End of an Era

Eagles at Giants, Sunday, December 30, 2012 

This Sunday featured many exciting games with playoff implications. Sadly, the Eagles game was not one of them. The 42-7 rout was a microcosm of everything that's been wrong with the Eagles in 2012. And that's all I have to say about that.

Well, other than to point out to the gloating Giants fans: I realize that the last time you saw the Eagles in 2012 was when we beat you on Sunday Night Football at the end of September, so you might not know. But hanging 42 points on this team is nothing to be proud of. Pissing on Andy Reid's grave - which is what you're doing now - just shows a complete lack of class. And 9-7 and 4-12 will look pretty much the same next week, when both teams are watching the playoffs from their man caves. Only the Eagles scored a higher draft pick.

Now that I have that off my chest, I want to talk about Andy Reid a little.

I am, as my bio states, a life-long Eagles fan. My earliest football memory was when Dick Vermeil came to Philly. I was 5. I have fond memories of Sunday afternoons in front of the TV, hoagies in hand, cheering for Jaws, Wilbert Montgomery, Harold Carmichael, Mike Quick, Herm Edwards,
the Minister of Defense Reggie White, and later on, under Buddy Ryan, Randall Scramble, Cris Cater, Andre Waters, Jerome Brown, and Seth Joyner. By that point, I was in college and used to go over to the only all-male dorm on campus every weekend to watch the games, which were on in the lounges.

And then I graduated and moved out of state for grad school. This was way before the Sunday Ticket era, and I went to grad school at a college football mad university in a town with no pro team nearby. On the upside, I missed part of the Rich Kotite and pretty much all of the Ray Rhodes years. On the downside, I lost touch with my beloved Eagles.

And then I moved to the home city of a divisional rival. And Jeff Lurie hired this unknown quarterbacks coach from Green Bay named Andy Reid, who proceeded to draft this guy out of Syracuse (not exactly a football powerhouse) Donovan McNabb.

And then: Duce Staley. Brian Westbrook. Brian Dawkins. Hugh Douglas. John Runyan, David Akers. Jeremiah Trotter. Troy Vincent. Darwin Walker. Tre Thomas. Lito Sheppard. Sheldon Brown. 

And then the rest followed: five playoff appearances in a row. Four NFC championship games in a row. The Super Bowl loss to those big cheaters, the Patriots. The 2005 disaster year. The miraculous run into the playoffs under Jeff Garcia in 2006, after McNabb went down with the sports hernia. Then McNabb down again in 2007 with the ACL tear. Then the equally miraculous run back to the NFC Championship game in 2008. Playoffs again in 2009 and 2010.

Even though - and it's a big "but" - the Eagles never brought home the Lombardi trophy, Andy Reid brought this team and this city the most sustained period of success we've ever seen. He changed expectations for all of us. He gave me back my fandom.

I hope he takes a little time off. After the past two years, which have been extremely difficult both personally and professionally, I think he needs it. After that? I wish him nothing but success wherever he goes. Godspeed, Big Red. Unless you goes to Dallas, in which case all bets are off.

I will pick the playoff matchups and recap the playoff games, even though the Eagles are out, so I'll share my thoughts about the 12 teams when I pick Wildcard Weekend. I *will* say this now: at the beginning of the season, I was thinking 49ers/Texans Super Bowl. Not anymore.

Read More

2012 Week 17 Picks

This is it - the final week of the 2012 regular season.

I have plenty of complaints with the NFL (I hate Thursday night football, I wish Joe Buck and Troy Aikman would go do something - anything - else, some of the rules make no goddamn sense, and they often don't seem to be applied equally, at least not if your name is Manning or Brady), but one thing I LOVE is that the final Sunday is *just* Sunday, it's all divisional and lots of playoff scenarios are on the line, at least for the NFC. (Things are pretty settled in the AFC.)

Meanwhile, the Eagles limp to the finish (both figuratively and literally), facing the Giants in New Jersey. And the Giants don't really have much to play for, either. Don't get me wrong - they aren't mathematically eliminated, and the G-men are going to win Sunday. But it is highly unlikely that the Cowboys, Bears, and Vikings will ALL lose.

Also, I'm expecting Andy Reid to be let go first thing Monday morning. You definitely did not read that here first - EVERYONE expects Andy Reid to be let go first thing Monday morning.

Moving on:

Buccaneers at Falcons: The Falcons have nothing to play for, and I'm guessing they'll rest their starters as a result, despite recent (Colts) evidence of what a mistake that usually is. I see the Bucs winning this one.

Jets at Bills: Rex Ryan's last game at the Jets head coach? Maybe. The Jets should be able to win this one, but with the QB mess (Sanchez is benched! No, he's the starting QB!), I figure morale is at an all-time low for Gang Green, and the Bills will sneak a win. Not that it really matters.

Ravens at Bengals: I don't think either team can improve their seeding with a win - Bengals will b #6, Ravens will be #4 - and honestly, although I'm sure no one wants to play the Pats right now, facing a divisional rival two weeks in a row is even worse. With both teams likely to rest some starters and not really be that invested in the outcome, I'm going with the Bengals at home.

Bears at Lions: I know I keep picking the Lions and they keep losing. I know the Bears are fighting for a playoff spot. I'm feeling Lions, but...gotta go Bears.

Texans at Colts: The Texans have stumbled a bit of late, but the bye and possibly homefield are on the line. They'll find a way to win, even against a highly motivated Colts team at home. I think.

Panthers at Saints: Nothing to play for but pride, but the Saints don't lose at home.

Browns at Steelers: Same and same.

Jaguars at Titans: Bleh. Also, Titans. Not that ANYONE will be watching this game.

Chief at Broncos: Broncos, definitely, who also still have a shot at both the bye and homefield.

Packers at Vikings: This is going to be a great game, I think. The Pack needs the win for the bye. The Vikings need the win for a wildcard spot, and all they have to do to get it *is* win. Logically, the Pack should win, but I think the Vikes will dig deep and surprise them.

Dolphins at Patriots: Patriots.

Raiders at Chargers: The Chargers will probably win at home, but it won't change the fact that Norv is going to be be fired on Monday, too.

Rams at Seahawks: Should've listened to myself last week and NOT picked against the Seahawks at home. Not making that mistake again. Seahawks.

Cardinals at 49ers: 49ers who, if I'm right about the Pack losing, will snake that bye week right out from under Green Bay.

