New York Jets « In the Win Column

Win and In

28 12 2011

As you can probably guess, I had a pretty good Christmas. If you have read this blog at all in the past few years, then you can imagine how satisfying Saturday’s win was, not only for the Giants, but for me and the rest of the Giants fans fed up with hearing Rex Ryan’s overinflated ego parading around in the local media since he arrived here in 2009.

It was a sweet, sweet victory that was made even sweeter by the fact that the Giants were the “road” team in MetLife Stadium on Saturday and had the pleasure of quieting a sea of Jets fans and fire helmet-wearing cheerleaders. Although things got a little harrowing towards the end, the defense came up huge when it needed to and the safety on Mark Sanchez that aborted the Jets’ final chance at a comeback drive before it ever really started was the play that sealed the deal for Big Blue. Seconds later, when Bradshaw pranced across the goal line to make it 29-14, it was pure ecstasy for Giants fans everywhere.

But as we went to sleep on Christmas Eve with visions of Victor Cruz’s electrifying 99-yard touchdown catch dancing in our heads, there was another thought that was struggling to push its way to the front of our conscious: the Dallas Cowboys.

Now, there is one game to go and there is only one team that stands between the New York Giants and their first playoff berth since the 2008 season. For all intents and purposes though, the playoffs began last week for the Giants. The motivation and fire and intensity that was nowhere to be found against Washington two weeks ago, was definitely present against the Jets, thanks in part to Rex Ryan’s week of unabashed trash-talking. Now, it’s the second round of the Giants’ playoffs and Big Blue needs to make like 2007 and dispose of the Cowboys and the battered Tony Romo if they hope to fight another week.

Easier said than done.

It all comes down to one game, a de facto NFC East championship game. The winner will host a playoff game in round one in their building, and the loser will have to deal with an 8-8 record and a once-promising season that ended in bitter disappointment.

On December 11th, the Giants traveled to Dallas and completed a wild and improbable comeback to steal the NFC East throne from the Cowboys, albeit temporarily. With their backs against the wall and down by 12 with five minutes remaining, Eli Manning brought the Giants back from the dead and kept their playoff hopes alive.

On Sunday night, the Giants and Cowboys will have 60 minutes to battle it out on the field for the NFC East title. So while the rest of the world is making plans for New Year’s Eve, Giants fans are hoping that the real celebration comes around midnight on January 2nd, not midnight on January 1st.

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Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Eli Manning, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFC East, Playoffs, Rex Ryan, Tony Romo, Victor Cruz
Categories : Sports

NFL Thoughts: Just the Usual Insanity

3 10 2011

???

I don’t have a clue what to make of this young NFL season. We’re four weeks in and, as usual, I’m stumped. But that’s how you know it’s good. When you wake up on a Monday morning a little confused and a little excited and also a little scared, that means that the National Football League is doing its damn job.

At the conclusion of Week 4 (save for tonight’s Indy-Tampa Bay game that I don’t think more than 6 people are actually going to watch), there are a handful of surprises and not-surprises. Since paragraphs are for the weak, I’m going to give you a run-down of my scattered and sometimes incomplete thoughts in bullet form because it’s 2011 and the American public has an extremely short attention span.

*The Detroit Lions are 4-0 and everybody claims to have seen this coming. I’m sorry, I don’t know where I was when the Lions bandwagon filled to capacity and pulled out of the station, but I wasn’t notified. For some reason, nobody seems to really be shocked that the Lions are 4-0 and that Calvin Johnson is grabbing touchdowns out of the air left and right with ease like he just crashed an 8-year-old’s birthday party. I mean, the man is on pace for 32 TOUCHDOWN CATCHES for God’s sake. I know that everybody is talking about them and that they’re the Cinderella team du jour, but everybody is talking about them like they knew this was coming. Listen, I’m not oblivious, I know the Lions have a very talented team, but I thought that at the end of the day, they’re still the Lions. They straight-up embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys yesterday. Embarrassed them.

*Calvin Johnson. Again. He’s making NFL defenses look so stupid right now. I mean, how many teams can say that on a first-and-goal at the 2, they can just have their QB chuck a jump ball up into the back of the end zone and have a guaranteed touchdown 9 out of 10 times? Come on.

*Dallas Cowboys blowing late-game leads like it’s their job/Dream Team looking nightmarish. Tony Romo threw away a 24-10 4th quarter lead against the Jets in Week 1 and then threw away a 27-3 lead to the Lions yesterday. And when I saw “threw away” I literally mean that he threw the ball directly into the hands of the opposing team, multiple times. I mean that he literally threw two consecutive Pick 6′s yesterday. The Cowboys’ meltdown yesterday was matched only by the slow-motion train wreck that is the Philadelphia “Dream Team” Eagles. Not only did they blow a 23-3 lead to the San Francisco 32nds (that’s their NFL ranking for total offense) but they also managed to put a hex on the Philadelphia Phillies who went ahead and blew a 4-run lead of their own in Game 2 of the NLDS last night. Impressive! The Eagles are now 1-3, meaning that they now have a 14% chance of making the playoffs, according to the last 21 years of NFL history. Chalk this one up under the “Not Surprised” category though, thanks to the man standing on their sidelines wearing the headset and parachute pants.

*Rules don’t apply to Victor Cruz because Victor Cruz makes the rules. Couldn’t have been more baffled by the Victor Cruz non-fumble call last night, but also couldn’t have been more ecstatic about it either. Once you actually read the rule that the officials were referring to, it makes a little more sense, but I still couldn’t help but get flashbacks of Eli ~~diving~~ crumpling to the ground untouched against the Eagles last year and losing the ball. Anyway, we’re 3-1 and how do you like that Jets fans?

*Oh by the way, Eli Manning is only quietly having one of the best 4-week stretches of his career. No big deal. Remember when the season started and everyone was all like “I know he threw for 4,000 yards and 31 touchdowns last year and has a Super Bowl MVP to his name, but he totally sucks the big one!” Then the Giants stunk up the joint in Week 1 and everybody was all like “I told you!” And then what does Easy do? Just rolls off three straight wins, with two of them being come-from-behind wins on the road where the Giants trailed in the 4th quarter. No biggie. He only completes 32-of-40 passes for 415 yards, 4 TDs and no INTs in the second half of the last three games. Ho hum. Only third in the NFL in QB rating behind those other bums Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. You go do your thing, Easy. Let the haters hate.

*A little confused about the Cam Newton pants-wetting ceremony. For the fourth straight week, Cam Newton has every NFL analyst in America wearing diapers, and that’s completely justifiable because after all he’s led the Panthers to a shocking….1-3 record? But he throws for so many yards though! I don’t get it.

*The New York Jets are what we thought they were. Completely overrated and offensively inept. Mark Sanchez just keeps flinging the ball around like it’s covered in spiders and he’s afraid to hold it, and Jets fans are alright with blaming it all on the fact that Nick Mangold is out of the lineup because he’s the reason that two of their top three wide receivers are a combined 117 years old.

*Meanwhile, the Vikings can’t beat anybody, not even a team that can’t beat anybody. Going into this one, I was completely convinced that the Kansas City Chiefs were far and away the worst team in the National Football League. Now, I’m completely convinced that the title has to go to the Vikings. Just horrendous football. I can’t believe I actually wrote this column about Donovan McNabb a few years ago. I can’t even defend the guy anymore. Hang it up Donovan, please.

*Wes Welker is living the dream. Do you realize the kinds of numbers that Wes Welker is putting up right now? A 5’9″ white guy hasn’t cleaned up like this since Scott Baio and Tony Danza dominated the primetime sitcom game. 40 receptions and 616 yards and it’s only Week 4. This guy is on pace to rack up 160 catches, almost 2,500 yards receiving and 20 touchdowns. Unheard of. He probably won’t end up with numbers that outrageous, but if he does they should not only give him the MVP, they should rename it The Wes.

*Chris Johnson. It’s nice of you to stop impersonating an old wooden bench and resume your job as an NFL running back, but let’s try to maybe get into the end zone next week. How about it?

Overrated list: Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins (I know, they shouldn’t count), New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys

Uh Oh List: Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers

Underrated List: Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans

Jury is still out on these teams: Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Chicago Bears

They are as good as we thought: Green Bay Packers

Nauseatingly bad: Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Rams

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Tags: Aaron Rodgers, Andy Reid, Calvin Johnson, Cam Newton, Detroit Lions, Dream Team, Eli Manning, Mark Sanchez, Michael Vick, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Ronnie Brown, Tom Brady, Victor Cruz, Wes Welker
Categories : Sports

Where Is Plaxico Going to Play?

8 06 2011

As of Monday, Plaxico Burress is a free man. Much like most criminals freshly-released from a state correctional facility, there is some debate over who is going to pay him his next multi-million dollar contract. Because of the current lockout, teams are forbidden from contacting Plaxico, but for the time being, we can have fun with a little guessing game.

