Jerod Mayo wins Defensive Rookie of the Year

Sweet.

And he got the vote from 49/50 voters, making him an A+ Rookie of the Year. Love that kid.

Holmgren also done

As expected, Holmgren has taken his sabbatical from Seattle, making 8 coaching jobs that will have changed between 2008 and 2009. That's a full 1/4 of the league.

Apparently, Cowher is out for the Jets job. *phew*

(Junior) Hockey Night in Canada

Tonight we (my dad, Louise, and I) went to see a Kitchener Rangers game. The Rangers are part of the Ontario Hockey League, which is for junior players (15-20 years old). Some get drafted to the NHL directly from junior, so it's a pretty big deal. The Rangers have been around since 1963 and the team is publicly owned by the season tickets holders, kind of like the Green Bay Packers. When I was growing up, I went to a good many Kitchener Ranger games and thought it would be fun to check it out again. In fact, one of my formative live sports experiences was seeing the Rangers play in 1990 against the Oshawa Generals (with Eric Lindros) for the Memorial Cup, a game that the Generals won in double overtime (jerks).

Anyway, last year the Rangers were very good -- in fact, they were tops in the OHL and went to the Memorial Cup. This year they are not, occupying second-last place in the OHL with 34 points. They were playing against the Brampton Battalion, a team with some pretty awful pea-green uniforms. However, the Battalion are fourth overall in the league with 46 points and I thought that it might be a trounce. Numerous friends also warned me that the Rangers this year suck.

Momentum, though, favored the Rangers and they won heartily, 6-1 with 5 unanswered goals in the second period after a 1-all tie in the first. There was an extended 5-minute powerplay in the second due to a check from behind from a Brampton player (he was ejected from the game). For fun, there was also a fight and apparently the player made 'obscene gestures' with both hands from the penalty box. He was 'benched' or more accurately, 'lockerroomed.' We missed the obscene gestures because we couldn't see the penalty box from our seats. At one point, though, the Ranger goalie iced the puck and swore loud enough for everyone at our end of the rink to hear.

Anyway, I have to say that the whole experience was enjoyable, particularly since we were at the end of the rink where the 5 unanswered goals were scored (as another plus, there was no 50 mph wind). The crowd was responsive, if not overly active, and a fun time was had by all -- except for the Brampton fans sitting ahead of us.

Player to watch for: C Matt Duchene (#9, Brampton Battalion) - he can stick-handle, pass, and skate. Plus he's 17 going on 18 in January AND chose a good hockey number.

Coaching changes since the start of the 2008 season

Denver Broncos
Cleveland Browns
New York Jets
Detroit Lions
San Fransisco 49ers
Oakland Raiders
St. Louis Rams

One more and we will be at 25% of the league. Considering that Holmgren is apparently leaving and Dungy (although he's the Brett Favre of retiring coaches), this number is getting kind of crazy. Jauron is apparently safe, although the press notice made it pretty clear that he needs to shape up.

Craaaaaaaaaazy.

Well obviously it was our fault in the end, but...

Here is a recap of the highlights (and lowlights) from the season, including a little 'karma is a bitch' and 'ha ha ha ha schadenfreude' thrown in for good measure.

I have to disagree, though, that Seau and Colvin were little more than ghosts of their former selves. They were contributors (which is sad, but there ya go) particularly once Bruschi was out of the picture. We need to improve the D for next year with strong players at all positions. There are some hold-overs and some veterans, but we need more backs and -- all together now -- we need corners!

Also, I need to say that I'm glad Richard Seymour is saying what I was thinking...having been beat by several of the playoff-bound teams (and not too certain of our chances against Baltimore), I have a feeling that any playoff run would have been truncated. Although I have faith that we could have beat the Colts this time around. Inglorious bastards.

What we learned from Mangini: a retrospective

1) If your kicker can make a field goal with room to spare, the kicker can probably make the same field goal from 5 yards back. It's at least worth a try.

2) It's 1st and goal and your quarterback is future Hall of Famer Brett Favre. What do you do? Next time, try letting him throw.

3) The problem is not always the quarterback. Maybe it's time to look deep inside and ask if the problem is the quarterback inside yourself.

4) Brett Favre, in this day and age, is no Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. Or, for that matter, no Chad Pennington.

5) It's 4th and 2 late in the 4th quarter. You are down by 7 points. What do you do? Maybe not a deep route (see #4).

6) Money cannot buy you happiness. Or championships. <-- how does someone in New York not know that lesson?

7) 'Roster depth' is a great idea. See #6.

To quote one beleaguered fan: 'What the hell is going on in Mangini's pee like brain.'

Christmas came twice this year

No more Mangini!

I'm not sure that it's worth us missing the playoffs just to see Mangini fired. Although it might be.

Heath Evans on the plane ride back from Buffalo

"We were all watching. The plane has those little TV screens on it, so we saw our lovely Jets not helping us out."

Yup.

Tom Brady behind schedule

This is baaaaaaaaaaaaaad.

I guess that we all have to hope that this report is wildly exaggerated, although that doesn't seem likely. So seems like we will be re-signing Cassel. Or something. Ick. Not a fabulous week for Patriots fans!

UPDATE: So apparently this story may not be true (for sinister reasons). Tom may only need teeny tiny quick surgery. Let's hope so.

The Game! Pats vs. Bills

Ever since I first looked at the 2008 NFL season (which was sometime back in, like, July or something), I noticed that the Pats were ending in Buffalo. I immediately got on the horn (okay, not really, my dad and Louise called) and said that we had to go to Buffalo to see the game. They responded enthusiastically, even though my father is not a Patriots fan. Crazy, I know --> he has been known to cheer covertly for the Red Sox, even once remarking that Manny needed to get a haircut.

So this morning bright and early (not too bright and early, a reasonable bright and early) we piled in the car and made a run for the border to go to Buffalo. Spirits were high, as was the wind. Many people joined us in the border crossing, probably partially due to football, but also partially due to the fact that I think this weekend is the Great Florida Migration, where grandparents, now sick of their children and children's children, hop back in the car and make the trek to the land of sun, high dew points, and shuffleboard. But I digress. The crossing went without incident, we found our way to the stadium with no problems, and parked in someone's yard for $15. There is a whole cottage industry of lawn parking around Ralph Wilson Stadium.

We tailgated, but in a healthy, vegetarian (they are, not me) way that included vegetables and hard-boiled eggs. Also, we chose to stand outside to tailgate, which was kind of dumb seeing as it was wicked windy and somewhat chilly.

Reiss reported that the wind was gusting between 35-55 mph, and I will believe it. The stadium is open, too, there is no place you can go to escape the cold, a design that seems kind of stupid because it's Buffalo, people.

Anyway, we had fun watching the kickers trying to kick into the wind (it didn't go well) during warm-ups, then watched what was kind of a slow first half where the Pats got one field goal. Buffalo missed one field goal. We then missed one field goal. Party time. It kind of cracked me up that the Bills fans seemed less interested in cheering for their team than they did in cheering against my team.

This is not to say that the Patriots were not well-represented in the crowd. Like most out of town sporting events, Patriot fans came from all over, wearing infinite jerseys, and cheering loud and proud for our Pats. Yet another reason that everyone hates us.

Excitement also included a fan running on the field (although he did not attack Junior Seau), the cheerleaders ('Buffalo Jills') dressed as Santas and probably freezing, and the Patriots, you know, winning a shut-out game 13-0. Yay! At which point we piled into the car, followed the heavy traffic, and came back home without incident. It was fabulous. And we were in perfect position to see the one and only touchdown.

For the first part of the game, Bill sported a puffy red number, which at some point he removed in favor of a blue jacket. I was just across the field and up a bunch of rows from the Patriots! Super, super exciting.

Rusty Old Man Favre throws away our playoff hopes, karma is a bitch

So you probably know by now that the Miami Dolphins are the AFC East champions, primarily (but not exclusively) due to the fact that Favre freaking sucks. Three interceptions. Three. Three! I heard the game on the radio (while returning from my game) and come on! Three! And this man is a Pro Bowl QB, which is a bit like Britney Spears winning multiple MTV awards for 'Piece of Me.'

But I'm not going to lie: as someone on the anti-Mangini Train, I was, in a way, very pleased that of all QBs to beat them, they lost the final game to Pennington. This, to me, is a great story. He gets cast aside in a truly wretched manner by the Jets to bring in Favre, then has what has got to be a career-best year. So ha, ha. And that's the karma part of the post.

I still have lots to say about match-ups, football, and everything else. Not quite time for a full blog switch to hockey. Not quite.

And sometimes I do hate it when I'm right. Weeks ago, I said Miami had the best shot at the AFC East title. Boo me.

Off to Buffalo to see the Pats play! -- or -- What Not to Wear

In what is extreme excitement, I will be seeing the season finale live today! I wanted to share with the readership what it is that you wear to go to a football game in Buffalo in December:

Upper:
Sports bra
Layering piece (this is what they called it) from the 2006 Tufts 10k
Windproof jacket (supposedly good to 0 degrees)
Patriots hoodie (not BB-style)
Head of the Charles fleece (also somewhat windproof)
Large hat
Mitts

Also bringing: chapstick, moisturizer

Lower:
Underwear
Long underwear
Leggings (from crew)
Sweatpants
Thermal socks
Normal socks
Winter boots (which are surprisingly chic given the rest of the outfit)

It is currently not all that cold out, but it is super windy. Also, concerns that the temperature may drop to near 32 during the game if the low pressure system moves through.

