds were 27-13, the best in baseball. They finished 78-84, 4th place in the NL Central, 13 games out. Does this mean we (Reds fans) should be excited for next year? Does one's finish to the previous season have any real bearing on one's performance next? Some say "yes." Look at the Bengals; they were miserable last season, but they managed to finish strong and win their last 3 games. Now, they're 3-1 and tied for first place in the AFC North. Sure, its a tenuous 3-1 (they could be 4-0 as easily as they could be 1-3), but 3-1 is 3-1 at the quarter pole. So maybe there's some reason to hope next spring.
All signs point to Ken Griffey, Jr. retiring from baseball. He got a huge standing ovation from the Seattle fans on Sunday was even carried off the field by his teammates at the end of the game. Its tough to come back from getting carried off the field. I've made my thoughts known on Ken Griffey, Jr. He was the best player I ever saw (and will ever see). If this was his last year, he'll be headlining the Hall of Fame class in 2014, the first year of his eligibility.
I'm incredibly stoked for ESPN's 30 for 30 series that starts tonight. Hands down, this looks like the coolest thing ESPN's ever done. 30 documentaries by 30 filmmakers covering topics from the past 30 years (since this is ESPN's 30th anniversary). Its a complete 360 from the"me, me, me" 25th anniversary celebration, which is a good thing. The subject list for 30 for 30 just looks incredible. Tonight's doc is about the trade of Wayne Gretzky from Edmonton to Los Angeles, done by Peter Berg (director/producer of Friday Night Lights, both the movie and the TV show). I plan to watch all 30 films, but I'm particularly interested in the ones on Allen Iverson, Reggie Miller and the Knicks, fantasy sports, Terry Fox, and June 17, 1994. Again, this just looks so cool.
In other TV recommendation news, you should be watching Modern Family, Glee, and FlashForward. All good, in completely different ways.
Final thought- I read from a friend that the ideal frequency for chest compressions during CPR is 100 bpm, which happens to be the same tempo for both Stayin' Alive and Another One Bites The Dust. Now THAT'S a sign.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Greatest Prediction Ever
This just has to be heard to be believed.
Second at-bat, 3-1 count, fastball, home run, left-center, 2nd deck. That's just awesome.
This is now my favorite sports play prediction of all time, replacing Snoop Dogg. I wish I could find the video, but it went something like this: USC was down in the red zone and Snoop, a big USC fan, was being interviewed on camera behind the end zone the Trojans were driving toward. The interviewer asked Snoop, who coaches (or at least, coached at the time) his son's peewee football team, what play he would call next. Snoop responded with something to the effect of, "hand it off to my boy LenDale White for the touchdown and then flip the ball to Coach Snoop." On the next play, USC handed it off to LenDale White, who scored, then flipped the ball to Snoop, still standing next to the interviewer and cameraman. They immediately cut back to Snoop, who proceeded to strike the Heisman pose. It was pretty cool. But calling a guy's first career homerun down to the when (second at-bat), how (fastball on 3-1), and where (left-center, 2nd deck) is just crazy (okay, so it just missed the 2nd deck; its still incredible).
Second at-bat, 3-1 count, fastball, home run, left-center, 2nd deck. That's just awesome.
This is now my favorite sports play prediction of all time, replacing Snoop Dogg. I wish I could find the video, but it went something like this: USC was down in the red zone and Snoop, a big USC fan, was being interviewed on camera behind the end zone the Trojans were driving toward. The interviewer asked Snoop, who coaches (or at least, coached at the time) his son's peewee football team, what play he would call next. Snoop responded with something to the effect of, "hand it off to my boy LenDale White for the touchdown and then flip the ball to Coach Snoop." On the next play, USC handed it off to LenDale White, who scored, then flipped the ball to Snoop, still standing next to the interviewer and cameraman. They immediately cut back to Snoop, who proceeded to strike the Heisman pose. It was pretty cool. But calling a guy's first career homerun down to the when (second at-bat), how (fastball on 3-1), and where (left-center, 2nd deck) is just crazy (okay, so it just missed the 2nd deck; its still incredible).
Monday, September 28, 2009
It's Been A Long Time Comin'
Bengals 23, Steelers 20.
Not going to lie, that felt good. It wasn't easy (seriously, -10 yards in the 1st quarter?), but a win's a win, especially against a division opponent and especially against Pittsburgh. I jumped out of my seat when Brian Leonard dove for the first down on 4th and 10 (as I noted on Facebook, Leonard should eat for free this week in town for that play). I let out a scream when Carson Palmer found Andre Caldwell in the end zone with 14 seconds left. And I, along with everyone else in Cincinnati, cringed in fear for a moment thinking that 14 seconds was too much time to leave on the clock. But there was no "Immaculate Deflection Part II" this week (fuckin' Brandon Stokley). Who Dey indeed.
After Sunday's game, is there any question that the offense should go no-huddle/modified hurry-up all the time? It was the only time they were able to move the ball down field and score (or at least be in position to score). Isn't the no-huddle offense what we used to win the division in 2005? Curious....
Virginia was on a bye this week. And yet, I think they still found a way to lose. I kinda hope they did; I had Bye Week (-7.5) over the Hoos.
Speaking of college football, it was proven again this weekend that the polls are completely meaningless. Ole Miss, Penn State, Cal.... no one knows anything when it comes to ranking teams this early in the season, they even admit to it, and yet they still do it. As I've said before, I don't think there should be a single poll until about halfway through the season. Crazy idea- give teams time to actually *do* something before trying to rank them. Insanity, I know.
Finished Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol over the weekend. Its not the worst book I've ever read, but all that means is that I've read some really bad books. Its a shameless Da Vinci Code ripoff. That's right, Dan Brown ripped off himself. The story, the pacing, the characters, the character's motivations, the twists, its almost shot-for-shot from The Da Vinci Code. And like all other Dan Brown books, it completely falls apart at the end. He clearly to put a lot time in to researching the locations he uses in his books (be it The Vatican, Paris, or, in this case, Washington, D.C.) and tying it all into a conspiracy-theory filled story, but he seems to be completely lost when it comes to wrapping it up in the end. Probably only worth reading for curiosities sake (and because everyone else in the world will be reading it).
Not going to lie, that felt good. It wasn't easy (seriously, -10 yards in the 1st quarter?), but a win's a win, especially against a division opponent and especially against Pittsburgh. I jumped out of my seat when Brian Leonard dove for the first down on 4th and 10 (as I noted on Facebook, Leonard should eat for free this week in town for that play). I let out a scream when Carson Palmer found Andre Caldwell in the end zone with 14 seconds left. And I, along with everyone else in Cincinnati, cringed in fear for a moment thinking that 14 seconds was too much time to leave on the clock. But there was no "Immaculate Deflection Part II" this week (fuckin' Brandon Stokley). Who Dey indeed.
After Sunday's game, is there any question that the offense should go no-huddle/modified hurry-up all the time? It was the only time they were able to move the ball down field and score (or at least be in position to score). Isn't the no-huddle offense what we used to win the division in 2005? Curious....
Virginia was on a bye this week. And yet, I think they still found a way to lose. I kinda hope they did; I had Bye Week (-7.5) over the Hoos.
Speaking of college football, it was proven again this weekend that the polls are completely meaningless. Ole Miss, Penn State, Cal.... no one knows anything when it comes to ranking teams this early in the season, they even admit to it, and yet they still do it. As I've said before, I don't think there should be a single poll until about halfway through the season. Crazy idea- give teams time to actually *do* something before trying to rank them. Insanity, I know.
Finished Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol over the weekend. Its not the worst book I've ever read, but all that means is that I've read some really bad books. Its a shameless Da Vinci Code ripoff. That's right, Dan Brown ripped off himself. The story, the pacing, the characters, the character's motivations, the twists, its almost shot-for-shot from The Da Vinci Code. And like all other Dan Brown books, it completely falls apart at the end. He clearly to put a lot time in to researching the locations he uses in his books (be it The Vatican, Paris, or, in this case, Washington, D.C.) and tying it all into a conspiracy-theory filled story, but he seems to be completely lost when it comes to wrapping it up in the end. Probably only worth reading for curiosities sake (and because everyone else in the world will be reading it).
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Making It Interesting
Up by 10, less than 2 minutes to go, any fan base would think that they have the game wrapped up. Except Cincinnati's. When your team's the Bengals, the game's not over until the final whistle sounds (and even then, like on Sunday, you're still not sure). Props to Packers coach Mike McCarthy, though, for kicking the field goal on 2nd down and managing the clock instead of going for the end zone and wasting time. He needed two scores, so he took the sure points now, knowing that either way, he needed to recover the onside kick and score again. But teams never recover onside kicks, right? Yeah, right, unless they happen against the Bengals. Two 20+ yard pass plays later, and the Pack are sitting on the 10 yard line with a chance to tie the game. Thankfully, a false start ended the game (or the clock ran out, I'm still not entirely sure) and the Bengals are sitting at 1-1 with Pittsburgh coming to town next week. Will it be annother game that goes down to the final seconds? I'll take it, as long as it involves Pittsburgh losing.
And speaking of Bengals-Packers, here's a great column by Paul Daugherty from Sunday's Enquirer that recalls the 1992 meeting between these two teams. What happened in that game to make it significant? Not much. Packers starting QB Don Majkowski gets injured and is replaced by a guy named Brett Favre. Favre proceeds to fumble the ball 4 times and gets booed by the home crowd. But when down 23-17 on his own 8-yard line with just over a minute to play, he leads the Pack down the field for the game-winning touchdown. He's started every game he's played in since then (across 3 teams). The Bengals were 2-0 going into that game; afterward, they lost their next 4 and 9 of the next 11. Then they lost the next decade. Thanks, Brett. Asshole.
Virginia lost again; 0-12 is still within reach. I will say though, there were times against Southern Mississippi that the Hoos actually looked like a football team. They were even leading 34-17 midway through the 3rd quarter. But then, in a George Welsh Era-like collapse, they gave up 20 unanswered points to lose the game (I swear I could hear someone yell "Insurmountable lead!" right before it happened...). The Curse of the Pep Band lives on.
Watched some of the Emmy Awards last night (I could only take so much fawning over Jerry Jones's new stadium; so glad they lost, and not just because I had the Giants +2.5 in the pick'em pool). End result? Neil Patrick Harris is awesome. The opening number:
And the best bit of the night:
Oktoberfest was this weekend. I've said it before, but no one does a food festival like Cincinnati. Especially Oktoberfest (Munich excluded). Good food, good beer. Missed the Chicken Dance this year; it was apparently led by Homer Simpson and George Wendt. Kinda glad I missed it now.
And speaking of Bengals-Packers, here's a great column by Paul Daugherty from Sunday's Enquirer that recalls the 1992 meeting between these two teams. What happened in that game to make it significant? Not much. Packers starting QB Don Majkowski gets injured and is replaced by a guy named Brett Favre. Favre proceeds to fumble the ball 4 times and gets booed by the home crowd. But when down 23-17 on his own 8-yard line with just over a minute to play, he leads the Pack down the field for the game-winning touchdown. He's started every game he's played in since then (across 3 teams). The Bengals were 2-0 going into that game; afterward, they lost their next 4 and 9 of the next 11. Then they lost the next decade. Thanks, Brett. Asshole.
Virginia lost again; 0-12 is still within reach. I will say though, there were times against Southern Mississippi that the Hoos actually looked like a football team. They were even leading 34-17 midway through the 3rd quarter. But then, in a George Welsh Era-like collapse, they gave up 20 unanswered points to lose the game (I swear I could hear someone yell "Insurmountable lead!" right before it happened...). The Curse of the Pep Band lives on.
Watched some of the Emmy Awards last night (I could only take so much fawning over Jerry Jones's new stadium; so glad they lost, and not just because I had the Giants +2.5 in the pick'em pool). End result? Neil Patrick Harris is awesome. The opening number:
And the best bit of the night:
Oktoberfest was this weekend. I've said it before, but no one does a food festival like Cincinnati. Especially Oktoberfest (Munich excluded). Good food, good beer. Missed the Chicken Dance this year; it was apparently led by Homer Simpson and George Wendt. Kinda glad I missed it now.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Keep Matriculating The Ball Down The Field
Saw the first episode of what looks to be a pretty cool 5-part series on Showtime last night called Full Color Football: The History of the American Football League. As you might expect, the show chronicles the history of the AFL. This first episode covered the creation of the league and its first few years, up until the league's founder, Lamar Hunt, made the decision to move his team (the Dallas Texans) to Kansas City (becoming the Chiefs) right after they had won the AFL Championship. As a football fan, I really enjoyed this. I think the only real problem with it is that it airs on Showtime and not HBO, meaning that its not narrated by Liev Schreiber. But I'll get over it. What got me really excited this show was what they teased for the upcoming episodes, specifically about Paul Brown. They showed a clip of Bill Belichick talking about all the innovations Paul Brown brought to professional football and how, like, 80% of what he did back them, teams are still doing now. If I was disappointed by anything Hard Knocks did this season, it was that I think they missed an opportunity to really delve into the history of the Bengals and Paul Brown (the closest they got was Tank Johnson learning that Bill Walsh isn't named Donny and that he once coached in Cincinnati). Hopefully, Full Color Football will get more into just how much Paul Brown did for the game of football (and zero of just how much Mike Brown has destroyed it).
Monday, September 14, 2009
Just Call Me Brett Favre
I just couldn't stay away. There's too much stuff going on and I have too much time on my hands. So I'm back from retirement for a second time (which leaves me, what, 3 short of Mr. Favre?), and this time, I mean it. You know, that is, until I don't.
After 20 years of futility, the Bengals found a new way to lose:
Ladies and gentlemen, the longest game-winning play from scrimmage in the final minute of the fourth quarter in NFL history. I guess its fitting that the Bengals would be on the wrong side of a dubious record such as that. I mean, who knows who had the record was before Sunday, but everyone's going to remember that the Bengals have it now. Doesn't hurt that Gus Johnson was on the call. This might be a top 5 all-time "Gus Johnson loses his mind on the mic" moment, and if you're a fan of Gus Johnson (which I am), you know that's saying something.
