Tag: NFL (Page 9 of 10)

NFL Wrap

September 14, 2010 / DB

If I’ve learned one thing following the Colts over the past seven seasons, it’s that you don’t overreact to how they look in the preseason. They’re a well-oiled machine and will always bring it when the games matter. So pay no attention if the defense is porous, the offensive line weak, the running game non-existent. Thus my confidence in picking them to win the AFC this year.

I may have to rethink that.

That was a brutal showing Sunday in Houston. Not even my patented “take a nap when the Colts fall behind, wake up and they’re ahead” trick worked. I listened to the first quarter, then napped soundly through most of the rest of the game. From the highlights I saw and the articles I read after, I didn’t miss much.

Let’s not forget they gave up 8000 yards to Jacksonville late in the 2006 season and won the Super Bowl a month later. So one bad game doesn’t necessarily doom them.

But the big concern is the offensive line. If they can’t keep Peyton from getting hit, the Colts are not going to win. That’s the most abuse I’ve seen him take in years. In the past they’ve sacrificed run blocking to improve their pass protection when the o-line has struggled. It may take a lot more than that to get the protection where it needs to be for the offense to work.

It was just one game, though. It’s a little early to declare the Colts as we know them are dead. Still, I might be leaning towards the Patriots as AFC champs.

At least Bob Sanders got injured on the first defensive series, so we got that out of the way early.

I watched the first half of the Chiefs-Chargers game Monday. That looked pretty intense. It’s nice the rednecks at Camarohead had something to cheer about.

Perhaps the hottest NFL topic these days is the length of the season. It is clear that changing the season’s format will be a key part of the next labor agreement. I tend to agree with those who think it is a dumb idea, more because of competitive reasons than injuries. There are already some shitty games in December when teams out of the playoffs matchup. Two more weeks of games will extend that misery.

The preseason should also be addressed in this process. Here’s my proposal: three game preseason, with the first game reserved for rookies and guys deep on the depth chart. Don’t even bother running Peyton and Drew and Tony out there for a courtesy possession to justify ticket prices. Also, these games will be played in non-NFL cities for reduced ticket costs. Draft Tim Tebow? Schedule your game in Gainesville or somewhere else in northern Florida. That’ll fill 60,000 seats.

In game two, go back to NFL stadiums, limit starters to one quarter of action and cut ticket prices by 50%. Then use the final week as a full preparation game, playing starters and final cut candidates as long as each team feels necessary.

This gives every team a chance to evaluate the depth of its roster in game situations and offers the top of the rotation enough prep work to be ready for week one. It also clears a week for either extending the regular season, adding another bye week, or adding a round to the playoffs.

Easy. Do it.

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NFL Preview – We’ve Seen This Before

September 9, 2010 / DB

Another professional football season has arrived. I must log my guesses, um, picks for all to see. It is a required part of owning a blog.

AFC

East: Each year there is a team that gets too much hype, generally based on a small window of their previous season, rather than their entire body of work. Don’t the Jets feel like that team this year? They should not have made the playoffs, making it only because the Colts benched their first teamers early in the second half of week 16, then parlayed two favorable match ups into an AFC Title Game appearance. But you’d think they won 12 games and pushed the Colts the way the Packers pushed the Cowboys in ’93-94.

Don’t get me wrong, the Jets should make the playoffs. But let’s not go crazy thinking they’re an elite team before they’ve proven themselves as such.

I also think the Patriots have one more run in their old bones. I think I’ve said that before. Oh well.

NEW ENGLAND

North: The Ravens are getting a lot of love, too. They may not be the ferocious defensive team of five years ago, but they’re still pretty darn good on that side of the ball. Their offense is better, but still not elite. I’m not sure what to make of the Steelers. They have a history of rebounding from disappointing seasons, but they’re dealing with a lot of drama this year. Big Ben is either going to go nuts once he comes back, or his issues are going to tear the team apart.

BALTIMORE

South: Easiest pick in the sport. Until otherwise, we should just assume the Colts will A) win 12 games, B) win the division, and C) be challenging for home field through the playoffs. If Peyton ever gets hurt, that’s all out the window. But until then…

INDIANAPOLIS

West: Just as the Jets and Ravens are getting lots of run, people seem to be giving up on the Chargers. Sure, they were flawed last year, but when you have an elite QB and some receivers, you can go far in the NFL. Especially in this division.

SAN DIEGO

Wild Cards:
NEW YORK
PITTSBURGH

NFC

East: This division is crazy. Every team is good, each also has flaws. “Experts” like Football Outsiders, see one or two games separating the entire division. That feels about right, as does the Giants rebounding and grabbing the division.

NEW YORK

North: Isn’t just about everybody rooting against Minnesota at this point, aside form Vikings fans, of course? It’s hard to imagine them having another charmed season like they did a year ago. They’re already facing several key injuries and The Drama Queen doesn’t heal up like she used to. The Packers seem to be loaded on offense and have enough on defense to get the job done. We’re all pulling for them.

