Wildcard Weekend, Sexy Rex Art and Johnny Football
There is a lot of football news in the wind but, frankly, there is only one thing everybody is interested in. Rex Ryan’s wife. Tattooed on his ass, er arm. Dressed only in a Dirty Sanchex jersey. No wonder Tebow couldn’t get on the field and finished the season in quarterback production somewhere behind the St. Louis Rams’ punter. Meanwhile, gossip purveyors on the internet have been pondering what tattoos Bill Belichick might have.
The second best story is, JOHNNY FOOTBALL. Dude is legit. What kind of dropoff did Johnny Manziel have after all the Heisman hoopla and partying? None. Opening drive of the game, Mr. Football capped off with a 23 yard TD run. Score was tight through the first half, but Texas A&M never let the Sooners really into it. In the second half, they just flat blew the doors off of Oklahoma. Manziel ended up with a FBS bowl record 229 yards rushing on 17 carries, and completed 22 of 34 passes for another 287 yards. 516 yards of total offense by himself. The Aggies are very good, and their offensive line is as good as I have seen in some time. They would kill Notre Dame, and have already soundly beaten Alabama in Tuscaloosa. I’m going to catch hell from the Gulf Coast Pirate but, say what you will, right now Texas A&M is the best college football team on the planet.
Also, it seems, there is some professional football on this weekend. Before we get to that, there were a boatload of coaches and GMs sacked on Monday. The chips are starting to fall into place. Andy Reid is in at the Chefs and Scott Pioli is out. Speaking of Chips, Kelly from the Oregon Ducks is looking good for the Brownies, who are putting a full court press on here is Phoenix where the Quackers just blew out Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl. The Cardinals are, of course, behind the curve and are looking at one of the bigger jerks in football, Todd Haley. Oh, and the Jets are sniffing around Norval Turner.
As for the games, first up Saturday is Cinci at the Tejans. Houston should be the better team, but they are in a serious funk and the Bungles ar on a real roll. Lot of sports media types are picking the Bengals for the road win. Not me, I think Houston pulls it together enough to eke out a win. The nightcap Saturday, however, is far more interesting. Vikings at the Packers. On the Frozen Tundra. Under the lights, snow flurries and temps in the low 20s. Adrian Peterson and Aaron Rodgers. This is good stuff. Peterson has just worn out the Packers on the ground this year. But that was in the dome at home and when the weather was better in GB. The Pack may not stop #28, but they can likely contain him enough to make Christian Ponder beat them. But Rodgers is the one more comfortable in the cold. The Vikings are not going to eat the Cheese twice in a row.
The early game Sunday is the return of the Colts to Baltimore. Andrew Luck really cut down on the turnovers down the December stretch and the Colts believe. But Ray Lewis is returning for his “last ride” after announcing he will retire at the end of this season. I was shocked how at peace with the decision Lewis really seemed; he appears to really mean it. Say what you will about Ray Lewis, but the man was a monster on the field. The only other defensive player that I’ve ever seen who was so dominant, for so long, was Lawrence Taylor. And Lewis is a more critical team leader than LT was. Is it Andrew Luck’s time to shine, or will Ray Ray live to play yet another day? No clue, I rate it a dead toss up. Maybe slight edge to the Ravens; Flacco always wins at least one playoff game every year he’s been in the league.
Which leaves what may well be the best for last. The showdown between super rookies RGIII of the Skins and Russell Wilson and the Squawks. RGIII has all the glitz and pub, but I think the Seahawks have the better team. Especially on defense, where they are big, fast and very, very good. This will be only the second playoff game ever played at Fed-Ex Field, the last being in 1999 win against the Lions, of all people. But the Squawks are not the Criminal Docket Kittehs. Wilson and RGIII, and Marshawn Lynch and Alfred Morris may just cancel each other out in a wash. But Seattle is superior on defense by a lot. That is the difference.
The music this weekend is in honor of Rex Ryan and is, of course, from Tattoo You.
And now with the preview for Monday night:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpGEeneO-t0[/youtube]
First of all let me offer my condolences to Mr. White. That game had to be a big disappointment for a lot of Florida fans but that Louisville QB looks legit.