I don't see anymore than 6 wins for the Bengals this year. Which, considering we're talking about the Bengals, isn't half bad. And its 6 more wins than I think my Virginia Cavaliers will win this year:
The ACC's bad, and Virginia's the worst team in the ACC. If this were the English Premier League, they'd be demoted to CAA (where they'd struggle against in-state rival Richmond, James Madison, and William and Mary, who's already beaten the Hoos this year). Its just pathetic. Shocking how having a marching band and making the students wear orange doesn't automatically translate into having a winning program. I know going 0-12 (or, by some miracle, 1-11) won't be cause for ditching the marching band (though we can always hope), but at the very least I hope all the students burn their "Sea of Orange" shirts and return to wearing ties and sun dresses on game day. I don't think Virginia's in the business of firing coaches mid-season, regardless of how bad it gets, so the impending winless season will be all Al Groh's to bear. Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.
Been to a couple of local amateur MMA fights (ICF events) with PreView and Puddin' recently. Interesting, to say the least. The 7-sided octagon (which, I guess, is technically a heptagon, but that's not as fun to say as "7-sided octagon") threw me a bit at first, but the events are fun and the people watching is outstanding (both in a good way and a bad way). Quick shout out to the guys at Fight Ribbon; good people with a great product.
Apparently, Kanye West did something outrageous at the VMAs last night. My first thought? "They still hold the VMAs?" Who knew? I wasn't watching. I was busy watching Jay Cutler rack up points for the Green Bay defense by consistently hitting the open Packer defender. Good for my fantasy team. One of them, at least. What wasn't good for my fantasy teams? Orton's BS touchdown (see above), Drew Brees throwing against a high school defense, Joe Flacco sitting on my bench, and the lack of scoring by Matt Forte, Roddy White, and Donald Driver. Not a good start of the fantasy football season. But hey, I'm currently winning my baseball league!
Speaking of baseball, are the Reds still playing? Can't recall the last game where I watched more than two innings. 82-80, huh? Might be a little off on that prediction. Thank God they're in the same division as the Pirates or else there'd be a lot more last place finishes.
The new TV season is about to start up. This, plus football, is why fall is the best time of the year. Already hooked on Glee- cheesy and hokey on the outside, subversive and sardonic on the inside. Will be definitely be checking out Flash Forward (read the book, and I think the show has a chance to be better) and will probably check out V and Community. Can't wait to see how Fringe comes back from their season finale. Wondering if Heroes can come back and just be better than "suck." And there are probably a half dozen more shows (at least) that I'll be watching as well.
So much television, so little time. Its a wonder I that I ever get anything done (which is probably why I never do).
After 20 years of futility, the Bengals found a new way to lose:
Ladies and gentlemen, the longest game-winning play from scrimmage in the final minute of the fourth quarter in NFL history. I guess its fitting that the Bengals would be on the wrong side of a dubious record such as that. I mean, who knows who had the record was before Sunday, but everyone's going to remember that the Bengals have it now. Doesn't hurt that Gus Johnson was on the call. This might be a top 5 all-time "Gus Johnson loses his mind on the mic" moment, and if you're a fan of Gus Johnson (which I am), you know that's saying something.
I don't see anymore than 6 wins for the Bengals this year. Which, considering we're talking about the Bengals, isn't half bad. And its 6 more wins than I think my Virginia Cavaliers will win this year:
The ACC's bad, and Virginia's the worst team in the ACC. If this were the English Premier League, they'd be demoted to CAA (where they'd struggle against in-state rival Richmond, James Madison, and William and Mary, who's already beaten the Hoos this year). Its just pathetic. Shocking how having a marching band and making the students wear orange doesn't automatically translate into having a winning program. I know going 0-12 (or, by some miracle, 1-11) won't be cause for ditching the marching band (though we can always hope), but at the very least I hope all the students burn their "Sea of Orange" shirts and return to wearing ties and sun dresses on game day. I don't think Virginia's in the business of firing coaches mid-season, regardless of how bad it gets, so the impending winless season will be all Al Groh's to bear. Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.
Been to a couple of local amateur MMA fights (ICF events) with PreView and Puddin' recently. Interesting, to say the least. The 7-sided octagon (which, I guess, is technically a heptagon, but that's not as fun to say as "7-sided octagon") threw me a bit at first, but the events are fun and the people watching is outstanding (both in a good way and a bad way). Quick shout out to the guys at Fight Ribbon; good people with a great product.
Apparently, Kanye West did something outrageous at the VMAs last night. My first thought? "They still hold the VMAs?" Who knew? I wasn't watching. I was busy watching Jay Cutler rack up points for the Green Bay defense by consistently hitting the open Packer defender. Good for my fantasy team. One of them, at least. What wasn't good for my fantasy teams? Orton's BS touchdown (see above), Drew Brees throwing against a high school defense, Joe Flacco sitting on my bench, and the lack of scoring by Matt Forte, Roddy White, and Donald Driver. Not a good start of the fantasy football season. But hey, I'm currently winning my baseball league!
Speaking of baseball, are the Reds still playing? Can't recall the last game where I watched more than two innings. 82-80, huh? Might be a little off on that prediction. Thank God they're in the same division as the Pirates or else there'd be a lot more last place finishes.
The new TV season is about to start up. This, plus football, is why fall is the best time of the year. Already hooked on Glee- cheesy and hokey on the outside, subversive and sardonic on the inside. Will be definitely be checking out Flash Forward (read the book, and I think the show has a chance to be better) and will probably check out V and Community. Can't wait to see how Fringe comes back from their season finale. Wondering if Heroes can come back and just be better than "suck." And there are probably a half dozen more shows (at least) that I'll be watching as well.
So much television, so little time. Its a wonder I that I ever get anything done (which is probably why I never do).
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
My God, Please Let This Happen
The Bengals might appear on HBO's Hard Knocks.
Now, I've never seen Hard Knocks, but I would totally watch it if the Bengals were featured (I think I've made it clear that I only watch reality shows when they involve Cincinnatians). This HAS to happen. Actually, no. This only has to happen if Mike Brown is prominently featured throughout the show (and since he's the only in charge, I'm guessing that would be inevitable). Brown is crazy reclusive to the point where he almost never gives television interviews, so I have a hard time seeing him getting on board with this. But seeing just how dysfunctional and ass-backward Mike Brown runs the team would be so worth it. Everyone who follows the NFL would want to see the Bengals on this show. EVERYONE. Please, make this happen.
Now, I've never seen Hard Knocks, but I would totally watch it if the Bengals were featured (I think I've made it clear that I only watch reality shows when they involve Cincinnatians). This HAS to happen. Actually, no. This only has to happen if Mike Brown is prominently featured throughout the show (and since he's the only in charge, I'm guessing that would be inevitable). Brown is crazy reclusive to the point where he almost never gives television interviews, so I have a hard time seeing him getting on board with this. But seeing just how dysfunctional and ass-backward Mike Brown runs the team would be so worth it. Everyone who follows the NFL would want to see the Bengals on this show. EVERYONE. Please, make this happen.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Weekly TV Thoughts: 04/19 - 04/25
Light week this week, with Lost taking a break and Kings being relegated to the summer to burn off its remaining episodes after being relegated to Saturday nights first. I think its clear that Kings won't be on NBC's schedule next season.
-Chuck, Monday: If you didn't know any better, you might have thought that this episode was setting up the end of the show. Chuck rescued his father, destroyed a critical Fulcrum base, and got the Intersect out of his head. Where does the show go from here? Thankfully, there's one more episode this season to set up Season 3 (which NEEDS to happen; be sure to head to Subway on Monday to show your support for Chuck), which has been billed as a "game changer." And while I think that phrase is waaaaaaaay overused in television, with the Chuck no longer being the Intersect, I think it actually applies in this case. I think Chuck trying to be a spy just to be a spy and not because he has the Intersect in his head is a great direction for the show and I can't wait to see how it turns out (because there WILL be a Season 3).
-Heroes, Monday: First off, totally random Clint Howard sighting! As to the episode, I didn't know what the think about Sylar's (literal) identity crisis; I guess it was his turn for the therapy session since he wasn't part of the group session that took place last week at Coyote Sands. Parkman, Hiro, and Ando also worked through their issued as well. Now everyone's cleared the air with themselves and everyone else so we can move onto the big seasion finale. I wonder how they're going to take out Danko. He tried (and failed) to kill Sylar at the end of the episode; do they just have Sylar do it and be done with it? Or will someone like Nathan or Bennett get a chance to do it? Going back to Parkman for a moment- why can't he stop Sylar? As he showed this week, he should NEVER be captured because he can make around him think he's not there. So why not use that ability to trap Sylar? It seems to be the best option to me; no one's immune to Parkman's power, not even Sylar, so trapping him in his own mind appears to be much easier than planting a sharp object into the base of his spine. But perhaps that just too easy.
-24, Monday: How many times have moles on this show gone with self-inflicted gun shot wound to try and cover up the fact that they're a spy? That's already twice in this season alone; at least Tony was a man about it and shot himself somewhere halfway believeable, as opposed to Sean, who wussed out and went with the arm. I glad they they don't appear to drag out the secret of Tony's betrayal any further than the next episode; I'm guessing Jack would've shot Tony right there at the end of the episode had he not collapsed the ground in convulsions. I'm also glad that Jonas appeared to fail in his suicide attempt; I want more Jon Voight. And next week, they teased the meeting of Jack and Jonas, which should be great. I guess it was inevitable that Jonas and Tony were working for the same people, though I doubt either one knew it about it. Jonas was supposed to devolop the bioweapon for his employer, and not for his own personal use, so Tony was tasked to stop Jonas's rogue mission and get the bioweapon to its intended location. Again, I hope the main, big bad guy behind everything that's happened this season isn't someone ridiculous, like a character we've already seen who's been a traiter this whole time (like Ethan or someone). Just make it somone we haven't seen before and keep the crazy out-of-left-field twist in your pocket for now.
-Dollhouse, Friday: This was a nice stand alone episode; not much here that advanced the overall story arc of the show, and that was okay. The A story was okay, about someone using the Dollhouse to bring themself back to life, temporaily, to solve their own murder (because clearly if they died, it was murder). That's an awful creepy way to use the Dollhouse, but it kind of makes sense. If you have enough money to enlist the services of the Dollhouse, you clearly don't have any moral reservations about the work they do, so why wouldn't you get request that you get yourself scanned every now and again so that you could live forever? Its like backup up your computer files, only with your personality and memories. Creepy, yes, that you'd be in a different body every so often, but you live forever (or, at least as long as the Dollhouse existed). Next week's episode looks like the one where everything for Agent Ballard comes to a head, as the promos showed him sneaking in to the Dollhouse. Plus, Alan Tudyk (aka- Firefly's Wash) guest stars, which can only be a good thing. This show's really gotten better week to week after a very slow start; I just hope the start wasn't too slow that it doesn't get a second season.
-NFL Draft, Saturday: Ugh. I wrote about the Bengal's first pick here. But I have to say, I think they're draft had gotten a lot better since that point (its still going on, so we'll see if they can finish strong). I'll more reaction to the Bengals's draft tomorrow or Tuesday.
This week should be good. Both Chuck and Heroes have their season finales, and Lost returns with "The Variable", the show's 100th episode.
-Chuck, Monday: If you didn't know any better, you might have thought that this episode was setting up the end of the show. Chuck rescued his father, destroyed a critical Fulcrum base, and got the Intersect out of his head. Where does the show go from here? Thankfully, there's one more episode this season to set up Season 3 (which NEEDS to happen; be sure to head to Subway on Monday to show your support for Chuck), which has been billed as a "game changer." And while I think that phrase is waaaaaaaay overused in television, with the Chuck no longer being the Intersect, I think it actually applies in this case. I think Chuck trying to be a spy just to be a spy and not because he has the Intersect in his head is a great direction for the show and I can't wait to see how it turns out (because there WILL be a Season 3).
-Heroes, Monday: First off, totally random Clint Howard sighting! As to the episode, I didn't know what the think about Sylar's (literal) identity crisis; I guess it was his turn for the therapy session since he wasn't part of the group session that took place last week at Coyote Sands. Parkman, Hiro, and Ando also worked through their issued as well. Now everyone's cleared the air with themselves and everyone else so we can move onto the big seasion finale. I wonder how they're going to take out Danko. He tried (and failed) to kill Sylar at the end of the episode; do they just have Sylar do it and be done with it? Or will someone like Nathan or Bennett get a chance to do it? Going back to Parkman for a moment- why can't he stop Sylar? As he showed this week, he should NEVER be captured because he can make around him think he's not there. So why not use that ability to trap Sylar? It seems to be the best option to me; no one's immune to Parkman's power, not even Sylar, so trapping him in his own mind appears to be much easier than planting a sharp object into the base of his spine. But perhaps that just too easy.
-24, Monday: How many times have moles on this show gone with self-inflicted gun shot wound to try and cover up the fact that they're a spy? That's already twice in this season alone; at least Tony was a man about it and shot himself somewhere halfway believeable, as opposed to Sean, who wussed out and went with the arm. I glad they they don't appear to drag out the secret of Tony's betrayal any further than the next episode; I'm guessing Jack would've shot Tony right there at the end of the episode had he not collapsed the ground in convulsions. I'm also glad that Jonas appeared to fail in his suicide attempt; I want more Jon Voight. And next week, they teased the meeting of Jack and Jonas, which should be great. I guess it was inevitable that Jonas and Tony were working for the same people, though I doubt either one knew it about it. Jonas was supposed to devolop the bioweapon for his employer, and not for his own personal use, so Tony was tasked to stop Jonas's rogue mission and get the bioweapon to its intended location. Again, I hope the main, big bad guy behind everything that's happened this season isn't someone ridiculous, like a character we've already seen who's been a traiter this whole time (like Ethan or someone). Just make it somone we haven't seen before and keep the crazy out-of-left-field twist in your pocket for now.