Of course, if the lockout isn’t lifted in time for the coming 2011 NFL season, he will most likely be employed at a North Jersey Toyota dealership, but let’s just assume that the lockout is lifted soon and Plaxico is being vigorously pursued for his talents, charisma and ability to safely carry a firearm in the waistband of his sweatpants.

Of all the teams that might give the former Pro Bowl receiver a shot, the New York Giants seem like the most sensible spot for him to wind up (and I’m not just saying that because I’m a Giants fan, trust me). First of all, he knows the system already. Since Burress departed at the end of the 2008 season, leaving the then-10-1 team in shambles and most likely shattering the Giants’ dreams of repeating as Super Bowl champions, the true structure of the team has not changed too dramatically. Of course, the addition of wide receivers such as Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham and the emergence of Steve Smith as a offensive threat, has helped to fill the hole at the wideout position, but no one has truly been able to replace the intangibles that Burress provided to the Giants offense while he was there.

For the most part, the offensive gameplan and the coaching staff has remained the same since 2008 and there would not be a lot of readjustment needed on the part of Burress should he return to the Meadowlands. This factor is extremely vital given the fact that the lockout has prevented teams from beginning their normal summer workout schedule and just might eliminate training camp altogether, depending on how long it lasts. This means that teams with new players will not have enough time to get their new additions properly adjusted to the team’s offensive schemes by the time the season begins. If Burress were to return to the Giants, he wouldn’t need as much time to adjust, given his familiarity with the Giants’ system.

Add this to the fact that Burress is already familiar with, and widely liked by, a majority of the Giants players, and returning to New York would be a sensible option for Burress. That is, of course, if the Giants even want him back.

Judging by the hat Burress was donning upon his release (a Philadelphia Phillies cap), another possible option for Burress, and one that Giants fans are certainly dreading, is the division rival Philadelphia Eagles. Burress’ relationship with quarterback Michael Vick and their obvious similarities (Vick’s re-emergence as a star following his prison sentence and the fact that he is also from Virginia) might make it easier for Burress to readjust to life in the NFL with a companion in Vick that he can both relate to and trust. Plus, we already know that Burress has been known for shredding the Eagles’ secondary in his time with the Giants, so Philadelphia may be thinking, “if we can’t beat him, we might as well sign him.”

Of course, Burress joining the Eagles would be the worst possible scenario for Giants fans because having to go up against him and DeSean Jackson twice a year is something I’m looking forward to about as much as a root canal. Giants fans like myself are hoping this does not happen. Because of this, it probably will.

So what about some other possible teams? How about the Dallas Cowboys? We already know that owner Jerry Jones has an affinity for jaded wide receivers who have been beaten down by the media and are looking for redemption (see: Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, Dez Bryant). Will Plaxico Burress be the latest Cowboys salvage project that is destined to fail? Hopefully not, not because I like the Cowboys, but because I like Plaxico Burress and I wouldn’t want to openly root for his inevitable failure.

This brings us to our next possibility — the New York Jets. Rex Ryan LOVES stealing headlines from the New York Giants, and what better way to do that than to steal the player that helped secure them a Super Bowl ring in 2008? The Jets have already been rumored to have an interest in signing Randy Moss, and Plaxico Burress is a wide receiver with very similar athletic attributes to Randy Moss. The signing also would gain a fairly large amount of press for the Jets, something we all know Rex Ryan loves just as much as the seeing the words “free” and “buffet” in the same sentence.

How about the Pittsburgh Steelers? Burress left the Steelers in a less-than-amicable fashion before joining New York and there was rumored to be some animosity between him and Steelers owner Dan Rooney for some on- and off-the-field troubles during his last few seasons in the Steel City. But…Pittsburgh can use the help at the wide receiver position. They fell just short of securing their 7th Super Bowl title back in February, and one can only wonder if they would have been able to out-perform Green Bay’s explosive offensive attack if they had just a few more offensive weapons. They already have a weapon in speedster Mike Wallace, but other than that, they are fairly thin. Hines Ward is getting up there in years, and might not be effective for too much longer. Honestly, I don’t see Burress returning to Pittsburgh, but we all know that in the NFL, anything is possible, even Ben Roethlisberger turning into Seth Rogen and serving as his body double for The Green Hornet sequel.

At the end of the day, there is no way of knowing where Plaxico Burress will choose to go, or even which teams will pursue him, and with Drew Rosenhaus as his agent, there’s no way of even knowing if he’ll end up giving a press conference in his driveway while he does sit-ups without a shirt on. What we do know, however, is that Plaxico will end up having an impact wherever he does end up, let’s just hope that it’s in 2011 and not next year.

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Tags: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Plaxico Burress
Categories : Sports

Running Diary: Draft Day Edition

22 04 2010

It’s the Official Running Diary of the 2010 NFL Draft, coming to you live from my couch. Get excited! We’re kicking off the broadcast from Radio City Music Hall in New York City with all of the usual suspects: Steve Young, Chris Berman, Mel Kiper Jr., Mel Kiper Jr.’s Hair, the gang is all here folks. The one ongoing subplot that I’m really going to miss from this year however, is trying to figure out which pick Jets fans are going to boo. With the 29th pick in the first round, it’s a safe bet that the Jets organization has a free pass this year, meaning that no matter who they pick, they can count on only a fraction of the boos they would normally get. With their recent offseason acquisitions of Antonio Cromartie, LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes and Jason Taylor, I’d say that Jets fans are pretty content with where they are right now.

But hey, you never know. That’s why they play the game, and that’s why I’m doing a running diary. I’m planning on going for at least the first 15 picks tonight, or more, depending on how everything unfolds. The Giants are slated for the 15th pick as of right now, but there is a possibility that they may try to trade up for Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain. We’ll see. Aaaaaand we’re off!

7:15 p.m. – This year’s top prospects, at least the ones who have chosen to show up, are being introduced to the crowd at Radio City Music Hall. Luckily, neither Tim Tebow nor Colt McCoy chose to make the trip to New York for the first day of the draft, avoiding an unfortunate Aaron Rodgers-type situation where they’re sitting all by themselves at pick number 30 while the camera pans over to them nervously tapping their feet and Chris Berman makes awkward jokes.

7:19 – This event just proves how football-obsessed we Americans are. No other major sport’s draft comes even close to being the spectacle that the NFL Draft is year after year. The NHL and MLB drafts aren’t even televised and even the NBA Draft, which is the closest in comparison, only lasts one night and two rounds. The NFL Draft is now being spread across three separate days, with pretty much wall-to-wall television coverage. Astounding. It’s almost like the Super Bowl of the offseason now.

7:21 – ESPN returns from commercial to show us Oklahoma quarterback and possible #1 overall pick Sam Bradford sitting at his table and trying his hardest to avoid eye contact with the camera. Right now, Jon Gruden is continuing his assault on Bradford and the rest of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft. I agree with him 100%. A quarterback like Bradford that ran out of a spread offense in college is a complete crapshoot in the NFL. I know the Rams will probably blow their #1 pick on him, but I don’t know if it’s the right pick. Personally, I would take Ndamukong Suh. I don’t run an NFL team though.

7:26 – Tom Jackson agrees with me. “The best player in this draft, in my opinion, is Ndamukong Suh.” I knew I liked Tom Jackson. He’s tied with Mel Kiper Jr.’s hair right now for my favorite panelist. The Rams are on the clock in less than 4 minutes. I like that for the first time in at least a few years, we don’t really know who the number one pick will be. At least St. Louis has saved us some kind of suspense. It’s the least they could do.

7:28 – My new favorite subplot for this year’s draft is seeing what moves, if any, the Pittsburgh Steelers make in an attempt to dump Ben Roethlisberger off on another team. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping to hear Roger Goodell get up to the podium and say “With the number one pick in the 2010 NFL Draft….WE HAVE A TRADE! The St. Louis Rams have traded their pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Ben Roethlisberger and his shady bodyguards.”

7:31 – And the broadcast has officially begun. The tension is palpable. Chris Berman says, “I”m excited! THIS IS A FOOTBALL DRAFT!” Thanks Chris, I’m excited too. Goodell is headed to the podium to kick off the proceedings. I think he’s been taking speech lessons from President Obama during the offseason. After a moving speech, he announces that the St. Louis Rams are now on the clock. Ten minutes and counting. If they take more than 7 minutes to make this pick, they should have it taken away. They’ve been on the clock for three months now.

7:35 – Gruden: “The Rams need a quarterback….they were one win away from winning zero games last season.” Bradford is on the phone with someone right now. I have a feeling it’s Dan Rooney. “Hey, how would you like to have Ben Roethlisberger’s job this year son? Some quick questions first…”

7:37 – Here we go…..and it’s Sam Bradford! The number one overall pick….guys….what a surprise, right? The first pick, not surprisingly, is booed by the New York crowd. They love booing at any chance they get in New York. I guess it was the Rams that Bradford was on the phone. Hey, anytime you have the chance to draft a quarterback that missed his entire senior year due to injury and plays in one of the most quarterback-friendly offenses in college football, you have to do it, right? I mean, there’s never a risk in taking a quarterback number one overall. Just ask the San Francisco 49ers.

