Hello and welcome to Sunday Night Football. The San Diego Chargers are taking on the visiting Indianapolis Colts. Demond Sanders will be blogging the first and third quarters. Deshawn Zombie will handle the second and fourth quarters. The Colts injury report includes: Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez, Tony Ugoh, Freddy Keaho, Tyjuan Hagler, Matt Giordano, and Dan Federkeil. Note that three of those injuries are concussions. This is going to be a very interesting game. The Chargers are missing Center Nick Hardwick, DE Luis Castillo, and DB Quentin Jammer. The Colts will need a big night from their defense, especially Dwight Freeney.
1.) The Chargers run back the opening kickoff for a touchdown. The Special Teams are especially horrible tonight thanks to the injuries. Has Adam Vinatieri ever been remotely close to making a tackle on one of these deals? Chargers lead 7-0.
2.) Nice return by Crap Thorpe to midfield. The Colts need to answer. Pass interference on Cromartie covering Wayne gets the Colts in the red zone for the first time tonight. Addai seemed to cut the wrong way on first down. Interception by Cromartie. The Chargers get possession at the the five yard line. Ugly start.
3.) LT is stoned on his first carry. He's wily and likes playing the Colts. Big third and seven. Colts force a punt as Rivers throws well wide of his mark.
4.) Crap fields the punt in San Diego territory. Manning's ball is tipped and picked by a linebacker. This game is going pretty much how I expected so far. Actually worse.
5.) The Zombie Sanders makes a nice tackle on LT. Big third down. Colts force a field goal on a nice pass breakup in the endzone. Gates had a hoard of guys around him. Chargers lead 10-0.
6.) Crappy return by Crap, with an even crappier holding penalty. Sadly, I think that joke may tire out as the night goes on. 3rd and 13. Incomplete. This game is shaping up to be a horrendous blowout folks.
7.) As I type the previous sentence the Chargers run the punt back for a score. They miss the extra point. Chargers lead 16-0 and yet only have one first down on offense. I wouldn't be that worried, but the offense looks totally inept.
8.) First down toss to Bryan Fletcher. That's a start. Bryan Fletcher has made a couple nice grabs out of the slot. Yes, you read that correctly. Fletcher is in the slot. Huge sack makes it second and 23. The offensive line is playing poorly. A third pick by Manning. A ball he got nothing on. Oh well. The starting lineup looked like something that might be playing in the third quarter of a preseason game so you can't really feel too bad about this one.
9.) Anyone still reading? Clint Sessions just got screwed on national television. An inadvertent whistle just killed a great return on an improbable interception. Gary Brackett tips a ball in the end zone and it bounced off Bethea and then Sessions snagged it off the back of Brackett's thigh. What a night. The return was already set up when the whistle blew. Sessions had his blockers, including Zombie Bob. The defense has to be furious right now. By the way, Norv Turner is a moron for challenging that.
QUARTER TWO:
DZ here now, and I'm looking for bright spots. The brightest? Manning's -11 fantasy score that quarter might just save my season. WOW, now Charlie Johnson is hurt? Awesome.
10.) This game reminds me so much of Jacksonville last year, it's almost hilarious. Meanwhile Manning throws another pick. High comedy has taken over here in San Diego, as Manning tries a Brady jump ball, and Reggie Wayne stares passively as it's picked off.
11.) The defense is still playing with fire at least, as they hold the Chargers off on third down. The Chargers decide to man up and go for it on fourth down. The old pick play works for first down. Rivers fumbles the next snap. Is there any proof at all that he's actually a competent NFL quarterback? (Insert your own-he's outplaying Peyton Manning joke here).
12.) The coaching staff clearly failed to have this team ready to play this week. The Chargers are clearly a beatable team, but tonight the game plan has been poor, and the execution worse. Manning has played absolutely horrible, but the rest of the offense is clearly out to lunch as penalties and lack of effort have made things worse. Basically, this has been a gutless half. I'm out for awhile, if anything note worthy happens I'll comment, but there's really not much more to say.
13.) What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment. As the Colts drive here, you realize that a score and a stop would give the Colts the precious 3-1 possessions, because they get the ball to start the second half. Sigh. This will end badly, but a man can hope. So there's the first score to Wayne, but what would really get them going is a defensive stop here.
14.) The Chargers run a cool play on first down. They then choke by running a play with 2:01 AND Rivers grounds it. This gives the Colts a chance to use timeouts if they get a reasonable stop on 2nd down. Funny stuff.
15.) And there you have it. The Chargers help the Colts out by running a stupid play before the 2 min warning, and now we have the next two possessions. A score here, and it's game on.
16.) Thorpe wastes about 20 seconds running sideways. A huge throw to Wayne puts the Colts within shouting distance of a score. After a great catch by Reggie into FG range, Diem goes down. For crying out loud. It's freaking 1996 all over again.
17.) Crap can't haul in the TD pass. They get the FG team on, but AV yanks another kick. He has not been good this year. (Let's see if the Pats fans are gutless enough to make fun of the dude who made them what they are...).
18.) So...we had 2 returns for scores, 4 picks and a jacked figgie. That's about as bad a half as you can play. Still, San Diego doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
THIRD QUARTER:
19.) The Chargers lead 23-7. Adam Vinateri destroyed all the momentum the Colts were building by missing a field goal as time expired. He's starting to piss me off. The Colts have done everything wrong and are only down by 16. That's kind of amazing given that they are on the road and are heavily featuring a guy named Craphonso.
20.) Reggie Wayne gets cracked to open up the drive. I don't know why the Colts aren't trying to run the ball. Kind of strange and insane. Kind of awesome. This team is always entertaining. Huzzah! Joe Addai picks up a big 3rd and 1. Keep running it. It's only the third quarter. Big fourth down and two and the Colts go for it. HUGE COMPLETION TO MOOREHEAD. Terrible pick by Manning.
21.) Big third down conversion for San Diego. Bob Sanders slipped on the play. San Diego is finally getting something going on offense. They haven't done much, but they haven't needed to. The Colts D needs to force a turnover so Peyton can throw another pick. Big sack by Robert Mathis. Loss of 10 yards. Chargers punt.
22.) The Colts are getting routed by a bad team. How does SD only have 23 points? This one is all on Manning and the Special Teams. The Defense is playing their butts off. Nice footwork on a huge conversion by Manning and Wayne. The Colts need a touchdown before the fourth quarter. That's it for me tonight. It's been fun. The Colts are going down tonight, but for some reason I'm coming away with a perverse respect for how good this team is.
FOURTH QUARTER:
DZ is back again. This is quite the annoying game, because the Chargers are clearly an inferior team, but Manning is playing like he's on drugs. Incredibly creative one moment, self destructive and insane the next. Keith has a nice run after the catch. How much do we miss that missed FG now? The two pointer is good to make things veeeeery interesting. This was big for the team to finally shake out of the funk. Isn't this what we predicted on Eyes in the Backfield this week? Ok, a two quarter slump and a fist fight between the GMs. Whatever. No one's always right.
What? A great stop on a return AND a penalty? I'm aghast. Down 8, I'm still cursing the missed FG and the inadvertent whistle. Damn you, whistle! How dare you sound inadvertently?!
Here comes a huge 3rd and 10 as Rivers is glad it's raining so no one can see him wetting himself.
HOLY CRAP! HOW IS THIS EVEN A GAME?
Addai gets no mo and the two point conversion is stopped. This game has officially gone off the hook. I have no idea how we'll chose 18 plays from it to talk about on the podcast. AV, HOW COULD YOU HAVE MISSED THAT KICK? Or I could say, PEYTON HOW COULD YOU HAVE THROWN THAT FIRST, FOURTH, OR FIFTH PICK?
The special teams holds. Can the D come up big again? They have all night. Ooops, it looks like Norv finally realized we are down four linebackers. We are screwed now. Norv might have grown a brain. Sessions is terrible as he lets LT get around the corner. LT looks like he's ready to bust one deep, but the Chargers decide to pass. Good grief, they are so badly run.
Hey great! Freeney's gone! Why not? Everyone else took the day off. Meanwhile Rivers throws what should have been a. a pick and b. pass interference. Neither ensues. Huge stop. Crap lets the punt go, and it heads to the 1. I smell safety, or maybe an epic drive. I don't even know what to say anymore.
Manning throws the ball a half a step long on the home run ball, but then hits Reggie for a HUGE first down to change field position if nothing else. Norv challenges again. This could be the play of the night. No matter how this turns out tonight, the Colts caught fire and that is what had to happen. Norv loses another challenge, and it just seems like maybe this game will turn out allright. Maybe. Oh lovely, Freeney in a cart. ARRRGH. The Chargers look like their will is broken. Let's run the ball. Big third down coming, but even so, the Colts did a good job getting out of the shadow of the goal line. Crap comes through again. I love that little dude! Ok, I admit that I cursed him after he let that punt go. Whatever, stop judging me.