-Dollhouse, Friday: This was a nice stand alone episode; not much here that advanced the overall story arc of the show, and that was okay. The A story was okay, about someone using the Dollhouse to bring themself back to life, temporaily, to solve their own murder (because clearly if they died, it was murder). That's an awful creepy way to use the Dollhouse, but it kind of makes sense. If you have enough money to enlist the services of the Dollhouse, you clearly don't have any moral reservations about the work they do, so why wouldn't you get request that you get yourself scanned every now and again so that you could live forever? Its like backup up your computer files, only with your personality and memories. Creepy, yes, that you'd be in a different body every so often, but you live forever (or, at least as long as the Dollhouse existed). Next week's episode looks like the one where everything for Agent Ballard comes to a head, as the promos showed him sneaking in to the Dollhouse. Plus, Alan Tudyk (aka- Firefly's Wash) guest stars, which can only be a good thing. This show's really gotten better week to week after a very slow start; I just hope the start wasn't too slow that it doesn't get a second season.
-NFL Draft, Saturday: Ugh. I wrote about the Bengal's first pick here. But I have to say, I think they're draft had gotten a lot better since that point (its still going on, so we'll see if they can finish strong). I'll more reaction to the Bengals's draft tomorrow or Tuesday.
This week should be good. Both Chuck and Heroes have their season finales, and Lost returns with "The Variable", the show's 100th episode.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
What Sold Them?
"The Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock."
Bengals fans dread hearing these words. Nothing good ever happens after these words are uttered. Most fans look forward to the draft; not the ones in Cincinnati. Why? Because it doesn't seem to matter who they pick, even when they get it right, they get it wrong. The latest example- 2009's first round pick Andre Smith out of Alabama.
The Bengals needed to draft an offensive tackle. They don't have much, but what they do have, they have in Carson Palmer. And he's nothing if he doesn't get any protection. Enter the left tackle. Anchor the line, give your franchise quarterback time to make plays, you've got a chance to win. And with the first pick of the 2009 draft, the Bengals did indeed select an offensive tackle. But why Andre Smith?
Could it have been because he was suspended from playing in 'Bama's bowl game? Or perhaps it was because showed up the NFL combine overweight and out of shape and eventually left before completing his drills? Or maybe it was because when he had a shot at redemption at his pro day, he bombed. Which one of these points do you think Mike Brown focused on when deciding to draft Andre Smith?
Listen, I don't put much stock in the NFL combine (you focus only on 40-yard dash time, you end up like Al Davis and draft Darrius Heyward-Bey at #7). But what bothers me is that fact that he wasn't prepared for it. Its not like the combine sneaks up on anyone; you know exactly when and where it happens, and you know that you have to be ready for it. And Andre Smith was not ready for it. And when he got a second chance on his pro day, he still wasn't ready for it. What about that mindset says "we've got to draft this guy" when you've to Eugene Monroe still out there? Call me a UVA homer, fine, but the one thing the Wahoos have done well under Al Groh is produce solid offensive linemen. D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Brandon Alpert, Eugene Monroe... all first round picks (all top 10 picks, I believe). What about Monroe did Mike Brown not like? Oh well, I guess at the very least I should be happy they didn't take Beanie Wells at #6.
The Bengals had a need at a position and they didn't take the best guy available at that position. Business as usual.
Bengals fans dread hearing these words. Nothing good ever happens after these words are uttered. Most fans look forward to the draft; not the ones in Cincinnati. Why? Because it doesn't seem to matter who they pick, even when they get it right, they get it wrong. The latest example- 2009's first round pick Andre Smith out of Alabama.
The Bengals needed to draft an offensive tackle. They don't have much, but what they do have, they have in Carson Palmer. And he's nothing if he doesn't get any protection. Enter the left tackle. Anchor the line, give your franchise quarterback time to make plays, you've got a chance to win. And with the first pick of the 2009 draft, the Bengals did indeed select an offensive tackle. But why Andre Smith?
Could it have been because he was suspended from playing in 'Bama's bowl game? Or perhaps it was because showed up the NFL combine overweight and out of shape and eventually left before completing his drills? Or maybe it was because when he had a shot at redemption at his pro day, he bombed. Which one of these points do you think Mike Brown focused on when deciding to draft Andre Smith?
Listen, I don't put much stock in the NFL combine (you focus only on 40-yard dash time, you end up like Al Davis and draft Darrius Heyward-Bey at #7). But what bothers me is that fact that he wasn't prepared for it. Its not like the combine sneaks up on anyone; you know exactly when and where it happens, and you know that you have to be ready for it. And Andre Smith was not ready for it. And when he got a second chance on his pro day, he still wasn't ready for it. What about that mindset says "we've got to draft this guy" when you've to Eugene Monroe still out there? Call me a UVA homer, fine, but the one thing the Wahoos have done well under Al Groh is produce solid offensive linemen. D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Brandon Alpert, Eugene Monroe... all first round picks (all top 10 picks, I believe). What about Monroe did Mike Brown not like? Oh well, I guess at the very least I should be happy they didn't take Beanie Wells at #6.
The Bengals had a need at a position and they didn't take the best guy available at that position. Business as usual.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Final Super Bowl Thoughts (For Real)
Okay, after a day to digest Super Bowl XLIII, I have a few final thoughts on the game, aside from just "Fuck the Steelers."
First, check out how EA did with their Madden simulation of the game. Insanely close on the final score and the stats for Roethlisberger and Holmes.
Second, even with the loss, Kurt Warner may still have punched his ticket to Canton with his performance on Sunday. Even though his Super Bowl record is now 1-2, think about those Super Bowls:
-Super Bowl XXXIV- a record 414 passing yards, game MVP, and one of the most exciting finishes in Super Bowl history (the Titans Kevin Dyson comes 1-yard short of the potential game-tying touchdown as time expires); win.
-Super Bowl XXXVI- a third-best all-time 365 passing yards, a 14-point 4th quarter comeback, and one of the most exciting finishes in Super Bowl history (Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal as time expired); loss.
-Super Bowl XLIII- a second-best all-time 377 passing yards, leading a 14-point 4th quarter comeback (16, with the safety), and one of the most exciting finishes in Super Bowl history (Santonio Holmes tip-toe touchdown catch with 0:35 seconds left); loss.
Any list of the top 10 greatest Super Bowls ever includes those 3 games, and yes, I think that matters in Warner's HOF consideration. Warner also has 2 league MVP's (1999 and 2001; could be argued he deserved it this year as well) and the great human interest story (undrafted out of college, bagging groceries, NFL Europe, Arena League, Super Bowl champion). While his team didn't win every Super Bowl he was in, he played big in every one of them. Sure, he had some dark years as a backup, but I think that only adds to his career; former starter and league MVP, reduced to holding a clipboard, regains the starting job and leads his team (a historically bad on, at that) to their first ever Super Bowl.
There's talk that Kurt Warner's played his last game in the NFL. If that's the case, I think he makes it to Canton in 5 years.
Third, even though Ben Roethlisberger is now 2-0 in Super Bowls, I don't think he's looking at an easy ride into footbal immortaility. Yes, two Super Bowl championships is a ridiculous accomplishment, especially at his age, but I think that he never wins another championship (please God, let him not win another championship), he'll always be overshadowed. Think about his Super Bowls, and what do you remember?
-Super Bowl XL- You remember horrible officiating, a long touchdown pass to Hines Ward on a trick play.... thrown by Antwaan Randle El, and a historically bad performace by Roethlisberger. The Steelers won inspite of Ben's pathetic performace (and with the aid of the officials). Hines Ward is your MVP.
-Super Bowl XLIII- You'll remember the James Harrision touchdown, the Arizona comeback, and the Santonio Holmes touchdown, with Holmes as your MVP.
The default Super Bowl MVP is the winning team's quarterback. If there isn't a clear MVP, it goes to him, that's just the way it is. Roethlisberger's started and won two Super Bowls and was MVP in neither of them. The only other quarterback to do that (as far as I can tell) is Bob Griese, and he's got another career milestone on his record to cancel that one out (something about a perfect season). Yes, you could argue that Roethlisberger deserved the MVP award on Sunday, but that fact is he didn't get it, and no one remembers the also-rans in the Super Bowl MVP race.
If his career ended right now (please God, let his career end right now), I think Roethlisberger would be remembered as a guy who got lucky and played above himself because he was surrounded by much greater players. These Steelers teams will be remembered for winning with their defense, and while he did lead them down the field for the winning score, it won't be remember for Roethlisberger methodically moving his team down the field, picking apart the defense and managing the clock, like Montana, Elway, or even Brady. It took a defender falling down on a play and a spectacular catch on the touchdown to make it happen. Its not fair, but I think he'll be seen as a player that was carried by his team, and not the other way around. I don't see him that way (I remember telling Steelers fans back in 2004 that they got the steal of the draft by taking him 11th), but that's how I think history will judge him.
And finally, the similarities between Sunday's game and Super Bowl XXIII, ranked the #1 Super Bowl of all time back in 2006. I've seen a lot of people compare the endings of two games, and even heard Roethlisberger reference it during a post-game interview with ESPN (he said that in the huddle before the final drive, he did not point out John Candy in the stands, which is exactly what Joe Montana had down 20 years prior). Bengals fans remember this one all too well- Cincinnati up 16-13, 3:10 on the clock, and San Francisco pinned on their own 8 yard line. Then Joe Montana became Joe Montana and lead the Niners 92-yards down the field, hitting John Taylor in the endzone with 0:35 seconds left in the game (damn it). For comparision, the Steelers had 2:37 to go 77 yards, and the Holmes touchdown came with 0:34 seconds left. But like a mentioned above, I don't think Super Bowl XLIII will be remembered for that final drive like Super Bowl XXIII was; the final play will be remember, but not the whole drive. Just how it is.
Okay, that's it, I'm done with football for now. Time for March Madness and baseball. When do pitchers and catchers report?
First, check out how EA did with their Madden simulation of the game. Insanely close on the final score and the stats for Roethlisberger and Holmes.
Second, even with the loss, Kurt Warner may still have punched his ticket to Canton with his performance on Sunday. Even though his Super Bowl record is now 1-2, think about those Super Bowls:
-Super Bowl XXXIV- a record 414 passing yards, game MVP, and one of the most exciting finishes in Super Bowl history (the Titans Kevin Dyson comes 1-yard short of the potential game-tying touchdown as time expires); win.
-Super Bowl XXXVI- a third-best all-time 365 passing yards, a 14-point 4th quarter comeback, and one of the most exciting finishes in Super Bowl history (Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal as time expired); loss.
-Super Bowl XLIII- a second-best all-time 377 passing yards, leading a 14-point 4th quarter comeback (16, with the safety), and one of the most exciting finishes in Super Bowl history (Santonio Holmes tip-toe touchdown catch with 0:35 seconds left); loss.
Any list of the top 10 greatest Super Bowls ever includes those 3 games, and yes, I think that matters in Warner's HOF consideration. Warner also has 2 league MVP's (1999 and 2001; could be argued he deserved it this year as well) and the great human interest story (undrafted out of college, bagging groceries, NFL Europe, Arena League, Super Bowl champion). While his team didn't win every Super Bowl he was in, he played big in every one of them. Sure, he had some dark years as a backup, but I think that only adds to his career; former starter and league MVP, reduced to holding a clipboard, regains the starting job and leads his team (a historically bad on, at that) to their first ever Super Bowl.
There's talk that Kurt Warner's played his last game in the NFL. If that's the case, I think he makes it to Canton in 5 years.
Third, even though Ben Roethlisberger is now 2-0 in Super Bowls, I don't think he's looking at an easy ride into footbal immortaility. Yes, two Super Bowl championships is a ridiculous accomplishment, especially at his age, but I think that he never wins another championship (please God, let him not win another championship), he'll always be overshadowed. Think about his Super Bowls, and what do you remember?
-Super Bowl XL- You remember horrible officiating, a long touchdown pass to Hines Ward on a trick play.... thrown by Antwaan Randle El, and a historically bad performace by Roethlisberger. The Steelers won inspite of Ben's pathetic performace (and with the aid of the officials). Hines Ward is your MVP.
-Super Bowl XLIII- You'll remember the James Harrision touchdown, the Arizona comeback, and the Santonio Holmes touchdown, with Holmes as your MVP.
The default Super Bowl MVP is the winning team's quarterback. If there isn't a clear MVP, it goes to him, that's just the way it is. Roethlisberger's started and won two Super Bowls and was MVP in neither of them. The only other quarterback to do that (as far as I can tell) is Bob Griese, and he's got another career milestone on his record to cancel that one out (something about a perfect season). Yes, you could argue that Roethlisberger deserved the MVP award on Sunday, but that fact is he didn't get it, and no one remembers the also-rans in the Super Bowl MVP race.
If his career ended right now (please God, let his career end right now), I think Roethlisberger would be remembered as a guy who got lucky and played above himself because he was surrounded by much greater players. These Steelers teams will be remembered for winning with their defense, and while he did lead them down the field for the winning score, it won't be remember for Roethlisberger methodically moving his team down the field, picking apart the defense and managing the clock, like Montana, Elway, or even Brady. It took a defender falling down on a play and a spectacular catch on the touchdown to make it happen. Its not fair, but I think he'll be seen as a player that was carried by his team, and not the other way around. I don't see him that way (I remember telling Steelers fans back in 2004 that they got the steal of the draft by taking him 11th), but that's how I think history will judge him.
And finally, the similarities between Sunday's game and Super Bowl XXIII, ranked the #1 Super Bowl of all time back in 2006. I've seen a lot of people compare the endings of two games, and even heard Roethlisberger reference it during a post-game interview with ESPN (he said that in the huddle before the final drive, he did not point out John Candy in the stands, which is exactly what Joe Montana had down 20 years prior). Bengals fans remember this one all too well- Cincinnati up 16-13, 3:10 on the clock, and San Francisco pinned on their own 8 yard line. Then Joe Montana became Joe Montana and lead the Niners 92-yards down the field, hitting John Taylor in the endzone with 0:35 seconds left in the game (damn it). For comparision, the Steelers had 2:37 to go 77 yards, and the Holmes touchdown came with 0:34 seconds left. But like a mentioned above, I don't think Super Bowl XLIII will be remembered for that final drive like Super Bowl XXIII was; the final play will be remember, but not the whole drive. Just how it is.