Either way, YAY! Patriots! Live! Yes I'm bringing my camera!

Follow-up on Snow-Angel-Gate

The NFL has been nominated as the Grinch of the (sports) Year. Even over the New York Yankees. And it's all for the fine on Wes Welker (which came on Christmas Eve no less) for making that snow angel.

Mangini delusion, Cotchery to get many passes this week

So apparently Mangini is not worried about his job, despite what pretty much everyone else in the world is telling him. I think that this development is fabulous. I'm worried about Mangini's job, and I don't even like the guy.

And what is the deal with Cotchery giving all of these quotes about how awesome a coach Mangini is and how Favre isn't hurt? Favre himself has implied that he's hurt. There is something weird going on in the Meadowlands, I can tell you that much.

I can't bring myself to congratulate them

Looks like I will have to be The Future Mrs. Tom Brady #2 now.

Brett Favre turns out to be Rusty, Old Man

The excuses for choking are coming out of Meadowlands already with the season not even over.

Apparently, Favre's shoulder has been giving him problems, leading him to reconsider whether he wants to come back for next season.

That's some good long-term planning, Mangenius.......especially because it's been seen before.

What I'm finding ironic here is that this situation is exactly what I hoped would happen at the start of the season, yet I actually need the Jets to bring it against Miami this weekend.

Matt Cassel on staying, going

Matt Cassel is being a very correct Patriot and speaking to the press in very correct ways about how he loves the organization and wouldn't want to go elsewhere, but realizes that that is virtually impossible.

There had been no word out of Foxborough about Tom Brady (as usual, they are remaining completely mum about it in fact), so it's unsure for the fans whether he will be ready to play next season or not.

Remember around 15 weeks ago when we all thought our season was over because Brady went down? It's amazing how far Cassel has come. If he does wind up going -- and I'm pretty sure that all Patriots fans would wish him the best -- he will be missed.

No Fun League

Wes Welker was fined $10 000 for making a snow angel on Sunday. The league rule states that you are not allowed to 'go to the ground' after a touchdown unless it is to pray.

They couldn't have just let him off with a warning? Come on!

Ellis Hobbs on how the Pats are playing their best football in December

"Most definitely - we're rolling the dice each weekend and we just keep hitting them. Now we need some other guys to crap out." This was from the post-game interviews.

I still can't say it. But let's see a Miami loss next weekend.

New name for Mangini

Mangidiot.

And that was from a NY Jets fan no less.

Good news, everyone! (Seahawks beat Jets)

Start the Heimlich maneuver because the Jets are awfully close to choking. Several bizarre plays allowed the Seahawks to win 13-3. I think my favorite was when they snapped the ball late on the field goal attempt. Yet I also liked when instead of trying for the field goal on the next attempt (+5 yards), Mangini opted to punt instead. And let's not forget that late 4th and long call that resulted in naught -- actually, worse than naught, because the Seahawks went on to score a field goal and put the game away.

The sportscaster was even more unimpressed with Mangini's calls that I was, which takes a lot.

The dream is still alive. Barely. I can't bring myself to say 'Go Jets,' but I would prefer that they win next week against Miami.

Pats annihilate Arizona, may not matter

Pats won. And did they ever. 47-7. Good game, great game, fantastic game.

But the Miami Dolphins won (despite the fact that KC actually gave them a run for their money). Currently it is 7-3 in Seattle for the Seahawks.

I am very vaguely daring to dream. But frankly, by this point, after so very many disappointments, the dream is faint.

The more optimistic way of looking at this situation

Remember the last time the Pats had a decent record (10-6) and didn't make the playoffs back in 2002?

Then remember what happened in 2003 and 2004?

Baltimore beats Dallas

So the Patriots' playoff chances are looking grimmer after the Cowboys seriously blew their game against Baltimore tonight. Not one, but two long run TDs sealed the deal for the Ravens.

Fan reaction: 'This is what happens when you put your playoff hopes in the hands of J.P. Losman and Tony Romo.'

Teenagers condoning violence = unethical adults = Belichick = retake the GREs = you failed logic

The title of this article: 'U.S. Teens Portrayed as Violent, Unethical'

The gist: that 20% of U.S. teens (male) resorted to violence in the past year.

Much of the article: offering reasons that this data may not be all that relevant (teens are not fully developed mentally, they often act selfishly, people tend to lie on surveys).

How this will lead to an entire generation of Belichicks: 'Lastly, Miller worries not just about violence but that teens will carry their ethical relativism into adulthood. On that point he might be right: A lot of adults have lousy ethics. One need look no farther than the Wall Street Ponzi scheme of Bernard Madoff or the New England Patriots head football coach Bill Belichick's cheating last year for proof.'

Where is a 'rolling eye smiley' when you need one?

Blame Canada

Because I am currently in Canada, I cannot see the USF Bulls Bowl game via:

1) ESPN 2 (at home) because we have TSN (The Sports Network) instead of ESPN...even though they borrow shows from the American network. If you're wondering, TSN is currently broadcasting the PGA. Don't even ask me. I'm pretty sure that PGA season has not started yet, but I could be wrong on that point. Hey, it's not curling (figure skating just ended on CBC if you were curious).

2) ESPN 360, which is not available outside of the US

3) Florida radio, because it is not available in Canada. This point strikes me as particularly stupid because I can get Canadian radio in the States with no problem (and in fact, that is how I listen to most of my hockey games).

4) The local sports bar down the street because they don't have ESPN (they do have a subscription to the NHL Network)

5) The big sports bar down the road because currently I am vehicleless and about 5 miles away and it's -17 C out.

6) Yahoo Game Channel because apparently that only works on PCs. Come on!

My solution: Yahoo Box Score, which truly captures the kinetic excitement of football. Taken directly from the feed:

1st-10, Memp43	A. Love rushed to the left for 5 yard gain
2nd-5, Memp38	M. Grothe passed to B. Williams to the right for 12 yard gain
1st-10, Memp26	M. Grothe passed to T. Johnson to the left for 26 yard touchdown

Wasn't that thrilling? Notice that USF did score at the end there. It's entirely possible that you missed it. They could at least put TOUCHDOWN or touchdown! or something.

Here's to hoping that they play a good first half and that I feel it is worthwhile to get to the local sports bar to see the second half.

UPDATE: I just discovered ESPN Gamecast. Much better. And compatible for stupid computers (aka Macs).

Everyone misses you, Tom Brady

It's not just me.

Anyway, this article was not only to commemorate the fact that Everyone Loves Tom, but also that this year's NFL season has been kind of blah for some (those 'some' admitted to being Charger and Raider fans, which could be one reason). The playoff race has certainly been compelling as of late and I feel like I've seen some pretty good games. But most were agreed that life is just not the same with the dynasty-type Patriots -- love them or hate them, it is hard to stay neutral.

(Astute readers may also note that I have made an exception and read something on ESPN. However, it looks like ESPN 360 might be my only way to see the USF Bowl Game. Whoo).

Why there is no such thing as running up the score

I'm not even going to bother to comment about how if the Colts had played like they did against many teams last night, they wouldn't have won.

However, they did qualify for a wild card spot, meaning that the wild card picture stands pretty much as it did when I last posted about it. So if the Ravens, Dolphins, and Jets all win, then we are pretty much out of it (barring a tie by the Jets-Dolphins in the last game, which would be completely wild. But unlikely). Here is one last possible scenario:

'There's one final possibility here, albeit a very confusing one: If either the Jets or Dolphins lose their last two games; and if the Patriots lose to the Cardinals and beat the Bills; and if the Ravens beat the Cowboys and lose to the Jaguars; New England and Baltimore would have the same record (10-6), and the same record within the conference (7-5) -- which is the first tiebreaker in a wild card scenario since the teams did not face each other this season. Complicating matters is that, if our math is right, they would also be tied in the next tiebreaker -- record against common opponents. So that means it could come down to strength of victory.'

'Strength of victory' would mean that you want the most points possible, meaning that there is no such thing as running up the score. You may resume your business.

A Blog after my own heart

I think I've read The Hater Nation before, but had forgotten it. Anyway, this I liked a lot (although I disagree with the Ravens being the AFC team....but my mantra is 'Anything but the Jets', so that would be okay):

'Raven is my current pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Normally, you wouldn't pick a team with a rookie quarterback to win the conference. But look at some of the other quarterbacks on potential AFC playoff teams. Jay Cutler, Kerry Collins, Favre, Gomer, Cassel and Ben Roethlisberger (fantasy killer). Not a bad group, but we're not looking at Joe Montana, Troy Aikman and Bart Starr here, either. Not that you need one anymore. Just look at the last two Super Bowl MVPs.'

I don't think I need to refresh your memories on the MVPs from the last two Superbowls...

Greatest Moments in Sports (clearly compiled by a Boston-area hater)

Last night I was at a sports bar and chanced to see a collection of highlights from the 100 greatest moments in sports (or something like that). As soon as I saw that #5 was from Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, I was pretty sure what that was. But can you really call the Bill Buckner drop a 'great' moment in sports? What was great about it? Memorable, yes. Great, no.

Number 3 on the list was the Helmet Catch from last year's Superbowl shown multiple times in agonizing slow motion. They also showed -- in painful detail -- the 'Eli really should have been sacked' moment leading up to the Helmet Catch. Someone hates Boston.

Number 1 was the US Olympic hockey team's 1980 gold medal victory. Has the US somehow become jealous of the Paul Henderson goal? It seemed to me to be an odd #1 choice.

