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Category Archives: New England Patriots

Super Bowl XLVI is in the books!

06 Feb

What a game! I tell you one thing, the Super Bowl of the last 13 or so years have given us a lot of epic championship games. You can’t always have said that. Let’s just look at all the great games we have witnessed recently:

  1. 1999 – Super Bowl XXXIV – Rams 23 Titans 16 – Just one yard short.
  2. 2001 – Super Bowl XXXVI – Patriots 20 Rams 17 – Vinatieri for the win.
  3. 2003 – Super Bowl XXXVIII – Patriots 32 Panthers 29 – Back and forth all game long culminating in a Brady-led drive setting up the winning FG in the last seconds.
  4. 2007 – Super Bowl XLII – Giants 17 Patriots 14 – Manning to Tyree, greatest play ever, that led to game winning TD in last seconds.
  5. 2008 – Super Bowl XLIII – Steelers 27 Cardinals 23 – Cardinals win it in last minute…not so fast, Roethlisberger to Holmes with seconds left to win it.
  6. 2010 – Super Bowl XLV – Packers 31 Steelers 25 – Not really epic, but a very close game won in the last minutes.
  7. 2011 – Super Bowl XLVI – Giants 21 Patriots 17 – You just watched it!

Before those games you rarely got an epic game, let alone 7 in 13 years! As much as I have to gripe and complain about the NFL these days, this is not one of those instances. The Super Bowl has been the greatest one day sporting spectacle in the world for decades now. But, only recently has the game lived up to that hype and we are all the beneficiaries of that.

Eli Manning and the Giants came out with a bang. It was like they could do no wrong. The Giants owned the 1st quarter, leading 9-0. The Patriots did mount a drive early in the 2nd quarter but only got a field goal out of it. The Giants seemed to continue their domination of the 1st half, but could not muster any more points. I remember near the end of the 2nd quarter thinking “Wow, the Giants are dominating this game and only up 9-3, I wonder if this will be another Super Bowl XXI.” Well, right after that Brady got started. Tom Brady took the Patriots on a, Super Bowl record-tying, 96 yard drive which culminated in a Patriots touchdown giving them the halftime lead at 10-9 and what seemed like a huge momentum swing.

After M.I.A. flicked the whole world off, the Patriots went on another long drive, 79-yards to be exact, for a score and a commanding 17-9 lead. But, Eli would not let the Patriots run away with this one. While the Giants had just collapsed in back-to-back drives, Eli would then take the Giants offense on two drives ending in 2 field goals and cutting the Patriots lead to 17-15. It would stay this way for a while actually and it quickly became apparent that this was going to come down to the wire.

With 3:46 remaining in the game Eli Manning mounted an 88-yard touchdown drive that would give the Giants a 21-17 lead, after a failed 2-point conversion. But it was the 6-yard touchdown run by Ahmad Bradshaw that left everybody scratching their heads. The Patriots defense, in the most obvious way, allowed the Giants the touchdown. Bradshaw had been instructed to kneel down at the 1 to run as much time off the clock as possible. The only problem was he tried to kneel down but all of his weight, most of it in his gut, carried him over the goal line. This all resulting in what was the weirdest looking touchdown ever. Seriously, the man looked like someone had knocked him down with a Taser Gun. Just weird.

With Bradshaw’s goof, the Patriots and Tom Brady were left with 57 seconds left in the game. Time to mount another game-winning drive that has defined this quarterback and team. The only problem? Well, for the first few plays it was Brady’s receivers dropping every single ball like they were in Snoop’s music video. Brady was able to move the ball a little but not enough to make an impact. The last throw coming to a knock-down end. GAME OVER! The New York Football Giants won their 4th Super Bowl and 8th overall NFL Title. Tom Coughlin now securing his future in Canton and Eli Manning almost assuredly will be joining him. Which brings me to my last point.

Just two short months ago, every single Giant fan in the world was screaming for Tom Coughlin’s head. In fact, if it wasn’t for their run at the end of the season, the outcry would have been so loud and strong that Mara & Tisch, very conservative owners (when it comes to hiring/firing head coaches – I mean even Jim Fassel was given 7 years), would have probably had to fire Coughlin whether they wanted to or not just to settle the base down. So, it struck me odd that both Mara and Tisch would proudly spout superlatives about their fan base on the very stand they were handed the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Greatest fans ever! Most loyal fan base! Best fans in the world! Well, I would have to disagree…but even if I’m wrong on that point, what is right is that all of Giants Nation are lucky to have a head coach as good as Coughlin. In fact, they don’t deserve the success that he has brought their franchise. But, Giants fans should enjoy this one. They have now beaten the “best team of the decade” twice now, in the Super Bowl. That should count for something.

 
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Posted by on February 6, 2012 in Ahmad Bradshaw, Eli Manning, Jim Fassel, John Mara, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFL, Steve Tisch, Super Bowl, Tom Brady, Tom Coughlin

 

Super Sunday: Super Bowl XLVI

05 Feb

It has finally arrived. The game to end all games, Super Bowl XLVI. All the hype, trash talking, speculation…everything ends and nothing else matters than what takes place on the field. The New York Football Giants take on the New England Patriots. Eli Manning vs. Tom Brady. Tom Coughlin vs. Bill Belichick.

The Rematch. Even if you hate both teams you have to admit that this is going to be a great game with great games within the game. Will the Giants pass rush get to Tom Brady and if they do how will he take it? Will Eli continue to play like the elite quarterback that he has grown into this year? Will the Patriots defense play like it did in the regular season or the playoffs? Is Rob Gronkowski’s ankle ready to go? If so, where is he at physically? 70%? 85%? 100%? Will Bill Belichick tape the Giants walkthrough?