OK, the Aggies. I knew, I just knew when I came here you’d have something to say. You are correct in one area – that line is the best college offensive line on the planet. I’m not even sure who would be a close second. However, folks around here knew that going into the season and it was expected to be the strong point of their offense. There are two first round draft choices (possibly both top 15) on that line and one guard (also expected to be a pro player) who is actually playing out of position (regularly a tackle) in order to get some playing time. That’s pretty stout for a college team and not unsurprising given they were all Mike Sherman recruits and Sherman has done good work with offensive lines both in college and the NFL. Let’s see what Manziel does next year without Kingsbury and a more ordinary offensive line.
Lots of angst in this area about the Texans. Schaab simply isn’t getting it done. If he plays the way he has for the last month we’re dead meat.
Yeah, those Aggies looked dominant in the second half last night. I’m so glad the Gators had them in the very first game under Sumlin.
Speaking of the Gators, @GulfCoastPirate: is right, the Sugar Bowl was a huge disappointment. On a personal front, the family trip to New Orleans was big fun. My wife and girls got serious face time on ESPN since we were on the front row, but somehow, they seemed to avoid my mug.
The silver lining for the Gators is that the poor performance will dial down expectations for next year to a significant extent. If they had won by the margin the odds-makers had come up with, they would likely have finished at No 2 in the polls and top five in next year’s pre-season polls. After the flop, they deserve to drop to the 10-12 range both for this season and the pre-season for next year. It always seems easier to work up the polls than to defend from the top.
I haven’t given much thought to the NFL playoffs yet, but I’m having some issues on whether the Rex Ryan tat photo is real. There is a conveniently placed chair obscuring his wife’s feet in the photo. I’ll believe the tat is real when I see that Rex’s mouth is firmly attached to her feet.
The real excitement, though, is that Gator Baseball is only a little over a month away. Although they lost three first-rounders and several other key players to the draft, they are incredibly deep with pitching and they have a true hotshot stepping in to take over at shortstop for one of the first-rounders. This team won’t have the pressure of last year’s preseason no 1 ranking, but they should have a legit chance of getting back to Omaha.
Should be interesting to see when Johnny Football comes into the No Fun League. He should stay in college – in a league full of men a teenager will get killed on principle. And we’ll see just how good he is without that O-line. I suspect coming into the League he runs into the same kind of problem Tebow has – teams’ reluctance to upend their offensive personnel and scheme to suit his skills. The Broncos did that, to some degree, for Tebow and all he did was win. The Skins did similar for RG3 and … all they’ve done is win. To a lesser degree, the Iggles did that for Vick and when he got hurt didn’t know which end was up.
I am disinterested in the Alabama game – SEC football does little or nothing for me.
As to Fat Rex the Perverse and Mrs. Rex, we’ve had swingers’ websites, foot fetish videos with starring and supporting roles, and now the Mrs. Rex Naked in a Sanchez Jersey While Tebowing tattoo. After violating League rules by skipping town without meeting the media during the week following the end of the season. As Francesa said Wednesday afternoon (about 6 minutes into a 15 minute rant): “The Jets are a sewer.” He was right.
I don’t particularly care about what Rex and Mrs. Rex are up to in their off-hours, nor how they decorate their bodies. The juxtaposition of imagery in the tattoo does raise interesting questions guaranteed to give radio call-in callers and barroom sages infinite opportunities for humor, off-color and otherwise. (e.g., “Tebow would have gotten playing time if he’d … yadda yadda … tattoo … yadda yadda.”) But, more to the point, Rex’ conduct shows a profound disrespect for the league and its PR. He’s done a shit job of coaching. He broke Fireman Ed’s spirit – how bad does one have to be to pull that off? He has turned the Jets into even more of a clown show than they were before. Woody Johnson gets the back page, but not for winning. Hell of a way to run – ruin – a team.
Me? I’m enjoying it. I revel in J-E-T-S misery. Keeps my mind off my Steelers getting older, slower and beat.
My picks: Colts, Cheese, Skins (close game that could go either way) and Bungles.
And the theme music? Could/should be the soundtrack from Tattoo (1981). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083178/ Like Dern in that movie Fat Rex has left a mark, and not in a good way.
@Jim White: Devils are back in the game this year. Gonna be tough for the Gators to get anywhere with the strength of the PAC-10.X
@Jim White: The Fighting Journalists want to thank the good people in Florida for some truly fine hospitality during their recent trip to the Gator Bowl.