HOW DOES HE DROP IT? Oh because it's pass interference of course. Hey, everything else went wrong, why not that? Wow, that was ever so close to being epic. Gotta love a deep ball to...Aaron Morehead.
You get the feeling that the Chargers should be able to run the clock out. The Colts are playing actual colts on defense at this point. They don't have anyone else!
SESSIONS! Rivers is just flat giving this game away.
The Colts aren't running effectively, but they are running consistently. Manning seems content to let this come down to the Colts D vs. Rivers. As Dawson leaves the field, I can't help feeling like it's Buffalo 1996 all over again. A huge first down by Addai forces the Chargers into their second time out. Three runs and everything will be ok, boys. Addai slips and the Chargers empty their timeout gun. Run the ball two more times and SD will need a FG with no timeouts and 1:10 on the clock. One more run. If he gets the first down, the game is over. As one of the readers, Matt said, Toudouze has been huge. Charlie Johnson getting hurt was the play of the game.
THERE IT IS. Run the clock to one second and kick the field goal. Madden is nuts. If you lose on a missed 20 yard field goal by AV, so be it. Nothing else makes sense. Meanwhile, it's a game of inches as the play is reviewed. The ball is moved back. The Colts have to kick this (eventually, I'm cool with trying to draw the Chargers off). The Colts try the reset play, but Utech moves too quickly? on the reset. Meanwhile, the review and the snap simulation costs the Colts 20 seconds of clock time.
Apparently, AV has money on this game as well. The stupid shift play (hey, I called for something like it too), cost the Colts 5 yards (FG good) and a timeout. I suppose a stop here on third down leaves the Colts about :20 to comeback. Not liking our chances.
We need about 30 yards for a 50 yard FG, but who knows what to think at this point. This game might just end on a hail mary. Demond said this was the Pittsburgh game all over again about a half an hour ago. Certainly jumps to mind. Again, I don't think this game means much in the big picture, but it sure served to ruin my night. DZ out.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
88 is out and the Pacers and Hoosiers fade
HEEEEY! There's the Pacers we know and love! Fading hard down the stretch in three straight winnable games! Last night's debacle of a 4th quarter was an embarrassment, but tonight to light up the scoreboard in the first quarter and then not even match that total in the second half. . . sigh, I guess the 3-0 was a mirage. I'm not surprised, but still a little disappointed.
The Colts waived TJ Rushing. I realize this is a roster move to deal with injuries (specifically almost no WRs), but his terrible game last week didn't help him. He barely made the 20 on his returns. Not a good sign, with Craphonso waiting in the wings to pull a CNN on us.
Finally, I'm not sure how the officials ruled the way they did at the end of the IU/Northwestern game today, but I suppose if you could just rule on the idiocy of play, Lewis's pass attempt DESERVED to be a fumble. I'm sorry, but if IU gets whipped by the Boilers next week, I hope they do get shut out of a bowl. Wins over Minnesota, Ball St, and 1AA schools just don't scream "we're for real." This team should already have 8 wins, and we'd be talking a possible New Year's day game. I'm just not convinced Bill Lynch is a big time college coach.
Finally, Demond and I haven't worked it out yet, but one of us will definitely be blogging tomorrow's game live, so check it out.
Demond Sanders: I can't say I feel sorry for you if you were looking to the Pacers and IU Football to get you out of your post-Patriots depression. Rushing will be back eventually. He was terrible against the Patriots, but he had been solid in his other games. No fumbles and consistently decent returns is all the Colts are looking for. Last week he hurt the team with poor decisions. Although Polian pointed out that they had a big return set up at one point and someone missed a key block that would have sprung Rushing.
The Colts waived TJ Rushing. I realize this is a roster move to deal with injuries (specifically almost no WRs), but his terrible game last week didn't help him. He barely made the 20 on his returns. Not a good sign, with Craphonso waiting in the wings to pull a CNN on us.
Finally, I'm not sure how the officials ruled the way they did at the end of the IU/Northwestern game today, but I suppose if you could just rule on the idiocy of play, Lewis's pass attempt DESERVED to be a fumble. I'm sorry, but if IU gets whipped by the Boilers next week, I hope they do get shut out of a bowl. Wins over Minnesota, Ball St, and 1AA schools just don't scream "we're for real." This team should already have 8 wins, and we'd be talking a possible New Year's day game. I'm just not convinced Bill Lynch is a big time college coach.
Finally, Demond and I haven't worked it out yet, but one of us will definitely be blogging tomorrow's game live, so check it out.
Demond Sanders: I can't say I feel sorry for you if you were looking to the Pacers and IU Football to get you out of your post-Patriots depression. Rushing will be back eventually. He was terrible against the Patriots, but he had been solid in his other games. No fumbles and consistently decent returns is all the Colts are looking for. Last week he hurt the team with poor decisions. Although Polian pointed out that they had a big return set up at one point and someone missed a key block that would have sprung Rushing.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Pike's Peak
Congrats again to the 5A Regional Champ Pike Red Devils. Next Friday's matchup should be a corker. They are so close to the dome, we can almost taste it. I'm not sure why our teams had to be so bad when we went there (although Demond got to see a basketball title). Still, it's nice for the old alma mater to keep throwing up wins.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Good News/No News
The Colts are going to be down anywhere from zero to 8 starters on Sunday. The Good News is that everyone participated in some of the practice. The No News is that most of them are still game time decisions. With any luck, we will actually field a team this week and not have suit up Bob Lamey at DT.
Seeing things
Eyes in the Backfield is back for week 9. We've had a major influx of new readers to the blog in the last few weeks, and it occurs to me that not all of you may be fully aware of our home page at 18to88.com, since at least a few of you hadn't seen the Star Wars predictions. If you've never been there, stop by and check it out. That's where we put our weekly features (like Eyes in the Backfield which lists 18 things to watch for each week during the game), and our more in depth articles that require us to actually research a little and not just be glib.
John sends us this retrospective of Manning and Leaf, that also says that Marvin was up and running around at practice yesterday. I don't know what that means, but it sounds promising.
John sends us this retrospective of Manning and Leaf, that also says that Marvin was up and running around at practice yesterday. I don't know what that means, but it sounds promising.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Maybe this game really will be Manning vs. the Chargers
If the injury report is to be believed, and it has been pretty accurate all season, the Colts will barely be able to field a team this week against San Diego. Phil B. runs them down in his blog, but it looks now like the team might be down Clark and Ugoh as well as the on going saga of Marvin Harrison. The Colts are also having trouble finding a warm body to play at linebacker, with the top 4 LBs hobbled by this injury or that. All this continues to emphasize the importance of continuing to win and lock up the two seed. Having an extra week off to get everyone healthy will be crucial come playoff time.
Until further notice, the number 1996 is banned from our blog (Scroll down to #6 and throw some salt over your left shoulder).
Also, check out this interesting exercise in 'redrafting'. The Colts original choices are both off the board (anyone still think of Tony Ugoh as a reach?) by the time they pick.
Mike Tanier of FO has an interesting point to make about two teams coming off losses but headed in opposite directions.
Until further notice, the number 1996 is banned from our blog (Scroll down to #6 and throw some salt over your left shoulder).
Also, check out this interesting exercise in 'redrafting'. The Colts original choices are both off the board (anyone still think of Tony Ugoh as a reach?) by the time they pick.
Mike Tanier of FO has an interesting point to make about two teams coming off losses but headed in opposite directions.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Up late
I didn't get to bed until the wee hours last night because I was putting together 18 Plays. I've had neither the time nor honestly the desire to scan the web for stuff today (weeks after a loss are usually like that), but I did like Dr. Z's power rankings. He did a good job explaining the ebb and flow of the game and is to this point the only commentator to mention that the Colts were missing linebackers (and not just Marvin Harrison). I also heard a first: Chris Mortensen said that:
"The Titans are winning despite Vince Young's struggles."
I can't tell you how relieved I am that someone actually pointed this out. At some point, the world has to wake up to the fact that that defense is legit, and Young simply isn't playing up to the quality of the rest of his team.
My war with the Pats fans continues much as it has for the last couple of days. We have settled down in to just two categories: nice guys who had a good laugh and sickos. To the nice guys out there who root for the Pats, I say good luck, hope your team stays healthy so we can have legit epic rematch in January with no excuses for anyone. To the sickos (and they far out number the people who are decent). . . I usually just mock them.
As it turns out we've had a LOAD of traffic from the Boston site "Sonofsamhorn.com". Which explains the virulent nature of a lot of the email. One guy actually bothered to download 18 Plays and then wrote me this morning to say:
You guys are such homers it makes me sick. It makes my physically sick.
This was about the 10th message from this guy. We had earlier dialogued about whether some of his earlier comments were racist (Tony Dungy looks like a crack user said Mr. Personality). Of course, I responded to him as I always do when people accuse of being homers. . .