I have gone back and forth on this game. Either team that wins will be making history. If the Patriots win, they will be the first team in Super Bowl history to have a bottom 3 defense and win. If the Giants, with a 9-7 record, win, they will be the worst team (record-wise) to have won a Super Bowl. So who do you pick? Can the Giants beat the Pats twice in one season? Can they win the rematch?

Well, it’s time for me to stop asking questions and start answering them. I do believe the Giants defense gets to Tom Brady. I don’t think Gronkowski will be much of a factor because of his ankle. Eli Manning and his WR corp will shred the New England defense, while New York’s running game will wear them down. I think the Patriots defense will revert back to how it played in the regular season. Don’t count on Tom Brady having another multi-pick game but he will not be able to come through in the clutch. The game will be close and won in the final minutes. Tom Brady and Co. will put up a valiant fight and it will be another Brady-Belichick Era Patriots Super Bowl that is decided by 3 points. Giants 27 Patriots 24.

Hall-of-Fame Inductees

Jack Butler, Steelers CB (1951-59), Dermontti Dawson, Steelers C (1988-2000), Chris Doleman, Vikings, Falcons, 49ers DE/LB (1985-99), Cortez Kennedy, Seahawks DT (1990-2000), Curtis Martin, Patriots, Jets RB (1995-2005), Willie Roaf, Saints Chiefs T (1993-2005)

All of these men were chosen to enter the hallowed halls of Canton this August. Now, almost all of the 15 Finalists deserved to be in, voters can only choose for 5. Unfortunately, WR is being backlogged and some great receivers are being left out. How is Dermontti Dawson chosen over Tim Brown and Cris Carter. It’s a disgrace that some clear cut Hall-of-Famers cannot even sniff the spot…just look at how long it took Lynn Swann and Art Monk to get in. Sometimes you just have to wonder if the guys making the votes actually watch the game…or if they have a hidden agenda.

 
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Posted by on February 5, 2012 in Bill Belichick, Eli Manning, Hall-of-Fame, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFL, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLVI, Tom Brady, Tom Coughlin

 

Second Place Is Just The First Loser, Part II

04 Feb

I was reading an article by ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley and Mike Sando about the best and worst Super Bowl losers of all-time. It’s a great piece and I really suggest you all checking it out. You can click here to do that. As I was reading this I was thinking how great to re-do their list. I’m guessing you guys would have a different list than theirs and mine, too.

Yesterday, we looked at the 10 best teams to lose a Super Bowl. Click here for Part 1. Today we are looking at the 5 worst teams to lose in the Super Bowl today. Also, we will go over the 1 Super Bowl that was played on February 4th. So, let’s get crackin’.

The Flab Five: The Five Worst Teams to Grace The Super Bowl

  1. 1979 Los Angeles Rams - Until 2008 and this year, the ’79 Rams had the worst record of any team to make the Super Bowl. Just think about that. For the first 42 Super Bowls, the Rams were the only team to have gone to “the show” with a 9-7 record. That’s just bad. Then the Cardinals, and now this year’s Giants have followed up the Rams mediocrity. Now, I was about to pick one of those teams, but they have studs, the Rams didn’t. Plus, the Giants were riddled with injuries for the first 2/3s of the year. The Rams had legendary Vince Ferragamo quarterbacking the team. Actually, the only stars of the team were the Youngblood brothers. To their credit they played a great game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV. Now, look at that Super Bowl logo…beautiful…now look at the teams…beautiful…all of this in the Rose Bowl? Thank God those mediocre Rams got there, because they gave us the most eye-pleasing game the Super Bowl has seen. That’s about the best compliment I can give them.
  2. 1994 San Diego Chargers - Do you remember this game? The 49ers not only had the quickest 1st score in Super Bowl history(at that time), they also had the quickest 2nd score. Before 5 minutes expired the game was OVAH, O-V-A-H, OVAH! Seriously, the NFL should have called it right there. This Chargers team had a couple of good-great players: Junior Seau, Natrone Means…and the list stops there. Remember Stan Humphries? Yeah, this team was so overmatched going into it that even Charger fans were putting money on the Niners.
  3. 1985 New England Patriots - Tony Eason and Steve Grogan…that’s who the Patriots were bringing into battle with them against the 17-1 Chicago Bears…yeah that Bears team! This isn’t your brothers Patriots that you see today…these were your father’s Patriots. The only team in NFL history to make awesome uniforms look like clowns clothes because their play was so horrendous. Now, this team did have some talent: Irving Fryar, Andre Tippett, Craig James…heck, their head coach was none other than Hall of Famer Raymond Berry. Too bad he couldn’t have played this one for them.
  4. 2008 Arizona Cardinals - I tried Arizona, I tried…but you’re team just should not have been there. Now, this is why to many people Kurt Warner deserves to be in the Hall of Fame (I believe he should have been in even before this one). The Cardinals had talent: Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Adrian Wilson, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. So, placing them in this list was hard and they really should have won the game. Heck, Warner and Fitzgerald almost single-handedly won the game for them…but the Cardinals defense just wouldn’t let that be.
  5. 1986 Denver Broncos - I tried to pick teams that weren’t on ESPN’s list, but I just have to agree with them. Obviously, I don’t have them in the same order, but I do agree with the 5. This team…well, the 80′s Broncos were basically all John Elway. Just go back and look at those teams. Elway’s stature gets raised even higher in my opinion because he took 3 Broncos teams that were anywhere from average to bad without him, to Super Bowls. This team was just too bad on defense. They are on par with this year’s New England D…the only difference being that New England has been picking up their play as of late. 

Now we need to get to the Super Bowl that was played on this day 5 years ago. The Colts were hoping this is how they would end this year in their home stadium, but fate would have something to say about that.