GREEN BAY

South: OK, this one is pretty easy, too. I suppose there’s a chance that New Orleans could have a big, fat hangover from last year and the Falcons could put it all together and surprise everyone. But not terribly likely.

NEW ORLEANS

West: Jeez, what’s the deal with the Wests? At least the AFC seems to have a clear leader. Who the heck do you pick in this division? I suppose the love for San Francisco makes sense when you look at the other teams in the division. Is it possible to win a division with only seven wins? That could happen here.

SAN FRANCISCO

Wild Cards:
DALLAS
PHILADELPHIA

Playoffs

Dallas over San Francisco
New York Giants over Philadelphia
Pittsburgh over San Diego
New York Jets over New England

New Orleans over New York Giants
Green Bay over Dallas
Indianapolis over New York Jets
Baltimore over Pittsburgh

New Orleans over Green Bay
Indianapolis over Baltimore

Super Bowl

Hey, a rematch! Those don’t happen very often. Will Peyton obsessing over last year make the difference, or will Payton come up with a way to keep the Colts offense off-balance? Two Dome teams playing in a semi-dome, so no advantage there. The difference will be Reggie Bush, as he spends the season reminding people he was a pretty spectacular player in college, not just some guy who was the center of the USC scandal.

NEW ORLEANS 33
INDIANAPOLIS 23

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Weekend Sports Update

October 19, 2009 / DB

Another weekend where I was super busy and I watched hardly any football. Perhaps I should just call these weekend wrap ups rather than football reviews. So we’ll knock the football out first and move on to what else I did this weekend after.

A very disappointing weekend for the Jayhawks. I was working Saturday night, so I was only home in time to see the last 20-25 minutes of the game. Because of that, I can sit here and type that the referees cost us the game. I missed the two turnovers deep in our own territory that lead to 14 CU points. I missed four of the five CU sacks. I missed the o-line sucking big time in the first half. I just saw, for the second time in four years, us lose a game because of a shitty offensive interference call. Argh. If it happened every year, I’d think we were cursed. But since there was a four-year gap between the calls, I think it’s just bad luck. Of course, both times the defender initiated contact with the KU receiver that was flagged. And you can call a pick on every pass play but save it to wipe off the potential game-winning touchdown. Whatever.

Initially I was quick to blame the defense again. After all, you give up that many points to a crappy CU team, the defense has struggled all year, it must be their fault. Turns out the defense didn’t play that poorly, and the coaching staff made some serious personnel changes, moving guys from offense – notably Bradley McDougald – inserting another true freshman to the line up, and even pulling a red shirt to get another kid on the field. So they get points for trying.

Regardless of where the blame lies, that was a shitty loss. Nebraska picks up an unexpected, bad loss earlier in the day. Missouri, playing at the same time as KU, picks up their second conference loss. The math was turning KU’s way; they just had to hold court in their north games and would likely win the division even with three losses. But they pissed that away in a way that doesn’t inspire confidence for the remainder of the season. A win at Tech is almost unimaginable now.* Seven wins seems like the ceiling now, and even that is going to take some work.

(Doesn’t it seem like Mike Leach just grabs some guy who was throwing the ball around the park, gives him a week of practice, and next thing he’s going 46-62, 500 yards, six TDs?)

But when was the last time a conference foe other than Missouri* rushed the field after beating KU in football? I guess we have that going for us. Which is nice.

* And those Mizzou fans were generally more concerned with matching the KU fans who had pulled down goalposts the year before, who were trying to match Mizzou fans from the year before, who…

My only other big football experience over the weekend was listening to the second half of the USC – Notre Dame game while driving to the soccer game I was covering Saturday evening. Don Criqui is the radio voice of the Irish, and his voice always brings back memories of Oklahoma or Nebraska playing a team from the south on New Year’s night at the Orange Bowl. I was ready to talk about his willingness to toe the party line and push Jimmy Clausen for the Heisman. It seemed like he called every pass that Clausen made “phenomenal.” It was kind of sickening. Then, when USC had the ball, every play they made was “phenomenal” as well. I guess he just likes that word.

I kind of like living in a world when Big 12 teams rush the field when they beat Kansas and Notre Dame is pleased to have hung close to a top ten team. Not as good as the last time I went to Notre Dame, when they lost to Air Force and KU won that night to go 9-0. But still pretty good.

Two quick NFL thoughts. Has there been a more popular 0-5 team in NFL history, at least to betters, than the Chiefs? I don’t bet, but even I thought about dropping some money on the Chiefs to get off the schnide over Washington. Everyone saw it coming, so is it really an upset?

Also, I did get to watch parts of the New England – Tennessee game. That was good, old fashioned football, and a fine day to break out the AFL throwbacks. Football in snow = awesome. Did I really pick Tennessee to win the division? Yikes.