7:41 – On the clock right now, the Detroit Lions. I think Suh is a perfect pick for the Lions. He’s a perfect pick for any team actually. His impact alone will be good for at least two wins during the season. The guy eats offenses alive. Plus, they improved from 0 wins in 2008 to 2 wins last year. That means they’re due for 4 wins this season.

7:44 – “With the number two pick in the NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select….Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle, Nebraska.” I called that one. With the first two obvious picks out of the way now, we can start getting to the interesting part now. By the way, the crowd isn’t booing as Suh walks on stage for his photo-op with the commish, they’re just saying, “SUUUUUUUUUH!”

7:46 – Suh is a very well-spoken young man. Chris Berman enlightens us by explaining that Ndamukong means, “House of Spears,” after his brief interview with Suzy Kolber. By the way, good ol’ Suzy is aging pretty well. Just saying….

7:49 – Now on the clock, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They shipped Byron Leftwich to Pittsburgh a few days ago. So who is their starting quarterback for 2010? Josh Johnson or Josh Freeman? Which Josh is it? Will they take Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy with the third overall pick? We’re going to find out soon…the pick is in!

7:51 – With the third overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select….Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle, Oklahoma.” So, we’ve had three picks already, two of them have been defensive tackles from Big XII teams, two of them have been from Oklahoma, and one of them is a McCoy, and it’s not even Colt! What a turn-of-events this evening folks! Oh boy.

7:54 – I wonder how Colt McCoy feels right now. Not only was he not the first quarterback taken in the draft, but he wasn’t even the first McCoy. Poor kid, that’s what you get for taking your team to the BCS Championship game and then getting hurt on the third play.

7:55 – According to Chris Berman, this is the first time since 1966 that the first three picks have all come from the same conference. Interesting fact nugget. Now on the clock…the Washington Redskins. They’ve certainly made a big splash during this offseason, snatching Donovan McNabb from Philadelphia and adding the Ghost of Willie Parker to a backfield that already features the Ghost of Larry Johnson. Certainly a much-improved football team that will almost definitely start out the season 5-2 and then end up with an 8-8 record.

7:58 – And the Redskins take….offensive tackle, Trent “Silverback” Williams. Wait, what? I didn’t know that we were throwing nicknames in there too now. What is this, a UFC draft? Trent Williams is from….quick, take a guess….Oklahoma! How about this: four picks now, and three of them are from Oklahoma. Unbelievable. Were there any other teams in Division I football last year? Are we sure of this? All four players from the Big XII. I want to see this streak kept alive now. Kansas City is going down the 2009 Oklahoma Sooners roster right now going, “Damn, they took all the good ones!”

8:05 – We’re back, and we see Tennessee safety Eric Berry on the phone with someone. Then he turns to the camera and we hear him say, “I’m gonna be a Chief!” Thanks a lot guys. Are we going to completely throw out the element of surprise this year? Why are we doing Roger Goodell’s job for him? LET HIM DO HIS JOB, ESPN. STOP RUINING THE FUN.

8:07 – Sure enough, Goodell announces that the Chiefs select Berry less than two minutes later. A safety going 5th overall is almost unheard of, but according to Gruden, he “blew the combine away with his ball skills.” No jokes here. No really, I’m good.

8:09 – The Seahawks are now on the clock. I’m thinking Russell Okung…let’s see if I’m right. The pick is in and Goodell is heading to the podium now. I also just remembered that the Mets are playing. No score in the bottom of the 4th. Thanks for reminding me.

8:11 – Let’s see what Pete Carroll does in his first NFL Draft in over a decade. Tell me it wouldn’t be funny if he took someone from USC here, just as a joke. You’re right, it wouldn’t be that funny. Is Mark Sanchez still available? Under two minutes on the clock now, it’s crunchtime for the Seahawks.

8:14 – I just checked the box score of the Mets game. It’s the 5th inning and they don’t have a single hit. Again. They had 1 hit until the 7th inning last night. This team cannot hit. Anyway, the Seahawks take Russell Okung, offensive tackle from Oklahoma State. Yes, that’s yet another player from the Big XII. If you’re scoring at home, that’s now 5 Big XII players in the first 6 picks. Four players from the state of Oklahoma. I know, enough already. Cleveland Browns on the board right now for the 7th pick. This draft is flying by!

8:20 – Are the Cleveland Browns really considering taking Jimmy Clausen? Aren’t they tired of drafting overrated Notre Dame quarterbacks about 50 picks higher than they should be drafted? Come on Cleveland, don’t make this mistake again. Brady Quinn, version 2.0.

8:23 – Oh look at this, Joe Haden is on the phone with someone, tears of joy streaming down his face. I wonder who the Browns are going to pick. YOU RUINED THE SURPRISE AGAIN?!? You have got to be kidding me.

8:24 – Yup, it’s Joe Haden taken 7th overall by the Browns, cornerback from Florida. He looks extremely happy, actually a lot happier than someone who just got drafted by the Cleveland Browns should be. Good for him though. By the way, Cleveland Browns fans, welcome to the Jake Delhomme Era! That should be fun.

8:27 - The Oakland Raiders….here we go! Always exciting and unpredictable when Al Davis is making the decisions. Trade for Ben Roethlisberger? Come on Al, you know you want to….

8:28 – Al Davis: “Can we draft JaMarcus Russell again? No? Are you sure? Damn.”

8:29 - Damn you Oakland Raiders! They took our player! Rolando McClain would have fit in so well in Giants blue. That is deflating. Okay, I’m moving on now. Actually a good pick by Oakland for a change. Is Al Davis still alive?

8:31 – Uh oh, the Bills have their pick in already. And it’s…..C.J. Spiller! My favorite player from this year’s draft. I loved watching him play at Clemson, actually got the chance to see him light up Florida State in person last November. What an electrifying running back, he completely rewrote the ACC record books. I’m excited to see how he adapts to the NFL, although admittedly I’m not that excited to see him stuck in the forgotten snow drifts of Buffalo. Very surprised to see him taken this early. I knew he was good, but didn’t think he was top-10 good. Maybe it’s the shortage of quality running backs in this year’s draft. Either way, I’m going to enjoy watching him torch the Jets.

8:33 – Only an hour into the draft and we’re already getting set for the 10th pick. The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock. We’ll be back after these commercials that are most likely going to make me hungry, even though I can’t get up to eat anything because I’m afraid I’ll miss something important. Can I get delivery to my couch right now?

8:37 – Top of the 6th inning now, Mets still only have 1 hit. I’m glad we’ve gone back into our “Let’s Not Break the Baseball” mode after that brief two-game winning streak.

8:38 – And the Jaguars take Tyson Alualu, defensive tackle from California, our first real surprise of the draft! Mel Kiper Jr.’s Hair says, “It’s not a surprise he went in the first round, but it is a surprise that he went 10th overall.” So that basically means that he’s good, but not worth a top-10 salary. That’s it.

8:41 – We have our first trade of the night, as Denver ships its number 11th pick to the San Francisco 49ers. The Broncos will only move back two spots to the 13th pick. The Niners’ pick is in, so let’s see why they decided to trade up….

8:43 – With the 11th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select….Anthony Davis, offensive tackle, Rutgers! Alright, a fellow Rutgers alum goes 11th! I’m ecstatic, although not all that surprised. Davis was far and away one of the best offensive tackles in the nation for the last few years. I mean, anyone that can make Mike Teel look good, has to be worth an 11th overall pick. Let’s see if he can do the same for Alex Smith/Shaun Hill/whoever starts for that team.

8:46 – Now the Dolphins have given up their number 12 pick to the San Diego Chargers. No details on the trade yet, but the Chargers have their pick in already, so they apparently know who they want. They need a running back…let’s see what the Bolts do.

8:48 – I know we’re talking about football right now, but how many times are we going to put our ace out on the mound and then not support him with any runs, or even any hits for that matter. His last start against St. Louis, we had 0 runs and 1 hit in 9 innings. Today? Zero runs and 1 hit through 5 innings. Poor Johan.

8:49 – And the Chargers select….Ryan Matthews, running back, Fresno State. Clearly the second best running back in the draft behind Spiller. I think this is a good pick. They need a running back after sending Tomlinson to the Jets and Matthews fits the Chargers offense very well, he has a similar style to Tomlinson and will compliment Sproles perfectly as a pass-catching back.

8:52 – Denver sends its 13th pick that it just got from San Francisco to Philadelphia now. Hey look at this, it’s our first “EAGLES SUCK!” chant of the night! I knew the New York fans had it in them. Philly is most likely going after Earl Thomas to fill the hole at safety that Brian Dawkins left when he went to Denver last year. Chris Berman tell us that Earl Thomas plays piano in church. I knew there was a reason why I tuned in to watch the draft. The knowledge just flows like wine!

