2012 NFL Season Thread
As we do each year, name you team and you prediction of their record.
Philadelphia Eagles - 9-7
Calico696 
Andy Loigu 
JrzyGirl88 
Mr. Tbone Dallas - 18-1 and wins the Superbowl (didn't want to jinx them with a perfect season prediction.)
Then they repeat again in 2014 in the House of Mara.
emaxxman 
BrownEyesGuy 18 and 1 ? This isn't you emaxxman is it ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z52ymCBGhwU
Zombo 
PBM Giants 7-9 coming off a Super Bowl championship? ... I know they've never won it two years in a row, but that pass rush and Eli's knack for making big plays in the clutch should still get them into the playoffs ... I remember the Eagles knocking them off, the year after they won their "Miracle In The Desert" Super Bowl, but they had a real good record during that regular season.
I vividly recall the next day's Daily News backpage headline ... MOVE OVER BOSTON, THE NEW CITY TO HATE IS PHILADELPHIA. The Phillies won the World Series that fall after the Mets choked the playoffs away.
The Stillers... 14-2 in the regular season with losses at the Giants and at the Ravens. AFC North Champions and #1 seed in the AFC.
3-0 in the playoffs with a win over San Francisco in the Super Bowl. Stairway to Seven. Here we go...
ianimal Almost as funny as having Joe Flaccid at QB... he never seems to rise to the occasion, lol.
Andy, even though the Giants won the Super Bowl last year, they only went 9-7 in the regular season and were extremely lucky to make the playoffs at all, after starting 6-6. If not for getting lucky enough to score two TDs and block a FG in the last 5 minutes or so against Dallas, they would have finished 8-8 and been on the outside looking in.
I think 7-9 is realistic but on the low side of the range; 10-6 is probably top of the mark.
Where are you at in the NFL pick'em game? Put your sports knowledge on the line and compete against your fellow HLF'ers. Should be a piece of cake for an expert like yourself (-;
newbee If I was such an "expert" I wouldn't be covering high school games. The unpredictability of the NFL is what makes it so interesting and what makes people want to predict it. The Giants success shows that the G-men have been amazing in playoff games on the road..if you do that, then a so-so regular season record does not mean all that much ... and how did Pittsburgh lose to the Denver Tebows in the playoffs ... how the heck did that ever happen? Did anybody here pick that one? That was some shocker!! WOW.
The Ben Stiller thing was a play on words ... I have lots of respect for the Steelers, whenever they've reached the Super Bowl I've always rooted for them, going back to the Bradshaw-Swan days. A couple of my very best friends are ardent Steelers fans.
Are you ready for some football? Oh yeah! :)
For me, tonight is the kind of game that all I root for is injuries. ;-)
If Cruz is going to be dropping the football....the Giants wont even get to my 7-9....
Too much salsa, too little catching for Cruz.
I've said it before - Romo is a stellar quarterback that has had to carry a bad team. He carried the team in 1st half with his short passes - that forced the Gmen to back off a bit and that opened the running game. Garrett finally got smart and ran the ball more. Secondary looks improved. O-line was a disaster last night with penalties but considering the played against the premier pass rush of the NFL, I think only 2 sacks was pretty encouraging.
I wish the stadium would have blown up. ;-)
Best news is, everyone in my Pick 'em had NY.
Art Modell, former owner of the Ravens and undisputed holder of the title "most hated man in Cleveland" for moving the Browns to Baltimore and renaming them the Ravens, has passed away at age 87.
The goal line stand after the Romo interception was HUGE for the Cowboys and their secondary pretty much dominated the Giants receivers. Those two factors were probably the biggest deciders of the game.
They definitely need more discipline on the O-line and with the play calling; false starts and delays of game were ridiculous... BUT, I think the 'Boys have established themselves as the team to beat in NFC Least... at least for now, at this ridiculously premature stage, lol.
LeBron may have taken Art Modell's "title" away in Cleveland, but that is a tortured fan base over there ... the Ravens winning the Super Bowl five years after the move just rubbed salt into their wounds. Now LeBron wins a title (plus a gold medal) after leaving Cleveland. And, talk about having your hopes crushed, anyone who remembers "the drive" by John Elway against the Browns in that AFC title game ... an all-time classic.
The Giants have amazed me by being so mediocre at home (in front of one of the world's most loyal fan bases) but then winning on the road when their backs are against the wall, so it is too early to write them off, the way the NFL is these days.
I do think (and always have) that Romo is a better quarterback than people give him credit for. Quarterbacks need "the ring" to get respect from fans, even though the defensive coordinators know who the real good ones are when they game plan.
As jazzed as I am about the win (division away games are always important wins), I recognize it's how Dallas finishes the season that has been their downfall. I'm very optimistic this year though - the secondary was the weak link and lost many games for them. It was a strength (albeit mild) last night.
Sadly, at this point, if I was a betting man, my money would still be on the Eagles to win the division...that hopefully will change by Monday.
The Eagles went into last season also as a favorite to win it all ... seemed like they had an embarrassment of riches ... it still needs to be accomplished on the field. That's why they play the games.
Ogletree!!!! I'm getting me a new jersey. It was like watching Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman. Loved it.
Snoopy What a horrendous Eagles game yesterday. I'm and so sick of Vick. He's terrible. If he plays that way next Sunday, they need to bench him. Sigh....
RG3 looked scary good from the highlights I saw. 4 INTS for Michael Vick...I guess those MVP chants are dead for good.
I had the Buffalo defense on my FF team...Jeezus H. Christmas they were awful. So much for Mario Williams.
RG III was the Saints worst nightmare. The kid is good.
Peyton Manning showed that taking a year off hasn't hindered his ability to read defenses in the least.
Why is Vick throwing the ball 50+ times? I'd rather give McCoy 30+ carries that let Vick throw the ball that much.
Tfulp Peyton was awesome...it was just like before in charge of the game.....new team? injury?... same Payton
RG3! I am really hoping the game makes it on the NFL network so I can watch it. Go Skins. HTTR!
englishe30 You'd think the Eagles could have just pounded it down the Browns throats ... the way the Ravens do. My last NFL game in person was last December, Browns at Ravens ... never manage to get tickets when the men from Steeltown are visiting.
Clyde Potts Ravens looked impressive tonight ...how about that no-huddle offense? Ray Rice and Joe Flacco have grown up right in front of our eyes.
Flacco grew up in Camden County and played college ball at Delaware ... he developed right under the Eagles' noses.
He was the Ravens' starting QB from the day he arrived and they were patient enough to live with his growing pains. The arrival of Ray Rice from Rutgers gave an added dimension to what already was one of the league's best running games ... it carried the team while Flacco continued to learn the ways of the pro game.
Let's not get too excited over what Ugly Kid Joe was able to do against the Bungles in Week 1. He'll face a much stiffer test against the Iggles secondary this weekend.
Maybe Randall Cunningham will come out of retirement... he may not get into the Hall of Fame, but it sure was fun to watch him play.
NFL Network to put cameras in the pylons- very cool. How long until we get a camera in the ball itself!!
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/11/nfl-network-plans-to-put-cameras-in-the-pylons/
Greg Skins look like they may finally have their QB for the next 7 years. He looked really good. I have hope.
MeisterNJ With all that happened to the Saints defense during the offseason, MeisterNJ, I would temper your enthusiasm until he has a performance like that against a team that isn't in complete and total disarray. 7 years is a long time...
After 4 games we'll have a better read on where all the teams are going. The "not looking too good award" for week one would have to go to Buffalo. Getting lit up by the Jets like that?
Ravens 12-4 again. I wanted to say 13-3, but I think they'll snooze in a few games. I'm hoping they make a trip to the Superbowl because they are the only AFC team I see challenging the Patriots except maybe the Texans. I love Phillips Rivers and the Chargers but I have no faith in Norv Turner. Steelers take a small step back this year, and Bengals will be similiar to last year. Maybe the Broncos with Peyton have a shot, not sure yet. Dont know about the Jets yet, but I think they can go to the playoffs for a game and then go home. In the NFC, these 49ers might be as good as anyone. Who challenges them? Maybe the Falcons? Could this be their big year to leap? Or do the Giants get hot again Or the Bears live up to hype? I love Aaron Rodgers but the Packers defense stinks, that will catch up to him in the playoffs. Drew Brees and the Saints, ditto - and for them, that'll be if they make the playoffs. Not buying that Cowboys are legit, they'll have a strong run and peter out towards the end. Lions ... Nah, 8-8 or 9-7, don't expect them in the playoffs this year. Same for the Eagles, good talent, but defenses have figured out Vick (or simply just remembered what they found out in Atlanta). Washington makes me curious but Robert Griffin is really young and Mike Shanahan is a lunatic, so buyers beware.
Stuntman2006 I didn't see the Patriots game - I heard they looked really good. I have to say, if the Ravens play like that the rest of the year, I can see the AFC championship being a rematch of Pats/Ravens.
The 49'ers look amazing.
I picked the Ravens to be 11-5 because they do have an out of sync game here and there. They struggle on the road, look like the Joe Montana 49ers at home. A missed field goal kept them out of the Super Bowl last year ... would have liked to see a repeat of the Jan. 2001 Super Bowl ... but it didn't happen.
THE TEAM is those 49ers ... if they have improved quarterback play that team will be lethal. Green Bay may not have the magic this year, if their opener was any indication ... you should be SKY HIGH when you open at home.
These are good times for all the sports teams in the Baltimore-DC corridor with the exception of the Wizards (nobody in H-town seems to care about the NBA anyway) as for Griffin, you have to expect highs and lows with a talented rookie ... Flacco had the luxury of having a strong line and a running game ... a lot of rookies get thrown to the wolves with leaky protection.
I like the way the Ravens have drafted once they committed to Flacco for the long haul. They didn't do any crazy "trade up" moves ... were just content to draft the strongest guard left in the draft ... the strongest center ... the strongest fullback ... positions that make the quarterback's life easier.
"a lot of rookies get thrown to the wolves with leaky protection." - Andy
Uh huh, remember David Carr. I felt so sorry for that poor dude. I think he had a black eye every week. LOL
David Carr is a perfect example of how the odds are stacked against the no. 1 overall draft pick. There's a reason why a team has that pick...unless you're the Redskins or Saints and mortgage your entire draft for the one pick.
Haha well, Alex Smith could be an example too. A lot of bad coaching and not a of help on offense for him until these last seasons.
Just like the world in general, some bosses are good and get the best out of people while most are rat excrement.
Giants mortgaged their draft to get Eli. That seems to have worked out well, emaxxman. Can't put enough value on a franchise qb. Fireman Dan Snyder hopefully is learning. Seems like it with leaving the Shanahans to run things. Kinda like George Steinbrenner learned to trust his baseball people. I can only hope.
MNJ - you missed my point. A team like the Giants and Redskins, who mortgage their draft to move up to get the #1 pick, have some pluses and are possibly missing only "some" pieces. I don't remember the state of the Giants but for the Redskins, they have a good defense and a good running game (Hightower was pretty good last year before his ACL tear.) Adding RG3 makes them closer to a complete team.
Juxtapose that with Tampa Bay (Testeverde), Indy (Luck) or Houston (Carr). These teams had/have gaping holes that still need to be filled and the odds were/are against the QB's.
Eagles are 2-0 with a pair of one-point wins, despite a boatload of turnovers. Their defense showed me something by turning away the Ravens when all they needed was to get into position for a game-winning field goal by their rookie with a cannon disguised as a foot.
Bad officiating hurt both teams, so it is no excuse for the Ravens' loss. A few calls that went against the Eagles were really beyond ridiculous.
You get what you pay for, when are we getting professional referees back?
Eagles had a statement win today IMO, even though it was only by one point. Turnovers will be the death of this team. They need to do much better there.
Bad officiating put players at risk, elevated tension and aggression in games where illegal hits were not being called and affected game outcomes - NFL corporate seems to think they are too big to negotiate, enough already - they should be ashamed of themselves, we are talking providing full time employment at a decent rate of pay for about two hundred guys - very frustrating
pmnsk A decent rate of pay? The MINIMUM salary for these guys is $78,000 per year. At MOST they will officiate 17 games over the course of a regular season. That works out to a minimum of $4,600 per weekend that they officiate. Many of them make much more than that. Sign me up...
The Ravens have been winning for the last decade by taking the ball away from the other team and capitalizing.
The Eagles overcame a lot to win yesterday's game, they showed themselves to be very resilient. They'll be in the mix this year.
ianimal, if you can do better than the guys I watched yesterday, contact the NFL office ASAP and get on the field. They might want you to do a couple of high school or college games first on a trial basis, though.
Terrible weekend! My "pick'em" picks were horrendous, I benched Eli in favor of Matt Shaub on my FF team, and Dallas lost. Worst of all, I have to hear about how great Eli is and how he came through once again the 4th quarter --- with no mention of the fact that it was his fault that his team was in the hole that it was.
...and let's not forget that the regular unionized officials botch calls all the time. Don't feel sorry for the refs, feel sorry for the people in the NFL offices (regular office staff) that were laid off due to the recession despite the fact that the NFL is making more and more money each year.
This weekend really shook things up. Cardinals beat the Patriots (what's up with Welker?); Seachickens DOMINATE dem Cowboys; the RAID-AHS fall to 0-2 after getting embarrassed in South Beach; Carolina drops Who Dey to 0-2... the Saints really miss Sean Payton, methinks; the G-Men barely avoid the huge upset at home to Rutgers. Whew... I'm exhausted and there's still what should be a pretty good game tonight.
If the Eagles can start hanging onto the ball, they will be very dangerous indeed.
Flacco and Sanchez come back to earth in a big way; when do the Tebow chants start in East Rutherford? I knew UKJ would struggle somewhat vs the Iggles secondary, but 22-42 for only 232 yards? That's an abysmal 5.5 yards per attempt on barely 50% completions. Not gonna cut it in the NFL. I expect him to bounce back against the Patriots, though. Sanchez should find the going easier down in Miami as well.
After a slow start, the Steelers defense really picked it up yesterday. Having Ryan Clark back there really helped. He is the fuel that makes that defense run; way more important to LeBeau's schemes than Polamalu even. If and when we get Harrison and Polamalu back on the field, we should be in good shape. Ben looked great yesterday... 24-31 for 275 and 2 TDs without a pick. the running game is still suspect though... the O-Line is just not moving guys off the ball. Hopefully, that aspect will improve.
RGIII continues to impress; the Rams have a pretty decent defense and he did very well against them. I expect him to put up big numbers once again against Cincy in his home opener next weekend. FedEx Field should be ROCKING. The scheduling gods were kind to him; that's for sure. He could face his first real test in Tampa in two weeks (if the Tampa defense from the first half yesterday shows up and not the one from the 4th quarter...); he faces Atlanta the following week at home followed by Minnesota. They could easily be 4-2 when his first division game comes at the Giants on October 21st.
Seachickens, lol, sounding like Steve Summers, schmoozing on WFAN ... when the Cowboys have a bad year there is a guy in Dallas who calls them the Cowchips.
Anyone know what channel the Giants game will be on Thursday night? I know it's an NFL network game, but I thought they had to locally televise it also...
BTW, Greg Schiano is a dirtbag until proven otherwise. As a Dallas fan, I'll state it was a cheap shot and poor sportsmanship on that last play. Schiano tries to portray a good image with signing Eric Legrand for a day and then pulls a stupid stunt like yesterday.
