Last year, I debuted my now annual end of year Top 10 list for best Philadelphia sports games of the year. Even though there was so much less excitement and great games this year, the list is back this year, anyway! Last year, I felt the ordering of the games, including what was the number one game, was very clear cut. This year, not so much. But I will make an attempt at it anyway. With all the sadness, scandal, and shame this year has wrought on many a people in the area, perhaps looking back at the year's higher moments will be a plus for everyone involved and a good way to end a shitty year on a high note. Just like last year, I will start with some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
Union comeback verse New England Revolution: Usually I try to only post wins on here. After all, what is worth celebrating about a game that is not a win? Well, in soccer there are draws, and when you have a 3-goal comeback in dramatic fashion, even if the match ends in a 4-4 draw, it is still pretty noteworthy. And thus was the exact case when the Philadelphia Union hosted the New England Revolution on September 7, 2011. New England Revolution 4, Philadelphia Union 4
The Kids Are Alright: Following a 2nd round playoff exit to Boston that saw numerous goalie changes, Ed Snider demanded a ridiculously overpay for a position not worth a ridiculous overpay. In order to fit that overpay in, Paul Holmgren had no choice but to blow up the team, trading the previous faces of the franchise away for youth and draft picks. Low and behold, the Flyers first game of the season immediately followed a 15-hour banner raising at Boston. With many fearing a rocky year, the kids played a great game and the Flyers defeated the Bruins. Flyers 2, Bruins 1
Someone From Philadelphia Wins A Trophy!: The New Mexico Bowl. Yes, this is the kind of year that was. A boring New Mexico Bowl makes the list. Temple 37, Wyoming 15.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
NFL Week 17 Schedule
It's the last week of what can only be described as an infuriating NFL Season on so many levels. This is one season I will not miss any time soon. I will probably have some sort of lengthy end of year reflection on the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles, but for now, here is the Week 17 Schedule. There is nothing more depressing than on Week 17 turning on the TV to watch your team's last game of the season and hearing the words "Along with my partner Charles Davis, I'm Ron Pitts."
Maps of who gets what Sunday afternoon games
CBS early games
New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Steve Beuerlein)
Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Don Criqui and Randy Cross)
Fox early games
Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints 1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles 1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Charles Davis)
CBS late games
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals 4:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders 4:15 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns 4:15 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Fox late games
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons 4:15 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals 4:15 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)
Sunday Night Football
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)
Maps of who gets what Sunday afternoon games
CBS early games
New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Steve Beuerlein)
Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Don Criqui and Randy Cross)
Fox early games
Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints 1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles 1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Charles Davis)
CBS late games
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals 4:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders 4:15 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns 4:15 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Fox late games
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons 4:15 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals 4:15 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)
Sunday Night Football
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)
Saturday, December 24, 2011
NFL Week 16 Live Blog
It is Christmas Eve and for the Eagles, it will be the most tension filled afternoon of the season. If the Jets could make an emergency trade for Michael Bush, I'd appreciate it greatly.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG!*
*If you got an email from me, please disregard it. As I am sure you have seen, both Mookie and I sent live blog emails at around the exact same time. Even creepier, we then notified each other that we both sent live blogs at the same time at the exact same time. After one of us finally got a word in edgewise without the other repeating the same thought verbatim at the same time, it was agreed that Mookie would host this live blog. If you clicked my live blog first and got worried because I deleted it, please, do not worry. Just click on Mookie's invitation and go over there. If you did not get an email and want to comment, click the above link and follow Mookie's instructions.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG!*
*If you got an email from me, please disregard it. As I am sure you have seen, both Mookie and I sent live blog emails at around the exact same time. Even creepier, we then notified each other that we both sent live blogs at the same time at the exact same time. After one of us finally got a word in edgewise without the other repeating the same thought verbatim at the same time, it was agreed that Mookie would host this live blog. If you clicked my live blog first and got worried because I deleted it, please, do not worry. Just click on Mookie's invitation and go over there. If you did not get an email and want to comment, click the above link and follow Mookie's instructions.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
NFL Week 16 Schedule
The Eagles need to beat the Cowboys. The Jets need to beat the Giants. If one of these things do not happen, the Eagles will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
Thursday Night Football
Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts 8:20 (NFL Network - Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, SR: Alex Flanagan
Maps of who gets what Saturday afternoon games
CBS games
Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills 1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Rich Gannon)
Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
San Diego Chargers vs. Detroit Lions 4:05 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Fox early games
New York Giants vs. New York Jets 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnson, SA: Tony Siragusa)
St. Louis Rams vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Arizona Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)
America's Game Of The Week and other Fox late games
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys 4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks 4:15 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Charles Davis)
Sunday Night Football
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)
Monday Night Football
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Some Person)
Thursday Night Football
Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts 8:20 (NFL Network - Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, SR: Alex Flanagan
Maps of who gets what Saturday afternoon games
CBS games
Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills 1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Rich Gannon)
Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
San Diego Chargers vs. Detroit Lions 4:05 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Fox early games
New York Giants vs. New York Jets 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnson, SA: Tony Siragusa)
St. Louis Rams vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Arizona Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)
America's Game Of The Week and other Fox late games
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys 4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks 4:15 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Charles Davis)
Sunday Night Football
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)
Monday Night Football
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Some Person)
Sunday, December 18, 2011
NFL Week 15 Live Blog
The Eagles 2011 Season is now in the hands of the Redskins and the Raiders. This can't end well.
Labels:
Live Blog,
New York Jets,
Philadelphia Eagles,
Week 15
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
NFL Week 15 Schedule
Nothing left to do now but hope that by the time 4:15 rolls around on Sunday afternoon, the Eagles still have a chance. Go Buccaneers! Go Redskins! In case one of the Sunday afternoon games is a blowout, hurray for me being home for the next month and hurray my brother being a Vikings fan and forcing my family to shell out way too much money for Sunday Ticket!
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. San Francisco 49ers 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: John Sutcliffe)
Thursday Night Football
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Atlanta Falcons 8:20 (NFL Network - Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, SR: Alex Flanagan)
A Special Saturday Night Edition Of Thursday Night Football
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8:20 (NFL Network - Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, SR: Alex Flanagan)
Fox games
Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants 1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
New Orleans Saints vs. Minnesota Vikings 1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Carolina Panthers vs. Houston Texans 1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Charles Davis)
Detroit Lions vs. Oakland Raiders 4:05 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
CBS early games
Cincinnati Bengals vs. St. Louis Rams 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
America's Game Of The Week and other CBS late games
New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
New York Jets vs. Philadelphia Eagles 4:15 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Cleveland Browns vs. Arizona Cardinals 4:15 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
Sunday Night Football
Baltimore Ravens vs. San Diego Chargers 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)
Monday Night Football
Monday, December 12, 2011
Fun With NFC East Pythagenport Records
(Originally published, for better or worse, at Bleeding Green Nation)
Those who are familiar with baseball and The Good Phight are no doubt familiar with the concept known as Pythagorean records. In short, it is a formula invented by Bill James serving as a means of predicting a baseball team's record based off runs scored and runs allowed. A few years ago, a writer at Baseball Prospectus named Clay Davenport figured out that because the offensive environment of the league changes with time, the exponent used in the formula should be changed as well to reflect that. Hence the name in the title, Pythagenport records. And if one seeks to be even more accurate, one can derive an exponent for each individual team as each individual team plays in a slightly different offensive environment. While Baseball Prospectus calls this Pythagenpat records, in their Week 13 DVOA column from which this little exercise is derived from, Football Outsiders continue to use the term Pythagenport. For the sake of consistency, I will use the term "Pythagenport" throughout the rest of this column.
The same principles invented by Bill James can also be applied to NFL football. Now I know the question of how this is relevant will eventually come up, so I will answer it before we get into the numbers, so you understand right away what you are looking at. Football Outsiders did the math on this in the above linked column, and on a scale of 1 to -1 with 1 being the two variables are a perfect positive relationship on each other, 0 being the variables are completely independent of each other, and -1 being a perfect negative relationship, the correlation between Pythagenport wins and actual wins from 1990-2010, according to Football Outsiders, is .9134. This is a very strong correlation and the numbers that you are about to see below are relevant and will tell us about the 4-teams in the NFC East.