@Peterr: Fightin’ Journalists looked very impressive.
My picks: Bungles, Ravens, Cheese, and the IIIs.
The Ravens should bring the ghost of Johnny Unitas into the locker room to give the pre-game pep talk. From his wiki:
Re the gossip purveyors on the Internet . . .
Given the way Scott Pioli never acquired a QB for the Chefs that would threaten Matt Cassell’s job security, I’d say the answer to Zirin’s question is Yes. For that matter, BillBel and Pioli may have gotten them together.
New Chefs coach Andy Reid may want to make Belichek an offer. “If you’d like Cassell, I’m sure we could work something out . . .”
@Peterr: That gossip purveyor has Ryan Mallet as her backup now; likely don’t want Cassell back. Maybe he can go backup Carson Palmer again.
I thought I heard somewhere that the undefeated Fighting Irish of Notre Dame would be playing against some non-undefeated SEC squad named after a laundry detergent with the national championship on the line? After all the other non-undefeated teams had played some preliminary games of no consequence over the past week or so, being non-undefeated and all that? Or did I get that wrong? Now, I have no personal tie to Notre Dame, unless having a spouse who went there counts (I tend to defer to that, personal self-preservation and all that). Are they really such an aberration that the BCS championship game is not going to interest anybody? Roll Soapers!
@bmaz: See, you’re looking at this in football terms, and completely ignoring the marital aspect of this trade offer.
Well, at first blush conventional wisdom says the cheese will win the day.
15-1 last year, 11-5 this year, Aaron Rodgers as QB – who should get as much consideration for MVP as Peyton considering he has better overall stats, with no running game, a piss poor o-line, and had to deal with injuries to Cedric Benson, Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson … but something during that Giants game got exposed. Can’t put my finger on it, whether it’s obvious lack of talent on the o-line, running backs, overall defense, or that they were telegraphing the coming plays. … But something fundamental got exposed. And they are vulnerable. And their home playoff record is a not too stellar 2-4 in the last decade.
That’s not to say the Vikings are world beaters … on paper they aren’t, e.g.
Tarvar-ermm, Christian Ponder as QB, a receiving corp who couldn’t catch air if they fell out of an airplane, and Antoine Winfield’s broken hand. They are a dome team, but if there’s one team built for inclement weather it’s the Queens. And they beat the 49ers, became very less than average, but then won their last four games in which they beat the Bears, Texans, and Packers. And had the second toughest schedule in the second half of the season in the divisionThen there’s the one player who’s so out-of-the-box extraordinarily talented that he can’t be compared to anyone else playing today.
Greg Jennings is back. Jordy Nelson is back. And Randall Cobb is back. Which says ARodg should have a big game
But this smells a lot closer than the 7.5 line Vegas says it should be.
YMMV
Former CIA Officer Is First to Face Prison for a Classified Leak
On January 25, Mr. John C. Kiriakou is scheduled to be sentenced to 30 months in prison as part of a plea deal in which he admitted violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act by e-mailing the name of a covert CIA officer to a freelance reporter, who did not publish it. The law was passed in 1982, aimed at radical publications that deliberately sought to out undercover agents, exposing their secret work and endangering their lives.
In more than six decades of fraught interaction between the agency and the news media, Kiriakou is the first current or former CIA officer to be convicted of disclosing classified information to a reporter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/us/former-cia-officer-is-the-first-to-face-prison-for-a-classified-leak.html?hp&pagewanted=all
Too many links in my comment above ;-)
Forgot one though … my contribution to the music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApxnAr6pRt0
Aside from watching a good, but ultimately disappointing, Rose Bowl (sorry ros), I have skipped the BCS bs. We can talk college football championships when they get around to having them someday. In the meantime, miscellaneous bowl games are just a handy excuse for the snowbirds to warm their frosty toes for a few days ; )
The real action kicks off in less than an hour…
My picks for the weekend are: Putty Tats, Cheesers, Turn-Colts, and Wilson’s team (once a Badger always a Badger ; )
GO PACKERS!!!
Happy Playoffs All : )
By the way, as for Rexy, I think it’s pretty fabulous that the man is that into his wife. Most of the time, isn’t everyone scandalized by extramarital preoccupations? Whatever.
