Sail On, Big 5

By now I'm sure you heard that Big 5 retired as an Eagle on Monday, and that the Eagles are going to retire his number when Andy Reid's Chiefs come to town on September 19. 

I know there's been a lot of controversy about Donnie Mac over the years. His critics called him a choker who could never win the big game.

Well, if you've followed this blog at all, you know I've always been a Donovan apologist. In his official retirement press conference, owner Jeff Lurie called him both a "franchise-changing QB" and "the greatest quarterback in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles." I agree wholeheartedly.

As Chef Spouse points out, the numbers don't lie. McNabb is the franchise leader in:

Regular season wins (92)
Playoff wins (9)
Passing yards (32,873)
Completions (2,801)

He's also one of only three players in NFL history to amass more than 35,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards, joining John Elway and Fran Tarkenton.

And he brought us a lot of great moments and great memories: winning his first career start (against the Skins), rushing for 125 yards against same a year later, winning his first playoff start (against the Buccaneers), 4th-and-26, throwing for four touchdowns on a broken leg against the Cardinals, the epic scramble against Dallas (that finished with a DEEP completed pass), the 44-6 beat down against same (that shot of Tony Romo facedown on the turf after the 3,254,463rd sack he'd taken that day was Chef Spouse's desktop wallpaper for, like, three years),

And, of course, this:

Or you could just watch the video over at PhiladelphiaEagles.com

As I recently pointed out to Chef Spouse, it was a great decade to be an Eagles fan. And it is the ending of an era.

Thanks for everything, 5. 

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2012 Divisional Weekend Picks

The AFC games are obvious this weekend. Seeing as I'm about 99.87% sure the Broncos are headed to the Super Bowl (kick-ass defense and a reinvigorated Peyton Manning, anyone?), I think *this* will be the last game of Ray Lewis's career. And while the Texans are solid on D, too, I don't think they're solid enough to overcome the Tom Brady-bot at home, particularly since Matt Schaub is shaky in playoff games, and they're playing in Foxborough. I'm going Broncos and Pats, as, I suspect, is the entire rest of the NFL game picking world.

The NFC, on the other hand, seems not nearly as clear. The Seahawks and the Redskins, on the offensive side of the ball at least, are similar teams, and I thought for sure that homefield and the Skins strong run defense would carry the day last weekend. I did not foresee that the field at FedEx would look like a hog waller, that RGIII would re-injure his knee in the first quarter, and that Shanny would then inexplicably not take him out of the game, certainly costing the Skins the game and perhaps costing RGIII the 2013 season. This has been an interesting week to be a follower of the NFL here in DC.

Anyway, returning to this weekend's games, as Chef Spouse is fond of pointing out, the Falcons are the #1 ranked team in the NFC and no one gives them any respect. Including me, apparently, because I'm picking the Seahawks.

Turning to the 49ers/Packers matchup, the big story has been the first meeting of the 2005 draft class quarterbacks. Except, of course, that Colin Kaepernick is starting for the 49ers. And, Aa-Rodg magic aside, I think he and their stout defense are going to carry the 49ers to the NFC Championship game.

Of course, if I'm right about all this, we're looking at a VERY interesting conference championship weekend, with Peyton versus Tom, part I don't even know how many, and, in the NFC, division rivals meeting for a shot at the Super Bowl.

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2012 Wildcard Weekend Picks

Bengals at Texans: The Texans finished the 2012 season slumping, going 2-3 in their last 5 games, and losing the #1 seed. The Bengals finished hot, going 4-1 and playing themselves into the playoffs. The Texans won't be able to get much done through the air against the Bengals, but Arian Foster should be able to get it done on the ground. That and homefield should get the Texans past the Bengals, but I suspect their ride will end immediately after.

Viking at Packers: Adrian Peterson is a beast, no doubt, but I do not see the Vikings beating the Pack two weeks in a row, particularly not at Lambeau in January, and even if Greg Jennings would rather play inside. Packers.

