2010 Week 8 Recap

Eagles bye week, Sunday, October 31, 2010 


In attendance: just me and Chef Spouse. And NINE MILLION trick-or-treaters. Seriously, I've never seen so many in my life. We gave away every bit of candy we had the in house before 9 pm, at which point it became "turn out the lights and hide" versus "start handing out potatoes." We opted for #1.

Menu: shrimp etouffee and absinthe frappes. Since we couldn't be in NOLA for the weekend, we decided to pretend we were.

Stud of the week: my system for my picks. With the MNF Texans/Colts matchup in progress, I'm 11 for 12 on the week. No, I did not use a Magic 8 Ball. I was going to tell you how I did it, but Chef Spouse said I should preserve the mystery. So you'll just have to marvel.

In other news, it was the week of 2 points:  safeties, made two point conversion attempts, missed two point conversion attempts, you name it. If it was possible to get 2 points in there some way, teams did it. Even when it made no sense, like early in the 3rd quarter.

On to the results:

49ers over Broncos: I called it. Also, I think Mike Singletary still thinks his 2-6 team is going to the Super Bowl, God love him.

Jaguars over Cowboys: I called it. So one of the questions of the week is will there be a coaching change in Dallas? Amazingly, enough other wackadoo stuff has happened that it's barely in the top 5 though. The thing about switching coaches DURING the season is that it's a pretty dicey proposition - if the Cowboys were going to do it, they should've done it a month ago, before their bye week. I think they're pretty much stuck with Wade for the rest of the season, although I'd be shocked if he's still coaching in 2011. I've heard Cowher and Gruden both floated as possible replacements, but I don't think either of them is dumb enough to want to work for Jerry Jones. Also, Gruden gets credit as a coach he doesn't deserve - he won the Super Bowl with Tony Dungy's team. And Cowher has repeatedly said he doesn't want to leave North Carolina until his kids are grown, which to me indicates that his only possible coaching destination, at least for a while, would be the Panthers. Anyway, moving on...

Dolphins over Bengals: I called it. But TO got two TDs, so he may not even be aware the Bengals lost.
 
Chiefs over Bills: I called it. Won in OT on a field goal that literally went through the uprights as time expired, the Chiefs leave the Eagles still holding the dubious distinction of the last tie.

Lions over Redskins: I called it. I don't know what reality Mike Shanahan lives in where Rex Grossman is a better option than Donovan McNabb to run the two minute offense down by 5. Even weirder? Now Shanny's changed his tune to "McNabb's too fat to run the two minute offense." RIIIIIIIGHT. All I can think is that he's thinking, "Well, after McNabb got benched against the Ravens in 2008, he played like a house afire for the rest of the season, taking the Eagles to another NFC Championship game that they only lost because them damn defense fell apart." Can I point on that on his VERY FIRST play from scrimmage, Sexy Rexy got sacked, coughed up the ball, and the Lions put the game away? And this is supposed to be coaching genius?

Rams over Panthers: I called it. The Panthers stink this year. Hmmm, about Bill Cowher....

Packers over Jets: This is the one I missed, although in my defense, I did say that according to my system, it was a push. I went with the home team. Oops. Who would've guessed it would be the PACK who pitched a shut out?

Chargers over Titans: I called it, even though I could hardly believe it. The Chargers are probably gearing up to pull their annual, "You gave us up for dead. But wait! We're not! We're resurrecting your hopes! Until the playoffs. Then we really are dead."

Patriots over Vikings: I called it. You did hear that Randy Moss got released today? Dude hadn't even had time to get his cable hooked up yet! His post-game press conference love-fest for the Pats sure didn't help things, particularly after he decided that he was going to WATCH the passes, but he sure as hell wasn't planning to CATCH them, but something more must've happened. Personally? I think it's some sort of Belichick plot, and somehow Randy Moss will end up back in New England after stiffing the Vikings for a few mil. What do you have against Minnesota, Bill?

Bucs over Cardinals: I called it. The Bucs are quietly sitting at 5-2. Did you know?

Raiders over Seahawks: I called it. Looks who learned how to win games! Speculation is rampant, in the wake of The Benching, that McNabb will be somewhere not DC next year. Oakland's been floated as a possibility. Think that would make Jason Campbell go postal?

Saints over Steelers: Another one I called. Believe in the system. Trust the system. Love the system. What system? Can't tell you. But let's see how I fare this coming week....

(Also, at the moment, the Colts are up 14-0.)

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2010 Week 8 Picks

It's the BYE week edition, and frankly, not a moment too soon.

It seems like every year I write a post about how everyone on the team is on "no Madden/Gameboy/World of Warcraft" punishment because the Eagles always seem to slump before the bye.

So am I crazy? Over-reacting? Guilty of false memory syndrome?

Um, no.

Andy loses games the week before the bye. He's at .500. Which wouldn't be so odd if it weren't for the fact that he's .620 overall in his coaching career with the Eagles. He really does lose disproportionately prior to the bye, no matter when it lands.

On the other hand,  the week AFTER the bye?  Big Red is perfect, which will really be put to the test this year, with the Colts on tap and possibly no DeSean Jackson.  Get healthy, guys.

