SportsGirl

It’s become quite a routine for me. Another Monday morning, another week to re-cap a Patriots victory. 18-0 now, and counting hopefully. It’s a routine I won’t give up without some sadness. Because, win or lose, in two weeks this football season comes to an official close. Thank goodness for the impending draft! But the season is not done yet. The Christmas morning of football games, Super Bowl XLII, has yet to be played. (it’s 10x cooler to write XLII instead of 42)

So, ho hum, the Patriots won their game yesterday. Not necessarily in decisive fashion, but they won. After the game, Bill Belichick showed a rare display of emotion by conceding through those tight lips that this team loves each other. He used the L word! For Belichick, he was positively giddy. I know people knock this franchise for their reluctance to boogie down and celebrate the win, but I can’t blame them. In all honesty, none of this means anything unless they win in two weeks. If they lose in the SB, the sounds of the champagne being uncorked on the other side of the locker room will be echoed by the sound of the ‘72 Dolphins players uncorking their own bubbly. So I applaud Bill for keeping his players focused on the ultimate goal and for not thinking that it’s downhill from here. Because the Giants played them tough in the last week of the regular season and have arguably only improved (especially in terms of Manning’s confidence) since then.

So, the win yesterday wasn’t spectacular for the Pats. Brady was picked three times, including being intercepted once by Antonio Cromartie. Seriously, Cromartie may be replacing Randy Moss for the designation of “freak of nature”. He is so good! The good news from yesterday’s game is that we were reminded that Brady’s strong suit (as well as Belichick’s) is being able to adapt and change up who’s getting the ball in order to maximize the offense’s time on the field. Kevin Faulk had a great game and Laurence Maroney continues to show that he rivals Marion Barber as the hardest runner in the game. They even kind of look alike with those dreads flowing out of their helmets as they power past 3 defenders to gain 15 yards on a play.

But the Patriots defense deserves a lot of credit for this win. Yes, the same defense that is aging and needs revamping according to those who know things. True, they are an older unit. But who cares when you stop a team like the Chargers from ever scoring a touch down when they’ve reached the red zone? I know LaDainian was on the bench but he’s not the only guy on the team. You could tell even in the second quarter that Rivers was getting frustrated and was trying to force some throws. That’s not a good thing when you’re still in the first half. Part of me wishes that Brady would have openly taunted him when Asante Samuel made that pick, but you know, that would be classless so good thing Brady didn’t do it. I know Rivers was playing with a sprained knee and that’s gutty, but to have Luis Castillo say after the game that Rivers is one of the most courageous players Castillo has ever played with made me want to puke. Even as Rivers was conceding defeat in the post-game press conference, I couldn’t help but think, in more ways than one, he’s the loser.

I didn’t get to see all of the second half of the Pats game but was holding my breath until the last seconds ticked off the clock. That’s how good Belichick is–he has his fan based convinced that it’s not a sure thing until the fourth quarter is completely over, even with a 21-12 lead! I just hope they keep that focus and see this thing through to completion.

After the overtime finish in last night’s Green Bay-Giants match-up, we now know who the Patriots will face in Super Bowl Forty-Two. (nah, XLII still wins) The G-Men of New York will represent the NFC, though how well they will represent remains to be seen. This is the part in my weekend re-cap where I have to eat my words–a least-favorite activity of the SportsGirl. I said the Packers would crush the Giants and that Ryan Grant would have a great day. Um, hmm, that didn’t exactly happen. Let’s be clear. Eli Manning still isn’t an “elite” quarterback as I’ve seen some fans posting on espn.com. Green Bay was able to hang around more than they should have based almost solely on the 90-yard TD play to Donald Driver. And let’s not forget Sam Madison’s generous 15-yard personal foul penalty on Vernand Morency after the Giants had stopped Green Bay on a third down in the second half. That kind of kept them afloat longer than they should have been. Oh and the Giants’ kicker couldn’t get it through the uprights when it mattered in regulation. So let me get this straight. I’m supposed to believe the Giants stand a chance against New England after that less-than-inspiring performance? Yes, I know, it was cold. Colder than it was in Moscow, my thanks to Fox for pointing that out. And it should be much warmer in Glendale, so that will be different. And far be it from me to get confident about the Patriots chances to win because on any given Sunday…let’s move on.

