Dan Connolly Lives the Wide Man's Dream

Perhaps the greatest big man doing athletic things highlight in the history of the NFL. Jumbo Elliot has to be impressed. The Packers decision to squib it before the half turned the tide of the game, perhaps because Connolly's rumbling put the Earth temporarily off it's axis. It has been comfirmed that this is the longest kick return by a large man in the history of the NFL at 71 yards. Amazing that this return happened on the same day as Desean Jackson's throat rip of the Giants, which was so amazing it even made Joe Buck break monotone.

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Blowout Win Says a Lot, but not Everything

I enjoyed the epic 45-3 beatdown the Patriots gave the Jets last night as much as anyone. For the past week I have heard all the media hype and all the analysts up here discuss why the Jets are the better team and even if they did not win, they would keep it close. With an extra three days to prepare given to both teams, New England sliced and diced the Jets defense. On the other side of the ball, the sometimes porous Patriot defense instituted the "bend but don't break" philosophy that Belichick seemingly has crafted to perfection. Rex Ryan looked lost for words on the sideline, which isn't easy. Mark Sanchez was completely out of his element (Donny) and soon turned to jawing with receivers and throwing blindly into coverage.

It was a total immasculation. However, it is not the end of the season. For either team. The Pats now have the leg up on the division but still 4 games left. No game in the NFL is a easy one but they are at the Bears, home against Green Bay, at Buffalo, and then hosting Miami. The Jets host Miami, then are at Pittsburgh, at Chicago, and then finish with Buffalo. A lot could happen within those four games.

The sentiment today is going to be that Brady is flawless and the Pats are the clear best team in the AFC but one humiliation doesn't make a season. Nothing is secured right now and although it appears the Patriots realize that, they better perform like it if they want to get homefield. Still, it is pretty nice. These Pats seem to be a hybrid of 2004 and 2007 and they finally realized that variety on offense is the only way to succeed. Last year and early this season they seemed resigned to what Randy Moss was going to give them and crafted the offense arround that. Getting Branch back and replacing Laurence Maroney with BenJarvis Green-Ellis has made a tremendous difference. With Logan Mankins back on the offensive line they are giving Brady enough time even if allowing a sack on occasion.

The Patriots will never be back in 2007 form, but they have proven to still be in the upper echelon of the league for a decade. There is a lot of football to be played but at least for today they can earn a tip of the cap (or in Donald Trump's case, a flop of the hair).

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Patriots Prove Einstein's Theory on Insanity

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Einstein

One year ago, I had just moved up to New York and was crashing on my brother's couch while I looked for a place to live. On a Sunday night I headed out to a bar by myself to watch the Patriots and Colts play the Sunday night game. The Patriots jumped up to a 4th quarter 17 point lead and I left the bar and went home. On my brothers couch I prepared to watch the final seconds dwindle away. However, after a Maroney fumble and some conservative playcalling the Colts were right back in it. Bill Belichick was forced to go for it on 4th and 2 in his own territory. [Side note: I still maintain Faulk got that first down but there was no way the ref would have the onions to overturn it. Seriously, look at where Faulk's body is when he controls the ball after the bobble. Only his left leg is behind the 30.]

The Patriots did not keep attacking and that is what led to their downfall. As I sat there watching the game yesterday, I could not believe they were making the same mistake twice. Listen, I am a huge Tom Brady fan and he may be my favorite QB of all time but no one can run an offense like Peyton. In a game against the Colts, typically you have a certain number of Colts offensive possessions to implement your gameplan. After a certain point of no return (like the old mill in Back to the Future III) there is nothing you can do. Peyton will systematically break your defense into mush. That is when your defense has been as porous as the Pats has this year.

After the Patriots went up 17 they shut it down. They went to umbrella corporation mode and when you do that Peyton needs only a minute or two to score. The Colts had to bring in a no-name CB to play press coverage on Deoin Branch on 3rd down after the first TD of the 4th. He decided to manhandle Branch and got away with it. The refs were calling it light all game. Colts get the ball back and again drive right down the field and score. Now we get to the same position we were in last year. This year however, the Colts are decimated by injuries. Aside from Freeney and Mathis they are a patchwork defense. All the Patriots had to do was drive it down the field like they had been doing and they could have ended the game. They ran on first down, no problem there. They actually picked up a first down on the run. But then they ran it two more times with Indy stacking the box. A quick screen, a quick slant, a quick out, a pass to one of the TEs in the seem, anything would have gotten them down the field.

Indy had all 3 timeouts. Why are you playing kill the clock with over 3:00 left when number 18 has just shown you he needs less than two minutes to score? The Pats were left with 3rd and 9 and Brady almost threw a pick. At this point, I was hoping just to hold the Colts to a FG. Peyton picked on poor Pat Chung who had a horrible game in coverage. Down the field they went. Less than a minute left. Pats attempting to waste clock meant they would be left with no time themselves. Somehow, New England got a reprieve. Tully Banta-Cain's pressure forced an off throw and Garcon and Tamme running their routes too close together meant Sanders was close enough to intercept the pass.

This wasn't Terry Porter making the right read and stepping in front of Wayne in the Super Bowl. This was Sanders being in the right place at the right time when Peyton's throw was altered. The Colts might have gone for the home run a little early. The Patriots' defense has been bad this year, but they are young and Belichick has instituted the bend but don't break philosophy. When the Patriots have had a lead, that has changed into just try not to give up the big play. That has led to giving up big plays and points. It happened against the Jets, the Chargers and the Colts. They were fortunate to win two of those games.

I hope this philosophy changes when the playoffs get here because taking your foot off the gas is not a solid strategy. Killing the clock when your defense lets the offense score quickly is not going to work. The Pats escaped this time and have an inside track to home-field advantage. It would behoove them to learn from this game.

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NFC is Nonsensical as Well

The other day we took look at the mired AFC picture where there are so many contenders it is hard to decide who stands near the top. Today we turn to the NFC which has the same problem to a smaller degree and a bunch of teams that leave you wondering if they are for real or not.

Super Bowl favorites? Super Bowl favorites! It is amazing how much the talking heads love stating who is the Super Bowl favorite in the middle of the season. The NFC teams to hold the mantle in recent weeks have been the Packers, Giants, and Falcons. The Eagles vaulted into the stratusphere the last few weeks. It seems people want it to be the Packers since they were the media favorite entering the season in the NFC. There also seems to be a movement for the Falcons now. At 7-2 they hold the best record so that part of it is undeniable. However, if you are not Raheem Morris than record is not the only indicator of how your team will finish. The Thursday night win over Baltimore though and the manner in which they won has put them at the forefront.