OF COURSE WE ARE HOMERS! OUR WEBSITE IS CALLED 18to88.com!
Let me be clear for those of you out there that seem confused about Demond and I:
1. We are Colts fans.
2. We run a website for Colts fans.
3. We don't make any money doing it, and we have no agenda other than to be funny (defined by: whatever makes us laugh at each other) and promote our team.
4. Although. . . we can be bought if anyone is interested. . . no? Ok, no harm in asking.
Again, I sort of thought all that was sort of self evident. . . but apparently it isn't.
88 Reasons to Hate the Patriots is now the second most viewed page in 18to88 history, still some 32,000 views behind our Star Wars NFL predictions. Which basically proves that love (of Star Wars) is stronger than hate (of the Patriots). Let's hope that always holds true.
"The Titans are winning despite Vince Young's struggles."
I can't tell you how relieved I am that someone actually pointed this out. At some point, the world has to wake up to the fact that that defense is legit, and Young simply isn't playing up to the quality of the rest of his team.
My war with the Pats fans continues much as it has for the last couple of days. We have settled down in to just two categories: nice guys who had a good laugh and sickos. To the nice guys out there who root for the Pats, I say good luck, hope your team stays healthy so we can have legit epic rematch in January with no excuses for anyone. To the sickos (and they far out number the people who are decent). . . I usually just mock them.
As it turns out we've had a LOAD of traffic from the Boston site "Sonofsamhorn.com". Which explains the virulent nature of a lot of the email. One guy actually bothered to download 18 Plays and then wrote me this morning to say:
You guys are such homers it makes me sick. It makes my physically sick.
This was about the 10th message from this guy. We had earlier dialogued about whether some of his earlier comments were racist (Tony Dungy looks like a crack user said Mr. Personality). Of course, I responded to him as I always do when people accuse of being homers. . .
OF COURSE WE ARE HOMERS! OUR WEBSITE IS CALLED 18to88.com!
Let me be clear for those of you out there that seem confused about Demond and I:
1. We are Colts fans.
2. We run a website for Colts fans.
3. We don't make any money doing it, and we have no agenda other than to be funny (defined by: whatever makes us laugh at each other) and promote our team.
4. Although. . . we can be bought if anyone is interested. . . no? Ok, no harm in asking.
Again, I sort of thought all that was sort of self evident. . . but apparently it isn't.
88 Reasons to Hate the Patriots is now the second most viewed page in 18to88 history, still some 32,000 views behind our Star Wars NFL predictions. Which basically proves that love (of Star Wars) is stronger than hate (of the Patriots). Let's hope that always holds true.
The families of Charlie Johnson and Tim Jennings probably shouldn't listen
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Mayor Who Saved the Colts
It looks like Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson is going down in defeat tonight. We can talk ad nauseam about how high the local property taxes are (I sold my house this summer because of insanely high taxes), yet I come not to bury Bart Peterson, but to praise him.
In college at Indiana I wrote a business school paper about the fight for a new Colts stadium. At the time, Jim Irsay said he wasn't sure it was a good idea, perhaps implying that the market was just too small to support a team. Bart Peterson was among a small group of civic leaders who had the foresight to realize that if the city lost the Colts it would undo a large chunk of the progress the city has made in the past twenty years. Peterson made it his personal mission to make sure the team stayed. I voted for him in the last election based only on his positive stance towards the Colts. Yes, I'm that kind of crazy.
I want to say thanks to Bart Peterson. He is right up there with the honorable Bill Hudnut, as far as I'm concerned. Mayor Hudnut was the mayor who brought us the Indianapolis Colts. Bart Peterson was the Mayor who helped to save them.
Fan Mail
So I'm not sure if we should thank the good folks at Cold Hard Football Facts or not. They linked us on their main page yesterday ("Funny Colts blogger struggles with cycle of rage") and linked it to 88 reasons to hate the Patriots. That was really cool of them, but it also flooded our inbox with insane emails. Apparently, I have to explain myself using very small words so some people can understand me: We are joking. It's called hu-mor. Yeah, we really do hate the Pats, but seriously folks, we are joking around. This site is the result of two brothers publishing the kind of stuff that we email and IM to each other every day anyway. We are two guys sitting around laughing, and want the rest of you to be in on the joke. Not everyone gets that; they took 88 Reasons as some kind of cultural manifesto.
The email we received fell into three categories:
1. So profane and vile that it sort of made me sick that people could be so twisted. There was actual evil involved in some of these emails.
2. Furious that we dared to make fun of Bill Belichick's son-Seriously. I actually felt bad about the one about Tom Brady's baby, and I actually slightly adjusted the wording this morning because I felt it was a tad harsh toward a kid who hasn't even had the chance to be annoying on his own yet and will probably grow up to hate his dad as much as the rest of us. But come on. Joking about Bill's annoying kid (who does have a drug charge against him) is not the end of the world. Every one of the dude's buddies must have emailed us calling us puritanical and cruel and what not. Whatever, it was a joke, and we laughed about it, and we aren't apologizing for it.
3. People who thought the article was hilarious and have a sense of humor. I thank you both.
Here are some of the best emails of the day:
Tim says: I appreciate the vigor with which you support your Football club, but don't you guys have more important things to do with your time out there in Indiana? Like husking corn for instance? I hope northeastern teams continue to blow out your pathetic franchise and beat you at the very game with which you are obsessed. The Northeast is the best part of this country and always will be. Clinging to your pathetic little football team won't change that. The funny thing is, while you guys are living and dying by the Colts, football is just a simple form of entertainment here in the northeast and always will be. I just find it to be so amusing that your area of the country obsesses to no end over football and you can't even beat the Northeast, an area of the country that could care less about football. Face the facts, whatever you do, we can do better. It's always been that way and it's not going to change. Have fun milking your cows tomorrow morning.
Sincerely, A proud upstate new yorker
Dude, what a great email! Did you work on that all day? I couldn't have done a better job of mocking the arrogance of the north east myself! Classic performance! Not to mention the irony involved in going to the trouble of emailing someone from the midwest to complain about how much spare time WE have out here. Sooooo funny. Man, you should write professionally, because you are a gosh darn hoot! thanks for reading!
Next we have William who quite fairly points out that perhaps our criticism of a Pats fan site was self inflicted: Um, don't go to Patriot sites, dude. Crazy thought, but if it is ilovethePatriots.com, um maybe you won't like it. Just saying.
Too true, my friend. All too true. We had that coming.
Sean writes: You're list on why you hate the Pats was really cute. Looks like the fans are just like the players, whiny little b*****. Why don't you spew some venom on your choker quarterback who has let his fans down like what, 20 times in big games?? You guys pay good money for tickets to see those choker losers and they reward you guys with sub-par play time and time again. Dungy gets fired from Tampa Bay and what happens the next year? Manning leaves Tennessee and what happens the next year? I never understand why you guys support your brides-maid team year in and year out. We'll see your loser team in Foxboro in January and beat them yet AGAIN.
Here's my list on why i hate the Colts:
1. They are a bunch of losers with loser fans.
Manning chokes YET AGAIN!!
LEWSERS!!
At first I thought Sean was being satirical as well. I wrote to thank him for hilariously mocking the Pats fans who blame Manning for everything because apparently they think football is a game played by two men at a time, and Manning is a choker because he threw two perfect TDs that his wideouts dropped and was blindsided on consecutive possessions by a line that decided to imitate a sieve. Incredibly, as it turns out Sean was serious! I then chided him for his spelling. He replies (and I'm serious):
That's a Jim Carrey line from Ace Ventura, Einstein. The LEW is accented. Get it?
Oh I'm sorry, Sean. I stand corrected. It was my mistake to think that we were living in 2007 and to expect a reference from this century (or at least from a movie classic enough to be worth quoting a dozen years later). You've done it Sean! Your wit and wisdom have bested me.
A couple of quick notes: 18 Plays will be up late tonight or tomorrow morning. Also, Pats fans keep commenting on old posts from the weekend, but oddly enough no one has anything to say about "Let me be very clear." Huh. Curious.
The email we received fell into three categories:
1. So profane and vile that it sort of made me sick that people could be so twisted. There was actual evil involved in some of these emails.
2. Furious that we dared to make fun of Bill Belichick's son-Seriously. I actually felt bad about the one about Tom Brady's baby, and I actually slightly adjusted the wording this morning because I felt it was a tad harsh toward a kid who hasn't even had the chance to be annoying on his own yet and will probably grow up to hate his dad as much as the rest of us. But come on. Joking about Bill's annoying kid (who does have a drug charge against him) is not the end of the world. Every one of the dude's buddies must have emailed us calling us puritanical and cruel and what not. Whatever, it was a joke, and we laughed about it, and we aren't apologizing for it.