8:55 – So, with the 13th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Donovan McNabb-less Eagles select….Brandon Graham, defensive end, Michigan. OH WHAT A TWIST! We just spent 5 minutes listening to everyone at ESPN explain why the Eagles were taking Earl Thomas, and then they go ahead and they…don’t pick Earl Thomas! That’s why we watch, for the suspense and the drama. Goodell is booed throughout his entire announcement, and then the anti-Eagles chants start up again.

9:00 – Seattle is on the clock next at number 14, barring more trades. The Giants haven’t traded up, so I guess they are content with their 15th pick, which is coming up sooner rather than later…and that means that this running diary is coming to an end. Somehow, I’ve cranked out almost 3,000 words in an hour and a half and I’m quickly running out of gas here folks. The Seahawks are now set to make their second pick of the first round already.

9:03 – Hey, the Mets are on the board! David Wright doubled to bring home Reyes and then Francoeur drove him in with an RBI single two batters later. 2-0 Mets, and finally someone decided to step up and save Santana from another No Decision.

9:06 – The Seahawks swoop in (see what I did there?) and take Earl Thomas with the 14th pick, the guy everyone was convinced that the Eagles would take with the 13th pick. So now we get to hear more facts and tidbits about Earl Thomas. It’s like he was picked twice!

9:07 – And here is the moment we’ve been waiting for…the New York Giants are on the clock. The “Let’s Go Giants” chants are starting up at Radio City Music Hall and all the Giants fans (and probably the Jets fans too) are saving up as much air in their lungs as possible in preparation of booing pretty much anyone that we pick. I’m excited for this pick, and also excited to end this running diary and get something to eat, because I’m starving and these Taco Bell Tortadas are even starting to look good at this point.

9:11 – Here we go, getting ready for the Giants pick now at number 15. Two more minutes left on the clock. Who will it be? Mike Iupati, guard from Idaho? Jason Pierre-Paul? We’ll see soon enough. Steve Young: “How embarrassing…HOW EMBARRASSING…for the New York Giants to be 30th in defense.” Thanks, Steve. Thanks a lot buddy. Keep twisting that knife.

9:13 – And the Giants select…Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive end from South Florida. I love it. Love this pick. First of all, anytime you can improve on a category that you finished 30th in last season, that’s making strides. I love defense, and I love this guy’s talent. I watched him play in the Big East, and watched him even terrorize Rutgers a few times. Great pick, and I hope to see him have an immediate impact on the defensive line, especially in stopping the run and closing down the gaps. I see him being very similar to Justin Tuck a few years down the road.

All in all, I’m pretty satisfied with the way the first round has gone so far. Spiller went 9th, Rutgers tackle Anthony Davis goes 11th and we pick up a quality defensive end from South Florida in Jason Pierre-Paul. That’s all for me, I’m going to call it a night. It’s been real, enjoy the rest of the draft.

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Tags: Anthony Davis, Ben Roethlisberger, C.J. Spiller, Chris Berman, Clemson, Colt McCoy, Donovan McNabb, Earl Thomas, Eric Berry, Gerald McCoy, Jason Pierre-Paul, Jason Taylor, Jon Gruden, LaDainian Tomlinson, Mel Kiper Jr., Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL Draft, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Roger Goodell, Rolando McClain, Rutgers, Sam Bradford, Santonio Holmes, South Florida, Steve Young, Suzy Kolber, Tim Tebow, Tom Jackson
Categories : Sports

No Cure For March Madness

11 03 2010

Really guys? Come on....

I know I haven’t written in more than a month and that’s pretty irresponsible of me, but I do have a fairly valid excuse. I’ve been working on my first novel during the past few weeks, and so I haven’t had much time to balance both things. Okay, that’s a complete lie. I have nothing but time. Actually, time is about the only thing I’ve had a lot of lately. Either way, the novel is coming along pretty nicely. It’s funny because it’s like I’m having a competition with myself to see what I can make less money doing: blogging or writing a novel. Right now, they’re both tied at $0 a piece. We’ll see how that turns out.

A lot has happened during the past month, and so here’s a quick Cliffs Notes recap of what I think are the most important sports stories of the last month:

- The New Orleans Saints stunned the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Miami on Feb. 7th to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Drew Brees was named the game’s MVP and showed the world that not only does he have what it takes to be mentioned among the top QB’s of his generation, but also that he has a really, ridiculously adorable son.

- Tiger Woods entered rehab for his “sex addiction”. Upon hearing this, men all over the country immediately deleted their internet history out of fear of also being placed in rehab. He then held a 15-minute “news conference” in which he fielded zero questions and spoke with about as much sincerity and emotion as HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

- The Nets kept losing.

- The Knicks also kept losing. Then they dumped even more salary by unloading the contracts of Darko Milicic, Nate Robinson, and the corpse of Jared Jeffries and acquiring Tracy McGrady’s expiring $22 million contract from Houston. In the process, the Knicks created almost $30 million in salary cap space heading into this summer’s free agent free-for-all and now apparently have enough money to sign two superstars. It is likely that neither of these superstars will be LeBron James, despite the collective prayers of the Knickerbocker faithful.

- Spring Training started. The Yankees went to an arcade to show us how much they like each other and how well they all get along. We were all supposed to feel happy for them, despite the fact that they….are a baseball team….and that’s kind of the point.

Tell me this doesn't make you wet your pants a little.

And that was about it. Nothing happens in February, so even the most mundane of stories turn into front-page headlines in the sports world. Thankfully though, the cold, uneventful winter months are behind us and we’re staring right in the face of arguably the most exciting one-month stretch of the year, at least when it comes to sports.

If you look at the next month/month and a half, we get treated to the following:

1) The NCAA Tournament starts next Thursday, which is no doubt, hands-down my absolute favorite sporting event of the year. Why? Because it gives me a reason to really get behind teams that I normally couldn’t care less about. Can you think of anything better than almost having an aneurysm on a Thursday night in March because Syracuse edged out Portland State by 2 points and you came within seconds of tearing up your bracket that had Syracuse in the Final Four? No, there is nothing more exciting than that, I’m sorry. I’ve tried the NCAA Tournament without putting any money on it. I think the last time I did that was 6 years ago. It wasn’t fun. I found my interest drifting away in the early rounds. When you’re in a pool with a $400 pot and you absolutely need West Virginia to beat Texas to have a shot at winning, tell me that it doesn’t make that game about 100,000 times more exciting. That is, if gambling was legal. My favorite thing about the tournament? When we start to get down to the Sweet Sixteen and I’m spending upwards of 8 hours a day playing around with all of the different possible combinations of teams in the Yahoo! Scenario Generator. As the number of teams left in the tournament decreases, the number of hours I spend on the Scenario Generator increases, exponentially.

2) The start of the baseball season on April 5th. With the start of a new season just around the corner, I have realized that the only way to forgot about the unrelenting nightmare that was the 2009 baseball season is to start a new one. What’s worse than the Mets losing two-thirds of their starting lineup to injuries halfway through the season and then having to endure a postseason that ranked somewhere between The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and all 40 Saw movies on the horror scale? Having to go through that for a second year in a row. What’s worse than watching a Yankees-Phillies World Series that made me want to pull out my own tongue? Watching the Yankees win another World Series. So things can only get better from here, right?

3) The NFL free-agent free-for-all. The Giants already got off to a pretty decent start with their signing of safety Antrel Rolle from the Arizona Cardinals. The thought of him and a healthy Kenny Phillips in the secondary next year makes me a little excited. There’s still a ton of questions to be answered though before free-agent season wraps up. For example, where will LaDainian Tomlinson end up, and will anybody care? How about the question of whether or not Donovan McNabb will be wearing a Eagles uniform next season? What team will Terrell Owens destroy next? Gripping storylines will unfold in the coming weeks and months and as usual, everyone will drool over the Chicago Bears until they start the season 1-4 and we remember that they still have no wide receivers. Oops!

4) The NFL Draft in late April. I don’t really have anything to say about this other than these quick points:

- Sam Bradford will be drafted wayyyyy higher than he should be.

-Tim Tebow will be drafted wayyyy lower than he should be.

-Suh should be and probably will be the #1 overall pick.

-The Giants need to draft some linebackers, maybe.

-The Jets finally can’t screw up a top-10 pick because they won’t have one.

So, as you can see, I’m pretty excited about the coming month(s) and I won’t let anyone bring me down from this cloud of sports bliss that I will be floating on until May when the Mets are 7 1/2 games out of first and LeBron is leading the Cavs to an NBA title that will all but guarantee he stays in Cleveland.

See you next week, sports fans and loyal readers.

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Tags: Antrel Rolle, Chicago Bears, Darko Milicic, Donovan McNabb, Drew Brees, Indianapolis Colts, Jared Jeffries, Kenny Phillips, LaDainian Tomlinson, LeBron James, March Madness, Nate Robinson, NCAA Tournament, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, New York Knicks, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Portland State, Sam Bradford, Spring Training, Suh, Syracuse, Texas, Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow, Tracy McGrady, West Virginia, Yahoo!
Categories : Uncategorized

The Final Four

21 01 2010

You can’t say that I didn’t warn you.