The Pack remains a big favorite IF they avoid a slip against the Vikings. Right now they are sitting at 6-3 along with...Chicago(?). The Bears have no business being 6-3 but that is in the past. If they can somehow keep the train going they have a shot at the playoffs that very few thought possible. Minnesota is worse than the Springfield tire fire. What a mess, only an idiot would have thought they would make the playoffs let alone the Super Bowl. /clears throat.

The Giants are definitely the normal guy/werewolf of the NFC teams (didn't want to use Jekyll/Hyde line). They blow teams out, and then they look flat. I expected a good Giants team to put the hammer down on the Cowboys but instead they let John Kitna throw all over them and looked lackluster on offense. The Eagles became number 1 in everyone's hearts after Monday Night. The Vick redemption song is being drooled over by every media member out there. The outrage has been drowned out by Vick looking like he finally has a total grasp on the position. The Sunday night matchup between New York and Philly will have consequences in the division but even more in the useless power rankings. The Redskins are 4-5, still completely in it but I have never seen less faith in a 4-5 team ever.

The NFC South is always a tough division. The Panthers are not helped by having six games against these teams. Tampa is still having trouble finding believers. Morris deserves all the credit in the world for getting this team to the point they are at. Hopefully he keeps playing the "Nobody Believes In Us" card. The Saints are a forgotten team right now. They are 6-3, and can put together a playoff run if they get hot like they did last year.

The NFC West continues to be the butt of jokes. 5-4 Seattle is leading...for now. St. Louis is only a game behind and a game behind them are Arizona and San Francisco. I fully expect the winner of this division to get universally picked against in their wild card round game and I fully expect them to come out on top.

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You Can't Make Sense of the AFC Right Now

It must be generating pageviews and the debate it stirs up to keep everyone putting up NFL power rankings. They really serve no tangible purpose. Discussion relative to how "good" football teams are can be constructive and used as a tool for reflecting on the season and what possibly lies ahead. However, often times they are taken either too seriously or used as concrete fact in debate. Most seasons you can ignore all that noise, but especially this year it becomes mindless droning. There are no fewer than 21 teams in the playoff race right now and while there may be some stratification within this group it is near impossible to pin down a clear-cut favorite.

As a society we are losing our memory. We can now only remember recent events if they receive a deluge of media coverage. Things happen so quickly and we are fed information at such a rate that whatever happened two seconds ago remains relevant. It's like we are watching Spaceballs, the Movie and we missed now just then.

After the Patriots got blitzkrieged by the Browns last week many were starting to waffle on their prospects. With the Jets holding the division tiebreaker (because they have only played once at New Jersey) and beating the Lions in overtime and the Pats facing Steelers and Colts in back-to-back weeks people were ready to bury them. This was a week after New England stood alone as the only 1 loss team in the NFL. The Pats game against Indy is huge this coming Sunday. If the Pats win they will give the Colts their 4th loss and hold tiebreakers over the Ravens, Steelers, and Colts. This would seemingly give them the inside track to home-field advantage if they finish ahead of the Jets. The Pats worry continues to be their defense. One good half against Pittsburgh does not solve all, especially with 18 coming to town. Offensively, Brandon Tate remains the key in my mind. If he can get his head (and hands) straight he can become Deion Branch 2.0, you know when Deion's legs were not made of peanut brittle.


The Steelers are now in everyone's doghouse. They had a bad performance last night, especially on defense. After they went 3-1 without Roethlisberger many had them wearing the crown of the league's best team. They are still in a tough fight with Baltimore but Pittsburgh is not going to crumble down the stretch. The defense will get back in gear, but they are a far cry from the formiddable power that people had them at earlier. The offensive line is bruised and not sure-footed at all. The Patriots were at the bottom of the league in QB sacks but got 5 last night. They made Tully Banta-Cain look like LT.

The Colts are like a hybrid that ran out of electric power and are now putting along on gas fuel to try to get to Dallas. Peyton of course is that fuel. I say just give the guy the MVP again right now. There are other players who are crucial to their teams but without Manning the Colts are a 1 or 2 win team. I don't often play the violin for other teams when it comes to injuries, but they are a walking MASH unit. We all knew Bob Sanders wasn't going to make it and Anthony Gonzalez had us going for awhile. I know Peyton can take any schmoe off the street and mind-meld him into the offense after a practice or two but at some point you wonder how much you can do. The Philly game looked to be telling, but why on Earth would you count these guys out? People will be leaning heavy on New England this week but I don't buy it. I still see Peyton against that pass defense of the Patriots and shudder.

The Ravens lost a tough game on the road in a short week. This team is dangerous. When Joe Flacco doesn't sail passes they are Bangkok Dangerous. Problem is Flacco has the consistency at times of a Schizophrenic with Aspurgers. The defense is not as unassailable as in the past. The corners would be stronger if Foxworth had not gone down in the preseason. Yet, they are still a stout group. After 2000, the Ravens had some mighty good teams that never got over the hump. That is not enough to condemn a team to failure this year but the offense might be. If the offense clicks late and takes some pressure off the defense and let's them attack, the Ravens will make the Super Bowl.

The AFC West picture is foggy. The Raiders and Chiefs are 5-4 due to some ingenuity but they are prove it teams. The Chargers are right behind at 4-5 and are poised to make their late-season run. If one team can seperate they could grab a home playoff game and host either the Steelers, Patriots, Jets, or Ravens.

The Jets are winning. That is the bottom line. Like last year they are making every game an adventure of late. Unlike last year, they are winning the close contests. Some times just keep winning and you usually don't say that with the Jets but it doesn't have to dazzle you, scoring more points than the other team is a sure-fire way to come out on top. With all the attention and self-brought pressure, people are making all sorts of innane judgments about the team week to week. Some people are pointing to the will to win after beating the Browns and Lions in OT o the road. Others are not happy the team is not winning by more. To go along with 2 losses at home. As jolly as Rex Ryan is, he will keep the Jets in any game they play in January.

The best of the rest looks like Miami, Jacksonville, and Tennessee. The Dolphins beat the Titans and became a quiet 5-4 on the season. Miami certinaly has their own fate in their hands as they play both the Jets and New England but they now have their top 2 QBs on the shelf. This may stun you but Chad Pennington suffered a shoulder injury. Jacksonville did their best to give Gus Johnson an anuerism. Garrard is probably the best QB no one wants to talk about. Forget the LA talk, this season the Jags are going nowhere and will at least be the proverbial "thorn in side" for teams down the stretch. The Titans Randy Moss and Randy Moss but Jeff Fisher Randy Moss Vince Young's ankle Randy Moss.

Who can make sense out of all this. Easy answer is no one. Many will rank their teams and offer predictions but there are so many that when they land wrong no one cares or takes accountability. Why bother picking Super Bowl match-ups when the each week is so up and down. Getting a handle on the next few weeks to me is more intriguing than playing what if for the post-season. Of the 11 teams I mentioned only 6 are making the playoffs. This is the NFL of this season, a great up and down ride for the fans, and providing an illumination on the frivolous nature of dart throwing.