Speaking of things that Fox pointed out, someone needs to tell Joe Buck that no one watching the game cares how many time the lead has changed hands. If we’ve been watching the whole game, we know such a fact. If we are just tuning in, it has no bearing on the game that the lead has flip-flopped multiple times. While we’re at it, that same person needs to tell Tom Coughlin to wear some protective gear on his face next time he’s standing in sub-zero weather for hours on end. He looked like his nose was going to fall off. Everyone else had the good sense to cover up a bit, be it in a helmet or one of those ski cap things. I thought someone was going to have to stick some leaches on Coughlin’s face at the end of the game to get that blood circulating once again. Task #3 for this information-distributing person? Tell Terry Bradshaw to either cut his remaining hair or shave it off entirely. His “overall snow pants and greasy wisps of hair grazing the collar” look wasn’t really my favorite. I think that completes the list of things that the people in last night’s game needed to be told.

I will be intrigued to hear how these two teams approach the upcoming game. We know the Patriots should be able to suck any excitement out of their chances to win, and I’m ok with that. How will little Manning handle the pressure of such a big game? His brother needed a few years to get that under his belt. I guess the better question is how will Archie handle the pressure? He looked like he was going to throw up before that game ended last night! I suppose we’re at the point where my picking the Patriots to win the Super Bowl is no longer jumping the gun–I actually have to make a prediction and they happen to be one of the participants. Even knowing that? I hate putting this in writing. But I just don’t think the Giants will gel enough to best the Pats. Knowing the Patriots penchant for permitting the score to remain close til the end, I’m predicting a final score of 31-28. No Vinatieri to win the game for them this time, but it won’t matter. Patriots win. Now let’s stop talking about it before I jinx the whole thing.

I was already planning on blogging about the NFL playoffs this weekend, but was trying to find the time to not give short shrift to the topic. However, since my dad (and possibly other readers?) is growing impatient, here we go. My thoughts on the action from the weekend.

Where to start? I confess that I didn’t watch too much of the Green Bay-Seattle game. I’ve been on record before stating that I’m not honestly sure who even likes Seattle. The curse of that city is that their fan base, while I’m sure passionate at home games, is not extensive enough to really create a presence for their pro teams. Hence the reason the new owners are looking to move the Supersonics to Oklahoma City. How low does the interest threshold have to be when OKC is the more attractive location for your professional basketball team? And my gut told me that Green Bay was going to win. Seattle is so blah, and Brett Farve has magically turned back the clock on his game so it seemed like an inevitable outcome.

What wasn’t predictable was the Giants-Cowboys match-up. Sure, there was a lot of chatter as the game day drew near about how the G-Men had the momentum. And there there was that run for the border that Romo and Jessica Simpson made. If ever a headline could garner attention, this was it. And boy, did the media have fun with it! Did that actually contribute to Romo’s mindset on game day? We won’t ever know. If you were dating Jessica Simpson, would you publicly blame her for your lack of production on offense? Personally, I think that Romo’s own belief in his ability is what contributed to the poor performance on Sunday. He has enough talent that often times, when his protection is breaking down, he can hang onto the ball and make a huge play. But he lacks the experience to do this consistently so he makes bad decisions in the pocket, like not throwing the ball away when you’re about to be sacked. As for the decision to head south for a quick trip, I blame Wade Phillips for not having a tighter leash on the team. I know, it’s a balancing act of keeping your players happy and keeping them prepared. But you’re the coach; you function much like a parent in this regard. Phillips’ team did not show up ready to play. The defense looked awful. When you can’t stop the pass, and you can’t stop the run, you’re pretty much done. The receivers just didn’t look sharp on the field, and no, Romo didn’t appear to have “it” that day. Maybe his “it” was still in Mexico, sunning “it”self on the beach. Who knows. But one thing we do know is that Bill Parcells was basically shown the door in Big D after failing to win a playoff game. Lord knows, TO has been on record numerous times this season spouting off about how much better of a coach Wade Phillips is and how much happier of a player TO is to play for someone who knows how to use him in the offense. Fat lot of good that did! It does no good to lock up the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs when you lose in your first game. So that’s great that the players like the coach better and feel like maybe they can all knit some lovely sweaters together in the off-season. But when it comes down to it, they still lost.