3. People who thought the article was hilarious and have a sense of humor. I thank you both.
Here are some of the best emails of the day:
Tim says: I appreciate the vigor with which you support your Football club, but don't you guys have more important things to do with your time out there in Indiana? Like husking corn for instance? I hope northeastern teams continue to blow out your pathetic franchise and beat you at the very game with which you are obsessed. The Northeast is the best part of this country and always will be. Clinging to your pathetic little football team won't change that. The funny thing is, while you guys are living and dying by the Colts, football is just a simple form of entertainment here in the northeast and always will be. I just find it to be so amusing that your area of the country obsesses to no end over football and you can't even beat the Northeast, an area of the country that could care less about football. Face the facts, whatever you do, we can do better. It's always been that way and it's not going to change. Have fun milking your cows tomorrow morning.
Sincerely, A proud upstate new yorker
Dude, what a great email! Did you work on that all day? I couldn't have done a better job of mocking the arrogance of the north east myself! Classic performance! Not to mention the irony involved in going to the trouble of emailing someone from the midwest to complain about how much spare time WE have out here. Sooooo funny. Man, you should write professionally, because you are a gosh darn hoot! thanks for reading!
Next we have William who quite fairly points out that perhaps our criticism of a Pats fan site was self inflicted: Um, don't go to Patriot sites, dude. Crazy thought, but if it is ilovethePatriots.com, um maybe you won't like it. Just saying.
Too true, my friend. All too true. We had that coming.
Sean writes: You're list on why you hate the Pats was really cute. Looks like the fans are just like the players, whiny little b*****. Why don't you spew some venom on your choker quarterback who has let his fans down like what, 20 times in big games?? You guys pay good money for tickets to see those choker losers and they reward you guys with sub-par play time and time again. Dungy gets fired from Tampa Bay and what happens the next year? Manning leaves Tennessee and what happens the next year? I never understand why you guys support your brides-maid team year in and year out. We'll see your loser team in Foxboro in January and beat them yet AGAIN.
Here's my list on why i hate the Colts:
1. They are a bunch of losers with loser fans.
Manning chokes YET AGAIN!!
LEWSERS!!
At first I thought Sean was being satirical as well. I wrote to thank him for hilariously mocking the Pats fans who blame Manning for everything because apparently they think football is a game played by two men at a time, and Manning is a choker because he threw two perfect TDs that his wideouts dropped and was blindsided on consecutive possessions by a line that decided to imitate a sieve. Incredibly, as it turns out Sean was serious! I then chided him for his spelling. He replies (and I'm serious):
That's a Jim Carrey line from Ace Ventura, Einstein. The LEW is accented. Get it?
Oh I'm sorry, Sean. I stand corrected. It was my mistake to think that we were living in 2007 and to expect a reference from this century (or at least from a movie classic enough to be worth quoting a dozen years later). You've done it Sean! Your wit and wisdom have bested me.
A couple of quick notes: 18 Plays will be up late tonight or tomorrow morning. Also, Pats fans keep commenting on old posts from the weekend, but oddly enough no one has anything to say about "Let me be very clear." Huh. Curious.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Let me be very clear. . .
about the 'noise' issue at the RCA Dome. I don't believe the Colts pipe in noise. I don't believe the CBS tape is proof of anything other than audio difficulties at CBS (and seriously folks, do you really think they only run one 'track'? That's why Nantz's audio could be ok and the crowd noise distorted). Apparently, Colin Cowherd said they cross checked it with the radio audio from both the Colts and the Pats and the radio broadcasts didn't have the same distortion.
BUT. . . If the Colts did pump in crowd noise it would be cheating. It would merit the loss of a first round draft pick (or in this case a second and a third, since the Colts don't have a first). It would be an egregious crime against the game. Bill Polian should resign and no longer be considered by anyone for the Hall of Fame. Tony Dungy should resign if he actually had anything to do with it (which I doubt very seriously he would even be in a position to know about it). He should also not be considered for the hall.
And you know what Pats fans. . . I'd be ok with all that. Cheating is wrong. There is no place for it. Consequences should be swift and harsh. If it's proven to the same degree of certainty that Belichick's crimes were PROVEN and admitted by him, then this should be the punishment. No question.
I don't think they did anything, and I'll be shocked if anything comes of this, but I hope for a full investigation. I will be FURIOUS at the team if something is proven. Look, I'm a baseball fan, so I understand 'gamesmanship'. Stealing signs (non electronically) is legal in baseball. Doing things like painting the visitor's locker room pink to get an edge are fine. Violating SPECIFIC LEAGUE DIRECTIVES is wrong. We slammed Belichick for it (though not as hard as our readers wanted), and we tease the Pats fans about being cheaters. If it turns out that our team really did do these things, we will be rightly irate. The rules are their for a reason and ought to be followed.
No hypocrisy here, Pats fans. We won't defend a moral degenerate just because he wears our colors. There is simply no place in the game for cheating. I still can't figure out why the Pats defend their slug of a coach.
UPDATE: The Colts have been cleared. It was all CBS. Sorry folks. Try again.
BUT. . . If the Colts did pump in crowd noise it would be cheating. It would merit the loss of a first round draft pick (or in this case a second and a third, since the Colts don't have a first). It would be an egregious crime against the game. Bill Polian should resign and no longer be considered by anyone for the Hall of Fame. Tony Dungy should resign if he actually had anything to do with it (which I doubt very seriously he would even be in a position to know about it). He should also not be considered for the hall.
And you know what Pats fans. . . I'd be ok with all that. Cheating is wrong. There is no place for it. Consequences should be swift and harsh. If it's proven to the same degree of certainty that Belichick's crimes were PROVEN and admitted by him, then this should be the punishment. No question.
I don't think they did anything, and I'll be shocked if anything comes of this, but I hope for a full investigation. I will be FURIOUS at the team if something is proven. Look, I'm a baseball fan, so I understand 'gamesmanship'. Stealing signs (non electronically) is legal in baseball. Doing things like painting the visitor's locker room pink to get an edge are fine. Violating SPECIFIC LEAGUE DIRECTIVES is wrong. We slammed Belichick for it (though not as hard as our readers wanted), and we tease the Pats fans about being cheaters. If it turns out that our team really did do these things, we will be rightly irate. The rules are their for a reason and ought to be followed.
No hypocrisy here, Pats fans. We won't defend a moral degenerate just because he wears our colors. There is simply no place in the game for cheating. I still can't figure out why the Pats defend their slug of a coach.
UPDATE: The Colts have been cleared. It was all CBS. Sorry folks. Try again.
The Morning After
So I'm still not exactly sure how I feel today. The weird thing is that there are still a lot of games to play but it feels like there shouldn't be. I was pondering where this loss ranked among the tough losses we've had through the years, and the answer is, I have no idea. Obviously, if we miss out of the #1 seed by a game, it'll hurt more, but I honestly thought that it wouldn't matter before the game, so I'm not really even depressed today. I see New England going 15-1 and Indy going about 14-2 or 13-3. The two seed seems fairly secure, and hopefully the team can come off the mat with a tough win next week in San Diego.
These are my thoughts of day:
1. There are a lot of pissed off people in New England today. A lot of people lost a lot of money on that game because they bet the Pats. That makes me smile.
2. The Patriots seem rather surly even though they won. Their aura of invincibility was irrevocably shattered yesterday, and I don't think they like it.
3. What's with Belichick being an ass to Dungy? I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I sort of am. Is this really over the comments Dungy said after the cheating? If you read those comments, they really weren't much. He seemed to be saying it was a shame that people will taint their accomplishments the way people look at Barry Bonds. BB is a psycho. He must be a very unhappy man.
4. The coverage seems to go in two veins: some people say NE is going 19-0 because Indy can't possibly win there. Others seem to realize that this was about more than a win and a loss, because that won't matter much in the end. This was about NE getting exposed by a team that was down 5 starters. Indy is perfectly capable of winning in Foxborough, as they've shown the last two years. I actually think the bad weather will hurt NE more than Indy, but I've made that point for weeks and even I'm sick of saying it.
5. There were a couple, not many, of weird comments about Manning. Um, he played pretty great folks. His receivers dropped two TD passes or this game isn't close. His left tackle was a disaster, and he was throwing balls to Aaron Moorehead. This one isn't on him. He out played Brady, who had all his weapons, but other than Moss bailing his high throws out all day, didn't really look that good. He did have a nice scramble for a big first down and threw a nice ball to Stallworth and two good tosses to Welker at the end, but this game was about people other than Manning and Brady. Both had good throws and bad throws.
6. I'm glad the D is pissed. Honestly, I'm ok with their 'collapse' because they still held the Pats to 24, but they clearly felt they should have held them to 10 or so. That's the right attitude. Bring that fire Sunday night, will you?