The formulas used in this column are as follows.
Exponent = 1.5*log ((Points scored + Points allowed) / number of games)
Pythagenport win percentage = Points scored^exponent / (Points scored^exponent + Points allowed^exponent)
As a baseline, here is each NFC East team's actual win percentage rounded to the nearest thousandth.
New York Giants: .538
Dallas Cowboys: .538
Philadelphia Eagles: .385
Washington Redskins: .308
And now each team's Pythagenport win percentage:
Dallas Cowboys: .575
Philadelphia Eagles: .511
New York Giants: .452
Washington Redskins: .284
What Does This Mean?
First of all, in case you have not yet figured it out, the NFC East is a bumbling pile of mediocrity plus the abysmal Washington Redskins. The best team in the division, the Dallas Cowboys, are somewhere between a 7-6 team and an 8-5 team when you convert the three-digit percentage number into actual wins.
Perhaps what may be startling to some but less so to folks who have been paying attention close attention to the Eagles' point differential, the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles are not all that bad of a football team. Certainly not as bad as their 5-8 record would lead you to believe. Now a record hovering around .500 is certainly not what many people, Eagles fans included expected out of the Eagles coming into the 2011 campaign, but it is certainly better than the Eagles' actual 5-8 record and enough to have the Eagles right in the middle of the NFC East title race without having to rely on some sort of miracle as they currently do.
So why is there a such a discrepancy between the Eagles' actual win percentage and Pythagenport win percentage?
A very good question, and the answer probably is not what people want to hear and/or believe, although it is true. In one word: luck. In two words: bad luck*.
*Addendum: In this context, I am attributing luck to the reasons why the Eagles are 5-8 and not hovering around .500. I am not suggesting luck is the reason the Eagles are not 10-3 or better and right in the midst of a race for a 1st round bye with San Francisco and New Orleans. This is also not to say the Eagles do not have flaws. Clearly, this is not a perfect team. However, they are not as bad as a 5-8 record (.385 win percentage) would suggest.
A basic theory of football is there is the ability to win close football games (with close football game being defined as games where the final margin of victory is 7 points or less) is not an actual ability. Some might define this perceived ability as being "clutch." But alas, no coach/QB/team hold an ability to consistently win/lose close football games. Over the course of a season, teams will tend to hover around the .500 league median. In his article last Friday, Bill Barnwell elaborates on this general point further with Tim Tebow's performance being the subject of the post. To go back to the Eagles, the Eagles are 2-5 this season in games where the final margin of victory is 7 points or less. The bad luck the Eagles have seen in these close games is a major reason why the Eagles' actual win percentage is as far below the Eagles' Pythagenport win percentage as it is. The fact that over 50% of the Eagles games have been decided by a touchdown or less is part of the reason their Pythagenport win percentage hovers around the .500 mark.
Conclusion
Barring a near miraculous final three weeks of the season, the narrative of the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles will be written as followed: "A team with all sorts of talent but no heart and a coach that lost the locker room. (Insert bad Dream Team pun here)." Unfortunately for many in the media, that narrative does not match with the reality. Barring a drastic turn of events in the final three games of the season, the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles were a team whose actual record fell well below that of what it should have been, according to Pythagenport win percentage, a metric whose that correlates very strongly (.9134) with actual win percentage. The Eagles Pythagenport win percentage (.511) is by no means great, however, in a watered down NFC East where mediocrity reigns supreme, is good enough to have the Eagles in line to contend for the division title. However, thanks to a couple unfortunate losses early in the season, the Eagles are only hanging on by a thread and would need everything to fall just perfectly into place in the final three weeks of the season to have a chance at winning an NFC East championship.