OK, what did I do this weekend? Friday, I covered a state quarterfinal tennis match. It was the team I covered a couple weeks back, who happened to be the defending state champions. Because of weather conditions (cold, rainy), the matches were moved to an indoor facility. But, that meant rather than play the three singles and two doubles matches concurrently, they had to be staggered, as only three courts were available. Thus, a match that should have taken about 90 minutes lasted for nearly four hours. Even though we were inside, it wasn’t terribly warm. And the team I was covering won the first three individual matches, making the last two pointless. The next day in the state finals, one player forfeited his match when his team clinched the championship. I wish someone had done that Friday, as well.

Anyway, my team won and advanced to play the next day, where they lost to the eventual state champions. The coach can be rather prickly and it was fun to stand and wait for my turn to interview him while the reporter from a competing paper, who didn’t know the coach, asked questions. The reporter got on the coach’s nerves quickly and he began making fun of the reporter’s questions. Fortunately, I’ve interviewed the coach a few times and he must have approved of my stories, because while he was ripping the other guy, he would roll his eyes at me and give me knowing looks. The big bonus was the other reporter had no idea that there had been a lineup change due to illness, and left that out of his story. My story, on the other hand, focused on that change and what it meant for the team. I got over on the big media guys!

Saturday evening, as I said, I covered a soccer match, a regional final. Again, the same team I covered last weekend, and the same one I followed last year when they advanced to semi-state. They aren’t as strong this year, and were playing a team expected to compete for the state title. It ended up being a very exciting game, with my guys losing 2-1. After the game I interviewed one of the senior captains. He was great. He had tears in his eyes, having played his final high school soccer game, but gave me great, intelligent, useful answers. The best part was after I thanked him for his time, he thanked me and said, “Have a nice evening, Sir.” Good kid.

That’s one of my favorite parts about covering high school sports. Every now and then you’ll talk to a kid or coach that have an attitude,* but more often than not they’re very helpful and appreciative of you being there. Nearly every coach I’ve interviewed this year has thanked me for coming to the game and writing about his team. And most of the kids show that we live in a media-saturated age. They’re able to offer cogent thoughts after games, rather than just speak in cliches. Well, some of them are. I guess I do get a lot of “We’re taking it one game at a time, we’re just happy to be here, and the good Lord willing, we’ll come out on top” type answers. But it’s better than the “Ummms” and “You knows” you kind of expect from high school kids.

(I will admit one of my favorite kids to interview is a tennis player who has a serious attitude. He almost always disparages the other team in some way and comes across as very cocky and self-centered. Another reporter told me that last year, this kid pulled against his school’s football team in the state playoffs because he didn’t want them taking attention away from his team’s state title. A few weeks ago, at sectionals, I heard his teammates quietly pleased when he lost a match. At the same time, he’s a smart kid and once you get him talking, offers lots of excellent comments. If he was in college, I’d print some of his more cocky statements, but since it is high school tennis, I give him a break.)

So now we’ve come to the end, more or less, of the fall sports season. I don’t expect more than two of our schools to get through the first week of football playoffs. Most of the other sports have been eliminated. Thus, things should slow down until basketball starts in mind-November. This is the most I’ve worked during fall sports season, and I think it shows. My interviews are better. My stories are better. In football, I’ve got the stats side down. And, most importantly, the writing is coming easier. With the stat-side being easier, I can focus more on the plays within a game that I’ll need to write about, prepping my story as the game progresses. When I did a Friday football game a week ago, I had my story filed at 10:17, nearly 30 minutes before deadline and the earliest I’ve ever filed. It was probably my best football story, too. I’m hoping that confidence and comfort carry over to basketball season.

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Weekend Wrap

September 29, 2009 / DB

Weird weekend. No work, but a 3.75 hour KU game kind of messed up Saturday, and then preparations for hosting some friends Sunday afternoon/evening kind of wiped out all the day games. So this will be very heavy on KU, a healthy dose of Colts, and a few random thoughts on the other games.

KU – Southern Miss. Closer than I would have liked, but I think it’s a solid win. It’s funny how after being mediocre for most of my life, the 2007 KU season still has me a bit jaded and I’m frustrated when KU doesn’t score on each possession. There are still plenty of wrinkles to be ironed out – more consistent play from the O-line, pressure on the quarterback, receivers dropping balls – but the important thing is that KU made it through the non-conference schedule undefeated and can now focus on the true goal for this season: winning the Big 12 North.