So what now? You overhauled the coaching staff last year, and your roster needs some tweaking but probably doesn’t need a Jones-esque face lift. It’s looking more and more likely that Jason Garrett at a minimum will be offered a head coaching position in either Baltimore or Atlanta. Personally, I think he ought to take a pass at this time and come back to hone his skills. He will get the most recognition out of helping develop Tony Romo and Romo will make progress in the off-season this year. So if I were Garrett, I’d definitely hang around and watch my stock rise a bit more before accepting the position down in ATL. The Ravens is an interesting proposition because their offense could use some work and Garrett has a knack with the quarterbacks, so it might be a good fit.

Oh, and yada, yada, yada, Eli Manning didn’t have a great game but they did enough to squeak out the win and now they have all the mo’ heading into the contest at Lambeau Field this weekend. I think Green Bay crushes them. I know Ryan Grant had a few fumbles early in the game last weekend but once he regained his composure–and kudos to him for being able to do that–he had a great game, even in the snow. That was the piece that the Green Bay offense had been missing to take some of the pressure off Farve and since then Farve has stopped trying to force every throw into triple coverage. I’m predicting a score of 31-20 in this weekend’s game.

So let’s talk a bit about the Colts game. Let me start by stating that I think Philip Rivers is completely classless. Not only did he taunt fellow newbie QB Jay Cutler in the Broncos-Chargers game, he also taunted the home crowd during the playoff match at Indy. Does he realize he’s not that great of a QB? He’s not bad, mind you, but he’s certainly not Peyton Manning. Frankly, these days I would take Eli Manning over him, which the Chargers technically did in his draft class. So note to Phil, rack up some more wins before you try the whole taunting thing.

As for the game itself, it was actually a disappointing viewing experience. Indianapolis just wasn’t clicking. It’s like bringing back Marvin Harrison, when they had been finding ways to win without him, was a bad move. And that’s not normally a move you would categorize as bad. I know the Chargers caught fire (I will avoid the obvious lightening in a bottle pun here) at the right time and maybe we’re going to start seeing a trend develop after these divisional rounds. Seems like getting a bye week heading into the playoffs isn’t always a good thing. And maybe Tony Dungy will regret once again resting his starters in the last game of the season. Maybe there’s something to the notion that you really don’t want to lose momentum by taking off that last game mentally. But how uncharacteristic is it that Manning had a chance to win the game on 4th down in the 4th quarter and the pass was incomplete? If it had been Brady…well, you know where I stand on that issue. And Billy Volek getting the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard QB sneak? Really? So let me get this straight. Antonio Gates was a hobbled version of himself when he did play and was basically a non-factor. “Big Phil” left the game with a sprained MCL and LDT left as well, and yet the Bolts still recorded the W in their column? Money says that Tony Dungy retires after this season. He won the ring and proved he had what it took. I think he’s mentally done and maybe that’s a good thing. He’s a heck of a coach and might even come back at some point but I think he’s done for now.

Now here’s something that will shock any of my semi-devout readers. I’m not going to spend any appreciable length of time discussing the New England-Jacksonville game. There’s not much to be said! It looked like it would be a contest through the first half, as New England’s defense didn’t appear to be able to stop David Garrad and the Jax offense. Side note here: does David Garrad have the thickest lower half of any quarterback in the NFL or what? Seriously, the guy is like 260 lbs and at least 200 of that has to be in his lower half. No wonder no one can tackle the guy! I watched 3 NE defenders try to bring him down on different plays with no success. What an asset, pardon the pun…

The second half of that game was much more enjoyable for me. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I cannot watch the Patriots lose. Luckily, things have worked out well for me in that department this season. When the 11-point lead was established in the third quarter, it was fairly clear that Jax had been worn down and wasn’t going to win. I still clutched my couch pillow until the final second ticked off the clock, but at least we had the lead and it was our game to lose. And lose we did not.

So this weeks Championship match ups are Green Bay versus New York and Patriots vs. Chargers. I’m picking Green Bay and New England for the Super Bowl. I won’t make a Super Bowl pick until I see the games themselves but I’m betting even a casual reader knows where I’m headed with that…

There’s a certain sense of sadness in the air this weekend. The college football bowl season is nearing a close, signaling the impending end of all football in the not-so-distant future. The NFL playoffs are under way and the BCS Championship Game is being played tomorrow. I’m not sure that I’m ready for the football season to be done. I can’t get into the NBA much yet, and college basketball hasn’t yet gotten going. I suppose around February I start paying more attention the NCAA basketball in preparation for March Madness so it’s not all bleak, but I’m still not happy. As if Christmas ending wasn’t enough to dampen the spirit…

That being said, let’s take a look at the playoff games that have been decided. As I write this, San Diego is leading Tennessee in the fourth quarter and it’s beginning to look like the game is over. Even though they apparently can’t block for the NFL’s leading rusher on his team, they’re still winning. Oh wait, that’s right, LaDainian is on our team, maybe we should have him take an active role!