He's an even bigger jerk because he tried to provide some phony reason (like Suh did when he stomped on the Packer.) Admit you f'd up and be responsible like you tell your players to.
If Coughlin ran the score up on Schiano, Schiano would be bitchin' about it. Coughlin would never do that though because he's a class act.
----------
And for the love of God...someone please send Felix Jones back to Arkansas!
Actually didn't Cablevision drop channel 11? I don't care anymore because I finally got the NFL network back (when I moved to Lk Hopatcong we got Cablevision).
Bryan The Thursday night Giants game will be aired locally solely on Channel 11 as far as I know. Cablevision customers may be SOL...
emaxx - I'm not sure I entirely agree. It was a close game 4th quarter and Schiano legitimately thought that if he could get the ball back into Freeman's hands, they had a chance at pulling off a last second upset win over Giants.
Quite frankly, I like seeing teams play to the very end. I think it shows more sportsmanship to play til the clock strikes 0 rather than waste up to a minute and a half just "kneeing" the ball. It goes against the convention of the game. Why not make a last second effort to get the ball back? As we all know, anything can happen at any point and all it takes is a bad snap or a fumble to get the ball back into the right hands.
I was annoyed the Giants didn't play harder against the Cowboys in the first half. They were down and should have played the last 2 minutes like it was the last 2 minutes of the entire game. As a Giants fan, I'm not sure Coughlin takes the clock serious enough, only when "he" thinks it matters...
Computer Sharp 5 seconds left....itwas a bush league play. Totally uncalled for. how about next time they have a LB leap over the pile and spear the QB before he is able to get a knee down?
Win with class, lose with class.
darwin "You've got to protect your flank. You've got to protect your quarterback." -- Mike Francessa
Antonio Pierce was on ESPN Radio this afternoon and said that he was on a Tom Coughlin coached Giants team that did exactly the same thing at the end of a game, so the Constipated Leprechaun is a bit of a hypocrite. I also hate when Eli starts whining; he starts to sound like his brother when he does.
The game is 60 minutes long, not 59:55. If you want to stop playing with 5 seconds to go, that's on you. Don't assume the guy lined up across from you has the same lack of work ethic. Stranger things have happened and the QB-center exchange is never a sure thing. Recover the fumble and maybe you have a second left to try a Hail Mary.
On Nov. 19, 1978 the Giants led the Eagles by four points and had the ball with time for just one more snap, the ball was fumbled, Herman Edwards scooped up the ball and ran with it into the end zone for an Eagles win. I'll never forget the screaming announcer "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT ... I CAN'T BELIEVE IT."
They called it the Miracle of the Meadowlands ... if I can find it on You Tube, I'll post it. It isn't over, until it is O-V-E-R.
The first Miracle at the Meadowlands -- you play to win the game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-FI28rJamY&feature=related
Here's the Miracle at the New Meadowlands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCkijY_haQU
Yes but that was on a running play not on a kneel down where there is no possibility of fumble. They dove at the knees of the lineman. If the offensive players did that on a kneel down to the defense there would be a fight. It's about respect. The giants kneel down right before the half with 20sec left but the bucs didn't do it then, they just did it at the end cause they were pissed they lost. So bad
Justspeakinthetruth Andy - Thanks for the links. I remember both miracles very fondly. :)
Not only do you play to win the game, but you have to put your name on it. ;-)
No possibility of a fumble on a kneel down? There's a possibility of a fumble every time the ball is snapped. Play to the whistle and protect yourself at all times. The play isn't over until the QB's knee actually touches the ground. Any contact after that is a foul; any contact BEFORE that is called football.
Orakpo and DE Carriker out for the season. Washington defense just took a hit.
Dallas safeties (just when the fans thought the porous safety issues were going to be resolved) are banged up and may not play this week in the home opener.
Wow ... there are people out there who think there is no possibility of a fumble on a kneel down .. the ball still has to pass from the center's hands into the quarterback's hands and he has to have the ball in his possession as he kneels down ... when your team is just a touchdown down and there is still time left on the clock ... you try to disrupt that.
That's the key ... Tampa still had a shot at winning the game ... you play to win the game... you play to win the game. I've admired clutch Giant wins in the past, but they are cry-babies on this one. Good for Schiano, doing everything possible within the rules to try to win. Did the NFL fine the Bucs? No. Case closed.
Andy.., u are flat out wrong on this.. U have 59 min to coach ur team and u wait until there is 5 seconds left to coach them to bum rush manning??? Where was that coaching that rush when they let the giants go off for 25 points in the 4th, and 243 yards alone in the 4th. That was a showboat move by schiano to how he can coach every play.. Not to mention this, Eli said theres nothing wron with firing of the ball to try to cause the fumble but him and the linemen all said they were diving at knees, that's not trying to fumble the ball that's trying to hurt the other guy, even the bucs never denied going at the knees of the linemen. That play is disgusting. Btw you don't think schiano would react the same way if the situation was reversed???? Tom has ever right to be upset, good for him. And good for him for letting schiano know you dont do that in the nfl. And about the nfl, if they cared about football, they would pay these real officials cause these replacement ones are horrible but the nfl just doesn't care.
Sounds like a partisan Giants fan ... no objectivity. You play to win the game. You can't relax for a second on the field or you could have your head taken off ... I was taught that at the tender age of 14.
I've seen guys go slam the punter, when he wanted nothing to do with making a tackle, simply to let him know ... you're on the field, you're a football player.
It's a rough game played by rough men ... that's why millions of people watch.
If you play to win, then why didn't they take their last timeout and try it again? I'm not even a Giants fan.
Suraci Suraci .. Has a great point Andy.. Why not try it again with a timeout, or like I said before Half time the giants did a kneel down and bucs did nothing, if they are taught to do it on every play why not that one? Again they only did it cause they were mad and tried hurting other players. And to tell u the truth andy, I'm actually a die hard eagles fan but I respect manning and coughlin. So I do have objectivity, but I see you try to use that as an excuse for all the points I bring up. What schiano did was an embarrassment to football, the bucs, rutgers and himself. U don't do that period. I played in high school and when they knew a kneel down was coming the refs told us on defense alright there kneeling it so everyone just chill..
What Schiano did was an embarrassment to no one but the NYG offensive line, who got caught slacking and not doing their jobs.
How many times do you see QBs running the victory formation that don't take a knee right away? They stand there and run extra seconds off the clock because the defense isn't attacking the ball. Is THAT an embarrassment to the game? No, it's an embarrassment to the defense who let him do that by not playing defense, content to stand there with their thumbs up their butts.
How many times do offenses pretend that they are going to "kill the clock" with a spike, only to fire a pass to a WR, a la Marino vs the Jets? Is THAT an "embarrassment" to the game? No, it's an embarrassment to those who get caught not doing what they are supposed to be doing.
The game is 60 minutes long. Play to the final whistle, or accept the consequences without whining about it.
"If you play to win, then why didn't they take their last timeout and try it again?"
If someone runs a fake punt and gets a first down, only to have the play called back due to an illegal formation, will they try the fake puint again? No... because the element of surprise has been lost.
Obviously, Schiano was COUNTING on the fact that the Giants would be lazy and complacent on the play... that's the only way it works. The fact that they WERE lazy and complacent isn't HIS fault though... it's THEIRS.
It is an embarrassment if they go for ur knees.. I don't see anyone addressing that point, why go for an offensive players knees instead of making a play on the ball??? That's the embarrassment. And again why not do it on the other kneel down or call a time out and try that childish going at the knees a second time?? The point is schiano shouldn't have done what he did.. If a giants player such as the tightend went at the knees of the player on defense there would be a huge fight. So I agree with Tom here
If u listen to schiano he says play until it says 0 if that's the case why not call the time out and do it again.. ?? It seems very hypocritical to do otherwise. It's the end of the game u have nothing to lose but as u think everything to gain.
The Bucs were in a goalline-type defensive stance and fired off low, which is the way defensive linemen are taught to fire off in that situation. Did you expect them to grab the offensive players around the shoulder pads? You get leverage and penetration into the backfield by having the lower center of gravity. Saying that they were "going after the knees" is ridiculous.
Are u kidding me? The bucs don't even deny they went at the knees. All they kept saying was they were coach to do it. The only one defending their actions is there coach.. Explain why the tackles were getting helmets to there knees? They are the farthest away from the ball so why push off there and. When u Truro go at the ball u don't go helmets at knees. U go in between the guards and under the center to get the ball not right at the knees.
I have news for you. That happens on EVERY short yardage situation. The D-lineman get low so as to give them the most leverage and the most push into the backfield. There's nothing cheap or dirty about it. It happens dozens of times per game. The only difference this time is that the Giants linemen didn't defend against it. THEIR fault...
No u don't hit players knees every play. They were wrong here. They went out and did this out of frustration. But that's not even my biggest complaint of the week. These freakin Referees have got to go, they are starting to effect alot of games flow and outcomes.
Even if they lost the element of surprise, they should have callled the timeout and ran the play again. You never know if the handoff will be botched with or without defensive pressure. Schiano said he plays until 0:00, well he didn't. It just proves that what he did was a cheap shot.
On another note.. R.I.P. Steve sabol.. Voice of the nfl films. He passed away today at the age of 69 from an 18 month battle with cancer. God bless him and his family. I loved to listen to his game recaps and films. We have lost a legend today.
The element of surprise was the key. I'd have no argument if they tried it again, but the element of surprise was gone. The whole row on this site is outrage they did it in the first place, so now y'all are saying they should have called time out and done it again?
Huh? This thing is starting to go in circles.
By the way, linemen are taught to use leverage ... I had plenty of people hitting me low, part of the game. I was taller than 90 percent of the guys who lined up across from me. I'd rather get hit low, I'm thankful I never took a serious shot to the head. The only injury I had was an ankle injury I still wear a brace for 45 years later.
IMO, John Facenda was the TRUE "voice of NFL Films", but Steve Sabol was obviously a huge part of NFL Films as well. He will be missed...
On another note.. R.I.P. Steve sabol.. Voice of the nfl films. He passed away today at the age of 69 from an 18 month battle with cancer. God bless him and his family. I loved to listen to his game recaps and films. We have lost a legend today.
Justspeakinthetruth
Steve Sabol was never the voice of NFL Films. He was co-founder along with his father ED, and NFL films President. Making him even more than a huge part
John Facenda had such a great voice and delivery. The Sabols were ahead of their time, the way they made NFL Films the chronicle of NFL football. The way they incorporated music and their camera angles was pure genius. Everybody who is making big money in the league (where they play for pay) owes them their everlasting gratitude for what they did to popularize the NFL brand.
There would be no NFL Network without NFL films...that's all they play in the offseason. I love Sabol's introductions for the various NFL classic game replays.
Dang!!! HACKEEM NICKS & DOMINIC HIXON are out against Panthers tomorrow.
I didn't worry about giants playing 4th/5th/6th CBs from their chart and neither about center David Diehl and RB Bradshaw are out.
But now giants have only Cruz and some rookies at WR and Newton is sure to light it up against giants secondary. Now, I am worried.. Come on Giants, pull this one out, get healthy and then beat the crap out of eagles.
newbee - That would be the least of my worries if I were you. Seems to me that the Midgets have no idea who they are playing tomorrow. From what I have hear, you would think that they think they are still prepping for the Bucs. LOL
GO PANTHERS! ;-)
Thanks Calico !!
Now I am confident Giants will win. Remember last post season!! LOL
The scary thing about the Giants is their pass rush ... gives them a chance to win every time they take the field.. and they don't have to blitz to get to the QB so they still can have people in coverage ... and that's coming from a Ravens fan, but the Ravens' heralded defense is more of a gap-control team that wins games with linebackers and safeties making lots of big plays.
I was impressed with how the Eagles were able to bring it with the pass rush last week ... they moved Flacco out of his spots, made him hurry throws ... most teams have not been able to do that against the Ravens.
Giants-Eagles should be a real good Sunday night game, but first there's this week's Sunday night game, Patriots-Ravens, re-match of the AFC championship game.
Enough of the "chicken little sky is falling" Giants talk. They won the SB last year without Terrell Thomas and half of their defense.
:-)
Andy,
I disagree that Giants Pass Rush gives them the chance to win a game every time.
Last year they were 31st/32nd in defense. And in this season's first 2 games, there was no impact of pass rush. It only works in 3rd and long situation when all 4 DEs are on field and they all are rushing. Romo picked Giants secondary apart in first game and Bucs were able to convert all of Manning's interceptions in point and heck in the last minute they drove down the field and giants were saved by the replay officials.
I think people still remember old giants teams with super running game and stingy defense. But since 2010 season, giants are more like finesse team and depend far more on big play through air, they live and die with Manning, Nicks and now with cruz.
No doubt, Defense did great in playoffs (specially against 49ers), But giants are now more like air it out team.
If you did not see the impact the Giants pressure had on opposing quarterbacks, you were not paying attention. Football is a game of big plays ... you can throw stats out the window ... all that counts is "w" or "l"
Giants can bring it with their front four, without blitzing, which allows for maximum coverage as well.
As for the offense, that is scary, too ...they could set all kinds of offensive records this year..
Dear Eli - I really hate that you're on the Giants but really, really happy you're my FF QB. Please setup some coaching sessions with Peyton and help him out. He's killing my other team.
You must have divided loyalties with Eli being your fantasy QB while being a hard core Cowboys fan. That's why I don't play.
Last time I was in a FF league, Dan Marino was my quarterback ... oh, that's SOOO
last century. I had guys like Anthony Carter, Joe Morris, Ickey Woods, Mark Bavaro... Jerry Rice was the first WR picked, the guy who got him won the league with Randall Cunningham at QB ... I came in second with the best QB in the game.
You must have divided loyalties with Eli being your fantasy QB while being a hard core Cowboys fan. That's why I don't play. - Andy
Same here. No way I could root for that filth. ;-)
You can root for Eli to throw five touchdown passes and for the Giants to lose 42-35. Where's the problem?
FF winnings > Team allegiance.
Team allegiance is fun...money pays the bills; it's not like JJ is sharing any of that $2B with me.
Well, since emaxxman roots for an out of the area team, guess he's not spending $$$ on a personal seat license, season tickets, etc.
Me, I get Ravens tickets each year as presents for my birthday and Christmas ... but I never get the Steelers game ... it is always Browns or Bengals or one year it was Detroit when they were really terrible. Not a tiring long drive, lots of other stuff to do in town like the aquarium and ESPN Zone and a place to sleep overnight where they serve me a nice breakfast... and the world's best crabcakes.
Only pro sports team named after a work of American literature ... said the Ravens' defense, never score. There was a season when hardly anybody ever did =)
Any team that could win a Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer at quarterback had to be the greatest defense in history!
Even if I were a Giants or Jets fan, I still wouldn't pay for a PSL...too rich for my blood. Now that I have my HD big screen, I'm probably more apt to stay at home.
That said, I did get to see Dallas at NYG for about 7 years straight. BIL had access to season tickets and would take be to the game for my bday. Unfortunately, his source (the father of a friend of a friend) died and the tickets were sold to someone else. Hate it when that happens.
"You can root for Eli to throw five touchdown passes and for the Giants to lose 42-35. Where's the problem?"
That's exactly what I did with the Dallas @ NYG week 1 game. I have Eli and DeMarco Murray on my FF team.
Well, the Jets fans will be rooting for the Ravens tonight. Good thing the Ravens got a new field goal kicker this year =)
That was fun. The new field goal kicker came through, Ravens 31 Patriots 30. A nice comeback for Flacco just the way Johnny Unitas used to do it.