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The NFL's Star System Should Have Limits

Just a week after people worried that football players would be wearing skirts after "new rules" or rather new penalties were introduced, the last rule that would allegedly result in putting skirts on quarterbacks was being ignored. During the Panthers/49ers game, Carolina QB Matt Moore was hit low by a lunging defender and tweaked his knee. Moore's knee locked straight, looking eerily similar to the play that injured Carson Palmer in the playoffs (back when he was good). I was unable to find video, because well it's the Panthers and Matt Moore's not a star, but Head Coach John Fox was livid. A man more known for his clapping, gum chewing, and incorrect challenges the outward display of dismay was a refreshing site, although the referee's decision to ignore a potentially season or in Moore's case possibly career-ending (he's a free agent that has lost his starting job once this season) hit is inexcusable.

The Star System exists in sports. The Star System does not, however, have a place when player safety is in play. A hold that goes uncalled, more downfield contact allowed, or even the assumption of a penalty against another player when a star falls are all acceptable, even if unfortunate, plays where the Star System can emerge. Penalties designed expressly with safety in mind, however, should be above such a system. A player no matter how mediocre or ordinary deserves the same protection from the officials and the NFL when it comes to protection from injury. With some calls such as the horse-collar tackle the calls appear obvious and are most often correctly enforced, but a class system seems to have clearly emerged when it comes to protecting quarterbacks.

If the NFL truly cares about player safety (a whole other discussion) officials that miss calls when player safety is involved, should be fined/chastised/reprimanded publicly by the League. ESPN's mockery of a blown offensive pass interference call against Andre Johnson had a direct impact in the following weeks with Offensive PI being called more readily, even in some cases when it was unwarranted. If players can be publicly fined or suspended, the arbiters of the rules should face similar punishments when they fail in their duties to protect those same players. This public record would help to show players, fans, and fellow officials just how serious the NFL takes player safety. To implement a star system in these instances only shifts the weight to the negative in the NFL's constant balancing act between All-American and barbaric.

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Football Ruined?

Indeed, the party is ruined. No discussion has dominated sports talk more this week than the NFL dealing with severe hits to the head and how to police them. There seems to be (like most issues in this country) two factions: football traditionalists who feel the new measures will result in the pussification of America and those that feel head trauma needs to be reduced as much as possible.

I believe that you cannot truly eradicate head injuries from football. Hits and collisions will happen. The Dunta Robinson-DeSean Jackson collision as an example. In the video above James Harrison uses his head as a weapon against Josh Cribbs, knocking the ball loose. Cribbs is left on the ground while Harrison gets up and celebrates. This type of play is one that has been championed in football ever since heavy padding and helmets were no longer leather. Harrison could have used his tremendous power to tackle Cribbs on what was already a play for minimal gain, but it seems (cannot exactly say as fact) that Harrison knew if he launched his helmet as a weapon he could knock Cribbs senseless and therefore dislodge the ball. It is these type of hits that we are seeing permanent damage from in former NFL athletes.

In the second hit I do not fault Harrison as much, he is going for a forearm hit to Massaquoi to dislodge the ball and/or get a flashy hit. Massaquoi's head ducking leads to contact with the helmets. Still, what would be called for there would be a driving tackle into Massaquoi's midsection to shoulder pads. Instead, there is a culture in the NFL now to make a big "pop" of a hit, instead of the fundamental take down. People complain about the lack of fundamental play in basketball leading to turnovers and sloppy play, have you noticed a lot of horrible tackling in football lately? It's there, and it's widespread. One of the reasons is players going for a big hit and missing.

We are a bloodthirsty society, I can't deny even I like to see violence. I as much as anyone was championing the release of The Expendables. I like seeing hard hits in football, but knowing what we know now about concussions I don't like seeing head trauma. Football can still be a violent game and give fans thrills without permitting the collisions that knock players out of the game and can cause long-term damage to their lives. The "they know what they are signing up for when they play football" argument is weak. Every football player knows there are inherent risk but they play because they either like the game, like the money or both. But if you tell a player that steps can be taken to reduce the chance of brain damage and the game made safer most players would be for that. The twist is that the players think they can't play effectively if that safety precaution is taking away shots to the head.

It will be interesting to see how the NFL implements their new policy. If they do it correctly, players will not senselessly launch themselves at others as a first resort. This can be an opportunity for coaches and players to reaffirm proper tackling technique and wrapping up. James Harrison can say he is going to retire and that is fine. Take your talents somewhere else, the WWE maybe. I hear they are lax on certain employee health policies. This past weekend should be seen as an incredible teaching tool about this issue. Sometimes these hits happen suddenly (Robinson's hit), sometimes the hit is part of an ill-conceived notion that it is acceptable and celebrated (Harrison on Cribbs), and sometimes it is just plain wrong (Meriweather on Heap).

Football can and should be played without taking shots at players heads. The ignorance or blind eye turned by players and coaches is no excuse for allowing these sort of collisions. The speed and strength of the athletes will never prevent them fully, but a policy to stop a practice that could very well be more detrimental than steroids should be embraced not seen as a de-machofication of the league. But what do I know, I never played the game.

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Costly Coaching Errors Costing Teams

I am doing my best not to let this post come down as high and mighty or give the impression that I am omnipotent. I'm not going to harp on how I was once a coach, because the sport I coached was completely different from football and did not involve the split-second decisions I will be discussing. Nor am I suggesting that I could do a superior job to the men patrolling the sidelines on Saturday and Sunday. However, with all that said (which was my tribute to "I don't want to disrespect my teammates but..") there has been a multitude of mistakes made by coaches in end-of-game management this season. Perhaps coaches have always been making these errors but in the era of DVR, instant replays, and week-long second guessing they have been magnified even more. A few examples and extrapolating after the jump.



While there have been many examples to pull from, these are some that stick out from the season.

Scenario #1

I know the Packers-Bears Sunday night game took place weeks ago, but it sticks out in my mind. The Packers were driving with the game tied 17-17 when James Jones fumbled the ball on right in front of the Packers sideline to set up the winning Bears' field goal. This started a very odd chain of events. Packers coach Mike McCarthy decided to challenge the fumble. The ball clearly was fumbled and kept in-bounds by the Bears defense. McCarthy essentially tossed away a timeout. Then as the Bears drove deep into the Packers' red zone they were allowed to run down the clock to four seconds as Robbie Gould kicked the game-winner.