Redskins at Cowboys: It's for all the NFC East marbles, and the Redskins GOT this one. The Cowboys will choke. Glad Monday's a day off, because this should be a great game that I'm going to stay up to see the end of and will probably be too hyped to sleep after.

Read More

2012 Week 4 Recap

Eagles v. Giants, Sunday, September 30, 2012

Stud of the week: Brian Dawkins. Duh. He came out of the tunnel Full Wolverine, and we were all yelling, "Put him in!" "Get him some pads!" "No, he doesn't even need pads! Just get him a helmet!" 13 seasons with the Eagles, 16 seasons total. 26 career sacks. 28 career forced fumbles. 37 career interceptions. Next stop: Canton. THAT was the way to honor a legend.

Also, LeSean McCoy had a really good game. Well, he had a good second half. But see, when you keep TRYING to run it throughout the game, it starts to work in the second half.  Andy, take notes.

Actually, everyone had a really good game. Including the coaching staff, who did an excellent job of game planning, and an even better job of in-game adjustments. And I have to assume that someone gave the team one hell of a halftime speech. BDawk perhaps? There was one bad series by the defense - you know the one, that horrible series mid-way through the 4th quarter where Cris Collinsworth basically commented that he'd NEVER seen the Eagles play such bad D - but other than that, really solid game all around. Well, other than the special teams who were short-bus special this week. Colt Anderson and Akeem Jordan, we miss you!

Of course, that final series about gave us all heart attacks. Pass interference on DRC: maybe. Maybe. Pass interference on Nnamdi. Whole lotta BS. Which even Al and Cris admitted. Thank you, Ramses Barden, for evening the score with that complete gangsta-level mugging of Nnamdi, putting your kicker out of his range. Of course, Big Red nearly blew it by trying to ice the kicker, but since Lawrence Tynes missed TWICE, I guess he was successfully iced. Still not a fan of the practice, though.

And did you notice? The Eagles committed not ONE SINGLE turnover. NOT ONE. Here's the crazy thing. On the NFL Network's Game Day Morning show, the commentators were all making their "Bold Predictions." Not only did Michael Irvin pick the Eagles to win (alone of the entire team), but he also predicted that they'd have...no turnovers.

Spooky.

You know what's even more spooky? The woman who runs Chicks in the Huddle, where this blog is syndicated, did an interview with me for HLN TV last week. Not only did I predict that the Eagles would pull out the win, I also predicted that they'd win....19-17. I am not shitting you.
 

Spooooooky.

Then again, it is October.

So now what for the Eagles? Well, they're facing the Steelers next week, and I guess we'll take it one week at a time. Still 3-1 is a lot better than last year's 1-4.

Around the rest of the NFL:

Ravens over Browns: Well, sure. Also Chef Spouse seems to have a mancrush on Ray Lewis. Also, the Browns have been in every game they've played so far. They'll get a win sooner or later (hopefully sooner, against the Giants next week).

Falcons over Panthers: Much closer game than I expected. The whole thing really turned on the Cam Newton fumble and that amazing final drive by the Falcons.

Patriots over Bills: I hope the Pats enjoyed their biannual stomping of the Bills. Sigh. If you recall, I predicted that it would be "closer than most people expect." Well, at least it wasn't 52-0.

Vikings over Lions: Hm, did I not give the Vikes enough credit pre-season? Then again, I don't know that anyone saw them playing this well at this point.

Texans over Titans: SportsCenter this evening was debating: are the Texans the best team in football? Yes. Next question.

Chargers over Chiefs: I just cannot get excited about the AFC West this year. Which is so incredibly unusual, I know.

49ers over Jets: The Jets, without Darrelle Revis and now possibly Santonio Holmes, may be utterly screwed. Wait. Scratch the "may be." Replace with "are."

Rams over Seahawks: Ha! I was right!

Cardinals over Dolphins: I'm amazed it took the Cards OT to take care of the Fins, but they're now 4-0. With Philly reject Kevin Kolb at QB. Of course, the fact that he gets to throw to Fitz doesn't hurt, but still, putting things in perspective, it does seem a little...unusual.

Broncos over Raiders: Peyton bounced back after a bad week last week. Maybe he will get his old magic back. You know, up until the playoffs.

Bengals over Jaguars: Yep. One of these days, the Jags might be good. But not today.

Packers over Saints: Stick a fork in the Saints, man. I think they're done.

Redskins over Buccaneers: Easy to be calm when it's not your team, but I knew the Skins would pull this one out. Did I mention that RGIII is the real thing? Did I mention that the Shanahans are doing a better job adjusting to play to his strengths than I expected?

(Also, on the topic of DC, congrats to the Nats on their first NL East win. And I have to giggle a little that the Phils STILL beat them and they took the NL East due to a Braves loss.)

Read More

2012 Week 4 Picks

First of all, welcome back to the regular refs. Never thought I'd be glad to see them back, but there you have it. All it took was one really high profile HUGE mistake to make the owners see reason. Yeah.

This week, the Giants are coming to the Linc to take on the Eagles in prime time on Sunday Night Football. 

Now, if you look at what happened last week, it seems fairly clear how this is going to end, and it's not pretty for the Eagles. Just in case you were blackout drunk and missed it, the Eagles got stomped out in Phoenix by a team nobody really expected to be any good. And the Giants stomped the Panthers, a team many (including myself) expected to be pretty decent this year, even worse.

But....

This isn't just ANY Sunday Night Football game. This is the game where the Eagles retire Brian Dawkins's number 20. Wolverine is one of the most beloved players in Philadelphia history. Not just Eagles history, Philadelphia history. The Eagles have so far retired only seven numbers in nearly 80 years. The fans are going to be pumped for the game. The team better be, too.

Think Ray Lewis would hire out to do the pre-game pep talk?

I expect it to be another nail-biter. But I cannot - CANNOT - see the Eagles letting this one get away. Not after the gutsy performance I witnessed less than two weeks ago against the Ravens.

Eagles. Do Wolverine proud, boys.

In the other matchups:

Browns at Ravens: The Browns look better this year, but they ain't that much better. Ravens. And have I mentioned how much I dislike Thursday Night Football.

Patriots at Bills: I think the Pats will probably take this one, but I think it's going to be a lot closer than most people expect.

49ers at Jets: I'm picking the 49ers to bounce back from their surprising loss to the Vikings last week. Their D is just too strong, and Mark Sanchez can be pressured into making mistakes.