Having seen them the last two weeks, but not having seen either Nebraska or Missouri, it’s tough to gauge just how much improvement is needed to get the 5-6 wins necessary to win the division. Getting Jake Sharp back (hopefully) in two weeks should help the offense some. Having two weeks to focus on practice and health won’t hurt, either. One of the frustrating things about college football is how coaches don’t show much early in the season. The playbook is often dramatically cut down for opponents that will struggle to keep within 30 points. Some even continue with the trimmed options until conference season begins. So you’re never really sure if you’re seeing everything your team has, or if there are still arrows in the quiver that will correct the apparent deficiencies. Missouri is probably a little better than I expected, although I didn’t expect them to drop off as much as some did. Nebraska seems about as good as I expected. It should be a fine three-way battle for the division, with the KU – Texas Tech game on Halloween incredibly important to KU’s hopes.

My annoyance of the day, other than the officials who had trouble deciding what was and was not a personal foul (going both ways), was the announcing team. Joel Meyers always annoys me with his need to either compare a KU player to an MU player (It was Kerry Meier and Chase Coffman this week), or reference a recent Mizzou game. Joel, we know you’re a proud Tiger alum. That’s cool. But chances are, unless KU is playing MU, there aren’t a whole lot of Mizzou fans tuned in. We don’t care about Blake Gabbert’s stats Friday night.

And then there’s the analyst. I’m forgetting his name, and not wasting the time looking it up, but he’s been doing Big 8/12 games forever. He’s not a bad analyst, but his overuse of the term “I can’t even tell you…” drives me bonkers. Examples: “I can’t even tell you how much time Todd Reesing had to throw on that play.” Then he proceeds to tell us, for the next 30 seconds, exactly how much time he had, going as far as counting the time off, backyard football-style. “I can’t even tell you what a big play that was.” Why not? You’re a fucking analyst that once played the game. It’s your job to tell us!

Yeah, I was a little extra cranky. The girls were driving me crazy Saturday.

I love Gale Sayers. I’d love to have a 1960s style KU jersey with his name on it. I’ve talked to people who have met Gale and say that, one-on-one, he’s a very friendly and interesting person to talk to. But for the second straight week, he offered up an atrocious interview on the KU telecast. Whatever charisma he has in individual settings is apparently lost when he gets on camera. Keep him shaking hands and asking for athletic department donations and off the broadcasts.

I love the spread offense and what it’s done for college football. Combine it with kids being more athletic these days, rules changes, and changes in scholarship limits and it’s given us a wide-open game that is exciting to watch and narrows the gap between the good and very good teams. But….these 3 1/2-4 hour games are killers. When the Colts were clicking on all cylinders a few years back, their games routinely ended well under three hours after kickoff. It is just brutal watching a game that begins at noon and you’re finally starting the lawn mower at 4:00. It also makes it difficult to watch any of the late afternoon games if you have things that need to be done.

What the hell is Purdue doing? They just called a timeout that gives Notre Dame two chances to score, rather than one, with under 40 seconds to play.

Watching the Penn State – Iowa game Saturday, I was struck by what a weird thing talent is. The Penn State quarterback is big, fast, and a fantastic athlete. But he can’t throw the ball to save his life. When he wants to go downfield, he just lobs it in the general direction of the receiver and hopes he can out jump the defense. It makes me appreciate Todd Reesing even more.

Yep, Notre Dame just scored. I’ll be eager to read the explanation for that timeout tomorrow.

Sunday

Strange that the same weekend the University of Oregon broke out their old school, normal uniforms – rather than one of the 88 combinations they can build from their standard, hideous uniforms – the Seattle Seahawks busted out perhaps the worst uniforms in NFL history. As great as the AFL throwbacks are, those putrid Seattle uniforms might cancel them out.

I’m no fan of the drama queen in Minneapolis. But that game-winning TD pass was awesome. A laser of a throw, a fantastic catch, and a better job by Greg Lewis to get both feet down. That’s one of those plays that they probably practice all the time and nev er pull off in practice, but in a game situation it just clicks. I don’t care who threw the ball, that was one for the ages.

I have a firm policy against rooting for New York teams, but these Jets are sexy. Subway Super Bowl?

Hell of a performance by the Colts Sunday night. The big play offense was clicking. The defense did a fantastic job getting pressure on Warner and containing the running game. Everyone expected a big Arizona letdown this season, but they’re still a quality team, especially at home. To do that, with tons of injuries on defense, is a sign that the Colts could well be in position to go deep into the playoffs in a year that appears to be wide-open in the AFC. Bonus points for Peyton getting his young receivers into the act consistently. If Anthony Gonzalez can come back healthy, that’s going to be one difficult to defend offense. Oh, and Donald Brown is fast.

Why did it take so long for teams to start changing their defense at the line against Peyton Manning? Oh, I guess because after two plays he’ll go no-huddle on your ass and work you over. Nice idea by Arizona, and perhaps something more teams should do at various times during the game.

Adam Vinatieri is officially washed up. He helped the Colts get a ring, which was the reason they brought him here, but dude sucks now.

As I finish this up on Monday, I’ll just comment that this Monday night game sucks as well.