February 4, 2007 – Indianapolis Colts 29, Chicago Bears 17 – Dolphin Stadium, Miami, FL - The first Super Bowl to have rain. I still believe Rhodes and Addai should have been co-MVP’s, but Manning earned that honor with 25-38 passing for 247 yards and a touchdown. It was astounding that Lovie Smith and the Bears took the ball out of Thomas Jones‘ hands, 112 yards rushing on only 15 carries, and put it in Rex Grossman’s hands. And Tony Dungy laughed. The Colts won their 2nd Super Bowl title, the first for them in Indianapolis.

Tomorrow I will do my preview and picks for Super Bowl XLVI. Enjoy Super Bowl Eve…yeah, it’s going to be a trend!

 
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Posted by on February 4, 2012 in Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Dominic Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts, Joseph Addai, Los Angeles Rams, Lovie Smith, New England Patriots, NFL, Peyton Manning, Rex Grossman, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl, Thomas Jones, Tony Dungy

 

Second Place Is Just The First Loser, Part I

03 Feb

I was reading an article by ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley and Mike Sando about the best and worst Super Bowl losers of all-time. It’s a great piece and I really suggest you all checking it out. You can click here to do that. As I was reading this I was thinking how great to re-do their list. I’m guessing you guys would have a different list than theirs and mine, too.

So, let’s look at the best teams to lose in the Super Bowl today and tomorrow we will check out the worst to grace the best game of the year. Also, we will go over the 2 Super Bowls that were played on February 3rd. So, let’s get crackin’.

The Greatest Teams to…ugh, not….Win The Super Bowl

  1. 1968 Baltimore Colts - Honestly, can anyone pick a different team. The Colts roared to a 13-1 record. The Colts then destroyed their competition in the NFL playoffs, which included the Cleveland Browns, the only team to beat them that year, 34-0. The biggest disappointment is that they had the ultimate bulletin board material in Joe Namath’s legendary guarantee. There is no greater upset that football, and maybe all sports, have ever seen as the #2 offensive and #1 defensive team went down to Broadway Joe’s Jets.
  2. 1978 Dallas Cowboys - How good was this Cowboys team? They had the #1 offense and #3 defense that year. They lost to a Pittsburgh Steelers team that had the #5 offense and #1 defense. Super Bowl XIII is considered one of the greatest Super Bowls of all-time. A team that lost to one of the best teams during arguably the greatest dynasty the NFL has ever seen has to be in this discussion. Remember, if Jackie Smith had caught that pass in the end zone, this game probably would have been won by the Cowboys.
  3. 1983 Washington Redskins - One of the greatest teams of all-time was absolutely dominated in the Super Bowl. No team in NFL history, until 1998, had a more prolific offense than this Redskins team. All I have to say is thank God I was almost 2 years old at that time. I still won’t watch Super Bowl XVIII highlights and I was too young to remember it. I don’t want to talk much more about this horrible memory as all I hear right now is John Facenda saying, “On came Marcus Allen, running with the night.” Ugh.
  4. 1969 Minnesota Vikings - How in the world did the Purple People Eater’s not win a Super Bowl? This team was the very best of those teams. This was the #1 offense and defense in the league. But, as great as the Vikings were, they ran into a greater team in the Kansas City Chiefs. And thank God the Chiefs won, because we get to enjoy beautiful clips from the man, Hank Stram. (check them out here)
  5.  2007 New England Patriots - Yeah, that’s right. What ESPN and the rest of the media were declaring “the greatest team ever” is all the way down to #5 on my list. First, teams of today would get absolutely annihilated by teams of the past. With free agency and the cap, you just can’t build teams like you used to. Go figure that the 1974 Steelers were the same team as the 1979 Steelers but there are only like 5 guys on this year’s New England Patriots that were on the field in 2007 for the Pats. So, while there is more talent throughout the NFL, it just can’t come together on one team, especially for any length of time. The 2007 Patriots were hurt by 2 things: an aging defense and an ego-maniac of a head coach. Bill, you should have stopped trying to run up the score on every team like this was college football in the 90′s and ran the ball more. Maybe, Brady would have had an extra couple of seconds to be able to make all of the throws. Just sayin’.
  6. 2001 St. Louis Rams - I have to admit, and you need to too, that I never saw this coming. The Patriots, led by a back-up QB that could barely beat out Drew Henson at Michigan, are going to beat “The Greatest Show on Turf”…and they’re playing this game on turf? Wow! But, now that we know who really won this game (can anybody say a video camera taping the Rams’ walkthroughs) is anyone surprised the best team in 2001 lost? I say the NFL destroy the Pats’ Lombardi Trophy right with the evidence they destroyed.
  7. 1990 Buffalo Bills - Poor Bills fans. They had to hear the jokes (Do you know what Bills stands for? No, what? Boy-I-Love-Losing-Super Bowls) and the teasing. But, this was one of the best teams of the 1990′s. Four Super Bowls in a row? Even the 70′s Steelers couldn’t do that…although they did win all of their four trips. Marv Levy was just out-coached. But, that is hardly a cutdown. He was facing Bill Parcells. One thing that has always gotten to me was that the Giants don’t get more credit. It is always like the Bills lost to a nobody. Has anyone seen tape of that defense? They shut down the 2-time defending champions 49ers the week before…and both Hall-of-Fame QB’s (Montana and Young) couldn’t do anything about it. The Bills shouldn’t be ashamed of losing to such a good team. The only problem was, in hindsight, this was their only shot at a ring.
  8. 1997 Green Bay Packers - Brett Favre was leading the Packers to back-to-back Super Bowl titles, just like Bart Starr had done 30 years before. Problem was, they were running into one of the last truly great teams led by an even better QB than “Mr. Retire-or not”. John Elway and Co. stole the show, but this was a very close affair. Brett Favre even had a chance to win it in the last minutes. The Packers came up just 7 points short as they had no answer for Terrell Davis, who would go on to have a 2,000 yd. season the very next year in what would be Denver’s 2nd straight title.
  9. 1973 Minnesota Vikings - I have to say I like the QB better on this Vikings team than on the ’69 team. But they were a stronger unit on the ’69 team. This Vikings team had the 2nd best defense in the league. Problem was, they were facing the #1 defense in Miami’s “No Name” Defense.
  10. 1991 Buffalo Bills - This was the 2nd best Bills team they had. They just ran into one of the best Super Bowl Championship teams. The Bills talked a big game, but when it came down to it Thurman Thomas, Jim Kelly, James Lofton, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Cornelius Bennett, Darryl Talley, Shane Conlin and Co. just couldn’t get it done on the field. You look at those Bills teams and really wonder…how in the world did they not win just 1 Super Bowl. I guess that’s why they’re on this list twice. 

