Super Bowl XLV Recap

Packers over Steelers, Sunday, February 6, 2011

Well, at least if the Pack was going to knock my Eagles out in the wildcard round, it wasn't in vain.

Random observations:

A red carpet? At the Super Bowl? Dear Fox: Are you f-ing kidding me? Thank God for NFL Network and ESPN.

I realize Jennifer Anniston was flacking a movie, but who cares what she thinks about, well, anything? But particularly about football?

I love football, and even I think that 9 1/2 hours of pre-game coverage is too much.

I know it's mean, but I still think it's hilarious that Xtina forgot the words to the national anthem. Also, it's really not a singable tune. Put me down in the "in favor of switching to America the Beautiful" column.

I don't think I've ever heard ANYTHING as bad as the Black Eyed Peas halftime show. And I grew up in a church where that sappy faux-karaoke "music" is considered acceptable, so I know from teh suck.

SLASH! SQUEE!

Why were those poor anonymous dancers wearing lit up file boxes on their heads? As my friend Em said: File under #FAIL.

The commercials mostly left me yawning other than this one:



That cute kid? A patient of one of my organization's member hospitals.

.....

Oh? The game?

The story of the game was turnovers. As in, the Steelers committed a lot (two Big Ben picks and a Rashard Mendenall fumble), the Packers committed none, and the Packers turned every single Steelers miscue into points.

The other story was that the Packers seriously almost ran out of players. Again. Why should the playoffs be any different than their whole season was, though?

The only reason Mike McCarthy didn't buy Jordy Nelson a one-way ticket to Carolina straight from Dallas was the TD and the great catch & run that led to what turned out to be the field goal that put the game away, because I ran out of fingers to count how many passes he dropped.

At my place we were mostly pulling for the Pack, so when the Steelers cut their lead to 4 and Charles Woodson went out, we were all like, "Oh man, here we go."

Only we didn't.

Can we finally put Brett Favre to rest now? Please? Pretty please?

So the #6 team pulls it off for, I think, only the second time. The only other #6 to win it all? The Steelers. Who have enough rings. Maybe we can get one for the east side of the state after the 2011 season. If there is a 2011 season.

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, February 6, 2011

In case you've been living under a rock, this Sunday the Packers and the Steelers meet up at Cowboys Stadium for Super Bowl XLV.

If you're reading this and know where I live and my phone number, you're invited to my Super Bowl party. But please email or call to let me know to expect you, so Chef Spouse and I make enough food.

Party starts at 5 pm.

Kick off is at 6:30 pm.

Living room seating is reserved for those who are serious about watching the game.

The kitchen is for those who at least want to know what's going on with the game while they eat and socialize.

The dining room is for those who are just here for the food and conversation.

Speaking of, we'll be preparing our usual Tex-Mex bacchanal, with burritos, fajitas, and quesadillas, plus Chef Spouse's fab homemade guacamole. Bring something to share. What? Pre-game snacks, beverages, and desserts are all good ideas.

Children are welcome, but remember that I tend to swear like a sailor around football, even when my team's not playing, so if they learn colorful new expressions at my house, you've been warned.

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Super Bowl XLV Preview

Confession: it's just not as fun to preview the Super Bowl when your team's not in it. But you knew that.

The Packers go into the Super Bowl smokin' hot. Aaron Rodgers has had inhumanly good QB ratings pretty much since he came back from the concussion. Clay Matthews was right behind another guy who'll be playing Sunday for defensive player of the year. James Starks came out of nowhere to buck up the Packers decimated RB core. And they have some pretty decent receivers - you might've heard of them? Donald Drive and Greg Jennings? The Packers have a better claim than that team from Dallas on the title "America's Team" - hey, it's called the LOMBARDI trophy.

And I'm conflicted about the Steelers. They have, for a long time, been my AFC team, but I have a really hard time rooting for them as long as Ben Roethliseberger's still under center. Bust magazine explains it far better than I could. But to all the people who continue to ding Mike Vick, just remember: he hurt dogs. And served his time. Big Ben is a sexual predator who hurts women. I love dogs, I really do, but they aren't people.

So my heart is with the Packers. Who, you might remember, were the NFC's sixth seed. The only sixth seed team ever to win a Super Bowl? The Steelers.