Okay, that's it, I'm done with football for now. Time for March Madness and baseball. When do pitchers and catchers report?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Super Bowl XLIII LIve Blog Mega-Post
Okay, so here's me trying my hand at live blogging an event. And what better event to do that than the Super Bowl. Naturally, most of this is just mindless crap. But then again, what isn't on this site?
Pre-Game
6:00 Just turned to the Super Bowl coverage because I there was no way I could’ve made it through 5 hours of the pregame show. Half hour I can stand. Let’s see how this turns out.
6:06 Do we really need to see the players walk out of the locker room? Enter the field, okay, but waiting in the tunnel?
6:08 Dr. Foreman is in the house. Anyone seen Thirteen?
6:09 Here come the Steelers. Fuck the Steelers.
6:10 Was that me, or did the Cardinals just get a louder reception? Or was that because there were just a lot of boos mixed in?
6:13 No noteworthy commercials yet. Maybe they start when the actual game starts.
6:15 Okay, nothing against Walter Payton, but why give this award out now? Timing seems odd. Prop bet alert: Shots of Brenda Warner- 1.
6:16 Uh, a musical performance just for the sake of having a musical performance? Was Faith Hill guaranteed a performance since she sings the Sunday Night Football intro song?
6:18 And the people on the Lost DVD said that a water landing was impossible with a plane. Pfft. There's your proof.
6:21 Not a bad National Anthem. Looks like it was pre-recorded, and there’s nothing wrong with that. One thing- if you’re going to sing it in 4/4, stay in 4/4, don’t jump back into 3/4. Consistency is key. Prop bet alert: six planes in the flyover.
6:22 HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT, G.I. JOE!!!!!!!!!
6:24 Been hearing Joe Cocker's Feelin' Alright all over the place recently. Love the song, so I’m not complaining, but its sudden appearance and use everywhere is kinda odd.
6:27 General Petraeus doesn’t have anything else better to be doing tonight, huh? Yeah, didn’t think so.
6:28 Prop bet alert: Heads, Arizona wins the toss, defers until the second half.
First Quarter
6:32 Kickoff… finally. Now, who’s playing again?
6:33 Fuck Hines Ward. Maybe put a guy on him? Maybe? Fuck Hines Ward.
6:38 Arizona should challenge that one; Ben’s knee might have been down. Many prop bets hinge on this call (outcome of first score and first challenge).
6:42 Refs get the call right, and many prop bets are paid off. Dr. Foreman pussies out and tries the field goal. Wuss.
6:44 Liked the Bob Dylan/Will.I.Am mashup. Gina Carano was in it, so I know Puddin’ LOVED it. That will be his favorite commercial of the night, hands down.
6:48 Prop bet alert: first penalty, holding on the Cardinals.
6:52 Early commercial returns- lots of Bud Light, lots of movie trailers. Very stoked for Springsteen’s halftime show.
6:54 Tackling seems to be a problem for the Arizona defense. This could be a problem down the line for them.
6:59 it’s a shame that Heath Miller plays for Pittsburgh, because I’m forced to hate him when I’d otherwise be one of his biggest fans.
7:00 How would Mike Tomlin know that Roethlisberger isn’t the same guy he was three years ago? Mike Tomlin wasn’t in Pittsburgh three years ago.
Second Quarter
7:04 Relatively quick first quarter. Only two penalties, one score, and one challenge.
7:08 Bill Simmons’s head just exploded; Gary Russell just scored a touchdown.
7:11 Hard hitting analysis- Arizona’s going to need to possess the ball some if they want to be in this game.
7:12 How long do you think Budweiser will keep milking the Clydesdale thing? Apparently forever.
7:13 HOLY MOTHER FUCKING SHIT, STAR TREK!!!!!!!!
7:18 Hmm, I’m guessing Fitzgerald and Boldin each have 3 guys covering them. James, Hightower, Arrington, Pope, and Breaston all better be ready to set up. Boldin and Fitzgerald probably won’t get a lot of chances, so they’ll need to make them count when they do.
7:20 Kinda like that.
7:21 So, did anyone have Gary Russell and Ben Patrick scoring the first two touchdowns of the game, because you just made a lot of money.
7:25 Great, a montage of Kurt Warner falling down. I'm sure he loves that.
7:27 Rodgers-Cromartie will get an interception by the end of the game. Put it on the board.
7:31 Nice return. And great job on the cutback by 52 NOT blocking in the back.
7:35 More talking babies? Seriously? Boo for recycled ad campaigns.
7:36 Fuck Dick LeBeau. He was 12-33 as the head coach of the Bengals, which translate to “epic fail.”
7:41 HELL YEAH!!!! Prop bet alert: first turnover, Roethlisberger interception.
7:42 Teleflora.com…. um…. yeah.
7:46 Great play by Hightower. Richmond represent!
7:48 Welcome to the game, Larry Fitzgerald!
7:50 First and goal at the 2, 0:18 left in the half; that should be 3 shots at the end zone, 2 if you want to leave time for a field goal try. I’d look at the jump ball to one of the big two receivers.
7:51 No. Fucking. Way.
7:52 Please God, he was down. Please God, he was down. Please God, his elbow was down.
7:55 FUCK.
Halftime
7:56 My final call for Bruce’s set list is The Rising, Badlands, My Lucky Day, Born To Run.
8:00 Thoughts on 3D- I’ve always found 3D a bit hokey, but I might be okay with this new INTRU3D because its not just about things flying out of the screen toward you, like it used to be. The focus now seems to be more on creating a sense of depth INTO the screen, which is a little less silly than people reaching out and touching you. We’ll see how I feel about it on Monday after watching an entire episode of Chuck in 3D.
8:06 So John Elway can fly. Explains the “Helicopter Play.”
8:07 The Boss! Yeah, it should’ve been obvious that Tenth Avenue Freeze Out was going to be on the set list when it reported that Bruce stole Conan’s horn section from Late Night.
8:10 Puts Born To Run in the two hole. I really thought he’d close with this one. In fact, more people trying to guess the setlist also thought this one would come at the end. Shows you what we know. One for two on songs, missed the order here.
8:14 Damn. I thought Working On A Dream would be too mellow of a song for the halftime show. It is the title track of the new album and all, but I still thought he’d go with something more upbeat, like My Lucky Day. I didn’t count on him trotting out the gospel choir. That was the trump card.
8:16 Glory Days, with revised football-centric lyrics. I had Glory Days on the list earlier in the week, but I dropped it in favor of Badlands. Oh well.
8:20 Bruce haters be damned, I glad Springsteen played the Super Bowl. Could have done without the ref gag, though, but the back and forth with Van Zant (“Hey Stevie, what time is it?) is a typical concert thing, so they just worked it into their normal routine.
Third Quarter
8:28 Arizona has to score on this opening drive, otherwise I think they’re done.
8:34 Why haven't the Cards challenged down the field. The underneath stuff is fine, but you’ve got to try downfield.
8:36 Fuck. Let that not be a fumble.
8:39 Thank God. However, having to punt is still bad news for the Cardinals.
8:42 I was just thinking, “Man, the Cardinals could sure use Rod Tidwell.”
8:47 Wow, don’t know about that roughing the passer call. It wasn’t excessively late, he didn’t lead with the helmet; I don’t like it.
8:53 Are fucking kidding me? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!?! Running into the holder? Are you a fucking idiot? Touchdown here and the game is over.
8:56 Hmm…. hold them to another field goal try. Still bad, but not completely atastrophic.
8:57 HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT, TRANSFORMERS!!!!!!
8:58 I wanna punch a koala. Where do I apply for that job?
9:02 Prop bet alert: Shots of Brenda Warner- 2. Has Madden made any references to food items yet? I haven’t really been paying attention.
9:04 Al Michaels just mentioned what I wrote 30 minutes ago. You have to at least try to go downfield and give you’re best players a chance to make a play.
Fourth Quarter
9:07 YES! The 1-second High Light commercial! Love it!
9:08 The penalties are killing the Cardinals. So is their unwillingness to try the deep ball. It’s the last game of the year; you can’t hold anything back now.
9:15 Man, is that the first sack of Roethlisberger of the game? About time, but its probably too little too late.
9:17 Seriously, Tory Polumalu as Mean Joe Green? That's sacrilege. He talks like Mike Tyson.
9:18 Okay, Ed McMahon + MC Hammer + Tax Problems = Awesome.
9:22 Well, well, well… quick score here, and maybe the game’s not over. Yet.
9:25 Would you look at that? Jump ball to Fitzgerald, touchdown. Man, that would’ve been a great play call at the end of the first half. Instead, it was a 100-yard TAINT for the Steelers. Prop bet alert: Shots of Brenda Warner- 3
9:29 Stay away from the silly penalties, get a stop, and maybe the bus isn’t heading back to Arizona just yet.
9:31 Sacks are good. To quote the Columbia Band: Scrotum! Scrotum! Quarterback sack!
9:32 Great 3 and out for Arizona. NOW, we have a game. C’mon Warner, you can punch your ticket to Canton right here, right now.
9:33 MacGrubber? Not funny. MacGrubber featuring Richard Dean Anderson? A little funny (funnier, at least). Not as good as his Mastercard commercial a few years back.
9:36 Still trying the running game. Interesting. I guess you want to keep the defense honest. I don't like it, though. Throw the damn ball.
9:38 Prop bet alert: Shots of Brenda Warner- 4
9:40 Excellent coverage-if you can, always try and catch the ball BEFORE it hits the ground; if it hits the ground, you have no idea where it will bounce. And James Harrison is a punk bitch. Fuck James Harrison.
9:43 DAMN, that was close. Might have been a safety.
9:44 NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9:45 YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone bet on a safety in the game? Because you just got paid.
9:46 Okay Warner, you’ve got ANOTHER chance to punch your ticket to Canton. Make it happen.
9:48 Larry Fitzgerald is a man. If the game ends like this, Fitzgerald is your MVP. Sorry, Kurt.
9:50 Now, Cardinals defense, what are you made of? Time to man up.
9:53 Ooh, almost made a mistake there with rushing a play before the 2 minute warning. A pick there would’ve been nice.
9:59 That was a touchdown right there, and Holmes would have been your MVP.
10:00 Shit. NOW, Holmes is your MVP. Fuck.
10:05 For a THIRD time tonight, Warner, you have a chance to get into Canton. Time to channel your inner Doug Flutie.
10:09 Fuck. I hate the Steelers. Santonio Holmes if your MVP and I don’t think its close. Fucking Buckeyes. Oh well, that was a damn good game. Better than last year’s Super Bowl? I don’t know. But it was damn good game.
10:10 Final prop bet alert: Color of Gatorade dumped on winning coach- lemon-lime/yellow. Well, okay, no, I guess there’s still the bet on who the game MVP thanks first. But I’m turning it off now.
Final thoughts on Super Bowl XLIII: fuck the Steelers. There, that’s it. Okay, not really. I really thought going down 20-7 was the end for the Cardinals. But they battled back and put themselves in a position to win the game, and they deserve a hell of a lot of credit for that. If anyone still questions whether Larry Fitzgerald is the best receiver in the game, they’re a moron. There, now that's it.
And fuck the Steelers.
Pre-Game
6:00 Just turned to the Super Bowl coverage because I there was no way I could’ve made it through 5 hours of the pregame show. Half hour I can stand. Let’s see how this turns out.
6:06 Do we really need to see the players walk out of the locker room? Enter the field, okay, but waiting in the tunnel?
6:08 Dr. Foreman is in the house. Anyone seen Thirteen?
6:09 Here come the Steelers. Fuck the Steelers.
6:10 Was that me, or did the Cardinals just get a louder reception? Or was that because there were just a lot of boos mixed in?
6:13 No noteworthy commercials yet. Maybe they start when the actual game starts.
6:15 Okay, nothing against Walter Payton, but why give this award out now? Timing seems odd. Prop bet alert: Shots of Brenda Warner- 1.
6:16 Uh, a musical performance just for the sake of having a musical performance? Was Faith Hill guaranteed a performance since she sings the Sunday Night Football intro song?
6:18 And the people on the Lost DVD said that a water landing was impossible with a plane. Pfft. There's your proof.
6:21 Not a bad National Anthem. Looks like it was pre-recorded, and there’s nothing wrong with that. One thing- if you’re going to sing it in 4/4, stay in 4/4, don’t jump back into 3/4. Consistency is key. Prop bet alert: six planes in the flyover.
6:22 HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT, G.I. JOE!!!!!!!!!
6:24 Been hearing Joe Cocker's Feelin' Alright all over the place recently. Love the song, so I’m not complaining, but its sudden appearance and use everywhere is kinda odd.
6:27 General Petraeus doesn’t have anything else better to be doing tonight, huh? Yeah, didn’t think so.
6:28 Prop bet alert: Heads, Arizona wins the toss, defers until the second half.
First Quarter
6:32 Kickoff… finally. Now, who’s playing again?
6:33 Fuck Hines Ward. Maybe put a guy on him? Maybe? Fuck Hines Ward.
6:38 Arizona should challenge that one; Ben’s knee might have been down. Many prop bets hinge on this call (outcome of first score and first challenge).
6:42 Refs get the call right, and many prop bets are paid off. Dr. Foreman pussies out and tries the field goal. Wuss.
6:44 Liked the Bob Dylan/Will.I.Am mashup. Gina Carano was in it, so I know Puddin’ LOVED it. That will be his favorite commercial of the night, hands down.
6:48 Prop bet alert: first penalty, holding on the Cardinals.
6:52 Early commercial returns- lots of Bud Light, lots of movie trailers. Very stoked for Springsteen’s halftime show.
6:54 Tackling seems to be a problem for the Arizona defense. This could be a problem down the line for them.