Those who are familiar with baseball and The Good Phight are no doubt familiar with the concept known as Pythagorean records. In short, it is a formula invented by Bill James serving as a means of predicting a baseball team's record based off runs scored and runs allowed. A few years ago, a writer at Baseball Prospectus named Clay Davenport figured out that because the offensive environment of the league changes with time, the exponent used in the formula should be changed as well to reflect that. Hence the name in the title, Pythagenport records. And if one seeks to be even more accurate, one can derive an exponent for each individual team as each individual team plays in a slightly different offensive environment. While Baseball Prospectus calls this Pythagenpat records, in their Week 13 DVOA column from which this little exercise is derived from, Football Outsiders continue to use the term Pythagenport. For the sake of consistency, I will use the term "Pythagenport" throughout the rest of this column.
The same principles invented by Bill James can also be applied to NFL football. Now I know the question of how this is relevant will eventually come up, so I will answer it before we get into the numbers, so you understand right away what you are looking at. Football Outsiders did the math on this in the above linked column, and on a scale of 1 to -1 with 1 being the two variables are a perfect positive relationship on each other, 0 being the variables are completely independent of each other, and -1 being a perfect negative relationship, the correlation between Pythagenport wins and actual wins from 1990-2010, according to Football Outsiders, is .9134. This is a very strong correlation and the numbers that you are about to see below are relevant and will tell us about the 4-teams in the NFC East.
The formulas used in this column are as follows.
Exponent = 1.5*log ((Points scored + Points allowed) / number of games)
Pythagenport win percentage = Points scored^exponent / (Points scored^exponent + Points allowed^exponent)
As a baseline, here is each NFC East team's actual win percentage rounded to the nearest thousandth.
New York Giants: .538
Dallas Cowboys: .538
Philadelphia Eagles: .385
Washington Redskins: .308
And now each team's Pythagenport win percentage:
Dallas Cowboys: .575
Philadelphia Eagles: .511
New York Giants: .452
Washington Redskins: .284
What Does This Mean?
First of all, in case you have not yet figured it out, the NFC East is a bumbling pile of mediocrity plus the abysmal Washington Redskins. The best team in the division, the Dallas Cowboys, are somewhere between a 7-6 team and an 8-5 team when you convert the three-digit percentage number into actual wins.
Perhaps what may be startling to some but less so to folks who have been paying attention close attention to the Eagles' point differential, the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles are not all that bad of a football team. Certainly not as bad as their 5-8 record would lead you to believe. Now a record hovering around .500 is certainly not what many people, Eagles fans included expected out of the Eagles coming into the 2011 campaign, but it is certainly better than the Eagles' actual 5-8 record and enough to have the Eagles right in the middle of the NFC East title race without having to rely on some sort of miracle as they currently do.
So why is there a such a discrepancy between the Eagles' actual win percentage and Pythagenport win percentage?
A very good question, and the answer probably is not what people want to hear and/or believe, although it is true. In one word: luck. In two words: bad luck*.
*Addendum: In this context, I am attributing luck to the reasons why the Eagles are 5-8 and not hovering around .500. I am not suggesting luck is the reason the Eagles are not 10-3 or better and right in the midst of a race for a 1st round bye with San Francisco and New Orleans. This is also not to say the Eagles do not have flaws. Clearly, this is not a perfect team. However, they are not as bad as a 5-8 record (.385 win percentage) would suggest.
A basic theory of football is there is the ability to win close football games (with close football game being defined as games where the final margin of victory is 7 points or less) is not an actual ability. Some might define this perceived ability as being "clutch." But alas, no coach/QB/team hold an ability to consistently win/lose close football games. Over the course of a season, teams will tend to hover around the .500 league median. In his article last Friday, Bill Barnwell elaborates on this general point further with Tim Tebow's performance being the subject of the post. To go back to the Eagles, the Eagles are 2-5 this season in games where the final margin of victory is 7 points or less. The bad luck the Eagles have seen in these close games is a major reason why the Eagles' actual win percentage is as far below the Eagles' Pythagenport win percentage as it is. The fact that over 50% of the Eagles games have been decided by a touchdown or less is part of the reason their Pythagenport win percentage hovers around the .500 mark.