7. I'm pretty much right in line with Kravitz's take which sounds like things we said here yesterday. Honestly, the red zone failures yesterday had as much to do with personnel losses as anything. No Harrison and no AG meant that Clark could be blanketed all day. The FO Comments mention that as well.
8. Randy Moss is the unquestioned MVP of the NFL. I can't honestly understand how there is even a debate about this. Can someone explain to me how an argument can be made for anyone else. As far as the Tim Jennings thing goes, don't ask me. It's utterly inexplicable. He must be fast, because he's not good at much else. He did almost have a pick on a nice jump of a route against Moss yesterday, but that was the only play I saw him make. There isn't anything else to say about him that hasn't already be screamed.
9. Thanks to all of you for reading! I had a good time with the live game blog and we passed 1000 hits in a day for the first time, so that was cool. Win or lose, 18to88.com will be here for you to comiserate with. I'm actually not surprised by the lack of blowback from the Pats fans. I think we all know that game could have gone either way, and there isn't any point in blowing crap until January when all hell will break loose.
10. I'm not going to post a lot of links today or tomorrow unless they are really strong. I'm exhausted by the past week, and sort of tired of the talk. We will be doing 18 Plays tonight, so look for that tomorrow.
11. About the noise glitch on CBS. . . seriously people, get over this story. Some idiots actually think that the technical glitch they saw on TV was what things sounded like in the dome. I hope the league does a full investigation so the morons can stop their yapping. NOT EVERYONE CHEATS PATS FANS! Just because your coach is a freak doesn't mean the whole world is. Give it up.
Like I said, I'm not really depressed at all; I'm irritated and a little pissed off. I imagine the Colts feel the same way.
These are my thoughts of day:
1. There are a lot of pissed off people in New England today. A lot of people lost a lot of money on that game because they bet the Pats. That makes me smile.
2. The Patriots seem rather surly even though they won. Their aura of invincibility was irrevocably shattered yesterday, and I don't think they like it.
3. What's with Belichick being an ass to Dungy? I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I sort of am. Is this really over the comments Dungy said after the cheating? If you read those comments, they really weren't much. He seemed to be saying it was a shame that people will taint their accomplishments the way people look at Barry Bonds. BB is a psycho. He must be a very unhappy man.
4. The coverage seems to go in two veins: some people say NE is going 19-0 because Indy can't possibly win there. Others seem to realize that this was about more than a win and a loss, because that won't matter much in the end. This was about NE getting exposed by a team that was down 5 starters. Indy is perfectly capable of winning in Foxborough, as they've shown the last two years. I actually think the bad weather will hurt NE more than Indy, but I've made that point for weeks and even I'm sick of saying it.
5. There were a couple, not many, of weird comments about Manning. Um, he played pretty great folks. His receivers dropped two TD passes or this game isn't close. His left tackle was a disaster, and he was throwing balls to Aaron Moorehead. This one isn't on him. He out played Brady, who had all his weapons, but other than Moss bailing his high throws out all day, didn't really look that good. He did have a nice scramble for a big first down and threw a nice ball to Stallworth and two good tosses to Welker at the end, but this game was about people other than Manning and Brady. Both had good throws and bad throws.
6. I'm glad the D is pissed. Honestly, I'm ok with their 'collapse' because they still held the Pats to 24, but they clearly felt they should have held them to 10 or so. That's the right attitude. Bring that fire Sunday night, will you?
7. I'm pretty much right in line with Kravitz's take which sounds like things we said here yesterday. Honestly, the red zone failures yesterday had as much to do with personnel losses as anything. No Harrison and no AG meant that Clark could be blanketed all day. The FO Comments mention that as well.
8. Randy Moss is the unquestioned MVP of the NFL. I can't honestly understand how there is even a debate about this. Can someone explain to me how an argument can be made for anyone else. As far as the Tim Jennings thing goes, don't ask me. It's utterly inexplicable. He must be fast, because he's not good at much else. He did almost have a pick on a nice jump of a route against Moss yesterday, but that was the only play I saw him make. There isn't anything else to say about him that hasn't already be screamed.
9. Thanks to all of you for reading! I had a good time with the live game blog and we passed 1000 hits in a day for the first time, so that was cool. Win or lose, 18to88.com will be here for you to comiserate with. I'm actually not surprised by the lack of blowback from the Pats fans. I think we all know that game could have gone either way, and there isn't any point in blowing crap until January when all hell will break loose.
10. I'm not going to post a lot of links today or tomorrow unless they are really strong. I'm exhausted by the past week, and sort of tired of the talk. We will be doing 18 Plays tonight, so look for that tomorrow.
11. About the noise glitch on CBS. . . seriously people, get over this story. Some idiots actually think that the technical glitch they saw on TV was what things sounded like in the dome. I hope the league does a full investigation so the morons can stop their yapping. NOT EVERYONE CHEATS PATS FANS! Just because your coach is a freak doesn't mean the whole world is. Give it up.
Like I said, I'm not really depressed at all; I'm irritated and a little pissed off. I imagine the Colts feel the same way.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Regrets and recriminations
Just got back from the game. Here are a few thoughts, some of them rage-filled and non-sensical:
1.) Congratulations to the Patriots for winning. They played about as well as I expected. They may very well go 16-0.
2.) Peyton Manning is better than Tom Brady.
3.) The Colts choked as a team today. Up 10 in the fourth quarter and they can't close it out. That's the definition of a choke job. I'm sorry, but it is.
4.) The Colts played well today. The game went down much the way I predicted in my post below. Joseph Addai is amazing. Manning played well, despite being down two receivers and his all important Left Tackle. The defense really impressed me, unfortunately they couldn't seal the deal.
5.) It's really boring to say, but field position cost the Colts huge today. Well, that and poor play by the O-line in the second half. And a completely unbelievable dropped ball by Reggie Wayne. Okay, there are a few things to blame.
6.) The Colts will play in Foxborough in January. That's what is so frustrating about this loss. All week I've been saying to myself and others that this game wasn't that important. And in many ways it wasn't. It certainly proved nothing about who the best team is. But because of the Pats joke of a schedule it absolutely means the Colts will not get the 1 seed. That's the legacy of this game. That's what will be so depressing to all of us for the rest of the regular season.
7.) Let the Marvin Harrison vigil begin.
8.) The Colts need to beat San Diego next week and do everything possible to forget this game ever happened. Play them one at a time and if the Colts are lucky they'll take the field on January 21st, 2008 at Gilette Stadium.
9.) They'll beat them next time.
1.) Congratulations to the Patriots for winning. They played about as well as I expected. They may very well go 16-0.
2.) Peyton Manning is better than Tom Brady.
3.) The Colts choked as a team today. Up 10 in the fourth quarter and they can't close it out. That's the definition of a choke job. I'm sorry, but it is.
4.) The Colts played well today. The game went down much the way I predicted in my post below. Joseph Addai is amazing. Manning played well, despite being down two receivers and his all important Left Tackle. The defense really impressed me, unfortunately they couldn't seal the deal.
5.) It's really boring to say, but field position cost the Colts huge today. Well, that and poor play by the O-line in the second half. And a completely unbelievable dropped ball by Reggie Wayne. Okay, there are a few things to blame.
6.) The Colts will play in Foxborough in January. That's what is so frustrating about this loss. All week I've been saying to myself and others that this game wasn't that important. And in many ways it wasn't. It certainly proved nothing about who the best team is. But because of the Pats joke of a schedule it absolutely means the Colts will not get the 1 seed. That's the legacy of this game. That's what will be so depressing to all of us for the rest of the regular season.
7.) Let the Marvin Harrison vigil begin.
8.) The Colts need to beat San Diego next week and do everything possible to forget this game ever happened. Play them one at a time and if the Colts are lucky they'll take the field on January 21st, 2008 at Gilette Stadium.
9.) They'll beat them next time.
"The Charlie Johnson Game"
Before the season, the Footballoutsiders predicted a decline for the Colts offense due to replacing Tarik Glenn with Tony Ugoh. What you saw today is what the Colts offense would look like if they had actually replaced Glenn with a lesser player. Charlie Johnson was consistently awful today. His false start pushed the Colts back on the field goal drive and he gave up the sacks on the next to last Colts possession. There were lots of key plays and players in that game, but Johnson's play was unforgivably bad.
Come back soon, Tony Ugoh. We miss you.
Come back soon, Tony Ugoh. We miss you.
DZ's running game blog
PREGAME:
I'm sick today. I've had a horrible cold all weekend, but I'm going to man up enough to type (yeah, I know, save your crap for someone else). Before the game let's be clear about some things:
1. I think Indy wins and easily. I don't think the Pats get to 25 points.
2. No matter what happens today my opinion about the following issues will not be changed:
A. The Pats won't beat Indy in January even if the game is played in NE
B. Peyton Manning is a better QB than Tom Brady
C. New England is a great team who I hate
Don't try arguing about these things with me. I don't want to hear it. Today's game is meaningless either way, and I'll say that again after we blow these guys out.