Colts at Ravens: This week, Ray Lewis has announced that he's retiring after this season. He also announced that he'll be playing in the playoffs. And Joe Flacco hasn't exactly been lighting it up recently. And Andrew Luck has. But the Ravens still have Ray Rice, and the Colts have a rookie QB and a defense that is putrid against the run. And there is NO WAY the team lets a wildcard loss be Ray-Ray's last game. NO WAY. Ravens.

Seahawks at Redskins: This is a VERY INTERESTING matchup. Two dynamic rookie QBs. Two powerful running games. Two teams no one expected to see in the post-season this year. The Redskins are on fire going into the playoffs, winning their last seven games. The Seahawks are on fire going into the playoffs, winning their last five, including hanging 42 points on the #3 defense in the league. The NFL honchos chose wisely in putting this game on Sunday at 4:30. It should be excellent. The Seahawks should definitely go to the air against the Skins, who are almost dead last against the pass. But both of these teams have made their bones with their ground games. And if it's true that offense wins games and defense wins championships, I'm going to have to go with the Skins, who are better against the run than the Hawks.

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2011 Divisional Weekend Picks

Broncos at Patriots: aka Jesus versus Satan, the Sequel. Even though he won last time, I'm still putting my money on Dr. Evil and his Yankee henchmen. Hey, I tend to root for the bad guy all the time - just ask Chef Spouse. Pats.

Texans at Ravens: I know just last week I realized I should've stuck with my former Team of Destiny, but unless they manage to bring all 70,000 Texans fans with them to M&T Bank Stadium - and I think the Ravens fans might have something to say about that - I think they're in trouble this week. Ravens.

Giants at Packers: The Giants are the popular upset pick in my office football pool (no cash at stake, just smack talking/bragging rights). I'm thinking "rested" not "rusty" though, and I'm going with the Packers.

Saints at 49ers: This is my upset pick. I'm going with the 49ers. The Saints are mortal away from the Superdome and their fan base. If offense wins games while defense wins championships...and if all else fails, the 49ers have their secret weapon, Chef Spouse's boy David Akers. Who can onside kick like nobody's business and, apparently, throw TDs in a pinch.

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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 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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2010 Week 1 Recap

Eagles v. Packers, Sunday, September 12, 2010

In attendance:  I was all by myself in Chicago, but Chef Spouse reports that Shoegal joined him back in DC

Menu:  I got a room service burger.  Chef Spouse made fajitas and guacamole, which appears to have lost its magical powers in the offseason.

Stud of the Week:  Mike Vick.  Damn, I don't remember him looking that good back in Atlanta. And with K2 out for, well, we don't really know how long at this point, could we see a QB controversy brewing? Probably not - Big Red has said definitively that K2 is the future. But Vick looked terrific - his wheels are back, he was accurate, he made good short and long passes and good decisions, and he took what the defense gave him.  I know a lot of people are pissed he didn't run it in mid-way through the fourth quarter when we took the 3 points instead, leaving us down by 7, but he was about 12 yards out and while there were no Packers DIRECTLY in front of him, there were several nearby between him and the end zone.  Other than that (and I do think he made the right decision in attempting the pass, because the run was all or nothing at that point, and it had little chance of succeeding), he played a great game, jumpstarting our moribund offense and nearly bringing us back from an ass-whuppin' that was a lot more one-sided than the 17 point (at its widest) differential reflected.  Did you know that Vick is now one of only 3 QBs with over 4000 rush yards? The other two are Steve Young and our own Randall Scramble.
Other than that, there wasn't a lot of good.  Both teams start game day with a 45 man roster, and by the end of the first half, I was pretty sure one or both teams was going to run out of players.

At the beginning of the game, I was thinking: "I'm really surprised Jamal Jackson is back! It seems awfully fast after a torn ACL and, although he's clearly a better center than the other options (Cole and McGlynn), he and K2 have had NO time together."  Did you miss that he was even there? That's because, basically by the time I finished thinking that thought, he was out (maybe for the season - again) with a torn triceps.