Hack refs have to go!
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/09/Kevin-Ogletree-slips-on-hat-thrown-by-replacement-ref-70000962/kevin-ogletree-hat/70000962/1#.UGBiF7JlQ7s
emaxxman, I recommend not trying to shop online for Dallas gear today (-;
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/cowboys-com-now-gay-dating-151057232--nfl.html
A good story worthy of a link.
http://www.wbal.com/article/94230/2/template-story/Ravens-Torrey-Smith-Reflects-On-A-Very-Tough-Weekend-
I'm sorry but I am done w/football. Yes I am a Green Bay fan and would of course root for them, but these refs are HORRIBLE and they just cost us the game. I mean we could have played a lot better and our QB shouldn't have been on his butt so many times, but I cannot believe they just botched this game THAT bad.
sunshinenj That was bad.... I predict the regular refs will be back on the field the next time the Steelers are... for Week 5. This really can't go on like this.
Andy btw great article about Smith. It is such a sad story, but the fact that he came to the game on no sleep, had such a stellar game, and the team won I am sure will bring some sort of smile to Smith and his family. So sad though
So much for the NFL wanting to protect the integrity of the game. By week three there can be no question the strike has impacted the outcome of the game.
PSU in Jersey
It was a comedy of errors ... I kind of wished the two refs had talked about it before giving each other the "what are you going to signal?" look, lol
And to be clear, the officials in the "booth" who co-review all scoring plays botched this call too....AND they're not replacements. Makes you wonder.
The booth reviewers couldn't do a thing. Possession is a judgement call that cannot be overturned. They could only have called it incomplete if the ball touched the ground or one of the two players had a foot out of bounds. The retired official who they had in the MNF booth last night was pretty definitive on that point. Once it went to the booth with a ruling of touchdown on the field, that was all she wrote.
If nothing else, this serves as reinforcement to everyone on defense that it's better to bat the ball down or out of bounds than try to pad your stats with an INT.
Of course, the end of the Lions/Titans regulation time teaches them quite the opposite, lol.
Actually ian - in the end zone, it can be reviewed and overturned. Per a message from the league:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/25/nfl-statement-result-final-tate-should-have-been-flagged/
“When the players hit the ground in the end zone, the officials determined that both Tate and Jennings had possession of the ball. Under the rule for simultaneous catch, the ball belongs to Tate, the offensive player. The result of the play was a touchdown.
“Replay Official Howard Slavin stopped the game for an instant replay review. The aspects of the play that were reviewable included if the ball hit the ground and who had possession of the ball. In the end zone, a ruling of a simultaneous catch is reviewable. That is not the case in the field of play, only in the end zone.
“Referee Wayne Elliott determined that no indisputable visual evidence existed to overturn the call on the field, and as a result, the on-field ruling of touchdown stood. The NFL Officiating Department reviewed the video today and supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling following the instant replay review.
------------
Disturbing that they could not see that Tate didn't have possession on replay.
None of the camera angles on any of the replays that I saw were very good at establishing conclusively who had possession of the ball. I personally believe that there was no way Tate had it when they went to the ground, but with the mass of bodies, I didn't see the Pack defender conclusively have possession of it either, although I THINK that he probably did. The two officials who were standing directly over top of the play had a MUCH better view than any of the camera angles.
Thanks for the clarification, though... it seems that the "expert" hired by MNF doesn't know the rules either, lol.
THIS is going a little overboard.... Sweeney is a tool.
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/09/new_jersey_senate_president_dr.html#incart_river_default
That will be funny if they actually pass this and the NFL responds by making the Jets and Giants play all their games on the road. How well will THAT go over with this d-bag's constituents?
Those guys should be spending their time on stuff like schools, police, public health, important things.
Gee, Sweeney's a longtime union guy...no bias there. Well, since he's an NJ politician, he probably had money riding on the Packers.
Up to an estimated $250 million swing thanks to the ref last night:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8422934/seattle-seahawks-vs-green-bay-packers-disputed-mnf-call-shifted-150-250m-bets
I doubt if there will be much money bet in Vegas on the NFL this week since games today are won or lost by the decisions of incompetent moron refs ! Same with attendance , why bother to watch a silly perversion of the game live with lingerie bowl refs who don't even know the most basic NFL rules ?
This parody is just making the rounds - brilliant!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfKMCAlNP8s
Bonv Francesa said he can't handle the poor product anymore ... said he's never watched inferior football like the replacement games of 87, the USFL or arena leagues and said fans should stop watching the NFL, to show we won't stand for this state of affairs.
One of these days he'll probably stick his head out the window and start yelling .."I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" just like that old movie, Network.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl---lingerie-football-league-commissioner-mocks-nfl-for-its-low-officiating-standards.html
Even they didn't want them!!
And the Packers offensive line wouldn't have been able to block players from that league in the first half either. Eh... maybe Rodgers would have only got sacked SIX times instead of EIGHT, lol.
Jeddy's MiMi Joe Flacco grew up in Sweeny's district ... he should be a Ravens fan. Guess if he's been a lifetime Packers fan it is hard to give that up.
I remember in 1995 the Canadian legislature had a law that replacement players could not play in major league baseball games in Canada, back when Bud Selig got replacements into the training camps during a strike ... Canada hasn't had a contending team ever since.
The Blue Jays and Expos were planning to play their regular season home games in Florida before the strike got settled.
A guy from Blairstown was in one of the camps as a replacement, can't recall the name ... maybe Meister would know.
Hopefully its finally gets done...
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/09/26/report-agreement-between-nfl-referees-association-at-hand/
Don't recall Andy. NWRHS graduate? Only person I know Blairstown related to see MLB action was on of our gym teachers, Mr. Ducat (sp?). Had like two AB's for the Tigers in late 70's or early 80's. Pete Hendrickson got a tryout or two I heard. He was probably the best player we had while I was there. He was a senior when I was a freshman.
How long after the old officials come back will it be before everyone is talking about how bad THEY suck? I think the honeymoon will last 3 weeks, tops, lol.
Yes, it was Pete Hendrickson with the St. Louis Cardinals ... dug through the old press guides... didn't take long, just went to spring rosters of 1995.
As for the regular NFL refs ... there was an old song that went ... you don't know what you've got until you lose it.
I think it's "don't know what you got till it's gone", Andy... but you may be a couple of years too old for Cinderella (-;
The only Cinderella I know right now is the Baltimore Orioles ... but that's baseball ... another thread for that.
By Associated Press, Published: September 26 | Updated: Thursday,
NEW YORK — So long, replacement refs. The NFL’s regular crews will be back on the field starting Thursday night.
After two days of marathon negotiations — and mounting frustration among coaches, players and fans — the NFL and the referees’ union announced at midnight Thursday that a tentative agreement had been reached to end a lockout that began in June.
So I guess the rumors were true. Pete was a very good player.
Can't wait to see a few bad calls by the varsity refs overanalyzed this weekend. It's not like bad calls are going to go away.
One of the big talking points of all sports has been how much of the "human element" needs to be kept in the game regarding officiating.
Heck, the Jeffrey Mayer influenced home run of 1996 in the ALCS was allowed to stand, too, in spite of all the video evidence showing it wasn't a home run. And the playoffs supposedly got the best of the best umpires.
If the O's and Yanks meet in a playoff series this year (it could happen) we'll be hearing about Jeffrey Mayer again.
"One of the big talking points of all sports has been how much of the "human element" needs to be kept in the game regarding officiating."
I don't attend or watch games to watch refs/umps compete. They should be perfect in every way with their judgment and administration of the game.
I don't think we'll ever eliminate the human element from officiating but the leagues should strive for it.
Can't argue with that, we all need to maintain high standards in whatever we do.
ianimal - I don't think anyone doubts that even the 'old officials' made bad calls occasionally but seriously nothing could be as bad as what happened the past 3 weeks.
Really? Please...
I watched the Steelers lose an OT game to the Lions when Jerome Bettis clearly called tails on the coin toss and the coin came up tails, only to have referee Phil Luckett tell him that he said "heads". The Lions got the ball, ran the kickoff back to the 40, got 2 or 3 first downs and kicked the game-winning field goal. All because the referee couldn't even get the coin toss right.
I also remember Vinnie Testaverde (when he was with the Jets) being credited with a touchdown against the Seahawks on a 4th-and-1 QB sneak in the final minute of play when replays clearly showed that only the crown of his helmet made it across the line. I guess good karma caught up to the Seahawks finally.
Then there was the play where Cutler clearly fumbled near the goal line against the Chargers, but the referee ruled it an incomplete pass and the Broncos went on to win because of it.
All of these were a lot worse than what happened Monday night, IMO.
Bad calls will continue, but the game will at least run somewhat timely. Nobody wants it to take an hour and fifteen minutes to play the first quarter. Like these stooges made happen. ---------------->
I remember the Testaverde play ... he wasn't even close. In baseball we had a perfect game taken away by a bad call at first base on a play that wasn't even close ... and it was a well respected veteran umpire, Jim Joyce. Stuff just happens sometimes.
There will always be bad calls.
The hope is there will be fewer bad calls with the officials back to work.
We also hope there will be fewer delays due to the officials attempting to decide the call.
The TV watching sports fan gets so many angles of each play and the benefit of slow motion. Having been on the sidelines at several NFL and College football games, the speed of some plays is amazing. I have always been amazed at how often the officials get it right. Baseball also has many "bang-bang" plays and instant replay often confirms the umpires call.
I'm glad we have instant replay and the "coaches challenge". It's not an ideal system, but it's better than no chance to confirm or overturn a ruling on the field.
If the Ratbirds wanna win this game, they have to get Dennis Pitta involved.
And I'm not just saying that because I have him starting in my $ league (-;
All the fantasy players must hate Flacco for running it in himself ... but it was wide open ... gotta do whatever it takes. (=
Had to sweat it out, but the dirdy birdies hung on ... a win is a win is a win in the NFL.
Three days after going to the wire against New England, I'll take it.
New union officials, same crappy performance. Who knows how the game would have turned out if not for the terrible defensive holding call against Cleveland on the Ratbirds last drive, giving them an undeserved first down. The WR ran over the DB more than 5 yards downfield and they call a penalty on the DB for grabbing him as he was falling down? Amateurish. No call or offensive PI is the proper call there. The personal foul against Baltimore with 10 seconds to go was pretty cheap, too, but it was too little too late as far as a makeup call goes.
All in all? No difference. The union workers are just as incompetent as the scabs. Terrible.
OMG if I didn't have an ulcer before, I have one now. That was a horrendously gut wrenching final drive last night. When I saw that the Eagles still had two time outs that late in the game I was shocked. Andy Reid usually wastes time outs like he's going to get fined if he has any left at the end of the game. I was proud of him until.......
The Eagles were very lucky here indeed. Not sure if my blood pressure can continue to handle these 1 and 2 point wins.
NFL post season probabilities as of today:
http://www.playoffstatus.com/nfl/nflpostseasonprob.html
A big win for the Iggles ... take it without apology ... haven't they won something like eight of their last nine against the G-men? Somebody with time to fact check could get back to us on that ... if not, I'll look into it later. Busy right now, see ya...
Yes, the Eagles won the last 8 of 9 but it's a meaningless stat. Both were 1-1 last year against each other. Different teams each year. I really hate all of the meaningless stats that the announcers spew.
The game changed when Kenny Phillips got hurt IMO. That allowed the Eagles to run more effectively. The Giants were lucky to get into FG range with the those PI flags (one of which was bogus.) The PI on Barden was insane. He practically ripped Nnamdi's head off.
Also, good luck to Chuck Pagano. He was diagnosed with leukemia over the bye week. He'll be dedicated to the team as much as he can but somethings (cancer) are just bigger than this game.
Calico, don't worry about next weekend. The Iggles loss will be all too apparent by halftime. No end game drama to worry about (-;
One thing I take away from the Eagles beating the Giants 8-of-9 ... the one guy who was there for all those games was coach Andy Reid.
The man has won a lot of games, including playoff games, must have done SOMETHING right. When he had the best talent in the NFC, that egomaniac T.O. blew the team up. T.O. stands for Too Obnoxious.
While the Eagles may have won 8 of the last 9 against the Giants, the Giants have the rings....
In the end, I'll take the rings.
On another note, looks like Romo isn't waiting until December to implode his team. He's taking care of business early this year.
NFC Predictions:
NFC East: Eagles
NFC North: Packers
NFC West: 49ers
NFC South: Atlanta
Wildcard: Bears
Wildcard: Arizona
AFC Predictions:
AFC East: Pats
AFC North: Ravens
AFC West: Broncos
AFC South: Texans
Wildcard: Bangles
WildCard: Chargers
Superbowl: Texans vs. 49ers = 49ers
tfulp - Do I again have to remind you that the Eagles have won three championships?
ianimal - Game on! ;-)
Ah yes, another Redskins year where we can dream to good dream.......maybe, just maybe, we can break even.....:>) Ah, lofty goals.
mistergoogle Calico, If you would like to talk history, might I remind you that the key word you used there was “Championships”. If you would like to compare apples to apples than yes, the Eagles do have 3 Championships, with the last coming in 1960. The Giants on the other have 8 Championships 4 in the Super Bowl era, with the Eagles 0 in the Super Bowl era.
As I said, in the end, I’ll take the rings or “championships” regardless. All time record NYG 83-76-2.
:- )
In any case, you guys deserved to win, you played harder. Almost impossible to go into the Link and win, especially on Brian Dawkins night.
We couldn’t do anything against your bump and run coverage, and that silly “wide 9” always gives us fits. For the life of me idk why we don’t run the ball up the middle more, oh I remember now. We can’t…
I'm old enough to remember watching the Eagles 1960 championship ... they were the only team to ever beat Vince Lombardi's legendary Packer teams in a title game.
The next two years the Packers not only beat the Giants ... they pulverized them.
The Giants lost NFL championship games in 1958 and 59 to the BALTIMORE Colts, in 1961 and 62 to Lombardi's Packers and in 1963 to "Da Bears." That's got to be frustrating for a fan. Then, they went into the dark recesses for the next 20 years before Bill Parcels and Phil Sims breathed new life into the franchise. When Sims and Parcels were not an instant success, I remember all the fans who were yelling for the Giants to get rid of them ... that's fans for you.
tfulf - To me super bowls are championships as well. Any game that ends with the ultimate winner of a sport, regardless of what it is called, is a championship. So go ahead and count the Giants pre-SB championships as well. The World Series is not called the MLB Championship, but it's the championship of MLB. Correct?
I remember Giants fans yelling that they should not have drafted Lawrence Taylor in the first round ... so forgive me if I don't buy into everything that fans say.
I put last night's loss squarely on Jerry Jones:
- OL is atrocious
- no depth on DL - only 2 starters last night and they couldn't stop the run
- Dez is atrocious
2 INTs are on Romo
1 on Dez
1 on Ogletree
1 on OL
Jerry needs to go hang out with Al Davis!
I don't care what he does...just leave, take every single Garrett on the staff with him, hire a coach who will get in the players' faces when they f' up, and get a GM who understands that it all starts with the OL/DL.
Romo/Witten/Ware/Austin each have about 3 solid more years. They're not going anywhere with the rest of the team a shambles.