3. I'm more worried about Tony Ugoh's health than Marvin Harrison's.
4. THE PACERS ARE 3-0! Hey, let's celebrate while we can. I think that teams respond to coaching changes, but that effect is often temporary. O'Brien has his players ears for now. I hope it lasts.
5. They sunk Notre Dame's battleship! I'm Irish and from Indiana, so I at least passively root for ND usually. Not yesterday. I don't know if it is the joy of watching Weiss lose or what, but that was fun.
6. Demond just informed me that Harrison and Ugoh are both out. That sucks, but doesn't really change my opinions about this game.
7. Vince Young is 14/20 for just 110 yards and 2 picks. But Carolina's O is horrible, 13-0 Titans. He just wins games doesn't he? Barf.
8. The J-holes and Chargers both suffer bad losses. Does anyone want to be #3 in this conference? Adrian Peterson is a freak of nature. That game could have been 50-10.
9. That last point sounds like Peter King wrote it. That's a bad thing.
10. Demond called to say, "It's loud as hell in here". I could barely hear him
IT'S GAME TIME!
QUARTER ONE:
I'm sick today. I've had a horrible cold all weekend, but I'm going to man up enough to type (yeah, I know, save your crap for someone else). Before the game let's be clear about some things:
1. I think Indy wins and easily. I don't think the Pats get to 25 points.
2. No matter what happens today my opinion about the following issues will not be changed:
A. The Pats won't beat Indy in January even if the game is played in NE
B. Peyton Manning is a better QB than Tom Brady
C. New England is a great team who I hate
Don't try arguing about these things with me. I don't want to hear it. Today's game is meaningless either way, and I'll say that again after we blow these guys out.
3. I'm more worried about Tony Ugoh's health than Marvin Harrison's.
4. THE PACERS ARE 3-0! Hey, let's celebrate while we can. I think that teams respond to coaching changes, but that effect is often temporary. O'Brien has his players ears for now. I hope it lasts.
5. They sunk Notre Dame's battleship! I'm Irish and from Indiana, so I at least passively root for ND usually. Not yesterday. I don't know if it is the joy of watching Weiss lose or what, but that was fun.
6. Demond just informed me that Harrison and Ugoh are both out. That sucks, but doesn't really change my opinions about this game.
7. Vince Young is 14/20 for just 110 yards and 2 picks. But Carolina's O is horrible, 13-0 Titans. He just wins games doesn't he? Barf.
8. The J-holes and Chargers both suffer bad losses. Does anyone want to be #3 in this conference? Adrian Peterson is a freak of nature. That game could have been 50-10.
9. That last point sounds like Peter King wrote it. That's a bad thing.
10. Demond called to say, "It's loud as hell in here". I could barely hear him
IT'S GAME TIME!
QUARTER ONE:
- Colts won the toss. That sucks. I love starting the 2nd half with the ball.
- Getting Addai involved early is awesome. I'm shaking so hard I can barely type. I hate being sick.
- Big drop by Wayne. He makes that play in his sleep.
- Watching Charlie Johnson block on the edge was encouraging.
- Manning gets them with hard count. Not in the stats, but a sign of his greatness.
- The challenge slows the game down and puts the Colts rhythm at risk. Can they overcome a 2nd and 10 plus the slow down? I'm commenting every play. Must slow down.
- Never mind. I forget about how I've been saying for weeks that the Pats can't stop the run.
- Huge first down run by Addai. The Pats whiffed by drafting Marooney.
- Great play by Seymour. Forces a tough third and long. Johnson's choke job forces the Colts into a give up play. AV yanks the kick. That's a rough start. We all know they can move the ball easily on the Pats; points are what count.
- Mathis (aka the Invisible Man) shows up large early. 3rd and longs are must stops in this game.
- Great job by the cover two. No points for the Pats. Good pressure by the line kept Brady from looking downfield.
- Addai shows why I think we'll win in January regardless of location. THE PATS CAN'T STOP THE RUN.
- Pass int saves a TD for the Pats. AG beats his man like a drum.
- Does Keith fumble...if he did I'll kill him
- No fumble, 3rd and goal. RUN THE BALL AGAIN.
- AG loses the ball. Settle for a suck FG. Should have been 6.
- Hey! There's our sucky kick coverage! Glad you're back boys...we missed you.
- Moss hears footsteps but makes the catch
- A Big 3rd and 1 for the Pats is coming up. But that's next quarter. This quarter saw Indy dominate but let the Pats off the hook, due in large part to a horrible false start that pushed the field goal attempt back. The Pats were held off the board for a quarter which helps dispel the myth of their 'unstoppable' offense. The kick coverage really hurt them on this drive, giving Brady a short field.
QUARTER TWO:
- No QB is as effective when under pressure.
- No surprise that NE is running the draws. The Colts are down to some really crappy LBs. It's hurting their ability to stop the run. This isn't the same defense without Keiaho OR Hagler
- Let's see if the Pats WRs are more sure handed than AG...yup, Moss beats Tim Jennings (WHY IS TIM JENNINGS-aka worst corner ever-on Moss)
- The difference in this game is a missed FG and a dropped TD pass. Frustrating start, but it still seems unlikely that the Pats put up more than 24 points, unless the kick coverage goes to hell a few more times.
- Big play for Addai catching the ball. You feel like he's going to break one long today.
- Nice block Charlie.
- Addai is a beast. Yet more reason he kicks Marooney's ass-he can catch the ball
- Terrible, terrible pass int call. Payback is awesome. I hate that fade route to Morehead.
- Good coverage on 3rd and 5. I hate wasting a down on that first down fade.
- This next drive will decide what type of game it'll be. If NE scores, it might be an up and down game. A stop...and I think we are looking at 30-20
- SOME JACKHOLE IN MY BUILDING JUST TOOK OUT THE CABLE!
- Ok, it's back just in time to watch Moss get scared of catching a ball in traffic.
- 3rd and 7, play of the game right here and Moss beats Jennings. Someone needs to stop putting Jennings on Moss. I heard that would be the matchup all week, but it makes no sense. Jennings is the worst corner on the team.
- We really miss the linebackers.
- I'm done till halftime, I'm missing too much by blogging.
- Ok, I lied. First off, Cold Case made 100 Episodes? The only thing more improbable would Shark making 100 eps.
- Also, Indy needs to use timeouts on D here. This is why I hate losing the toss. NE has a shot of getting the dreaded two straight possession. The Colts need to preserve the clock for a 2 minute FG drive regardless of what NE does here.
- Um, that crap doesn't work against good teams, Tommy.
- I think the Pats must have taken that timeout, there Jimmy (unless that happened to have been a first down).
- Not a bad little half drive by the Colts. You can't be too aggressive or risk giving them the ball back with great position and lots of time.
- JOE MAHFREAKING ADDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAI
Half time comment: This game should be 20-7. A dropped TD and a missed FG, or NE would be in dire straights right now. Let's go and win this bad boy. Demond called. He's already hoarse. He's been screaming for an hour and a half.
Third Quarter:
- Marlin Jackson is a real man. Great plays by Hayden and Jackson force a punt. Look, NE is good, but they've played some horrible teams. Let's just bury this ridiculous "unstoppable offense" crap about NE. They are good, and they might win this game, but Indy has proven that even down a handful of LBs, that NE can be controlled. This is a good, even great team, but they are not some invincible force of nature.
- That was a bad pick. Very Bradyesque, Peyton.
- Mathis destroys Brady again. Huge play coming on 3rd down.
- Wow, sucks to play on the road boys. Pats can't even score when in FG range to start a drive. Bullet...consider yourself dodged.
- Both offenses look out of sync. But the Colts do an amazing job of covering a huge punt despite flags against NE for unsportsmanlike conduct. The D needs one more big stop to hold the momentum.
- What an absolutely amazing game. The Colts almost get the stop, but Brady escapes the heat, and then Bob Sanders blows up a 3rd and 2. That was a great drive by NE, and Moss's catch was superlative. I think I've settled back into calm appreciation for the teams playing. These are the two best teams in the NFL and nothing definitive will be decided today. NE had has some tough calls go against them, and Indy is down 5 starters. That's life. There shouldn't be any excuses today.
- To end the third quarter Wayne drops a TD pass and Welker rips off a long return. I think we are all worried about the stamina of the defense in the fourth quarter, but they end the third quarter in fine fashion, stopping the run.
FOURTH QUARTER
- GARY MAFRICKIN BRACKET!!! Amazing play. That's how he made the Pro Bowl two years ago. The Pats implode with a personal foul call.
- Horrible play calling. HOLY CRAP WHAT A CATCH BY CLARK. Manning avoids the hit and delivers a huge first down.