Packers rookie Clay Matthews had a great day, if by "great day" you mean "physically incapacitated every single Eagle he came within 10 feet of."

K2?  Out with a concussion for who knows how long.

Stewart Bradley?  Same.  Now, he did fall down after getting up because he tripped on his own feet, but he seriously got his clock cleaned, which you could tell by looking at his eyes.

I already mentioned our center.

And then there's Leonard Weaver.  That was literally a sickening collision.  Knees are not supposed to bend like that.  He had to pretty much be carried off the field, and it looked like he was crying.  Think he's out for the season?  Yeah, me too.  During the game Adam Schefter tweeted that the Eagles were thinking it was probably a torn ACL (it is).  I quote @BleedingGreen:

My eyes reported that when it happened.

The Eagles sideline was starting to look like the train station scene in Gone with the Wind, only less cheerful.

I remember at one point, Clay Matthews had drilled Mike Vick and the Idiot Twins were blathering on about God knows what on TV and Vick's holding his left arm and they're not addressing it and I about flipped out.  Because I saw Mike Kafka at training camp, and trust me, we do not want him to be our only option.

On to the game itself.  K2, until he went down, looked like a rookie.  He's still keying on particular receivers and not going through his reads.  I hope he's able to fix that.  Also, son, you're not Big5.  Don't throw off your back foot.  I also didn't like the constant screwing around with taking him out and putting Vick in, because it seemed to me that he never got a chance to get comfortable.  Just leave him alone and let him run the offense for chrissakes!

David Akers continues to be money.  He was good from 45, and he's pretty much the only guy on the team over 30 at this point. Something to think about.  Of course, he is a kicker, and they tend to have long careers, but still.

I expected penalties from this bunch of young'uns.  But more penalty yards in the first half than total yards?  Only 7 total yards of offense?  NO catches for Peanut?  NO catches for Celek?

And then we started the second half without K2.  At least it made AR and/or Mornhinweg quit screwing around and just play a QB.  But we still couldn't seem to do anything right.  Vick started with a solid run and a great pass - and then Charles Woodson knocked the ball loose as Eldra Buckley fights for more yards, and the Packers waltzed on down the field for another score, taking the score to 20-3.

After that, our offense starting to making things happen, but the defense fell apart.  We got in the end zone - FINALLY - and then the Packer got a great run back on the kickoff  and then 4 plays later, SCORED AGAIN.  Were they just gassed in the second half, are the Packers that good (possibly), or can they just not cover anyone (I sure as hell hope that's not it)?

I definitely didn't like the draw call on our last chance to put together a drive on the 4th and 1.  Vick's a great outside runner, but he's not big or powerful enough for the draw play.  And the Packers clearly knew it was coming.

And, as usual, our clock management was a mess. In other news, gravity is still in effect.

I suspect Vick will start again against the Lions next week, given the concussion situation, and after that, we'll have to see.  But again, Andy's 100% that Kolb's the future, so let's hope he can get over his beginner jitters soon.

Around the rest of the NFL...

(I'm operating at a bit of a handicap here, since I'm on a business trip and it's seriously curtailing my SportsCenter and NFL Network viewing time.  I'll do my best, and I promise to return to full-on snark next week.)

Saints over Vikings:  Not exactly the dazzling offensive fireworks we were all expecting, but a good game, and a good start to a Saints season that will hopefully see at least an NFC South repeat.  Brett Favre looked RUSTY RUSTY RUSTY.  Shouldn't have spent the entire offseason in Mississippi, Gramps.

Bucs over Browns:  For a while there (OK, the first half) it looked like the Browns might actually win one.  Nope.

Dolphins over Bills:  The game was closer than I expected.  Dolphins, if you're going to win the division, you need to start playing like the season actually, you know, STARTED.
Pats over Bengals:  Hm.  So the TO/Ochocinco combo didn't produce rainbow, unicorns, and puppies for everyone.  Imagine that.