Seahawks at Rams: The Seahawks are mortal away from CenturyLink Field, and the Rams aren't quite as bad as they looked against the Bears last week. And their at home. And domes provide a pretty major advantage to the home team. Rams.

Panthers at Falcons: Falcons. Oh Cam, I still love you.

Vikings at Lions: Lions. Last week as an aberration for both teams. Trust.

Chargers at Chiefs: I've got the Chiefs. I know, I know. But I don't think the Chargers can slow down their offense - at least not after what I saw last week.

Titans at Texans: Texans. The Titans are no match for them, even if Matt Schaub does only have part of an ear now.

Bengals at Jaguars: The Bengals can score a LOT of points. The Jaguars can't stop, well, anybody. Bengals.

Raiders at Broncos: The Raiders surprised me last week, but I can't see them pulling off another upset. Broncos.

Dolphins at Cardinals: I'm in. Cardinals.

Redskins at Buccaneers: Gotta keep the faith with RGIII even if the Redskins do have pretty much the worst D in the entire league. Redskins.

Saints at Packers: Stick a fork in the Saints. Packers.

Bears at Cowboys: You never know which Jay Cutler is going to show up, but when it's close I HAVE to go against the Cowboys. Bears.

On bye: Steelers and Colts

Read More

Super Bowl 46 Recap

It's official. Eli Manning is Bill Belichick's kryptonite.

Raise your hand if you had the "safety" square as the first score in your office football pool. Yeah, me neither.

Fortunately, the game got better after that. And it *was* a pretty good game, even if it was between two teams I really did not want to watch again this season.

Leading up to kickoff, I was still thinking that the Pats would win, although after all the "Tom Brady is a god - A GOD!!!" talk on the pre-game shows, I had convinced myself that the Giants winning was the lesser of two evils. Which I guess it still is. Sorta.

If you had told me that the receiver who dropped the key pass would be Wes Welker and the receiver who caught the key pass would be Mario Manningham BEFORE the game, I would've said you were nuts. Just goes to show how much I know.

Obviously Ahmad Bradshaw was supposed to go down on the 1, letting the Giants run the clock down and kick the field goal for the win. But oops - he scored a TD. Normally, leaving Tom Brady with a full  minute would've been a mistake. But the Pats receivers were not sharp in the second half last night, and the Giants hung on for the win.

If Madonna was going to reprise "Like a Prayer" backed by a gospel choir, I gotta point out: what was with all the white people? And what was with the ultra-slo-mo assisted cartwheels? And the giant "WORLD PEACE" at the end of her set? It's a puzzlement.

In the meantime:

Read More

Super Bowl 46 Picks

The Giants and the Patriots will be facing off in Indianapolis this Sunday, February 5. You know, just in case you've been living under a rock or so mesmerized by the Republican debates that you've forgotten about all other types of media.

If you recall, the last time they met in the Super Bowl - a mere four years ago (but I'm not bitter) - the Giants played spoiler to the Patriots' attempt at a perfect season, beating the Pats 17-14 and significantly aided by David Tyree's miracle helmet catch.

I don't think that's going to happen again.

Yes, since I can't have what I really want - a time machine that will take us back to week 4, when the Eagles SHOULD have woken up (as opposed to week 12, when they actually did) - or what I wanted as an alternative - a Ravens/49ers Super Bowl - I'll sigh, place my faith in the Pats, pray for a natural disaster, and watch for the commercials.

Read More

2011 Conference Championships Recap

Patriots over Ravens. Billy Cundiff: C’mon man! I know it's easy to scapegoat the kicker, but this one really was his fault. Missing a 32 yard field goal to tie the AFC Championship game with 11 seconds in regulation is just unacceptable. Guess who'll be kicking for the CFL next year?

Giants over 49ers: Kyle Williams: C’mon man! Special teams can make or break you, and his boneheaded mishandling of the punt and his boneheaded fumble led directly to 10 Giants points, including the field goal that won the game in overtime. But at least he'll have company in the CFL next year.


The Snark? 0-2 this weekend.

At least they were both good games, but I was so sad at the end of both. I really wanted a Ravens/49ers Super Bowl, and I really don’t give a good goddamn about the game now. I’ll be rooting for a natural disaster to swallow up Colts’ stadium.


The Ravens FINALLY swept the Steelers for the first time ever(?) this year, and Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are probably retiring.

Jim Harbaugh managed to effect a remarkable transformation in San Francisco in his rookie year as a head coach. Alex Smith finally started to live up to his promise. And they have my secret kicker boyfriend David Akers (Philadelphians are irrationally attached to the guy). And Vernon Davis doesn’t have a whole lot of years left, ether.

Meanwhile, we'll get to watch another Super Bowl between two totally self-satisfied teams with two of the most annoying fan bases in any pro sports.

But I’m not bitter.

Read More

2011 Conference Championship Picks

Sticking with the "defense wins championships" theory:

Ravens at Patriots: I sure as hell hope the good Ravens show up, or this will be a hot mess. But I'm picking based on the "God is now royally pissed" theory and going with the Ravens. Also, defense.

Giants at 49ers: 49ers. By the way, yes, it's totally killing me that the Eagles missed the playoffs by [this] much. And that a reason they missed the playoffs by [this] much is that they lost to the 49ers by [this] much in week 4. I should stop now, before I go jump off the roof. There's always next year...

Read More

2011 Divisional Weekend Recap

In two sentences or less, because the evening kind of got away from me:

Patriots over Broncos: Apparently, even God isn't enough to overcome Tom Brady. Or He's secretly a Raiders fan.

49ers over Saints: All right-thinking people love the Saints, but they are just not the same on the road. Also, best game of the playoffs (so far).

Ravens over Texans: Offense wins games, defense wins championships. And then there's Ray Lewis.

Giants over Packers: The Giants came to ball. The Packers did not.

Read More

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.

Read More

2011 Wildcard Weekend Recap

Texans over Bengals: The Bengals started strong, looked like they had it in the first half. But they had the proverbial uncapitalized opportunities, and by the second half, homefield advantage was kicking in in a big way. The Texans' fans were going nuts non-stop for 3 1/2 hours, and the Bengals eventually succumbed. Well, to the fans and to Arian Foster's 150+ yards on the ground. Realistically, neither of these teams was going to go far, but congratulations on your first playoff win, former Team of Destiny. Clearly, I should've kept the faith.