This f'in injuries are killing giants season. Nicks hasn't played since 2nd week and he is not going to start playing anytime soon. Barden is questionable. Only 4 somewhat healthy receivers (Cruz, Hixon(was 4th on depth chart), Rendall and Jernigan ). Giants second center David Bass is doubtfull and so is OL Chris Snee. They had cut Petrus in offseason for Eagles' D J Jones and now Petrus is going to start. Eli is going to get killed with this OL someday. Then this Defense coordinator Fewell says, we were surprised by Vick and Mccoy's speed. Really!! even my 4 year old son knows Vick and McCoy are crazy fast. And Osi got beat like a drum on the runs around edges.
RANT OVER!!!
Injuries are a big reason I swore off playing fantasy football. Just too many of them at the worst times.
This is hilarious! QBs on Facebook.
Warning: Offensive Language
http://imgur.com/a/9H0Hv
Oh crap that was funny!!! I was going to rag on newbee for overreacting again but I'll let it go now...humor was needed after a long stressful day at work.
I'm posting this on FB.
Jason Garrett needs to join Jerry and Al Davis. Yesterday's loss is all on him as the HC, OC, and play caller. Let him dig out from under Aikman's shadow on Madden NFL.
The Giants win was much bigger than the Jets. The Giants won on the road against a very good 49ers team. Who cares that the Jets beat up on Indy? They won't be able to run like that on good teams and Sanchez had a laughable 82 yards passing. That's not going to exactly build up his confidence.
Biggest win of the day was the Lions coming back over the Eagles... might have saved their season. If they dropped to 1-4, you could have written them off. Now, they've got a chance and Jahvid Best may be back as early as this coming week.
I loved the Giants win, the Jets needed a win to quiet the media a bit.
We'll se what happens next week.
Giants beat perhaps their toughest competitor for a return to the Super Bowl ... Jets beat a team that got the first pick in the draft because they are really, really bad.
Of course, the Giants had the bigger win.
The Ravens helped the Giants out, beating Dallas ... well, let's just say they managed to avoid losing to Dallas ... the home crowd put the evil eye on that missed field goal ... and your typical run-of-the mill 108-yard return.... like that's going to happen every week.
Three defensive starters are hurt for the Ravens, including Ray Lewis ... they need lots of offense to win these days.
The loss of Lardarius Webb will hurt the Ravens much more than Ray Lewis being out. It's weird to see how poorly the defenses of the Ravens and Steelers are so far this season. Hopefully the Steelers will get Polamalu and Woodley back and turn it around, but I don't see the Ravens getting anything but worse on defense. Even if T Sizzle comes back at all, a pass rusher with a bum Achilles isn't much of a threat...
Man, I'm glad I'm not a Sandy Eggo fan... I'd be out shopping for a new TV today, lol.
Yup! Holy comeback Batman! Went to bed at halftime thinking Peyton and the crew were toast and I could add another lost the my week's Pick 'em. But no........wake up this morning to find out that the halftime adjustments worked.
Juan Castillo has been fired! At least something happened. Vick and Reid should be next.
Is Vick's backup good? They probably regret trading Kevin Kolb.
I like Shady McCoy for no other reason than his name is cool and I read a book about broadcasting by the radio voice of the Eagles for four decades Merrill Reese. He autographed it for me at a book signing in Hatboro. That's hard core Eagles country. He wished me luck with my high school broadcasts ... he was a nice man to meet.
Andy - Nick Foles looked good in pre-season (for whatever that is worth). I don't think they regret trading Kolb, it was the right move at the time.
Until this season, Kolb didn't look so hot and was injured often. The QB battle in AZ during training camp was only because both QBs looked so bad they couldn't figure out who would survive being the starter. Kolb wasn't picked to start, Skelton was. Injury to Skelton was what got him the job.
Now with Kolb out for probably a couple weeks, Skelton will get another chance.
Yeah, there are many regrets in Philly... getting rid of Kolb probably isn't one of them, though. They got DRC and a second round pick, which they used to take a linebacker out of Cal. I'd say Cromartie is an even trade for Kolb; the kid is gravy, depending on how he turns out.
They're stuck with Vick, for better or worse. If Vick's been sacked 17 times with his mobility, good luck with a 6'6" 250 pound statue back there. He'll be a sitting duck. He's got Roethlisberger's size, but not his ability to extend and make plays, from what I've heard.
It always comes down to those grunt guys in the trenches, doesn't it?
Case in point, Washington's success in the 80s and early 90s with "The Hogs."
The Hogs?! I thought it was because Joe "no bladder control" Thigh-man was a magnificent QB who carried his team?
There is supposed to be a press conference at 2 pm today regarding the death of Andy Reid's son back in August.
I'm still baffled as to why one promotes a long-time OFFENSIVE line coach to DEFENSIVE coordinator in the first place...
Did they really need a press conference for that? Are they going to have one tomorrow to announce the sun coming up?
Spotting the symptoms of an addiction problem early and getting help is critical. We have a long ways to go as a nation to effectively prevent significant numbers of people from getting addicted and wasting their lives. It hurts us as a nation, hurts the economy.
We need to reach and educate them when they are young and impressionable. If it isn't the big brother federal government, it needs to be done at the local level with support from various philanthropic foundations and fundraising efforts. Churches and local service clubs can help a lot. Somebody needs to do something.
We as a nation need to prevent addiction with philanthropic efforts and fundraising? No, you (the royal you, not you personally, Andy) as a parent need to prevent the addictions of your own children... and you can do it for free.
If everyone does that, there will be no more problems. Of course it won't happen, but at least we won't be wasting any money on it.
Sadly, a lot of people don't have a real parent figure at home. The world would be simple if everybody had parents at home who teach the 10 Commandments and Golden Rule. The fact that so many kids grow up without it is a big part of the problem. Funny how this connects to football regarding the story about an NFL coach's son.
The cost in crime and lost productivity is an issue. Even Gov. Christie has said something needs to be done. Last I heard, he's a conservative. I remember voting for him.
Excuse me, but this "kid" was an adult. Parents can only do so much at that stage of the game.
"Sadly, a lot of people don't have a real parent figure at home. The world would be simple if everybody had parents at home who teach the 10 Commandments and Golden Rule. The fact that so many kids grow up without it is a big part of the problem."
Well, now, Andy... there you go. Now you've identified the REAL problem. Again, it only requires that everyone be responsible for themselves and for their actions. Shouldn't cost anyone a dime... and throwing billions of dollars at it won't change a thing.
Chris Christie is NOT a conservative. Just ask Jeff Repub if you don't believe me (-;
If they took the safety, Seattle could have done an onside kick and gotten the ball back. If they take the ball, they can just run out the clock without giving Seattle that slim chance.
Hats Off to this Giants Fan.
http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/10/one_fans_giant_labor_of_love.html
It's the end of the world...Cowboys got a pregame pep talk from Joe Gibbs. What next? Lawrence Taylor? Doug Williams? Phil Simms?
That's like Terry Bradshaw giving a pep talk to the Ravens.
Herman Edwards giving a pep talk to the Giants.
Brian Billick giving a pep talk to the Steelers.
Joe Montana giving a pep talk to the Broncos.
John Elway giving a pep talk to the Browns.
Former Raven Rex Ryan coaching the Jets .. oh, he's supposedly doing that.
Bad example. Terry Bradshaw never even played against the Ravens. He retired in 1983; the Ravens didn't exist until 1996. Why would there be any animosity between him and an organization that he has no history with?
Terry Bradshaw played against the Browns, who were owned by Art Modell, the same guy who made them the Ravens....same franchise.
The whole idea was the guy is the face of the Steelers .... they would have a pretty darn good Mt. Rushmore, too, best ever possibly, but when you say Steelers, I think Bradshaw.
Don't you fellas get enough zinc in your diets? Y'all are so cranky all the time. =(
The Browns franchise, name and history all legally stayed with the city of Cleveland. The history of the Ravens began in 1996.
Bill Cowher (or Hines Ward... they HATE him in Ratbird country) would have been the logical choice there (-;
Bradshaw played against the Baltimore Colts ... beat our brains out. I sat there in the cold in December of 76 when they eliminated us... he was the ENEMY .... but the events of the day actually made me glad they blew us out.
At the conclusion of the game some moron flew a plane into the upper deck at Memorial Stadium ... one of the strangest things I ever witnessed in my lifetime.
If the Steelers hadn't blown them out, people would still have been in those stands.
Fortunately, by then they were all in the parking lots and the stands kept the plane from crashing on them. Yes, there is a God, boys and girls.
But, getting back to the main point, Bradshaw was the enemy to us Baltimore fans and you can look it up.
Me, I'm one of those stay to the bitter end guys. As the game was nearing its conclusion, I remember yelling out to our quarterback Bert Jones, "turn out the lights and lock it up when you leave, Burt." And it echoed throughout the old stone structure. I was a wise guy 25 year old back then, with a loud voice.
I don't need to look it up.... I listened to the game on my transistor radio while attending the Ingersoll-Rand Christmas party at the wise old age of 5. Of course, Franco and Rocky both got injured and couldn't play the next week... so we got our asses kicked by the Raiders in Oakland in the AFCC game. Oakland and John Madden went on to win the SB that year.
None of this changes the fact that Bradshaw had nothing to do with the Ravens. Unlike the Browns, the Colts name and history left in Mayflower trucks under cover of darkness and wound up in Indianapolis. So, would Terry Bradshaw be a lousy keynote speaker at the Baltimore chamber of commerce? Likely... But he still has absolutely nothing to do with the Ravens franchise.
ianimal - Interesting Baltimore Sun article regarding the Colts middle of the night departure.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bal-sp.coltsmyths29mar29,0,3257615.story
I try to be a person who does not "hate" anybody but I'll make an exception for Mr.Irsay.
In the 12 years between Baltimore franchises, my favorite NFL team was the Eagles.
Those Randall Cunningham teams were a lot of fun to watch.
You could also say Johnny Unitas had nothing to do with the Ravens, but there is a lovely statue of him at the stadium. The worst thing about Irsay's move was they insisted on taking the name ... it was a name associated with Pimlico Racetrack and the horse breeding industry in Maryland. I'm glad Modell did not keep the Browns name ... it is a Cleveland name and belongs in Cleveland.
You guys obviously know more about the history of the NFL than I do. I struggled to make the connections. I'm still not sure what the connection is between Montana and the Broncos other than he spanked them in the SB.
My examples were based on SB winning players from division rivals - please note that no Eagles players were named.
Yes, Montana spanked the Broncos big time, beat the Bengals in two very dramatic Super Bowls, too. Beat the Cowboys in a playoff game with a play known forever as "the catch."
So, to stay true to your example ... Phil Sims giving a pep talk to the Cowboys.
Bill Parcels coaching the Cowboys? Oh, that's been done already. =)
At least I brought in some chat about my old Baltimore Colts fan days ... Jim O'Brien field goal is a bad memory for longtime Cowboys fans, so was John Mackey touchdown on a tipped pass. Cowboys turned the ball over repeatedly in that game, but they came back and won it against Miami the next year for good old Tom Landry.
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/spo/3389682584.html
Head coaching position posted for Eagles.
"Reid needs to be *waddled* out of town."
There... fixed it for ya... Reid hasn't been *run* anywhere in decades.
Looks like "sensitivity" is not a strong point on this thread. LOL
I've always thought fat guys named Andy are pretty cool.
The Eagles' line play, offense and defense, looks shabby. That's usually at the heart of why certain teams keep losing.
Gotta love Riley Cooper hiding in the Saints "S" in the end zone on the TD run back that got called back for an illegal forward pass.
http://www.totalprosports.com/2012/11/06/riley-cooper-eagles-trick-play-kickoff-hide-end-zone-gif/
Vick has a severe concussion. Let the Nick "you like my porn star mustache" Foles era begin!
The mustache has to go and hair needs to be cut. BIG TIME!
That said, hopefully a full week of practice with the first squad will allow him to feel more comfortable.
BTW - The Dallas offense looks about as bad as the Eagles offense. Sigh....
They play to the level of their opponent unfortunately. They looked great against the Giants/Ravens and played well against the Falcons. They ran well too in the first half. Eagles adjusted and Garrett doesn't adjust well to opposing teams adjusting to him. Second half - offense looked anemic. At least he tried to run the ball. Normally he would have had Romo throw 70 passes.
Dallas isn't going anywhere though. They'll make a November run like they always do and then either tank or get crushed in the wildcard.
Here's a pic of Foles without the cheese. Also, read the stuff in the red box on the right. OH NO! NOT ANOTHER TEBOW!
http://legacy.philadelphiaeagles.com/eagles_files/html/foles_1.html
It's a nightmare. I feel like smacking everybody who makes the "dream team" comment. Put your face over here Andy. :o)
Eagles just signed OL Jake Scott.
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/article-1/Eagles-Sign-Veteran-OL-Scott/8536688e-58f8-4026-8a32-3e673076bb14
My thing is how many times can Rex Ryan say that he backs his QB. I don't see Mark Sanchez getting any better or becoming an all-star any time soon. Just let Tebow play and if he stinks then at least you gave it a try. If he doesn't maybe Sanchez will get his act together. I am all about a coach backing his starting QB up, but this is becoming ridiculous.
At least with Todd Bowles now in charge of the defense, the Eagles have a guy who played safety in the NFL for seven seasons and has coached defense for 13 years.
Juan Castillo was switched to defense after 13 years as an offensive line coach ... never did get why they made that decision.
Huge getting out of there with a win. The extent of Ben's shoulder injury will make or break our season, I think.
I can't believe I'm driving all the way to "Stillville" to watch Leftwich (likely) play against the Ratbirds. On the plus side, we're now even at the QB position; hopefully the defense can step up. If nothing else, I have the "Bay of Pigs" sandwich at Fatheads to look forward to...
Have fun, we get our crack at your team in Crabtown in a few weeks. Watch out for low flying airplanes.
ianimal, you may just be getting the Steelers' backup QB going against a really depleted Ravens' secondary. ... and there is a steep drop off in quality in Baltimore's secondary as you go down the depth chart.
Well, well, the Raves win an ugly one on the road ... when have we seen this picture before?
They stayed away from the big turnover, shades of Trent Dilfer.
Yes, 2011 was the year of the "dream team" and that's gone. 2012 is the year of the "dynasty". Andy - you should know that. Shame on ya.
I hope the same RG3 from this weekend doesn't show up in Dallas on Thanksgiving.
The scariest thing about being an Eagles fan is the fact that next week's game is MNF against the 2-8 Carolina Panthers. {{{smacks forehead with palm}}}
At least you know your pain will end soon and next will bring renewed hope. Dallas fans maybe in redhead purgatory for another year.
I'm just worried what the fans who actually do attend the game will do. Could be pandemonium. Reid will be lucky to get out of there with his life, even if they happen to squeak out a W.
I felt really bad for Foles yesterday. Imagine having to throw 51 passes in your first NFL start? And what about still having Shady in running the ball when you are down by 25 and there is under 2 minutes left?
Andy Reid's answer to the McCoy question was that he was trying to win the game. WHAT????
Whether they were going to win or not, you can't pull your starters. Colts didn't pull Luck at the end of the game.
Shady got what he deserved. He's been calling Osi soft for a number of years now despite the Eagles not having accomplished a thing. Back up your talk or shut up. I guess he's shuttin' up now.
The ones that will be at the game Monday will be the diehards from the 700 Level club. LOL
Anyone with half a brain wouldn't bother going. ;-)
Clint Longley anybody? Lots of great history to Redskins in Big D. A natural Turkey Day pairing.
Why? Did Charlie Batch get hit by a bus or something? I'm still scratching my head as to why they left Leftwich in there with a broken rib... it's not like he was playing well. Batch is a much better passer (not to mention the hometown favorite) and probably would have won the game. At the very least, he would have given the crowd a lift.