Anyway, on to the picks:

Broncos at 49ers: 49ers. I've got a system this week.  I'll tell you what it is if it works.

Jaguars at Cowboys: Jags. ("Oh no, she din't!" "Oh yes, I did!")  Guess that whole "they'll win the NFC East" prediction is pretty much right out the window. Also, this pick goes against the system. But I still think I'm right.

Bills at Chiefs:  Chiefs.

Panthers at Rams: Rams.

Redskins at Lions: Lions. (Ouch. I so want to be on Team Donovan.)

Dolphins at Bengals: Fins.

Packers at Jets: Jets. According to my system, this one's a push, though.

Titans at Chargers: Chargers. That's what the system says.  (There may be a flaw in the system.)

Buccaneers at Cardinals: Bucs.

Vikings at Patriots: Favre? Jackson? Some dark horse candidate? Doesn't matter - the Pats are going to win this one regardless. Pats. (Which is also breaking the system.)

Seahawks at Raiders: Can the Raiders duplicate their trouncing of the Broncos last week? Probably not, but I don't know that it will matter. They won't need 59 points to beat the Seahawks. Raiders.

Steelers at Saints: Saints. Hey, that's what the system predicts! Also, I think they will rebound this week.

Texans at Colts: Colts. Damn, Former Team of Destiny. This just ain't your week.

On bye: Eagles, Giants, Falcons, Ravens, Bears, Browns (big group this week)

Photo credit: Ben Kepple (but you already guessed that)

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, October 31, 2010

Bye week, and it's just in time. Mike Vick can't get back under center fast enough. But we'll still be watching football, y'all.

1 pm: Redskins at Lions (secondary game Jags at Cowboys)
4 pm: Vikings at Patriots (open to requests on the secondary game)
SNF: Steelers at Saints (who better pull their heads out of their asses, or this is going to get ugly)
MNF: Texans at Colts

Menu: well, it's Halloween, so Chef Spouse plans to make some "eerie" drinks. Not sure what all that's going to involve, but it should be interesting. Menu? So far it's a surprise - Chef Spouse is feeling undecided. I'll post an update when he makes up his mind.

Also, come in costume if you can, since you'll be helping hand out candy once it gets dark. And because it's fun.

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DJ Big Redd Breaks It Down

you've probably already seen this, but...

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2010 Week 7 Recap

Eagles at Titans, Sunday, October 24, 2010

In attendance: Chef Spouse, Fellow Eagles Maniac and her friend The Bronx Bomber

Menu: burgers with a variety of fun toppings (caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, a variety of cheeses), fries (good but not great - I think I need to get Chef Spouse a deep fryer), AWESOME pumpkin cheesecake (homemade by Fellow Eagles Maniac), guacamole, and copious amounts of alcohol, at least in the 4th quarter.

Stud of the week: Riley Cooper, who fended off a sure pick with an acrobatic catch and, shortly thereafter, scored his first TD as a pro player.  Chad Hall's a close #2. He battled hard for every yard he got, even though he's shorter than the grass.

Well, the thing about wins is they're fun to watch. The thing about losses are that they can be fun to write about. You know, because of the ranting. What ranting? Oh, just you wait.

Kevin Kolb: could you please stop keying on ONE receiver? You're telegraphing what you're going to do so clearly Martians are picking it up. Also, OK it was windy - you're a PRO FOOTBALL QB. Your arm should be able to overpower some wind.

Didn't the Eagles used to have a tight end named Brent Celek? Who was pretty good? I know McNabb loved him some tight ends and maybe K2 doesn't as much, but come on! Does he even play for us anymore?

Did anyone notice that the Eagles may have some O-line problems? Don't tell me you weren't shitting yourself when King Dunlap went down. And King Dunlap's center of gravity is so high he gets pushed around by everyone. But he's better than nothing, and "nothing" is just about what the Eagles are down to at this point.

But all that is secondary to the secondary, aka Hobbs and Allen. They couldn't cover anything except maybe their eyes, which is what I was doing all during the fourth quarter, while Kenny Britt was burning the Eagles' asses. In case you haven't already read it on the millions of other blog posts so far, 225 yards is the most EVER by ANY receiver in 77 years of Eagles football.

And it never occurred to Sean McDermott to move Asante Samuel over? Or tie Britt's shoelaces together? Or turn Trent Cole loose on him and take up a collection to cover the fine? (Yes, I know Trent Cole is a defensive end whose job it to go after the QB. But desperate times call for desperate measures people!)

And who knew that that ridiculous handoff fumble in the 3rd quarter was the voice of doom? But it was - the Eagles couldn't do a single thing right after that, giving up 27 points in the 4th quarter alone. The whole team deserves a "C'mon man!" shout-out.

C'mon man!

Around the rest of the NFL:

Falcons over Bengals: Roddy White had a big day, and the Falcons almost managed to give away the game anyway. But only the Eagles can squander a lead THAT big.

Steelers over Dolphins: OK, the Dolphins totally should have won this. That Roethlisberger fumble? The Fins came up with it, and the zebras screwed it up. Then again, the officiating has generally been terrible this year. Rules too complicated? Maybe.