Conclusion
Barring a near miraculous final three weeks of the season, the narrative of the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles will be written as followed: "A team with all sorts of talent but no heart and a coach that lost the locker room. (Insert bad Dream Team pun here)." Unfortunately for many in the media, that narrative does not match with the reality. Barring a drastic turn of events in the final three games of the season, the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles were a team whose actual record fell well below that of what it should have been, according to Pythagenport win percentage, a metric whose that correlates very strongly (.9134) with actual win percentage. The Eagles Pythagenport win percentage (.511) is by no means great, however, in a watered down NFC East where mediocrity reigns supreme, is good enough to have the Eagles in line to contend for the division title. However, thanks to a couple unfortunate losses early in the season, the Eagles are only hanging on by a thread and would need everything to fall just perfectly into place in the final three weeks of the season to have a chance at winning an NFC East championship.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
NFL Week 14 Live Blog
Because the question of whether or not the Eagles fans are rooting for a win tomorrow, my answer tomorrow is yes, I am rooting for the Eagles to defeat the Miami Dolphins. I understand the logic of wanting a better possible draft pick, and a loss against a team they are "competing" against would help them in landing a better pick, but the Eagles are not yet mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. And even though the odds are hovering around 1% that they will make the playoffs, I just can't bring myself to root against them when the Eagles still have a chance, no matter how slim it may be. Until the Eagles are mathematically eliminated, I can't find it in my heart to root for them to lose and I won't root for them to lose.
Labels:
Live Blog,
Miami Dolphins,
Philadelphia Eagles,
Week 14
Thursday, December 8, 2011
NFL Week 14 Schedule
Thanks to some rather hilarious ineptitude on the part of the Cowboys and Giants, the 4-8 Eagles still have a path to the playoffs that does not involve back-breaking mathematics. If in their last four games, the Eagles go 4-0, the Cowboys 1-3, and the Giants 2-2, the Eagles will (incredibly) be the 4-seed. Now mind you, the probability this actually happens is somewhere around 1%, but hey, on September 1, the Tampa Bay Rays had a .3% chance of winning the AL East. The point: This would not be the most statistically improbable comeback of the year. So on that desperate note, here is your Week 14 NFL Schedule! (all times ET; games I get are in bold)
Thursday Night Football
Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 8:20 (NFL Network - Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, SR: Alex Flanagan)
Maps of who gets what Sunday afternoon games
Fox games
New Orleans Saints vs. Tennessee Titans 1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Miami Dolphins 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Jim Mora, Jr.)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)
Chicago Bears vs. Denver Broncos 4:05 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals 4:05 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
CBS early games
New England Patriots vs. Washington Redskins 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
America's Game Of The Week and other CBS late games
Oakland Raiders vs. Green Bay Packers 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Buffalo Bills vs. San Diego Chargers 4:15 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Sunday Night Football
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)
Monday Night Football
St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Rachel Nichols)
Thursday Night Football
Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 8:20 (NFL Network - Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, SR: Alex Flanagan)
Maps of who gets what Sunday afternoon games
Fox games
New Orleans Saints vs. Tennessee Titans 1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Miami Dolphins 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Jim Mora, Jr.)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)
Chicago Bears vs. Denver Broncos 4:05 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals 4:05 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
CBS early games
New England Patriots vs. Washington Redskins 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
America's Game Of The Week and other CBS late games