(In case you were wondering, 4 was a boxing match that I don't recall and 2 was Michael Phelps at the 2008 Olympics).

This is how injured we are

Asterisk indicates a player on injury reserve (number is the number of games missed due to injury):

Quarterback
* Tom Brady -- 13

Offensive line
Nick Kaczur -- 2
Stephen Neal -- 5

Running back
Sammy Morris -- 3
*Laurence Maroney -- 11

Wide receiver
Sam Aiken -- 2

Tight end
Benjamin Watson -- 2

Defensive line
Ty Warren -- 3
Jarvis Green -- 2

Linebacker
Tedy Bruschi -- 1
*Adalius Thomas -- 5
*Pierre Woods -- 2

Cornerback
Lewis Sanders -- 5
*Terrence Wheatley -- 6

Safety
*Rodney Harrison -- 8
James Sanders -- 1

Yahoo has a headline story today on the front page about how the Pats could go 11-5 yet be snubbed for a playoff spot. Snubbed. What a difference a year makes.

Wetzel summarizes the Giants' problems

Since Plaxico shot himself, the Giants are 0-2. Here is Dan Wetzel on the reason:

'It turns out Burress didn’t just shoot himself in the leg Thanksgiving weekend. He may have shot the Giants’ entire season in the foot.'

Simple. Yet lovely.

Fan kicked out of Giants game for racy outfit

An important news update:

"Sondra Fortunato went to Giants Stadium last week wearing a Santa Claus outfit, a tiara, fishnet stockings, a bathing suit bottom and high-heeled boots."

The following was also reported:

"She insists nothing naughty was showing even though she’s “well-endowed.” As the middle-aged woman puts it, “You couldn’t even see my underwear.”"

And finally:

"Security escorted her out, saying signs and baggage weren’t allowed and telling her to cover up because there were children present. She figures other women “got jealous and complained.”"

If it winds up being a NY/NY Superbowl, this is what we have to look forward to. Combined with a multitude of Jets fans. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww.

LaMont Jordan after the game

Comments from LaMont Jordan, former Oakland Raiders RB:

(on his performance against his former team)
"I prayed to the Lord this morning to please keep me humble, and not say too many negative things about Oakland."

(on his thoughts about what is happening in Oakland)
"I'm going to say something you all probably haven't heard me say -- 'no comment.'"

Criticizing the officiating? That's a fine

A comment from Torry Holt of the St. Louis Rams on a call from their game yesterday against the Seattle Seahawks:

“He said he looked up in the Jumbotron and saw that I pushed off,” said Holt, who is in his 10th year with the Rams (2-12). “I told him I never extended my arm. It is one thing if you extended, because that is pass interference. But everything was in motion catching the football. I don’t even know if I had my hands on the guy.

“That was his explanation, and I told him it was a bad call.”

Expect a phone call any minute from the NFL.

Fill in the expletive

On Tennessee's loss today to Houston:

“Hopefully we’ll be up for the challenge and guys will come back from vacation,” linebacker Keith Bulluck said. “I think we were on vacation this week, knowing we got a bye and whatever other good stuff happened for us last week. But I know as a team we need to get our heads out of our (expletive) and come out and play football. Pittsburgh is playing for way more than us next week.”

Yahoo Answers on NFL questions

Here's the question:

Do you ever feel pity for a friend because they are fans [sic] of an inferior NFL team?

Selected answers:

As a forty year die hard Chargers fan, I feel no pity at Raiders fans all over my town. I chuckle. But no pity. I feel safe in the knowledge that no matter how bad the Chargers play, however bad the officiating is...we're still better than the Raiders! hahahahahahahaha!

I am a Browns fan, I believe I am the one that is felt sorry for, not the other way around.

I'M A JETS FAN. IT'S BASICALLY HAS BEEN DOWNHILL SINCE SUPER BOWL III. SO I DON'T.

Lion Carnage

Here is how it all went horribly, horribly wrong.

“We weren’t as sharp as we’d like to be. We couldn’t make the plays we needed to put the game away, but it’s something we expected,” coach Tony Dungy said. “You obviously can’t mishandle two punts and give them short fields. Those are situations that usually get you beat.”

Yes, they should get you beat. But you are the 2008 Indianapolis Colts. You have barely beat several bad teams in a row now. How you do it, I don't know. But you may have observed that I have given up on hunting you down for a wild card spot, you lucky bastards.

Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit. This is all I have to say.

49-26, final score in Oakland

Now before you Patrihaters start accusing us of something like running up the score, let me tell you: we did our best to lose this football game. The defense had holes like Swiss cheese in it. Our defenders have some serious bad weather issues (see: the Pittsburgh game). We need corners. Junior Seau and Roosevelt Colvin made their presence(s) felt today and it is just kind of sad when the old, rusty men are making themselves presence(s) on your team. Special teams allowed Oakland to return a kick-off for a touchdown (mind you, then Oakland did the exact same thing on the next play, which was nice of them). Bill threw the red flag on arguably silly plays that were upheld not once, but twice. The end of the game was likely the single longest 2:07 I have ever sat through.

We tried to lose, dammit, but we just couldn't do it. Oakland is seriously that bad.

Mind you, not many teams have lost to Oakland this year. The Jets do spring to mind...

We will have to do a lot better next week against the Cardinals or else Kurt Warner will tear up our secondary à la Chargers back in October. Have I mentioned that we need corners?

Teams that are currently 9-5

New England Patriots
Baltimore Ravens (I cheered for the Steelers and yes, I feel a bit dirty now)
Miami Dolphins (so close, 49ers, and yet so far)
New York Jets (you are KILLING ME, Buffalo, for turning over the ball with a little over a minute to go, leading to the game-winning TD. Come on!)

...so theoretically, it is now not only a tie in the division, but also a tie for the last wild card spot.

Here's what I need to happen over the last two weeks:

Week 16

New England Patriots (10-5) beat Arizona Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks beat Jets (9-6) -- this is not likely. Or is it?
Miami Dolphins (10-5) beat Kansas City Chiefs
Dallas Cowboys beat Baltimore Ravens (9-6)

Week 17
New England Patriots (11-5) beat Buffalo Bills
New York Jets (10-6) beat Miami Dolphins (10-6)
Baltimore Ravens (10-6) beat Jacksonville Jaguars. Or not. I don't really care at this point.

Easy, right?

Incidentally, at one point today (at the start of the 4th quarter, in fact) Detroit was tied against Indy 21-21. Then, naturally, they lost.

From the team that brought you the manly kiss

You may not remember this, but on two separate occasions, Tom Brady manly kissed (on the cheek) Belichick last year after games early in the season/soon after Spygate. Bruschi did once as well.

Now I was not aware that football players could get away with saying the following to the media. Heath Evans commenting on the death of Matt Cassel's father:

"Maybe being around the guys might ease [things] a bit," said fullback Heath Evans. "I don't know that for a fact. I know I just kind of wanted to wrap my arms around him this morning and tell him I loved him. At this time, that's about the only thing you know to do. Hopefully, we can be of some encouragement to him and see how that helps him out."

I love it. And who doesn't love Matt Cassel, somewhere deep inside?

Who didn't participate in full practice yesterday (courtesy Reiss)

The real question being, of course, who did participate in full practice yesterday. Matt Cassel's father passed away on Monday (sad), which is why he missed.

PATRIOTS

Did Not Participate in Practice
LB Tedy Bruschi (left knee) -- he's back in Boston
QB Matt Cassel (not injury related)
S James Sanders (abdomen)
OLB Pierre Woods (jaw)

Limited Participation in Practice
RB Kevin Faulk (not injury related)
CB Ellis Hobbs (shoulder)
WR Randy Moss (not injury related)
OLB Vince Redd (ankle)
OLB Mike Vrabel (neck)
DE Ty Warren (groin)
WR Kelley Washington (thigh)
NT Vince Wilfork (shoulder)

Joe Sakic injured by snowblower

Joe Sakic, of the Colorado Avalanche, was injured while using his snowblower. He hurt his fingers. Sakic was already out with an injury at the time.

Joe Sakic. Now that is a blast from the past <-- get it?

From Vegas, courtesy LoHud

It's the annual meeting for MLB Bigwigs where Stuff happens.

(Yes, this post is originally from a Yankee blog)

"Outside of the buffet, the longest line here is for general managers who want nothing to do with Manny Ramirez. Red Sox (obviously), Mets, Yankees, Giants and even the Angels, who said it would take some unusual series of events. Tigers? Nope. Rays? Too expensive. Blue Jays? No money."

And now, a priceless pep talk from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

"The real issue to me, is when the players feel they're unsafe, they shouldn't be there," Goodell said. "So get out, don't be there. If you feel the need to have a firearm to be someplace, you're in the wrong place."

Our chances at the playoffs? Slim to none

Here is a detailed list of what needs to happen for us to make the playoffs. The most realistic hope, in my opinion, is Baltimore losing against the NFC East, even though they played Washington last night and beat them. However, they still have several tough games remaining.

NFL.com is giving us better odds, noting that in some ways our schedule is the easiest (clearly Arizona is considered 'easy' by this standard, which I think is debatable).

It would be insanely helpful if the Bills could come up big against the Jets this weekend. Then Seattle do the same.

It's not over yet, but it's starting to inch its way closer to over.

Daunte Culpepper injured

Daunte Culpepper went in for an MRI of his shoulder today. He will likely not go to Indianapolis to play/get destroyed by the Colts. Apparently QB #1, who has been injured with a wrist injury, may be ready to go.

So glad that the Pats went with Cassel!