That Pittsburgh defense is probably the best in the league. They still almost won the game.
Speaking of Kafka, specifically "Kafka-esque"... the Steelers signed Plaxico Burress today. It's too bad they won't be wearing their "convict stripe" throwbacks again this year.
The Steelers also signed Brian Hoyer as their stopgap backup QB, so it looks like Mike Kafka is still looking for work.
Warren Hills looked real good on Saturday ... Eagles might even have a tough time with them these days.
Of course, I'm just being funny ... it's really insulting to insinuate a pro team would have trouble beating a high school team ... totally different level of athletes. But, people will go there. If you ever heard Doc South on WRNJ a few years ago ... Hackettstown was having a miserable season and I was talking high school football on the air with Doc ... Hackettstown had its "contingency game" coming up and I explained that the state would set up their final game against a team with a similar record. "Oh, so they'll play the Jets," Doc said. It was funny, because the Jets really were bad that year.
The Eagles are terrible. Their best player right now is Henery. Sad when your place kicker is the best player on your team. Sigh...
Did anybody catch the story Plax told when he was in prison? He said the inmates started a "Giants suck" chant. He said he felt like he was in Philadelphia.
RG3 is really looking good ... the defense has to look out for "the college stuff," RG3 shows them the ball ... and then throws deep ... accurately.
Love watching that kind of football ... Redskins rock.
On the negative side, how was that 81 yard touchdown for Houston, AFTER the guy was down, allowed to stand? And because the coach threw his challenge flag, they said it was "not reviewable?" Weren't ALL scoring plays supposed to be reviewable?
And we thought the replacement refs were bad.
He has a competent o-line and one of the top rushers in the league. That helps a lot. Playing 2 weeks in a row against 2 of the weaker teams in the league helps too. Philly is pathetic and Dallas only slightly less so.
I'll be impressed when the Redskins have a winning record.
Regarding the Houston TD, per the rules, the Lions gave up the right to a TD review when they illegally threw the challenge flag. It's a stupid rule IMO. Detroit should have been penalized the 15 yards and the TD reviewed. The whole purpose of the review process is to get the calls right. Obviously the rule is faulty...and it was the difference in the game.
Pretty sure the NFL will look at that rule and make changes.
Ray Rice made an incredible fourth down play for the Ravens today, with the help of a big block ... they would have lost the game if he had not made the first down. There were other clutch plays, too, including the field goals that tied it at the end of regulation and won it with no time left in overtime (a miss would have meant a tie) but Rice's play was really something out of a movie script.
Watch for it on Sports Center ... a really special play by a Rutgers guy, way to go.
Correction ... the winning field goal came with about a minute left in OT, but it was not likely the Ravens would have gotten the ball back ... a nerve-wracking win, they've had a few this year. Dropped one to the Eagles early, but they've pulled out every nail-biter since.
The 15-yard penalty would have given the Texans a first down at about the Lions 35 anyway. Who's to say they don't go on to score on the next play or the play after? The only thing for sure is that Jim Schwartz is a moron for throwing the flag and the Lions deserved to lose the game if for no other reason but that. He said afterwards that he KNEW the rule, but his anger got the better of him... not the kind of guy you want leading your team, IMO.
As for the SD-Baltimore 4th and 29 debacle... Ray Rice was helped by an ILLEGAL (Hines-Ward-blindside) block by Anquan Boldin and one of the worst forward progress spots ever (the Vinny Testaverde touchdown is the only one worse that comes to mind).
RR is 5'-8" tall. His knee was down about a foot short of the 35-yard line. They re-spotted the ball just short of the 33 after initially spotting it at the 33. How the football winds up 6 feet away from the knee of a 5'-8" player who isn't even fully in the prone position is beyond my comprehension... but I'm glad the Ravens won; it knocks SD out of contention and that's one less team to worry about. The Steelers miraculously are still in a playoff spot (if the season ended today) and will hopefully get Ben back for the rematch vs the Ravens this Sunday. Rookie 1st-round pick David DeCastro was just activated off of IR as well. Hopefully he can come right in and make a difference. We can use that Stanford brainpower on the OL, lol.
As for Philadelphia... the funniest thing I heard last night is that the Phillies have won a game more recently than the Eagles, lol.
ian - I heard that same comment too. I think it was Gruden.
I thought Cam Newton was pretty stupid in the game. Carolina's season is in the toilet and he's still pulling his TD celebration crap.
Regardless of whether Houston would have scored the TD or not doesn't matter. What matters is that Schwartz drew the penalty and it was the difference. Personally, I don't like the guy. I thought it was lame of him to chase down Harbaugh after the "handshake". It's clear that he didn't have a problem with Suh after he stomped on the Packer last year too. Jeff Fisher bitched out Haynesworth when he stomped on Andre Gurode. Schwartz barely paused to talk to dirtbag-Suh.
I was wondering about that Boldin block. It did seem to be a blindside block. Let's see if the league fines him.
At this point of the season, I can see how the Raves helped Pittsburgh on Sunday, the Raves have also needed help from division leaders to get into the playoffs a few times.. they have played a lot of road playoff games over the years as a wild card.
Any call (or non-call) that helps my team is the right call. LOL ... that's why the word fan is derived from fanatic. You expect me to be reasonable? Name me one "reasonable" person who has ever gotten anywhere in this dog-eat-dog world. =)
What's the old line? I'd rather be lucky than good.
Funny story .. the Baltimore Colts got beat by the Green Bay Packers in a playoff game back in the 60s on a terrible call.. Shula saw the ref at some social function in Miami recently and started giving him what-for.
"Let it go, Don," the ref said. "It's been 50 years."
Rumor has it that the Steelers might have Antonio Brown and Troy Polamalu back for the Ravens game this weekend as well. We'll need all the help we can muster in order to get a win at M&T... the Ravens are probably even tougher at home than we are.
Anyone know a good sports bar in the Williamsburg, VA area? Preferably a Steelers-friendly one?
You'll be fine in Williamsburg ... lots of Redskins fans hate the Ravens ... it's like Jets-Giants.
Another funny story I heard at a class reunion. An old buddy of mine, big Eagles fan, was a truck driver making a haul down south on the day Dick Vermeil's Eagles beat the Cowboys to go to the Super Bowl - Jan. of 81.
He stopped at a dive that had a TV ... Wilbert Montgomery (now a Ravens coach) scored the first touchdown for the Eagles and my buddy charted cheering out loud. Then he heard a deep voice behind him say, "you'd best be going, boy."
He took his order "to go" and hit the road, smart move.
Why would they do that? I'm guessing he doesn't clear waivers... what's his salary this year?
My impression (based on listening to Mikey Miss on 97.5FM), Babin was disgruntled. If that is accurate, I would suspect that he was let a la T.O.
I agree, it is time for Andy to move on, but y'all are TOUGH, the guy has won a lot of playoff games over the years, with several different quarterbacks, lots of changes in personnel. When he did reach the Super Bowl, he lost to the top franchise of this generation and then T.O. made sure that team chemistry they had built would be torn asunder.
By the way, I won a free beer at Laughing Lion (that was the name back then) on the Eagles in that Super Bowl, because New England did not cover the spread.
Here's to Andy ... if nothing else, he won me a free beer.
Interesting game coming up between the now red-hot Redskins and the Giants, who always seem to come up big late in the season.
The Redskins' zone blocking scheme will have to be in sync to hold off that scary Giants' defensive front ... they need to open some holes for the running game because they can't allow the Giants to keep rushing the passer all day... and Eli could have a field day against those shaky Washington corners, but RG3 is mobile enough to shake, rattle and roll... and he can strike deep with the best of them.
Should be a great game to watch. A real test to see if the Skins have arrived.
An unnamed KC Chiefs player apparently shot and killed his GF and then drove to Arrowhead and killed himself.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8697360/kansas-city-chiefs-player-commits-suicide-team-facility
Other sources saying it was Jorvan Belcher.
This sort of thing has been in the news many times, but now it is an NFL player, so all the anti-sports people will be on their high horse saying sports are bad.
I'm definitely pro football as you know but I find the "testimonials" about him to already be in poor taste and ridiculous. A great guy and proud father doesn't shoot the mother of his 3 month old child, in front of her mother, and then kill himself. When people cheer on for a degenerate like Michael Vick or make excuses for an adulterer like Tiger Woods, there's some justification for the backlash.
PREDATOR http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/02/report-reid-thinks-he-could-coach-cowboys-next-year/
Oh God NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jim Washburn has been relieved of his duties. The Eagles defense is horrendous.
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/article-1/Washburn-Relieved-Of-Duties/1094f0fb-b2fa-4949-887e-aa7d5314d26e
That said, I think Foles looked much better last night. Settling in a little. Brown needs to hold onto the damn ball!!!
On another note, that Jets game yesterday was probably the worst football game I have ever watched.
It makes no sense to fire coaches in pieces like this. Just can the head coach or let it ride.
I hope they fire Reid before today's press conference. So sick of listening to him.
This is the longest losing streak for the Eagles since 1968, the year of "Joe must go" and snowballs being thrown at Santa Claus.
As for my Ravens, they have struggled to win their nine games ... people always blame the QB when their team loses, but I have no problem with Flacco ... the defense is not what it used to be. The days of 20 points being enough to win are gone in Baltimore ... no illusions about a Super Bowl ... they would need a lucky break or two to get there but they will make a run at it.
Pittsburgh still has that "make something happen" type of defense ... they still are definitely in the hunt, they find a way no matter who is at quarterback.
One more Eagles thought ... they beat the Ravens and Giants in September ... and now they are where they are. That's why I don't spend a lot of time trying to "forecast" NFL games. Anything can happen.... there are so many good athletes while there also are so many unstable minds and bizarre life events in the mix as well.
Andy Reid is not coaching like a guy on the way out, firing assistants and benching veterans, playing kids ... what's up with all this, anyway? He's acting like he's already building his team for next year.
He's benching under-performing players, getting rid of the locker room cancers (Washburn and Babin), and letting the next man up prove himself. He's acting in the best interest of the team and organization and not just himself. Drafting Foles to safeguard against Vick tanking is also more proof of that.
It all proves that regardless of his legacy and/or shortcomings, he's a class act and is committed to doing a job well and not just collecting a check.
Yeah, it would be a hasty move to get rid of him. With all their playoff finishes, the Eagles have not had many prize draft picks like the Colts have had. You get penalized for consistent winning at draft time. Last real early pick I can recall was Donovan McNabb and that was in the last millennium.
If people want to bash a coach, look at Rex Ryan ... the Jets are a total train wreck.
The Patriots are proof that you can draft well and finish with a top team each year. Even the Giants are demonstrating that to a degree.
In my opinion, unless you already have an assistant coach that you think is HC material, there really is no reason to fire a coach midseason (regardless of the record.)
Well, at least that 98-yard return kept Dallas from covering the spread. The NFL can be torture for gamblers, somebody who lost money is probably screaming "FIX."
LMAO
My heart was ready to stop after that TD return. I was really worried about the onside kick. The Dallas def demonstrated that they couldn't stop the Eagles. I was sure the Eagles would have won if they had recovered the onside kick.
Hasty? It's time for Andy to go. It's been nice. Thanks for all those Championship memories. Oh wait, there aren't any. In 14 seasons no Championship. His best years with the Eagles are way back in the rear view mirror at this point. The last two seasons have been a disaster. The Eagles organization needs to head in a completely different direction. I wish old Jeff would sell the damn team.
The Skins bent but did not break. The next few years should be interesting to see how this new breed of quarterback changes the NFL
Stan Well, Michael Vick was a new breed quarterback, too. Lots of injuries happen over the long haul, when you try to run around and make plays, but there will be a lot of games when the new breed quarterback makes a lot of good things happen. Like the Eagles' big comeback at the Jersey Swamp a couple of years ago.
The ideal is to have a pocket passer who can escape the rush and make something happen on a broken play. But I still think, in the pocket complemented by a power running game, is the best basic game plan.
Bottom line, the mobile new breed guys make the games exciting and interesting. But, eventually, it breaks down in the pro game.
Agreed with Andy.
Randall Cunningham, Steve McNair, Michael Vick, Jeff Garcia, Tony Romo, Cam Newton, Donovan McNabb - all fairly mobile quarterbacks and none with Superbowl wins.
I can only think of Steve Young and Roger Staubach as SB winning QB's that could also run for decent yardage ( not just one or two yards out of the pocket.) Look at the current starting SB winning QB's - Brady, Eli, Peyton, Ben - none can really run but all have amazing pocket presence, fairly good o-lines (when they won their SB's), and are able to get rid of the ball quickly. Only Rodgers is what I would consider mobile and he's had exactly one post-season with a win (albeit it was very successful and resulted in a SB win.)
Sooner or later, a mobile quarterback gets figured out - Vick, Cam, Tebow all have been contained. Or they get injured and their skills diminish quickly after the injury - McNabb is a good example.
gpg The Ravens will be tested against three talented quarterbacks the next three weeks -- RG3, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning.
Hope Raven's beat RG3, Don't care about what they do against Peyton Manning and Lose against Eli Manning :)
They may just end up 11-5 like I picked in September, but at this point, 12-4 or 13-3 would be real nice. 9-7 after you've been 9-2 would not be so good.
If the Raves beat the Broncos, they would have the tie breaker with New England and Denver and get second seed, if there is a three-way tie between division winners at season's end. Lot of meaningful football yet.
Second spot would mean a bye in the playoffs. You always beat bye.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/08/cowboys-jerry-brown-dead-teammate-josh-brent-charged/related/
The charge should be murder. Drunk driving is a premeditated act as far as I'm concerned.
It certainly is reckless disregard, to say the least, still would be a very serious charge.
In Texas, the charge of "intoxication manslaughter" carries a sentence of 2 to 20 years. The fact that you could kill someone and get only 2 years is a travesty of justice.
Eagles play on Monday and Thursday! Many thanks to the NFL and the Eagles organization. Putting the Eagles on TV will free up extra time for Christmas shopping, no reason to stay home to and watch those games!
Eli Manning pass just before half time: PRICELESS
Rex Ryan coaching horrible.
imho.
just coach Well, since the Ravens have not been taking care of business on the field the last couple of weeks, I have to root for the Eagles to beat Cincinnati on Thursday night.
Nice to see the Eagles have not quit, if that comeback at Tampa means anything.
For the Steelers' fans
Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty was a starting QB in college. Bradshaw was his backup.
http://www.aetv.com/duck-dynasty/
I had never heard of duck dynasty till today. FB posting if you're interested:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=532096863468279&set=a.490347144309918.139692.489651251046174&type=1&theater
Between Dallas, NY, and Washington, Washington has the easiest schedule coming up - @Cleveland, @Philly, and Dallas. Dallas and Washington MUST win the final game if they expect to win the division. The division record will be the tiebreaker and it looks like it could be a 3 way tie. This is for the division title. I'm not confident that we will see a wildcard team come from the NFC East.
According to ESPN, the NFL is considering expanding the playoffs. To that I say ... PLEASE DON'T. The playoffs are fine as is ... I don't want to see the team that played all season for the best record playing in the first round against a sub-.500 team.
I feel the bye is a just reward for a season of sustained success.
Personally, I think adding a seventh team to the playoffs MIGHT be beneficial (but definitely not an eighth).
First, why should the #2 seed get a bye? They didn't do anything special. "If you ain't first, you're last," as Ricky Bobby would say. Make them play the first weekend.