The thing I don’t get is Sanchez’ number on the tat. If Sanchez had gotten Rexy a ring, I would understand it better. Instead, it seems pretty risky to imprint such a permanent reminder of, uh, lack of success on one’s person. That’s gotta hurt.
As the proud owner of two Favre jerseys, I can keep them tucked into a bottom drawer where they don’t necessarily remind me of certain unfortunate antics. I wonder if Rex has considered picking another number and getting it touched up…
@JohnT: Peterson is great, and had an awesome year. Remember watching Jim Brown when I was a kid (only really the last 2-3 years).
But those are not the real mark of running back greatness if you ask me. No, that title belongs to Orinthal James Simpson. OJ amassed 2003 yards in only 14 games instead of 16. And he did it playing at least half of them in the cold dreck and muck of Rich Stadium in Buffalo. Not in a turfed dome. There is the standard, not Brown, not Dickerson, and not Peterson.
@JohnT: Dude, you had to try to post a 20 link comment while I was at the airport? Heh.
@bmaz: Gotta agree with you on that, BMAz. Like it or not, OJ has a much stronger case for having been the greatest RB evah. Still love the Buffalo O-line’s nickname – “the electric company”. Named after the kids’ show, but they “turned on the Juice”.
Just now watching the Texans’ return man circling the drain on a punt return. And a clip. Funny.
@JohnT: Hi JohnT : ) Your comments hadn’t posted before I made my previous ones, but I wanted to chime in quick to wish you and your team well : ) Ok, not well enough to win, but still…
Off to go have dinner with our ol’ chum Scarecrow, will be back for the late game though…
Go PACK!
Aloha, bmaz and Wheelies…! My picks… Tejans, Cheese, Ravens, and Squawks…! Johnny Football certainly lived up to his Heisman hype…! ;-)
@bmaz: Ahem.
If you’re looking for Running Back Greatness, there’s only one word for it: Sweetness.
Walter Payton outclassed OJ on the field in all kinds of ways, playing in the muck of Soldier Field.
@phred: Well, I think the Stones have a reply to your game pick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM_p1Az05Jo
jk
PS tomorrow should be interesting, Sqwawks v Skins (are they ever going to change their name? seems to me that’s more offensive than a lot of college nicknames that had to change)
@phred: If you see this before you leave, say hello to him from the rest of us.
@Peterr: As great as Walter was, Payton is not even the greatest Bear running back, much less greatest of all.
@Peterr: Most definitely…! Best healing wishes for Scarecrow…! *g*
@bmaz: Gale Sayers. As great as Payton was, IMHO (and that of a lot of others), Sayers was better.
@bmaz: And that greatest Bear RB would be whom?
MOAR Bronko Nagurski
@Peterr: Scribe is right, it is Sayers.
@bmaz: I’d put Sayers at #1 if he had better knees. Sayers was great at what he did, but did it for far fewer years. Sweetness was much more versatile, and did it for quite a bit longer.
But I won’t argue that one too hard.
Check one for Sweetness. Best all around
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75vgjnFVQFo
We did mixed beef-dairy; so, I have met a few Holsteins; but cannot claim having been smitten by their attributes from the herder’s viewpoint. Which relates to the cheese-sourced ninth largest cattle population’s being situated in the state of Wisconsin, if one can call cattle situated at all.
WI so far still is home of Scott Brown, but I do not believe Republicans can mask the rustbelt right-to-work vorpel blade sufficiently to preserve Brown thru his next election, 2014.
WI, a place Tom Vilsack worries about because of Republican obstruction efforts in the 112th Congress over the 5-year Farm Bill. Imagine! Republican do not like ag! Enough to turn the farm bureau against the Republicans! That shift of tectonium might take suspension of the right of primogeniture. Yet, WI just might be francaise enough! I’m not sure if WI favors the South East France tradition of inheritance or South West France Young movement conservative SBrown also is drooling over the prospect of easing WI state mining rules. That’s Republican. Though, I must be careful because I worked in the mining industry, after a fashion.
In the years after Bill Walsh, his former assistants dispersed to a few snowy zone teams and made good. That’s what I really think of when we talk Fikings…carefully pronounced; Pack…
…That and now I have found images of some quite pretty outdoor places in Wisconsin.
Nobody knifed through defenses the way the Juice did.