Saints over Lions: As expected. Did you notice the game was poorly officiated? Because it was SO poorly officiated, the NFL has officially admitted they blew the fumble/fumble recovery call towards the end of the first half. You can argue that, given the eventual score, that 7 points didn't really matter. Or did it? Momentum is a tricky thing. Not that I'm sad that the Saints won or anything, but you do really hope that the zebras will bring their BEST effort to the playoffs, not their worst.

Giants over Falcons: Also as expected. Eli was good Eli - which he's been more than not this season - and where in the hell did that run game come from? That may be the true miracle this season. I expected the Giants to win, but holding the Falcons to only a safety? Wow. The Falcons helped by making poor choices on going for it on 4th and short. Those were the sorriest excuses for QB sneaks I've ever seen, but they were representative of the fact that the Falcons O-line was getting NO push at all on the Giants D-line all day. Dear Mike Smith: wishing doesn't make it so.

Broncos over Steelers: I'm still stunned about this one. When did Tim Tebow turn into John Elway? I'm sure I saw Elway in a suit in one of the luxury suites. Then again, it was TV...Tebow's mechanics are still cringe-worthy (even for someone like me who's never played the game herself), but when did he start becoming a down the field passing threat? Ben's inability to move and the other injuries the Steelers were dealing with clearly hurt them big time, too. Is it real? Guess we'll know next week in Foxborough. So was I the only person who noticed that Ron Winter didn't seem to quite understand the new playoff game overtime rules? Because that long explanation he gave before the coin toss made NO sense. I guess it was a good thing it wasn't necessary to deploy them, because I'm not confident the officiating crew would've known what was what.

So all the home teams won this weekend. Will that hold next week? We'll see...

Read More

2011 Wildcard Weekend Picks

Bengals at Texans: neither team comes in exactly lighting it up, but the Texans remind me of season 4 Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For those few fools who weren't fans (what's wrong with you, btw?), the basic plot was that an evil government entity was trying to put together a race of half human/half demon warriors, a la Dr. Frankenstein. One of the creatures begins running amuck, as these sorts of creatures often do, and plots to lure Buffy into the demon containment facility that's guarded by soldiers. His plan is to incite a riot while she's there and for her to kill enough demons (her destined calling) to even the human/demon body count (thus providing plenty of construction materials) until she's too weak to continue. That's pretty much where the Texans are at this point. Also, in their last matchup in week 14, the Texans won (their last win, for what it's worth). And it's hard to beat a team twice in a row. Bengals. Which they should savor, since it will be their last playoff win this year.

Steelers at Broncos: Of course, by that logic, I should pick the Broncos, because the Steelers are one beaten down mess at this point. But I just can't see the Broncos pulling this off. The Steelers are too smart - and too good on D. And Tim Tebow's 15 minutes seems almost up. Steelers.

Falcons at Giants: I'm really tempted to take the Falcons here, and they do have a marginally better record. But even with the other problems the Giants have these days, and they are many, Eli Manning has a hot hand going into the playoffs, and Victor Cruz can turn a 5 yard dump off pass into a 90+ yard TD at any moment, and to me, that says that the Falcons, even though they have a well-ranked D, are in trouble. Also, they are not so good on the road. Giants.

Lions at Saints: Oh Lions. Lions Lions Lions. I hate to say "I told you so" but I told you to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to hang onto the 5th seed. Did you listen to me? Noooooo. Will you regret it? Yeeeeeessss. About the time you realize that not only can't you hear each other in the huddle, but the Superdome is rocking so hard you can't even use hand signals. The Saints don't lose at home, baby. Saints.

Read More

2011 Week 11 Picks

I'm writing this while watching "The Top 10 Things We Love About the Giants-Eagles Rivalry."

Some great memories - Randall Cunningham's acrobatics, Chuck Bednarik's famous hit on Frank Gifford, Runyan versus Strahan, Brian Westbrook burning the Giants A LOT, Osi Umenyiora pretty much decimating DMac - good times. Even the clips from losses. Good rivalry.

This weekend will NOT be good times. This week, the Eagles travel to New Jersey to take on the Giants in prime time. You know, when the NFL schedulers put together all these prime time games for the Eagles, I'm guessing they were expecting more from the team.

Heh.

So was I.

Remember the last time the Eagles played at the New Meadowlands (or whatever the hell they're calling it now)? The Miracle at the New Meadowlands? Where I was there? Trying to avoid getting murdered by the angry Giants fans?

Yeah, this game is going to be the exact opposite of that game.

Well, actually, this game will probably be EXACTLY like the first 52 minutes of that game, in which the Giants kicked the Eagles asses all over the damn field.

It'll be the exact opposite of the final 8 minutes of that game, when suddenly every last single thing went precisely the Eagles way. Not much is going the Eagles way this year.

And it just got worse. Two words for you: Vince Young.

I think it was the Bleeding Green Nation tweet stream that pointed out that, with the way things have been going, Vince Young will probably play great and produce a win, leading to the only bad news the team has so far managed to avoid this year: a QB controversy.

While that would be ironic, I don't think it's going to happen. I also don't think the Eagles stand a chance.

Giants.

(As an aside, have you heard the news about Victor Cruz's birthday party? What is it with the Giants and shootings?)

In the rest of the matchups:

Jets at Broncos: Jets. I think. The whole damn league is so screwy this year, who knows? But I really do think the Jets are the better team. Then again, TEBOW! Am I talking myself out of this? No - Jets. Even without LT. I think.

Raiders at Vikings: Raiders. Chef Spouse and I were talking about who we see going into the playoffs now (as opposed to back in late August, when I made my typically "what was I smoking?" picks), and I think the Raiders could win the West this year. Poor Jason Campbell. He seems like such a nice guy, and he just can't catch a break.

Bills at Dolphins: Bills. I know they're coming off a bad loss and the Fins are coming off a big win, but the Fins beat the Redskins. That hardly counts.

Jaguars at Browns: Browns. I know they have the same record and all, but I have a good feeling about the Browns.

Cowboys at Redskins: Cowboys. Thank God for the Redskins. They're what's keeping the Eagles from being the dregs of the NFC East.

Buccaneers at Packers: Someone might beat the Pack this season, but it's not going to be the Bucs. Packers.

Panthers at Lions: Lions. Things have been a little up and down for them, but come on. They aren't going to lose to the 2-7 Panthers.