The Football

September 22, 2009 / DB

An abbreviated weekend football summary. We had guests in town over the weekend, plus the late finish to the Colts’ game Monday threw things off.
Saturday was another big day. When I checked the local paper in the morning, there were no fewer than 13 interesting games set to air that day. When I say interesting, I don’t necessarily mean competitive. Tulsa-Oklahoma was interesting, for example, but I did not expect OU to have much trouble.

The first game of the day was the KU-Duke game in beautiful HD. A bit of a struggle early, but the defense adjusted, the offense found its rhythm, and I went outside to play with M., which always seems to help. A fairly easy win, after the first quarter, setting up the most interesting non-con opponent of the season: Southern Mississippi. I don’t think Southern Miss is a great team, but they can put points up. It should be a solid test going into the Big 12 season.

I didn’t see much of the late afternoon games, between kid responsibilities and getting ready for another night covering high school football. Finally I was on the right side of a blow-out. The team I covered is ranked ninth in 4A and were playing a 1A team.* My team won easily, 37-0. It wasn’t that close, to be honest. They had touchdown runs of 90, 67, and 25 yards, and had a 34 yard TD called back. Add another nine penalties on the night, and the game could have been really ugly. While not as nice as last week’s game at Lucas Oil Stadium, this game was played at the stadium of Division 3 University of Indianapolis. For being a small school, I think the stadium has the most steps at the highest pitch in order to get to the press box I’ve ever seen. I know, I know, I’m getting paid to watch and write about high school sports. Waaaaah.

<em>* Catholic school rivalries trump large class differences, apparently.</em>

I made it home in time to watch the second half of the amazing Georgia-Arkansas game. It’s nice that the SEC is playing Big 12 ball, or at least some schools are. I was working on my stats and transcribing my interviews, but it seemed like every time I looked up someone was scoring on a long touchdown pass.

Sunday. My brother-in-law who was visiting from Denver and I went to a sports bar to watch the 1:00 games. It’s the first time I remember going to a bar to watch games in two years. We mostly paid attention to the New England – New York game, but kept our eyes on everything, in between nachos and pitchers of Blue Moon. The place we went to had “smoking at the bar,” which was in no way physically separated from the rest of the place. On the rare occasions I have to be in a smoky environment, I really, really hate it. Getting married and having kids has made me soft!

Watched parts of the Cowboys-Giants game late. Remember, I’ve given up on the Cowboys so I was watching casually. I think I could have predicted everything about that game: Romo throwing picks (he really is a younger Favre!), the Dallas secondary getting burned repeatedly, and the Giants pulling out a late win. But at least Jerry has his Taj Mahal. I’ve always been indifferent about Jerry Jones, realizing he was an attention-seeking diva but appreciating the way he ran the Cowboys. I fear he’s going to ruin the NFL, though, by forcing revenue sharing and the salary cap to either be completely dropped or radically changed. The Cowboys will become the Yankees, the Redskins and Giants the Red Sox and Mets, the Steelers the Cubs, etc. and we’ll have a handful of teams that compete every year and the smaller market clubs will turn into the Royals and Nationals and Pirates. The lesson, kids, is that socialism works.

Onto Monday night. I had to juggle getting the kids to bed and a quick trip to the grocery store, so missed the first quarter and a half of the Colts game. As it stretched into the fourth quarter, I mentally drafted my summary and it went something like this:
<blockquote>Maybe the problems of last year weren’t isolated. Maybe the Colts really are aging faster than we realized and their window has closed. Vinatieri is clearly toast. The defense can’t stop anyone. The offensive line can’t protect Peyton or open holes for the running backs. Reggie Wayne faces triple coverage and Dallas Clark is the only other receiver Peyton trusts. Hey, perhaps he should occasionally throw the ball to one of his other receivers so he can learn to trust them. Maybe this really is the year the Colts go 8-8 and miss the playoffs.

Then Donald Brown busted through the line for the most physical Colts touchdown run I can remember. The defense kept it a three-point game, and then Peyton trusted one of his new receivers. Suddenly what looked like confirmation that the Colts’ best days were past became a stunning confirmation that they are still one of the most explosive, dangerous teams in the league.

We’ll see what happens next week, though. That Arizona offense is going to be a stiffer challenge for the defense.

Still 900 words. Football is grand.

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Fearless Forecasting

September 10, 2009 / DB

It’s a traditional nearly as old as the blog itself:* my annual NFL predictions post. Always entertaining, at least for me, since I hate the NFL preseason and don’t follow it, have only the barest of memory of off-season roster moves, and make most of my picks based on mental coin flips. So let’s see how my mind is working this year, shall we?

The first version of TBB launched in June 2003; my initial NFL predictions followed a couple months later.
First off, props to the NFL for giving us Pittsburgh and Tennessee on opening night. Two of my favorite coaches and two franchises that always seem to do the right thing. I despise the Steelers, but I can’t deny they run their organization the right way. Pretty solid game, 7-7 in the third as I begin this.