Scenario #2

This is from a game probably most of America did not see but I attended this past Saturday. After Rutgers stormed back with 14 fourth-quarter points to tie Army at 17. Rutgers then pinned Army deep and forced a punt. The Scarlet Knights took the ball to the 31 yard-line with no time outs and about 33 seconds left. Now they did not haphazardly lose those timeouts, they used them on Army's previous possession to stop the clock and get the ball back. From there Rutgers coach Greg Schiano ran a horribly drawn-up QB scramble to get the ball on the correct hash for his kicker. The play lost two yards so here is the ball at the 33 which makes for a 50 yard try. Did I mention this was in the New Meadowlands Stadium where the wind was blowing at a light 20 mph? Army then granted Rutgers a reprieve by calling timeout to set-up their defense. Rutgers then spends the timeout trying to figure out what to do at which point the QB misplaces his helmet and costs the team a delay of game penalty. Back another 5 yards, out of FG range. The next play by Rutgers results in an Army sack and ends any chance of winning in regulation. Rutgers did win in overtime 23-20.

Scenario # 3

South Carolina, or Sakarlina as they are becoming affectionately known as, was happily blowing the doors of Kentucky 28-10. Then the Wildcats produced a furious rally. The Gamecocks trailed 31-28 down the stretch but were able to get the ball down to Kentucky's 20 yard line. With the clock stopped at 11 seconds South Carolina called a timeout, their last one. Then, the old ball coach called in a deep pass play to go for the win. Stephen Garcia threw into double coverage, the ball was tipped and intercepted by Kentucky. Instead of a 37-yard field goal to tie the game, the game was over.

Scenario # 4

The granddaddy of them all. Much like end of the movie se7en, the conclusion of the Tennessee-LSU game will be puzzled over and studied and followed forever. With LSU driving late in the game down 14-10, this happened.



Is it saying too much that both coaching staffs lost their grip on this game? After the Vols somehow let LSU march down the entire field on them, it turned into a goal line stand. LSU decided to run the ball on 3rd down with 30 seconds and no timeouts. I guess that would be fine except they seemed to have no clue what they were doing once the play failed. They then scrambled some kind of mess onto the field and would have had the clock run out on them only their center snapped it before the clock ran out. Of course Jordan Jefferson was not prepared and the snap went into the backfield and should have ended the game. That is, until it was revealed the Vols were equally as insane in their final defensive stand. After stopping the Tigers on 3rd down, Tennessee reacted to the LSU panic by panicking themselves. They tried to match the Tigers with substitutions and got caught on the very wrong side of mathematics. They ended up having 13 players on the field after they had 3 guys run on and 3 start to run off, only to have two of those running off turnaround and run back on. What they should have done was stand pat with their personnel, or at least make sure they had 11 on. Vince Dooley was furious and indignant at the end of the game but the refs gave the Vols time to make substitutions, they just botched it. They already had goal line personnel in there, just call a defense and stand firm, LSU clearly had no idea what to do. In this case, gross incompetence was outdone by ludicrous incompetence.

Now these four examples are all different, but the theme runs the same: coaches need to be prepared for these situations. Often times the announcers and/or analysts talk about how players need to step it up at the end of halves and games. While true, the coaches need to be able to make these decisions quickly and correctly. We hear all the time about players practicing end of game situations, the two-minute drill routine. Coaches should be using these situations to put themselves in the right mind for when they arise in the games. Clearly, a lot of them are not.

In the NFL, using challenges and timeouts wisely often goes by the wayside. Coaches can be great at the X's and O's but all that can go out the window if the team is scrambling around during the final minutes and you are taking 45 seconds to make a decision that needed to be made 20 seconds ago. Poor clock management is nothing new, and Eagles fans can probably tell you all about Andy Reid and bad decisions.

In the college game, it just appears that most coaches figure they will know what to do when the time comes. There is only so much time they can work with the players each week (right Rich-Rod?) and so much devotion is paid to getting schemes right, end of game planning may go to the backburner. Ironically a lot of times a closely contested game comes down to making the right plays and calls as the clock winds down. Either through practice or prior preparation (get a laminated sheet for situations even) a coach should know what they are going to do within 5-10 seconds of a situation presenting itself. It is not an easy task, but then again neither is coaching.

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8 NFL Storylines After Week 4

I wish I could write here more often. Hell, I wish I had the ability to move things with my mind but we all don't get what we want. Even though there has been a paucity of posts it has not mean we have stopped watching sports. In fact, due to the recent acquisition of DVR in my place there has been even more viewing going on. That's right, I finally joined the rest of civilized society and it was as wonderful as I had hoped for. I've been paying attention to the baseball races winding down but of course especially on football. We're not here to give you late breaking news, just to add our perspective on some of the stories. With that said, here is a story from each division in the NFL that has grabbed attention this so far after week 4.


When your a Jet, you blow .16

I think the Braylon Edwards ordeal has helped the Jets rather than hurt them. They sit at 2-1 and atop the AFC East at the moment. All the focus in the local media shifted from Darrelle Revis' burnt hamstring and Mark Sanchez's quarterbacking to philosophical discussions on whether Edwards should have been suspended and the proper way to calculate alcohol intake. Seriously, on sports radio up here they spent more time discussing how police measure BAC and how Braylon would be more adept at handling that amount of intake than the actual games on the field. It worked. Well kind of, that just kept Jets other than Rex Ryan from having to discuss whether Braylon would be suspended.

I root against rival teams of my own but I also call it like I see it. Mark Sanchez has played well the last two weeks. The turning point came against the Patriots when the Jets were shut down in the first quarter. A chorus of boos rained down from many a bro in the stadium. At that point Brian Schottenheimer finally decided to turn Sanchez loose. Thanks to the Patriots secondary, it worked. If the Pats had held the clamps on El Sanchupaquatal, confidence would not have emerged. The offense would have remained as tight as a horsehair knot on a catapult. Amazingly I think the Pats offense was at fault for this turn of events. They were unable to sustain any drives in the second half, allowing the Jets to dominate the TOP. A big win over their division rivals invigorated the Jets and the Braylon incident dominated all headlines and questions. The joke turned out to be on the media; Edwards sat out one quarter, came in and scored a go-ahead 60-yard touchdown. Nobody cares about your moral high horses and sadly no one cares that Braylon could have easily killed someone, himself, or his two teammates. Everyone just wants to talk about him doing the Dougie in the end zone. The Jets went on to torch the Bills (not the biggest accomplishment but still) this past Sunday.

The Jets have weaknesses yes, but it appears as of now they will live up to the playoff (not willing to say Super Bowl yet) hype that they built up for themselves through their talk and HBO. Hell, LT is abusing defenders again.