Texans over Colts:  I actually got to watch the second half of this game.  Jeff Saturday is one of the few centers known by name in the NFL.  He was out Sunday with an injury.  How much do you think Peyton missed him?  What's more than "a lot"?  Midway through the game, I wrote:  "If the Texans lose, the play of the game was Pierre Garcon saving the Glover Quin almost-pick mid way through the 4th. Not too sure about that call, but it led to the Colts' TD, cutting the Texans' lead to 10." But the Texans pulled it out anyway.  I'm telling you, this is their year to at least GET TO the playoffs.
Jaguars over Broncos:  I have literally no comment on this other than, "Hm."

Steelers over Falcons:  I admit it - I'm surprised.  It's too early to tell, but I was expecting the Steelers to struggle due to their offseason messes and the Falcons to be really strong this year.  Both of those could still happen, but not this week.

Titans over Raiders:  WAY over.  So far over, I think Chris Johnson was showered and sipping an umbrella drink in the owner's box by the start of the second half. Jason Campbell also got sacked 4 times.  Maybe it's him.

Giants over Panthers: I still don't think they're going to be very good this year, but then again, neither will the Panthers.

Bears over Texans:  I'm not so sure about the Calvin Johnson TD that was called back with 24 seconds left. He clearly had control.  I call BS.  I get that it's The Rule, but it's one of the rules that makes no sense.

Cardinals over Rams:  Who's even under center in Arizona?  Guess it doesn't matter if you still have Fitz and Tim Hightower.

Seahawks over 49ers:  Is it too late to change my pick for NFC West?

Redskins over Cowboys:  I sure as hell hope you watched the game because it was SUPER exciting.  I am SO glad to be wrong about this one.  I am SO glad DMac was able to start the season with a win over the Cowboys after the ignominious way last season ended.  Both teams made plenty of dumb mistakes, but I have to say that the Cowboys were embarrassingly sloppy.  I thought Trent Williams did quite a good job. I think Miles Austin is a punk.  I think the Cowboys play dirty.  And I think it must be great to be in DC today.

Off to watch the MNF double header with some vendors at a sports bar...no doubt trouble of the best kind awaits....

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2010 Week 1 Picks

This week's promo email from the Eagles opened with

"A new era of Eagles football gets underway as Kevin Kolb takes over the reins of this young, but experienced team."

I'll say - in the past two years, Big Red has shed the 3 long-time leaders of the team (Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, and Brian Dawkins, for those of you who haven't been paying attention).  Who will step up?  It remains to be seen.  But the thing about the start of a new era is that it's generally rough going.  Case in point?  Our opponents on Sunday, the Packers.

Rodgers is where K2 will be in a few years (given the patience of Philadelphia fans, I hope it's a VERY few years for his sake), but he's not there now.  If you recall, in 2008 (Rodgers first year of starting after warming the bench behind Brett Favre for 3 years), the Packers went 6-10.  I'm calling the Eagles to go 6-10 this year.  Coincidence? Well, yeah, I just looked that up right now.  But still.

Last year,  if you'll recall, the Packers went 11-5, secured a playoff spot, and...well, they lost to the Cardinals, but it was a barn burner of a game (51-45, to refresh your memory).

I expect a similar trajectory for the new Eagles.  Which, seeing as they're playing a team I think could possibly go all the way this year, adds up to an opening week loss in my book.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Is it dumb for me to keep complaining when the NFL hosts major events in New Orleans that are accompanied by music that DON'T feature any New Orleans musicians? Probably, but it's not going to stop me.  At least Trombone Shorty and Kermit Ruffins got on stage and they had some Social Aid & Pleasure Club guys up there too.

Moving on, I'll be making these picks based on little more than how I think the teams are likely to fare overall this season, based on little more than what they looked like last year, what I know about how the team changed in the off-season (partial information at best), and instinct.  In other words, this is going to be a TOTAL crap shoot.

Vikings at Saints:  Is there ANY way the defending champions lose the opener of the  entire season in their own house, one of the most hostile fields in the entire NFL to opposing teams?  No sir, there is not.  I'm actually hoping that someone will literally rip off one of Brett Favre's legs, although it seems doubtful.  But I can hope.