Ruh roh, ponder this one: Christian is OUT and will be inactive; Joe Webb be be QB for the Vikes. Though that may be an upgrade.
@bmaz: That’s good. Almost as good as me asking a rabid Dallas fan of my acquaintance when the Cowboys’ game is this weekend.
In other news, Ponder declared inactive b/c of throwing arm. Anyone want to re-examine that Cheeser spread?
@bmaz: Could be a Kaep replacing AleX situation. Webb is more athletic and has a bigger arm
@JohnT: And zero passes in games,per my TV.
@JohnT:
Six touchdown passes.
I have a photo of him smiling with the Olympic torch, which someday I’ll get digitized.
@prostratedragon: Mox nix. He’s got to anticipate facing an 11-man blitz on his first snap. Just the Welcome Wagone stopping by.
@scribe: Not much to go on, but, off the top of my head, he was QB when Favrah got knocked out the previous game (?) – thanks to the fat tub o lard LT Bryant McKinnie – a few years ago and beat the Iggles. And last year he was QB when they beat the Skins in the game where AD got his knee shredded
Who on earth came up with this lame-ass plan for the NFL bowl games? I mean, really, who thinks fans will pay attention through four rounds of “playoffs” with so many teams involved? When will they come around to the far superior system of letting a bunch of drunken sportswriters and an Apple IIe choose who will play for the Lombardi trophy? Get real, guys.
Off to the bar to watch. Good luck cheeseheads
The Bungles bungle another one.
*sigh*
GO CHEESE!!!
@JohnT: LOL, nice musical selection ; )
So far so good though, 10-3 Cheesers : )
@Peterr: I didn’t see your comment in time, but I uh, took the liberty to wish him well all the same : )
We had a lovely dinner, there were 9 of us in all, a very nice evening all around. We dawdled a bit and Scarecrow’s son was kind enough to give me updates on the score : )
KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHN!!!
@phred: It wasn’t taking a liberty at all, as you obviously knew we’d want you to wish him well.
It’s kind of like wondering if bmaz would hit the roof when Gloria Allred gives a press conference. You don’t have to see bmaz’s comment to know that he’s throwing something at his TV. It’s not taking a liberty — it’s knowing who you are dealing with.
@Jim White: LOL, touche ; )
@Peterr: Thanks : ) I know everyone is thinking of him. He looked good and we had a nice conversation. I’m fortunate to be able to hobnob with him in person now that he is typing to us less these days.
So thinking of bmaz and Alread… how many TVs do you figure he goes through in a year? ; )
@Peterr: You mentioned Gloria Allred.
You are banned!
@phred: Tee hee. It was meant as bait for a bmaz rant, but I think he’s in total cheeze concentration mode.
@Jim White: If you want to bait bmaz, you have to use the right lure. See here.
@Peterr: So it appears. Very well played.
@phred: Let’s just say that the electronics industry profits are doing well, and leave it at that.
The winter storm in Wisconsin is just south of Green Bay, much to my dismay. Watching steam coming from the mouths of the players is one of the great sights of playoff football, but seeing it while snow is falling is the icing on the cake.
@Peterr: @Jim White: @phred:
Alright you three, you just listen here. Bite me!!
Oh, and KUUUUUUUUUHN!!!!
@bmaz: Now, now, now . . .
You’re acting as if Allred has no moral scruples, but this evidence clearly demonstrates she’s got at least potential scruples.
@bmaz: Jim, Peterr, I don’t know about you, but a certain counselor seems a might testy tonight, given his team is playing pretty well. Maybe he’s hankering for a hunka, a sliver, a slice, a chunka, he’s hankering for a hunk of CHEESE ; )
@phred: I think Mr Grumpers needs a spliff or two…! ;-)
How’s Scarecrow doing, phred…?
@phred: I was thinking that tonight’s success has him a bit cocky. But remember, we’re less than 48 hours away from this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpGEeneO-t0
@CTuttle: He looked good CTuttle, cheerful and pleasant as always. He has family visiting, so a group of us took over a corner of a nice little restaurant and had a delightful time. Chatted about politics and the recent fiscal cliff foolishness (shocking, I know ; ) Chatted a bit more about energy policy, climate change, and technology. It was great to see him.
@Jim White:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gZ6-6RbSEg
@Peterr: Peter, there is a difference between scruples and scrapple
@Jim White: A sock hop? ; )
@phred: Great news, phred…!