6:59 it’s a shame that Heath Miller plays for Pittsburgh, because I’m forced to hate him when I’d otherwise be one of his biggest fans.
7:00 How would Mike Tomlin know that Roethlisberger isn’t the same guy he was three years ago? Mike Tomlin wasn’t in Pittsburgh three years ago.
Second Quarter
7:04 Relatively quick first quarter. Only two penalties, one score, and one challenge.
7:08 Bill Simmons’s head just exploded; Gary Russell just scored a touchdown.
7:11 Hard hitting analysis- Arizona’s going to need to possess the ball some if they want to be in this game.
7:12 How long do you think Budweiser will keep milking the Clydesdale thing? Apparently forever.
7:13 HOLY MOTHER FUCKING SHIT, STAR TREK!!!!!!!!
7:18 Hmm, I’m guessing Fitzgerald and Boldin each have 3 guys covering them. James, Hightower, Arrington, Pope, and Breaston all better be ready to set up. Boldin and Fitzgerald probably won’t get a lot of chances, so they’ll need to make them count when they do.
7:20 Kinda like that.
7:21 So, did anyone have Gary Russell and Ben Patrick scoring the first two touchdowns of the game, because you just made a lot of money.
7:25 Great, a montage of Kurt Warner falling down. I'm sure he loves that.
7:27 Rodgers-Cromartie will get an interception by the end of the game. Put it on the board.
7:31 Nice return. And great job on the cutback by 52 NOT blocking in the back.
7:35 More talking babies? Seriously? Boo for recycled ad campaigns.
7:36 Fuck Dick LeBeau. He was 12-33 as the head coach of the Bengals, which translate to “epic fail.”
7:41 HELL YEAH!!!! Prop bet alert: first turnover, Roethlisberger interception.
7:42 Teleflora.com…. um…. yeah.
7:46 Great play by Hightower. Richmond represent!
7:48 Welcome to the game, Larry Fitzgerald!
7:50 First and goal at the 2, 0:18 left in the half; that should be 3 shots at the end zone, 2 if you want to leave time for a field goal try. I’d look at the jump ball to one of the big two receivers.
7:51 No. Fucking. Way.
7:52 Please God, he was down. Please God, he was down. Please God, his elbow was down.
7:55 FUCK.
Halftime
7:56 My final call for Bruce’s set list is The Rising, Badlands, My Lucky Day, Born To Run.
8:00 Thoughts on 3D- I’ve always found 3D a bit hokey, but I might be okay with this new INTRU3D because its not just about things flying out of the screen toward you, like it used to be. The focus now seems to be more on creating a sense of depth INTO the screen, which is a little less silly than people reaching out and touching you. We’ll see how I feel about it on Monday after watching an entire episode of Chuck in 3D.
8:06 So John Elway can fly. Explains the “Helicopter Play.”
8:07 The Boss! Yeah, it should’ve been obvious that Tenth Avenue Freeze Out was going to be on the set list when it reported that Bruce stole Conan’s horn section from Late Night.
8:10 Puts Born To Run in the two hole. I really thought he’d close with this one. In fact, more people trying to guess the setlist also thought this one would come at the end. Shows you what we know. One for two on songs, missed the order here.
8:14 Damn. I thought Working On A Dream would be too mellow of a song for the halftime show. It is the title track of the new album and all, but I still thought he’d go with something more upbeat, like My Lucky Day. I didn’t count on him trotting out the gospel choir. That was the trump card.
8:16 Glory Days, with revised football-centric lyrics. I had Glory Days on the list earlier in the week, but I dropped it in favor of Badlands. Oh well.
8:20 Bruce haters be damned, I glad Springsteen played the Super Bowl. Could have done without the ref gag, though, but the back and forth with Van Zant (“Hey Stevie, what time is it?) is a typical concert thing, so they just worked it into their normal routine.
Third Quarter
8:28 Arizona has to score on this opening drive, otherwise I think they’re done.
8:34 Why haven't the Cards challenged down the field. The underneath stuff is fine, but you’ve got to try downfield.
8:36 Fuck. Let that not be a fumble.
8:39 Thank God. However, having to punt is still bad news for the Cardinals.
8:42 I was just thinking, “Man, the Cardinals could sure use Rod Tidwell.”
8:47 Wow, don’t know about that roughing the passer call. It wasn’t excessively late, he didn’t lead with the helmet; I don’t like it.
8:53 Are fucking kidding me? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!?! Running into the holder? Are you a fucking idiot? Touchdown here and the game is over.
8:56 Hmm…. hold them to another field goal try. Still bad, but not completely atastrophic.
8:57 HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT, TRANSFORMERS!!!!!!
8:58 I wanna punch a koala. Where do I apply for that job?
9:02 Prop bet alert: Shots of Brenda Warner- 2. Has Madden made any references to food items yet? I haven’t really been paying attention.
9:04 Al Michaels just mentioned what I wrote 30 minutes ago. You have to at least try to go downfield and give you’re best players a chance to make a play.
Fourth Quarter
9:07 YES! The 1-second High Light commercial! Love it!
9:08 The penalties are killing the Cardinals. So is their unwillingness to try the deep ball. It’s the last game of the year; you can’t hold anything back now.
9:15 Man, is that the first sack of Roethlisberger of the game? About time, but its probably too little too late.
9:17 Seriously, Tory Polumalu as Mean Joe Green? That's sacrilege. He talks like Mike Tyson.
9:18 Okay, Ed McMahon + MC Hammer + Tax Problems = Awesome.
9:22 Well, well, well… quick score here, and maybe the game’s not over. Yet.
9:25 Would you look at that? Jump ball to Fitzgerald, touchdown. Man, that would’ve been a great play call at the end of the first half. Instead, it was a 100-yard TAINT for the Steelers. Prop bet alert: Shots of Brenda Warner- 3
9:29 Stay away from the silly penalties, get a stop, and maybe the bus isn’t heading back to Arizona just yet.
9:31 Sacks are good. To quote the Columbia Band: Scrotum! Scrotum! Quarterback sack!
9:32 Great 3 and out for Arizona. NOW, we have a game. C’mon Warner, you can punch your ticket to Canton right here, right now.
9:33 MacGrubber? Not funny. MacGrubber featuring Richard Dean Anderson? A little funny (funnier, at least). Not as good as his Mastercard commercial a few years back.
9:36 Still trying the running game. Interesting. I guess you want to keep the defense honest. I don't like it, though. Throw the damn ball.
9:38 Prop bet alert: Shots of Brenda Warner- 4
9:40 Excellent coverage-if you can, always try and catch the ball BEFORE it hits the ground; if it hits the ground, you have no idea where it will bounce. And James Harrison is a punk bitch. Fuck James Harrison.
9:43 DAMN, that was close. Might have been a safety.
9:44 NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9:45 YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone bet on a safety in the game? Because you just got paid.
9:46 Okay Warner, you’ve got ANOTHER chance to punch your ticket to Canton. Make it happen.
9:48 Larry Fitzgerald is a man. If the game ends like this, Fitzgerald is your MVP. Sorry, Kurt.
9:50 Now, Cardinals defense, what are you made of? Time to man up.
9:53 Ooh, almost made a mistake there with rushing a play before the 2 minute warning. A pick there would’ve been nice.
9:59 That was a touchdown right there, and Holmes would have been your MVP.
10:00 Shit. NOW, Holmes is your MVP. Fuck.
10:05 For a THIRD time tonight, Warner, you have a chance to get into Canton. Time to channel your inner Doug Flutie.
10:09 Fuck. I hate the Steelers. Santonio Holmes if your MVP and I don’t think its close. Fucking Buckeyes. Oh well, that was a damn good game. Better than last year’s Super Bowl? I don’t know. But it was damn good game.
10:10 Final prop bet alert: Color of Gatorade dumped on winning coach- lemon-lime/yellow. Well, okay, no, I guess there’s still the bet on who the game MVP thanks first. But I’m turning it off now.
Final thoughts on Super Bowl XLIII: fuck the Steelers. There, that’s it. Okay, not really. I really thought going down 20-7 was the end for the Cardinals. But they battled back and put themselves in a position to win the game, and they deserve a hell of a lot of credit for that. If anyone still questions whether Larry Fitzgerald is the best receiver in the game, they’re a moron. There, now that's it.
And fuck the Steelers.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
That's It, Done With The Snow
I like snow, I really do. I like living in an area where it snows (at least a little bit) every year. Its an important part of the season. It should be cold in the winter with snow and ice; it should be nice and mild in the spring with plenty of rain; the summer should be hot, humid, hazy, and muggy; and the leaves should turn color when its cool and crisp in the fall. Yes, it can all be a pain in the ass, but the changing of the seasons is important.
That being said, I'm done with the fucking snow for this year. Snow is good on the other side of the holiday season, as you're building up toward Christmas and New Years (and possibly even Thanksgiving). On this side, at the end of January? Not so much. Sure, it's supposed to be cold, I can live with that. But 4 inches of snow with more on the way? Please, pitchers and catchers report in a few weeks; I don't need anymore snow.
Now, some random Super Bowl thoughts on this frakkin' snow day:
-Big Arizona Cardinals fan right now. I've never even really like Kurt Warner, but I'm all for him now. Yes, it would be depressing to see the Cardinals win a Super Bowl before the Bengals, but it would be more depressing to see the Steelers win their sixth, and when given the choice, I always root against Pittsburgh.
-I don't think there's anyone in sports I hate more than Hines Ward. I've given this a lot of thought, and I can't think of anyone else. And its not just because he plays for the Steelers; I'm pretty sure I'd hate him if played for the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL. One tool I use as a barometer in deciding things like this is I try to judge how I'd feel if I found out Player X had suddenly died. Would I feel sad, happy, or neutral? With Ward, I'm pretty sure I'd feel ecstatic. Completely overjoyed. Potentially moved to tears. Does that make me a bad person? Oh well. Fuck him.
-I love Super Bowl Prop bets. If you can think of it, you can bet on it. And I'm not talking about the little things like "which team will score first" or "how long will the first field goal attempt be"; that stuff's junk. I'm talking about manly man bets like "over/under number of food items mentioned by John Madden during the broadcast" and "color of Gatorade dumped on winning coach". Picking those winners takes real skill.
-The Mike Tomlin-Omar Epps thing never gets old. Never. Ever.
-Have to admit, I'm stoked for Bruce Springsteen's halftime performance. I'm a huge Springsteen fan, and I think he's a great choice for this gig. And speaking of The Boss, he's got a new album out today. Working On A Dream, that's just phenomenal (random aside- how the hell did The Wrestler not get nominated for an Academy Award? Insanity.). No, I didn't brave out into the snow today just to buy it; it leaked online about two weeks ago. And that brings me to this question- Springsteen's halftime setlist. I think the recent standard has been 4 songs, so with that in mind, and taking into account the release of the new album, my picks for the setlist (in order) are: Born To Run, Working On A Dream (off the new disc), My Lucky Day (another new track), The Rising. Given the shortness of the playlist, I think its possible he could opt out of playing the relatively mellow Working On A Dream and replace it with something like Radio Nowhere or even something older, like Glory Days. Either way, I think he stays away Born In The USA.
Last football game of the season; that's sad. But the end of football should mean the end of snow, so no more. Baseball's just around the corner, and hope springs eternal. Go Reds. Fuck the Steelers.
That being said, I'm done with the fucking snow for this year. Snow is good on the other side of the holiday season, as you're building up toward Christmas and New Years (and possibly even Thanksgiving). On this side, at the end of January? Not so much. Sure, it's supposed to be cold, I can live with that. But 4 inches of snow with more on the way? Please, pitchers and catchers report in a few weeks; I don't need anymore snow.
Now, some random Super Bowl thoughts on this frakkin' snow day:
-Big Arizona Cardinals fan right now. I've never even really like Kurt Warner, but I'm all for him now. Yes, it would be depressing to see the Cardinals win a Super Bowl before the Bengals, but it would be more depressing to see the Steelers win their sixth, and when given the choice, I always root against Pittsburgh.
-I don't think there's anyone in sports I hate more than Hines Ward. I've given this a lot of thought, and I can't think of anyone else. And its not just because he plays for the Steelers; I'm pretty sure I'd hate him if played for the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL. One tool I use as a barometer in deciding things like this is I try to judge how I'd feel if I found out Player X had suddenly died. Would I feel sad, happy, or neutral? With Ward, I'm pretty sure I'd feel ecstatic. Completely overjoyed. Potentially moved to tears. Does that make me a bad person? Oh well. Fuck him.
-I love Super Bowl Prop bets. If you can think of it, you can bet on it. And I'm not talking about the little things like "which team will score first" or "how long will the first field goal attempt be"; that stuff's junk. I'm talking about manly man bets like "over/under number of food items mentioned by John Madden during the broadcast" and "color of Gatorade dumped on winning coach". Picking those winners takes real skill.
-The Mike Tomlin-Omar Epps thing never gets old. Never. Ever.
-Have to admit, I'm stoked for Bruce Springsteen's halftime performance. I'm a huge Springsteen fan, and I think he's a great choice for this gig. And speaking of The Boss, he's got a new album out today. Working On A Dream, that's just phenomenal (random aside- how the hell did The Wrestler not get nominated for an Academy Award? Insanity.). No, I didn't brave out into the snow today just to buy it; it leaked online about two weeks ago. And that brings me to this question- Springsteen's halftime setlist. I think the recent standard has been 4 songs, so with that in mind, and taking into account the release of the new album, my picks for the setlist (in order) are: Born To Run, Working On A Dream (off the new disc), My Lucky Day (another new track), The Rising. Given the shortness of the playlist, I think its possible he could opt out of playing the relatively mellow Working On A Dream and replace it with something like Radio Nowhere or even something older, like Glory Days. Either way, I think he stays away Born In The USA.
Last football game of the season; that's sad. But the end of football should mean the end of snow, so no more. Baseball's just around the corner, and hope springs eternal. Go Reds. Fuck the Steelers.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Weekly TV Thoughts: 01/18 - 01/24
I watched a lot of TV this week, which makes it absolutely no different than any other week.