Now onto the Super Bowls of the past:

February 3, 2002 – New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17 – Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA - Tom Brady led the upstart Patriots to a massive upset in one of the best Super Bowls of all-time. Adam Vinatieri became a Patron Saint in New England. Tom Brady earned MVP honors as he passed 16-27 for 145 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots mugging the Rams’ wideouts was a big reason why the Patriots were able to hold on and win this game. Also, there was something about a video camera, too. The Patriots won their 1st Super Bowl title.

February 3, 2008 – New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 – University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ - This Super Bowl is in the top 3 Super Bowls of all-time. The Giants, who barely got into the playoffs, scored a massive upset agains the 18-0 New England Patriots. Eli Manning and David Tyree gave us the greatest play in Super Bowl history. Manning earned MVP honors with 19-34 255 yards and 2 TD’s. But, it was the Giant’s D-line who were the true MVP’s as they never let Brady get in a rhythm. The Giants won their 3rd Super Bowl title.

 
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Posted by on February 3, 2012 in Adam Vinatieri, Baltimore Colts, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, David Tyree, Eli Manning, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFL, St. Louis Rams, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLII, Super Bowl XXXVI, Tom Brady, Washington Redskins

 

A little Brady, a little Roethlisberger and a little Rodgers?

01 Feb

Before we jump in the time machine and go back a few years we have some Super Bowl/Pro Bowl news to address. First, the “big” Super Bowl news right now is that Chad EightFive, yes Ochocinco in Spanish is eightfive not eighty-five, is in his first Super Bowl. Chad is what? That’s exactly what I was thinking when I flipped over to the NFL Network to watch a minute of Media Day. I had forgotten all about him this year. Weird that a “future Hall-of-Famer” was a non-factor this year. Did anyone remember that he was a Patriot and that he’ll be “playing” on Sunday? Rumors are not true, however, that he will have a celebration planned after every water break he successfully completes.

The second bit of news comes out of Green Bay where Aaron Rodgers has something to say. He was on ESPN 540 in Milwaukee yesterday and had this to say:

“I’ll be honest with you. I was a little bit disappointed. I felt like some of the guys on the NFC side embarrassed themselves.”

Wait a minute…was he talking about his Packers in the playoffs? Was he disappointed in the whole NFC side in the playoffs this year? Maybe, he has seen the future and the Giants don’t have a good game this Sunday?! Let’s look further to see:

“I was just surprised that some of the guys either didn’t want to play or when they were in there didn’t put any effort into it. I’ve always found that when you’re going that tempo, that’s when the injuries are going to happen, not if you’re going full speed. You’re more likely to get an injury standing around the pile or just going through it half-speed.”

So, what is Rodgers talking about? The Pro Bowl. I will wait to let that sink in… … … … I hear Allen Iverson saying “we’re talking about [the Pro Bowl] man, we’re talking about [the Pro Bowl]. Not the game, not the game. We’re talking about [the Pro Bowl} man.” Is Aaron serious? Has he eaten too much casu marzu?? (If you don’t know what that is, click here) I mean, this is the Pro Bowl we’re talking about. Even the fans don’t care about this game. Nobody even watches this thing. I mean, the Hawaiians are so in love with it that they don’t even fill half the stadium for this game. So why does Aaron Rodgers care so much? It’s not like Brett Favre was leading the AFC this year. Relax Aaron. You’ve got your Super Bowl ring and a promising future. But, I know the real reason why Aaron is so peeved: Not only did State Farm steal his move, but BJ Raji has it as a new dance and finally State Farm got tired of Rodger’s move and moved on to Clay Matthews’ move since he actually plays football…professionally.

Now on to the important stuff…well, at least in my opinion.

February 1, 2004 – New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29 – Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX - What looked like a lopsided affair going into the game, became an all-time classic Super Bowl. If not for John Kasay kicking the ball out of bounds on the kickoff, the Panthers probably would have won this one. But, Tom Brady, earning MVP honors, led the Pats to a Vinatieri game winning field goal (where have we seen this one before?) and the Patriots’ 2nd title in 3 years. Brady went 32-48 (Super Bowl record for completions) for 354 yards and 3 TD’s.**

February 1, 2009 – Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23 – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL - Another classic Super Bowl and even though the Cardinals lost, Kurt Warner sealed a spot in Canton. Ben Roethlisberger and Warner dueled to the very end, James Harrison had the longest play in Super Bowl history (a 100-yard INT return for a TD) and Santonio Holmes earned MVP honors with 9 catches for 131 yards and the game winning TD with just :35 seconds left. Pittsburgh had won their league leading 6th Super Bowl title and 2nd in 4 years.

** – yes, I know about the halftime show with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson…but come on…let’s cover up for the kids, alright? Save that for Skina Cinemax.