Ravens over Bills: How did the Bills manage to get so close? How did they manage to put up 34 points on the Ravens? Apparently, that hasn't happened in Harbaugh's entire tenure as head coach. I'm guessing the rest of the AFC North is going to be watching this game tape closely.

Chiefs over Jaguars: The Chiefs are the real thing, I am buying, and they're going to win the AFC West this year.

Browns over Saints: What the hell happened? Apparently, Drew Brees has a new #1 receiver, only it's David Bowens, and he plays for the Browns. Former Saint Scott Fujita and former Eagle Sheldon Brown both contributed to the mayhem.

Redskins over Bears: Yes, I know everyone has already made this joke. Jay Cutler's found his #1 receiver, too - too bad it's DeAngelo Hall. That was one sloppy game - it was impossible to keep up with the turnovers, and we were using a 19" screen for this as the second game. Wasn't big enough.

Panthers over 49ers: Stick a fork in the 49ers. They're done.

Buccaneers over Rams: Hm - interesting. Apparently, Josh Freeman is money with the 4th quarter comebacks.

Seahawks over Cardinals: Amazing what losing a potential HOF QB can do to a team. Even if they do still have my secret wide receiver boyfriend Larry Fitzgerald. Have you seen his ass? Seriously.

Patriots over Chargers: Why was this game even close? The Chargers are a wreck this year.

Raiders over Broncos: Somebody should've invoked the mercy rule. Oh wait - there is no mercy rule. Someone should institute a mercy rule. Most points ever by the Raiders. And an ugly, ugly performance by the Broncos. When the other team scored 24 points in the first quarter, you're pretty much done.

Packers over Vikings: Another sloppy game, but the Packers pulled it out, thanks in part to 3 Favre picks in the second half. High risk, high reward? Well, more like you know he'll throw as many picks as TDs.

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2010 Week 7 Picks

Eagles at Titans:  I'm torn this week. On the one hand, you can't stop Chris Johnson - you can only hope to contain him. And the Eagles are not brilliant against the run. Also Mike Vick is likely still out, even though he returned to practice today. On the other hand (is that too many hands?), K2 did great last week against a Falcons team that EVERYONE expected to win. On the other hand, DeSean Jackson's likely out for awhile, too. Of course, so is Vince Young. And while he's not an amazing quarterback, he's better than Kerry Collins by a long shot.

Of course, I keep picking against the Eagles - and they keep winning. Chef Spouse says I'm overly superstitious, but...

And 4-2 in AFC South is different than 4-2 in NFC East, at least this year.

Everybody's picking the Titans. Then again, everybody picked the Falcons last week.

But I think they're right this week - Titans.  Or maybe I'm just superstitious.

In the rest of the matchups:

Bengals at Falcons: Falcons. Things are not well in Cincinnati.

Jaguars at Chiefs: Chiefs. The Jags got spanked on Monday and lost their quarterback in the process. Not good.

49ers at Panthers: 49ers. I still believe in Mike Singletary.

Browns at Saints: Seriously? This isn't even fair. Saints. Also, ouch.

Bills at Ravens: Also ouch. Ravens.
 
Rams at Buccaneers: This is an interesting matchup. Both teams are performing better than expected this year. People are mostly calling Bucs, but I'm going with Rams - just a hunch.

Redskins at Bears: Donovan tends to play well in his hometown of Chicago, and Jay Cutler's getting smacked around the way Jason Campbell did last year. Actually, come to think of it, so's Donovan. But he pops up like a Weeble, as long as it's not November. And it's not. Redskins.

Steelers at Dolphins: Can I pick a 3-2 team over a 4-1 team? Yep.  Dolphins.

Cardinals at Seahawks: Tough call. Seahawks I think. But this one's really a push.

Raiders at Broncos: The Broncos are scoring an ass-load of points. I don't think the Raiders can keep up. Broncos.

Patriots at Chargers: Patriots. The Chargers are a mess.

Vikings at Packers: Packers all the way, baby! Team Rodgers!

Giants at Cowboys: I have a theory about the Giants and their slow starts - the team hates Tom Coughlin so much they're willing to throw some games at the beginning of the season in hopes that he'll literally have a stroke on the sidelines so they can get another coach. By the time they're about a month in, they're all like "Yeah, not this year. Sigh. OK, I guess we gotta play for this asshole another season. Let's pull it together." Which happened 3 weeks ago. Too bad for the Cowboys (not really)! Giants.

On bye: Lions, Texans, Colts, Jets

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, October 24, 2010

More potential traffic glitches this week, as the annual Army 10 Miler closes roads in the DC area.  Check their website for details. Mem Bridge and one of the spans of the 14th Street bridge will be closed, as well as some streets on Capitol Hill.

On to the games:

1 pm:  Eagles at Titans (secondary game will be Redskins at Bears)

4 pm:  Patriots at Chargers

8 pm: Vikings at Packers

MNF:  Giants at Cowboys
 
Menu:  Chef Spouse is thinking burgers on the grill with homemade fries and some fancy toppings.

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