Laser-Rocket Slingshot arm

I saw a lot, pretty much all, of Tennessee's 29-10 win over the Giants in week 3. What caught my eye aside from the Eli Manning Lamar from the Revenge of the Nerds-esque shotput interception and multiple personal fouls was Vince Young's delivery. I guess you can say VY bounced back from his nightmare performance against the Steelers in which Kerry Collins was exhumed to take his place. Young went 10-16 for 118 yards and a touchdown. He did not turn the ball over. However, I just can't watch him sling the ball like a wad of pizza dough and feel he is going to be a great passer in the league. This past Sunday he went up to 28 attempts and completed 17 for a very pedestrian 173 yards.

Vince Young has gone from Vick 2.0 prodigy to walking disaster to redeemed QB to game manger. His job is to keep the defense honest while Jeff Fisher runs the tires bald on Chris Johnson. Phillip Rivers will tell you unconventional throwing motions don't mean anything if you can get the ball there. Yet I don't think Vince can get the ball there consistently with the way his ball is slung out from his hand. The Titans sit at 2-2, tied with the Jags and Colts and looking up at the Texans in the AFC South. At this point you can't change Young's mechanics, and the only viable alternative is Crazy Heart himself Kerry Collins. So it is Vince's team to manage.

Men of Troy

The homeristic Hurricane fan wants me to argue that Ed Reed is the best safety of this generation. Realistically, you have to include Troy Polamalu in that category. He and Reed have been head and shoulders above the rest of the league the past few years. Reed won't return until later the season and may not even play past this year due to injuries. Polamalu is back from injury and making spectacular plays.



Pittsburgh was just supposed to hold on until Gray Dong the Magnificent returns this week but they went 3-1. They did lose a tight one to the Ravens but many thought the Ravens would put distance between them and the Steelers in the AFC North with Big Ben out. Not to go ESPN analyst on this situation but I definitely think there is a psychological edge Polamalu gives to the rest of the defense. Pass rushers and cornerbacks know he is back there keeping watch over the deep balls and he will come up and make a play in the running game. Think back to last year and how awful the Steelers defense was without him. When you talk about a guy like that, it is pretty much what the phrase MVP is supposed to mean.

Somewhere They Belong

A little divergent allusion to music for the AFC West's note. I'm not all about Linkin Park. In fact, I wouldn't even call myself a fan. I first heard of them driving to practice in college with a teammate and I was not a fan of their screaming (which they did more of in their earlier work I think) at 5:30 in the morning. Then they became much more mainstream and everyone has heard of them. Look, the transformers movies have their suck amplified by the Linkin Park themesongs, especially the 2nd one but I won't lie, I have a few of their songs on my mp3 player. When I'm at the gym, I'm the kind of mind monkey that will use a rush I get from a song to finish up a run, erg session, or lifting set strong. Sounds lame? It probably is but whatever gets the job done. A few Linkin Park songs do that for me, but 'Shadow of the Day' is not one of them. I can get pumped by 'Somewhere I Belong' and I that song came on my mix yesterday. When considering my AFC West focus which are the Chiefs, I think of Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel.

These guys both would be considered failures at their respective head coaching ventures, but damned if I don't think they know a ton about football. A lot more than you or me. It is not a new addage but some coaches are better as coordinators than head coaches. Neither of these guys are likely to run the show again but as far as implementing a game plan, they are on par with just about anyone in the league. Most people that think of the Patriots now are the way they were during their Super Bowl run. Present perception does not equal past reality. When the Patriots were winning their Super Bowls they had a dynamic pass attack that included play action and a variety of screens that was complimented by a pounding run game. When Weis left and the Pats got Moss and Welker, Josh McDaniels changed the scheme. The defense a strong up front 3-4 with linebackers capable of pass rushing or dropping into coverage and veteran secondary players. Crennel and Belichick put the clamps on teams so bad they changed the rules..I mean they emphasized rules already in place (/Polian'd). Once those players left Belichick created a new identity.

The bottom line is that the Chiefs are not the most talented team in the league, but they have a lot of potential and having those two guys guiding the offense and defense bodes well for the future.



As a Patriots fan it is my everlasting shame to be reminded of Super Bowl 42. The Patriots bid for a 4th title went up in smoke for a variety of reasons but the most painful of them was Eli Manning's desperation heave that was caught by David Tyree and his helmet. Now living in New York I get to listen to Eli on the radio. He does an interview with Michael Kay every week. Despite the fact that I think Michael Kay is a sack of crap, he does get good guests. So on my drive home from the gym yesterday I listened to the sack interview Eli.

Now Eli's interview is a good get because he is the QB of the New York Giants. The Giants beat the Bears 17-3 in a game Sunday Night that brought shame to the game of football. The Giants who have been **cliché alert** much maligned so far this year for their sloppy play sit at 2-2 and tied for the lead in the NFC East. Eli giving an interview over the phone sounds like a cross between the Waterboy and Gomer Pile. There are lot of clichés like "We need to execute" and "He's been working hard and preparing" but most of the interview is Eli saying "Uh" and "You know". When Kay asked him about the reception Tiki Barber got at the ring of honor ceremony (hint: it wasn't warm and fuzzy) Eli downplayed it. Kay tried to provoke him into a response considering the shots Tiki took at Eli in the past. Since this flustered Manning it took about 4 minutes of "Eahhh Ya know" before he said a coherent sentence. Eli of course took the high road. It is the right thing to do, when he easily could have mentioned how he got his ring while Tiki missed out or the fact Tiki has become a joke and cheated on his wife with some random college chick.

Are they who we thought they were?

The Packers are 3-1. They sit in second place only because they lost to the Bears last week. They are still the favorite to win the NFC North. Yet I am not so sure all of a sudden how much of a Super Bowl lock they are. A lot of people out there think they will make it to Dallas. So far this season they have not shown it. Aaron Rodgers is a very good QB, no debate there, but the Ryan Grant injury puts more on his shoulders that were already burdened with not much of a run game. The defense was opportunistic last year, but those chances will not always be there if they play solid teams. The team looks very shaky to me, yet all the "top" NFL teams have glaring weaknesses. Another factor that threw me off was last Sunday night against the Bears. Why did Mike McCarthy challenge that fumble late in the game? Then why didn't he allow the Bears to score to get the ball back? They were not Les Miles level mistakes but it really seems coaches spend a lot of time preparing schemes but not on split-second decisions in games. NFL and college there has been a rash of bad game management.

Letting go

The Carolina Panthers are in disarray but not complete and utter disarray. They gave the Saints everything they had, in the Superdome, following a home loss. They still sit winless and the dregs of the NFC South and it is unlikely they will move vertically in the standings for the rest of the year. The owner of the Panthers, Jerry Richardson is a loyal man. He stood by Julius Peppers and did everything he could to keep him with Carolina. He has kept with his GM Marty Hurney and coach John Fox since 2002 and there has been a lot of success but also lately, a lot of frustration. With rookie (and emu) Jimmy Clausen starting Carolina has not inspired confidence that they are going for the gold this year. They seemed resigned to their fate and that cannot create a lot of bile in the fanbase. House will be cleaned in the offseason.

