Curtis on :
Another excellent write-up. Keep 'em coming.
Tuesday, November 27. 2007The View from the Crossbar
I hate to start off with a sad note, but Real life intruded on the sports world this week as Redskins Safety Sean Taylor was died from gun wounds suffered when he confronted a burglar in his home this past Monday. Taylor was one of the better safeties in the NFL, and had seemed to turn his off the field life around after some early career issues.
Sports are supposed to be an escape. It's a reminder of days gone by when you used to draw up plays like "Run to the car and turn in". For 3 hour segments we were able to watch and relive simpler days. That's why it's always so bothersome when the real world intervenes in our Sports world. Sports are what we use to get away from the real world. It's also why it's so frustrating when people who are lucky enough to still be in that sports world waste it. Stories like Pac-man Jones, Mike Vick, Chris Henry, Tank Johnson are so frustrating because it brings the real world into the sports world. It shatters that realm where good battles evil in the form of Rams/Niners, or Patriots/Colts (You choose your good versus your evil.) And ordinary men can still perform amazing feats. So to the family of Sean Taylor the crossbar sends his best wishes, and regards. Now about that Sports World
Last year the NFL began playing games on Thursday on it's own NFL Network. Initially there was an outcry because 70% of the nation cannot get the NFL Network because of some stupid issue between the NFL and cable, which I do not care to try to understand or explain. But then something happened. The Thursday Night games last year were all stinkers and nobody cared. Well this year the argument has come up again, because on the 2nd NFL Thursday night game of the year, a battle for NFC Supremacy is being fought as the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys (Both 10-1) square off for a game that will effectively give the victor a two game lead in the race for Homefield Advantage. Also the last Thursday night game is New England and New York Giants. Nevermind the fact that it's a fresh Manning for Belichick to mess with, there is a strong possibility that New England could have 16-0 on the line. Come to think of it, is there anything more fitting than the Patriots trying to go undefeated versus a Manning? Don't forget about me Two weeks ago when Super Rookie Adrian Peterson went down with an injury many bobbleheads proclaimed it was a dire situation for the Vikings. Then with the "emergence" of Chester Taylor these past two weeks the bobbleheads are all shocked. The only shocking thing about Chester Taylor's "emergence" is how short the memories of the bobbleheads really are. Afterall it's not like Taylor was Minnesota's big free agent pickup prior to the '06 season, and it's not like Taylor ran for 1200 yards and 6 TD's for a pretty poor team last year. It's also not like the fact that the Vikes had Taylor had some scratching their head when Peterson was the pick in the draft. Adrian Peterson has been an amazing rookie, but just because he's been amazing doesn't mean Taylor wasn't any good. It would do the bobbleheads some good to remember that, plus it would make them look less stupid, which is something they really need help with. Those who don't learn from their history... Speaking of bobbleheads looking stupid, most of those proclaiming how the Giants had turned it around this year, and how Head Coach Tom Coughlin had changed, are starting to look as though they have less than average IQ right about now. Yep it's that time of year again, the annual Giant second half swoon. Each of the 4 years that Tom Coughlin has been the head coach of the New York Giants, they have stormed out of the gate with a record of at least 5-2 in each season. Each year the media proclaims them a great team headed for playoff success. Then the wheels come off. 2004 Giants finished 1-8. In 2005 they were a bit better going 6-3, and getting humiliated in the first round of the playoffs. 2006 saw them go 3-6 and get humiliated in the first round of the playoffs. So after getting humiliated in the first two weeks, the Media started to get all excited when the giants started their win streak this year, and after beating up on the likes of the Niners, Dolphins, Jets, Redskins, Falcons, and Eagles, the bobbleheads were ready to proclaim this year different. Since then the Giants have stumbled to 1-2 with only a squeaked out victory against the Lions to show for it. Pretender Bowl This week is the first real pretender bowl of the season. The Cleveland Browns (6-5) and the Arizona Cardinals (5-6) both hold legitimate playoff aspirations. Yet no one can really take these two teams seriously yet. They meet up this Sunday in a game that neither can really afford to lose as it will hurt their playoff chances. My pick, Cleveland moves to actual contender status with a victory, as the Cardinals, who just lost to the 49ers officially become pretenders, again. The Top 14 1. New England Patriots - 11-0 - So the question remains did the Eagles show the NFL how to beat the Patriots? Or did the Patriots just really need an actual dogfight? 2. Indianapolis Colts - 9-2 - Colts have righted the ship since their disastrous 4th quarter against New England. 3. Dallas Cowboys - 10-1 - Can the Cowboys claim supremacy in Texas Stadium this Thursday.... 4. Green Bay Packers - 10-1 - .... where Brett Favre is 0-8 lifetime? 5. Pittsburgh Steelers - 8-3 - Nice sloppy wet game, but a win is a win. 6. Jacksonville Jaguars - 8-3 - Quietly are putting together a great season with depth. 7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 7-4 - 1 of 2 NFC Division leaders where we're not sure if it's the team that's good, or the division that stinks. 8. Cleveland Browns - 7-4 - Cleveland starting to play some defense to go with their Offense. 9. Seattle Seahawks - 7-4 - Nice halftime adjustments by Holmgren saved the Seahawks this past weekend. 10. San Diego Chargers - 6-5 - One can never tell what to make of this team. 11. New York Giants - 7-4 - Eli Manning really doesn't like the Minnesota Vikings defense. 12. Detroit Lions - 6-5 - Lions struggling after promising start to season. Might not make that 10 win guarantee of Kitna's. 13. Philadelphia Eagles - 5-6 - Credit for giving the Patriots a heck of a game, but the whole McNabb issue might be too much for this team. 14. Arizona Cardinals - 5-6 - Loss to Niners really hurts legitimacy of this team. The Bottom 3 30. St. Louis Rams - 2-8 - 3 game winning streak slipped through the hands of backup Gus Frerrotte. 31. New York Jets - 2-8 - Mangenious has now become Mandunce in the eyes of Jets faithful. 32. Miami Dolphins - 0-11 - Something tells me the Buccaneers are much happier about this threat on their perfect record, than the Dolphins are about the Patriots attack on theirs. Trackbacks
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Curtis on :
Another excellent write-up. Keep 'em coming.
Radar on :
Just so everyone knows; Niners are good and Rams are evil.
Sideshow on :
That's okay Radar, we won't shatter your delusional world.
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