Second, it would allow for three games on both Saturday and Sunday of the Wild Card round... 1:00, 4:30 and 8:00. I hate that they make you wait until 4:30 for the first game on Saturday. This will solve that problem.
Also, the extra spot will create that much more drama heading down the stretch. Look at what adding the extra WC did for the MLB playoff run. Right now, it's basically just Pittsburgh and Cincy battling for the 6th spot in the AFC. If there was one more, the Jets, the Bills, the Dolphins and even the Browns and Chargers would still have reason for hope. I don't think that's a bad thing...
I like the numbers the way they are. However, I do think they should review the seeding. My recommendation is:
Per conference:
2 best division winners get in automatically and get a bye
4 wildcard spots (tie breaker is first determined by the division winner) -
It still allows for the thrill of the division race but allows the league to have the very best teams in the playoffs.
You mean a team could win its division and NOT make the playoffs? You can't have that...
In order to do what you propose, each conference would need to contract into two 8-team divisions. It might be something to consider, but it would ruin a lot of classic rivalries around the league.
I still think the #2 seed doesn't deserve a bye. Maybe they should reduce the number of playoff teams to 5: 4 division winners and a single wild card team.
Pats went 11-5 in 2008 and missed the playoffs. Chargers were 8-8 and got in.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NFL_season
If the goal is to put the best product on the field, then you have to ensure the best teams are in the playoffs. Could a division winner get left out? Yes but they would have to be a very mediocre team to get kicked out in my opinion.
Well, I still like it the way it is... even just adding a seventh team in each conference just makes the regular season less meaningful.
As I recall, emaxx... the 2008 season ended pretty well (-;
The Pats missed the playoffs because they failed to win their division. Letting them in over a team that DID win their division would be a travesty. If division winners aren't guaranteed a playoff spot, what is the point of having divisions in the first place?
As I've said, my personal beef is that the #2 seed gets a week off as a reward for losing the #1 spot. That can be rectified one of two ways... add a playoff spot or get rid of one. I don't really care one way or the other, but adding a team would result in more revenue for the NFL and would be the more likely route they would take.
Andy... how would adding a seventh spot make the regular season "less meaningful"?
I'm an old school guy who remembers one champ from the east and one from the west ...prior to 1967 ... from that perspective any additional wild cards just keep watering it all down and I'd say the same thing if the Ravens miss out on a tie-breaker.
Dig this, the 1967 Colts went 11-1-2 and missed the playoffs. No regular season overtimes in those days. You can look it up, if you want to see how it happened.
The Colts and Rams had the same record ... head to head they tied in Baltimore and the Rams won in LA ... won division on head to head tiebreaker. No wild cards, just divisions.
To add to that ... 14 playoff teams (7 each conference) would be almost half the league.
Teams that go 15-1 or start with a long unbeaten streak would clinch a playoff spot that much earlier ... would create problems when they play teams that are trying to make the playoffs while they no longer have anything meaningful to play for ...
resting starters, etc., while a scoreboard watching team is counting on them to win.
They may be mega-millionaires, so Joe Six Pack has no sympathy, but it is a long, grueling season to play through .... after a while the quality of play suffers.
It is so nice to have a kicker that can win games rather than lose them for Dallas.
With their new offensive coordinator, the Ravens' offense in the first half today was ... well...offensive in a different kind of way. Couldn't move the ball and Flacco's fumbling problems persisted. Y'all must have seen that coast to coast pick-6 on the highlights by now, right? Say it ain't so, Joe. The Ravens' offense didn't show any life until they were down 31-3 ... despite the awful performance it was cool to watch the game at Riley and Jake's on Route 31 near Clinton ....passionate fans watching different games, voicing their deeply held loyalties in front of different sets all over the place ... yet everybody got along.
Food was terrific. Thanks, Calico, for letting me know about that great setup for football fans.
Redskins ----- Oh yeah ---- Finally, a better than 50/50 year!!!!!! Heal RGIII, heal thy self.
New information regarding Garrett Reid's death. Steroids found.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50227800/ns/local_news-philadelphia_pa/t/new-details-coming-garrett-reid-death-investigation/#.UM93grZXzRk
Andy Reid's statement regarding the new information.
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/article-1/Andy-Reid-Statement/0406e5d4-8f5f-44ba-aee7-845e8abdcf4d
It's hard enough for any father to deal with something like that, even harder when you're a public figure and the media wants a statement from you.
I agree Andy. As much as I don't want Reid as a coach as an Eagles fan, he is a very good human being. Very sad regarding his son. :(
It may be bittersweet for Andy but i think he needs a break from football. It would probably be good for him to spend some time with his family and get away from the grind.
We keep hearing all this Ground & Pound BS then the coaches send in pass plays that Sanchez is obviously not able to complete, the whole thing is just bad. Can't wait to go on Sunday to hear the crowd.
eapos 
So where are those loyal Giants fan after Sunday's stinker of a game???
That game was just down right embarrassing...
We know the Jets are bad and the Patriots didn't play their best game but at least they came back and tied the game before losing...
I think West Morris could have beat the Giants. At least they would have played with more heart.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/raissman-banks-frank-giants-debacle-atlanta-article-1.1222432
The Giants really are tough to figure out, because they have the talent to be great.
Guess there is a reason that team hasn't won back to back Super Bowls, as we are seeing right now.
I've heard the word joke numerous times on WFAN today, as frustrated fans are venting about the Jets .... to call them the New York JEST would not be a typo.
Can someone explain to me why Josh Brent is allowed to stand on the sideline at the Cowboy game after he killed his teammate? -
http://www.dailyrecord.com/videonetwork/2034217946001
This wasn't his first rodeo - he had been convicted for drunk driving before.
BLD - That decision would be up to the team, so direct your question to Jerry. LOL
Brent has not been convicted of anything in this instance, yet.
BLD,
Giants are just inconsistent. I, as a die hard Giants fan, would just like them to just get into Playoffs and then we will see.
My perdition (Up top in the thread) for Giants has been 10-6 and SBXLVII champ :)
And I stand by it.
Calico, Please predict that Giants will lose all their remaining games (ALA last year ;)
Calico - You are absolutely correct that Brent has not been convicted of anything yet. But he was driving and he failed the field sobriety test. So IMHO he should be out making amends to his friend's daughter who will be born never knowing her father instead of parading on the sideline like nothing ever happened.
If the Giants win their first playoff game ... LOOK OUT. Then they'll have their mojo going and there will be no stopping them.
But, first they have to make the playoffs. Hope Flacco gets some time to throw against that secondary on Sunday ... not exactly the Giants strong point. However, before Joe can throw, he needs to hold onto the ball ... not exactly his strong point.
I'm a Jets fan, but am really getting tired of watching them sink themselves. Sanchez needs to go (Tebow as QB, I dont think thats the answer). I think Rex needs to go too.
botheredbyu Guess I'm not the only person who thought it was inappropriate - http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/josh-brent-not-permitted-cowboys-sidelines-remainder-season-021255104--nfl.html
For the record, Brent left shortly afterwards when he learned that it was causing an issue. I'm on record as thinking DUI is akin to murder. With that said, what are the tolerable venues that he can attend?
Just so people know, if the world ends on Friday, the last game we got to see was that horrendous Jets' game. Horrible !
A car dealer in PA is having a sale ... until the world ends or we go off the fiscal cliff or New Year's ... whichever comes first. Funny ad.
As if you need to know this, at 11 a.m. it will be Dec. 21 in Japan and New Zealand.
By the way, if the Raiders relocated to New Zealand, they would be the Auckland Raiders.
Sorry.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1440911-2012-holiday-cards-for-every-nfl-team
Holiday cards from every NFL team - I don't get the Chiefs' card though.
Second place in my season long NFL pool. 3 behind the leader. Lots of fishy lines this week. Jags +15.5 at home? Philly +6.5? Who to choose? Quite a few jelly beans on the line.
emaxxman, I think it has to do with the Chief who killed his girlfriend and himself.
ian - I had a feeling that was it but since the others were humorous, I thought I was missing something.
I thought the Ravens' card was funny. The Dallas card was a bit of a letdown - Rob Ryan and JJ could have made for a great card.
MeisterNJ, ask emaxx who he's picking in each of the games... then, go with the other team (-;
Correction - had 13 correct. Still close to last though so I will continue to hang my head in shame.
Why wasn't there a game on last night? I'm on vacation and could have watched it all without being exhausted today. Lame.
Ha. I had 11 right this past week and lost on tiebreaker. Shouldn't have picked the stupid Jets. Sanchito stinks! I'm second in my pool with 159 correct.
Skins, Eagles ----- oh boy !!!!! I am just amazed to be happy at this time of football year. Usually have started watching movies. Who are those skins, anyway?
Rice is nice
Glory for Torrey
Boldin is golden
Flacco is back-o
Gettin down in RAVENS town
The Bird is the Word in the AFC North
They won one more for Baltimore
Wow, exciting Redskins/Eagles game, and Chris Cooley came back for a catch and a winning team. Hope it works out, the old guy deserves it after all those hits in all those low years. How nice. Now at least I know 3 players on the team!!!! New team, new strategies, new quarterback. At our first playoff chance since 1999.
Set the "most consecutive field goals in a row" NFL record, so cool.
Now Dallas can come over for a play date at OUR house. It was been a show this year, thank you Redskins.
I did. :) They did great, huh? LOL
Nick Foles will not start Sunday against the Giants. He has a broken hand. Looks like it will be Vick. Sigh....
HTTR! So glad I will be able to see the Skins-Cowgirls game on Sunday night now. Go Skins!
As a Jet and Eagle fan, I find myself wishing the Mayan's were right. To quote Kermit the Frog, "it ain't easy being green". Andy Reid has been a good coach, but could never win the big one, so it's time for a change in Philly. The Jets are a complete disaster with little hope for next season.
When do pitcher's and catcher's report?
OK, I just don't see the Skins secondary doing well against how well Romo is tossing lately. Their propensity for giving up big plays will haunt them all winter.
Hoping they prove me wrong as I am a long time Skins fan and glad to see some life in DC again.
Pitchers and catchers report around Feb. 15 ... the guys playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic should report earlier, if they want to beat Japan this time.
Cowboys and Redskins should be a really great game to enjoy. It could be decided either by a big play on offense or a key turnover at a critical time.
I'd love to see a Ravens/Redskins "Beltway Super Bowl," probably won't happen but the chance is out there. Something to root for, anyway.
I'm a long suffering Skins fan as well. Hope they put in a good effort Sunday night. Glad its on tv.
Watched some RGIII highlights on ESPN today ... the man throws a downfield pass deep, with that perfect spiral, just like Brady. Throws as well as the best names in the game ever ...give him protection... keep him in the pocket. The man can fling that thing.
Following a team that has a number of highs and some of the lowest lows, the current Redskins are a joy but long time fans are wary about a real run to the Superbowl.
Romo is the best but RGIII has not cracked under pressure yet and has an uncanny ability to suffer a lot of losses and then boom ----- the big one to turn it around. It's a joy to watch. Lots of dangerous stuff, but he can thread the needle on a shoestring or a floater too.
Plus the defense has so many looks it's scary and the offense is more than willing to try some pretty complex and fun plays. And how about that kicker ----- we gots a record last week!!!!!
But with all that exciting new stuff, when they get the lead --------- it's Redskins grind it out on the ground time just like the ole days although this strategy is going to be even more scary with Romo attacking.
Should be fun and win or lose ------ it's been a great season to watch. If this turns our to be our "building" year, watch out!!!!! If it turns out to be our Cinderella year, well it's about time!!!!!
I have a lot of Skins fan friends, so I'm pulling for them. Plus, my wife is a Cowboys fan who's been brutal to me over the past few weeks, so some payback's in order. Seattle is another team I wouldn't mind rooting for.
In the AFC, I'll be pulling for the Texans and the Bengals... simply because I hate the Pats, Ratbirds and Peyton. The Colts I'm ambivalent about, but I like Luck, so I won't be disappointed if they make a run at it either.
It's funny to talk about the Redskins without talking about "the hogs." Different era.
They had to be good, though, to win Super Bowl championships with three different quarterbacks.
Ah the hogs; those were the days. I still remember the stories like John Riggins telling Sandra Day O'Conner: ''Come on, Sandy baby, loosen up. You're too tight'' before falling asleep at the table and then, I think, on the floor. Ah, those were the days.......
http://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/01/sports/sports-people-livening-party-he-was-high-spirits-during-cocktail-hour-time-soup.html
May we hassle Romo and disturb his mojo.
The three Skins' Super Bowl MVP winners -- John Riggins, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien ... my Oriole fan buddies and myself always kept calling him Ripken ... just could not help ourselves.
I met Joe Theismann's sister at a party once ... now you can't always believe what people tell you at parties ... but after listening to her chatter on and on ... yes, I believed her. Non-stop talking must run in the family.
Ah the hogs.....the history, the fun.
The story goes that in the twilight of the hogs, Joe T. was so so obnoxious and full of himself that towards the end, in the mid 80's, no one would even sit with him at training meals except Mosley and Riggins (guess they felt bad). Joe T., undeterred, went out and bought "get hot with cathy lee and me": t-shirts for the team --- nice touch to make them feel better. Chutzpah.
When you watch the tape, it appears that their was no offensive line the day Lawrence broke JT's leg. The story goes that Jay Schroeder gave the line each a Rolex and they were rock-solid the next week and thereafter for the season. Probably urban legend, but sure looks like an invisible line for JT and one week later a solid wall for JS.
Hmmm...3 MVP's and not one of them was Theismann. Can't stand Joey "Bad Prostate". He's one of the worst analysts on TV - lacks total credibility with his biased anti-Dallas rants. He had a great running back and a great o-line to play with.
In the years between Baltimore football franchises, when the Skins were doing so well, lots of people in "Charm City" became Dallas fans, because they could not stand the Skins. It had nothing to do with the "America's team" fanfare.
I enjoyed watching Randall Cunningham and those crazy Eagles teams (Mike Golic) during those years, since I got the games on TV every week in Jersey, did root for Washington in their playoff games. Reggie White was amazing in those days, made Philly a great defense.
Golic did some really nutty pre-game shows on Philly TV when he played, not surprised he became a national sports media celebrity as a talker.
Back to the Skins, this team is different because it has a QB with star power. Those teams that won Super Bowls won with the hogs in the trenches, and a running game that set up the pass... very old school.
A top 5 running back and a stellar online helps a rookie out a lot too. Morris is averaging lose to 120 ypg.
Yep, they've built a team .... and the backup QB shined when his chance came, too.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000118990/article/andy-reid-fired-by-philadelphia-eagles
It's done. Reid is out.
Well, on the positive side, Reid got the birds into a lot of playoff games and also won a lot of playoff games. Just never won the big one, but having said that, the last two years they have fallen off a (pardon the expression) cliff and it looks like changes desperately need to be made.
Meanwhile, the Ravens are in the playoffs for the fifth straight year ... the longest current streak of any NFL team. No Super Bowls though, ever since Brian Billick coached the team and Dilfer was the QB.
The Redskins set a franchise record for fewest turnovers in a season this year, with only 14. No wonder they are division champions.
Hail to the Redskins, hail vic-to-ry ... Braves on the warpath .... fight for old D.C.
For the first time in my lifetime (and I've been on this planet for awhile) Washington has division champions in both baseball and football in the same year. For over three decades they didn't even have any baseball and most of the time they have had it, the baseball was stink-o.