And now for the ### AFC:

EAST:
New England. Is there a surer pick in football? It’s kind of like picking the 49ers to win the NFC West from 87-95 or so. As long as Tom Brady stays healthy, the Pats will win the division.

NORTH: Pittsburgh. OK, maybe this one is pretty easy, too.

SOUTH: Here’s where it gets interesting. Anyone could win this division. I’ve seen the Colts picked as low as third, while others have them as the team with the best chance of making the Super Bowl. I don’t think they’re going to suffer all that much from the coaching staff changes. The running game should be better. If the defense can stop drives and get off the field, the Colts will be fine. Still, my pick is Tennessee.

WEST: San Diego. OK, this is really easy. The Chargers could have a season full of off-the-field issues and they will still run away and hide in this awful division.

WILD CARDS: Indianapolis, Baltimore

PLAYOFFS:
New England over Indianapolis. Another 10+ win season down the drain for the Colts.
Baltimore over Tennessee. Two years in a row.

San Diego over Baltimore. Baltimore remains a team you don’t want to play in the first round of the playoffs. After that…
Pittsburgh over New England. Forget the Colts and Pats, this has been a pretty terrific rivalry over the last decade as well.

San Diego over Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh runs out of gas in the fourth quarter.

NFC:

EAST: New York. There should be a channel where they show nothing but AFC South and NFC East games all year. The NFC East is the better of the two, but both divisions feature four pretty evenly matched teams.

NORTH: Chicago. Deliberately picking against the Drama Queen’s team in Minneapolis.

SOUTH: New Orleans. I guess. Carolina isn’t winning 12 games and Atlanta isn’t winning 11 games this year.

WEST: Seattle. Big bounce-back season. I kind of fear for Kurt Warner’s safety this year. He’s due for something bad to happen to him.

WILD CARDS: Philadelphia, Minnesota.

PLAYOFFS:
Philadelphia over Chicago. Michael Vick might have something to do with the result.
Minnesota over Seattle. Uh oh. Crank up the hype machine! Peterson bails out Favre by running for 225 yards and five touchdowns, balancing out Brett’s three picks.

Philadelphia over New Orleans. The Saints sit on a throne of lies.
New York over Minnesota. Favre throws two first quarter picks in his return to New York. It goes downhill from there.

New York over Philadelphia. A late field goal wins this classic.

SUPER BOWL:
We shall call it Manning Bowl, as San Diego of course drafted a petulant, young Eli Manning against his wishes and then traded him to the Giants and ended up with Phillip Rivers. That worked out ok for both teams. Steady Eli, ferocious defense, and a monster running game will lead the Giants to their second title in three years. Eli has more rings than Peyton!

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Of Pigskins And Whatnot

January 24, 2005 / DB

Some tidbits from the weekend:

I’m not sure what that was that went on in the KU-Villanova game. I do know this: that game will be looked back at as the turning point for this KU team. They’re either going to take it as a wake-up call, start performing more consistently and get past whatever off-court issues might exist within the team. Or that’s going to be the moment we look back at and say, “They were never really that good because they never recovered from that game.” I’m really hoping it’s just a matter of the team reading its preseason hype and/or thinking about the NBA too much, which can be corrected. The much vaunted toughness us KU fans were so excited about after the Georgia Tech and Kentucky games was certainly no where to be found Saturday.

Why do the haters continue to hate the Patriots? I just don’t get it. I think you can make a legitimate argument for picking the Colts last week, no matter what Bill Simmons says. In theory the Colts’ offensive scheme was the perfect way to attack the Patriots’ defense. Their collapse was predictable, though. I don’t understand how anyone outside Pittsburgh thought the Steelers had a realistic chance Sunday. A rookie quarterback who’s been in the tank for a month is really going to be effective against one of the most innovative defenses in the game? Come on. The mythology of the Patriots has probably gone a little too far, but they are a fascinating team to watch. How many teams out there with two rings still play as though they have something to prove in each game? Analysts rightly dismiss comparisons to the 49ers beyond the Brady-Montana angle, but I do think the Patriots’ coaching staff is the best combination of innovation and sheer good coaching since the Bill Walsh era ‘Niners.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m a casual watcher of football. I make my predictions based on hunches and observation more than any in-depth knowledge of the game. That said, does Jim Nantz know the first thing about football? Each time I listen to him broadcast a game, I wonder if he really understands anything about the game.

Am I the only one who thinks everyone on Pittsburgh’s defense is on steroids? It’s not their size that concerns me, it’s the out-of-control emotions even when down 21. Rage much?

As an old school Cowboys fan, I despise the Philadelphia Eagles. I hate them more than the Redskins and Giants put together. Between that and my admiration for the Patriots (helped by being a regular reader of Mr. Simmons and my brother-in-law who’s at BU giving me more interest in watching them), I think you know where my rooting interests lie next week.