Eric Mangini's To-Do List, December 8, 2008

1) Send resume to following organizations: Oakland, Kansas City, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Seattle

2) Work hard on not crying in front of Brett Favre. Brett never cries. Ever.

3) Watch tape. Tape of my cameo on The Sopranos. Realize that such a moment will never happen again.

4) Double-check to make sure teams got my resume. Try to find someone -- anyone -- to write me a recommendation.

5) Ponder whether it was worth selling my soul to beat Tennessee when there was a lot of football to go.

6) Put up new picture of Belichick on dart board.

7) Try to calculate how many more Pro Bowl acquisitions we can get this off-season.

8) Just End The Season....without blowing it....

We won! Or did we?

24-21, final score for the Pats in Seattle. It was mostly a nail-biter. Deion Branch had a very good game and made us look kind of lousy at points. But I actually feel okay with that....I still miss him to be honest. Thank goodness I have him in my copy of Madden.

Wilfork, Bruschi, and Sanders were injured and did not return to the game. So maybe we chalk that up as an injury loss.

Who exactly are we putting on the field again? Will Bill be suiting up soon? I mean good grief, this has certainly been a season of injuries!

Maybe another signing?

Junior Seau is reportedly at Foxborough today.

It's starting to be like a reunion.

State of arbitration

This article by Jeff Passan documents how teams have handled arbitration this year. The Red Sox have extended to Varitek and Byrd, which means that any team that takes them will need to give up draft picks to do so.

Passan also notes: 'The Yankees scrimping. This really is a recession.'

Wes Welker is A-OK

He is at practice and even talked to the press about the hit. *phew*

And Roosevelt Colvin has taken #95. His #59 is being worn by Guyton. His interview seemed good.

Reiss has it in for O'Neal

And rightly so.

In an article that investigates just how dreadful our third and long defense has been this year (dreadful), blame goes generally to the defense and specifically to the secondary.

One fan points out, though, that the more we wind up sucking in the end, the better our draft picks. I think I'd rather leave that kind of arbitration to Bill & Co though. However, I think that we are all agreed: the time has come to revamp the D.

More signings

The Red Sox announced that they have signed Dustin Pedroia to a 6 year deal worth ca. 40M.

And just two years after that, I can get my ticket to see the Bucs play the Pats in Tampa....

Signings

The Pats just signed Roosevelt Colvin to bolster the defense. I literally cheered. They are also apparently talking to Victor Hobson for the same reason.

Junichi Tazawa will most likely sign with the Red Sox today. He is 22, Japanese, and decided to go straight to the MLB instead of playing professionally in Japan. If it turns out well, we've got a steal. If not, meh.

Reiss's Mailbag, the NFL hates me

According to Reiss's Mailbag this week, Deltha O'Neal sucks. In related news, we desperately need corners. I don't think anyone will disagree with either sentiment.

The Patriots will be playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars next year. In New England. Grr. At this rate, undoubtedly they will be playing Miami some weekend when I need to be elsewhere.

The players respond to the news of a London game

"I don't really want to go to London if I didn't have to, but I guess if we have to we have to," said left guard Logan Mankins.

Patriots fans comment on the London game vs. the Bucs

"Anyone know any bars in London that will be showing the Sox in the Series that night?" Posted by Sean on Reiss's blog comments.

Next season's international games announced

The Pats will be playing Tampa Bay in London next year.

Are. You. Kidding. Me.

I wanted to go to that game. London is much further away than Raymond James (which is about 5 miles from my house).

ARGH!

Now you are just messing with me, NFL.

Boston.com playoff discussion

Bob Ryan thinks we're still making the playoffs.

60% of Pats fans don't.

I admittedly voted with the 60% of Pats fans. But I have found my peace. And I still love them. Let's hope for a great end to the season!

Michael Silver's column

So usually Michael Silver drives me nuts (he was the guy to print the reasons we all hate Tom Brady last season....), but this morning, I actually liked his column. He broke down why the Chargers are so terrible this year (two words: Norv. Turner.). He appealed to Roger Goodell to get rid of Detroit on Thanksgiving and schedule instead Pats vs. Colts (I am pro, or HELL YEAH as Silver's rant ended). He even didn't have the previous feature of him picking apart grammar/spelling from people writing in, which seemed a bit dumb seeing as these are football fans, not Ph.D. candidates (or as they would call them in Russian, aspirants).

However, what got me thinking was his comment about how this year, the two dominant teams in the AFC are the Steelers and Titans. And suddenly, I felt okay about this fact. I don't know why. I guess because they have both really earned these titles. They are two franchises working hard. For some reason, my hatred of Big Ben has subsided. Pittsburgh's defense is fantastic, while the Titans overall are playing very well (except in that game against the Jets, but in a way that was good because it thwarted a potential 16-0...plus I remain convinced Mangini sold his soul for that game, which was a BAD CALL because there is still a lot of football to go). Suddenly, my world is brighter, there are birds singing outside (literally), and I feel okay.

The two dominant teams this year are the Steelers and Titans. They have earned this honor.

The Pats may not make the playoffs (unless my soul-selling scenario is correct and the Jets tank). The Colts probably will, but will hopefully exit early. And the AFC Championship Game might be pretty darned good this year.

On the flip side, if the AFC Championship game pits the Colts vs. Jets, then I may have to give up. Not only would I be unable to choose sides, but either one would likely lead to my two Superbowl nightmares (Manning vs. Manning/NY, NY). So go Titans and/or Steelers!

Recovering from yesterday's slaughter

I am still concerned about Wes Welker, so far on patriots.com, nfl.com and Reiss, there are no updates.

One of the members of our Patriots meet-up group here in Tampa pointed out yesterday that we are playing our B-team, yet still managing to be a threat. This is a guy who is a long-time committed fan (he even reminded us all that in 1991, the Patriots won 1 game). In fact, he seemed downright cheerful at the end of the game, unlike the rest of the table. I don't know if I've quite reached this level of acceptance, but it's a valid point.

For anyone talking about trading Tom and keeping Cassel...you're nuts, right? For the most part, Cassel did well, but not great. It's possible that in those conditions, Tom only would have done well. However, we've all seen him be great. More blame, though, still goes on the receivers (particularly Randy Moss) who did not seem capable of holding on to the ball at all.

The post-game quotes were appropriately contrite. Reiss is also reminding us that from here on, the schedule gets easier.

3rd down conversions vs. Pittsburgh

This statistic needs to be shared: we were 1/13 on third down conversions.

7%.

Mostly a frustrating day

Said Reiss before the game: "It is cold and wet here at Gillette Stadium. With that in mind, ball security will be something to watch." Wow. Was it ever.

I could talk about interceptions. I could talk about fumbles. I could talk about plays that really, hugely, gigantically cost us. I could talk about how Randy Moss couldn't hold onto the ball.

My main concern overriding most others though is that I hope Wes Welker is okay. Guess we will find that out later this week. Because if not, ARGH!

(I mean, it's already pretty much an ARGH all round, don't get me wrong, but that would be rubbing salt straight into that ARGH).

The knowledge that the Jets lost isn't even cheering me up at this point. To Denver. I guess I need to mention that they lost to Denver. So I guess I've got that going for me.

As you probably expected, Indy pulled off a 10-6 victory against Cleveland with their only score coming from an interception. ARGH! ARGH! ARGH!

Dare I dream?

Cleveland is ahead by 1 FG at the half: 6-3.

Okay, this is not much. But Peyton fumbled the ball on the penultimate drive from the 7 yard line when the Colts started with a full set of downs. They came away with no points. He was then intercepted on one of those 'throw it 'way down the field' passes to Dallas Clark.

Derek Anderson, the replacement QB for the Browns, is currently 7/8 with no interceptions and 40 yards passing. Naturally 40 yards passing is not much, but that's okay.

I have a terrible feeling that this game will end with the Colts pulling off some ridiculous play (see: their past few weeks) and winning. But for now I dare to dream.

More on the wild card situation

Indianapolis's next three games are against Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Detroit. Combined, these teams have 5 wins and 1 tie. This schedule clearly favors the Colts to get a wild card spot even though they played really badly in the first part of the season and barely squeaked by Houston and San Diego the past two weeks. I think that there should be a moral 'No you don't get to have a wild card' clause in this situation. Of these three teams, I suppose it is conceivable that Cleveland might step up; they have had some strange wins (they beat the Giants?) this season. However, their QB went on injury reserve this week, so great. I would laugh for days, *days*, if Indy lost to Detroit. *Days*

The Pats need to just win win win win win. Some of those we should be able to do (Buffalo, Seattle, and Oakland). I feel better about us being able to beat Arizona after Philly beat Arizona this week. After all, the Cards are in a relatively weak division and have had some lousy games this season. Unfortunately for us, teams tend to bring it when they play NE, but hey. That's just the reputation we've earned.

Tomorrow we need to win. I am hoping that we've started on some kind of crazy late-season run that will culminate in a good playoff season. Fingers crossed.

If you're curious, yes I am having fun using the 'Winless Detroit Lions?' label.

It's a lousy job, but someone has to do it

I feel sorry for the announcers for the Titans vs. Lions. First, they have to work on Thanksgiving, which kind of sucks. But then they also need to pretend like this might be some kind of interesting football game.

On the opening drive, the Lions fumbled almost immediately. It's 14:02 in the 1st and Titans ball (second snap of the game). Long day for Detroit I suspect.

Yep, touchdown on the same drive, 13:30 in the first quarter.