 
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Posted by on February 1, 2012 in Aaron Rodgers, Adam Vinatieri, AFC, Arizona Cardinals, Ben Roethlishberger, BJ Raji, Brett Favre, Carolina Panthers, Chad Johnson, Chad Ochocinco, Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers, James Harrison, Janet Jackson, John Kasay, Justin Timberlake, Kurt Warner, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFC, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Pro Bowl, Santonio Holmes, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLIII, Super Bowl XXXVIII, Tom Brady

 

The Power of Hate

28 Jan

hate

verb

transitive verb

1: to feel extreme enmity toward <hates his country’s enemies>

2: to have a strong aversion to : find very distasteful <hated to have to meet strangers> <hate hypocrisy>

Hate is a powerful word. Hate is a powerful emotion. You can move and motivate people on the emotion of hate. Break down the teams you love and root for in each sport. Now look at the teams you loathe, the teams you love to see fail. Was there a single person in all of God’s green earth, outside of New England, that wanted the Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII in 2007? As a fan of an NFC East team, I will tell you straight up that fans of other teams in the NFC East were moved to pull for the Giants to beat the Patriots that year. Why? Why would fans of rival teams pull for that team they would never root for in other games? Hate. Let’s be honest, anyone outside of the true Northeast absolutely hate Bill Belicheat. A lot of fans hate Tom Brady. Some fans even hated Teddy Bruschi.

People, and more specifically fans, have varied reasons to hate a player, team and/or coach. Just think of the reasons why you hate the teams you do. Think of the reasons why you hate certain players. Well, I want to focus in on one player that has gotten a lot of hate this year. Ok, so I already ruined the suspense with that picture above. So, without further adieu…….[building suspense]……let’s talk about Queen King James, a.k.a. LaBron James.

I’ve been wanting to talk about this subject for awhile but with the NFL creating daily headlines, I haven’t been able to do so. I was listening to sports radio back when the NBA season was about to ramp up and the hosts were talking about how fans of the NBA have put away their hate of LaBron James and would probably end up rooting for him this year. This got me to think, who are these jokers talking about/for? Everybody I have talked to still want him to lose. I will be honest with you all, I really liked LeBron when he first came into the league. The only negative thing I wanted to see was him fail to live up to Michael Jordan’s star. You see, I am a Chicago Bulls fan and I am a Bulls fan first and foremost because of His Airness. But, unlike many disgraceful fans who jumped off the bandwagon when MJ retired for the 2nd time (I still don’t count his years in a Wizards uniform) I stuck with the Bulls and always will. Now, I do admit that I am nowhere near as big of an NBA fan now as I was growing up. But the Lakers-Celtics “rivalry” of late and Derrick Rose have really gotten me back into the game. At least a little during the season and a lot during the playoffs.

But let’s get back to LeBron. I, just like many fans, started hating him when he rubbed it into the whole city of Cleveland’s faces when he declared on ESPN that he was “taking his talents to South Beach”. And then the guy claimed this was fine because he donated all proceeds to charity. Are you freaking kidding me? So, let me get this straight. If I got my wife, my family, her family and my mistress in the same room and declared I was taking my talents to my mistress but said it was all cool because I was going to be little Sammy’s Big Brother, that totally justifies my decision?!?! Look, LeBron had every right to leave Cleveland. I don’t think anybody blames him. But to do it on national tv and then expect everybody to just love him? Who in the name of Ben & Jerry does he think he is? And I just love how there were some former players and sports tv personalities defending this. There is a thing called etiquette. And even if you follow that, you can guarantee that the city you left will hate you. But to just think all of America will just roll with it is pretty absurd.

This brings me to the guys on the radio. My level of “hatred” towards the Queen is just as much today as it was back when he made his stupid decision. In fact, his mocking of Dirk Nowitzki being sick in the Finals last year just pissed me off more. He needs to grow up before he can be considered a true leader. I have to say, until the day he hangs it up, I will be there to cheer for him to lose. I really want him to go down in history as a great player that couldn’t hack it when it mattered…that would rather pass the ball than try to shoot the final shot for the win. Now, I’m not an idiot. I know Miami has a really good team, but it’s “anybody but Miami” for me until he declares his talents are going elsewhere. So am I correct? Am I off point? Let me know where you stand on this and if you did hate him last year, if you still feel the same way…

 
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Posted by on January 28, 2012 in Bill Belichick, Cleveland, Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, NBA, NBA Finals, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFL, Super Bowl, Teddy Bruschi, Tom Brady

 

The Road to Super Bowl XLVI

23 Jan

AFC Championship Game Recap – Patriots 23, Ravens 20

What a game! I thought for a minute that it would be extended into overtime. How does a kicker miss a 32 yard chip shot? Even though he blew it for the Ravens to head into overtime, they had 3 straight drives at the end of that game. Three chances to get into the endzone, or at the very least get a field goal to tie it up. The Ravens have no one to blame but themselves. You pick Tom Brady off 2 times in 1 game and can’t win? The defense didn’t play great, but played well enough to have won.