Some house may be cleaned now. Dwayne Jarrett was arrested for DUI this morning. It is his second arrest for this offense in two years. Jarrett now has more DUI arrests than career touchdowns. He has one more career start than DUIs. It is hard to pinpoint what exactly went wrong with Jarrett but his lack of production on the field and repeated undisciplined actions off it mean he will not be with them much longer. It is hard to figure out why they kept him this long in the first place.

Regurgitate some opinions to sound smart

Hey! Did you hear? The NFC West is bad. No really! Nothing makes blockheads feel smarter about the NFL this year than proclaiming how horrid the NFC West is. The winner of the division might be under .500! You're not breaking new ground. You're not being insightful, you're not productively contributing to football discussion. The teams are not that good, we know, we get it, let's move on.

All that said, why not the Rams? I admit I was down on Bradford but while he has not lit the world on fire, he has inspired his team a lot more than Max Hall(?) in Arizona, Alex "tiny hands" Smith in San Fran or Hasselbeck. Usually pundits tell you to bet on the team with the best QB. In this division, it just might be....Bradford? Holy shit this division sucks.

[I give myself bonus points for avoiding discussing Vick]

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It's a Sometimes You Forget Friday

Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall took umbrage to comments made on the NFL Network about his supposed lack of effort at the end of last week's Sunday Night Football loss to the Jets. He said that one of his criticizers, Sterling Sharpe was not an elite player or a Hall of Famer. Clearly Marshall is ill informed about how good Sharpe was before injuries forced him out of the league. If only Dennis Hopper were around, he could let Marshall know about the freight train. It is inexcusable for players now to not know recent history of the game or even distant history. Pick up your iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, or what have you and google the name, stats, and career of a man before you go and insult him. Information is now more readily available to us than at any other time in our current age of civilization yet the stupidity to generalize about it remains ever present. It also never hurts to reminisce about these great Hopper NFL/referee commercials. I don't know where Hopper is now that he's no longer with us, but wherever he is I do know he's not getting caught watching the paint dry.

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Lighting a Candle for Catfish

Catfish has been hard at work making morning drives less grueling and more insightful. He's also been hunkered down in his lair creating a MASS device which will make him the most powerful NBA GM in the galaxy (outside Rigel 7 of course). As football season enters the conclusion of its first month back, Catfish has been welcomed back with two colossally bad football teams. First, we have the Carolina Panthers. We knew the team was going to be bad, but in all honesty were we really expecting this only three weeks in?

It's hard to mark down a definite win for the Panthers, and they still play the Rams and Browns. Maybe San Francisco's dumpster fire will burn brighter in week 7 for the Panthros to steal a win. Perhaps that is a bit harsh, John Fox is a solid coach, if a bit resistant to change. One thing is certain: when Saints host Carolina this Sunday I expect Charles Godfrey and the rest of the Panther defense to get lit up like a Manora. I'm sure when they return home to face the Bears the next week it will be a joy seeing Julius Peppers give maximum effort all game as Carolina struggles again on offense.

On the college side, Catfish's beloved Tar Heels have not had any easier go of it. After almost taking the opener off the silver platter Les Miles held out for them, UNC fell to Georgia Tech. They bounced back last week against Rutgers thanks in large part of the return of Bruce Carter. Carter was one of the many defensive stars the Heels had sitting out. The defense will keep improving as the year goes on and they get players back but will the offense, especially the playcalling, get in gear? They face interstate rival East Carolina this Saturday which is by no means a gimme. [Update: Yahoo not making things easier]

It can't be easy to stomach but then again I guess it is not as bad as being a Cleveland sports fan. At least they didn't name a horrible social network movie after you Catfish....oh wait.


(Emu getting crushed via)

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2010 NFL Predictions

As if the excitement college football gave us last Saturday and Monday was not enough, the NFL opens tomorrow with a rematch the NFC Championship. Favre is back, did anyone really think he was gone? The Saints look strong again, as do the Colts. Can I go back to back years picking the Super Bowl champ? Is Oakland really a darkhorse? Do these shorts make my hips look too wide? Answers to none of these and more after the break.

As always, teams listed in the division in order of finish.

AFC EAST

New England: Homerish you might say. Perhaps a little bit, but I remain convinced the Pats run is dying, not dead. As a very tan man once said, "To be the man, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, you gotta beat the man." The play-calling needs to become more balanced and diverse and a defense with very little experience will have to implement Belichick's schemes. I think the Pats barely win the division.

Miami(Wildcard): The Dolphins made some strong offensive moves in the offseason. Getting Marshall and unloading Ginn will make a world of difference in the pass possession game. Sparano will have the defense playing frisky but I can't completely trust Chad Henne...yet.

New York Jets: Moving to the state of New York was an interesting experience for a variety of reasons. The move corresponded to the Jets playoff run last year. This place is nuts for Jets. They dominate the sports talk radio, everyone is hyped on them for this year. Hard Knocks. Rex Ryan cursing. Tomlinson calf tats. El Sanchupaquatal. Revis and his horrible Dick's commercials. In the end a whole lot of sound and noise signifying a 9-7 season.



Buffalo: I know some Bills fans, and whenever the team comes into the discussion, their face curls up like someone just shat in their lemonade.


AFC NORTH

Baltimore: Baltimore has made every move they can to improve the offense. It is all right there for Joe Flacco and his plethora of wideouts. Heap may stay healthy. Ray Rice is a hoss. Can they finally ease some of the pressure off their defense, which will not be as good this year as in years past. The answer to that question varies, as does the predictions for the Ravens' finish.



Cincinnati(Wildcard): My flier pick for the year. A stupid gamble made on Carson Palmer's arm. That's why I don't gamble in real life. However Ocho, TO, and the defense will propel them to enough wins to squeak into the playoffs again. They got some breaks last year (aside from week 1) and they will again this year. I immediately regret this pick.

Pittsburgh: The Steelers foundation showed cracks last year, and the Rapey-time 4 game suspension will not only hurt them on the field but the attention will be a distraction for a team that likes to portray itself as a blue collar do-your-job team.

Cleveland: I have faith that the Browns will get to 6 or 7 wins. Cleveland sports fans have little patience or sanity left, Jake Delhomme will not endear himself to the Dog Pound.


AFC SOUTH

Indianapolis: Peyton and the Colts will put in another workman like regular season. Flaws may appear that will hurt them in the playoffs (if Bob Sanders and Gonzalez make it through the year unscathed I will raise my eyebrows in wonder) but 12+ wins and a first round bye await them.

Houston: My flier was usually spent on the Texans who burned me the past two years. They are the team of the cusp. Always on the cusp with a great offense, Schaub and Andre Johnson as an elite combination but a few tough losses short. This year I saw the trend continues and will present its evidence in week 1 where they drop another heartbreaker to Indy.