Lots of thanks for Pats fans

1) Matt Light, who was involved in an altercation (hockey-style) last week, was not suspended. Yay. That would have been a big blow before the Pittsburgh game.

2) Matt Cassel was the AFC Player of the Week.

3) Tom Brady helped out in Roxbury serving Thanksgiving dinners.

(I'm less grateful for the fact that Gisele was with him...)

Not to be outdone

"When 11 people are doing a good job on that you're probably going to have good offensive production. When you don't have 11 people doing a good job on that or it's poorly coached then you're probably not going to have a lot of production on that." Straight from the horse's mouth as to why Matt Cassel alone should not be getting the credit for two 400+ yard weeks in a row.

Matt Cassel's offensive production

With two 400+ yard games in a row, Matt Cassel has now joined the following quarterbacks in achieving that feat: Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, Phil Simms and Billy Volek. Not bad.

Remember when people were demanding that the Patriots get an unsigned QB in to replace Cassel? Like Culpepper? His QB rating was 37.7 yesterday (Cassel's was 114) and he got pulled in the third quarter. In Bill We Trust.

Belichick of the Week

The Belichick of the Week is the quote that most sounds like it should have been said by Belichick:

“At times we sputtered. We’ve got a little work to do.” - Randy Moss

End of the 3rd quarter, SD and Indy

Bob Sanders is out this game because of inflammation in his knee.

His replacement is named Bullitt. Melvin Bullitt.

How on earth would you ever take out a guy named Bullitt?

More theories

So after watching Detroit today blow a 17-point lead in the first *quarter* (they lost 38-20 to Tampa Bay), my new theory is that the Lions actually do not want to win a game this season.

One Thanksgiving match-up is Tennessee vs. Detroit. Set your TiVos....

Superbowls that have no good answer for me

These are all Superbowl match-ups that look possible at this point in the season:

Manningbowl: New York Giants vs. Indianapolis Colts. And just think of the disturbing amount of ads that could be generated from this confrontation.

New York Bowl: New York Giants vs. New York Jets. First, there is no good answer here. Second, since I live in Tampa (host of this year's Superbowl), the town would be overrun by obnoxious Jets/Giants fans. One was in the bar today and I swear to God was doing his best imitation of Turtle from Entourage, which I'm pretty sure no one should aspire to as a look. Where were you last year, Jets fans? You were a lot quieter than you were today....

[How is Atlanta up by 17 in the first half against Carolina?]

Pats 48, Miami 28

Ahhhhhhh, much better. This is a relief on many levels:

1) We didn't get destroyed by the wildcat play. *golf claps*

2) We won against a division rival whose schedule is relatively easy for the remainder of the season.

3) We got over 500 yards again (two weeks running), but this time won the game.

4) Randy Moss got three touchdowns. *loud up and down cheering*

However, in Also Important News, the Jets soundly beat the Titans, 34-13, lending credence to my new theory that Mangini has sold his soul to the Devil. So the Jets are now 8-3, we are 7-4, Miami is 6-5, and Buffalo (after destroying Kansas City) is 6-5. As Bill will undoubtedly remind us in this week's press conference, there are still many games to go and we need to just take them one game at a time and etc, etc, etc. You could actually make a good Mad Lib out of it:

"Well, today we played against a ______ (adj.) team. There were some ________ (adj.) moments and there are certainly many areas where we can _________ (verb). Next week, we'll be playing another _________ (adj.) team that is playing as ______ (adj.) as any other team in the league. We will just take it _____ (number) game at a time, because it ____ (verb, cong. 3rd person sing.) what it _______ (verb, cong. 3rd person sing.)."

I'm curious to see which SD will show up tonight (and for that matter, which Indy team). Peyton threw 12 interceptions against SD in two games last year. Twelve. To put that into perspective, and choosing a quarterback at random, Tom Brady threw for eight total during the regular season of 16 games. Eight.

Observation: Brandon Meriweather was consistently 3-5 seconds behind all plays for most of the game. However, during the fourth quarter, Bill was seen on the sidelines talking to him. Next drive Merriweather comes out and gets an interception. Bill, KEEP TALKING TO HIM!

Important game for the Pats

Actually, no matter which way you look at it, it is an important game. The Pats and Miami are tied right now at 6-4, so whoever wins will be in a better position for the wild card spot. Miami has the better schedule between the two, so the Pats need to step it up today and win.

USA Today headline that no one would have expected last year: 'Dolphins expect to see improved Patriots.'

For reasons I cannot understand, the game is not being broadcast here. In fact, there is no CBS 1pm game. What is with that? I would much rather prefer to stay in today and watch from home. Ah well.

In college news, Texas Tech (2) got thoroughly destroyed by Oklahoma (5), 65-21 (another game I had to miss due to wedding-related events...the same wedding as the dueling piano bar bachelorette party. This one I am not so bummed out about).

Wildcat Week

The Pats are playing the Miami Dolphins this Sunday and that has led to no shortage of speculation about how to stop the Wildcat play (direct snap to Brown). It was precisely this play by which the Patriots were schooled in their first match-up. I would say that if we can't stop it this time around, and Miami can beat us, then our playoff hopes start to look dimmer -- what a strange situation to be in after the past 5 years.

On the bright side, the Jets are playing the Titans this week. From having seen Tennessee play, they appear to be the stronger of the two. Now this is not just Mangini rancor, I really haven't seen the Jets play all that many strong games. Sure, they did beat the Pats last week but it wasn't exactly a powerhouse team that showed up and played.

Probably one of the best Photoshops I've ever seen

Much love.

Things that happened today

1) Coco Crisp was traded to the Kansas City Royals. We got a right-handed pitcher in return.

2) Adam 'Pacman' Jones was reinstated and can play again.

3) I went to Sarasota, which took up most my day, thus minimizing my time to blog. More info soon.

Congratulations to Dustin Pedroia!

Every Red Sox fan's favorite little kid just won the American League MVP. Whoo! And well deserved. He had a great season (only his second) and I hope many more to come!

Wide right and other spondees

After the Bills went wide right last night on their attempted field goal, it got me thinking about how poetic feet apply to legendary moments in sports. Not that last night's 'wide right' was a legendary moment, but of course any Bills fan would be familiar with the more famous incident that ended Superbowl XXV. 'Wide right' is also a spondee, which is to say two equally stressed syllables. Turns out that several other legendary moments/events are spondees:

Game 5 (which for Red Sox fans this year will be legendary)
Drop Kick (yay Doug Flutie!)

Another favorite is the cretic, which is long-short-long (or stress-unstress-stress):

Bloody sock
Helmet catch
Curse reversed
Fenway Park

In a category all by himself, the antibacchius is rare, so rare that it does not, in fact, have its own Wikipedia page (stress-stress-unstress):

Bill Buckner

Incidentally, the Bills lost, which for a Pats fan is good news, divisionally.

If you would all just listen to me, we wouldn't be in this mess

Dan Pees on the Jets game and secondary coverage

'Well, there were a couple of times that they really shouldn’t have been a problem, particularly the third and 15 at the end of the game. We actually blew coverage and it really shouldn’t have been as big a problem - it wasn’t so much them presenting the problem as us presenting the problem to ourselves. So that was the case with a couple of them. I think we just didn’t play good enough technique on one of them that I can remember particularly and then on the last one we just didn’t do a very good job on the coverage; we blew the coverage. That’s our fault. I give their tight ends credit. He does a nice job and [Dustin] Keller [#81] is a good tight end, but we’ve got to do a better job.'

Exactly.

'It wasn't so much them presenting the problem as us presenting the problem to ourselves' pretty much sums up that entire game, I think.

Looks like Bill has been watching some tape

Here is Bill's lengthy analysis of the Wildcat by the Miami Dolphins and why it has been working for them. With intricate detail. In Bill We Trust.

Now just please don't get fooled by it ever again! Ever!

How are we doing?

We're entering the last six games of the season (for most) and I wanted to take a look at The Situation. Naturally, my look is only at The Situation in the AFC. Stuff is happening in the NFC, whatever, Giants winning a lot, Arizona comeback QB, Green Bay not dead with Aaron Rogers, Carolina tearing it up, blah blah blah.

Right now, first place by division:

AFC East: New York Jets (7-3)
AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3)
AFC South: Tennessee Titans (10-0)
AFC West: Denver Broncos (6-4)

Divisions that cease to hold my interest awfully quickly:

AFC West: The Broncos will, in all likelihood, win this division. However, they have not exactly proven themselves to be a powerhouse this year. Other teams are all below .500.

Divisions where I think the team currently in first has a lock:

AFC South: I seriously doubt that Tennessee will go 0-6 for the last six games. There could (and likely will be) a loss or two, possibly to the Jets (although ???) or, I think more likely, Indy. Just to mess with them.

Divisions that got wicked exciting when no one was looking

AFC East: Right now, the Jets are 7-3, the Pats and Dolphins are 6-4, and the Bills are 5-4, which means that it is technically still anyone's division.

Divisions where I feel confident they shall overcome

AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers. They have not been as strong as of late (and almost lost to San Diego yesterday), but I have confidence that they will pull it off.

Possible wild card teams (in the order that I feel they most deserve):

[As much as I hate to do this] Miami Dolphins: they are on a roll and have a really easy schedule remaining other than their two division games. I feel like New England can probably beat them (if they aren't caught off-guard by the same play 5 times again) and likely the Jets will too. However, other weeks include Kansas City, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Buffalo.