Bengals at Ravens: Call me crazy, but Bengals. The Ravens are so inconsistent this year, they're making my head spin, and meanwhile, the Bengals are a team on the rise.

Titans at Falcons: Falcons. Who are having their own struggles this year, but are still pretty tough to beat at home.

Cardinals at 49ers: 49ers. Who I think are going to face the Packers in the NFC Championship game this year.

Seahawks at Rams: Rams, in my upset pick of the week. It's not as crazy at it sounds - they've won two of their last three, and the Seahawks tend to have trouble on the road.

Chargers at Bears: Bears. Who are looking damn fierce at this point. When did Jay Cutler become a decent QB? Maybe with Devin Hester, Matt Forte, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs on his team, it doesn't really matter.

Chiefs at Patriots: Pats. Just when the Chiefs start to turn it around, Matt Cassel goes down. I don't even know who Tyler Palko is...wow, just checked the stats. He's been in the league four years, and is 9 for 13. Lifetime. That's not 9 games won out of 13 played. That's 9 passes completed out of 13 thrown. Lifetime. Just had to say that again.

On bye: (and this really is the final week of byes, after a bye week for byes) Colts, Saints, Steelers, Texans

Read More

2011 Week 3 Recap

Eagles v. Giants, Sunday, September 25, 2011

In attendance: we were at the beach, so us, a bunch of the people we were at the beach with, and all the loud Eagles fans at Fred's Tavern. Plus this one guy who was a Bills fan. Man, did he have a good day!

Menu: bar food. 

Stud of the week: we're three games into the season, and Shady's already repeating. He was pretty much the single bright spot on Sunday. Well, Shady and the wings at Fred's.

OK, y'all - why didn't somebody tell me it was End the Streak Week in the NFL? I might've called our game differently if you had. People! Need the info here!

Mike Vick is not happy about how the hits he takes are getting called, or, to be more precise, NOT called. Two things occur to me: first, he could be right. Secondly, does he remember his first year with the Eagles - you know, when McNabb was still the starter? Did he actually WATCH any of the games? Or wait - he thought it would be different for him. Welcome to Philly, man. I have to admit, when I first heard the quote, I thought Vick was calling out the offensive line, for whatever that's worth.

Two things killed our boys on Sunday: they couldn't finish once they were in the red zone, and they couldn't get off the field on third down.

So why couldn't the guys get off the field on third down? Because it sure as hell looks like NO ONE can tackle. NO ONE. C'mon man! But one hopes that can be fixed with some practice. Or possibly some yelling. Or threats to trade guys to the Chiefs.

Taking field goals when the other team is scoring TDs? That's a HUGE problem.

You know what else is a huge problem? The Falcons and Giants have gotten TDs on pretty much every trip to the red zone the past two weeks. The defense has given up EIGHT TDs in the last two games. And they're getting MASSIVELY outscored in the fourth quarter. Is it lack of talent or lack of coaching?

Another thing that really concerns me is that the past two weeks, the Eagles have had a lead, Mike Vick has gone down, and the team has completely fallen apart. Seems to me I remember not so long ago a key player could go down and the rest of the team would respond by pulling together (remember 2008? or 2006? or 2004?). Where's the locker room leadership? Where's the guy who rallies the troops or kicks their butts as the situation requires? Used to be rookies were drafted, guys were traded or acquired, but McNabb, Westbrook, Dawkins, and, even in his Bad Assador days, Hugh Douglas provided a core around which the team could come together. Right now, they're just a bunch of guys playing football, and when adversity hits (as it ALWAYS does in the NFL), they fall apart.

Somebody has to start stepping up. Fast. Where's the heart?

Around the rest of the NFL...

Panthers over Jaguars. Cam Newton did NOT have a big day, but the Panthers were still able to deliver his first win over the not-very-good Jags. Also, welcome to the Blaine Gabbert era (anyone else flashing on "Pretty in Pink"?).

Saints over Texans. Thanks to the Sunday Ticket, mobile edition, we were able to watch this game in its entirety from Fred's on my phone. Which burned my entire data plan for the month, but whatever - it was a barn burner. Both of these teams promise a shoot-out to any team they play this year. Oh, and you know that whole field goals versus TDs thing? Yeah.

49ers over Bengals. Great. Not only do the 49ers have momentum, Frank Gore is likely to be back next week. Sigh.

Titans over Broncos.  On the topic of Pyrrhic victories, the Titans lost Kenny Britt for the season.

Browns over Dolphins. The Browns are winning ugly, but they're winning. The Dolphins, on the other hand, are toast. Have you seen their division?

Bills over Patriots. See above RE: End the Streak Week. The Bills fan at Fred's was so happy, it almost took the sting out of the Eagles' loss. Almost. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed watching Rocks Brady lose. Also, I look like a genius for picking the Bills. Or at least I would if it weren't for:

Ravens over Rams. Why did I pick the Rams again? Temporary insanity? Poor Spags - they're vying with the Chiefs for Worst Team in the League. Sam Bradford is regressing so badly, I'm pretty sure someone's going to have to re-teach him to read and do basic math next week.

Lions over Vikings. The Vikes are another team that can't seem to remember that football games are FOUR quarters long. Also, the Lions snapped something like a THIRTEEN year streak of losing to the Vikings in Minneapolis. Wow.

Raiders over Jets. The Jets, putative Super Bowl contenders this year, did NOT play like it on Sunday. Aren't the Jets supposed to be solid against the run? Not this time. It's good to see Jason Campbell enjoying success.

Chargers over Chiefs. I think the Chargers should be really worried that they only won this one by three. I'd be worried if I were them.

Bucs over Falcons. Interesting. And so the wheel turns again in the NFC South? Maybe.

Packers over Bears. No way Devin Hester should've been penalized and not Sam Shields. Sorry, but BOTH guys were equally at fault. Not that it would've changed the ultimate outcome, but it definitely put paid to any Bears attempt at a comeback.

Seahawks over Cardinals. All I saw of this game was a BEAUTIFUL completion from K2 to Fitz. Apparently, that was about the only thing that went right for them all day.

Steelers over Colts. The Steelers just barely squeaked by...Curtis Painter. Really? Yep. I think it was Warren Sapp who pointed out that the Steelers are old and slow this season. He's not wrong.