-We Are One, Sunday: Interesting mix of speakers and performers. Weird set up, too, switching back and forth between celebrity speaker reciting lines from past presidents and musical performances. Some speakers made sense (Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Martin Luther King III); others not so much (Jack Black, Steve Carrell, Tiger Woods). Loved Jamie Foxx dropping some humor into the proceedings with his spot-on Obama impersonation. Enjoyed most of the music as well, though not the opening piece. I'm a big Bruce Springsteen fan, and I love The Rising, but that version was terrible. Acoustic version of The Rising, good. Gospel chior singing backup on The Rising, good. Acoustic version plus gospel chior, fail. At least Springsteen got a chance at redemption with the This Land Is Your Land perforamce with Pete Seeger. That was the highlight of the show.
-Steelers vs. Ravens, Sunday: I've read this elsewhere (Bill Simmons, Dan Patrick), and I'm glad I wasn't the only one that caught this: what the hell was the Heinz Field PA guy thinking when he let Creedence Clearwater Revival play over the stadium while Willis McGhee and Ryan Clark were laid out on the field? Monster helmet-to-helmet hit, medical staff on the field, players gathered around, stretcher rolled out.... sounds like a time for CCR! You stay classy, PA guy.
-24, Monday: Might be wrong about Agent Moss being the mole in the FBI. Now, I'm going with the blond chick that Hillinger (Rhys Coiro) apparently hooked up with. She's got the perfect setup to be a traitor- a seemingly incidental background character with ties to someone important that starts off with only a few throw away lines but is eventually exposed to be working for the bad guys. Its a twist I've seen waaaay too many times. Hopefully they're more creative than that. I don't care at all for the president's dead son storyline. I know it ties into the whole Sangala story, but they need to advance that story and get Jon Voight into the fold. I also don't know if I like evil Secret Services guys. I mean, they're the ones that have to jump infront of bullets; I don't know if I like villifying them. Another random thought- why was the silent clock used at the end of the episode? I thought that was only used when someone either dies or appears to have died (ie- it creates tension); what tension was there at the end of this episode? Jack didn't actually shoot Agent Walker, and Jack and Tony aren't going to bury her alive, so what gives?
-Inaguration Ceremonies, Tuesday: I'll just say, there was something fitting and seriously funny about Dick Cheney leaving office in a wheelchair. "MEIN FUHRER!! I CAN WALK!!" Dr. Strangelove indeed.
-Lost, Wednesday: Thank God this show is back. I wasn't sure what a "flash-present" was; know I know. So which moving through time, the people or the island? I think the people are the ones moving, Quantum Leap-style, but I'm not entirely certain it makes a difference. And what's up with Desmond? Why is he special, why can his past be changed? Was it because he was exposed to the island's energy when he turned the fail safe key? If so, what exactly does it mean? We've already seen Faraday interact with Desmond in the past to create a new "memory" for Desmond in the future. I wonder how often they can exploit that. So Desmond is now on a quest to find Faraday's mother at Oxford; could she potentially be Ms. Whitaker, a.k.a. the lady he meet in the jewelry store and the same lady Ben talked to in the church? I don't think so, but its a popular theory. And speaking of Faraday, what was he doing as a worker helping to build the Orchid station? I think its part of the time traveling being experienced by the survivors; at some point, they travel to the time of the Dharma Initiative, and Faraday, being knowledgable of the island's workings, infiltrates the work force to get a closer look. Why? No idea, but I'm sure it has something to do with stopping all the time travel. And a quick note about Hot Pockets. This was the second show this week where I saw a character pull a Hot Pocket of a microwave (the other being on TNT's Leverage). There, it was dropped because, hey, it was hot, and on Lost, Hurely turned and chucked it at Ben (to which he apparently said, "What a waste of a Hot Pocket", but the line got cut). My point is, in neither case was the Hot Pocket cooked in the crisping sleeve or on a plate; what's up with that? Does anyone else cook a Hot Pocket that way?
-Battlestar Galactica, Friday: So Gaeta and Zarek are going to start a revolution. Story-wise, its the next logical step. Without any outside conflict, you have to create it from within. Nothing does that like a little mutiny. I think it'll last until the Cavil-led Cylons return and force the fleet to reunite under Adama to survive. I like the ret-conning out of baby Nicky. When they made Tryol a Cylon, it instantly raised questions about his hybrid son. We already have an important hybrid child in Hera, so if she's special, why isn't Nicky? Well, that's because Tryol isn't actually the boy's father; that would be Hotdog. That does two things- not only does it eliminate any hybrid questions, it also frees Tryol up to be more involved in the story. Now he can do things without the spector of "gee, what about Nicky?" hanging over his head. Finally, I wonder how Baltar is going to figure into all of this. With discovery Earth and essentially debunking the prophecy, will more and more of the fleet turn away from the old religion and embrace Baltar's monotheistic message? If so, how would effect the fleet's mission of finding a new home? Don't know. I guess there are bigger issues to deal with right now, like mutiny.
-We Are One, Sunday: Interesting mix of speakers and performers. Weird set up, too, switching back and forth between celebrity speaker reciting lines from past presidents and musical performances. Some speakers made sense (Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Martin Luther King III); others not so much (Jack Black, Steve Carrell, Tiger Woods). Loved Jamie Foxx dropping some humor into the proceedings with his spot-on Obama impersonation. Enjoyed most of the music as well, though not the opening piece. I'm a big Bruce Springsteen fan, and I love The Rising, but that version was terrible. Acoustic version of The Rising, good. Gospel chior singing backup on The Rising, good. Acoustic version plus gospel chior, fail. At least Springsteen got a chance at redemption with the This Land Is Your Land perforamce with Pete Seeger. That was the highlight of the show.
-Steelers vs. Ravens, Sunday: I've read this elsewhere (Bill Simmons, Dan Patrick), and I'm glad I wasn't the only one that caught this: what the hell was the Heinz Field PA guy thinking when he let Creedence Clearwater Revival play over the stadium while Willis McGhee and Ryan Clark were laid out on the field? Monster helmet-to-helmet hit, medical staff on the field, players gathered around, stretcher rolled out.... sounds like a time for CCR! You stay classy, PA guy.
-24, Monday: Might be wrong about Agent Moss being the mole in the FBI. Now, I'm going with the blond chick that Hillinger (Rhys Coiro) apparently hooked up with. She's got the perfect setup to be a traitor- a seemingly incidental background character with ties to someone important that starts off with only a few throw away lines but is eventually exposed to be working for the bad guys. Its a twist I've seen waaaay too many times. Hopefully they're more creative than that. I don't care at all for the president's dead son storyline. I know it ties into the whole Sangala story, but they need to advance that story and get Jon Voight into the fold. I also don't know if I like evil Secret Services guys. I mean, they're the ones that have to jump infront of bullets; I don't know if I like villifying them. Another random thought- why was the silent clock used at the end of the episode? I thought that was only used when someone either dies or appears to have died (ie- it creates tension); what tension was there at the end of this episode? Jack didn't actually shoot Agent Walker, and Jack and Tony aren't going to bury her alive, so what gives?
-Inaguration Ceremonies, Tuesday: I'll just say, there was something fitting and seriously funny about Dick Cheney leaving office in a wheelchair. "MEIN FUHRER!! I CAN WALK!!" Dr. Strangelove indeed.
-Lost, Wednesday: Thank God this show is back. I wasn't sure what a "flash-present" was; know I know. So which moving through time, the people or the island? I think the people are the ones moving, Quantum Leap-style, but I'm not entirely certain it makes a difference. And what's up with Desmond? Why is he special, why can his past be changed? Was it because he was exposed to the island's energy when he turned the fail safe key? If so, what exactly does it mean? We've already seen Faraday interact with Desmond in the past to create a new "memory" for Desmond in the future. I wonder how often they can exploit that. So Desmond is now on a quest to find Faraday's mother at Oxford; could she potentially be Ms. Whitaker, a.k.a. the lady he meet in the jewelry store and the same lady Ben talked to in the church? I don't think so, but its a popular theory. And speaking of Faraday, what was he doing as a worker helping to build the Orchid station? I think its part of the time traveling being experienced by the survivors; at some point, they travel to the time of the Dharma Initiative, and Faraday, being knowledgable of the island's workings, infiltrates the work force to get a closer look. Why? No idea, but I'm sure it has something to do with stopping all the time travel. And a quick note about Hot Pockets. This was the second show this week where I saw a character pull a Hot Pocket of a microwave (the other being on TNT's Leverage). There, it was dropped because, hey, it was hot, and on Lost, Hurely turned and chucked it at Ben (to which he apparently said, "What a waste of a Hot Pocket", but the line got cut). My point is, in neither case was the Hot Pocket cooked in the crisping sleeve or on a plate; what's up with that? Does anyone else cook a Hot Pocket that way?
-Battlestar Galactica, Friday: So Gaeta and Zarek are going to start a revolution. Story-wise, its the next logical step. Without any outside conflict, you have to create it from within. Nothing does that like a little mutiny. I think it'll last until the Cavil-led Cylons return and force the fleet to reunite under Adama to survive. I like the ret-conning out of baby Nicky. When they made Tryol a Cylon, it instantly raised questions about his hybrid son. We already have an important hybrid child in Hera, so if she's special, why isn't Nicky? Well, that's because Tryol isn't actually the boy's father; that would be Hotdog. That does two things- not only does it eliminate any hybrid questions, it also frees Tryol up to be more involved in the story. Now he can do things without the spector of "gee, what about Nicky?" hanging over his head. Finally, I wonder how Baltar is going to figure into all of this. With discovery Earth and essentially debunking the prophecy, will more and more of the fleet turn away from the old religion and embrace Baltar's monotheistic message? If so, how would effect the fleet's mission of finding a new home? Don't know. I guess there are bigger issues to deal with right now, like mutiny.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Fantasy Football Failure: Success!
Okay, so I'm a little behind. The championship game was Week 16 and here we are, the Monday after Week 17. Whatever. Week 17 didn't count in my league, so I don't care if this recap is a bit late. Besides, I won the championship game, so this recap can go up whenever I damn well please!
So, yeah, I won my fantasy football championship over Team Dreher, and won comfortably, 95-63. But it didn't start out comfortable. First, David Garrard put up 21 points in the Thursday night game and Tashard Choice put up 17 in the Saturday night game, and both guys were taking up spots on the bench. Leaving 38 points on the bench usually isn't a sign of good things to come, but it turns out I didn't need it (though my bench put up 68 points, which also would have won the championship). Tyler Thigpen made me feel good about leaving Garrard's 21 points on the bench by putting up 25 himself (and that could've been more if he hadn't thrown 3 picks). I also got big games from Chris Johnson, Vincent Jackson, and Reggie Wayne; thankfully these guys were playing on teams that still had something to play for in Week 16. I was also helped on the other side by Anquan Boldin being inactive (no reason to push him when the Cardinals had nothing to play for) and the Bucs defense scoring a whopping -6 points (man, did they implode down the stretch). In all, its nice when your opponent takes on negative points.
Okay, to fill out this post, I've decided to take a look back at my inital post-draft analysis thoughts from August:
-Barber and Wayne in Rounds 1 and 2. Top of the draft, take the best available. I think these are pretty solid picks. Looking at the guys taken in Rounds 1 and 2, I don't think I could have done much better given where I was picking (at #10 and #19).
Still agree with this assessment. Barber was a stud until he got hurt late in the year. Wayne was solid overall, but he had a long stretch in the middle of the season where he was terrible (and yet, I still managed to win those weeks).
-Palmer and Garrard in Rounds 3 and 8. Homer pick? A little, but it makes it easier on Sundays since I'm going to rooting for him and the Bengals anyway. And I think I have a more than capable backup in David Garrard. I like Garrard. I got him last year at about the same time in the draft and he ended up being my starter most of the season. Hopefully Carson has a great year and I don't have to use Garrard. If not, I think I'm still okay at QB.
Ouch. But in my defense, you can never anticipate a guy suffering a serious injury at the beginning of the year (hello, Tom Brady). And even though he had a slow start to the season, I was right on Garrard- he had a solid year. But even with that, there was no way I could have predicted how my starting QB's would play out. Once it was clear Palmer wasn't an option, I managed with J.T. O'Sullivan for a few weeks, then Garrard once he started playing well, before finally settling on Tyler Thigpen to finish out the year and lead me through the playoffs. Regardless of who's coaching in Kansas City next year, I think Thigpen is the guy for them, and i think that's a good thing for the Chiefs.
-Graham in Round 4. Graham had a quietly solid year last year. Hopefully he can do the same this year.
And he did, for half a season until he got hurt.
-Coles and Bowe in Rounds 5 and 6. Two things I'm hoping for here. One, I hope that Coles gets over his man-crush of Chad Pennington and realizes that Brett Favre, while old, is still better than Pennington ever was. And two, I hope they find someone in Kansas City who can get the ball to Bowe. If those things happen, I think these guys could have pretty good years.
One for two here. Favre started out great, but was soon showing his age and all Pennington did was lead the formerly 1-15 Dolphins to the AFC East title and the playoffs. Oops. Coles was a total bust this year- 1 great game (when I had him on the bench), 3 good games (exluding Week 17, which doesn't count for anything), and the rest of the time he was terrible. As for Bowe, they did find someone to get him the ball (see: Thigpen, Tyler).
-McAllister in Round 7. I was targeting Felix Jones here to have the Barber/Jones backfield combo, and he was available at the start of the round, but was taken 6 picks before I could get him. So since I had my backfield duo broken up, I took McAllister to break up someone else's Saints backfield combo.
McAllister gave me nothing and Jones eventually got hurt, so this was a lost pick either way.
-Crumpler in Round 9. He's best years were when he had Michael Vick at QB. Here's hoping he can put up comparable numbers now that he's with a comparable QB in Vince Young.
Yeah, not so much. I had a rough time with TE this year, juggling guys like Crumpler, Bo Scaife, John Carlson, Kevin Boss, and Zach Miller. Odd that the guy who plays for the Raiders (Miller) would end up being the most consistent (no touchdowns, but 50-70 yards a week; if he could find the end zone just once in a while he'd be a real good option at TE).