New England Patriots: they need to improve in the red zone and make up for losses to injury on the defense and if they play the Jets again, stop #81. That being said, they are a pretty competitive team and two of their four losses were very close (and against the Jets and Indy. And we really should have had that damned Jets game even though we played like poo in the first half). However, there are still some tough games remaining, including Arizona and Pittsburgh. Everyone take a moment and reflect back to 2001 with the 6-game win streak to end the season. You may now resume whatever you were doing.

Baltimore Ravens: unfortunately, they still have a pretty difficult schedule remaining against NFC East teams. Which is sad, because I think that they are currently fielding a better team than, say, the Broncos.

Indianapolis Colts: I was almost willing to give them a little slack after they beat New England and Pittsburgh in close games. Then they went and barely squeaked by the Houston Texans. That is no good. Still not sure on this one. They still have to play Tennessee (and I know I said above that this might be a Tennessee loss but it depends which Colts team shows up) and Jacksonville. Now, admittedly Jacksonville has mostly sucked this year, but they are divisional rivals and they did field a good effort against the Titans yesterday.

Buffalo Bills: they have been declining after their strong start. Considering that they are in a competitive division (and who would have guessed after last year), this is a bad move.

Positive outcomes from the USF game

You might think that I am going to mention the nice 3rd quarter TD that Grothe just threw to Johnson.

No, although that was a positive.

The best thing I've seen all day, though, is the fact that Grothe shaved off that wretched Rayhawk (or Mohawk or whatever it was....it was ugly).

USF Bulls at the half

It's not looking good. The score is currently Rutgers 21 - Bulls 10. And although I have been cleaning and not watching the game exclusively, from what I've seen, it's not been great football from our side.

Jim Levitt, our coach, took a timeout with 7 seconds remaining which was not actually credited until 4 seconds. He then spent the timeout yelling at the linesman whose fault it was. Maybe not the best use of a timeout...there is nothing you can really do about what the referees do or do not do, apart from making them angry.

They can come back (they did against Kansas earlier this year) but I'm starting to wonder if maybe this is not going to be their year. The Big East is getting more competitive with Cincinnati seeming strong. Ah well. It's college. Anything, anything, can happen.

Oh, I just learned that there is a player on USF named Ron McClain, which if you are Canadian and just listening to the game is freaking hilarious.

How many yards???

Reiss breaks it down really nicely:

The Patriots got 511 (!) net yards.

Matt Cassel threw for 400 of those. He ran for 62 of those. He also had 30 completions.

Wes Welker caught 7 for 108 yards. Watson had 88. Keller, that infamous #81 on the Jets, had 87.

Mayo ruled the field with 20 tackles, although we probably all noticed that.

Gostkowski set a personal record for most field goals in a season (24). If he gets to 32, he'll beat the club record. In a way, I want to see him do this. In a way, I really don't because I want to see more touchdowns.

Thoughts post-Jets vs. Pats

Thought #1: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Thought #2: We should have been able to hold them at 3rd and 15, particularly considering that they threw up the middle to 81. It would seem that Favre now has exactly three plays: short throw to the right, short throw to the left, and medium throw up the middle to 81. Great time to choose man over zone.

Thought #3: Two words: special teams. In fact, if the game had continued in the second half as it did in the first, my post was going to be, 'Two words: SPECIAL TEAMS.'

Thought #4: Do you think Mangenius/Manjudas (thanks Sarah!) would feel better with a teddy bear on the sideline? He looks very unhappy.

Thought #5: What I most remember from this game is that for much of the first half we looked cruddy, then for much of the third quarter we committed irritating errors like fumbles and missed balls and snaps that were just not quite there and "holding" calls. Plus we held the Jets to, like, 34 yards. Yet at the end of regular play, we were tied.

Thought #6: Matt Cassel was pretty awesome. Nay, extremely awesome. That last drive was excellent. Nay, superbly, supremely, sublimely excellent.

Concluding thoughts: good happened in this game. Lots of good things. Unfortunately, the bad things offset many of these good things. If we can continue to build on the good things, we're in a good position for the rest of the season (after all 6-4 is not bad in this division or actually overall). Probably we will have another loss or two though, which is a concern (maybe Pittsburgh and/or Arizona?).

Thoughts that will cause me concern during the week: red zone percentage is still far too low. As pretty much all of us noted, the Pats are currently something hideous like 10% in red zone touchdowns. But think this over: if they were at just 50%, we would be an extremely difficult opponent. So that is, in this humble fan's opinion, what needs to happen.

Thoughts on Belichick: I think that he's having more fun this season because he actually gets to coach, like draw diagrams and stuff. Last year, I think maybe everything started getting too routine.

Thoughts on officiating: Vrabel was not holding anyone on that called play. Hopefully I won't be fined by the NFL for that comment.

Schadenfreudlichen Thoughts: Who was covering Moss on that last second touchdown? Well, I'll be. It was rusty old man Ty Law.

I can't really state it any better myself

One of the front page stories on nfl.com:

'George: No give-up in these Pats

Loaded with legitimate excuses, the Patriots could have taken a "what-else-would-you-expect" mentality had they fallen off the map. Instead, they're back in a familiar spot.'

Thomas George goes on to say that after losing the first-round pick (okay, but we did still have a first-round pick), almost going 19-0 (but falling short), having the greatest quarterback in the history of the game get injured (that characterization is, admittedly, mine and not his, but he does state a similar notion), and the laundry list of other injuries, the Patriots have earned the opportunity to go, say, 3-6 and still be able to look in the mirror in the morning.

Or maybe they could even be, oh, I dunno, 5-4 and wouldn't have their star quarterback calling the fans 'spoiled' to the press. I'm trying to find a citation to back me up on this. It happened. Traces of it are to be found on the internet.

(Now, okay, we were called spoiled fans, at least by Ellis Hobbs, for booing at the team at the Miami game earlier this year. However, as an extremely loyal viewer for the past five years, that was one undeniably painful game).

I dunno, I don't think I want a teammate saying this about me

From an nfl.com story on the fact that Ty Law is rusty and feels like an old man:

'After seeing what Brett Favre has done with the Jets, Law was convinced he needed to be back on the field.

"He was part of my motivation," Law said. "I use guys like Brett and guys like Bernard Hopkins. I'm sitting there like, 'If these guys can go out there at 43 years old and knock out a 26-year-old guy, and Brett can still sling that thing at 45 or whatever he is -- 50 -- I know I can still go out there and cover somebody.' I always believe in myself, no matter what anybody else believes."'

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that Favre is not pushing 50.

It's a great story really. He states that Mangini had a better idea of where he would play and the he will actually get the chance to play with the Jets, which was not clear with the Patriots (how many years did he play with them again? Surely he knows how the system works, it's not any one player). Additionally, he states that while he feels rusty and old, he is confident that he will be back in form relatively soon. Apparently, he was offered more from the Patriots and turned them down because he felt he would fit into Mangini's system better.

Dude, it's November. You're rusty, you have not played with the team, you're just now learning the team defense. And it's Mangini, famous for over-complicating the team defense?

Now I don't want him to crash and burn because I am not that kind of person (with the notable exception of one Colts kicker). In this case, though, I'm not sure why any of this information needed to be shared with the press except maybe to say, 'I'm thrilled to be back in uniform and Coach called me spry.'

No, you don't get to call yourself this any more

From a discussion about whether the Red Sox should re-sign pitcher Derek Lowe:

'One reason the Red Sox failed to get into the WS this year was clearly TOO MANY MEN LEFT ON BASE. They need a run producer in the middle of the lineup; Theo should go all out for Mark Teixeira; getting another pitcher would be icing on the cake. They could go for another reliever and put Masterson or even Papelbon in the rotation.

They really need to let Varitek go; he's been great, but they just cannot afford such a week hitting bottom of the order. We don't know if Big Papi and Mike Lowell will ever be the same.

HITTING FIRST, then pitching if any money left over! Theo, are you listening? R.J.Tata, a long suffering fan of 60 years!!'

No, you were long-suffering before 2004. Not now.

Also, can we officially start distinguishing between 'resign' (quitting the game) and 're-sign' (signing again with a team)? Otherwise it can get very confusing.

Youk ties the knot

Sad that I learned this from a Yankee blog, I know...however, as this blog is founded on the premise that I spend far too much time surfing the Net, this is a testament to that.

I love the idea of a bunch of fans standing around chanting, 'Yooooooouk.' Priceless.

Also, I love random Jets fan who has to talk smack. Yet another reason I hope we can win tonight.

Madden likes us for the Win

Apparently Madden has chosen us to edge the Jets tomorrow in what he thinks will be a 'heck of a game.'

I've been thinking this one over and unless we get schooled, I think that whatever the outcome it will be good. If the Pats lose, then they will see what their weaknesses are and hopefully fix them. This information could come in handy during playoffs if the situation is similar to how it is now. And as I mentioned in a previous post, at least we are not getting beat the same way every time, so there does seem to be adjustment happening (even if sometimes it is not during the game....like against Miami....).

On the other hand, I really hate it when we lose to the Jets.

Really?

From Charles Robinson, over at Yahoo (who decided that last week's big winner was Belichick): 'The team has allowed a combined 51 points in its last four games...'

By 'the team,' of course, he is talking about the Patriots. I couldn't make that clear without creating a grammatical faux pas.

Really?

Okay, that would be impressive for any team. But let's think that over for a second:

1) Last week we played the Colts, who have apparently decided it is worth showing up to play. The Colts beat the Steelers (who have a pretty darned good defense) with 24 points. We held them to 15, and it would have been less if it hadn't been for that Vinatieri guy.

