PUNDITS GET AHEAD OF THEMSELVES, K-STATE FANS STRANDED & O-LINEMEN SHOULD BE IN HIGH DEMAND
I got two injections in my arthritic knee yesterday & I'm feeling poorly. I haven't been able to sleep in bed for a week now & catching an hour or two at a time in the TV bunker isn't getting it done. Can't spend too much time reading on the internet, it hurts too badly to sit in this chair for very long. Until I feel better, my posts will continue to be somewhat abbreviated. I'll try my best to keep you informed in a timely fashion, so check back. Thanks for bearing with me, I was really amazed to see that 366 of you stopped by here on Christmas Day, thank you for your loyalty.
As is our usual on Monday evening, we watched most of the MNF pregame show on ESPN. They got into a discussion about the perceived invincibility of the New England Patriots. Chris Berman asked the question "of the AFC playoff teams, who has the best chance to beat New England?" Mike Ditka gave the company line response, "anyone can beat anyone on any given Sunday." Thanks for that original thought coach. Tom Jackson said "Kansas City, because they have the most intimate working knowledge of the Patriots & how they prepare. With Scott Pioli, Todd Haley, Romeo Crennell, Charlie Weis, Otis Smith(DB ass't coach), Anthony Pleasant(D-line coach), Matt Cassel Mike Vrabel, the Chiefs have a wealth of experience they gained under Bill Belichick." Keyshawn Johnson agreed "Of all the ex-Patriots around the league Scott Pioli has assembled the biggest & the best group, I think they could beat New England, no one is invincible." Chris Carter thought both were insane & said so. Then this morning I was watching "Mike & Mike in the Morning" with Doug Gottlieb, Tim Hasselback & Derrick Brooks subbed for Greenie & Golic. Gottlieb asked them separately who was most likely to beat New England? Both responded with Kansas City & both thought they had a much better chance than anyone else to upset the Pats in Foxboro. This is all well & good, Chiefs' fans have complained for decades their team gets no respect. But shouldn't we be concerned with 1. beating Oakland this weekend 2. Winning Wildcard weekend & finally 3. Figuring a way to beat the Pats. I have no doubt Haley, Crennell & Weis will do everything in their power to keep their fledgling playoff contender firmly grounded. RB Thomas Jones is fresh off a playoff run with the Jets last season & I believe he too has valuable experience he can impart to his younger teammates. Fans need to take this same attitude, don't worry about the Patriots, worry about this week. If we win, then we can worry about next & so on, this team is not good enough to start looking ahead to New England, one at a time please.
It was nice seeing reports of fans lined up at Arrowhead yesterday for playoff tickets. Been too damn long hasn't it? I'd also like to note I haven't heard word one from my season-long Oakland & Denver detractors. What happened guys? No congratulatory emails or comments? No "we'll kick K.C.'s ass next season" trash talk? The days after Oakland pounded San Diego I got one obscenity-laced email after another warning of the Raiders impending AFC West Championship, but since they imploded in Jacksonville two weeks ago. Trash talking is just that, trash.
Miami & Notre Dame players now in El Paso for Friday's Sun Bowl have a new restriction in place. For the first time in the 75-year history of the Sun Bowl, both teams have been told to "stay out of Mexico." In the past, side trips over the border to Ciudad Juarez have been an annual part of Sun Bowl week. With the increase in drug gang violence just across the Rio Grande, bowl officials asked both teams to comply with the new restriction. Over 2,500 drug-related homicides have been reported in Juarez this calender year.
The idea behind the Pinstripe Bowl was admirable, but after this week in new York City, one has to wonder if the bowl game to be played in Yankee Stadium will survive to be played again next year. With record snowfalls in & around the New York area coupled with blizzard-like winds, members of the Kansas State Wildcats had to practice in their hotel ballroom. The Syracuse Orangemen haven't traveled to NYC yet, they can't even get their roster together in one place. Syracuse officials say they're missing 31 players as of Monday evening. Travel arrangements to get the MIA to upstate New York is moving at a snail's pace due to weather. Those Kansas State fans already in Manhattan, are basically confined to their hotel rooms. But others will be hard pressed to even get to NYC by Thursday for the 3:20 kickoff. This blizzard has made life for millions very difficult as many people from the other Manhattan, the one in Kansas, have discovered.