RE:Johnny Carson, like a lot of kids I grew up watching Johnny when I was at my grandparents’ homes. In the days before rural cable, that was really the only late night option when visiting the sticks of western Kansas. They always thought he was funny, so I guess I did too. When I reached high school and really got into Letterman and then Arsenio, I turned my back on Johnny. He was old, out of touch, a square. In recent years, as our circle of friends has developed an appreciation for the Sinatra lounge scene, I started to wish TVLand or NBC would show old Tonight Shows. I could do without the Rich Little appearances, but there was a ton of good comedy in those shows. In turbulent times, there was always a warm, safe, comforting feel to Johnny’s show. I think Leno sucks, Letterman lost his fastball years ago, and can’t stay up to watch Conan. To say that Johnny was the master is to state the obvious. It’s too bad his style will never work on TV again. We could use a little Johnny Carson in the world today. Rest in peace.

A note for Cheers fans: The Thanksgiving Orphans should air on TV Land sometime in the next two days, unless they skip it. They’re in the middle of season five right now. Tan ‘N Wash was on last night.

The NFL Is Stupid And Other Things

November 1, 2004 / DB

The NFL is stupid. I’m doubly glad I’m not a gambler, because I would have no idea how to bet on games this season. Jacksonville beats the Chiefs and Colts, then looks awful against Houston. The Falcons look like a bad high school team against the Chiefs, then destroy Denver. Minnesota looked like a Super Bowl team, then decide to get rolled by the Giants, who got rolled by the Lions last week. Those same Lions go lose to a Dallas team that appeared to be coming apart at the seems. Parity, parity, parity. Does anyone outside Philly have that much faith in the Eagles? I didn’t think so. It’s stupid. Something needs to be done to get us back to the days when there were more 12-4 and 2-14 teams than 8-8 teams. It’s just not that exciting.
While we’re on the topic of stupidity and the NFL, did the Colts run a bunch of I-AA guys out on defense yesterday? I think Priest Holmes got at least ten yards on every carry before he was touched, and Chiefs receivers could run textbook patterns all day because they were never covered. I thought the Chiefs’ defense was atrocious against Carolina earlier this year. What the Colts did yesterday was almost criminal. That said, if Peyton doesn’t overthrow Harrison when it was tied 7-7 and Marvin had two steps on the Chiefs’ d-backs, it’s a different game. I bet Bill Simmons was pleased that Manning threw another late INT that cost his team a chance to tie or win the game with a successful on-side kick.
I’m a little late to the party, but we watched Desperate Housewives over the weekend. Consider me hooked. Eva Longoria would once have been called “D material”. Maybe she still is, I don’t know. I don’t keep up with these things anymore. Compliments to whoever brought Terri Hatcher back from the dead, too. We’ll see if I continue watching and get around one of my TV pet-peeves. I hate it when networks put good shows on Sunday nights. I’ve never been able to consistently watch something on Sundays. I remember four years ago seeing ads for this new show called Ed. I thought, “That looks great,” but the fact it was on Sundays meant I would probably never see it. Sure enough, I saw my first episode only after NBC moved it to Wednesdays. Now that I’ve got a kid and spend pretty much every night on the couch may change my ways, though.
With the election coming up tomorrow, expect some political discussion over the next 48 hours here. I’ll be sharing my election predictions tomorrow. I have put together a mix of political music that’s dominating my iTunes. I’ll share that playlist later today. And I will be taking copious notes tomorrow night and posting those Wednesday. It’s the MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND, so I think the extra coverage is warranted. If you’re sick of it all, or just not interested, check back on Thursday.

2004 NFL Preview

September 9, 2004 / DB

The NFL season has arrived! Is there anything more traditional than Thursday night football to put you in the mood for a fall full of pigskin action? Like all good bloggers, I am required to offer my picks for the coming season. To measure my track record from last year, I’ve linked to my 2003 predictions below.

AFC East: New England. After Bill Belichick and Tom Brady walk on water before tonight’s game, the rest of the league forfeits all 16 regular season games just to piss off those old bastards from the 1972 Dolphins. And because they’re deeply afraid of anyone that can walk on water.

AFC South: Indianapolis. Peyton will have the best year for any quarterback ever. Regular season, that is.

AFC North: Baltimore. Can you imagine putting B-more’s defense with the offense of the Colts or Chiefs? The possibility makes me want to go buy a PS2 and Madden so I can make it happen. Maybe they should try playing Ray Lewis at quarterback and run the option. Can you imagine him and Jamal Lewis coming around the corner together?

AFC West: Kansas City. Having Gunther Cunningham back in town almost makes me want to listen to KC talk radio again. The first time the defense gives up 500 yards in a game should provide for a full week of interesting. Can we have the Colts and Chiefs play 12 times a year just to see how many points they can score in a single game?