I’m no fan of either the Tide, nor the Golden Domers, but, I do want to see Te’o live up to some of his Heisman hype…! Of which, I had a front row seat here in the Isles…! The treacle was extremely cloying…!
@JohnT: I just wanted to say that you sincerely have my sympathies. Having a QB for the playoffs that hasn’t started a regular season game is a disadvantage that has only ever been overcome once. I would have preferred both sets of starters on the field. This wasn’t at all the match up we expected and I feel for the Vikes fans. I know how I would have felt if they made Rodgers inactive 90 minutes before kickoff.
@phred: I feel for JohnT, but the Vikes….not so much. More than I would the Bears though. So there is that.
Folks, seriously. Story of the century.
“Mike the Headless Chicken”
Be sure to check out ALL the pictures #HolyCrap
Yesterday, Charlie Pierce joked that the NHL should just have the “playoffs”
Today, it looks like a 48 game season?
Credit to Federal Mediator Beckenbaugh. Darts to the rest of the negotiating team
dang. in car on way home Fox Sports reporting Colts’ Offensive Coordinator just taken to the hospital. hope i misheard.
@rosalind: Thanks rosalind. Here’s the Yahoo News link: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/colts-offensive-coordinator-bruce-arians-taken-hospital-not-171119629–nfl.html
Speculation at this point is that it isn’t too serious, but obviously, serious enough to miss the game : (
@rosalind: You heard right – Arians has been hospitalized with the flu and will not coach today.
FWIW, I had that flu early last month. It came on in about 30 minutes Saturday afternoon and laid me out. All night Saturday. I was going to go into work Sunday and managed to wake at the usual time, followed by a walk to the toilet and back convincing me there was no frickin’ way I was going further than my rack. Which is where I spent the entire day and night Sunday, bundled in 5 layers of clothes and more blankets, trying to sweat it out. I managed to get in to work Monday and not toss my (empty) guts. Almost a month later, I’m still having coughing fits and gagging up crap out of my lungs.
You. Do. Not. Want. This. Flu.
@scribe: My choir director called me last week to say that when her two dozen family members descended on her house over the holidays, one of them must have just been exposed to the flu but it had not yet affected them. Now it has, and when the whole crew returned to their various homes, all but something like two have gotten sick.
I’m hoping she’ll be back in shape by Easter.
And that’s only partly a joke.
You. Really. Really. Really. Do. Not. Want. This. Flu.
@Peterr: This is why I keep the flu on my two chimneys CLOSED.
@scribe:
I think this is the one that Hillary had. (The Yarn Harlot had it also.)
Avoid it.
@Peterr:
Did they take a flu shot?
I think the clover you meant to reference is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdhonK8NMm8
@masaccio: Ah, Joan Jett — with a rendition of a classic which reminds me, in a wonderful way, of Woody Allen’s classic line “The prison psychiatrist asked me if I thought sex was dirty; I said it is if you’re doing it right.” Thanks!
I believe Rosalind has run out of Luck.
@bmaz: Yup.
Skins moving the ball well on their first possession.
1 for 3 so far in my picks this weekend. Fortunately, that 1 is the only game I really care about ; )
@bmaz: great first year. now strengthen the O-line…
@phred: oh, and condolences on the Rose Bowl. i imagine 0-3 has to grate (hee).
@phred: … My picks… Tejans, Cheese, Ravens, and Squawks…!
*heh* It looks like the Squawks are gonna deny me the Hubcap this week…! ;-)
Well that sucked
Was gonna be hard enough with Ponder in there, so they throw Webb in with no preparation, and he was rusty … gosh, whodathunk? Then they run zero read option … ok, mebbe 6 plays total … huh? Yearight, the reason they allegedly hired Bill Musgrave (Offensive Coordinator) was because he was going to tailor the play calling to the strengths of the players … mmhmm. Amazing AD still got 99 yards despite having to deal with all that
That said, Aaron Rodgers is still Aaron Rodgers, and the better team won
But … be careful what you wish for … now Candlestick and the Niners await
@JohnT: Oh good lord, am I gonna have to fight another one of your teams next week??
I already had Joe6Pack to deal with….
Say this, finally a REALLY good game. thanks to the Squawks and Skins, that is.