Last week, I told you that this league was hard to figure out. Did you listen to me? Probably not, I didn’t even take my own advice. I went ahead and picked the Chargers to beat the Jets when I had a sneaking suspicion that something fishy would happen in San Diego on Sunday. Actually, it wasn’t even a sneaking suspicion. The suspicion was walking around banging pots and pans and blowing a whistle. It wasn’t sneaking anywhere.

So why did I ignore this and pick the Chargers anyway? Half of the reason is because I’m an idiot, and the other half is because there’s no way I could have foreseen Nate Kaeding jumping into a DeLorean and reliving the 2004 NFL Playoffs over again.

However, I could have foreseen Norv Turner blowing yet another big decision in a critical moment by opting to go with an onside kick with over 2 minutes to play. Instead of putting the pressure on Mark Sanchez to pick up a big first down and hope that your defense can make one stop, why risk giving the Jets a short field? Sanchez had thrown for barely 100 yards at that point in the game and the Jets offense had been unable to get much of anything going for most of the game until Jim Leonhard’s late pick of Philip Rivers set the Jets up at the Chargers’ 27 yard line.

I’m having an extremely difficult time with trying to understand how and why the New York Jets are going to be playing the Indianapolis Colts this coming Sunday afternoon for a trip to Super Bowl XLIV. I’m having a hard time for a number of reasons and surprisingly, none of them have anything to do with my hatred of the New York Jets. Believe it or not, they impressed the hell out of me in San Diego and for at least the next 4 or 5 days, they have earned my respect. Relish this, because it will probably be the first and last time I ever say those words.

In all honesty though, I can’t figure out the enigma that is the 2009 New York Jets. Forget about the enigma of the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE for just a second and consider the fact that a team that was 4-6 through the first 11 weeks and went 2-4 in their division is now one win away from playing in the Super Bowl. This is a team that had it’s own coach remark in a press conference that his team had no chance to make the playoffs. This is a team who is led by a quarterback that finished the regular season with 12 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 63.

Hopefully you can see why I’m so baffled. What compounds this confusion is the fact that I live smack-dab in the middle of the three-ring circus that is the New York sports media. For this reason, I am constantly witnessing the Jets getting raked over the coals for their latest embarrassment against Buffalo or their failure to stop David Garrard on a game-winning drive on their home field. Despite all of that, I now see a team that was declared clinically dead by an entire city of critics and sports writers only a month ago, march confidently into Lucas Oil Stadium with an NFL title in their sights. They have seduced an entire nation with their swagger and their cocksureness and judging from all the Daily News back pages these last few weeks, you would think that the Colts were the underdogs on Sunday.

Does America always love a good underdog story? Of course, and that is partly why the Jets have become America’s Darlings du jour. A team that nobody thought had a shot, suddenly has turned the tables with a rookie quarterback and a rookie coach who knows his way around a quote. And I’ll admit that any coach that uses the movie 300 to motivate his team obviously knows what he’s doing.

Do the 2009 Jets remind me a lot of the 2007 Giants? Yes. I find a lot of similarities in both the teams themselves and the paths that they took to get to this point. A young inexperienced quarterback, a relentless, blitz-happy defense that gives opposing quarterbacks nightmares and a steady, exhausting running game. And that is all I have to say about the magical allure of this strange and unpredictable Jets team.

Now, on to my picks for Championship Sunday. I was 2-for-2 last weekend, so at least we’re getting somewhere. I think.

New Orleans Saints 28, Minnesota Vikings 24

Last weekend the Vikings defense absolutely overwhelmed the Cowboys offense. Dallas rolled into the playoffs on the arm of Tony Romo and the suddenly breakout play of Felix Jones, and then rolled over Philadelphia in the first round. The Minnesota pass rush was too much for Romo though, and they were exploited in every conceivable way. Not turning the football over was one of the main foundations that held the Cowboys up during their run to the playoffs and that pillar came crumbling down on Sunday when they turned the ball over three times.

Can the Vikings replicate this gameplan this Sunday against the Saints and disrupt the rhythm of Drew Brees and the New Orleans offense? Probably not. First of all, they’ll be at odds in the Superdome which is possibly the hardest place to play on the road in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. Second, the Saints don’t need a huge game from Brees to win. Of course they would like one on Sunday, but it’s not a necessity. There have been numerous times this season when Brees played very un-Brees-like and the Saints still managed to get the job done. Then again, those wins didn’t come against the Minnesota Vikings and Brett Favre.

Nobody can deny that Brett Favre has been having one magical season and his 37 touchdowns and 7 interceptions look like numbers that the quarterback of Oklahoma or USC would put up. Could this be his season of destiny? His last hurrah? His final showdown? Sure. Will it be though? Probably not. I think that the Saints and more importantly, the Superdome, will prove to be too much for the Vikes. The Saints will get their first ever Super Bowl appearance.

Indianapolis Colts 21, New York Jets 16

To be perfectly honest with you, I think that the New York Jets match up better with the Colts than any other team in the AFC. The only thing that can derail the Colts offense is a blitzing defense that puts constant pressure on Peyton Manning and forces him to check off on his receivers a little quicker than he is accustomed to doing. It’s no secret that Peyton Manning is a little less Peyton Manning-like when he has to worry about linebackers coming up the middle or cornerbacks coming from the blind side. If the Jets defense can harass Peyton Manning like they harassed Philip Rivers last week, they will have a very, very good shot at winning the AFC title.

There is just too much at stake in this game for the Colts though. Whether or not the Colts fans or the Indianapolis media will admit to it, Jim Caldwell has taken a lot of heat for his decision to pull Manning in the second half of the Week 16 game against the Jets. Even if they don’t necessarily disagree with the decision, every one has talked about it, and it is on everyone’s mind. Lose again to the Jets and there is going to be a lot of questioning going on and a lot of criticism thrown in the direction of the Colts organization, particulary Jim Caldwell. There is simply too much at stake here for the Colts, and Peyton Manning for that matter, to throw anything less than the kitchen sink at this game. Peyton Manning absolutely lives for games like this. He thrives on it. Mark Sanchez? As good as he’s been so far this postseason, I don’t think he’s ready for this stage yet. And maybe that’s all it comes down to in the end.

I will tell you one thing though, it will be one heck of an AFC Championship Game.

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Tags: Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Indianapolis Colts, jim caldwell, Jim Leonhard, Mark Sanchez, Minnesota Vikings, Nate Kaeding, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL Playoffs, Norv Turner, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Rex Ryan, Rob Moreschi, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl XLIV, Superdome
Categories : Uncategorized

You Would Think I Don’t Even Watch Football

14 01 2010

The NFL is an enigma. It’s not completely beyond comprehension, but it’s a lot harder to understand than baseball or even the NBA. Parity is one of the reason for this, but most of it stems from the fact that there are hundreds of mitigating factors that are in play every time two teams step on the field to do battle. Home field, momentum, teams with a chip on their shoulder, injuries, mistakes, rookie quarterbacks playing on the road, and coaches that don’t know how to properly manage the clock. These are only a few of the things that go into what ultimately decides every game in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, especially playoff games. The playoffs amplify everything by 100 and put every single flaw that a team may have under a microscope.

I’m not making excuses for myself. I went 0-for-4 in my picks last weekend. If you go back and read those picks after the fact you might even go as far as to assume that I don’t watch any football. Being completely an utterly wrong about each and every one of the Wild Card playoff games is not going to convince anyone that I actually watch 10+ hours of football every Sunday during the regular season. A person that watches 10+ hours of football every Sunday doesn’t go 0-for-4 in the first round of the playoffs.

But…this is the NFL, and in the NFL things like this happen in the first round of the playoffs:

1) A rookie quarterback, who looked like he was having a Chernobyl-like nuclear meltdown a few weeks ago, can win a road playoff game. By the way, this rookie quarterback is Mark Sanchez. Nevermind the fact that he’s now drawing eerie comparisons to Eli Manning’s breakout 2007 season in the New York media, this is the same Mark Sanchez who couldn’t muster more than 7 points at home against an Atlanta Falcons pass defense that was next to last in passing yards per game allowed.

2) The second-ranked overall defense will show up in Arizona and get torched for 51 points. Yes, 51 points. Even more ridiculous: the Cardinals scored 51 points and still needed overtime to beat the Packers.

3) Joe Flacco 33, Tom Brady 14. In Foxborough. To be honest with you, that’s a little misleading though, because Joe Flacco only threw for 36 yards on Sunday. That’s all. The Ravens beat the Pats 33-14, on the road, and their starting quarterback had 36 yards passing. How? Ray Rice, that’s how.

So, knowing that I not only embarrassed myself last week by going 0-for-4, but also lost my Super Bowl pick after the first round, I will put a unique twist on my picks of the Divisional Playoffs. I will pick the opposite of whatever my instinct tells me this week. That means that whatever I say in the next few paragraphs is the complete and total opposite of what my obviously flawed football intuition is telling me. This is a win/win situation, because if I go 0-for-4 again, it would mean my original instincts were correct. Try to stay with me here.