Which I'm pretty sure is what's going to happen again on Sunday, extending their lead as the Super Bowl winningest team in the NFL.

Steelers. And it should be a good game.

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2010 Conference Championship Recap

Packers over Bears: As (I) expected. Two good halves of football were played Sunday. Unfortunately, they weren't by the same team. The Packers looked unstoppable for the first half. And then Jay Cutler went down, Todd Collins played like, well, Todd Collins, and they handed the game over to rookie Caleb Hanie, who had never taken an NFL snap. "OK, kid, here's the situation. It's f-ing freezing. We're in the NFC Championship game, down by 14 points to a division rival. The fans are out of it - we think they may actually have been cryogenically frozen by the stadium conditions at this point - our starting QB is hurt and our backup QB is a mess. Good luck!"  Surprisingly, the kid did pretty well - better than Jay Cutler was doing, at any rate. How hurt was he? I can't say, but it was the NFC Championship game. Moving on, Matt Forte had a good game. And the Bears D came alive in the second half. But with a rookie under center, it just wasn't enough. And the Pack are going to Texas. Think they can win it all? Well, not if they play like they did in the second half yesterday.

Edited Tuesday, January 25 to add: an astute reader pointed out that Hanie's not technically a rookie. I should've come up with the better term for "newbie," but what I was trying to stress was: how many games had he started before Sunday? Answer: zero.  

Steelers over Jets:As (I also) expected. The thing is, if the Jets' receivers could catch a ball or the Jets' defense could've tackled ANYONE, this game could have gone completely differently. It's a different kind of football than Eagles fans are used to - actually, that's the case with both teams here - with a QB managing the game with a strong defense and a strong ground attack, when his main job is to not make any big mistakes. And Mark Sanchez can totally handle that. And the Jets have gone to the AFC Championship game - and lost - both of his first two years in the league. That's something that's quite familiar to Eagles fans. Sigh. Reading Gang Green Nation sounds really familiar - lots of looking on the bright side, lots of "we had a great season," lots of "we're contenders," lots of "other teams fear us now," etc. That's familiar to Eagles fans, too. Whatever. Show me the Lombardis. Oh yeah - that would be the Steelers all over. Sigh again.

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2010 Conference Championship Picks

Packers at Bears: These are well matched teams. The Bears look terrific. Mike Martz has got the Jay Cutler attitude problem AND interception problem under control. Brian Urlacher seems rejuvenated, and Julius Peppers is playing great. He played great in Carolina, too, of course, it's just that the rest of his was a mess. Charles Tillman creates turnovers the way American Idol creates crap one-hit-wonder pop stars. Matt Forte provides a significant ground attack, which helps keep Cutler from trying to do too much. And two words that strike fear in the heart of every special teams coach in the NFL: Devin Hester.

On the other hand, the Packers are heading for their 3rd road game in a row. They're the #6 seed, and they just pulled off the big upset win over the Falcons a week ago. Their issues with injury this season have been well documented, well, everywhere. And they're playing a divisional rival, which is always just that much harder.

But I'm still picking the Packers. And not just because they took out an Andy Reid team in the first round of the playoffs for only the second time in his 12 seasons as head coach. Aaron Rodgers is on FIRE and not only can't you stop Clay Matthews, you really can't even hope to contain him. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings are going to have to play a lot better than they did on January 2, though.

Jets at Steelers: The Jets are looking surprisingly good at this stage, too. Mark Sanchez seems to be over his sophomore slump from earlier in the season. The secondary combo of Revis and Cromartie is as good as it's supposed to be. Santonio Holmes has his playoff face on, making "Did I just see that?" catches every time you turn around. LaDanian Tomlinson is playing like he's 21, not 31. Jason Taylor, too.

Wait - is Troy Polamalu playing? Yes? Steelers.

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, January 23, 2011

Can you believe it's Conference Championship Sunday already? Where did the 2010 season go? Seems like just yesterday I was at checking out the talent at training camp and getting ready to kick into high gear here at StN.  Now? Only 4 more games and we close the book on 2010. And with the NFL labor situation looking increasingly bleak, we might be seeing our last football for quite a while. Too bad the Iggles couldn't pull out the miracle run this year - they might've gotten to reign as Super Bowl champs for two years.