Both New York NFL teams have just now been able to return home from Sunday road games. The Jets, who played in Chicago, flew into Newburgh New York about 11 PM last night & then bussed into the city. The Giants, experiencing their 2nd travel nightmare in three weeks. They arrived at home about noon today. The G-Men were forced to stay in Kansas City for two nights after their flight to Minneapolis was scrubbed due to a blizzard in the Twin Cities. They ended up playing their game with the Vikings in Detroit after the roof of the Metrodome collapsed.
Charger owner Dean Spanos said this morning Norv Turner & GM A.J. Smith will return for the 2011 season. Speculation around the league as to other coaching jobs will begin to build as we approach the last week of the regular season.
Several websites are reporting that after interviewing several ex-Buckeyes, the "memorabilia for tattoos" deal has been going on in Columbus for sometime. I guess the thing that bothers me the most about this controversy is if I'm an Ohio State coach, university administrator or booster, players trading awards & championship rings for tattoos is really disappointing. It tells you where their priorities lie.
You could see a run on offensive linemen in next April's draft. If you wonder why, just look at the sack figures from the league's stat sheets. Many teams just can't protect their quarterbacks. Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Chicago, Green Bay, Washington, Tennessee & the entire NFC West have shown an increase in sacks surrendered. It's tough to win if you can't keep your QB on his feet. The blocking behemoths could see elevated draft status with increased demand. Increased demand means higher draft slots, which translates to more money.
The first top-15 ranked team to make a bowl appearance this season, the Missouri Tigers, will grace your television sets tonight in the Insight Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Black & Gold vs. Black & Gold. The 12th ranked Tigers will be looking for their 11th win of the season as the Hawks try to regain their footing after a very shaky Nov-Dec. They lost their last three games culminating with a humiliating 27-24 loss to a 2-9 Minnesota team. Their all-time leading receiver, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was dismissed from the team after he was charged with a variety of drug charges including "operating a drug house." Then leading rusher Adam Robinson was suspended & the school admitted they believed a number of scholarship athletes had found a way to beat drug tests. Coach Kirk Ferentz needs a win to get some positive buzz going again within his program. Iowa is certainly capable of winning this game & I believe they will give a great effort, but I see the Tigers prevailing 24-20. The game will be televised by ESPN starting at 10 ET.
As is our usual on Monday evening, we watched most of the MNF pregame show on ESPN. They got into a discussion about the perceived invincibility of the New England Patriots. Chris Berman asked the question "of the AFC playoff teams, who has the best chance to beat New England?" Mike Ditka gave the company line response, "anyone can beat anyone on any given Sunday." Thanks for that original thought coach. Tom Jackson said "Kansas City, because they have the most intimate working knowledge of the Patriots & how they prepare. With Scott Pioli, Todd Haley, Romeo Crennell, Charlie Weis, Otis Smith(DB ass't coach), Anthony Pleasant(D-line coach), Matt Cassel Mike Vrabel, the Chiefs have a wealth of experience they gained under Bill Belichick." Keyshawn Johnson agreed "Of all the ex-Patriots around the league Scott Pioli has assembled the biggest & the best group, I think they could beat New England, no one is invincible." Chris Carter thought both were insane & said so. Then this morning I was watching "Mike & Mike in the Morning" with Doug Gottlieb, Tim Hasselback & Derrick Brooks subbed for Greenie & Golic. Gottlieb asked them separately who was most likely to beat New England? Both responded with Kansas City & both thought they had a much better chance than anyone else to upset the Pats in Foxboro. This is all well & good, Chiefs' fans have complained for decades their team gets no respect. But shouldn't we be concerned with 1. beating Oakland this weekend 2. Winning Wildcard weekend & finally 3. Figuring a way to beat the Pats. I have no doubt Haley, Crennell & Weis will do everything in their power to keep their fledgling playoff contender firmly grounded. RB Thomas Jones is fresh off a playoff run with the Jets last season & I believe he too has valuable experience he can impart to his younger teammates. Fans need to take this same attitude, don't worry about the Patriots, worry about this week. If we win, then we can worry about next & so on, this team is not good enough to start looking ahead to New England, one at a time please.