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

Saints 33, Cardinals 27

There is no way that Kurt Warner has another game in him like the one he played against Green Bay last week. There is also no way that New Orleans is feeling a little out of sync after losing the last three games of the regular season. It doesn’t matter at all that their last convincing win came against the Patriots all the way back on November 30th. We’ve seen this happen year after year, number one seeds that sputter out towards the end of the regular season, but then rebound once the playoffs start. They are not in any danger of a hot team like the Cardinals coming in and stealing the game from them with an early ambush. Nope. Not in the NFL.

Saturday, 8:00 p.m.

Ravens 24, Colts 20

I forgot what the rule was — always bet against Peyton Manning in primetime games, right? I’m pretty sure that was it. Also, does anyone remember what happened to the Colts in the playoffs last year? They lost to the 8-8 Chargers who snuck into the playoffs by stealing the AFC West right out from under a reeling Broncos team (the Broncos are getting awfully good at tanking the second half of the season). So this is actually a no-brainer. The Ravens are coming off of a big win, Jim Caldwell is taking a ton of heat for pulling Manning against the Jets and Lucas Oil Stadium is not a difficult place for a young quarterback like Joe Flacco to win a road playoff game.

Sunday, 1:00 p.m.

Cowboys 41, Vikings 10

This game has stumped NFL analysts and ESPN’s talking heads all week. Nobody really knows how to pick this game. I do though. I know exactly who to pick. The Cowboys look like one of the hottest teams in the league right now and the Vikings don’t. Is it that simple? Apparently. Are you really going to make the mistake of backing Brett Favre in the playoffs at 40 years old? I dare you.

Sunday, 4:00 p.m.

Jets 27, Chargers 24 OT

You have to be a moron not to back Mark Sanchez on the road in the biggest game of his career against a team that’s won 11 games in a row. Seriously. Anyone who watches football, in fact anyone who even knows the definition of the word “football”, knows that the Jets will march in to Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday and their top-ranked defense will stifle the hottest team in football. I swear, sometimes this league is so easy to figure out.

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Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Brett Favre, Eli Manning, Featured, Green Bay Packers, jim caldwell, Joe Flacco, Kurt Warner, Mark Sanchez, NBA, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL Playoffs, Peyton Manning, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl, Tom Brady
Categories : Uncategorized

Ready or Not, It’s Time for the Playoffs (And Why I Think The Packers Will Win It All)

5 01 2010

Aside from the NCAA Tournament in March, the NFL Playoffs are probably my favorite postseason event in sports, even when the Giants aren’t playing. Do you want to know why I love the NFL Playoffs? If you don’t, just skip the next few sentences, because I’m going to tell you anyway. I love the NFL Playoffs because you get one chance, and that’s it. There are no best-of-5 series, there are no brutally long best-of-7 series that drag out for a week and a half. There is one game and one game only. If you’re unprepared, it will show. Typically in best-of-7 series, the team that is supposed to win, will win. In the NFL Playoffs, anything can happen. Often enough, anything does happen. That’s why I love the NFL Playoffs, because you can have a team like the 2008 Arizona Cardinals get hammered in Week 16 against the Patriots and lose by 40 points but then suddenly get hot at the right time and be in the Super Bowl a month later. I love the NFL Playoffs because a 10-6 wild-card team that everybody wrote off two months before can beat the number 1 and 2 seeds in the NFC in back-to-back weeks on the road and then stun an undefeated team to win the Super Bowl. Do I need to explain myself anymore?

If you’re getting deja vu from looking at the games slated for this weekend’s Wild Card playoff round, that’s because three out of the four match-ups are repeats from last week, and two of them are even being played on the same field. If I was the Elias Sports Bureau I would probably be able to tell you if that has ever happened before, but I don’t have those kinds of statistics in front of me, so for now I’m going to have to go out on a limb and guess that it is a pretty rare occurrence. Both the Packers and Eagles will return to the scene of the crime from Week 17 for a playoff rematch. The Packers easily handed the Cardinals a 33-7 loss in Glendale on Sunday, and will hope for a repeat performance this weekend. Meanwhile, the Eagles are hoping to actually show up in Arlington this Saturday night, because from what I saw they sure as hell didn’t show up on Sunday, losing 24-0 to the Cowboys and also losing out on a chance for the #2 seed in the NFC. In doing so, they dropped from the #3 seed all the way down to the #6 seed, ensuring that they will not have a home game in the playoffs. Going from possibly having a first-round bye and a home game in the Divisional round to being the #6 seed in the span of a few hours was probably just as disheartening for Eagles fans as remembering that they’ve lost 4 NFC title games in the last 7 years.

As for the Cardinals, I think we’ve all learned our lesson about writing off teams that look like a bunch of ghosts with uniforms on in Week 17. Last year’s Cardinals team taught us that lesson, and maybe they’re trying to reteach it again this year. All I know is that Sunday’s Packers-Cardinals game will certainly be a lot closer than 33-7.

So two exact, carbon-copy rematches from Week 17 in the first-round of the playoffs for the first time ever (yes, I’ve actually done the research now, so I can say that with confidence), and that’s just the NFC. What about the AFC? Well, there’s the remarkable story of the New York Jets. Even Rex Ryan wrote this team off a few weeks ago, but now they’re suddenly the toast of the town. How did this happen? I have no clue. I can take a shot in the dark though and attribute their sudden and inexplicable success to a few things:

1) Their cream puff of a schedule. The Jets won 9 games this year against Houston, New England, Tennessee, Oakland, Carolina, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis*, Cincinnati*. Three of those wins came against playoff teams, including Indy and Cincy in the last two weeks, but I’ll explain the asterisks in my next point.

2) They beat Indy and Cincy teams that were pretty much only on the field to collect a paycheck the last two weeks. Peyton Manning was out of the game by halftime in Week 16 allowing the Jets opportunistic defense to take advantage of a terrified Curtis Painter to the point where I was about to call DYFS on Jim Caldwell. And then on Sunday night, they trampled a Cincinnati team that clearly didn’t have any incentive to put on a show. I mean, Carson Palmer was 1/11 for 0 yards before being replaced by J.T. O’Sulli-beard. If those stats don’t scream, “The Football Felt Like a Frozen Brick, Somebody Give Me Coffee and Get Me Out of This Game Before Kimo Von Oelfhoffen Comes Out of Nowhere and Dives At My Knees”, then I don’t know what does.

3) Every single thing that the Jets needed to happen in the last two weeks in order to make the playoffs, happened.

But hey, I’m not bitter! So let’s move on to the next AFC Wild Card match-up featuring the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. Ironically, the Patriots, one of the only teams that I have been able to consistently figure out for the past 4 or 5 years is turning out to be the only team that I really don’t understand this season. Are they good? Are they a shell of their former selves? I can’t even tell anymore. However, if Wes Welker’s injury is as bad as they say it is (and they say it’s pretty bad, trust me), then I fear for New England. And if Tom Brady really has been playing with broken ribs for the last month like Bill Simmons says he has, then I fear for New England. I can see this game going either way though, it’s like the Tila Tequila of playoff games.

So, with all of that said, here are my Wild Card playoff predictions:

Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST

Bengals 27, Jets 17

I didn’t watch all of Sunday night’s game, I’ll be honest. Most of what I got out of the game, I got from glancing over my shoulder at the TV while I sat at a blackjack table at Showboat. What I saw was this: J.T. O’Sullivan’s beard, Mark Sanchez not throwing many passes, really cold fans, Brad Smith, J.T. O’Sullivan’s beard, Mark Sanchez looking confused. Somehow it was 37-0. It’s going to be a whole different sequel in Cincinnati on Saturday with the Bengals hosting a playoff game in front of their home crowd for the first time since the 2006 playoffs when Kimo Von Oelhoffen simultaneously ended Carson Palmer’s season and the Bengals’ season on the second play from scrimmage.

Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EST

Eagles 31, Cowboys 23

You can’t say the same about the Eagles Week 17 performance as you could about the Bengals. The Eagles had a lot to play for, probably just as much as anyone else playing last week. They just didn’t show up, simply enough. Now, they have to avoid the dubious distinction of losing to the same team three times in one season, and twice in consecutive weeks. JerryWorld is going to be packed to the gills for it’s first playoff game and it’s going to be up to Donovan McNabb and DeSean Jackson to quiet the crowd and get the Eagles on the board early. If the Cowboys build an early lead like they did last week, it’s going to be Blitz City for the Dallas D and the Eagles injury-depleted offensive line.

Sunday, 1:00 p.m. EST

Patriots 20, Ravens 17

This game is going to be about how well the Patriots defense can calm down the Ravens potent two-headed beast at running back of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee and it’s also about how many times Randy Moss can get open against the Baltimore secondary. If Randy Moss has a big day, then so too will New England. I think that the Patriots should be able to get it done against the Ravens on Sunday, but with Welker gone and Brady not 100%, they’re going to have trouble after that, especially against San Diego and Indy, should it come to that.