As the "luck" of the draw would have it, the Colts with that horseshoe on the helmets, return to Baltimore this Sunday.
Yes, I'm still bitter about Mr. Irsay taking the team away in moving vans in the middle of the night. I still prefer to call them the Irsays, rather than the Colts.
Giants need to hire Reid as Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Coach. Killdrive sucks..
I guess the furor over the Browns being stolen from Cleveland has subsided, I expected someone to come on here and say, yeah, but you stole the Browns.
Yes, we did, after the NFL expansion process headed by Paul Tagliaboo-boo passed over Baltimore and awarded franchises to the burgeoning metropoli of Jacksonville and Charlotte. Then it was no more Mr. Nice Guy.
At least they left the Browns name for the next Cleveland team, unlike Mr. Irsay, who chose to take the Colts name and even Johnny U's jersey with him. How many triple crown horse races have been won by a colt from Indiana?
Chan Gailey, Romeo Crenell and Pat Shurmur have all gotten the ax this morning.
Crennell and Gailey, I understand... but I think Cleveland's new owner made a big mistake (new boss, same as the old boss?). Sure the Browns went 5-11, but 5 of those losses were by a TD or less and Shurmur brought in a lot of young talent that he could have cultivated over the next few years and turned them into a strong competitor, if not necessarily a contender.
I predict Cleveland's run of ineptitude and the banner of "The Mistake by the Lake" will continue and I believe Shurmur will rise again with another team. Maybe he's the next Belichick; Bill took his lumps in Cleveland and lived to tell the tale, lol.
ian - How's the wife doing this morning? :-)
By all accounts, it looks like Garrett is safe. I really hope they force him to hire a real OC though. It's evident that he can't handle play calling duties and be the HC too. Bill Callahan is the OC/o-line coach but I'm not sure I want him to be the play caller. He did a decent job with the o-line this year but Romo was still running for his life (reports are that he has a cracked rib from last night.)
Thank goodness Andy is gone. Time to move in a different direction Eagles.
Go Colts!
She's already over it, emaxxman. I think the fact that the Steelers, Giants and Eagles all missed the playoffs cushioned the blow somewhat, lol. Misery loves company...
A sword to my heart, Calico ... go Colts, indeed. Mayflower Vans would be a better name.
Remember when the Eagles almost moved to Phoenix? Mr. Tose had to sell the team because he had 70 mil in Atlantic City gambling debts. WOW. It was a big story in 1984 ... Philly would not have gone long without an NFL team, but could you imagine a team leaving that big city full of fanatical sports fans?
By the way, the Eagles voted for an expansion team to be placed in Baltimore. Mr. Braman said the league needed to right a historical wrong ... the Eagles fans did not like a lot of Braman's decisions, but I liked that one.
According to Wikipedia, Tose's debt to the AC casinos was just a mere 25 million.
Still, how do you lose that much money in casinos?
ian - Amazing how that works, isn't it? LOL.
Go Seahawks next week.
Go Broncos to win it all.
Would not bet against the Broncos ... those guys are ROLLING.
If they could win games with Tebow at quarterback ....
That would be priceless if the Colts drove up to M&T Stadium in Mayflower trucks instead of buses, lol....
Down goes Whisenhunt!!!! I wonder if he'd be willing to come back to the 'Burgh as an Offensive Coordinator...
The last time the Colts went to Baltimore, it was a low scoring game with the Colts winning by scoring only 5 field goals. Colts went on to win the SB.
Is a Colts/Broncos AFC championship possible?
That was the last time the Grinches were in Baltimore for a playoff game, they have played in the regular season since then.
Imagine holding Peyton Manning to no touchdowns, especially in that season, and still losing. So much for having earned the first round bye.
I remember the game well.
Happy New Year, everyone, it's just minutes away now.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000121923/article/andy-reid-kansas-city-chiefs-reach-agreement
Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs reach agreement
The Chiefs also sent that weirdo Pioli packing... I wonder if that means Andy is going to take over the GM spot as well. Filling two positions doesn't look like it will ever be a problem for Andy, lol.
Well, since my offseason has started prematurely early again, I've been looking at the possible draft picks. Too bad this DE can't enter the draft. Dallas would have to package picks to get him but man oh man this guy is a killer.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/jadevon-clowney-wait-another-nfl-005012861--nfl.html
And this has to be the most hilarious article regarding him:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1467450-jadeveon-clowney-monster-hit-leads-to-wikipedia-change-legendary-status
"In the Outback Bowl, Clowney obliterated the entire state of Michigan when he hit Wolverines' running back Vincent Smith and forced a fumble. There are now only 49 states in the United States and Roger Goodell has suspended Clowney for the first game of his NFL career."
I'm pretty sure Andy will have decision making authority on player moves, otherwise I don't think he would have agreed to take the job so quickly.
I liked the way Parcels put it, if they want me to cook the soup, I need to buy the groceries.
How about all the rookies quarterbacking playoff teams this weekend? How cool is that?
Andy - I love the idea of the rookies in the playoffs. It's awesome. Would love a Colts/Skins Superbowl. Not going to happen, but that would be great.
My rookie is better than their's is, my rookie is better......
In a perfect world, the Redskins really strange Defensive look(s) will rattle the young guy. I think this Defensive strategy might even change the game; it's really weird to watch. So many looks, so much movement
If it doesn't work, he will pick our secondary apart.
But we got really great practice at our running game strategy last week and they stink at stopping the run.
We are not favored, but there is hope.
Calico --- you are a goddess, keep the faith.
I played on a high school team that tried lots of different looks, movement ... we only ended up confusing ourselves and messing up. Blown coverages, guys out of position, a Chinese fire drill like Hank Stram used to say.
These NFL guys make the game look so easy.
THIS JUST IN:
The NY Jets have announced that starting next year, they will play all their home games in a new venue. A team Spokesperson stated that " This new venue will makes us feel more at home than sharing MetLife Stadium" H L has obtained some exclusive photos ( ok 1)
of the Jets new home
Andy,
I am shocked that the Skins seem to know what they are doing here and somehow have transformed the defensive strategy. Did not seem to work on Dallas though and they seemed to pull back from it as the game went along.
It's fun to watch.
Making adjustments is such a big thing in team sports.
Within the hour Joe Flacco will become the first quarterback since Otto Graham to start playoff games in his first five NFL seasons. Part of that is due to the fact he was drafted by a team with a good offensive line, running game and defense, but it is still a nice distinction.
Back in Graham's day, the early 1950s, they all were championship games ... the only other playoff games were played whenever a division race ended in a tie, just like baseball for so many years... THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT ...
Ironically, Otto played for the Browns and Flacco is with the transplanted Browns.
I was born in Cleveland and have family in Baltimore ... I have a weird connection with that franchise at both ends.
There it is, Flacco is the first quarterback ever to win playoff starts in his first five NFL seasons ... it's a team sport and he's blessed to be on a team that's been pretty solid in all phases of the game ... but he's got a place in the game's history.
That said, they won't get away with all those stupid penalties and fumbles in Denver next week ... definitely a lot of room for improvement, but they have survived and advanced ... that's what it's all about in the wild-card round.
Said the Raven ... never score (just three field goals). Back em up, back em up, take those moving vans down I-70 back to Indianapolis.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooo. The Party is over.
Strange coaching decision to leave RGIII in. But for a bottom-of-the-barrel team at the season start, oh what a ride !!!!!!
Not as fun a game though after the first quarter. Lost my voice (but not my fingees :>)
That was probably the worst wild card weekend of football that I can recall, from a quality of play/entertainment standpoint. Each game was as bad as or worse than the one that preceded it.
The Skins/Hawks game was the only one with ANY entertainment value and I had already tuned out of the live action due to the previously wasted 9 hours of of my life.
I was watching it on delay (and watching Weeds on Netflix during the dowmtime) to avoid the commercials and I was just about to watch the 4th quarter when my wife (the Cowboys fan) gleefully informed me that the Redskins lost... so I didn't bother. I imagine that it wasn't pretty for Skins fans...
Winning ugly is enjoyable if the team you root for does the winning. Otherwise, it is time to watch old movies or listen to old music.
I don't see a Notre Dame thread on HL (unless I want to post college ball comments on one of the Rutgers threads) but they sure have a big one waiting in the wings for tonight. Through the years I've been a Penn State fan, but tonight let it be the leprechauns working their magic for Touchdown Jesus. Go Irish ... at least make an interesting game of it, anyway.
Me too ianimal. Alabama 54 - Irish 3. BTW, I can't stand Alabama, but hate ND worse. LOL
I thought the first 3 games were all boring. Texans/Bengals was mildly entertaining but you never got a sense that the Bengals could win it. Ravens/Colts was laughable. Packers/Vikings game was a sham. There was more suspense from wondering if my fresh bread would rise properly or not.
The last 3 qtrs of the Skins/Seahawks game was fantastic!!!! I guess Bob can only walk on water with 2 good knees. Russell Wilson is impressive. The fact that he had two downfield blocks for Lynch showed that he's not afraid to take a hit.
I don't think next week will be any different, at least in the AFC, emaxxman. The Broncos and Pats should both win in a cakewalk, which will set up what could potentially be a very entertaining AFCC game, though.
The divisional round in the NFC should be more interesting. Green Bay has a great shot to win in San Fran and Seattle can play with anybody... plus, Atlanta is definitely going to lose to someone, why not the Seachickens?
"I'd rather win ugly than lose pretty."
Completely agree, Andy... as long as it's my team. However, as a football fan with no dog in the fight, those games were brutal to watch. I fell asleep at least three times during the Ravens/Colts game. Come to think of it, I wish I would have recorded it in case I'm ever afflicted with insomnia, lol.
It took five years for the Ravens to use a first round pick for any player who actually runs with the ball or throws it.
Dinosaur football seems to be their identity.
On a more important note, ian, - you may want to remind folks that they have to pick games for the playoffs. I was 1 for 4. Hmmm...maybe I should just stop picking.
emaxx, I probably would have been 0-4 if Christian Ponder had played. I only changed my pick to GB last minute because of Joe Webb... of course, if Ponder had played, who's to say the game wouldn't have turned out differently?
I'm hoping Whip and Anaconda forget to make their picks.....but I'm sure they are hoping I forget mine...Well, my picks are in.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000123548/article/rg3-reportedly-will-be-with-redskins-owner-at-exam
Is Snyder going to cup Bob and ask him to cough?
Reports say that Junior Seau's brain showed that he suffered from CTE.
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/8830344/study-junior-seau-brain-shows-chronic-brain-damage-found-other-nfl-football-players
It may be hard to believe, with football so popular right now and getting all the TV ratings (and gambling) BUT when more stories like Seau's make the news, the sport will eventually die out ... it won't happen overnight but it is in the future.
Heard that Jacksonville does not want Tebow, so where does he go from here?
He'll have to realize he'll never be a first line NFL quarterback and be willing to learn to play other positions. There are lots of former high school and college quarterbacks playing in the NFL as safeties, tight ends, even linemen, just like so many MLB baseball outfielders and infielders are former high school pitchers.
Too slow for a safety, too small for lineman, maybe TE but there are much better options out there. Tebow will be nothing more than a backup at best. He had his chance to shine as a starter. He was terrible. Why does everyone feel the need to give this guy chances?
David Carr and Joey Harrington were much better QB's but drafted by horrendous teams. How come we never hear anyone say, let's figure out how to use their talents in other positions?
Maybe he can hook up with a semi-pro team somewhere in the Bible Belt. I'm sure he'd sell a lot of tickets there.
Carr and Harrington are "true" quarterbacks ... legit quarterbacks.
CFL sounds like the best place for him..he'll be a draw for an owner who wants to make money ... an old high school teammate of mine played seven years with the Montreal Alouettes ... when I saw him at a reunion and asked about the 12-man game they play he gave me a funny answer ...
"Andy, it's one more guy out there who can hit you."
"Carr and Harrington are "true" quarterbacks ... legit quarterbacks."
I don't even know what that statement means. What are you saying? Tebow is not a legit quarterback and by virtue of him sucking, we should find a new position for him even though he's not proven at any of those either?
Isn't the CFL higher-scoring with a bigger playing field than the NFL? Hardly a recipe for success for a QB who can't throw with any accuracy or score enough points as it is...
Doug Flutie won several grey cups over there... was the hot shot of the league ... great league for rollout and option football ... the linebackers aren't as fast as they are in the NFL.
I know, my buddy Harold played there a long time. Watched some films.
Maybe Timmay can go into Ultimate Fighting. I'm sure Dana White would welcome the additional publicity.
Maybe someday Teblow will come out of the closet and quit hiding behind Jeebus ? Ever heard the guy talk ? It's obvious unless he decides to stay in the closet forever like former QB Jeff Garcia , or Tom Cruise and John Travolta .
Jeff Garcia is married to Carmela DeCesare, a former playmate of the year. If that is "in the closet", then I'm evicting the coats and shutting the door.
I don't mean to be shallow, but I met Jeff Garcia about 6 years ago and man is he one ugly dude. I mean, yuck. LOL
Looks like Garcia found his beard and it's a good one . No need to ashamed Tebow because it's not like there's anything wrong with that . Although you do really suck as an NFL QB !
http://fegonomics.blogspot.com/2009/12/jeff-garcia-life-and-times-of-nfls.html
He beat the Eagles in a Super Bowl ... the year that Vermeil got them there with Jaws, Harold Carmichael (remember when he was called for lining up offside and it cost them a touchdown) Herman Edwards, Bill Bergey, Wilbert Montgomery ... one of the Eagles' best teams.
Jaws threw three picks ... now he's an "expert" on TV.
Well, Rich Gannon was even worse in a Super Bowl, he threw three picks that got returned for touchdowns.
Peyton Manning chokes again in a big game. Surprise, surprise...
Congrats, Andy... Maybe you guys will get a chance at redemption in Foxborough next Sunday.
One thing we've seen in recent playoffs ... beware the team that's won on the road and now believes in itself.
The Giants, Packers, Steelers have all shown us that being a road underdog does not mean squat ... the Ravens were not supposed to be playing next Sunday ... and that makes them very dangerous.
If the Eagles want a coach who has won the Super Bowl, here he is. I'm surprised he'd give up a nice announcing job to be thrown to the wolves (fans and media) in Philly. Well, if he could win a Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer at QB, he's the greatest coach of all time. =)
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8840792/brian-billick-interviewed-philadelphia-eagles-coaching-job-sources
Who are the real serious candidates? I'd like to see Herman "You play to win the game" Edwards, but he doesn't seem to be interested. LOL
Well, while we wait on the RGIII recovery, pray that it goes well and the rest of the team returns healthy, maybe add another running back, and do the same things better ---- it was a great season for the Skins, unanticipated, tied/set a record for consecutitve field goals and was fun to watch.
Not sure I understand the coaching of Shanahan, most agree that it seemed obvious that was better to pull him and lose than lose him to everyone except RGIII and Shanahan. RGIII you can understand, he still thinks he will run forever; Shanahan should know better.
Interesting sidenote was that when RGIII when down, somewhere in the stands, Joe Theisman discovered his Super Beta Prostrate was not working, big time. As RGIII's knee bent backward, a large pool of liquid formed around Joe's chair but ever the consumate pitch-man, he chirped: ""Throughout my career in football, I've seen some major game-changing moments like this one with RGIII. The same goes for my own life - like when I realized the reason I was going to the bathroom so much during the day and getting up in the middle of the night to go was due to my prostate and the vision of LT charging down on me to bend my knee back like a tin can top! Now that was a game changer! Hey, can we get someone with a mop in here."