Browns at Buccaneers:  Wow.  Worst Game of the Week.  No contest.  The Bucs will win, though.

Dolphins at Bills:  Dolphins.  Also, I just checked out the Bills' roster on their website.  Who the hell are all those guys? I seriously recognize about three names, and one of them is the kicker (Rian Lindell, if you're wondering).

Bengals at Patriots:  Bengals.  TO hasn't had enough time to destroy the team.  Yet.

Colts at Texans:  Texans.  I picked you to win the division. Don't let me down, boys.

Broncos at Jaguars:  The Broncos are a middling-good team.  The Jags are a middling-bad team.  But they play in a tougher division.  I think Broncos, though.

Falcons at Steelers:  It seems crazy, but I'm calling the Falcons.  Even if Big Ben were back, I'd probably still be calling Falcons, who I think are going to be pretty damn good this year.

Raiders at Titans:  Raiders.  Just because I like Jason Campbell and wish him well.  And they have to be better this year, right?  They can hardly be worse.

Panthers at Giants:  I don't think either of these teams are going to be much good this year. I'll call Panthers, just because I always wish ill on other NFC East teams, but really I don't know about this game.

Lions at Bears:  Neither of these teams are going to be much good either, and I'm calling Lions because Matthew Stafford is a stud and Jay Cutler is a whiny bitch.

Cardinals at Rams:  The Cardinals are officially a wreck.  So are the Rams.  But at least the Cards have recent memory of being good.  Of course, all the guys who were the good ones are retired or playing for other teams now, except poor Fitz, who now has no one to throw to him.  What a waste.  Rams.

49ers at Seahawks:  49ers. I'm definitely looking forward to another season of Mike Singletary.  He's almost as entertaining on the sidelines as Rex Ryan.

Cowboys at Redskins:  Redskins!  DMac!  Team of Destiny!  Who's with me?!?  Yeah, we all know - the Cowboys will win this one.  I just hope rookie left tackle Trent Williams can keep the Cowboys from killing McNabb.

Ravens at Jets:  This is going to be the BEST game of the week.  THIS is why you need to get your popcorn ready.  I think the Ravens win it, mostly because I think they might be ready to go all the way this year.  But I actually intentionally refused to schedule any member meetings at the conference I'll
be attending for Monday night JUST so I can watch this game.

Chargers at Chiefs:  Chargers.

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Sunday Schedule, September 12, 2010

Can you believe this shit? I'm not going to be here. Major conference, so I'm flying out first thing in the morning so I'm all settled in Chicago in time to watch at least our game and Cowboys/Redskins.

Honestly, WHO schedules a conference to START opening weekend?

OK, so we'll be watching the actual 2010 season opener (Vikings at Saints) here tonight.  Sunday looks like this:




1 pm game - Panthers at Giants (not that this is going to be a GOOD game, mind you, but it is a divisional rival)
4 pm game - Packers at Eagles
8 pm game - Cowboys and Redskins (GO, DMAC, GO!)




MNF 7 pm - Ravens at Jets (now THAT is going to be a good game)
MNF 10 pm - Chiefs at Chargers



Menu?  The traditional season opening fajitas, of course.  I'll likely be eating room service, unless I can find a Packer bar in Chicago where I can go start a fight.

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2009 Wildcard Weekend Picks

I think this is the first time in NFL history that the first weekend of the playoffs will feature 3 repeat matchups from the last weekend of the regular season. I'm not sure what that means, but there you have it.

Edited Friday, January 8 at 12:13 pm to add: Reader Mike Fearon shared the following link/information with me: http://www.bookofodds.com/Daily-Life-Activities/Sports/Articles/A0526-Wildcard-Rematch-es-What-are-the-odds. It's a fascinating article that actually gives the odds of this situation and compares it to the odds of other real-life occurrences to give some context. You should definitely check it out! Thanks, Mike!