Sunday, 4:00 p.m. EST

Packers 36, Cardinals 33

I like Aaron Rodgers and I like this Packers team just about as much as any other team in this year’s postseason. I have a good feeling about Green Bay and I think they’re one of the hottest teams in the league right now, and I love Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, and this Packers team is my playoff team for 2009. They seem to me like the most complete team in the NFC, and yes, even more so than the Saints. Their defense, the new 3-4 system implemented by Dom Capers this season, as proven to be effect as it’s one of the best in the league. Their balanced offense is a perfect fit for the gunslinging Aaron Rodgers, and I finally think that it’s time for a coming of age for A-Rod. Beating Brett Favre in the playoffs for a ticket to the NFC Championship is probably the sweetest justice he can have. As you can probably tell, I like the 2009 Green Bay Packers. I like them to beat Arizona on Sunday and then I like them to beat Brett Favre and the Vikings next week and then it’s on to DALLAS, OR PHILADELPHIA, OR NEW ORLEANS! THE PACKERS ARE GOING TO TAKE THEM ALL DOWN!

Since I’m already all worked up I just wanted to add one more paragraph about something that happened yesterday in the Giants organization that excited me more than anything else having to do with the Giants since Week 15: Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan was fired. As I watched the latest 44-7 embarrassment this past Sunday in Minnesota, I hoped that Sheridan would be out no later than Monday, and I (along with most of Giants Nation, I would imagine) got my wish yesterday afternoon. So thank you, John Mara, for standing up for your fans and for being an owner with guts, and for doing what the Wilpons will probably never do: FIRE PEOPLE THAT CAN’T DO THEIR JOB (*cough* Omar Minaya *cough*).

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Tags: Aaron Rodgers, Arizona Cardinals, Bill Sheridan, Bill Simmons, Brad Smith, Brett Favre, Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, DeSean Jackson, Donald Driver, Donovan McNabb, Green Bay Packers, Greg Jennings, J.T. O'Sullivan, John Mara, Kimo Von Oelhoffen, Mark Sanchez, NCAA Tournament, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL Playoffs, Omar Minaya, Peyton Manning, Philadelphia Eagles, Randy Moss, Ray Rice, Rex Ryan, Rob Moreschi, Tila Tequila, Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Willis McGahee
Categories : Uncategorized

Making Sense of Week 10

16 11 2009

With the Giants not playing yesterday, I had a better chance to really absorb the other games going on around the league and take a closer look into some of the more interesting stories that unfolded in Week 10 of this NFL season. There were more than a few interesting subplots to take away from yesterday’s action. From near-upsets to head-scratching coaching decisions, Week 10 was like one long of episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Moments of laughter, moments of confusion and moments that make you wonder, “Did he really just do that?” But above all those things, yesterday just proved to me, once again, that I really do not have a clue how to pick NFL games.

Since I’m likely to finish below .500 in my picks for the second straight week, I’d like to at least take a few sentences to acknowledge that I am capable of getting something right. In my Week 10 picks column, I wrote that Vince Young had revitalized the Titans in a way that they desperately needed. He provides an extra intangible spark that Kerry Collins didn’t possess and with him on the field it seems that the team as a whole is playing with a lot more confidence now. That has never been more apparent than yesterday’s 41-17 thrashing of the Buffalo Bills. Of course I’m aware that they beat the Bills and not the Colts, but Tennessee has now won three in a row with Young under center. I’m aware that anyone with even a portion of a normally-functioning brain could tell that replacing Collins as the starter would spark the Titans, but I still feel proud to be able to salvage some sliver of wisdom from my defeated and drained psyche.
I’m aware that even the best teams in the league have their off days, but the Saints really escaped with one yesterday. And by escaped, I mean that they did everything but have Michael Scofield tattoo prison blueprints to his body and get arrested so he could help them escape. The Saints were sloppy yesterday, but the fact that they somehow managed to stick with their gameplan and survive even on their worst of days to stay undefeated, makes them that much better. And if that doesn’t make a lot of sense to you now, just wait until the playoffs and you’ll see what I mean. A 9-0 team that loses a sloppy, meaningless Week 10 game to the Rams loses a little bit of their swagger, even if its not immediately noticeable. On the other hand, a 9-0 team that barely escapes the upset and ekes out a win over the Rams in a meaningless Week 10 game gains something from that win. Believe it or not.
The Cincinnati Bengals. I’ve been fawning over them all season like I’m a teenage girl from 1994 and the Bengals are Zach Morris from Saved by the Bell. Of course I haven’t been able to pay as much attention to them as I’d like because I took up a seat on the Broncos bandwagon after Week 1 and I have been riding shotgun there ever since. But yesterday, as much as I talked up their defense all week and even though I took them in my picks column, there was something in the back of my mind that told me that they couldn’t beat the Steelers on the road in the most important game of the season thus far in the AFC North. And then they did. 18-12. They scored the only touchdown of the entire game on Bernard Scott’s 96-yard kickoff return in the first quarter and 4 Shayne Graham field goals later, the Bengals are 7-2 and all alone in first place in the AFC North. With a 5-0 record within the division, they are in the driver’s seat right now, having swept both the Ravens and the defending Super Bowl champs and one more meeting with the hapless Browns is the only thing that stand between Cincy and a 6-0 record in the AFC North and possibly a first-round bye in the playoffs. Needless to say, I vacated the Broncos bandwagon after yesterday’s disaster in Washington so quickly that I think I left a vapor trail and now I’m on the waiting list for the Cincinnati bandwagon. I know I should have come to them sooner.
Speaking of the Broncos, they are slumping, and they are slumping big time. And speaking of slumping, there’s another team that continued its struggles yesterday that starts with “Atlanta” and ends with “Falcons”. While the Broncos were busy dropping their third straight game to a Redskins team that can’t get out of its own way, the Falcons went ahead and lost for the third time in four games. Atlanta, now 5-4 after a 4-1 start to the season, apparently has a strong case of the homesick blues as all four of their losses have come away from the Georgia Dome. The road woes will be in play once again next week as the Falcons travel to Giants Stadium to take on a Giants team that is also struggling. In addition, Atlanta might be without star running back Michael Turner, who rolled his ankle yesterday in the second quarter, after piling up 111 yards on only 9 carries. While this could be disastrous for my already sinking fantasy team, it’s a good thing for Giants fans, which I am. The Broncos aren’t without injury issues of their own, as Kyle Orton went down with an ankle injury yesterday as well. Chris Simms started the second half for Denver, which might seem like a bad thing, until you realize that the difference between Kyle Orton and Chris Simms is like the difference between Sweet & Low and Equal. They’re both bad for you, but one is a little less worse. Fortunately for both teams, the Falcons still have two games to play against the Bucs and the Broncos play in the same division as the Raiders and Chiefs. Hope remains.
The Dallas Cowboys are not really making it hard for me to question their legitimacy. They put on a strong performance one week and then have a game like they did against the Kansas City Chiefs the week after. Last week, they seemed to be in top form; and then yesterday they get shutout by Green Bay for 58 minutes. I’m not saying the Packers are bad, because they are far from it, but this is a Packers defense that got torched for 38 points by Tampa Bay last week and are apparently having identity issues themselves. Romo looked his usual, scared self, and most importantly, Dallas just could not get the run game going with Marion Barber being held to only 26 yards on 5 carries. Romo was forced to throw the ball 39 times, and everybody knows that when Tony Romo is throwing the ball 39 times, things are not going well. Had I stayed home to watch football yesterday, I would have been stuck watching the Cowboys-Packers with nothing else to toggle back-and-forth between. However, I decided to go to the local sports pub for the 4:00 games and possibly saved myself from sticking bamboo up my fingernails to ease the torture of a 3-0 game in the 4th quarter combined with the drone of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
What will possibly end up being the most-talked-about story of yesterday and the most heavily questioned coaching decision in recent memory happened during last night’s much anticipated, annual Patriots-Colts battle. With the Pats up 34-28 and just over 2 minutes to play, Bill Belichick opted to go for it on a 4th and 2 with the ball on the Pats’ own 28-yard line. As Tom Brady came back on the field and the team lined up to go for it, all I remember is that I kept repeating, “No they’re not, they can’t be” as I watched in horror. Sure enough, they did not convert and at the two-minute warning, with three full timeouts left, Peyton Manning had but a mere 28 yards to take his team for the game-winning touchdown. Instead of punting it away and leaving Manning with maybe 60 or 70 yards to march in 2 minutes, Belichick made Peyton’s job at least 50% easier for him. In case Bill wasn’t aware of this, Peyton Manning is perhaps one of the few players in the NFL that you don’t want to ever make things easier for. It’s already easy for him. Is it highly possibly that Manning would take the Colts down the field for the score anyway, even if New England punted? Yes, very possible. BUT WHY MAKE HIS JOB EASIER? It took Indy four plays until Manning found Reggie Wayne in the endzone. 35-34, game over, Colts stay undefeated. Not only did the Patriots blow a 34-21 lead with 4 minutes to play and possibly a chance to recapture the throne of power in the AFC, but their supposedly genius coach suffered one of the most epic brain farts of all time. I swear that I’ve made decisions with a BAC of 2.25 that were better than that decision to go for it on fourth down.
And before I sign off for the rest of the week and mentally prepare myself for the Giants-Falcons game on Sunday, it would not be right if I didn’t get in at least one dig at the New York Jets. Not only has Gang Green dropped 5 of their last 6 games after their rather arrogant 3-0 start, but they’ve lost to the Dolphins twice, the Bills and now the Jacksonville Jaguars, with 3 of those losses coming on their home turf. Forget for the second that somehow the Jaguars are 5-4, losing to Jacksonville, Miami and Buffalo at home is not going to make a lot of people believers. Keep up the good work, and you might be able to salvage a 6-10 record out of this season.