Wild Cards: Denver, Tennessee.
Just Missing: NY Jets, Cincinnati

Playoffs:
Denver upsets the Chiefs. Cunningham and Dick Vermeil agree to swap roles next season to finally get the team over the top. Cunningham promptly disappears without a trace.
Baltimore wins another classic over Tennessee when the defense scores three times.
New England over Denver. Tom Brady stares at the Broncos defense intensely, reminds them of the whole walking on water thing, and they refuse to touch him for the remainder of the game.
Indy over Baltimore 6-3 in triple overtime
In a surprise to no one, it snows in Foxboro for the AFC championship game. Tom Brady just smiles knowingly when asked about the change in weather (It had been sunny and in the 50s the week leading up to the game). The Pats win another sloppy game 21-17. Afterwards, the Colts complain that the Patriots had the nerve to rush Peyton Manning, and demand the rules committee force defenses to count to “three Mississippi” before crossing the line of scrimmage.

NFC East: Philly. No one else in the division is nearly as good as people think. TO is going to be brilliant in Philadelphia. I mean, he’s going to be an ok player, but the interaction between him, the fans, and the press is going to be legendary.

NFC South: Carolina. It’s tradition that I pick the most obvious team to win this division.

NFC North: Minnesota. Have you noticed how much I enjoy high-octane offenses in football?

NFC West: St. Louis. Everyone and their mother are picking Seattle. For that reason alone I think the Rams have one more great regular season in the tank. I also want to see how many of St. Louis’ “great football fans” care about the Rams anymore after the Cardinals win the World Series (Coming of course after Pedro Martinez throws eight innings of no-hit ball, takes a line drive off his skull on the first pitch of the ninth, and the Cards score nine runs off the Red Sox bullpen to erase an 8-0 deficit in game seven.)

Wild Cards: Atlanta, Seattle
Just Missing: Green Bay, New Orleans

Playoffs:
The Falcons crush the Rams by 24 in the opening round. Bill Self is seen on the Falcons sideline, leading several Rams fans to say, “That fucker just can not lose in the state of Missouri.”
Matt Hasselbeck throws 16 interceptions as Carolina beats the Seahawks.
Terrell Owens drops a pass that would have given the Eagles a first down and the opportunity to kill the clock in the fourth quarter. Michael Vick scores the game-winning touchdown on a 60-yard run. The entire city of Philadelphia spontaneously combusts after the loss.
Randy Moss runs by the Carolina defensive backs all night and the Vikings squeak by the Panthers 45-44.
The NFC championship game turns into basketball on turf. Randy Moss scores six touchdowns; four on receptions, one on a reverse, and the last on a punt return late in the fourth quarter. Michael Vick accounts for six touchdowns as well, holds on field goals and PATs, drives the bus to the game, and tapes the team’s ankles before the game. Atlanta wins 56-52.

Super Bowl:
After a terrorist threat forces the game to be played in Lawrence, KS a week later than scheduled (Paul Tagliabue, “We knew no one would attend a football game there. It seemed like the safest place to go.”), America refuses to watch the game since it aired at the same time as the season premieres of both American Idol and Survivor. “The Game That Nobody Watched” becomes an instant classic, and the 5200 fans in attendance are rewarded as Michael Vick kicks a NFL record 65-yard field goal as time expires to give Atlanta a 9-7 win.

(Please note these predictions are for entertainment purposes only. My playoff teams are all accurate, but my playoff scenarios are pure folly. Were I a betting man, I’d wager on a final four of New England, Indy, Philly, and Minnesota, with Patriots winning their third title in four years.)

What Was I Thinking?

Bill Simmons

January 16, 2004 / DB

Most of you are regular readers of ESPN’s Bill Simmons. If you’re not, you should be. Among all the regular great stuff in this week’s column, point 13a below made me fall out of my chair. It’s good to see other ’03 newlyweds are going through some of the same cohabitation issues we’re going through.

I owe you a pick. I really, really want to pick the Colts. It seems too obvious. OK, maybe they can’t play perfect offensively three straight weeks. But if Peyton only completes 50% of his passes, they still have a great chance to win. They turned the sloppy field at Arrowhead into a track; no reason they won’t be able to do the same on the frozen surface in New England, right? Here’s why I can’t pick them: 1) The defense was only marginally better than the Chiefs’ last week. Give KC two more possessions in the game, they win. It’s a defense built for the artificial turf. I see them getting pushed around, missing tackles, and being totally confused Sunday. 2) The Patriots mystique. Brady, Belichick, Boston. I think that trumps the Colts hot streak. Peyton, Marvin, and Edge are great again, but their defense lets them down. Bonus difference maker note: I’ve never lived in a city when its team was in the Super Bowl. The two football seasons we were in San Francisco, the 49ers lost to the Giants and Vikings in the playoffs. The Chiefs were 0-fer. Why should the Colts be any different?
Patriots 30 Colts 28 But if the Colts win, I’ll tell you on Monday I’m not surprised.

NFL’s conference call