Cowboys over Redskins. How in the bloody hell do you manage to muff EVERY SINGLE DAMN SNAP all night long and take ALL your points as field goals and still WIN? Oh right - Rex Grossman remembered that he's Rex Grossman.

Read More

2011 Week 3 Picks

This week, the Eagles finally get to host their home opener. Aside from Mike Vick's concussion (which may not even be an issue by Sunday), the team has managed to survive the preseason and the first two weeks relatively unscathed, particularly when you look at this week's opponents: the Giants.

One of my good friends is a Giants fan, and he and I have been having an exchange on Facebook this week about the sorry state of the Giants roster. The pre-season was not kind to the Giants' D, and last week, Eli Manning lost both Domenik Hixon and Mario Manningham from his receiver core. As I observed to my friend:

• At this rate, the Giants will be out of players by their bye week.
• How's the practice squad looking?
• Have they thought about sacrificing a goat?

Their secondary is particularly in trouble. To quote Big Blue View, right now, they have two defenses against passing plays: the other team calls a running play, or their front guys manage to get to the QB and force a sack or throwaway.

Somehow, I think a defensive plan that consists of: "Maybe Andy Reid's Eagles will opt to run 75% of the time! No wait - maybe we can sack the hell out of Mike Vick. Or Mike Kafka. Or Vince Young. You know - whoever's under center on Sunday!" is not likely to be effective.

Of course, our cagey coach is being, well, cagey, about which quarterback will start Sunday. And apparently, all three guys will be active. If I were a betting woman, I'd bet that Vick goes. But it's nice to know that if he's not ready or if, God forbid, he goes down again, we have TWO good options. Although he couldn't quite pull out the win last week, I must admit I was surprised at what a good game Mike Kafka was able to put together.

In the end, I think this game comes down to the fact that the Eagles are in the Giants' heads at this point. And that I don't see the Eagles dropping their home opener. And that I think there's an excellent chance DJax, Maclin or both have huge days against a very ineffective Giants' secondary, regardless of who's throwing them the ball. Eagles.


In the rest of the matchups:

Jaguars at Panthers. Cam Newton will get his first win this week. Congrats, rookie! Panthers.

Texans at Saints. These two teams look GREAT through week two, and I think it will be a shoot out. But you just can't pick against the Saints when they're in the Superdome. That's some serious homefield advantage. Saints.

49ers at Bengals. I don't have much in the way of comment on this game, other than to say: Bengals.

Dolphins at Browns. See above. Browns.

Patriots at Bills. The Bills are looking good through week 2. Guess we'll find out how good this week. Bills. (Yes, I seriously just called the Bills to beat the Patriots. I'm either crazy, or I'm going to look like an f-ing genius Sunday.)

Broncos at Titans. The Broncos are looking rough so far this year. Titans.

Lions at Vikings. Do you think McNabb will get the boot when the Vikings go 0-3? Lions.

Jets at Raiders. Jets. Duh. (Although the Raiders aren't looking too bad.)

Chiefs at Chargers. Chargers. Also duh. (The Chiefs, on the other hand, look like ass.)

Ravens at Rams. I know they're 0-2 so far, but I think the Rams (and Sam Bradford) are going to be able to hit the Ravens' somewhat depleted D pretty hard. Rams.

Falcons at Buccaneers. Falcons, who rebounded after their inexplicably flat opener against the Bears to school the Eagles last week.

Packers at Bears. Remember last year, when the Bears beat out the Packers to win the division? Yeah, me neither. Packers.

Cardinals at Seahakws. Cardinals. It's a little early, but the Seahawks may be this year's "Oh, the humanity!" team.

Steelers at Colts. Colts, take my advice and forfeit, then use the extra down time to audition quarterbacks. And head coaches. Steelers.

Redskins at Cowboys. I SOOOO want to call Redskins. But I don't know if I can truly convince myself that they'll go 3-0. Cowboys (and at the rate they're losing players, this might be the LAST game they win this year).

Read More

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, September 25, 2011

Chef Spouse and I are going to be at the beach this weekend, so Chez Engel is closed to guests. But here are the games we'll be watching, for your edification:

1 pm: Eagles/Giants

4 pm: Packers/Bears (or possibly Falcons/Bucs)

8 pm: Steelers/Colts (or maybe we'll bag it - bet that looked like a much better idea 6 months ago)

MNF: Redskins/Cowboys

Read More

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, September 11, 2011

After months of fear and uncertainty about whether we'd even HAVE a 2011 season, it's FINALLY here! Hallelujah!

The season kicks off with Saints at Packers on Thursday night, and I CAN HARDLY WAIT!

OK, for Sunday:

1 pm: Eagles at Rams

4 pm: Giants at Redskins

8 pm: Cowboys at Jets

Menu: Chef Spouse is going traditional with fajitas and 'ritas (and of course guacamole). If you're coming PLEASE let us know by Saturday so we buy enough food and please bring something to share (food or beverage).

Read More

2010 Week 15 Recap

Eagles at Giants, Sunday, December 19, 2010

In attendance: 81,000+ people, at least a few of which were actual Eagles fans.

Menu: stadium food, but we found a deli stand that had decent corned beef and excellent pastrami.

Stud of the week:  DeSean Jackson, whose 65 yard punt return won the game? Nah - other than that, he had a pretty quiet game. Michael Vick? More about him below, but being Superman is just living up to expectations at this point. I have to give it to a combo: David Akers and Riley Cooper, who combined to perfectly execute the onside kick that totally changed the momentum of the game.

This was a rough game to attend in an unfriendly stadium. I know Eagles fans have a deserved reputation for being tough on opposing teams' fans and being somewhat lacking in class. Let's just put it this way: we're not unique in the NFC East in either of those.

Chef Spouse and I were in NYC courtesy of his company, thanking him for doing something really great this fall. He prepared an excellent picnic lunch for the train on the way up. We spent the afternoon walking around midtown admiring the department stores' fancy Christmas window displays. We enjoyed an outstanding dinner at WD-50 on Saturday night. Sunday dawned cold but not terribly windy and a little overcast - perfect December football weather. And this game was pretty much for all the money. Yeah, there are two games left, but the winner of this game was virtually guaranteed to win the NFC East and even potentially take the #2 seed, depending on what the Bears do in the next three games.