Tennessee: The Titans are counting on Vince Young to continue his play from last year. Teams will do all they can to stop Chris Johnson and Johnson will still get his yards. The Titans will right as Fisher always has them do, but another .500 season awaits.

Jacksonville: Still happy with not drafting Tebow? Those could be your jerseys flying off the shelves. Your team spotlighted on TV. Your season tickets finally being sold. I can't wait to get my hands on a LA Jags hat with a flashy yellow brim.


AFC WEST

San Diego: Choosing the Chargers in this division because of the QB. The team still has a lot of problems but I don't think anyone in the west overtakes them.

Kansas City: Chiefs will offer the most competition. Charlie Chee-burger Chee-burger and Romeo will create a decent scheme, but the players are still a little lacking.

Oakland: There are some reasons for optimism in Oaktown. The defense should be decent, offense might be somewhat competent.

Denver: Josh McDaniels dug his grave in the shape of Tebow's forceps, now he must lie in it.

NFC EAST

Dallas: Doing my fantasy draft while writing this (just not enough hours in the day). I got Tony Romo as my QB. I am willing to sacrifice my fantasy team for Romo to not play well.

Giants: This is the bizarro world where the questions lie with the Giants defense and the offense should be the strong point.

Philadelphia: Kolb says he expects boos and is ok with the boos. He will get booed.

Washington: I am fine with the McNabb acquisition and the Shanahan hire, I just don't think the mess will be mopped up in one offseason.

NFC NORTH

Green Bay: We can stop calling Aaron Rodgers underrated. Everyone knows he is a good QB now. A lot of hype on the Packers this year.


Vikings(Wildcard): No magic season this year for Favre like last year but he will still be effective and the rest of the Viking weapons will propel them to another playoff appearance.

Detroit: This team has promise, they will score a few wins against teams they are not supposed to beat.

Chicago: Cold-weather city + old defense + gunslinger at QB + Mike Martz + Lovie + misuse of Hester = the Bears are not that good this year.


NFC SOUTH

New Orleans: The Saints said something last year that stuck with me after they beat the piss out of New England on a Monday Night. They said they were trying to become New England, in terms of their success. They will find out this year it will be a tougher road when everyone is gunning for you.

Atlanta(Wildcard): There is one player who I think is the key to the Falcons success: Harry Douglas. Back from a knee injury, if he can be a solid number 2, the Atlanta offense will thrive.

Carolina: You know your team is heading for rebuilding when Dwayne Jarrett is your number 2 receiver and people are clamoring for Jimmy Clausen to start.

Tampa Bay: Early ax for Morris?


NFC WEST

San Francisco: Because there is nobody else.

Arizona: Matt Leinart need only look in the mirror. He had years to learn from Warner and Whisenhunt. Only neglect can lead you to not even getting a chance to start.

Seattle: This ain't the Pac Ten brah.

St. Louis: Here lies Sam Bradford's confidence, David Carr sent flowers.


AFC PLAYOFFS

New England over Cincinatti
San Diego over Miami
Baltimore over San Diego
Indianapolis over New England
Baltimore over Indianapolis


NFC PLAYOFFS

Dallas over Atlanta
Minnesota over San Francisco
Green Bay over Dallas
Minnesota over New Orleans
Minnesota over Green Bay


Super Bowl Pick: Minnesota over Baltimore

And the Favre coverage makes your eyes bleed...

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Shockey and Powers

K-Swiss still hanging in there, or they owned by one of the sneaker conglomerates? The funny thing here is that which guy is a parody of the other? Mind. Blown.

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It's Friday

What a week. Slammed at work (figuratively not literally) and more coming next week. Finally we get into August but instead of actual football we get inane training camp stories and the promise of injuries to players you thought were going to give your team the edge this year. This does not even factor in all those people around you excitedly discussing the new season of Jersey Shore. In recognition of these summer doldrums, we present Bill Belichick wetting down a football from an angle that appears humorous.

photo via

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Dan and Joe

Just remember the grades being given to your team's draft picks are being done by the same guys who guessed wrong on who most of those picks would be.

via KSK

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It's Friday: Special EPA Edition

While I pontificated earlier on my first-round thoughts from last night, we have a very special blog recap from our resident government agent Walter Peck, EPA 3rd district. Since yesterday was Earth Day, I figured it would be appropriate to get the perspective from such a respected bureaucrat. Walter is our not so mild mannered official who give his thoughts on everything from cancer, Erin Andrews in the desert, to Tebow's celebratory posse. If you are offended by cursing in print form, incorrect guesses, and discriminatory statements made towards religions, races, ethnicities, or sexual orientation then please do not read on. Otherwise, enjoy the fun while dickless here shuts off our blog powergrid for the week.

The EPA's live psuedo-blog on the NFL Draft...

7:28: Watching the intro I think to myself, this is thee most over hyped bunch of shit I have ever seen. And why the hell is Suh shirtless in his segment of the intro.

7:35: No mention by Berman of the RAAAAIIIIIDERS yet. At least that is a positive sign. And my God how phony is Gruden in fromt of the cameras. Never trust a ginger, that's what my mom always says.

7:37: My God, Sam Bradford's phone is gay looking. And I know that the Rams missed on their picks the last few drafts when it comes to getting a QB (i.e. missing Matt Ryan, Flacco, Sanchez to a lesser extent) but I just want to give them a pre-grats on picking Alex Smith #2.

7:49: WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!

8:27: Did Gruden just say the Raiders have a good roster with a solid nucleus. What a fucking pussy. Try telling the truth for a change you fraud. Rolando McClain!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

8:31: CJ Spiller for the Bills. Way to pick an even shittier version of Reggie Bush. And Reggie Bush is shitty.

8:50: The Chargers trade up for a RB that would have been there in the end of the 1st round. And that's why the Chargers will never win a championship.

8:53: Ahhh, the chants of Eagles Suck. Kevin Kolb doesn't suck... he's... he's... ah shit he sucks like the cancer that sucked away Jim Johnson's life. Too soon?

9:21: I just took a leak and that has been the most exciting thing to happen so far this evening. If memory serves, Erin Andrews is at Clausen's house. Do you think she decided not to blow him once he fell out of the top 10? Not a big enough signing bonus now to warrant the gravy facial.

8:57: Brandon Graham's house responds in typical black people at the movies way. What was with the 2 jews in the background? They're too young to be agents.

9:05: Random guess that Earl Thomas goes to the Steelers at 18. There secondary was really exposed last year when Hair Polamalu was out for 11 games. Nevermind Seahawks got him.

9:34: The line at the bottom of the screen claims Rex Grossman was a key loss for the Texans. Seriously, how much did that guy get paid by Grossman to type that. And as an Iowa Hawkeye hater I laugh that Baluga is still on the board.