The Seahawks, Jaguars, and Giants are officially moving onto the next round of the playoffs. If San Diego wins today, the Jags will play New England and the Chargers will get Indy. From that standpoint, I hope Tennessee comes back somehow and plays the Pats next weekend. I worry about the Jacksonville match-up against my Patriots. That’s a gritty team and David Garrad has been playing really well (save for the two picks last night). I don’t think Tennessee has what it takes to beat New England, but I could see Jax upsetting them. Truthfully, though, there’s probably not a match-up possible that I wouldn’t be nervous about because playoff football is different than regular football. I’m just glad that Big Ben will be going home. I like Mike Tomlin and would have loved to see him win his first playoff game as a coach but I’m over Big Ben and his reconstructed face. I think he gets too much credit for what is a run-first team’s success.

I was glad to see Tom Coughlin get a win today. I think he’s a good coach and has really done a 180 by all accounts and has earned the respect of his players. I still haven’t given up all hope on Little Manning and I keep thinking that maybe this is the season where he makes the leap. We’ll see…I think Dallas might whoop up on them, but maybe it’s wishful thinking. The G-Men have momentum and Dallas sort of stumbled into the playoffs battling injuries and the malaise that comes from locking up your division at an early stage. If TO is healthy, it certainly is a much greater likelihood that Dallas will come out on top. I’m not thinking Terry Glenn or Sam Hurd will be the ticket to the NFC Championship game.

It’s a disappointment that, of all teams, the Seattle Seahawks were the team that ended Washington’s emotional run to the Super Bowl. The Seahawks are so mediocre that I just can’t ever believe that they were actually in the Super Bowl. They’re not a great defensive team, nor will their offense inspire any confidence. I had admittedly jumped on the Redskins bandwagon after seeing how they rallied following the horrible death of Sean Taylor. That shows their character and it’s telling of Joe Gibbs’ ability to re-focus a team after tragedy. Now, if somehow it had been Redskins-Cowboys in this first game, then ok, maybe I’d be ok with the loss. But the Seahawks? Who even likes them outside of the Pacific Northwest?!

I’m wondering if Antonio Cromartie is part chameleon. Does his jersey color change to the opposing team’s sideline? Because quite a few teams this season have gotten confused and have thrown the ball right to him. Or is he just that good?

Monday night is a big night for me. I’ve got some pride on the line as I did a bowl pick ‘em and it all comes down to whether or not LSU wins and covers. I felt great about that pick when I made it. That was before Michigan played spectacularly against Florida in the Capital One Bowl. The Big Ten never plays against the SEC with that kind of speed! I haven’t liked LSU all season and have been quite critical of the praise that they’ve received. My fear is that they let teams hang around too much and that they will win but won’t cover. Let me just say, I need this win. So, while I will regret that this is in print and I might delete it after the season ends, Geaux Tigers!!

So, the regular season in the NFL has come to a close. My Patriots completed the season with a perfect record, 16-0, and now have a first-round bye in the playoffs. Honestly, I am torn on whether or not I think that’s a good thing. I think momentum is huge, especially with a team built like they are. But given the collective age of that defense, a brief respite might not be a bad thing. Knowing Belichick, (because I know him well, don’t you know) he’ll have them convinced by next Sunday that they’re the underdog by 20 points, regardless of who the opponent is, so I hope we’re ok on this. The perfect regular season is great, but to truly accomplish what the Pats are going for, we need to remove the word “regular” from that description.

The Cowboys also have a first-round playoff bye, and with them, that’s definitely a good thing. Romo is still off his game, TO is hurt, Terry Glenn left the game after 1 play yesterday, and they do not look like themselves. This could be the best possible scenario. Now all the analysts are commenting on how the NFC is wide open again, whereas before the the chatter was on whether Dallas fans were booking first class or coach tickets to Arizona in February. Some of that goes to your head unless you have a super-genius coach like Belichick, which Wade Phillips is not.