And then? The Eagles stunk it up. For 52 minutes, they were a complete mess, with the exception of the run defense (more on that below). And, my God, did we hear about it. It's a good thing I'm not easily offended, because F bombs were being tossed at me faster than in a Quentin Tarantino movie. When we left our seats at halftime (24-3) to get food, "go home, losers" was the nicest thing we heard.

Getting and eating the food took a while, and we returned to our seats with about 5 minutes left in the third quarter, by which time the seriously shit-faced Giants fan to our left decided Chef Spouse had drunk his beer (absolutely incorrect) and came about [this] close to starting a fight over it. My take? He was so wasted he didn't realize that HE had drunk his beer. Also? How is it even possible to get that tanked on Bud Light, Princess?

So the fourth quarter starts, and the Giants engineer another long drive, at the end of which Kevin Boss scores, taking it to 31-10. Apparently, with just over 8 minutes left in the game, the chances of the Eagles pulling out a win was 1%. Now, I hadn't done the math, so I didn't realize it was quite THAT dire, but I knew the Birds' chances were not good.

And then? Michael Vick apparently decided that there was no way in hell his team was going to lose. Even more amazingly, he made it happen. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas. Chuck Norris wears Michael Vick pajamas.

Meanwhile, Chef Spouse and I, convinced that the team could not win, were hanging out in our seats checking in on the other games with his new iPhone 4 and speculating about playoff scenarios.

Brent Celek TD? "Oh, isn't that sweet? They're not giving up!"

Onside kick? "How could the Giants NOT be prepared for that, after that Akers-led Sideline Coaches' Summit? Also, good job Riley Cooper!"

Vick runs in another TD? "Wouldn't it be funny if this game ended 24-31? It would look a lot less lopsided than it was."

Eagles burn all their timeouts with 4 minutes left to save the clock? "Didn't Andy Reid watch our win over the Cowboys last week? This does not bode well."

Maclin TD to tie it up? "Wow! Looks like we're going to overtime! Do we need to call the car service driver to let him know?"

[All of the above said very quietly so as not to set off Drunky Drunkenstein in the next seat over again.]

And then? One of the most amazing plays I've ever seen. Andy had DeSean back there, and I was all, "I don't know if I like this with DJax's injured foot. There's no way in hell the Giants kick it to him anyway." And poor rookie Matt Dodge either gets a bad snap or chokes on the pressure and kicks RIGHT TO DeSean, who DROPS the punt (which turned out to be a good thing, as it completely FUBARed the Giants coverage team), picks it up, spots a lane, Jason Avant lays a MONSTER block on Zak DeOssie, and the next thing we knew, DeSean's running across the front of the endzone before driving the stake through the Giants' hearts. With a VENGEANCE.

The stadium was silent.

I was so shocked, I had to sit down.

Chef Spouse kept repeating, "Did that just happen? Did that JUST HAPPEN?"

Tom Coughlin was so pissed he threw down his clipboard and headset and ran on the field before DeSean was in the endzone.

Things were so chaotic, the zebras couldn't get enough Giants on the field to kick the extra point, so it took several more minutes to end the game. During which Giants fans in front of us started - or tried to start - fights with any person they spotted in midnight or kelly green. Chef Spouse and I did our best to lay low, particularly until Drunkface and his friends were gone.

After which we started jumping up and down and screaming.

A few additional notes: rookie MLB Jamar Chaney played great. The Giants, purportedly a team "built to win in December" with a great run game and a solid defense, could not run the ball. And that turned out to be key. Remember the Cowboys last week? The Eagles won that game because LeSean McCoy successfully ran 4+ minutes off the clock. The Giants had to pass, and that gave the Birds far too many chances. I was really worried, with Stewart Bradley being out, but one thing about Andy Reid is that he seems to always have another guy ready to step in.

Apparently, at halftime, Asante Samuel, usually not the most voluble guy, exhorted the team to play with heart. Not to win, not to get back in it, but to play with heart. Chef Spouse and I were speculating, while waiting in line for our delicious, fatty deli meat sandwiches, what would need to happen in the locker room at halftime for this not to be an utter disaster. Chef Spouse noted that if anyone was going to step up with the "unleash the hounds!" speech, it was going to have to be one of the players. True dat.

A few comments on the Giants: Eli Manning played really well. I tend to rag on him, mostly because his diffident manner tends to get on my nerves (and I think it's unfair that he has a ring, when I honestly don't believe he's a great, or even a consistent, quarterback), but yesterday isn't on him.

You know who else it isn't on? Matt Dodge. Yeah, he made a bad mistake on that final punt. But he didn't have anything to do with blowing a 21 point lead in about 7 minutes. And 10 other guys were on the field who should've tackled DJax. Denizens of Big Blue View are calling for his head and bitching that you don't waste time grooming a punter. Two words for you: Sav Rocca.

Also, Justin Tuck? Might want to tone down the trash talk, son.

Finally, there's been a lot of Giants fan whining about DeSean Jackson "showboating" across the front of the endzone. He's been quoted as saying he was just making sure he'd used up the clock, and being there, it was pretty obvious he was looking back over his shoulder at the clock to be sure. Either way, all I have to say is, just like when the Cowboys whined last week, if you don't want to see it, don't let him do it.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Chargers over 49ers: The Giants fans in front of us at the game Sunday were talking about this game and how BWest is doing so well for the 49ers. I forbore to mention that it was because he didn't have to play at all for about 2/3 of the season, mostly because even when their team was winning, the Giants fans were really, really cranky.

Ravens over Saints: Super Bowl hangover? Nah - the Saints will still likely make the playoffs, although they do have to face the Falcons again, and in Atlanta. And once we're into the postseason, anything can happen. Actually, that holds for the Ravens, too.

Panthers over Cardinals: I called this one! And pretty much no one else did! Who cares?

Bengals over Browns: TO's done for the season, and maybe forever. Aw - I'm really going to miss that guy. No, I'm not.

Cowboys over Redskins: But Sexy Rexy played really well. Prediction? McNabb's done in DC. And he seems to have developed the reputation as being stubborn/inflexible, which could hurt his chances of going elsewhere.

Colts over Jaguars: I knew the Colts would find a way to win this game. Like I said, I just don't see Peyton allowing them to miss the playoffs. One of the Sunday morning shows was talking about "this combination of QB and coaching experience blah, blah, blah," and I know they were thinking Jim Caldwell, but I was thinking, "Same guy."

Bills over Dolphins: Just when I think it can't get any worse for the Fins (who, you recall, I picked to win the division), they lose to the Bills. Ouch.