Anyway, the games this weekend are:

3 pm: Packers at Bears
6:30 pm: Jets at Steelers

Menu? Chef Spouse is pulling out all the stops - ribs, mac-n-cheese, and collards. Soul food heaven, baby. Bring something that will go with, and we'll see you Sunday!

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2010 Divisional Weekend Recap

I did a lot better on my picks this week. Just sayin'.

Steelers over Ravens: So, you know, the Ravens were up 21-7 at halftime. And they were getting to Big Ben so much it was like they had a few extra guys out there. But they had no counter for one unassailable fact: Troy Polamalu was playing. OK, he didn't have a big game or anything, but he's like Kryptonite for other teams. Mistake prone game on both sides, with a total of what, 5 or 6 turnovers? But in the end, the Steelers at home were too much for the Ravens. Again. Also, a little tip to players on both sides? Even if the whistle has blown (which it hadn't on Saturday), cover up the ball. Apparently, everyone but Cory Redding missed that week in football school.

Packers over Falcons: I feel a little less bad about losing to the Packers last week now that, if I had to guess, they're going to the Super Bowl with a reasonable chance to win it. Why? Aaron Rodgers is on fire. ON FIRE. 48-21 makes the game look closer than it actually was. The Pack never punted. Not once. Roll that around in your head for a minute or two. And the Falcons started the game well. Unfortunately, they exhausted all their scoring magic in the first 10 minutes. I barely watched the second half, in common with the Falcons "fans," who all headed for the exits by the third quarter. I know your team was getting whupped, but it's the playoffs, man. Sit down and watch it! Even if the Packers do put in their backup QB. Oh, the humanity!

Bears over Seahawks: Did you know that was Jay Cutler's first playoff game since high school? I'll bet you did, since they mentioned it about every 10 seconds. Nothing like starting off with a softball pitch right over home plate, to mix my sports metaphors for a minute. 35-24 also makes it look a lot closer than it was. I'm pretty sure the Bears' starters all left the field to start the celebration in the locker room before the start of the 4th quarter. That's the only explanation I can come up with for 21 points by the Seahawks in the 4th.

Jets over Patriots: This was the surprise of the weekend. I know a lot of people think Rex Ryan is an obnoxious loud mouth. Personally, I think he's hilarious, and the Ryan/Sanchez combo is far preferable to Big Cheater Bill Belichick and his pretty-boy dunderhead QB Tom Brady, at least in my world. Also, Bill? Buy a shirt with sleeves. You look homeless. Tom Landry is turning over in his grave, buddy.

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2010 Divisional Weekend Picks

The Eagles may be out of it at this point, but I'm still soldiering on with the blog. And the picks. 

Ravens at Steelers: These two teams are really evenly matched. Both 12-4, both similar style - grind it out on the ground, tough defense, Great Big White Guy quarterbacks, from tough, blue collar cities that are passionate about their teams. This could finish 7-6. Every inch will be contested, every point hard fought...oh wait. Is Troy Polamalu playing? Yes? Steelers.

Packers at Falcons: I'm only picking one road team this week, and despite Mattie Ice's success in the Georgia Dome, it's the smokin' hot Packers. So now you know how the rest of the picks are going to turn out.

Seahawks at Bears: The Seahakws won't be able to bring 65,000 home fans with them to Chicago. And I don't think Jay Culter's going to throw 5 picks. And even if he does, it might not be enough anyway. Bears.

Jets at Patriots: Rex? I don't like Tom Brady and Bill Belichick either, so I'm feeling you, but that payday loan's come due. Pats.

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, January 16, 2011

Well, the Eagles are out of is, but that means we can all relax and enjoy the games without having a coronary every 10 minutes. Hey, I'm trying to look on the bright side here, people!

Anyway, as usual for playoffs, there are games both days, but we'll plan to do the big party and cooking on Sunday.

Saturday games:

4:30 - Ravens at Steelers
8:00 - Packers at Falcons

Sunday games:

1:00 - Seahawks at Bears
4:30 - Jets at Patriots

Chef Spouse is going to make gumbo. He was planning to make it in honor of the Saints' 2011 playoff run. Since that came to an early and abrupt end, he's making it in honor of the fact that it's carnival season. Also, Biker Nick and his gf are planning to join us! And if I gt inspired, I might make us beignet for dessert. Anyone have an Abita connection?