I know I shouldn’t put this in print, for fear the local Dallas sporting nation will hunt me down, but I’m actually glad the Boys lost yesterday. I know we never want to lose to the Redskins but the game meant nothing to Dallas, unless you count momentum. But it meant everything in the world to a Redskins team still coping with the loss of Sean Taylor. It’s been pointed out that the Skins margin of victory last night was 21 points, Taylor’s old number. I love that the team was galvanized by this tragic shooting and frankly I would actually root for them to go far in the playoffs. Let’s leave it at that…

My condolences go out to the Cleveland Browns fans, though they should be quite proud of the 10-win season they pieced together. They didn’t even need the proverbial two hands and a flashlight! They won most of the games they were supposed to win and looked pretty sharp with Anderson taking the snaps. We’ll see what next season holds for them but they and their fan base should not be disappointed for long about missing the playoffs. Take solace in knowing that the Titans will get man-handled by the Chargers in the first round and that will be that. And honestly, that probably would happen to Cleveland as well, so we’re talking about 1 extra game, really.

Hey, we even had Brett Favre high-fiving the ref in his game yesterday. Surprised he didn’t get fined for a brutal attack on the officiating crew…

You know the greatest thing about the holidays, besides the whole togetherness, love your fellow man feeling? The fact that there’s football on almost every single day. The college bowl season is helping to make me forget that I don’t have any pro football on until Saturday. That truly makes this the most wonderful time of the year.

So that’s a wrap on the Sports Girl Blog for 2007. Look for some discussion of the Rich Rodriguez hiring at Michigan in 2008. Peace, love and Patriots my dear readers!

Tensions are apparently running high in the NFL these days. I’ve always heard the holidays are tough for a lot of people, especially if they’re away from their families, but I never realized it could get this bad!

First, we have Nick Barnett who was restrained by a referee during a melee in the Chicago-Green Bay game last weekend. I’ve seen the replay and agree that umpire Jim Quirk was aggressive in his attempt to remove Barnett from the situation. But now it comes out that Barnett is filing a grievance with the league pertaining to the incident. You’ve got to be kidding me. If anything, Quirk was trying to prevent Barnett from getting in the middle of the fracas which could potentially have prevented him from making a bad situation worse. And Quirk is an older guy, hardly someone who could harm the 6′2″, 232 pound linebacker. So what’s the grievance about? Ok, you don’t want officials feeling like they can get physical with the players because the reverse wouldn’t happen without a stiff penalty being levied against the player. But the NFL already spoke with Quirk and spoke publicly about not condoning his actions. So drop it at that, will ya?

Then we have Warren Sapp who got fined $75,000 for his verbal “assault” on the referees in his game against Jacksonville. He was also ejected from that game because the ref thought Sapp bumped one of the officials. I can’t make up my mind fully on whether or not I think that’s too high a fine. Jawing at the officials is kind of like holding to me–it happens on almost every down of every game in the NFL. As long as it doesn’t get personal, flag them for unsportsmanlike conduct on the field and be done with it. If it gets nasty, then ok, there’s a line that can’t be crossed without a fine. Nothing happened to the ref that upset Samari Rolle by allegedly calling him “boy”. And nothing should have happened. This is a physical, intense game and you’re crazy if you think the refs don’t put up with their share of name calling. And to a certain extent, I’m ok with a bit of a double-standard in favor of the refs (they’re not wearing pads, mind you) as long as it doesn’t go to the officials’ heads. But a $75,000 fine, even when your paycheck is as hefty as Sapp’s, seems a bit excessive.

Champ Bailey felt the need this week to speak out against the reported taunting of Broncos QB Jay Cutler by fellow QB Philip Rivers. Bailey didn’t mince words in basically telling Rivers that he has not earned enough credibility in the league to be yapping at a QB’s poor play on the field. Rivers claims he was merely congratulating his defense on a great stop, but that seems suspect to me. If I were him, I’d own up to it. May not earn you points with the other teams, but I bet your own team would respect you a bit. I’m not usually a supporter of trash talking unless you can back it up, but if you’re caught doing it, own up to it! Trying to play innocent after the fact just makes you look like a loser.