My analysis on Joe Flacco is pretty positive. He started off horribly but turned it around quickly and it looked like a man growing into an elite QB in this league. Outside of a really bad interception, he really played well. 22/36 306 yds. 2 td 1 int. A solid day for Flacco, but there’s one problem. They did not finish the way a championship level team does. This is the difference between the Ravens and the upper-crust of the NFL. The Patriots, though playing very subpar, showed why they are going to their 5th Super Bowl in 11 years. Just think about that…5 Super Bowls in just 11 years. Only the ’70′s Dallas Cowboys went to as many in fewer years, going to 5 in 9 years. Of course, the Patriots have already won more than those Cowboys did. The Patriots have, so far, won 3 Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) while losing 1 (XLII), while the Cowboys won 2 (VI, XII) and lost 3 (V, X, XIII). So, even if you’re rooting against the Patriots on Sunday, February 5th, at least respect what they have done for the past decade and a year. Tom Brady will have a chance to tie both Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana at the top with 4 Super Bowl titles each as starting QB’s. But, back to Joe Flacco. I think Baltimore will go into next year pretty solidly behind Joe Flacco. He showed that, while he does have some more room to grow, he is very capable of becoming an elite QB. I really think Tom Brady dodged a bullet, here. If the Ravens had taken care of business, I think it would diminish (very slightly) his resume. It wouldn’t take away from his Hall-of-Fame career but it would definitely get the media (basically ESPN) to stop acting like he’s invincible.

The Patriots will now move on to their 7th Super Bowl overall (only 1 short of a tie for most Super Bowl appearances by a team at 8 with Dallas and Pittsburgh). The Patriots, in addition to those mentioned above, lost in 1985 – Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears and in 1996 – Super Bowl XXXI to the Green Bay Packers. And now to wrap up this recap. Since, the school year is back in session I will give out my grades for each team. First the losing side. The Ravens offense receives a C+, defense receives a B+ (graded up for the 3 turnovers they caused) and the special teams a D. And now for the victors. The Patriots offense receives a B-, the defense receives a B- and the special teams an A+.

NFC Championship Game Recap – Giants 20, 49ers 17 OT

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better, in comes the NFC Championship Game. A game that was so good it just had to go into extra time. What was even better was that, just like Baltimore had a 32 yard field goal to send it into overtime, the Giants had a 31 yard field goal to win the game in OT. The difference? The Giants made their kick. But,this game was a defensive struggle throughout. I have to say, as big as Eli Manning came through, he had many passes that should have been picked off. Many of those passes where you thought Eli was trying too hard to make something happen. But, I guess that’s what happens when you throw the ball 58 times (which is one thing that disgusts me about pro football these days). On the other side of the field Alex Smith didn’t have the numbers and definitely looks like the lesser of the two quarterbacks, but he had a nice game too. He did have way too many throws at the feet of his receivers, but most of those were when he was rolling out (which is not the type of QB he is). But you definitely felt that these two teams deserved to be here and deserved a shot at the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. But it was the Giants who took advantage of it and will be playing in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII.

The real stars of this game were the defenses. Both defenses were in the faces of each quarterback all night long. The Giants didn’t shut the run game down like the 49ers did, but they definitely managed it. Outside of Vernon Davis’ 2 TD’s, the Giants D really showed up and has had a nice hot streak now. They made Alex Smith do what he just cannot do and that is throw on the run. A great game with a great ending.

I mentioned the defenses as the stars of the night, but there was one player that towered over everybody (including everyone in the AFC Championship Game too) and that was Victor Cruz. WOW! He had 115 yards before halftime. He ended with 142 yards on 10 receptions. The only thing the man didn’t do was score a touchdown, but in this defensive game it can’t be that big of a negative. I have to admit, with every Victor Cruz catch while Carlos Rogers “tried” to cover him (while looking like he truly wanted/needed help). After seeing Rogers finally learn how to catch a ball (seriously, why couldn’t he had caught JUST ONE FREAKING INT in DC?) it was with great pleasure I saw him get carved up.

Oh, yeah before I get to the grades I just have one observation. I know most of you guys won’t care about this and will probably laugh, but I thought it was kind of weird. I don’t have any photo showing it, but I noticed that what was supposed to be the NFC Championship logo (click here to see what it’s supposed to look like) became the NFL Championship. Instead of the NFC logo in the middle, they put the NFL logo. So, are they saying the true NFL Championship is between San Fran and New York? Are we going back to pre-merger days? Maybe, New England should have put the old AFL logo (or this one) in the middle of their Championship logo. Just an observation. Now for the grades. For the losing side, San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers offense receives a B, defense receives an A- and special teams a C (sorry, but I have to grade them down for that last fumble that set up the game winning field goal). For the victors, the New York Giants offense receives a B+, the defense receives an A and the special teams receive an A.

The New York Football Giants will be going back to the Super Bowl for the 2nd time in 5 years. The Giants will be making their 5th trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history. They have won 3 times (XXI, XXV, XLII) and have lost once (XXXV). Oh, and one last word to all of you Giants fans. You don’t deserve a great head coach that is Tom Coughlin but feel lucky you have him. Are you going to try and get him fired next year if you begin the season 0-3? Congrats Coughlin, if you win one more I think it’s a slam dunk into Canton for you! And you do deserve that trip, sir.

Yesterday, I posted a little request at the end of the post to pray for Joe Paterno and his family. Well, just hours after that posted we all got word that Joe Paterno had passed away. Please, continue to keep his family in your thoughts and prayers and (I should have mentioned this yesterday, too) keep those boys who Jerry Sandusky preyed upon and their families in your thoughts and prayers as they have to continue to live with the evil that happened to them.

 
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Posted by on January 23, 2012 in AFC, AFC Championship Game, AFL, Alex Smith, Baltimore Ravens, Carlos Rogers, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Eli Manning, Green Bay Packers, Joe Flacco, Joe Montana, Joe Paterno, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFC, NFC Championship Game, NFL, NFL Playoffs, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl, Terry Bradshaw, Tom Brady, Tom Coughlin, Vernon Davis, Victor Cruz

 

A disturbing trend, Part 1.

20 Jan

We all want our teams to win and we want them to win now! Is that so hard for our teams to get? Is it a bad thing to demand this? Well, there is a disturbing trend that is creeping up right now and it’s time to expose it and hopefully end it. There are two sides to this story. Each side is as much alike as they are different. Let’s look at the first one today and the second tomorrow.