- Manning and Addai are huge as the Colts pull ahead by 10 under 10 to play. This game feels like it's being played in 1957. It ought to be watched in black and white. It's old school all the way.
- Tough break as Bethea doesn't get deep enough on Moss. Bob Sanders getting hurt is both devastating and sort of predictable. I bet he comes back. If he doesn't, it's because he's out for the year.
- I know two guys are hurt in the secondary, but they are also the best tacklers out there. If the Pats run the ball twice, it's a 3 point game.
- Demond calls to say Bob is back in the game.
- Great catch by Welker. This barn is officially burning.
- It's time for a "Baltimore Drive"
- I fear Lilja just killed this drive. Oh wait, Diem just helped! Hey, Charlie Johnson helped too! Nice job O line. Way to kill that drive.
- Yeah, I don't like our chances right now.
- Big mistake not challenging the Stallworth catch. He bobbled it when it was OB. Well, there are the 24 points for the Patriots. Might it be that Brady FINALLY had a game winning TD drive? Our line is playing so bad...I like his chances.
- Ugh, watching Morehead drop that pass was almost hilarious.
- And so ends a pretty frustrating game, assuming the Pats get a first down. The line play was just not strong enough at the end. This goes back to what I said hours ago. I saw nothing here today to change my opinions of these teams. AV missed a FG, AG drops a TD, Wayne drops a TD. This game could have gone the other way just as easily. NE will lose games this year, and will lose in January. I think a healthy Indy wins this game going away. That's not an excuse; NE did what they had to do and they won, but they didn't convince me they were the better team. Just the better team at the end today.
Patriots Pre-game
I really hate these guys. I'll be rooting as much for the Patriots to lose today as I will be for the Colts to win. This game is difficult to predict because of the injuries to Marvin Harrison, Tony Ugoh, and Freddy Keiaho. The presence of each would have a major impact on the game. Marvin greatly limits your options as a defense because you don't want to leave him with single coverage very often. Tony Ugoh's run blocking is critical in a game like this. And do you really want to face that offense with Rocky Boiman playing a major role?
The national experts were much more split in their predictions than I figured they would be, but the media hype-meter undoubtedly points to the Patriots. The Colts are underdogs in a building where they've won 14 consecutive games. The Colts almost never play the respect card, but today they come in with a chip on their shoulder.
I liked what I saw from the Cleveland and Dallas rushing offenses earlier in the season. Today is not a day where you worry about preserving Addai. You hand it to him 25 times and throw it to him 12 times. The Colts are going to come out swinging and grab a sizable lead. It's a much tougher game without the injured players, but I still have a good feeling about this game. I think Indy hangs on for a 34-28 win.
The national experts were much more split in their predictions than I figured they would be, but the media hype-meter undoubtedly points to the Patriots. The Colts are underdogs in a building where they've won 14 consecutive games. The Colts almost never play the respect card, but today they come in with a chip on their shoulder.
I liked what I saw from the Cleveland and Dallas rushing offenses earlier in the season. Today is not a day where you worry about preserving Addai. You hand it to him 25 times and throw it to him 12 times. The Colts are going to come out swinging and grab a sizable lead. It's a much tougher game without the injured players, but I still have a good feeling about this game. I think Indy hangs on for a 34-28 win.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Because 18 just wasn't enough
Are you seething yet? Are you sick of the hype, the hoodie, and all things New England? Then check out
88 Reasons to Hate the New England Patriots
I want to give special thanks to those readers who contributed especially Colts Girl Brandy, Darnell and Joel whose entries made the list in some form or another.
In other news, I will be doing a live game blog tomorrow. For reasons not worth going into, I can't make it down to Indy for the game, so Demond will be screaming his lungs out alone, and I'll be stuck here with most of you. Not that I'm bitter.
88 Reasons to Hate the New England Patriots
I want to give special thanks to those readers who contributed especially Colts Girl Brandy, Darnell and Joel whose entries made the list in some form or another.
In other news, I will be doing a live game blog tomorrow. For reasons not worth going into, I can't make it down to Indy for the game, so Demond will be screaming his lungs out alone, and I'll be stuck here with most of you. Not that I'm bitter.
Devil Power
Good on ya' boys! The Pike Red Devils captured their first sectional championship in football last night. The week before they controlled Ben Davis on the road. It's been amazing to see the transformation in the major sports for Pike in just barely more than a decade. We had been competitive in basketball under Ed Siegal for many years, but nothing could have prepared us for the run of glory that occurred in the late 90s and beyond. And now, to actually be relevant in football...It's a little hard to believe, but awesome nonetheless. Anyone who's ever won a sectional knows it's a thrill, but you gotta keep winning. Losing in the regional baseball finals two years in a row still hurts me very much, so I hope the boys have another great effort in them next week. The dome is oh so close now....
Welcome to Colts-Pats Weekend!!!
Wilco has a special message for the Patriots:
DZ comments: I love Wilco. Does my love for Wilco make me cool enough to offset the fact that I breathlessly posted about the X-Files last night? No? Oh, ok. I'll just go sit over there in the corner...
DZ comments: I love Wilco. Does my love for Wilco make me cool enough to offset the fact that I breathlessly posted about the X-Files last night? No? Oh, ok. I'll just go sit over there in the corner...
Friday, November 2, 2007
This just in...Danny Granger is good
Two and oh for the Blue and Gold! Another sweet win at home is exactly what this team needed to help reenergize its fan base. Danny Granger is playing incredibly well off the bat, and a second straight win over the kind of Eastern Conference club they have to beat is where it's at. The Heat might not have D-Wade healthy, but that's all the more reason to get them now. I really want to see this team get off to a good start to give us something to care about come late February. Watching the Colts let free agents walk really isn't my idea of a fun spring.
Pats place RB Sammy Morris on IR
The New England Patriots placed Running Back Sammy Morris on the Injured Reserve today. We're about to find out if Laurence Maroney is durable enough to carry a team to the Super Bowl. This is a serious blow to the boys from Foxborough. Morris was the team's leading rusher with 384 yards and 3 touchdowns. This could be one of those injuries that doesn't fully catch up to the team until playoff time. Massachusetts in January is cold and wet. You better be able to pound opposing defenses with the run.
88 hurtin'
It sucks that Marvin is so banged up. It's chilling to think this might be the beginning of the end for him. I hope he plays on Sunday and throws up some sick game just as a giant screw you to the universe. This is a different team when he's healthy, which is scary because they've steam rolled three straight solid defenses without him. His greatness has a been a joy to watch for a long time now, and if this is the harbinger of the end for him, we won't ever forget his greatness. Go back and read 88 reasons to love Marvin Harrison one more time. For old time sakes if nothing else.
Demond Sanders: The good news is that the Colts are firmly denying this rumor. Unlike the Patriots, you can usually count on the Colts not to lie to the public. I don't think this is the end for Marvin. I believe he's right in the middle of a stretch that twenty years from now we'll refer to as The Super Bowl Years. People can attribute this lingering problem to old age, but the truth is it was a fluke injury. Addai ran into him. Look at Andre Johnson with Houston. He's missed half a season with a knee injury. Age has little to do with it.
Demond Sanders: The good news is that the Colts are firmly denying this rumor. Unlike the Patriots, you can usually count on the Colts not to lie to the public. I don't think this is the end for Marvin. I believe he's right in the middle of a stretch that twenty years from now we'll refer to as The Super Bowl Years. People can attribute this lingering problem to old age, but the truth is it was a fluke injury. Addai ran into him. Look at Andre Johnson with Houston. He's missed half a season with a knee injury. Age has little to do with it.
The Hall should boycott him
Ah, so Barry Bonds doesn't want to be part of the Hall of Fame if it accepts his asterisk laden 756 ball? Big fricken deal. He shouldn't be in anyway.
Everyone complains about Pete Rose tarnishing the game, but what Pete did 1. had no affect on actual game outcomes and 2. had no bearing on his career as a player. Pete should have been banned for life, and from the Hall as a manager (not that he could have gotten in on that count anyway!), but his role in baseball as a player was never questioned, and thus should be in the hall as a player.
Bonds on the other hand...CHANGED GAMES AND SEASONS BY CHEATING AND BY BREAKING THE LAW. Let's all be adult here. No, he never failed a test. Neither did Marian Jones who endured OLYMPIC LEVEL TESTING constantly. She passed every one. And guess what, she admitted she was doped to the gills by the same exact people that drugged up Bonds. Innocent until proven guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt isn't a moral code, it's a legal standard. The 'moral' standard as set by the 'Judeo-Christian ethic' is the testimony of multiple witnesses. Bonds may not be legally guilty (yet), but I do believe there has been more than enough evidence and witnesses for the public to know what happen. Even OJ beat the courts (sort of), and there is little question that he killed his wife (another court using different standards even said so). Should Bonds go to jail without more evidence? No, of course not; a man's freedom is too valuable to take away without overwhelming proof. That doesn't change what we all know happened and what has been repeatedly and regularly documented (thanks San Fran Chronicle).