Chiefs over Rams: The NFC West will be won by a team under .500. Sickening.

Lions over Buccaneers: Guess that whole dream of the playoffs is pretty much right out the window for the Bucs. Have I mentioned that I think the Lions are SOOOO close to being good? Because I really think they are.

Titans over Texans: We just watched C'mon Man, and they showed the Texans' linemen getting into a fight WITH EACH OTHER and drawing a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty. Possibly the dumbest thing I've seen this week (then again, it's only Monday).

Falcons over Seahawks: Well, yes.

Raiders over Broncos: Who will be starting Tim Tebow for the rest of the season. Why the hell not? Find out what you have now.

Jets over Steelers: There's this great sports bar in Times Square called Tonic, which is where we ended up after getting back from New Jersey and showering up, both to warm up and to try to address the Crazy Santa Hat Hair situation. We were watching the 3rd quarter while getting ready, and got to the bar in time to see the 4th quarter, where we found a lot of Jets fans, and some nice, friendly Giants fans. Apparently, you have to pass an asshole test to go to the game, as in, if you aren't one, they don't let you in the stadium (Yes, I was in the stadium. Draw your own conclusions). Watching this game, all I could think was: how important is Troy Polamalu to this team? I don't have the stats handy, but I know the Steelers winning percentage with Troy Polamalu is really good, and without him, um, not nearly so good. Even with the loss, they're still atop the AFC North, but they need to gentle Samoan to get healthy ASAP.

Patriots over Packers: This game is proof that things mostly turn out as expected. Even though the Packers, led by rookie QB Matt Flynn, led for most of the game, that is not going to beat Tom Brady at home 9 times out of 10 and twice on Sunday. Funniest moment of the game? Lineman Dan Connolly running back a punt 70+ yards. The crowd at Tonic was yelling, "Run, Fat Boy!" as one. The funny part is, if he hadn't tripped, he probably would have made it into the endzone, dragging all those relatively tiny Packers who were trying to tackle him, even though, as Chef Spouse observed, he was holding the ball like a sack of groceries.

And now? I find myself in the unenviable position of having to root for Brett Favre. But I really want that #2 spot, not least of which because it dramatically reduces the chances that the Eagles will have to face the Giants again this year. It's really, really hard to beat a team 3 times in a row. It's even harder to do it 7 times in a row.

Read More

2010 Week 15 Picks

Chef Spouse did something really amazing for his company this fall. To say thank you, they're sending us to Gotham this weekend - hotel, sideline tickets, car service to the Meadowlands, the works. And Chef Spouse is preparing a picnic lunch of high end treats (pate, caviar, champagne, etc.) for the train ride up.  And we have dinner reservations at WD-50. Now if we can just get the temperature above ridiculously freezing cold, we'll really be in business!

So who's going to win the game?

Well, the math says Giants. So do some of the guys at Bleeding Green Nation (traitors!). But The System doesn't know Steve Smith is done for the year, and Mario Manningham is decidedly iffy. And the Giants historically don't do well in December. And I'm not sure what's going on with Eli Manning lately, but he's throwing a LOT of picks. And did I mention that Asante Samuel is back? And even though he's been out since the last Giants game, he's leading the NFL in picks?

Oh - and could this game be any bigger? The team that wins this WILL win the NFC East. You heard it here first.

I gotta pick my Eagles, even against the math. And if they can win out, they'll likely jump to the #2 spot given how tough the Bears schedule is. That bye and a home playoff game would be nice, fellas. Can't you taste it? Don't you want it? You know you do. Don't let me down.

In the other matchups:

49ers at Chargers: Both teams playing for their playoff lives, and BWest is having a bit of a renaissance now that Frank Gore's sidelined. But I figure the Chargers should win this one going away. Both west divisions are bad, but the NFC West is like a whole other level of bad.

Saints at Ravens: This is going to be a hell of a game, with both teams in tough divisions and trying to stay in the wildcard race. I'm picking the Saints. I'm also picking this as the game we'll have on Chef Spouse's new iPhone while we're at the Meadowlands.

Cardinals at Panthers: This, on the other hand, is a meaningless game. The math says Panthers, but really, who cares?

Browns at Bengals: Another meaningless game. The Bengals have a slight edge, but again, who cares?

Redskins at Cowboys: Much as I want to pick the Redskins, the Cowboys are now playing like we all expected them to at the beginning of the season, and the Redskins' lack of depth at pretty much every position is causing their usual late season meltdown. Cowboys.

Jaguars at Colts:  Colts. I can't believe they'll miss the playoffs, and they have to win their division to get in this year. Peyton will make it happen by sheer force of will if he has to.

Bills at Dolphins: Dolphins.

Chiefs at Rams: Two not very good teams fighting to stay in the lead of their crummy divisions. Bleh. Chiefs.

Lions at Bucs: This one's a push, but the Bucs are at home and potentially have something to play for (they're still not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs), so I'm going with them.

Texans at Titans: The Texans will win this game, for all the good it will do them. Sigh. Maybe next year former/future Team of Destiny.

Falcons at Seahawks: The Falcons are only unstoppable at home. And when they're playing bad teams. Falcons.

Broncos at Raiders: Raiders. I hadn't bought, but I was renting to own. Hope I can get out of this lease.

Jets at Steelers: The math says Jets, but I think they're starting to fall apart, and the Steelers, who have one of the oldest rosters in the NFL but sure as hell don't play like it, are hitting their stride big time. I'm going with the Steelers.

Packers at Patriots: The math says Packers, but it doesn't know about Aaron Rodgers concussion or the fact that Tom Brady's on fire, too. I have to go with the Pats, even though another loss almost definitely dooms the Packers post-season hopes, while the Pats could coast a little at this point.

Bears at Vikings: The Vikes still have no stadium and have an almost new coach and a new QB (Patrick Ramsey, who hasn't had meaningful playing time since he was a Redskin in 2004) to backup their starter, who up until last week was the third string clipboard holder. The math says they're going to win, but that's crazy talk. Bears.

Read More

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, December 19, 2010

We're closed for business this week. Why? Chef Spouse did something amazing for his company this fall, and to say thank you, they're sending us to Gotham for the weekend with sideline tickets to see the Eagles take on the Giants in the Meadowlands in the game that may determine which team will win the NFC East (and car service to get us there and back). So y'all are on your own, but look for us on TV!

Read More