-Johnson in Round 10. I think every fantasy football publication has Chris Johnson listed as a potential "sleeper pick" this year. I don't know about that, but Round 10 seemed like a good place to take a chance.
Best pick of my draft. Tenth round, #131 overall, and he's the #10 fantasy running back, even with LenDale White vulturing some of his touchdowns. I'll take it.
-Patriots defense in Round 12. Too soon for a defense? Probably. I was actually looking at taking a shot at DeSean Jackson here (matching him with Johnson as "potential rookie sleepers"), but I thought there might be a run on defenses (because my league can be weird like that) and that I could wait on Jackson until the next round. Wrong and wrong. I could have easily gotten the Pats D (or a comparable one) later on and DeSean Jackson was taken six picks later. Oh well.
Uh, too much time devoted to thinking about defenses. The Pats were decent for the beginning of the year, but I also used the Falcons and the Jets to fill my D/ST slot. DeSean Jackson would've been a good pick, but I have the feeling that he would've spent a lot of time on my bench.
-Jackson, Battle, Bush, and Sweed in Rounds 11, 13, 14, and 15. Just looking to fill out the roster with skill position guys. I think Limas Sweed will end up being a pretty good receiver in the NFL. I thought that Sweed would have been a good second round pick for the Bengals in this year's draft (hell, DeSean Jackson would've been good, too). Instead, they took Jerome Simpson from Coastal Carolina, had every wideout on the roster get hurt, and then resigned Chris Henry. Well done, Mike Brown, well done.
All meaningless picks except for Vincent Jackson in Round 11. I dumped the other guys pretty quickly, but for whatever reason, I held only Jackson. Great choice. He didn't start coming alive until about Week 6, and as I was looking for someone to fill my RB/WR flex slot, he became Philip Rivers's favorite deep threat and he started putting up solid fantasy numbers.
-Tynes in Round 16. Okay, big mistake here. I didn't know that Tynes was coming off of exploratory knee surgery (I don't do much scouting on kickers). So I'm going to drop him and pick up Matt Stover (ie- the Ravens main offensive weapon) on Friday when the waiver wire opens. Actually, I was looking at Rob Bironas here (was solid for me last year, including the 8 field goal game), but he was taken 2 picks before me. Oh well- its just a kicker.
Stover was an okay pick, but in the end, I ended up using a tandem of Jason Elam (finished the year tied for #3 fantasy kicker) and Matt Prater (#14 kicker). And Bironas would've been a good pick- he finished the year at #2 (behind Stephen Gostkowski).
So in the end, I apparently made just enough right moves to sneak into the playoffs and eventually make a run to the championship. And even though I won, I'm still certain the curse of this blog still exists. I mean, the opposite of what I write here usually comes true, so by expecting failure, I somehow managed a reverse jinx on my own fantasy team. Crazy, I know, but you can't argue the facts. Its been a great year, but now I'm sad that football is going to be ending soon. Guess its time to start getting stoked on college basketball!
So, yeah, I won my fantasy football championship over Team Dreher, and won comfortably, 95-63. But it didn't start out comfortable. First, David Garrard put up 21 points in the Thursday night game and Tashard Choice put up 17 in the Saturday night game, and both guys were taking up spots on the bench. Leaving 38 points on the bench usually isn't a sign of good things to come, but it turns out I didn't need it (though my bench put up 68 points, which also would have won the championship). Tyler Thigpen made me feel good about leaving Garrard's 21 points on the bench by putting up 25 himself (and that could've been more if he hadn't thrown 3 picks). I also got big games from Chris Johnson, Vincent Jackson, and Reggie Wayne; thankfully these guys were playing on teams that still had something to play for in Week 16. I was also helped on the other side by Anquan Boldin being inactive (no reason to push him when the Cardinals had nothing to play for) and the Bucs defense scoring a whopping -6 points (man, did they implode down the stretch). In all, its nice when your opponent takes on negative points.
Okay, to fill out this post, I've decided to take a look back at my inital post-draft analysis thoughts from August:
-Barber and Wayne in Rounds 1 and 2. Top of the draft, take the best available. I think these are pretty solid picks. Looking at the guys taken in Rounds 1 and 2, I don't think I could have done much better given where I was picking (at #10 and #19).
Still agree with this assessment. Barber was a stud until he got hurt late in the year. Wayne was solid overall, but he had a long stretch in the middle of the season where he was terrible (and yet, I still managed to win those weeks).
-Palmer and Garrard in Rounds 3 and 8. Homer pick? A little, but it makes it easier on Sundays since I'm going to rooting for him and the Bengals anyway. And I think I have a more than capable backup in David Garrard. I like Garrard. I got him last year at about the same time in the draft and he ended up being my starter most of the season. Hopefully Carson has a great year and I don't have to use Garrard. If not, I think I'm still okay at QB.
Ouch. But in my defense, you can never anticipate a guy suffering a serious injury at the beginning of the year (hello, Tom Brady). And even though he had a slow start to the season, I was right on Garrard- he had a solid year. But even with that, there was no way I could have predicted how my starting QB's would play out. Once it was clear Palmer wasn't an option, I managed with J.T. O'Sullivan for a few weeks, then Garrard once he started playing well, before finally settling on Tyler Thigpen to finish out the year and lead me through the playoffs. Regardless of who's coaching in Kansas City next year, I think Thigpen is the guy for them, and i think that's a good thing for the Chiefs.
-Graham in Round 4. Graham had a quietly solid year last year. Hopefully he can do the same this year.
And he did, for half a season until he got hurt.
-Coles and Bowe in Rounds 5 and 6. Two things I'm hoping for here. One, I hope that Coles gets over his man-crush of Chad Pennington and realizes that Brett Favre, while old, is still better than Pennington ever was. And two, I hope they find someone in Kansas City who can get the ball to Bowe. If those things happen, I think these guys could have pretty good years.
One for two here. Favre started out great, but was soon showing his age and all Pennington did was lead the formerly 1-15 Dolphins to the AFC East title and the playoffs. Oops. Coles was a total bust this year- 1 great game (when I had him on the bench), 3 good games (exluding Week 17, which doesn't count for anything), and the rest of the time he was terrible. As for Bowe, they did find someone to get him the ball (see: Thigpen, Tyler).
-McAllister in Round 7. I was targeting Felix Jones here to have the Barber/Jones backfield combo, and he was available at the start of the round, but was taken 6 picks before I could get him. So since I had my backfield duo broken up, I took McAllister to break up someone else's Saints backfield combo.
McAllister gave me nothing and Jones eventually got hurt, so this was a lost pick either way.
-Crumpler in Round 9. He's best years were when he had Michael Vick at QB. Here's hoping he can put up comparable numbers now that he's with a comparable QB in Vince Young.
Yeah, not so much. I had a rough time with TE this year, juggling guys like Crumpler, Bo Scaife, John Carlson, Kevin Boss, and Zach Miller. Odd that the guy who plays for the Raiders (Miller) would end up being the most consistent (no touchdowns, but 50-70 yards a week; if he could find the end zone just once in a while he'd be a real good option at TE).
-Johnson in Round 10. I think every fantasy football publication has Chris Johnson listed as a potential "sleeper pick" this year. I don't know about that, but Round 10 seemed like a good place to take a chance.
Best pick of my draft. Tenth round, #131 overall, and he's the #10 fantasy running back, even with LenDale White vulturing some of his touchdowns. I'll take it.
-Patriots defense in Round 12. Too soon for a defense? Probably. I was actually looking at taking a shot at DeSean Jackson here (matching him with Johnson as "potential rookie sleepers"), but I thought there might be a run on defenses (because my league can be weird like that) and that I could wait on Jackson until the next round. Wrong and wrong. I could have easily gotten the Pats D (or a comparable one) later on and DeSean Jackson was taken six picks later. Oh well.
Uh, too much time devoted to thinking about defenses. The Pats were decent for the beginning of the year, but I also used the Falcons and the Jets to fill my D/ST slot. DeSean Jackson would've been a good pick, but I have the feeling that he would've spent a lot of time on my bench.
-Jackson, Battle, Bush, and Sweed in Rounds 11, 13, 14, and 15. Just looking to fill out the roster with skill position guys. I think Limas Sweed will end up being a pretty good receiver in the NFL. I thought that Sweed would have been a good second round pick for the Bengals in this year's draft (hell, DeSean Jackson would've been good, too). Instead, they took Jerome Simpson from Coastal Carolina, had every wideout on the roster get hurt, and then resigned Chris Henry. Well done, Mike Brown, well done.
All meaningless picks except for Vincent Jackson in Round 11. I dumped the other guys pretty quickly, but for whatever reason, I held only Jackson. Great choice. He didn't start coming alive until about Week 6, and as I was looking for someone to fill my RB/WR flex slot, he became Philip Rivers's favorite deep threat and he started putting up solid fantasy numbers.
-Tynes in Round 16. Okay, big mistake here. I didn't know that Tynes was coming off of exploratory knee surgery (I don't do much scouting on kickers). So I'm going to drop him and pick up Matt Stover (ie- the Ravens main offensive weapon) on Friday when the waiver wire opens. Actually, I was looking at Rob Bironas here (was solid for me last year, including the 8 field goal game), but he was taken 2 picks before me. Oh well- its just a kicker.
Stover was an okay pick, but in the end, I ended up using a tandem of Jason Elam (finished the year tied for #3 fantasy kicker) and Matt Prater (#14 kicker). And Bironas would've been a good pick- he finished the year at #2 (behind Stephen Gostkowski).
So in the end, I apparently made just enough right moves to sneak into the playoffs and eventually make a run to the championship. And even though I won, I'm still certain the curse of this blog still exists. I mean, the opposite of what I write here usually comes true, so by expecting failure, I somehow managed a reverse jinx on my own fantasy team. Crazy, I know, but you can't argue the facts. Its been a great year, but now I'm sad that football is going to be ending soon. Guess its time to start getting stoked on college basketball!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Fantasy Football Failure: Week 16
Well, well, well, look who made it to his fantasy championship game. Thanks to solid days from Tyler Thigpen, Kevin Faulk, all my wideouts, and an improbable late fumble return for a touchdown by the Jets defense (thank you, J.P. Losman!), I prevailed over the #1 seed Down The Drain 101-85 to advance to this week's championship game.
For the championship, I face off against the #2 seed Team Dreher, who I beat 99-82 way back in Week 2. That week, I survived a massive week from Anquan Boldin (32 fantasy points!) with big days from Marion Barber and Earnest Graham (and solid days from Chris Johnson and Reggie Wayne). I'll probably need another week like that (or like last week) to beat Dreher for a second time.
QB: Tyler Thigpen vs. Chad Pennington
RB: Chris Johnson vs. Marshawn Lynch
RB: Kevin Faulk vs. Thomas Jones
RB/WR: Vincent Jackson vs. Warrick Dunn
WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Anquan Boldin
WR: Dwyane Bowe vs. Devin Hester
TE: Zach Miller vs. Dallas Clark
D/ST: Jets vs. Buccaneers
K: Jason Elam vs. Nate Kaeding
QB: David Garrard's been great that past few weeks, but I've riden Tyler Thigpen this far, so I've got to stay with him. Miami's not that great against the pass, so I expect Thipgen to get his usual 15-18 fantasy points. And speaking of Miami, Chad Pennington could have a decent day as well, seeing that Kansas City is even worse than Miami against the pass. But I expect the 'Fins to run the ball against KC with Brown and Williams, and the Chiefs to counter through the air with Bowe and Gonzalez, so I like Thigpen in this matchup.
RB: First off, eventhough he's got a g]touch matchup against Pittsburgh, I can't not start Chris Johnson. He's been too good all year to sit him down now. He stays in, and while I don't expect a whole lot of yards, I think he will manage to find the endzone. Kevin Faulk also stays in because I'm still not sure about the Marion Barber/Tashard Choice situation. Faulk's been solid 3 of the past 4 weeks, combining rushing and passing yards to score in the double digits. Arizona doesn't play much defense, so Faulk's got some value as a receiver. As for the Cowboys, I just don't know right now. Barber was active last week, but didn't do anything, and Choice came in and had his second straight huge game. That's two great games against two great defenses (the Steelers and the Giants). Does he keep it going against another great D, Baltimore? Regardless, I won't have Barber in there, but does Choice merit a start over Faulk? I don't know, and the Cowboys play Saturday night, so I've got less time to think about it. As for Dreher's RB's, Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Jones should have their usual solid games. I'm less worried about Warrick Dunn, but Lynch and Jones are a strong backfield that will be tough to keep pace with. I'll need some big games from my guys.
WR/TE: So Reggie Wayne didn't find the endzone last week (and he came so close), but he did break a 100 yards receiving, so I won't bench him. Yet. I am tempted to take a flyer on Laveraneus Coles this week because Seattle is dead last against the pass, but I just can't do it. The Colts need a win tonight to secure a spot in the playoffs, and Marvin Harrison is out, so I expect a lot of balls to go Reggie Wayne's way. Of course, those balls could also go to Dallas Clark, which would be bad, but I'm hoping that doesn't happen. As I said earlier, I'm sticking with Thigpen, which means I'm sticking with Dwayne Bowe; just find the endzone once and I'll be happy. Vincent Jackson's been a nice surprise the past 2 weeks, and its clear that Philip Rivers is looking for him with the deep ball. Eighty yards and a TD isn't out of the question. On the other side, Devin Hester doesn't scare me, but Anquan Boldin does. Sure, he's been down the past 3 weeks (4, 6, and 1 fantasy points), but despite that, he's still the #4 overall fantasy wideout. I've already mentioned Clarks potential for another good game with Harrison out tonight. Hopefully, its not too good so Zach Miller's 6 catches for 70 yards will be able to keep pace (man, I'd love for Miller to find the endzone this week....).