It was nice seeing reports of fans lined up at Arrowhead yesterday for playoff tickets. Been too damn long hasn't it? I'd also like to note I haven't heard word one from my season-long Oakland & Denver detractors. What happened guys? No congratulatory emails or comments? No "we'll kick K.C.'s ass next season" trash talk? The days after Oakland pounded San Diego I got one obscenity-laced email after another warning of the Raiders impending AFC West Championship, but since they imploded in Jacksonville two weeks ago. Trash talking is just that, trash.
Miami & Notre Dame players now in El Paso for Friday's Sun Bowl have a new restriction in place. For the first time in the 75-year history of the Sun Bowl, both teams have been told to "stay out of Mexico." In the past, side trips over the border to Ciudad Juarez have been an annual part of Sun Bowl week. With the increase in drug gang violence just across the Rio Grande, bowl officials asked both teams to comply with the new restriction. Over 2,500 drug-related homicides have been reported in Juarez this calender year.
The idea behind the Pinstripe Bowl was admirable, but after this week in new York City, one has to wonder if the bowl game to be played in Yankee Stadium will survive to be played again next year. With record snowfalls in & around the New York area coupled with blizzard-like winds, members of the Kansas State Wildcats had to practice in their hotel ballroom. The Syracuse Orangemen haven't traveled to NYC yet, they can't even get their roster together in one place. Syracuse officials say they're missing 31 players as of Monday evening. Travel arrangements to get the MIA to upstate New York is moving at a snail's pace due to weather. Those Kansas State fans already in Manhattan, are basically confined to their hotel rooms. But others will be hard pressed to even get to NYC by Thursday for the 3:20 kickoff. This blizzard has made life for millions very difficult as many people from the other Manhattan, the one in Kansas, have discovered.
Both New York NFL teams have just now been able to return home from Sunday road games. The Jets, who played in Chicago, flew into Newburgh New York about 11 PM last night & then bussed into the city. The Giants, experiencing their 2nd travel nightmare in three weeks. They arrived at home about noon today. The G-Men were forced to stay in Kansas City for two nights after their flight to Minneapolis was scrubbed due to a blizzard in the Twin Cities. They ended up playing their game with the Vikings in Detroit after the roof of the Metrodome collapsed.
Charger owner Dean Spanos said this morning Norv Turner & GM A.J. Smith will return for the 2011 season. Speculation around the league as to other coaching jobs will begin to build as we approach the last week of the regular season.
Several websites are reporting that after interviewing several ex-Buckeyes, the "memorabilia for tattoos" deal has been going on in Columbus for sometime. I guess the thing that bothers me the most about this controversy is if I'm an Ohio State coach, university administrator or booster, players trading awards & championship rings for tattoos is really disappointing. It tells you where their priorities lie.
You could see a run on offensive linemen in next April's draft. If you wonder why, just look at the sack figures from the league's stat sheets. Many teams just can't protect their quarterbacks. Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Chicago, Green Bay, Washington, Tennessee & the entire NFC West have shown an increase in sacks surrendered. It's tough to win if you can't keep your QB on his feet. The blocking behemoths could see elevated draft status with increased demand. Increased demand means higher draft slots, which translates to more money.
The first top-15 ranked team to make a bowl appearance this season, the Missouri Tigers, will grace your television sets tonight in the Insight Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Black & Gold vs. Black & Gold. The 12th ranked Tigers will be looking for their 11th win of the season as the Hawks try to regain their footing after a very shaky Nov-Dec. They lost their last three games culminating with a humiliating 27-24 loss to a 2-9 Minnesota team. Their all-time leading receiver, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was dismissed from the team after he was charged with a variety of drug charges including "operating a drug house." Then leading rusher Adam Robinson was suspended & the school admitted they believed a number of scholarship athletes had found a way to beat drug tests. Coach Kirk Ferentz needs a win to get some positive buzz going again within his program. Iowa is certainly capable of winning this game & I believe they will give a great effort, but I see the Tigers prevailing 24-20. The game will be televised by ESPN starting at 10 ET.
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