2) The week before, we played the Rams and held them, plus (despite some earlier questions) stopped the long ball. Okay, sure, we needed two members of our defense to run into each other first, but at least they only did that once.

3) The week before that, we played the Broncos, who were blowing teams out at the start of the season.

4) As we've gone along, we've seen more and more injuries, including Harrison and now it looks like Thomas is out. But we're still holding teams to an average of 12.75 points over the last four games.

5) Remember when we played San Diego and it got all ugly with the long ball and we were all, like, 'Dude, our season is TOTALLY over,' and we all started thinking about who we should draft for next year and whether that knee thing was really going to be fixed by the fall and we all wondered why, why, WHY is this happening to us? I would say an average of 12.75 points shows a pretty good mastery over not letting teams take advantage of the long ball. Which is great.

Season isn't over yet. Now I just hope that there is a really really good game plan for Thursday. I would love to see the Jets held to 12.75 points (actually I would love even more to see them held to less than that, but we shall see).

This is a good week, Patriots-wise

1) I met Mark Evan Bonds. If you don't know who that is, go back and re-read The Education of a Coach, paying particular attention to when Belichick was in prep school.

2) I saw Sarah Adams. If you don't know who her brother is, re-read the same sections. Also, any week that I see Sarah Adams is a good week.

3) I sent a question to Mike Reiss which he acknowledged AND he is apparently going to try to learn the answer for (in re: NFL fines).

[4) Tom Brady decided that while he was convalescing, he should get caught up on music history, and signed himself up for my spring semester courses] -- okay, that one didn't happen.

Monday thoughts

Randy Moss's fine was rescinded because he did not actually say anything bad about the refereeing in the Indianapolis game, but hinted that he might have had bad things to say. Which I think the NFL might want to take as a sign that they are getting far too wrapped up in all of this.

My new question is, are the Colts here to stay? They pulled it off yesterday against Pittsburgh (in a close one). So perhaps they will be competitors, even though it will take a lot for them to get back on top. Also, I feel in a way that this makes the Patriots look even better considering that the Steelers (who I consider to be pretty dominant this year) didn't beat the Colts. We did hold them to fewer points, though, which I know in some ways is utterly irrelevant but still makes me happy.

I feel like every time I watch the Giants play this year, they really shouldn't quite win. Then they do. Last night only heightened that feeling.

I'm sure there will be much excitement leading up to the Jets game this week. I haven't seen them play this season (the first game against the Pats I was at the Bucs game), so no clue how they actually look. I really do hate losing to the Jets though.

Sunday afternoon observations

Detroit's remaining games are: Carolina, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Minnesota, Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Green Bay. I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of these teams are currently .500 or higher. Which means that I think it is very possible they could be the first team to go without a win since the 1977 Buccaneers. They put in Culpepper today, so maybe he will improve. But that is a tough, icky schedule.

New England played a good game against Buffalo, although even I will admit that the calls went our way perhaps more often than not. The Jets had a decisive victory against St. Louis. Highlights showed some pretty ugly plays from the Rams.

I hereby declare that the situation in the AFC East has officially become exciting. Buffalo certainly seems to be waning, while the Jets have (as much as I hate to admit it) been quite effective as of late. Thursday night is the Pats vs. the Jets, so that should shed some light on the current divisional balance of power. I'm not sure if Miami can be as consistent as they need to be this season. They are having good games, but if indeed the Pats and Jets have become a force, that will be trickier for them.

Dave Thomas, as a follow-up, is appealing the fine. Randy Moss was also fined last week to the tune of $20 000 for criticizing the refereeing in last week's game. What exactly does the league do with this money? I'll leave that research for another day.

The Dave Thomas Penalty

First, I love that the guy is named Dave Thomas, which is an exceedingly Canadian name. Even though the Dave Thomas in question is actually from Texas.

Last week against Indy, there was the infamous Dave Thomas penalty for a hit after the play that cost the Patriots 15 yards, putting them out of field goal range. Most from the Patriots organization seem to feel that this was an unintentional mishap (and these things happen) that we should just let go. Thomas claims that he did not hear the whistle. Additionally, it wasn't a particularly cruel or unusual hit, just a pretty generic tackle that was late. I don't think anyone has questioned the lateness of it, or that the penalty occurred (in fact, Belichick came out and said that he felt the call was justified). And yeah, I would have much preferred for him to not get the penalty, but then again, I also really wanted Gaffney to catch the ball, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

[As an aside, the Gaffney drop still pains me, much like the Grothe lob to the back of the end zone in the Cincinnati game with no one standing there]

So as a follow-up, Thomas was fined $7500 by the NFL for the late hit. This seems gratuitous and in fact unnecessary. The team was punished, he was punished in the game, and it was not a rancorous play. Irksome.

Maybe we should take up a collection to give him back that money...

More Pats vs. Colts aftermath

I was just perusing the Patriot forums at Football's Future and ran across an interesting thread entitled, 'Mr. Kraft, Please Fire Josh McDaniels.' While I don't know that I am in the 'fire him' boat, I have had a few complaints and the Indy game didn't fix it. Most of the game was called very well. However, we choked in the clutch. Sound familiar? Same kind of thing happened in Superbowl last year, when I wasn't all that impressed with McDaniels' play calling either.

So here are the main issues I have with his play calling:

1) Getting too fancy. Why did we snap the ball to Faulk twice last game? It got us nowhere. Sure, sometimes some of his show-off plays pay off (remember that Brady - Moss - Brady - Stallworth in the end zone one last year against Pittsburgh? Because that was freaking cool). But more often than not, they seem flashy for no reason at all.

2) The quick throw across. Other teams figured this one out ca. 2004, back when Brady introduced it. We need to do less of it.

3) What on earth was that last play of last week's game to Faulk? Anyone? Anyone? 4th and long and you have him run for it? Why not try it downfield again because all we needed was one score to win the game! The worst thing that happens is another interception and we lose anyway!

I like that he has clearly imbibed the Kool-Aid and wears the hoodie, though...only a slightly classier version of it. Louise, who I guess is now best described as my dad's fiancée, has nicknamed him Baby Belichick.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Free agency for the Red Sox

I'm watching election coverage and thought I would also give readers the option to exercise their points of view on Red Sox free agency for this year. So should they stay or should they go?

Decision 2009:

Jason Varitek
Go: He had a very weak season hitting, could this be a sign that he's done?
Stay: Defensively, he certainly stepped up, particularly during the playoffs. Sometimes in the clutch he can still pull it out. Finally, he's V-Tek. Come on.

My call: I have to go with stay. It's Varitek. Call me sentimental.

Sean Casey
Go/Stay: I'm pretty neutral on this one.

Curt Schilling
Go: Had obligations to get into shape and be back on the team. Also injuries.
Stay: Bloody sock...however, that was four years ago.

My call: It's time. Go.

Bartolo Colon
Go: I thought he already went?

Alex Cora
Stay: Decent batting, not great. Decent fielding.
Go: Screw it! Get Nomar back!

My call: Never quite got over the Nomar thing. Bring him back.

Mark Kotsay
Stay: Depends on what we need to do with the Lowell/Youkilis situation.
Go: He might want to get back to his original role as outfielder.

My call: I want to know what's happening at third base. Then we can take it from there.

[How is a CNN commentator comparing Obama to Reagan?]

Paul Byrd
Stay: If he wants to be a bullpen pitcher that comes in during middle innings, then we could use that.
Go: If he wants to be a starter, it looks like the Sox have already set the rotation, Beckett-dependent.

My call: Do we have a place for him? Does he want to play that position? Also, did he gel with the team in the short time he was there?

Mike Timlin
Stay: No.
Go: Yes please.

My call: Thanks for the memories.

They have exercised the option on Wakefield, so he's a stay...even with those unpredictable games.

As for the Ellsbury/Crisp controversy, you could probably get a good trade for one or the other. Probably an even better trade for Ellsbury. However, it's worth thinking about whether Drew will be back and in good health next year before making any such moves.

Bias, Genius, and Plagiarism

As I mentioned in my summary of the Pats vs. Colts, I was pretty sure that some would have questions for Belichick and some of his decisions. In fact, that is addressed in a Boston Globe article by Dan Shaughnessy that provides a rehashing of the game. Shaughnessy concludes that the game plan was inspired: keep the drives long, don't give Peyton the ball, and work in increments rather than leaps. Which was precisely what the Patriots did. However, as Shaughnessy also points out, the execution left something to be desired. There was the obvious Gaffney drop that really shouldn't have happened. The Patriots got to the red zone twice in the first half and had to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns. I'm not sure what our red zone completion percentage is this season, but I suspect it is pretty low. We are ranked 25th in touchdowns, tying us with Seattle. Shaughnessy also points out that there were some Belichick calls that armchair fans may be questioning this week, such as the use of timeouts and disputing the too many men on the field call. At least, that is what I read from the article.

A featured story this morning on Yahoo (and what a way to wake up at 6am) featured the headline, 'Belichick a genius no more?' It purportedly summarizes Shaughnessy's article, but certainly seems to add a liberal amount of artistic license in getting that headline. Now, I can certainly understand why the term 'Mangenius' may have fallen out of use, but I would have to say that Belichick is doing relatively well on the genius stage (that is, if we insist on continuing to use the term 'genius,' which is a historical construct and possibly a questionable one at that). What seems particularly biased, however, is that at no point did Shaughnessy suggest that Belichick had lost it. Also, as a side note, Belichick was not sporting his grey hoodie during this game, unlike what the photo might lead one to believe.