Hell, even John Clayton and Sean Salisbury were going at each other’s throats the other day on Sports Center! They were doing a “four down” type segment on the show and they were debating various points. I’ve seen them do this before and it’s not always civil. Frankly, I want to punch John Clayton in the face even though I think he provides great coverage of the NFL. He’s so damn smug in those nerdy glasses! So I don’t blame Salisbury for getting annoyed. But in this particular segment, the two were debating who you’d start in a playoff game if you’re the Redskins. If Jason Campbell is healthy, do you take the reins away from Todd Collins, who has been managing the team well enough to get them to the point where they could even make the playoffs. Salisbury was stating that he’d continue to start Collins, which for the record I agree with, because Collins gives you the best chance to win. When you’ve got the momentum, don’t make a change even if your starter is healthy. Clayton disagreed, quite vehemently, and said that by not starting Campbell if he’s healthy, you’re sending the wrong message for 2008 and 2009; that basically you’re telling your starter that you’ve lost confidence in them. To which Salisbury replied that if your QB can’t handle that then they don’t have the mental make-up to be a starter in this league (again a point I agree with). That turned the discussion into an insult-flinging contest with Clayton reminding Salisbury that he was an inconsistent back-up at best, and Salisbury telling John to set the pen down for a minute and watch some damn game film before he stated his opinions. Good golly I thought they were going to find a way to teleport to the other’s location and start beating the crap out of each other. Which really would have been a one-sided fight…Go Salisbury!

So here’s hoping that things calm down a bit this weekend. With not many teams having much to play for, the tensions should fall a bit. And my attention will be locked on the Pats-Giants game hoping Eli plays as well as he has been so my Pats lock the game up in the first 10 minutes!

I am all for a good celebration. In life in general, there’s so much doom and gloom, that I think everyone is entitled to celebrate a little when they can find a reason. In football? It’s gone too far.  

I’m impressed with Junior Seau. As with so many other players that no one wanted, he joined the Patriots and is actually making a contribution at the ripe old age of 38. However, this past Sunday against the Jets, he lost some standing with me. It seems that every tackle he made, he felt the need to thump his chest and flail his arms in the air, as though it was the game-winning stop. I watched him miss quite a few tackles too. Which made the excessive celebrations all the more exaggerated. A lot of refs will throw a flag on you for excessive celebration, but he somehow managed to escape their ire. It’s shocking that Belichick hasn’t put the kibosh on this display of emotion.

Then we have the Miami Dolphins. My congrats to them on winning their first game of the season. Truly, a great accomplishment and a monkey off their collective backs. But come on guys, to have tears in your eyes because you won a game? Act like you’ve been there before. Sure, you haven’t been there this season, but this is a fairly winning franchise. I mean for goodness sake your winless season is constantly being contrasted against your ‘72 undefeated season. That wasn’t that long ago. I know the players were glad to have won the game, in overtime none-the-less. But again, tears? That just underscores why it was so difficult in the first place for this team to get their first check in the W column. When your mentality is that it’s a miracle to win a game, one game, then you’re killing yourself before the games even start. How would you like to be Baltimore this week? Not only did you blow your opportunity to crush an undefeated team’s perfect season, you also served as the backdrop for a winless team’s first win. Wow.

So enough with the celebrations. I know, I’m sure I sound hypocritical because I’ve been on record as having stated that I like the end-zone celebrations. But scoring a touchdown is a bit different than making a tackle. Especially when you make a tackle but it’s only after a guy has rushed for 30 yards and a first down on 4th and 1…Those are the celebrations that kill me the most. Seriously, act like you’ve been there before.

Well, well, it appears that the Patriots are continuing down the yellow brick road towards achieving a perfect record. The Steelers were supposed to be the last test for the Pats before the playoffs, and last night, the Steelers looked worse than the Ravens playing against New England. Now, I don’t know if that’s a testament to how well the Patriots played, how badly the Steelers played, or how gritty the Ravens are. Though the Colts kind of made the Pats look stupid in the way they man-handled the Ravens in the Sunday night game. I’m choosing to believe that last night was a display of how balanced the Patriots are and how well they’ll match up with their remaining opponents. I had a few hodge-podge thoughts to throw in this post in regards to my Pats.

Thought 1. It continues to be stated that Bill Belichick lacks respect for his opponents  by running up the score in games that they’ve already won. Clearly, they hadn’t had the opportunity to run up the score in their previous two games before last night. To me, that gives credence to the fact that they’re not, in fact, running up the score in their games, but rather they’re playing to win for all 60 minutes. Whether that means they’re clobbering their foe or barely scraping by, they play the entire game at the same speed, for consistency’s sake. 