FWIW, IMHO, and I think verified by stats, the two most balanced, best all around teams are the Niners and Squawks. Could meet up in the NFCCG.
… Then we could have ‘what’s your deal?’ reprised
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeS3VeluAmg
And if the Ravens take the AFC, we’ll have a Harbaughcalypse
Coming late. But I wrote my playoff bracket on the envelope o f the wedding invite I was at. I picked Texans, Ravens, Cheese, and Squawks.
So go Squawks!
Saw Masaccio while I was in Chicago. Told him that bmaz wasn’t really commenting on the Domers game.
@Bay State Librul: don’t know.
But I got mine.
@JohnT:
They probably aren’t going to get snow and ice there. (It’s Candlestick. I can’t rule it out. But torrential rain is more likely.)
@P J Evans: “Snow and ice”?
Update: Squawks take the lead 21-14
x2: 24-14
RG3: meet Joe Theismann. His knee collapsed….
@scribe: Not pretty at all…! 8-(
Best of luck to RGIII…! *g*
*whew* He was able to walk off the field…!
@emptywheel: *heh* Looks like I’ll be sharing the hubcap with ya again, ew…! ;-)
@emptywheel: So why hasn’t Prickly Guy responded to the awesome video at the bottom of the post?
@Jim White: LoL…! ;-)
*Irony Alert* I think the Squawks will be, once again, the only road team victor next weekend…! My Donkos, the Patsies, the Niners, and the Squawks will all prevail next weekend…! You heard it here, first…! ;-)
@CTuttle: I’m hoping that Manning teaches Kapernick a thing or two, in the Superdome…! ;-)
@emptywheel: You understand, I assume, why I MUST lock you and Jim White out of blog access tomorrow?
@CTuttle: Nah, you get the hubcap. I didn’t properly submit them to the thread.
Well done, though!
@CTuttle: Congrats on the hubcap CTut!
rosalind, thanks for the condolences, fortunately, I still have my Rose Bowl Champions sweatshirt with Bucky looking proud on it, but I’ll admit it’s getting a little old ; ) Your puns however, remain as fresh as a squeaky cheese curd ; ) Yummm, I do love visiting the cheese factory when I visit my family over the holidays ; )
@CTuttle: Dudes and Dudettes. Did you READ the post?? I hit all four. Hubcap stays home baybee!
@emptywheel: @phred:
Does NOBODY read the damn posts??? Jeebus.
@bmaz: Jim, Marcy, you may want to obtain an outside legal opinion about this.
Either that, or change the locks on the cabinet in the corner.
@CTuttle: Not if my Packers can help it ; )
@bmaz: I’m sorry, did you say something?
@bmaz: A serious question for you: is there a car that even comes with hubcaps anymore?
@CTuttle: See, I picked the Falcons to win, though I’m second guessing myself.
And mostly out of hope rather than reason, I picked the Ravens to beat Peyton. Cause someone’s gotta beat Peyton, right? And who better than Ray Lewis?
@emptywheel: HaHaHaHaHa
Flacco beat Peyton?
At Mile High??
In Denver???
Shirley, you jest.
@phred: I did. I said:
KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHN!!!!!
@bmaz: …Hubcap stays home baybee!
*sheesh* Still grumpers, eh…? ;-)
Btw, what about Te’o…?
By the way, the UNC-UVA basketball game on ESPNU now is very entertaining.
@Peterr: I’m thinking that if we could photoshop an open bottle of tequila into GA’s hand, he should be distracted through the entire game tomorrow night, trying to decide if he’s attracted to or repulsed from the picture.
@bmaz: Amen.
I detest John Elway with a passion, but the notion of Teh Old Man winning while both Teh Big Rookies went down this weekend has a nice karma to it.
Man. First I’m rooting for the Packers, and now I’m leaning toward Elway’s Broncs . . . With the bowl game win by the Fighting Journalists, maybe I’m just a little delirious.
@Jim White: It is hard to understand how the “National Championship” game is being played tomorrow night, since neither Texas A&M nor Oregon is in it.
@Peterr: …I detest John Elway with a passion… See, now that is where we diverge in total opposite directions, despite his Super Bowl victories and all, one has to recognize his sheer magnificence, in shipping Juicebox Jesus to the J-E-T-S….! Can I get an Amen, here…? ;-)
@bmaz: It’s not. Don’t you remember? I explained that the National Championship game was Dec. 1 when Alabama beat Georgia. Tomorrow night is the the trophy award ceremony with an exhibition game as prelude. The Clover Domers are just the Washington Generals of the week.