What irks me even further is that the Yahoo article has sections that are by its writer, then has others which are taken directly from Shaughnessy -- in academia, we would term that 'plagiarism.' I would assume that those parts should be quoted. However, what really grinds my gears is the whole set-up. Certainly it is to get readers to click and as we all know, there is no lack of Patriot detractors. But come on Yahoo. At least present Shaughnessy's views accurately.

Considering what the Pats are doing without Tom Brady (see other situations where the starter is out, such as Dallas), I think a case could be made that Belichick may not be a genius, but he is awfully good at what he does.

Daunte Culpepper joins the Detroit Lions

From the story:

“As a result of doing some research on different places to play, the Detroit Lions seemed to be the best fit for me,” Culpepper told The Associated Press in an e-mail. “I am encouraged by the commitment of ownership, the vision of management and the great potential of the talent that is on the team."

.....that and they actually called.......

This is nothing against the guy, that quote just cracks me up.

Colts vs. Pats aftermath

Ugh.

I think that the good news is we can still be competitive against a very competitive team (where on earth did those Colts come from? Not the same team that played Tennessee last week!). What's irritating is that we had the opportunities and didn't capitalize. So ugh.

More good news: Matt Cassel continues to look better and better. This week the only interceptions came late, when we were reminded that yes, this is still Matt Cassel and not Tom Brady (not that Brady is infallible either...2006 AFC Championship is all I need to say there). Also, the defense was really quite good. No sacks, but they did a great job containing the run and there were not as many ugly deep plays as there could have been. Not to mention that they held the Colts to 18 points.

Jabar Gaffney........aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That really should have been a touchdown. It was an extremely well thrown ball. So again, Cassel is getting better and now it's time for everyone else to pick it up as well.

Now, I am not one to criticize Bill Belichick all that much. In fact, I'll let him off on some moves that I'm pretty sure other Pats fans were not very impressed with, such as challenging the too many men on the field call (and at any rate, that wasn't Belichick's fault, it was whoever was upstairs telling him to throw the flag). Sure, I wish he hadn't called the time out before the 4th down that would have worked. Something tells me that he wishes he hadn't done that either.

In hindsight, as irritating as this game was, it showed that the Patriots can step it up when necessary. In the end, it didn't go our way. When I think about all the games that did wind up going our way in previous seasons, we're probably due.

Week 9: Part 1

Buffalo loses to the Jets, which means that if the Pats lose tonight we are all tied at 5-3. Weird! Buffalo did not seem to have it together today...like a 91-yard turn-over not have it together. Have they started a decline? I can't possibly bring myself to say that the Jets have started an ascent, even if they have. Which they haven't.

Tennessee came awfully close to suffering its first loss and man, I wish I had seen that game (no AFC games were shown here at 1pm, not a one). I did watch the overtime via nfl.com, but that is not exactly the same. In related news, Cincinnati is no longer winless. Nfl.com tried to convey the weirdness of the last Jax play, but it didn't quite make it.

I really thought that the Lions were not going to be winless after today, but I guess that is not meant to be this week. Orton goes out for the Bears, but they manage to pull it together enough to beat the Lions. Let's face facts: if you don't pull it together to beat the Lions, it will be a long week.

Tampa Bay barely pulls it off last second. Kansas City fans, I am sorry. That was a lousy ending.

As I am writing this, Miami leads Denver (which surprises me less than it might have two weeks ago); Atlanta is destroying Oakland; Seattle is up by one TD over Philly (battle of the Teams No One Thought Would Be This Cruddy); and the Cowboys are trying to score their starting points in the red zone with the Giants up 14-0. Eli had some kind of delay of game, followed by a fumble (Manning being Manning).

Pats vs. Colts

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again: the New England Patriots meeting the Indianapolis Colts. Last year I thought that this was the game that would end the win streak. However, the Pats prevailed.

Now we are in a very different situation than pretty much any of the recent match-ups between these teams. The Pats are 5-2, and coping with some pretty significant injuries -- it's worth noting that those losses came to Miami (mandatory in even-numbered years: see 2004, 2006) and San Diego. Okay, the Miami thing is not so worth noting, even though they did beat Buffalo last week, which tells us that they can be a threat even to a top team. I would say the San Diego loss is more crucial here. San Diego is in a weirdly parallel situation to the Colts: they are under .500 to start and their decline is not due to any obvious reason. If the Colts lose tonight, they will both be 3-5. They have their starting QB. They have most of their players. And yet they are not the dominant team that they have been over the past couple of years. In short, both San Diego and Indy should have been contenders, and it's becoming increasingly obvious that this season they are not.

Yet the Chargers destroyed the Pats 30-10 in what was a particularly painful game: we were beat on the long ball and Cassel was sacked four times. The Chargers played the Patriots in the past four seasons even though they are in a different division and I have to think that having pretty thorough reports on the team must have helped. So one school of thought might claim that the Pats could be in trouble this week because formerly strong teams that know them well can target their weaknesses accurately.

After seeing Indy collapse in their game last week, though, I feel like the Patriots may have the upper hand in this one. Faced with a strong defense (and Tennessee has allowed the fewest points on average this season), Peyton really fell apart as the game went on. I think that the Pats can bring enough pressure for the whole game to seriously inhibit him -- provided we don't get beat on the long ball like last week.

And if we do have to get beat on the long ball, can we please not have two of our secondary players running into each other because that was just embarrassing.

I missed Texas vs. Texas Tech last night because I was at a bar watching dueling pianos. No further comment.

Belichick going soft?

An article from Dan Wetzel at Yahoo today noted that Belichick seems to have become a more chipper, carefree, and basically happy person this season (I exaggerate a bit, but not by much). Indeed, the signs have been coming for a while. In several press conferences this season, Bill has actually stated that he is proud of the team. Yes. Proud. And today he even handed out trick or treat candy to the press. Yes. Really. Bill Belichick. Candy. Press. Reiss reported it.

So what is happening hear? Last year the man was all doom and gloom despite the fact that he was coaching the greatest football team in the history of the game (I don't care what you naysayers think, the 2007 Pats were the greatest team ever because they not only went 18-1 which is still better than your team ever but also because they set the most single-season records). This year he seems happier. Chipper. Carefree.

I think that part of this new attitude stems from the fact that everything just got so darned serious last year. There was this ridiculously phenomenal offense and you expected every week that they would go out and do something ridiculously phenomenal, like a 98-yard pass to Randy Moss in quadruple coverage with the sun in his eyes and while completing a triple lutz. Any time we were close to being down by 10 points at the half last year I panicked (I don't think we ever were). This is no way to live life.

This year, in contrast, I breathe a sigh of relief any time Cassel completes a pass. And so we take pride in these achievements, especially since we've been overcoming the difficulties. It shows that even with two gigantic holes in our line-up (Brady, naturally, and now Harrison), we are still out there battling and doing a great job. Which makes me happy. And it all seems much less like we need to have these ridiculously phenomenal plays that need to be made all the time.

Reiss has Indy over the Pats 20-10 this week. Maybe then Bill will demand the candy back and return to normal. I was glad to see he cut his hair, it was getting to be a bit much with the headband during the Denver game.

USF wrap-up/NHL

The USF Bulls (23) were back last night and....did not look very impressive. At all. In fact, they got beat fairly and squarely by Cincinnati (number < 25), which means it's pretty much a guarantee that they are out of the rankings for this week. What happened exactly? Grothe made some seriously dumb throws, although there also seemed to be some miscommunication/screw-ups from people who just weren't where they should have been. One play in the third quarter, for instance, saw Grothe throw to the far corner of the end zone with absolutely no one there. Other throws included several interceptions when he pitched it straight into traffic. From the flip side, the receivers were just not up to it last night at all.

USF started the season strong, they had a fabulous game against Kansas (and I was there! Right next to the band! Thank you Schnettler!), but since then have struggled, particularly in the division (I believe we are now 1-3....and I can't be bothered to look it up right now). I guess it stands to reason that we couldn't keep improving forever, there had to be a plateau at some point. The program has accomplished a lot, but it would have been nice for them to build on where they got last year. And I really hope they can get it together for next year, when Grothe will be a senior.

Incidentally, Grothe, CUT YOUR HAIR! The mohawk or Rayhawk, or whatever that is, it needs to go. Actually, I am now officially declaring a public prohibition on all Rayhawks after the Rays lost the World Series. Evan Longoria got rid of it. Everyone, please follow his cue.

From the NHL: Montreal is a-w-e-s-o-m-e....that needed to be all extended to show their awesomeness. First place in their division and 'way far ahead of the icky Leafs. The Habs are having a great season and from what I saw in their game against the Florida Panthers last week they looked really good. I am hoping for good things. So Montreal has won the Stanley Cup in every decade since forever (okay, since the 1910s) and I would hate to see that streak end. It's the 100 anniversary of their founding as well. GO HABS GO!

Pats are part of 'a tough stretch'!

From a Yahoo article about Sanders possibly returning for this week's game vs. the Pats:

'Indy has lost two straight, fallen four games behind unbeaten Tennessee in the AFC South and begins a tough stretch against New England on Sunday night. Then Indy visits Pittsburgh, hosts Houston and has consecutive road trips to San Diego and Cleveland.'

SCORE! We're part of 'a tough stretch'! Who would have guessed that after the catastrophe against the Chargers?

I should probably be more worried about the fact that Sanders might be returning, but I still haven't quite figured out why Indy has fallen so mightily this year. I don't think his absence is the sole reason somehow.