Thought 2. I listened Keyshawn Johnson on Monday Night Countdown tonight discussing what he thinks will happen next week when the Pats play the Jets for the second time this season. Now, I think it’s pretty well a given that the Jets will lose, though no game is a gimme to me. So no one is really talking about whether or not the Jets stand a chance (caution: see the Ravens game and the Eagles game). Keyshawn was basically pardoning the Pats in advance for actually running up the score in this impending contest and said that since Mangini blew the whistle on the whole CameraGate incident, that he would deserve whatever the Patriots want to dish out. Sorry, Keyshawn, but that sounds like the most faulty logic I’ve ever heard. I’m definitely not defending the whole video taping incident, and I feel like it’s been blown a little out of proportion (even I had a knee-jerk reaction before really processing the whole situation). But actually, intentionally running up the score on your opponent because you’re pissed that they called you out on your spying techniques? Not classy. I know, some would argue that Belichick is anti-classy in everything he does. I disagree and if it appears he really is running up the score just for spite’s sake I will be disappointed. I actually think the best revenge the Pats could exact would be to wrap the game up in the first quarter, then put their subs in and cruise to an easy victory. That would be the ultimate “I didn’t need to cheat to beat your crappy franchise” statement.

Thought 3.  ESPN’s bottom line now contains a section all about the Patriots. So in between the NCAA Men’s Basketball scores and the latest on the MLB trades, you have a whole bottom line item devoted to the pursuit of perfection. How cool is that? I don’t remember the Colts ever getting that kind of recognition!

So once again, I will state that I don’t believe that Belichick and the team are actually chasing the perfect season just to earn a place in the record books. Would it be nice? Of course. But his main goal is to win every game. Not to have your name etched with the ‘72 Dolphins, but because that is perfection. And that is what Belichick is all about. It’s just how he rolls. 

It’s all about the collegiate efforts today. With the Heisman Trophy being awarded last night for the first time in history to sophomore Tim Tebow, and with college basketball being in full swing, I find it appropriate to record some thoughts on the amateur sports ranks.

First, we’ll start with Heisman presentation. I knew Tebow would win, and really, he deserves to if you’re awarding the trophy to the best college player, which is how it’s supposed to be decided. Chase Daniels played himself out of contention by losing twice to Oklahoma. Patrick White did the same, losing to Pittsburgh in the final game before the votes were tallied. Now, granted, White was hurt in that game and the loss doesn’t sit squarely on his shoulders; if anything his absence in that game underscores his importance to the team, but the Heisman is not the MVP award. Injury is the same thing that prevented Dennis Dixon from getting more attention. Colt Brennan didn’t really ever seem to stand a chance. It was almost as if the Heisman voters felt badly that they knew Hawaii would get left out of the BCS Championship game so they decided to throw Brennan’s name into contention as a consolation prize. This year’s Heisman was always a contest between Tebow and Darren “Run DMC” McFadden. McFadden would hands-down win the award for best nickname in football, but sadly, that’s not a category in consideration for the Heisman. McFadden will be an excellent running back in the pro’s, despite the knock on him that he runs too vertically, but you can’t ignore Tebow’s touch down numbers, especially when you think about how many of them were rushing touch downs. So he is the victor and has earned a little breathing room. Which, after that speech last night, it sounds like he needs!

Now, onto the college basketball season. In an attempt to fill the void left on Saturday afternoons for me now that college football is on hiatus, I watched a little b-ball. Michigan was playing Duke yesterday and I had hopes that maybe someone had re-wound the time to 1989 when U of M actually had a decent hoops team. Alas, I was sorely disappointed. I remember the announcers yesterday commenting that it was somewhat impressive that Michigan was only 5 points behind Duke, at Cameron Arena, and that was maybe 5 minutes into the game. Then I watched Mich miss about 5 shots in a row, completely fail to rebound on offense or defense, and the lead widened to about 20 points without blinking. At that point, I changed the channel. Looks like the basketball season will be even less kind to U of M than the football season, if that’s even possible. Although, the hoops team does have a coach, which at the moment the football team can’t even say, so they do have the leg up there. 