@bmaz: That one I heard loud and clear ; ) Must have been all those other voices in the stands amplifying your own ; )
@Jim White: *heh* There’s that ugly SEC prejudice again, Jim…! Btw, Johnny Football certainly should rattle your Gators expectations next year…! ;-)
Via SFGate
@Jim White: Isn’t that what you said about the Sugar Bowl? Something about a walkover?
@bmaz: I BELIEVE I said Ray Lewis would beat Peyton.
Though I gotta say Flacco had some fun throwing to former Cardinal Anquan Boldin today! ;-p
@masaccio: Well, there was a bit of a mis-step there, but don’t expect Bama to do that. They will be ready.
@masaccio: All I know about the Sugar Bowl is that it was fortunate that Florida team did not have to play a truly superior team like Northern Illinois University.
That could have truly gotten ugly.
@emptywheel: Well, whoever. I cannot account for you when you are in Bear land.
As to Anquan, well, the man ain’t stupid; he got the hell away from the Cardinals while there was still a QB actually throwing to wide receivers.
@CTuttle: Amen.
@Peterr: Amen??
Praise teh Cheese!
@bmaz: Shipping Juicebox Jesus to NYC was truly a thing of beauty. It was a giant slap in the face to the Colorado Springs crowd, which can’t happen often enough.
@Peterr: This has nothing to do with Baby Jesus.
All that is right in the world is embodied by Cheese and Peyton.
@bmaz: I’m just admitting that my opinion of Peyton is shaped by my disdain for the guy who signs his paycheck.
You nailed my Super Bowl matchup: Peyton v Teh Cheese.
@Peterr: Pat Bowlen? What did he do?
For the record, my predictions for SB were Cheese and Donkos. More worried about the NFC half of that prediction though.
@JohnT: Don’t get your hopes up ; )
@Jim White: Who knows? Maybe the Irish will be ready too.
@masaccio: It will be easy to be ready since the Irish don’t have to face either of the best teams in the country.
@bmaz: Don’t play games. This is Elway, not Bowlen:
When an owner can’t remember the details of winning not one but two Super Bowls, he’s not doing well.
@bmaz: This time of year we only play defeated teams.
@masaccio: Pitt and Stanford think you have not that right.
@Peterr: The problem with this is, we are relying on Woody Paige to be less senile and alzheimered than Bowlen.
At least Pat turned over his gig to John Elway; Woody Paige let Stephen A. Smith take over his role of a lifetime spot. Who do you think has their mental faculties? Huh?
@Peterr: *heh* Ever more Thank Dawg’s to Elway then…! ;-)
Now, do you suppose Theo Epstein will finally lead the hapless Cubbies to the Promised Land like he did for my Cardiac Sox…? Btw, good riddance to the ‘bloody’ Valentine…! *gah*
@bmaz: @bmaz: Loser. Loser.
Btw, Peterr, besides the Rock Star treatment Reid is getting in KC these daze…! Who do you think he’ll select as the first pick in the draft…?
I have contacted John Brennan to investigate and torture whoever put that lame ass video at the bottom of my post.
@CTuttle: As the Chiefs began circling the drain this season, the shouting has been for the Chiefs to use the #1 pick for a QB. Given that there’s no obvious Luck or RGIII in this year’s class, I don’t know that he’ll go that way — but picking a QB would certainly be applauded by a sizable chunk of the fan base.
@bmaz: There goes my breakfast …………….. and until now it was such a good start to the morning. :)
@GulfCoastPirate: That was how I felt when I discovered that video at the bottom of the post, clearly inserted by a traitorous hardened criminal.
HEY, WHERE DID ALL THE DOMERS GO????
Uh, what goes good with crow? Sure glad I didn’t go there.
@What constitution: Brutal
if there’s two american sports teams i truly dislike, it’s notre dame and the yankees.
glad to see notre dame, so far this evening, looks like the flag football team from our lady of perpetual hope.
“name recognition” – its what activates the peter principle for both ranking football teams and electing presidents. its the american way – social promotion of the marginally competent famous to a level far beyond their competence.