Eagles/Cowboys - Well, there's been the usual Philly sports media tempest in a teapot about McNabb's recent comments. What did he say that was so horrible? Quoting Philly.com:

"On Sunday, McNabb was asked whether the Eagles showed their youth. He answered in part that he felt they did, "in situations where everyone began to look around to see who was going to make the play, rather than stepping up and making that play. That's something that comes with the territory, when you have a young group . . . all throughout the year, we've had guys step up and make big plays for us when their name's called, and today it just didn't happen."

The way I see it, the Eagles *did* look like a bunch of young guys who were playing in their first really big game last Sunday. Sure, Don needs to make a play, but somebody has to catch the damn ball, and the coaches need to call plays that put us in a position to be successful.

And, once again quoting Philly.com:

"It all starts with me," McNabb said yesterday.

"I have to raise my level of play," he said yesterday, but then he kept going with this:

"And everyone else has to, as well."

Followed by the editorial comment: "Ugh."

Really? Big5 saying that everyone needs to step it up Saturday if we hope to walk away with a win merits an "Ugh" from Sam Donnellon? I guess he thinks everyone else played great Sunday and Don was the only one doing anything wrong. I also guess he must've watched a different game than I watched.

Moral of the story? Don't read the Philly sports media.

I did promise blog fan Chris that I'd give some hope.

Here's hope point 1: it's damn near IMpossible (Freudian slip? I hope not!) to beat any team 3 times in the same season. Particularly a division opponent. Particularly two weeks in a row.

Here's hope point 2: Andy Reid has never lost his first game in the playoffs. Nor has Donovan McNabb.

Here's hope point 3: the Cowboys haven't won a playoff game since before I lived in DC. Wade Phillips and Tony Romo have never won a playoff game together.

Here's hope point 4: we don't have to worry that they've totally scoped our game plan because we didn't show them anything on Sunday.

Here's hope point 5: the entire NFL Total Access team called us to win. As I believe Marshall Faulk said, "The Eagles play best when their backs are against the wall. Which is why I picked them to lose last week, and why I'm picking them to win this week."

Here's hope point 6: after sneaking by us earlier and spanking us on Sunday, the Cowboys HAVE to be overconfident. Right?

OK, in all seriousness, I am very worried about this game. We were so flat last week it was scary. We can't play that badly two weeks in a row, right? Not with so much on the line, right? We can't be the team to end the Cowboys playoff drought, right?

I'm cautiously hopeful right now. And I think we'll know which way this is going to go within the first 10 minutes of the game. If it's not going our way, you might have to talk me down off the 14th Street bridge.

Packers/Cardinals: You know how it's hard to beat a team two weeks in a row? Not for the Packers. I don't think the Cards have the firepower on D to take down the Packers. Of course, I didn't buy the Cardinals hype last year, and look how that turned out. But I'm still calling the Packers.

Ravens/Patriots: The Pats are not looking so untouchable now that their defense is weak-ass and Tom Brady gets knocked down. At this time of the year, it tends to come down to guts, balls, and who's clutch. The Ravens win on two of those, and, I think, win this game.

Bengals/Jets: Have I mentioned how annoyed I am that the Jets got a gimme against the Colts in week 16, which is the only reason they were even in the running for the playoffs? Because I'm still really, really annoyed. I would love to see Ocho Cinco and the Bengals win a playoff game. They've only even *been* to the playoffs three times in the past 20 years. And they lost their first game one of those times. And it was the most recent visit (2005 season). I'm calling Bengals, but it's more hope than confidence. Also, picking all 4 wildcard teams seems nuts.

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Wildcard Weekend Schedule: January 9-10, 2010

Wildcard Weekend schedule:

Saturday, January 9
4:30 pm - Jets/Bengals
8 pm - Eagles/Cowboys

Sunday, January 10
1 pm - Ravens/Patriots
4:30 pm - Packers/Cardinals

Menu: Chef Spouse is feeling ambitious and planning to make big meals for both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday will be Popeye's fried chicken. Sunday, he's thinking about Chinese.

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