First, let’s tackle what has taken place up in the Big Apple. Tom Coughlin came into New York,or should we say New Jersey, in 2004. Jim Fassel had just finished his franchise-killing 7th year. Coughlin turned a 4-win team in 2003 to an 11-win playoff team in 2005. He took the G-men to the playoffs in 4 straight years from 2005 to 2008. And yet, the whole time all we heard was “is this Coughlin’s last year?” “Coughlin has to be fired”. In 2007, Coughlin led the Giants through a remarkable playoff run and capped it off with a 17-14 Super Bowl XLII win over the 18-0 New England Patriots. Even with all of that, even with 65 wins in the 7 years leading up to this year there was nothing but talk about firing Coughlin. It was like New York had no clue as to what they had. Thankfully, the Giants made the playoffs this year despite the massive list of injuries they had all year long, despite the constant call for his firing and despite waiting until the last couple of weeks to start turning into what they could have been all year. I never doubted Tom Coughlin’s skill. Since the day they won Super Bowl XLII, I said that Coughlin was a Hall-of-Famer. The one I doubted was Eli Manning and I think the up and down play of the past few years could be contributed to Manning. Enter 2011 and Eli had his coming out party. He is the reason the Giants had 9 wins instead of 9+ losses. He put this injury-riddled team on his back all year long. But what has bothered me is the lack of respect given to a man that has made your team a consistent winner. Like I said the other day, I was watching the Giants and Packers in their playoff game last week and thought how nice it must be to have your team in the playoffs (or fighting for it) every year. Do Giants fans now get what they have? Or will the call for blood the next time they go on a 3-4 game losing streak? No one can win the Super Bowl every year, no one can win the division every year and no one can make the playoffs every year. Coughlin has done nothing but win since the beginning, he immediately transformed the Jacksonville Jaguars from start-up franchise to 2-time AFC Championship runners-up. What was his reward? Fired after their window ended without a Super Bowl. Coughlin turns a Giants franchise that had been ridden into the ground and has turned them into the 2007 World Campions, 2-time NFC East champions and now have another chance for a 2nd NFC title and maybe another world title. What is his reward? Well, I hope it’s the respect and credit that is due. New York…sit down, shut up and enjoy a Hall-of-Fame coach that walks your sidelines. It took your team 14 years to go find another one…it might be awhile before you have it this good again!

 
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Posted by on January 20, 2012 in Eli Manning, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFC Championship Game, NFL, NFL Playoffs, Super Bowl XLII, Tom Coughlin

 

NFL Playoff Recovery

16 Jan

2012 Playoff Bracket

So, the Australian Open started yesterday. Tennis season has officially started and we have so much to cover. First things first, Rafael Nadal called Roger Federer…. Have I lost anyone yet? Yeah, I feel the same way. Ok, so let me be serious. On to football…

What a day, what a day! I told you it would blow your mind away!!! So much to get to, where do we begin? First off, we have a team in the Baltimore Ravens that beat an inferior team in the Houston Texans. And when I say inferior, I mean a rookie quarterback going up against a great defense. When it came down to it, TJ Yates just couldn’t make the plays. On 4th and 1 at the Bal. 43 with :11 sec. left, Yates decided to air it out deep for the touchdown. Seriously?? No out pattern? Get the 1st down and get out of bounds? This was his 3rd pick of the day and ultimately the end of the season for him and his Texans. I told you it would come down to him and Baltimore’s defense and I was right (just in case you forgot I said that, tic). After watching this game yesterday I couldn’t help but think if Matt Schaub had been in there as the QB the Texans would have won this thing. Not to pour on Baltimore’s parade but if they want to get further than the AFC Championship Game, they are going to have to get a little more out of their offense. I still have questions as to whether or not Joe Flacco is an elite QB in this league and this game didn’t answer them. Sure, his numbers looked pretty good but if you watched the game you could tell he was not anywhere near the level he will need to be to advance any further.

Next up for the Ravens, they will head into Foxboro to face the #1 New England Patriots. Luckily for the Ravens, Bill Belicheat will not be able to tape their walk-throughs. Another plus on Baltimore’s side is that they will be playing against the 2nd worst defense in the league. Never, since the beginning of the Super Bowl-era in 1966 has a defense that has ranked that low go on to play in/win a Super Bowl. After all of the records that are falling by the wayside this playoff season, we will see if that is another one that does. Both Baltimore’s offense and New England’s defense will need to step up. Which one will? Which one won’t?

The second game yesterday was the Giants walking into Lambeau Field and embarrassing the Green Bay Packers. I have never seen a team come into Lambeau and just take it to a Green Bay team like this, well at least when Green Bay is as talented and good as this 15-1 team was. Green Bay becomes the first 15-1 team in NFL history, since they started playing 16 games in 1978, to lose in it’s first playoff game. Green Bay really never showed up. Rodgers, though he had a decent game, was never the Aaron Rodgers in the regular season. It felt like everybody on the offense had a fumble. And the defense showed why it was the worst defense in the league this year. Eli Manning showed again how great of a QB he has been this year. Here is another QB I never thought would reach the elite status but it seems that he has, especially if they so happen to win another title. Green Bay was in it because of some of the worst officiating I have ever seen until the Giants pulled away in the 4th quarter, but it never really felt like they had a chance at winning it. New York came in hot and ready to play and Green Bay was as cold and lifeless as the Lambeau turf was some 44 years ago in the Ice Bowl. I thought New York had a really good chance at winning this game but I never thought Green Bay would come out like this. Disappointing. I was hoping for another classic like we got 4 years ago in the 2007 NFC Championship Game.