Bonds doesn't belong in the Hall, and I would love it if he didn't show up. He tarnished the game far deeper than Rose did. His cheating endangered lives and altered history.
Everyone complains about Pete Rose tarnishing the game, but what Pete did 1. had no affect on actual game outcomes and 2. had no bearing on his career as a player. Pete should have been banned for life, and from the Hall as a manager (not that he could have gotten in on that count anyway!), but his role in baseball as a player was never questioned, and thus should be in the hall as a player.
Bonds on the other hand...CHANGED GAMES AND SEASONS BY CHEATING AND BY BREAKING THE LAW. Let's all be adult here. No, he never failed a test. Neither did Marian Jones who endured OLYMPIC LEVEL TESTING constantly. She passed every one. And guess what, she admitted she was doped to the gills by the same exact people that drugged up Bonds. Innocent until proven guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt isn't a moral code, it's a legal standard. The 'moral' standard as set by the 'Judeo-Christian ethic' is the testimony of multiple witnesses. Bonds may not be legally guilty (yet), but I do believe there has been more than enough evidence and witnesses for the public to know what happen. Even OJ beat the courts (sort of), and there is little question that he killed his wife (another court using different standards even said so). Should Bonds go to jail without more evidence? No, of course not; a man's freedom is too valuable to take away without overwhelming proof. That doesn't change what we all know happened and what has been repeatedly and regularly documented (thanks San Fran Chronicle).
Bonds doesn't belong in the Hall, and I would love it if he didn't show up. He tarnished the game far deeper than Rose did. His cheating endangered lives and altered history.
Hate still to come
We should have the 88 Reasons We Hate the New England Patriots up this evening. I really am going to to limit the links today. For one, I'm busy most of the day, and two: I'm really sick of it. So no links unless they are really good. Here's an example of a good one:
Cold Hard Football Facts tracks the Manning/Brady rivalry, and names it the best ever. I'm inclined to agree. I think we'll be talking about these games for decades.
Len Pasquarelli's piece merits a link today. He delineates how the two teams have been built. The Colts numbers are insane. They simply don't sign players who played on other teams. This should also tell everyone how amazing Adam Vinatieri is.
Cold Hard Football Facts tracks the Manning/Brady rivalry, and names it the best ever. I'm inclined to agree. I think we'll be talking about these games for decades.
Len Pasquarelli's piece merits a link today. He delineates how the two teams have been built. The Colts numbers are insane. They simply don't sign players who played on other teams. This should also tell everyone how amazing Adam Vinatieri is.
I'm a geek and I don't care
Because this made my day.
Demond Sanders: Whoaa. . . NERD ALERT. NERD ALLLLLERRRT. But seriously who am I to talk? I'm turning 27 and I asked for this for my birthday.
Demond Sanders: Whoaa. . . NERD ALERT. NERD ALLLLLERRRT. But seriously who am I to talk? I'm turning 27 and I asked for this for my birthday.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Eyes on the Prize
I've hit my saturation point. I can't hear anything else about this game. No more links from me unless they are really, really good. And hey, speaking of really really good, check out our Eyes in the Backfield for this week. Demond wrote #18, and I've been laughing out loud over it for about 15 minutes now. The hilarious thing is...everything he wrote really happened.
What actually will make the difference
This article reminds of blind hogs and mud, but Jeremy Green(!) has actually pointed out something relevant. The one thing that continues to encourage me all week is the physical play of our secondary. I expect the Pats to complete a lot of passes (upwards of 75%), but I expect their wideouts to get popped once they make the catch. I will be interested to see if they are still willing to go over the middle with as much aplomb in the 4th quarter as in first. I expect Welker to take some huge hits on Sunday.
Why this game isn't played at night
We complained about it months ago, and I think that had the league realized it would be two teams with a combined 15-0 record playing, they might have moved it, but the Colts and Pats are actually going to have to compete against two other NFL games on Sunday afternoon. Ugh. This game deserves it's own spotlight, but the reason it's not getting it is that the league had to appease CBS (who has now lucked into the two biggest games of the year in Dallas/NE and Indy/NE). This article suggests it could be the single highest rated afternoon game in history. I imagine CBS said, "Hey, we haven't had the Colts and Patriots for three straight years now, it's our crappy afternoon turn!" NBC got the Colts/Chargers (which 6 months ago seemed to have nearly identical potential) as a consolation. Still, it screws the fans (especially those who live in Houston and Oakland and apparently Cleveland...but those fan bases are used to getting screwed all the time anyway).
I hope you enjoy it CBS. This game should really have been played at night.
I hope you enjoy it CBS. This game should really have been played at night.
Greatest. Article. Ever...and a lot of other stuff
Want to have some fun today? Check out this gem on Zombie Bob Sanders. I had gone back and forth on Bob, wondering if the Colts could actually resign him to a huge deal when he is such a huge injury risk. The answer is obvious. They can't afford not to resign him. If he finishes this year healthy, possibly the best option would be to franchise him for a year. Something tells me they are more likely to do that with Clark, and try to sign Sanders. He's a freaking beast.
This week has me thinking about the passage in "Quiet Strength" where Dungy had to prepare his Bucs to play the 99 Rams. All the pregame talk by the Colts has me thinking they are using the same emotional strategy...be a tornado vs. a hurricane. Somewhere, Belichick is standing on a hill outside Foxborough shouting, "DUNGY! YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD! I READ YOUR BOOOOOOOOOOK!" Oh, for the record, the Bucs had that game won, until they got jobbed by the refs. I'm starting to wonder if this game doesn't end with Wes Welker getting carted off the field after going over the middle against a team that actually hits.
- In other news. . . Gil Brandt checks out key matchups. Really? Harrison on Clark? Didn't the Pats just get Thomas to cover Clark? At this point isn't he a lot faster than our HGH hero Rodney Harrison (yeah, remember, the Pats have cheated in more than one way this year)?
- FO covers the various prop bets.
- John D sends us this great Frank DeFord article that says this game is worth the hype.
- Here's a funny "separated at birth" piece found on the BlogRush network.
Here's another off the network. . . one blogger's hilarious/crude response to ESPN's power rankings this week. Much of it was written in crayon. . . also from the network, a Seattle fan breaks down the game. - CHFF takes a look at the Dungy vs. Belchick matchup which is closer than most people would guess. Belchick does get the nod based on his three rings, which unlike the QB debate, is a valid point in gauging head coaches. QBs are one player among many; Head Coaches are the guy most directly responsible for the team's preparation and play. If Dungy wins a second Super Bowl, however, it'll be hard not to place him ahead of Belichick. SI says they couldn't be more different.
- Reader Josh Brown throws us this great site from which you can pick stylish apparel.
- SI does a pictorial retrospective on the Brady/Manning games.
- Hey! Great news! Whitlock likes the Pats! He also thinks Manning's not a big game QB! We are golden.
- The Czar thinks the Colts only have one All-Pro player. . . and he eats brains.
- DJ Gallo weighs in on the matchup in his own special way.
- Several Hall of Famers weigh in on Brady Vs Manning. The result? They end up picking no one. I really think this debate is beginning to wear out. I really do think that it's just more intense now more than ever because there are NO other names to throw out there. There are Manning, Brady and everyone else. Favre? Eh.
- Dr. Z breaks the teams down position by position. He gives the Pats a slim 5-4-2 lead on offense and a 6-4-1 lead on defense and picks the Pats.
- Scouts can't answer the $64,000 question any better than anyone else can.
- Scouts Inc breaks down the game, but they think the Pats have the advantage at QB, so how credible could they possibly be? Jeremy Green had Keith Kidd on his show today, and as it turns out, Kidd used to work for the Pats...hmmm, real nice collection of unbiased experts there Scouts Inc.
- Here's a great FO piece on the Patriots site "Outside Foxborough". It's all about the Colts cap construction and one of the best pieces of the day.
- John Clayton chimes in with a voice of reason. He's right; the Colts schedule is brutal. 14-2 would be a miracle season. The Pats have no business going less than 14-2 with the schedule they have.
Colts - Patriots Predictions?
Hey, do you remember that one game in New England when Tom Brady threw four crushing interceptions against the Colts? Or the game he threw the Big Pick? Sure you do. That was all just last season. One more hilarious collapse like those and we might be lucky enough to witness something like this:
Well maybe he won't start throwing the ball underhanded, but it would be nice to see Tommy Boy throw a few picks on his jump balls to Moss. Anyone care to share their Colts vs. Patriots predictions?
Well maybe he won't start throwing the ball underhanded, but it would be nice to see Tommy Boy throw a few picks on his jump balls to Moss. Anyone care to share their Colts vs. Patriots predictions?
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