Every year, the college coaching carousel begins to make another spin around the park. Some coaches hop off, or are pushed off depending on the school, and some hop on to take a ride. Every year I think, man that’s a lot of coaching changes, but seriously, this year there seems to be an inordinate amount of changes being made. It will come as no surprise to anyone who has read this blog before that the change I’m most interested in is the vacancy in Ann Arbor, MI.

It’s been reported that LSU has granted Les Miles permission to interview with U of M after the SEC Championship game this weekend. It’s also being said that LSU will hold their own set of talks with Miles to convince him to stay put in Baton Rouge. Personally, I hope he ends up making the move north. With the lack of success that Nick Saban is having at ‘Bama (which I don’t entirely blame on him in his first season) I think it’s become clear that, while Saban is a good coach, maybe he wasn’t the only reason LSU found success. I think Miles could bring some needed passion back into U of M football, though I think anyone could do that after Lloyd Carr. Nothing against Carr, I just think he had lost his spark. Probably stayed on a season too long, maybe two. So reviving the excitement around that program hopefully won’t prove too arduous a task for his successor.

One thing you know Miles learned from watching Saban flounder in the press is that Miles has NOT denied that he’s interested in the Michigan job. Smart man. Judging by the fact that there’s a clause in his current contract that explicitly lists U of M as the one school he cannot leave to go coach lest he want to pay a $1.25 mil buyout, it sounds like LSU must have known that the Michigan job was one that would always be on Miles’ radar.  

On a separate note, I feel the need to reiterate my growing excitement over tonight’s contest between Green Bay and Dallas. As predicted, I have heard countless details about the comparison between Favre and Romo and how everyone respects the hell out of Favre, yada, yada, yada. Enough with the chit chat. I am ready for the game. I think it’s going to be a close, high-scoring game, but I really think Dallas will come out on top. Not because I’m a homer, which I am quickly becoming when it pertains to the Boys, but because I just think Dallas has the better team. I think Marion Barber will have a phenomenal game and I’m betting on at least two touchdowns thrown to TO. Final score? Green Bay 31, Dallas 38. Here’s hoping I’m right!

This year, I’ve got a lot to be thankful about, in terms of sports. The BCS title of #1 seems to be a curse more than a blessing, the way it’s been passed from team to team to team. The Patriots are 11-0 on the season and I believe locked up the AFC East division with Buffalo losing today. The Peyton Manning “Priceless Pep Talk” commercials from Master Card continue to make me laugh. And the Cowboys have not-so-quietly achieved their best start in franchise history at this point in the season. I say not-so-quitely as a jab at all the sports talking heads that like to say things like “Seattle has quietly taken the lead in their division”, like that’s some sort of indication that Seattle is actually good this year. Really that’s more of an indication that they’re in a crappy division because, for goodness sake, a team like Seattle is tops!

But Seattle is not the point today. Today, the Boys are the point. I’d love to discuss the Thanksgiving day game between the Jets and the Cowboys, but that would take up all of about 2 words–Boys win. That’s all you need to know. It was a one-sided contest, as it should have been, where Terrance Newman returned an interception for a touchdown and Romo had a decent game. I know most would say he didn’t have a great game, but to say that would almost be to forget that last year, Jerry Jones was mad that Romo was getting playing time ahead of Drew Bledsoe. So I won’t go that far…

And that’s really the story on the Jets game. And I, like most, am already setting my DVR to record what should be an excellent match-up on Thursday night between the Packers and the Cowboys. I’m guessing that there will be clip after quote after sound-bite of Tony Romo confessing how much he admires Brett Favre and how he grew up loving the Packers. This will likely get spun into the “Past vs. Future” game between the quarterbacks. The gunslinger veteran vs. the gritty newbie. I just think it will be good football. The two offenses are ranked #1 and #2 in the NFC, with the edge going to the Cowboys. The Boys have a better defense, but the Packers aren’t too far down there. And I think this will be the NFC version of the Patriots-Colts game with similar stakes. Homefield advantage, mental advantage, etc.

So the fact that I have this game to look forward to is what I’m thankful for. This, and the fact that TO was actually quoted as having said that it’s ok that he didn’t continue his recent 100-yard receiving streak because the most important thing is that the team won. What?! Seriously? And I thought Bill Belichick was the only coach in the league known for taming the savage beast. Wade Phillips may have given me a new reason to like him. Or really maybe the credit goes to Tony Romo and the Cowboys overall record. Maybe I’m still ok with my quiet dislike/distrust for Wade.