Next up for the Giants, they will head to San Francisco to face the #2 San Francisco 49ers. This feels like it did 21 years ago in the 1990 NFC Championship Game. The difference, other than team talent being greater before free agency, is this time the Giants come in with an elite, Super Bowl champion quarterback and the 49ers bring in a quarterback that has done well but isn’t thought of as a great QB. We’ll see if the same fate awaits these two teams. They’ll be playing just 2 days later than exactly 21 years ago in January of 1991. Good news for me is that the Redskins won the Super Bowl the following year. Bad news is that unfortunately, I don’t believe history will repeat itself.

 
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Posted by on January 16, 2012 in Aaron Rodgers, AFC Championship Game, Baltimore Ravens, Bill Belichick, Eli Manning, Houston Texans, Ice Bowl, Joe Flacco, Lambeau Field, New England Patriots, NFC Championship, NFC Championship Game, NFL, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl, TJ Yates, Uncategorized

 

NFL Playoffs Divisional Round, Day 2

15 Jan

2012 NFL Playoff Bracket

Wow. It was the Vernon Davis Show in San Francisco yesterday and The Bum was out in full force last night in Foxboro. The 49ers-Saints game was a classic. The score was 20-14 and within a matter of 5 minutes there was a see-saw battle until the Niners came out victorious 36-32. Great game. Not so for the night cap. Tebow wasn’t around all night but the bigger story was the Patriots defense trading uniforms and playing as Denver. New England busted out of the gates and never looked back, on their way to a 45-10 blowout. Hopefully, both of today’s games resemble more of the first than the latter of last night’s games. Here are the match-ups.

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens, 1:00 on CBS - We all know the phrase “any given Sunday”. Well, this is the exception to the rule. Houston has a rookie quarterback in TJ Yates who is coming into the lion’s den. You know Ray Lewis and Co. are chomping at the bit to get a hold of him. Yes, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels will make life a little easier for the Tar Heel but mark it down, the rookie will struggle big time. This is a big boy defense and might be Ray Lewis’ last chance to get a second ring. Another thing playing against the Texans is that this will be Baltimore’s first home playoff game since 2006. M&T Bank Stadium is going to be rocking with a chance to see their Ravens at home in the post-season. Oh yeah, and then there is history…history is on the side of Baltimore, as the Ravens are 5-0 all-time versus the Texans. This would be a totally different game with Matt Schaub playing but he’s not. Yates has done a really good job filling in for the past 7 weeks but this will be the final stop. Don’t get me wrong, these are two of the top defenses in the league this year (Baltimore 3rd in pts. and yards allowed and Houston in 4th in pts. allowed while 2nd in yards allowed). This will be an all out defensive game…think LSU-Alabama Part I. Well, I think there will be a little more scoring, but is anyone sold on Joe Flacco? I think he’s a good quarterback but I don’t know if his ceiling goes any higher. Baltimore pulls away in the end. Ravens 21 Texans 12

New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers, 4:00 on FOX - Let’s be honest, outside of yesterday’s game in Foxboro-but only because of one man, this is the game everyone has been waiting for. This is old school football….or is it? Sure, we have seen many NY-GB games decide who wins/plays in the championship game. The names that have filled family’s living rooms, from Y.A. Tittle, Don Hutson, Sam Huff, Herb Adderley, Frank Gifford, Bart Starr to Lawrence Taylor, Brett Favre, Harry Carson and Reggie White. Heck, even Vince Lombardi was an offensive coordinator for the New York Football Giants under Jim Lee Howell (Tom Landry was the defensive coordinator…how sick is that?). And since we’re talking about coaches we can’t leave out Bill Parcells and Mike Holmgren. And who can forget legendary New York Giants’ QB Joe Pisarcik…I kid, I kid. These legends add an aura to this game that you just don’t get in many other match-ups. Can you imagine being in a bar watching the Saints-Lions and the dude sitting next to you saying, “Wow, this brings up memories of yore. Remember legends such as Billy Joe Hobert, Bobby Hebert, Scott Mitchell and Rusty Hilger.” I’d spit my beer out…probably all over his vintage 2002 Joey Harrington jersey! We’ve seen many mighty struggles between these two golden franchises. Most recently we saw Brett Favre try to take his Pack to the Super Bowl in what would not only be his last year as a Packer but what would become the Giants epic upset of the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. But let’s get back to this game. This match-up is between Tom Coughlin and Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning, Jason Pierre-Paul and BJ Raji. I am going to pick the upset here (don’t tell my in-laws). If New York can play man-to-man, bump-and-run defense they should be able to slow Rodgers down. Green Bay is helped out by getting Greg Jennings back. But even if this game turns into a shoot-out, I think Manning can go toe-to-toe with Green Bay. No Discount Double Check for you Mr. Rodgers. Giants 34 Packers 31

So, enjoy the games today and we’ll meet back here tomorrow to talk about what went on.

 
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Posted by on January 15, 2012 in Aaron Rodgers, Alabama, Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Baltimore Ravens, Bart Starr, Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Billy Joe Hobert, BJ Raji, Bobby Hebert, Brett Favre, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Don Hutson, Eli Manning, Frank Gifford, Green Bay Packers, Greg Jennings, Harry Carson, Herb Adderley, Houston Texans, Jason Pierre-Paul, Jim Lee Howell, Joe Flacco, Joe Pisarcik, Joey Harrington, Lawrence Taylor, LSU, M&T Bank Stadium, Matt Schaub, Mike Holmgren, Mike McCarthy, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, NFL, NFL Playoffs, North Carolina, Owen Daniels, Ray Lewis, Reggie White, Rusty Hilger, Sam Huff, San Francisco 49ers, Scott Mitchell, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLII, TJ Yates, Tom Coughlin, Tom Landry, Vernon Davis, Vince Lombardi, Y.A. Tittle

 
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