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2010 Wildcard Weekend Recap

Eagles v. Packers, Sunday, January 9, 2011

In attendance: Shoegal, Ex-Navy Cheesehead, Chef Spouse and me

Menu:  cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese, plus shrimp and crudites for snackies from the gang and yummy desserts courtesy of Shoegal. And bourbon. LOTS of bourbon.

Stud of the week: Seriously? There isn't one. I can't think of a single player who didn't make at least one major mistake yesterday. 

So the 2010 season was bookended by losses to the Packers. Can I get an "F that!"? I think I can.

I was right about the 3 road teams pick - I just messed up WHICH road teams. Oy.

This was the game of almost - the Eagles almost had sacks and picks and field goals and big catches and tackles and 2 point conversions and almost broke big runs.

Almost.

But they didn't.

I really don't have it in me to recap the game, other than to point out that if David Akers made even one of the field goals he missed...if Brent Celek didn't inexplicably go out the back of the end zone, negating the 2 point conversion...that last pick never even happens, because Andy knows they can take the 3 and go to overtime.

At least the guys went down swinging. 

So here's the thing: back in August, I predicted the team would go 6-10 (or maybe 7-9) and be at the bottom of the NFC East. They way overperformed my expectations. Even getting to the playoffs was definitely icing on my cake, as was another NFC East championship.

Looking to the offseason, the Front Office needs to lock down our QB situation. My guess? Trade K2 for a high draft pick - there are plenty of teams with high first round picks who need quarterbacks, and no, I don't think that's an unreasonable ask - and sign Mike Vick to a deal that would've been a lot fatter had they signed it a month ago. The FO also needs to pick up another corner back to play opposite Asante Samuel. Because it sure as hell ain't Dimitri Patterson. I hear a guy named Nnamdi Asomugha might be available - maybe you've heard of him?  And if they're going to stick with Mike Vick at QB - and I think they are - they need to do something about the O-line, because he seriously will not make 16 games at this rate. Akers seems to think he won't be back in Philly, and his contract is up, but I don't see that happening. Good kickers are not so easy to come by, right Mike Vanderjagt?

But really, Andy Reid said it best: very few teams can completely retool the way the Eagles have in the past two years and still get to the playoffs both years. The future looks good. As long as we can stop this emerging trend of losing in the first round of the playoffs at 2.

In the rest of the matchups:

Seahawks over Saints: OK, as bummed as we all are over the Eagles loss, it's not shocking. Two 10-6 teams, evenly matched, popular vote, bloggers, and professional sports commentators pretty much splitting 50/50 on predicting the winner - it could've gone either way. But the defending Super Bowl champs losing to a 7-9 team in the wildcard round? WTF? I totally attribute this win to the Seahawks 12th man. And the Saints played like they'd all taken the Nyquil Drew Brees has been shilling for prior to the game. Anyway, I don't guess the Bears will take Nyquil before next weekend and the Seahawks don't get to bring ALL their fans to Soldier Field with them, so I'm guessing their freaky playoff run will end, but in the meantime, seriously, Saints, WTF? Best line? On Twitter: "Marshawn Lynch just stiff-armed Tracy Porter into Puget Sound." I hope they fished him out for the flight home.

Jets over Colts: Great game. Also, how weird is it to watch a team that's mostly about "run the ball and don't make the QB do anything too hard where he might screw up and blow the game for the team"? I wonder what that's like. Also, perhaps the Colts should pick up an ACTUAL head coach and an ACTUAL offensive coordinator? Peyton seems to be a smart guy, but asking him to be the QB, the OC and the HC all at once seems like too much, you know?

Ravens over Chiefs: This was the only game that really sucked. Not that it was unexpected, but still - Chiefs' fans? It's the FREAKIN' PLAYOFFS, which your team hasn't sniffed in years. SIT YOUR ASSES DOWN AND WATCH YOUR TEAM LOSE. That stadium was EMPTY mid-way through the 4th quarter, and that is just unacceptable. It's the PLAYOFFS, man!