9:39: It's Erin Andrews!!!! Look at that dick sucking lip gloss and Hooker hoop ear rings. I can just picture Clausen with his pants around his ankles with his hands up like - OMG it's Jesus Tebow. His posse looks like a reject Jersey shore group (Christian style).

9:43: My last prediction. Denver doesn't learn and picks Dez Bryant to replace Marshall. I would finish up the round but this is so boring I am gonna go do something productive like play Modern Warfare 2.

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First Round Thoughts: Jags Will Rue The Day

When the NFL announced the switch to primetime for the draft many cried foul. They wanted their lazy Saturday afternoon. Fair enough, but those who are interested enough to watch the draft still did. The league knows it is king, and when it makes moves like this it is because it knows people will watch. I realized watching the first round that now that I live in the state of New York I could have gone to the draft if I really wanted to. I just mean it was feasible. However, being surrounded by Giant and Jet fans that are drunk on overpriced drinks did not interest me. Also, the "Empire State of Mind" song needs to die a horrible death. Here is what stood out to me.

St. Louis: Sam Bradford

I do not like this pick at all. When the Rams used most of their clock time before making the pick just to keep people talking about them you know things are bad in St. Louis. They need a QB, but can Bradford fill that role? I don't think so, at least not right away. Bradford is going to be stepping right into a situation I don't think he is ready for. He is going to get somewhere around $50 million guaranteed. I hope he invests it, because I think his experience will lead to a not so lucrative contract when this one expires. Matt Stafford, who most people see as a first year starter, even had a few games to sit and watch before he got in there. With his shoulder as a question mark and his snaps from under center in college numbering few if any, this was a tremendous risk. Sure he is athletic and has a good build, but so did Kyle Boller.

One of the talking heads reported that the organization was entirely behind this move. I don't buy it. I don't buy that Steve Spagnuolo, the man who out Belichicked Belichick in Super Bowl 42, was fully behind this move. Suh was sitting there and could have made the Rams line a force to be reckon with. He can say anything he wants to the papers, I refuse to believe Spags was happy with this turn of events.

Detroit: Ndamukong Suh, Jahvid Best

The Lions had become a draft punchline second only to the Raiders during Matt Millen's time. If the play of Stafford and the enthusiasm of Jim Schwartz going after free agents was not enough to instill some hope to Lion fans, their first round should. I have every confidence that Suh will be a difference maker on the line, and Best got a lot of teams shying away because of the concussion. Best will be a great change of pace back and he will not be required to carry the full load like he did at Cal.

Seattle: Russell Okung, Earl Thomas

The surprise for the Seabirds is two-fold; people can't believe both of these players fell to them and that Carroll did not do anything crazy. I still remain skeptical about what Pete can do on the field but so far so good.

Jacksonville: Tyson Alualu

When the moving fans pack up the last of the franchise's belongings and leaves Duval County for good, it will all come back to this moment. Jack Del Rio is a good coach, he has gotten the Jags to the playoffs multiple times and last year lead them to a 7-9 record when not much was expected of them. It does not matter. You are not going to fill up the phonebox unless the team is really good, or there is some kind of angle. Like a guy who could run for lord and dictator of the state of Florida and win by a landslide coming to play for your team. This morning there might be more Bronco fans in the state of Florida than Jaguar fans. I've already stated my case on this before, but I think Jacksonville had to trade down or trade their odd pick of Alualu to get to Tebow. It is not a move that would have helped them on the football field, but it would have done incredible things for their franchise. From now until week 1, just note how much national attention will be paid to the Broncos for taking Tebow and juxtapose that with Jags coverage.

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Wednesday Links

My car is a piece of crap. The only thing that makes me angrier about this fact is that I have no one to blame about it but myself. I keep paying to get it "fixed" and then something else on it breaks. What else should I expect from a 1991 Volvo. I paid to have the engine replaced a few months ago and since then the muffler detached from the exhaust pipe and now all the coolant leaked out onto my driveway. I should have junked this thing years ago and gotten something else, like the the talking taxi from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

I'm sure you've heard Big Ben is likely getting the 4-6 game suspension. If he keeps it in his pants, it will be 4. [NFL.com]

Here is a pro-Ben take on the situation, has this all been a media frenzy based on rumors and baseless allegations? (I say no) [Ludwig]

Charles Barkley once again proving he has free reign to say what he wants, calls his studiomates A-holes. [Sportress of Blogitude]

Can Yankee fans live with themselves? [Rumors and Rants]

NFL schedule is out, here are the primetime games for the 2010 season. [Awful Announcing]

Jason Taylor is now a Jet. He was not exactly kind to New York when he was a Dolphin. [USAToday via Extra Mustard]

It's trivia Wednesday! Can you name the 50-point game scorers of the 90s? (I went 38/44) [Sporcle]


He is Vigo! You are like the buzzing of flies to him! [YBNBY]

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Links Heading Into The Weekend

A few drips dew on the vast sports interweb as we head toward a warm spring weekend. This metaphor working for you?

Al Pacino slated to play Pat Riley in an upcoming film about the "Showtime" Lakers. [Flicksided]

Shaun Rogers is a big man, with a loaded gun. [Freep]

So it turns out the ocean floor is actually just like Starship Troopers, look at this bug! [YBNBY]

A run-in with Greg Oden in Bloomington in which he conducts himself in the manner opposite of a Pittsburgh Steeler. [Rumors and Rants]

A look at Final Four MOPs that went on to become NBA greats. Miles Simon did not make the list. [Sportige]

Could Tom Izzo go to the Nets if he cuts down the nets in Indy? [Midwestsportsfans]

It's down to Seinfeld and the Simpsons in the Sitcomology title game. This is like the UNC-Kentucky of sitcom battles. [Sparty and Friends]

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Wednesday Links Returnith

Hey there, random internet link list. Haven't seen you in awhile. In between joinnig the regular American workforce and still finding quoting Dave Chappelle funny, things have been going on in what the Germans call "das interenet". Let's start things off with pure internet win(audio NSFW)...



via

Reggie Bush a Seahawk? It would give him the opportunity to cost Pete Carrol another title by pitching a dumb lateral. [Rumors and Rants]

Staying on the NFL topic, some underrated moves from Free Agency. [TBL]

It's trivia Wednesday! Honestly it kills me not to be able to play trivia at the grad every hump day. Can you name the cities that have hosted tournament games the most? [Sporcle]

Tiger returns for the Masters. Television execs at ESPN and CBS rejoice. Golf fans dance. White trash sluts pack suitcases and descend on Augusta. And some gambling site is picking him to win. [Sportress of Blogitude]

Say what you want about soccer players, they can get awfully creative when they score a goal. [Sportige]

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