But we're on the "warpath" again and it's nice to have something good to look forward to after all those dark years. A n t ci pa aa t i o n is making me late.
I would love Herm, but seems to be just me. I wouldn't mind McCoy from Denver.
That ATL/SEA game gave me fits yesterday. Sigh.....
Actually not but only because of his ego-centric personality; loved him for his q-back skills, just not a people person except to look down his nose at them. Think he was one of those sparkling personalities that blamed others for performance before he would blame himself.
Did get his autograph though for my fil.
Everybody is entitled to their opinion on people who make a living by being a public figure. But when people are mocked for things like prostate problems, things that are a part of aging, I just feel duty bound to remind them ...
one day ... you, too ... will get older.
IIRC, LT snapped Theismann's fibula and tibia in half like they were kindling. He didn't do anything to his knee.
MG - Shanahan put Terrel Davis into game while TD was temporarily blind (due to a hit he took only a few minutes prior.) His reasoning was that he never intended for him to run the ball; just act as a decoy.
A bad knee is nothing compared to being blind.
The Falcons are going to have one hard time trying to contain this Kaepernick, the guy looks like a praying mantis but can make plays, running and throwing deep, from
the pistol formation .. long limbs and speed like Randall Cunningham in the old days. When the defense plays zone he throws, when in man to man, he runs around.
Looks like Alex Smith is going to be available ... for someone who needs a quarterback.
Three of last year's final four are in the conference championship games ... only the Giants did not make it back.
Thanks to you guys I'll be seeing Theisman's grotesque broken leg in my mind's eye as I try to get to sleep.
Ouch. Would not wish that on anybody.
Since the other three teams are proven losers, I guess it's the year of the Dirty Bird, lol
It will be redemption for somebody ... I guess the Steeler fans won't want the Patriots or Niners, because it will add to an impressive total of championships for their franchise. If I counted correctly, it would be number six for Frisco and number four for Brady Bunch.
Flacco is just coming into his prime ... it's only his fifth year and he's 7-4 in playoff games. He's knocking on the door, his third AFC championship game in five years. He's not even 30 yet.
The Eagles named their new coach today! Did you guys miss the news? They went on and on about it on 97.5 The Fanatic.
I'd say the Eagles should trade their incumbent quarterbacks, get whatever draft picks or players they can for them. They should draft a quarterback who fits into the new system. Hiring a college coach, with no NFL history, is intriguing, to say the least.
Good luck to him, he's going to need it.
I heard it, of course. I was never keen on Kelly for the Philly job, but it is what it is. I hope he works out. Welcome to Philly Chip!
If it's true that he was wishy-washy on leaving Oregon, then I wouldn't have much faith in him as an NFL coach. I would be worried that he would quit (like Petrino) when the going gets tough. Until proven otherwise, he's the Ross Perot of the NFL and the Eagles are doomed.
Personally, I hope the Eagles and the Chipster go down in a giant ball of flames - but I could be biased.
Andy, I would much rather see the Pats and Brady get their fourth than the Ravens get their second and Flacco get his first. I've said on numerous occasions that the 5 words you are most unlikely ever to hear are: "Joe Flacco, Super Bowl Champion". I don't like to be wrong (-;
You're right about the Niners, though. I definitely don't want them getting their 6th and tying the Steelers (especially since it appears the two teams are moving in opposite directions, with the Steelers headed the WRONG way).
So, I'll be rooting for the Dirty Birds from here on out, but the Pats are my unlikely 2nd pick.... strange year.
Andy,
If you think you have nightmares, I was only half-kidding when I said somewhere in the stands a warm pool of liquid formed beneath Joe's chair. I would bet he had more that a few sleepless nights and I bet he contacted RGIII after the game to console. I know I had an instant flashback and immediately yelled "no replays, no replays..." I think most diehard Skins fans had the same reaction.
Heard this on the radio - "Brent Musburger was right. QB's get all of the hot girls (Ms. Alabama) while linebackers are stuck with the imaginary ones."
The worst replay I ever saw was when McGahee was still at "The U". I think it was a bowl game and his knee hyperextended almost 90 degrees, tearing his ACL, MCL and the LCL too, I think. I remember saying to the guy next to me tht he'd never play in the NFL. He was never really a superstar, but he definitely proved me wrong by having a solid career to date.
McGahee was a very good Raven. They gave him a chance and he rewarded them for their faith with some great games, including playoff wins.
If they pull off a Super Bowl title, it isn't like Flacco is the whole show. The wide receivers have been making big plays, Rice has come up big when needed, the defense has not been what it once was but has risen to the occasion at critical times and the field goal kicker has been money, time after time.
With Ray Lewis retiring, the media focus will probably be more on him.
I remember people saying Elway would never win. Eventually, he did, twice. Funny, it happened when Denver got a defense, a line, and a running game.
Anybody you know in this feature?
http://www.mademan.com/the-7-worst-kinds-of-football-fans-you-will-see-on-game-day/
You knew it was only a matter of time. First we had Tebowing. Now we have Te'oing.
Bring on the Harbaugh Bowl!! I will go with the Niners as I am an NFC guy.
I'll bet Gisele kicks Toms butt tonight..... LOL.
Guess who is in the Super Bowl ... JOE FLACCO.
pa-papa roo-mau-mau
don't u know about the bird, yeah everybody knows that
THE BIRD IS THE WORD.
The Steelers' fans have to root for the Raves, because if Frisco wins, the Niners have their sixth Super Bowl title, which would tie the Steelers at the top of the list.
The Steelers' prominence depends on Joe Flacco, a comforting thing I'm sure, for ianimal, who is on record with his prediction that Flacco would never win one.
That possibility gave me a good reason to root for the Niners yesterday. Plus, the deal with the head coaches in this Super Bowl being brothers. So, if you don't care for either team, you can just shout ... OH, BROTHER.
Andy, you dare to condescend to speak for Steelers fans?
Let's go, Niners!!!
We'll get number 7 next year... not a problem.
Actually, come to think of it, I believe every team I was rooting for to date in the playoffs has lost....
Let's go, Ratbirds!!!!!
Joe Flacco... you just got your ass kicked in the Super Bowl. What are you going to do next?
I'm going back home to Sesame Street and receive some comforting from my "friend", who shares a bedroom with me.
Ray Lewis is an inspiration...for anyone who aspires to commit murder, turn on his friends, and then tries to act like he's a moral person.
Jim Harbaugh is a douchebag. Snubbed the media last year after his loss, snubbed them again this year (but of course, everyone is only focusing on Belichick.)
I may have to put some money into this game so I have something to root for.
Can we stop calling Matt Ryan "Mattie Ice" now? Only one playoff game won, shut out in the 2nd half, and threw an INT and fumbled the ball on two key drives. Romo would have been decapitated by now.
I can tell you guys (and gal) are really happy the Ravens got to the Super Bowl. LOL
Give Romo a great o-line and great teammates and he can win, I'm not as down on him as some people. QBs get too much credit for wins and too much blame for losses.
That's an old left tackle's viewpoint.
Football is a team sport unlike any other. The guys in the backfield not only rely on the line to open holes and give plays time to develop, they rely on the line for their physical survival. And in the shotgun, or when punting, if it's a bad snap, it results in a play for the funny blooper reels.
The Ravens beat New England in the trenches on Sunday, in my view. Certainly should not be so easy against San Francisco. The guys like Brady, the Mannings, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, will all be watching on TV ... they're still marvelous at what they do but too many things broke down around them.
One thing that's for certain ... the Harbaugh family has a Super Bowl championship.
The Ravens won last time the teams played, on Thanksgiving in Baltimore in 2011. It was a low scoring game ... Frisco has changed QBs since then, but the Raves' defense will still BRING IT.
Don't you know about the bird, everybody knows that the BIRD is the WORD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpjrcPmcIqc
Good trivia ... only city to have a Super Bowl champion and champions in the CFL and the USFL is Baltimore ... they won the CFL in 1995 (The Stallions) and the Baltimore Stars (with several future NFL players and future NFL coach Jim Mora) won the USFL championship, played at Giants Stadium, in the summer of 1985.
Nobody besides me probably cares, but I posted it anyway. If the Colts had not moved, Baltimore business people would not have obtained those franchises in an effort to fill the void.
Go Ravens, the bird is the word.
CFL = Canadian Football League? If yes, how is it that Baltimore had a team? If no, then what was the CFL?
Yes, Baltimore played in the Canadian Football League ... the city was left without an NFL team for several years ... the team drew about 30,000 fans to all the games at Memorial Stadium ...they played all those teams in Calgary, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa ...the Edmonton Eskimos ... it was a real blast.
Once Baltimore got the Ravens, the CFL franchise went back to Canada. They knew fans would stop coming once the NFL came back to town.
If you're really into football history, Wikipedia has a good writeup about the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League.
What's funny is, the fans wanted the team to be called the Baltimore Colts .... but the NFL (Paul Taglia-boo-boo) went to court to stop that ... even though the old Colts were now playing in Indianapolis.
The PA announcer was not allowed to say Baltimore Colts but when he introduced the team, he would go ... The Baltimore CFL (long pause) and the fans would yell COLTS. My favorite radio station down there started calling itself Colt 104 and dared Tagliabue to make them change it.
Joe Flacco 11 TDs with no interceptions in the post-season, a deserving Super Bowl MVP for a historic playoff run.
ianimal said he never would win one. He went on the record with that.
Real tough loss for Frisco, great comeback, some bad breaks, but that team will be in the mix for several years now.
Funny how the Ravens do it, they win one Super Bowl with a defense that covered up the deficiencies of the offense and now it's the other way around ... Flacco outscores the defense's shortcomings, but the defense did pull off a couple of key takeaways and both Ravens' Super Bowl wins had a touchdown on a kickoff return. Such fun. We'll take it, SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS -- BALTIMORE RAVENS.
That damn safety at the end cheated me out of winning $800.
Congrats to the Ravens and their fans. Joe Flacco was the perfect example of how not to choke in the big game.
The safety was all they could do in that situation... I've seen it plenty of times over the years ... you must have been in one of those things where you sign a square and root for certain numbers the grid gives you ... keeps it exciting for fans who don't have a rooting interest.
Amazing that the Ravens gave up as many points as they did this year and still won. Flacco really had a super year.
Guess it's time for an off-season thread ... we kicked this one around pretty well all fall.
That safety was pretty ingenious I must admit. It ate up the clock and allowed Baltimore the ability to kick off from a more favorable position.
Now explain to me why it was a punt after the safety? Are you allowed to choose after a safety? I guess that's the answer but I had never seen that before.
After a safety, the surrendering team must "free-kick" the ball to the scoring team. The free-kick may be a punt or from a tee. When the object is to cover the kick, it's best to punt the ball because the additional hang time allows your defenders to cover better.
The ball is usually only placed on a tee if the surrendering team needs to get the ball back at the end of the game and they are attempting an onside kick. I don't think I've ever personally seen it, but have heard of it being done once or twice.
One thing I REALLY liked that the Ravens did at the end was that they played defense.
We've seen "genius" Bellichick actually let the Giants score so Brady could get the ball back for a final drive ... well, his receivers dropped passes on him and the Pats lost.
Whether you agree with the official's non-call or not, the Ravens made a goal line stand. Loved that kind of "old-school" MAN-UP kind of football.
For the record, Flacco didn't "win" the MVP... it was "awarded" to him.
I don't see how anyone watches that game and doesn't vote for Jacoby Jones for MVP. Not only the 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, but the amazing play he made on the woefully underthrown ball from Flacco, where he got up and avoided two tacklers on his way to the end zone. Those were two AMAZING plays.
Flacco was solid, but nowhere near as spectacular. A 13-yarder, a 1-yarder and the gift from Jones that he almost blew. Giving him the MVP is like giving the MVP from Super Bowl X to Terry Bradshaw instead of Lynn Swann.
Bradshaw had a solid game, throwing for over 200 yards on only 19 attempts and 2 touchdown passes, including the 64-yard game winner that was thrown milliseconds before he got blasted by a Cowboys defender and knocked out of the game. But, the spectacular catches were Swanny's and the MVP rightly went to him.
Tell me what plays are going to be shown over and over when they relive this Ravens Super Bowl win, Flacco's 1-yard pass to Pitta or the kickoff return? The wounded duck by Flacco or the amazing play that Jones made? I rest my case.
The fact of the matter is that sportswriters are too dumb to vote for anyone but the QB in most instances. They're also too dumb to be entrusted with the Baseball HOF, but that's a story for another thread, lol.
"...sportswriters are too dumb..."
Present company excepted, Andy... that wasn't meant as a slam on you. If you were as dumb as the rest of them, you would have had credentials for yesterday's game (-;
I'm curious what you think about the MVP. If the NFL had a "Conn Smythe" award for overall playoff MVP, Flacco should win in a runaway. However, looking at the Super Bowl only, I don't see how anyone could overlook what Jacoby Jones did in that game.
Jacoby "Mr. Long Distance" would also have been a great choice ... I think they gave it to Jersey Joe because he had three TDs with no interceptions and he got the Ravens rolling right from the get go.
The one-yarder was a nice play-action call just when the defense was set up for it ... he heard me yell "play action" and he listened to me. I give him credit for heeding my advice LOL ... of course he could hear me, he's from Jersey.
And Boldin was golden ... he is one tough dude with poli-grip hands. Well, last year people called Flacco a loser because a big pass of his got dropped ... this year his receivers played great and suddenly he's a winner. And great special teams have been a Ravens trademark through the years ... that kick return was the NFL play of the year.
Flacco did drive them to two late field goals that ended up being crucial.. and he took time off the clock which was badly needed to slow down the Niners charge... and this may be blasphemous to a Steelers fan ... but he reminds me of Big Ben the way he shuffles around, buys time, sidesteps the pass rush and makes great throws.
Jacoby Jones was great and will be loved in Baltimore forever, but they don't win that game without Flacco.
A P.S., if the Ravens didn't try that fake punt, Flacco might have had FOUR touchdown throws, because they were moving the ball.
He spread the throws around, involved all the receivers.
If Jacoby Jones had just fallen down with that catch and not danced around defenders, it still would have been a big first down and Joe might have finished the drive with a throw to Boldin or maybe Ray Rice out of the backfield.
The main thing is, no picks, keeping drives going.
I'll always remember the last minute play in Denver ... it was just that kind of a ride.
I should say if the Ravens converted that fake punt, since it was a fourth down play, or course.
Well, Flacco does not need me to defend him here, he's shed the loser label.
It's tough for a non-QB to win a MVP award in a Super Bowl game, it's been done on occasion like Ray Lewis winning one when the offense was not the team's strong point ... their deal was just don't turn it over, if we punt, we punt.
But in a 34-31 game, come on, Flacco was 22-for-33 for 287 yards. Boldin caught six passes for 104 and seven different Ravens caught passes. Jones only had the one 56-yard catch, a super individual play, but it was his only catch. Baltimore only punted three times and only averaged 2.7 yards per rush .... Flacco had to throw to keep moving the ball.
Baltimore furniture company to give away free furniture - http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/02/baltimore-furniture-co-to-give-free-goods-after-super-bowl-rarity/
Free stuff. Cool.
Big parade today, party time in Ravenstown.
Fire up the crab cakes and as Chuck Thompson said after the Baltimore Colts won the Super Bowl, "ain't the beer cold."
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