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2010 Wildcard Weekend Picks

Saints at Seahawks: Unfortunately, the Saints are down to their last running back. Fortunately, it's Reggie Bush. Unfortunately, he hasn't exactly been having a brilliant season.  There's no time like the present to turn that around, Reg. Saints. Not least of which because then we can all put the shame of having a 7-9 team in the NFC playoffs behind us.

Jets at Colts: Rex Ryan's mouth may be writing checks his team can't cash, but I'm pretty sure he'll be able to swing a payday loan at least for this week with "17 Colts on IR" as collateral. Jets.

Ravens at Chiefs: Lots of sports commentator talk about how well the Chiefs match up with the Ravens and home field advantage and Todd Haley this and Matt Cassel that and what a great season Jamaal Charles has had and the Chiefs' great offensive line and rookie safety Eric Berry (who, you might remember, I wanted the Eagles to draft). Whatever. Ravens.

Packers at Eagles: I don't see the Birds going deep into the playoffs this year - not that I wouldn't love to be proved wrong - but (stop me if you've heard this one before), the Eagles are overly dependent on quarterbacking pizazz, and that's not exactly an on demand kind of thing. It's also a highly vulnerable asset. And, with a collective age (other than Akers and Vick) of about 12, they're prone to rookie mistakes. I do see them clearing the Packers at home, not least of which because the starters have had two weeks to prepare, but I think that might be as far as it goes this year. The team has the youth and the talent to remain a strong contender for several years. I'm pretty sure this just ain't our year, but it IS our week. Eagles

Wait - I've picked 3 road teams. Clearly I'm wrong about at least one of those picks. Then again, on the NFL Network earlier this week, Kurt Warner picked all 4 road teams. Which doesn't mean we're not both wrong, but at least I'm in good company.

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2010 Wildcard Weekend Schedule

We'll be watching football both days (well, actually, we'll miss at least part of the early game Saturday due to a wedding - I know, I know who schedules a wedding during the playoffs?), but we'll do our weekly party on Sunday, since that's when the Eagles play.

Here's the schedule:

Saturday, January 8

4:30 pm  - Saints at Seahawks
8 pm - Jets at Colts

Sunday, January 9

1 pm - Ravens at Chiefs
4:30 pm - Packers at Eagles

Chef Spouse is planning to revisit favorites during the playoffs. Up this week: cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

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An Open Letter to Jeff Lurie

Dear Mr. Lurie,

I'm sure we can both agree that this has been a very exciting year for our beloved Eagles. To recap:

• The surprise trade of Donovan McNabb on Easter Sunday (which turned out to be a very prescient move, sir)
• Kevin Kolb's the starting QB.
• No, Michael Vick.
• No, Kevin Kolb.
• No, DEFINITELY Michael Vick.
• You and the lovely Ms. Christina put in motion making the Linc carbon neutral (and coincidentally the greenest stadium in history) by the start of the 2012 season.
• Andy Reid completely remade the team in two years.
• And now, in what many people (myself included) assumed would be the dreaded "rebuilding year," the Eagles find themselves, at 10-4, leading the NFC East with 2 weeks left in the 2010 season.

In a season with many highlights, two of the highest of the Eagles 2010 season highlights have been the utter domination of the Redskins at FedEx Field on Monday Night Football and the wild and statistically nearly impossible comeback against the Giants on December 19.

Was there anything in common between those two games?

Yes.

I was at both.

Now, I can't definitely say that I was the cause of those two amazing victories.

But I can't definitely say I wasn't the cause, either.

Athletes are notoriously superstitious. Some refuse to change their socks if they're on a winning streak. Every member of every playoff hockey team grows playoff beards every year. Everyone knows you NEVER speak to a pitcher who might be in the middle of a no-hitter. And I'm not saying that I believe in the Curse of William Penn, but I do know that as soon as those guys put his statue atop the Comcast Center, the Phillies won the World Series.

The Eagles have everything in place they need to make a deep run into the playoffs:

• A young, hungry, talented team
• The most electrifying QB in the NFL
• A head coach with significant playoff experience and success
• Ample supplies of Gatorade

The only thing that's missing from this picture?

Me, preferably in the owner's box.

Don't you think it's better to be safe than sorry? 

Do it for your team.

Do it for your city.

Don't let this be another year of dreams deferred.

Sincerely,

The Snark

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