DEF/K: The Jets D had no business scoring 16 fantasy points last week. Thankfully, the Bills are terrible and decided to move J.P. Losman out of the pocket to throw with less than 2 minutes on the clock instead of handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch, who'd gone for over 120 yards at that point. A sack, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown; that's a 9 points defensive fantasy play. Hopefully this week Seneca Wallace remembers that he's Seneca Wallace and not Peyton Manning and throws a few picks (perhaps even one for a TD). Aside from the debacle against Carolina two weeks ago, the Bucs D is always solid. And I don't expect either kicker to score much more than 7-8 points.
So what are my chances to win the championship? I'd say that right now, I'm the underdog, with a 35%-40% chance of pulling the upset. I've got a solid team, but I think Dreher's team's a little bit better. I think it comes down to the running backs, I need big days from them. Chris Johnson against the Steelers and either Faulk or Choice at the other RB slot. If those guys score big (or at least if they just find the endzone), I think I can pull out the championship.
For the championship, I face off against the #2 seed Team Dreher, who I beat 99-82 way back in Week 2. That week, I survived a massive week from Anquan Boldin (32 fantasy points!) with big days from Marion Barber and Earnest Graham (and solid days from Chris Johnson and Reggie Wayne). I'll probably need another week like that (or like last week) to beat Dreher for a second time.
QB: Tyler Thigpen vs. Chad Pennington
RB: Chris Johnson vs. Marshawn Lynch
RB: Kevin Faulk vs. Thomas Jones
RB/WR: Vincent Jackson vs. Warrick Dunn
WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Anquan Boldin
WR: Dwyane Bowe vs. Devin Hester
TE: Zach Miller vs. Dallas Clark
D/ST: Jets vs. Buccaneers
K: Jason Elam vs. Nate Kaeding
QB: David Garrard's been great that past few weeks, but I've riden Tyler Thigpen this far, so I've got to stay with him. Miami's not that great against the pass, so I expect Thipgen to get his usual 15-18 fantasy points. And speaking of Miami, Chad Pennington could have a decent day as well, seeing that Kansas City is even worse than Miami against the pass. But I expect the 'Fins to run the ball against KC with Brown and Williams, and the Chiefs to counter through the air with Bowe and Gonzalez, so I like Thigpen in this matchup.
RB: First off, eventhough he's got a g]touch matchup against Pittsburgh, I can't not start Chris Johnson. He's been too good all year to sit him down now. He stays in, and while I don't expect a whole lot of yards, I think he will manage to find the endzone. Kevin Faulk also stays in because I'm still not sure about the Marion Barber/Tashard Choice situation. Faulk's been solid 3 of the past 4 weeks, combining rushing and passing yards to score in the double digits. Arizona doesn't play much defense, so Faulk's got some value as a receiver. As for the Cowboys, I just don't know right now. Barber was active last week, but didn't do anything, and Choice came in and had his second straight huge game. That's two great games against two great defenses (the Steelers and the Giants). Does he keep it going against another great D, Baltimore? Regardless, I won't have Barber in there, but does Choice merit a start over Faulk? I don't know, and the Cowboys play Saturday night, so I've got less time to think about it. As for Dreher's RB's, Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Jones should have their usual solid games. I'm less worried about Warrick Dunn, but Lynch and Jones are a strong backfield that will be tough to keep pace with. I'll need some big games from my guys.
WR/TE: So Reggie Wayne didn't find the endzone last week (and he came so close), but he did break a 100 yards receiving, so I won't bench him. Yet. I am tempted to take a flyer on Laveraneus Coles this week because Seattle is dead last against the pass, but I just can't do it. The Colts need a win tonight to secure a spot in the playoffs, and Marvin Harrison is out, so I expect a lot of balls to go Reggie Wayne's way. Of course, those balls could also go to Dallas Clark, which would be bad, but I'm hoping that doesn't happen. As I said earlier, I'm sticking with Thigpen, which means I'm sticking with Dwayne Bowe; just find the endzone once and I'll be happy. Vincent Jackson's been a nice surprise the past 2 weeks, and its clear that Philip Rivers is looking for him with the deep ball. Eighty yards and a TD isn't out of the question. On the other side, Devin Hester doesn't scare me, but Anquan Boldin does. Sure, he's been down the past 3 weeks (4, 6, and 1 fantasy points), but despite that, he's still the #4 overall fantasy wideout. I've already mentioned Clarks potential for another good game with Harrison out tonight. Hopefully, its not too good so Zach Miller's 6 catches for 70 yards will be able to keep pace (man, I'd love for Miller to find the endzone this week....).
DEF/K: The Jets D had no business scoring 16 fantasy points last week. Thankfully, the Bills are terrible and decided to move J.P. Losman out of the pocket to throw with less than 2 minutes on the clock instead of handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch, who'd gone for over 120 yards at that point. A sack, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown; that's a 9 points defensive fantasy play. Hopefully this week Seneca Wallace remembers that he's Seneca Wallace and not Peyton Manning and throws a few picks (perhaps even one for a TD). Aside from the debacle against Carolina two weeks ago, the Bucs D is always solid. And I don't expect either kicker to score much more than 7-8 points.
So what are my chances to win the championship? I'd say that right now, I'm the underdog, with a 35%-40% chance of pulling the upset. I've got a solid team, but I think Dreher's team's a little bit better. I think it comes down to the running backs, I need big days from them. Chris Johnson against the Steelers and either Faulk or Choice at the other RB slot. If those guys score big (or at least if they just find the endzone), I think I can pull out the championship.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Fantasy Football Failure: Week 15
And he lives to fight another day.
Despite the best efforts of Vincent Jackson (20 points sitting on my bench) and Laveranues Coles (second straight 0 point week), I managed to prevail over Eh!Steve 68-58, returning the favor from last year when he knocked me out of the playoffs (it also helped that Eh!Steve left Jonathan Stewart and his 23 fantasy points on the bench). So onward to the semi-finals, where I matchup against the #1 seed Down The Drain, a team I lost to 74-82 back in Week 4 (where I left 63 points among 3 players on my bench- good times!). Loizeaux's team's pretty solid, so this should be a tough week.
QB: Tyler Thigpen vs. Kerry Collins
RB: Chris Johnson vs. Adrian Peterson
RB: Kevin Faulk vs. Ronnie Brown
RB/WR: Vincent Jackson vs. Maurice Jones-Drew
WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Greg Jennings
WR: Dwayne Bowe vs. Steve Smith
TE: Zach Miller vs. Greg Olsen
D/ST: Jets vs. Colts
K: Jason Elam vs. Neil Rackers
QB: Desipte Tennessee's 12-1 record, Collins hasn't exactly been lighting up the fantasy scoreboard. Sure, he's had a few weeks with some good numbers, but he's an 8 to 10 fantasy points guy. Tennessee's a running team (hello Chris Johnson!), so I think Thigpen can outscore Collins here. San Diego has a miserable pass defense, so think Thigpen will have good day (he just needs to find Dwayne Bowe).
RB: I've got issues here. Adrian Peterson (arguably the best running back in the league), Ronnie Brown (not scoring 5 TD each week, but solid none the less), and MJD (the top receiving RB in the league) is a hell of a lineup. I'm going to need another huge week from Chris Johnson (and when I don't I need that?) to keep pace. And as for Kevin Faulk... well, what I need is for Marion Barber to play and play pissed because Jerry Jones had the stones to call out his toughness (that's Marion Barber, of the "Marion the Barbarian" nickname). If he can't go, I picked up Tashard Choice, who had a fine week (15 points) starting in place of Barber going against the tough Steelers defense. Barber's a game time decision. Problem is, game time is 8:15, so I'm going to limited in my moves. Luckly, the Pats play at 4:15, so I'll have a little more time to decide to replace Faulk or not.
WR/TE: Where have you gone, Reggie Wayne? One double-digit fantasy point week in the past eight? You have Detroit this week. Detroit, of the 0-13 record. At least 70 yards and a TD or I'm never owning Reggie Wayne again. I've already mentioned Kansas City's passing game against San Diego's bad pass defense; Dwayne Bowe, time to step up big. Thigpen really only looks for two guys- Bowe and Tony Gonzalez; hopefully he looks for Bowe in the red zone. Despite his widely inconsistent year, I've got Vincent Jackson in there over Coles because, frankly, Coles sucks. Since his 4 TD game back in Week 4 (when I had him on the bench), he's scored only twice more, so no more Coles for the rest of the year. Greg Jennings is a solid receiver, and it looks like Aaron Rodgers is looking to him more than Donald Driver. And Steve Smith is Steve Smith- he's going to get a ton of yards regardless if he finds the end zone or not. As for the TE's, while Zach Miller has only found the end zone once this year (hey, he plays for Oakland), he has been getting good yardage lately (50-60 yards), and I expect that to continue (though a TD would be nice as well). As for the other side, Olsen did manage to find the end zone last week, but that was coming off of back to back 0 point weeks, which is more of what I expect him to put up.
DEF/K: Just no negative points, that all I'm asking for now from my DEF. The Jets have seemingly decided that they don't want to be an elite team anymore, but they've got Buffalo at home this week, so its time to get healthy. It looks like J.P. Losman should get his second straight start for the Bills, which means plenty of opportunites for interceptions for the Jets secondary. And I'll need it since Loizeaux's got the Colts DEF against the hapless Lions. As for the kickers, while Jason Elam's been solid the past few weeks, Neil Rackers has been on fire. He's been in double digits 5 of the past 6 weeks, which is crazy for a kicker. Man, I'd hate to lose because my opponent's kicker went off on a career day. That would just suck.
So where do I think I stand? Honestly, I think it comes down to my RB's. I don't have a lot of faith in Kevin Faulk or Tashard Choice, so I really, really need Marion Barber to play and have monster game. Loizeaux's finished the year at #1 for a reason, so it'll be tough to beat him. Got a shot, but not feeling all the confident.
Despite the best efforts of Vincent Jackson (20 points sitting on my bench) and Laveranues Coles (second straight 0 point week), I managed to prevail over Eh!Steve 68-58, returning the favor from last year when he knocked me out of the playoffs (it also helped that Eh!Steve left Jonathan Stewart and his 23 fantasy points on the bench). So onward to the semi-finals, where I matchup against the #1 seed Down The Drain, a team I lost to 74-82 back in Week 4 (where I left 63 points among 3 players on my bench- good times!). Loizeaux's team's pretty solid, so this should be a tough week.
QB: Tyler Thigpen vs. Kerry Collins
RB: Chris Johnson vs. Adrian Peterson
RB: Kevin Faulk vs. Ronnie Brown
RB/WR: Vincent Jackson vs. Maurice Jones-Drew
WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Greg Jennings
WR: Dwayne Bowe vs. Steve Smith
TE: Zach Miller vs. Greg Olsen
D/ST: Jets vs. Colts
K: Jason Elam vs. Neil Rackers
QB: Desipte Tennessee's 12-1 record, Collins hasn't exactly been lighting up the fantasy scoreboard. Sure, he's had a few weeks with some good numbers, but he's an 8 to 10 fantasy points guy. Tennessee's a running team (hello Chris Johnson!), so I think Thigpen can outscore Collins here. San Diego has a miserable pass defense, so think Thigpen will have good day (he just needs to find Dwayne Bowe).
RB: I've got issues here. Adrian Peterson (arguably the best running back in the league), Ronnie Brown (not scoring 5 TD each week, but solid none the less), and MJD (the top receiving RB in the league) is a hell of a lineup. I'm going to need another huge week from Chris Johnson (and when I don't I need that?) to keep pace. And as for Kevin Faulk... well, what I need is for Marion Barber to play and play pissed because Jerry Jones had the stones to call out his toughness (that's Marion Barber, of the "Marion the Barbarian" nickname). If he can't go, I picked up Tashard Choice, who had a fine week (15 points) starting in place of Barber going against the tough Steelers defense. Barber's a game time decision. Problem is, game time is 8:15, so I'm going to limited in my moves. Luckly, the Pats play at 4:15, so I'll have a little more time to decide to replace Faulk or not.
WR/TE: Where have you gone, Reggie Wayne? One double-digit fantasy point week in the past eight? You have Detroit this week. Detroit, of the 0-13 record. At least 70 yards and a TD or I'm never owning Reggie Wayne again. I've already mentioned Kansas City's passing game against San Diego's bad pass defense; Dwayne Bowe, time to step up big. Thigpen really only looks for two guys- Bowe and Tony Gonzalez; hopefully he looks for Bowe in the red zone. Despite his widely inconsistent year, I've got Vincent Jackson in there over Coles because, frankly, Coles sucks. Since his 4 TD game back in Week 4 (when I had him on the bench), he's scored only twice more, so no more Coles for the rest of the year. Greg Jennings is a solid receiver, and it looks like Aaron Rodgers is looking to him more than Donald Driver. And Steve Smith is Steve Smith- he's going to get a ton of yards regardless if he finds the end zone or not. As for the TE's, while Zach Miller has only found the end zone once this year (hey, he plays for Oakland), he has been getting good yardage lately (50-60 yards), and I expect that to continue (though a TD would be nice as well). As for the other side, Olsen did manage to find the end zone last week, but that was coming off of back to back 0 point weeks, which is more of what I expect him to put up.
DEF/K: Just no negative points, that all I'm asking for now from my DEF. The Jets have seemingly decided that they don't want to be an elite team anymore, but they've got Buffalo at home this week, so its time to get healthy. It looks like J.P. Losman should get his second straight start for the Bills, which means plenty of opportunites for interceptions for the Jets secondary. And I'll need it since Loizeaux's got the Colts DEF against the hapless Lions. As for the kickers, while Jason Elam's been solid the past few weeks, Neil Rackers has been on fire. He's been in double digits 5 of the past 6 weeks, which is crazy for a kicker. Man, I'd hate to lose because my opponent's kicker went off on a career day. That would just suck.
So where do I think I stand? Honestly, I think it comes down to my RB's. I don't have a lot of faith in Kevin Faulk or Tashard Choice, so I really, really need Marion Barber to play and have monster game. Loizeaux's finished the year at #1 for a reason, so it'll be tough to beat him. Got a shot, but not feeling all the confident.
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