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Tags: AFC, Atlanta Falcons, bandwagon, Bernard Scott, Bill Belichick, Chris Simms, Cincinnati Bengals, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Joe Buck, Kerry Collins, Kyle Orton, Michael Turner, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL Week 10, Peyton Manning, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rob Moreschi, Saved by the Bell, Shayne Graham, Tennessee Titans, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Troy Aikman, Vince Young, Zach Morris
Categories : Uncategorized

NFL Week 5 Picks: Still Unharmed by Braylon Edwards’ Posse

9 10 2009

It’s very possible that I jinxed myself going into last week’s picks. Then again, this is the NFL, one league where anything is possible, including the possibility that I may be wrong from time to time. I was wrong exactly 50% of the time last week. A lot of things happened this week in the wild and crazy world of the National Football League and I will let you know that if my fantasy team loses again this week I’m either retiring from the game altogether, or applying for a job in the Mets front office.

Here’s the Week 5 picks, home teams in ALL CAPS

Minnesota (-10) over ST. LOUIS

I’m not a Packers fan, nor will I ever be, but I can only imagine that watching Brett Favre completely destroy their team on Monday night was the football equivalent of watching your father divorce your mother and then start hooking up with your ex-girlfriend that you absolutely hate. Seeing him celebrate after throwing that first touchdown pass was the dagger through the heart…kind of like if you accidentally walked in on your father getting it on with your ex-girlfriend that you absolutely hate. I want to let the entire state of Wisconsin know that I am sorry and I feel for you.

Dallas (-8) over KANSAS CITY

The Cowboys are having some difficulty scoring points lately, which wouldn’t really be too big of a problem if they had a good defense, but they don’t. Luckily, it doesn’t take a lot of points to beat Kansas City. It actually doesn’t take a lot of anything to beat them.

CAROLINA (-3.5) over Washington

Listen to this fact nugget: So far this season the Washington Redskins have yet to face a team with a win. How is that possible in Week 5, you might ask. Well, the only teams the Redskins have played so far that are not still winless are the Giants and the Lions. Washington played the Giants in Week 1 and the Lions in Week 3. Both teams picked up their first win of the season against Washington. That streak will continue this week as the Redskins face the winless Panthers, and if the Cowboys beat the Chiefs on Sunday, that streak will extend all the way into Week 6, which should be some kind of NFL record. Needless to say, the Redskins have an awfully easy first half of the season, and this is probably why they’re 2-2. After their bye week, it gets daunting with the Falcons, Broncos, Cowboys, Eagles and Saints all in a row. Say goodnight to your season, Redskins fans!

PHILADELPHIA (-15) over Tampa Bay

This is officially the biggest line of the week, edging out the Giants-Raiders line by a half point. With that said, I’m pretty sure the Eagles have played the Bucs already this season. Whether or not Philly is trying to pull a fast one on the league, let’s just say that McNabb is back from his McRib injury and the Eagles will slap the Bucs all over the field.

NY GIANTS (-14.5) over Oakland

I asked my Magic 8 Ball if Eli was going to play on Sunday, and although it answered “All Signs Point to Yes”, I can’t really believe it until I see him out there on the field. However, if he’s to miss any games this year, I’d rather it be against the Raiders. I mean, even David Carr can beat Oakland. Just look at his stat line for that game! WOW! I really, really hate taking the Giants when they’re giving this many points, but consider this a testament to just how awful the Raiders are. I’m actually surprised that Vegas hasn’t rolled out a prop bet to gamble on the amount of passing yards that JaMarcus Russell has each week yet. I’m going to set the over/under at 80 yards this week. Anyone?

Cleveland (+6) over BUFFALO

How far away are we from our first T.O. meltdown? Two weeks? Two days? I’m completely in the dark here. How long before he’s camped out in the bushes by Trent Edwards’ house with a paintball gun and a Scream mask?

BALTIMORE (-8.5) over Cincinnati

This game will be the turning point in deciding how I bet on the Ravens and Bengals for the rest of the year. Is 8.5 points giving them more credit than they deserve against a possibly frisky Bengals team? Or is the uncomfortably close game against Cleveland last week a sign that Cincy isn’t quite ready yet? I don’t know about this one. Let’s just give Baltimore the benefit of the doubt.

Pittsburgh (-10.5) over DETROIT

Steelers Nation needs to hold its horses right now. Last week’s win over San Diego wasn’t exactly the resurrection of a sleeping giant. The Steelers showed all of the problems towards the tail end of that game that they’ve been exhibiting all season: they go limp in the fourth quarter. I don’t care if they still ended up winning by 10 and covering the spread. The Bolts scored 21 points in the 4th. That’s not good football. In the past three games, the Steelers have allowed 45 points in the fourth quarter alone. They lost two of them. They could very well have lost last week too, if the Chargers had even some semblance of a defense. And what is with Rashard Mendenhall? Willie Parker couldn’t rush for 100 yards if the other team took their defense off the field and he comes in and runs for 165 yards? Actually, I don’t even want to talk about it.

Atlanta (+2.5) over SAN FRANCISCO

This should be a very interesting game, to say the least. Apparently the Niners have impressed enough people so far this season to earn being 2.5 point favorites over the Falcons. Either that or the Falcons have just looked plain underwhelming. I think it’s a little bit of both, to be honest. Also, the 49ers are officially ushering in the start of the Michael Crabtree Era in San Fran and Michael Turner is disappearing faster than Jamal Anderson right now. This is not good. Is it safe to say that if the 49ers win this, they pretty much have the NFC West locked up? Too early?

New England (-3) over DENVER

Somehow, the Denver Broncos are 4-0. Their defense looked stellar last week against Dallas….but was it their defense that was so good, or the Cowboys offense that’s so bad? Yet another prime example of the “It’s Still Too Early to Tell Which One” Game. Either way, the Patriots are slowly rejuvenating. It’s like watching your best friend get back into the dating world after a divorce. It’s going to take some time to acclimate and get up to speed again, but soon he’ll be back at full strength. So I guess Brady’s injury would be the divorce….? Yeah, let’s go with that.

Houston (+5.5) over ARIZONA

I REFUSE TO GIVE UP ON THIS TEXANS SEASON! It’s still too early. You can’t make me take the Cardinals giving 5.5 points. Andre Johnson vs. Larry Fitzgerald. My fantasy team might never recover if Johnson has a bad game on Sunday. In no way does my fantasy team affect how I make my picks. Not at all….

Jacksonville (PK) over SEATTLE

This game is so unappealing that Vegas couldn’t even decide on a line. They didn’t want to spend more than 30 seconds thinking about either team. You think the NFL might intentionally black out this game so nobody has to see it? Except for the poor Seahawks fans that had to pay for tickets.

Indianapolis (-3.5) over TENNESSEE

I might say that the Colts are the best team in the AFC right now, and I may be right. Still, I haven’t seen enough of them yet to really put any conviction behind that statement. So I’ll be watching on Sunday night. By the way, is it just me, or have the Colts played on either Sunday night or Monday night every week so far? It feels like it. Also, I’m not picking the Colts because I signed Pierre Garcon and the Indy D off of waivers this week. I’m serious, it doesn’t affect my decision at all.

MIAMI (+2) over NY Jets

Welcome to the Chad Henne Era! Let’s do this! The Wildcat will account for about 78% of the Dolphins offense on Monday night. The Jets will stop it every time. I’m still picking against Sanchez on the road in his first night game though, even with the addition of Braylon “Dropsy” Edwards.

Last Week: 7-7

Season Total: 40-22

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Tags: Andre Johnson, Braylon Edwards, Indianapolis Colts, Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Sanchez, Michael Crabtree, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL Week 5, Pittsburgh Steelers, T.O., Trent Edwards, Washington Redskins
Categories : Sports

In the Win Column

Win and In

NFL Thoughts: Just the Usual Insanity

Where Is Plaxico Going to Play?

Running Diary: Draft Day Edition

No Cure For March Madness

The Final Four

You Would Think I Don’t Even Watch Football

Ready or Not, It’s Time for the Playoffs (And Why I Think The Packers Will Win It All)

Making Sense of Week 10

NFL Week 5 Picks: Still Unharmed by Braylon Edwards’ Posse

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