Oakland Raiders vs. Green Bay Packers 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Buffalo Bills vs. San Diego Chargers 4:15 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Sunday Night Football
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)
Monday Night Football
St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Rachel Nichols)
Sunday, December 4, 2011
2011-12 FBS Bowl Schedule
As much as I do not like college football's ridiculous BCS system, or how some teams like Western Kentucky were not invited to a bowl game despite being eligible and as much as this whole thing is corruption and picking teams that best fill hotel rooms and the dollar pockets of rich executives, I still watch these bowl games with enjoyment anyway. I have no will power to create meaningful change as I won't be negatively impacting their ratings. So anyway, here is your schedule (complete with announcers already) for the Bowl games. Enjoy! (all times ET)
December 17
New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, NM): Wyoming vs. Temple 2:00 (ESPN - Clay Matvick and Brian Griese, SR: Jessica Mendoza)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, ID): Utah State vs. Ohio 5:30 (ESPN - Dave Flemming and Mike Bellotti, SR: Heather Cox)
New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, LA): Louisiana-Lafayette vs. San Diego State 9:00 (ESPN - Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard, SR: Shelley Smith)
December 20
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl (St. Petersburg, FL): Florida International vs. Marshall 8:00 (ESPN - Mike Patrick and Danny Kanell, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
December 21
Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego, CA): TCU vs. Louisiana Tech 8:00 (ESPN - Joe Tessitore, Mark May, and Lou Holtz, SR: Samantha Steele)
December 22
Maaco Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas, NV): Boise State vs. Arizona State 8:00 (ESPN - Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, SR: Tom Rinaldi)
December 24
Hawaii Bowl (Honolulu, HI): Southern Mississippi vs. Nevada 8:00 (ESPN - Mark Jones and Ed Cunningham, SR: Jessica Mendoza)
December 26
Independence Bowl (Shreveport, LA): Missouri vs. North Carolina 5:00 (ESPN2 - Rob Stone and Danny Kanell, SR: Allison Williams)
December 27
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (Detroit, MI): Purdue vs. Western Michigan 4:30 (ESPN - Beth Mowins and Mike Bellotti, SR: Eamon McAnaney)
Belk Bowl (Charlotte, NC): North Carolina State vs. Louisville 8:00 (ESPN - Bob Wischusen and Brian Griese, SR: Shannon Spake)
December 28
Military Bowl (Washington, D.C.): Air Force vs. Toledo 4:30 (ESPN - Pam Ward and Dan Hawkins, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA): Texas vs. California 8:00 (ESPN - Rece Davis and Jesse Palmer, SR: Jenn Brown)
December 29
Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando, FL): Florida State vs. Notre Dame 5:30 (ESPN - Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore, SR: Holly Rowe)
Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, TX): Baylor vs. Washington 9:00 (ESPN - Dave Pasch and Chris Spielman, SR: Quint Kessenich)
December 30
Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas, TX): BYU vs. Tulsa 12:00 (ESPN - Dave Neal and Andre Ware, SR: Cara Capuano)
Pinstripe Bowl (New York City, NY): Rutgers vs. Iowa State 3:20 (ESPN - Chris Fowler and Jesse Palmer, SR: Tom Rinaldi)
Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN): Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State 6:40 (ESPN - Mark Jones and Ed Cunningham, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
Insight Bowl (Tempe, AZ): Oklahoma vs. Iowa 10:00 (ESPN - Sean McDonough and Matt Millen, SR: Heather Cox)
December 31
Meineke Car Care Bowl Of Texas (Houston, TX): Texas A&M vs. Northwestern 12:00 (ESPN - Bob Wischusen and Brian Griese, SR: Eamon McAnaney)
Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX): Georgia Tech vs. Utah 2:00 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN): Vanderbilt vs. Cincinnati 3:30 (ABC - Dave Lamont and Ray Bentley, SR: Quint Kessenich)
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (San Francisco, CA): UCLA vs. Illinois 3:30 (ESPN - Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard, SR: Shelley Smith)
Chick-fil-A Bowl (Atlanta, GA): Virginia vs. Auburn 7:30 (ESPN - Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge, SR: Holly Rowe)
January 2
TicketCity Bowl (Dallas, TX): Penn State vs. Houston 12:00 (ESPNU - Clay Matvick and Danny Kanell, SR: Allison Williams)
Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL): Georgia vs. Michigan State 1:00 (ABC - Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden, SR: Lisa Salters)
Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL): Ohio State vs. Florida 1:00 (ESPN2 - Mike Patrick and Ed Cunningham, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
Capital One Bowl (Orlando, FL): Nebraska vs. South Carolina 1:00 (ESPN - Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore, SR: Quint Kessenich)
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA): Oregon vs. Wisconsin 5:00 (ESPN - Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, SR: Erin Andrews)
Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ): Oklahoma State vs. Stanford 8:30 (ESPN - Sean McDonough and Matt Millen, SR: Heather Cox)
January 3
Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA): Michigan vs. Virginia Tech 8:30 (ESPN - Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge, SR: Holly Rowe)
January 4
Orange Bowl (Miami, FL): Clemson vs. West Virginia 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Lisa Salters)
January 6
Cotton Bowl (Arlington, TX): Kansas State vs. Arkansas 8:00 (Fox - Gus Johnson and Charles Davis, SA: Tim Brewster)
January 7
BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, AL): Pittsburgh vs. SMU 1:00 (ESPN - Mike Gleason and John Congemi, SR: Eamon McAnaney)
January 8
GoDaddy.com Bowl (Mobile, AL): Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State 9:00 (ESPN - Rob Stone and Danny Kanell, SR: Cara Capuano)
January 9
BCS Championship Game (New Orleans, LA): LSU vs. Alabama 8:30 (ESPN - Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, SR: Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi)
December 17
New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, NM): Wyoming vs. Temple 2:00 (ESPN - Clay Matvick and Brian Griese, SR: Jessica Mendoza)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, ID): Utah State vs. Ohio 5:30 (ESPN - Dave Flemming and Mike Bellotti, SR: Heather Cox)
New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, LA): Louisiana-Lafayette vs. San Diego State 9:00 (ESPN - Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard, SR: Shelley Smith)
December 20
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl (St. Petersburg, FL): Florida International vs. Marshall 8:00 (ESPN - Mike Patrick and Danny Kanell, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
December 21
Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego, CA): TCU vs. Louisiana Tech 8:00 (ESPN - Joe Tessitore, Mark May, and Lou Holtz, SR: Samantha Steele)
December 22
Maaco Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas, NV): Boise State vs. Arizona State 8:00 (ESPN - Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, SR: Tom Rinaldi)
December 24
Hawaii Bowl (Honolulu, HI): Southern Mississippi vs. Nevada 8:00 (ESPN - Mark Jones and Ed Cunningham, SR: Jessica Mendoza)
December 26
Independence Bowl (Shreveport, LA): Missouri vs. North Carolina 5:00 (ESPN2 - Rob Stone and Danny Kanell, SR: Allison Williams)
December 27
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (Detroit, MI): Purdue vs. Western Michigan 4:30 (ESPN - Beth Mowins and Mike Bellotti, SR: Eamon McAnaney)
Belk Bowl (Charlotte, NC): North Carolina State vs. Louisville 8:00 (ESPN - Bob Wischusen and Brian Griese, SR: Shannon Spake)
December 28
Military Bowl (Washington, D.C.): Air Force vs. Toledo 4:30 (ESPN - Pam Ward and Dan Hawkins, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA): Texas vs. California 8:00 (ESPN - Rece Davis and Jesse Palmer, SR: Jenn Brown)
December 29
Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando, FL): Florida State vs. Notre Dame 5:30 (ESPN - Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore, SR: Holly Rowe)
Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, TX): Baylor vs. Washington 9:00 (ESPN - Dave Pasch and Chris Spielman, SR: Quint Kessenich)
December 30
Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas, TX): BYU vs. Tulsa 12:00 (ESPN - Dave Neal and Andre Ware, SR: Cara Capuano)
Pinstripe Bowl (New York City, NY): Rutgers vs. Iowa State 3:20 (ESPN - Chris Fowler and Jesse Palmer, SR: Tom Rinaldi)
Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN): Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State 6:40 (ESPN - Mark Jones and Ed Cunningham, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
Insight Bowl (Tempe, AZ): Oklahoma vs. Iowa 10:00 (ESPN - Sean McDonough and Matt Millen, SR: Heather Cox)
December 31
Meineke Car Care Bowl Of Texas (Houston, TX): Texas A&M vs. Northwestern 12:00 (ESPN - Bob Wischusen and Brian Griese, SR: Eamon McAnaney)
Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX): Georgia Tech vs. Utah 2:00 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN): Vanderbilt vs. Cincinnati 3:30 (ABC - Dave Lamont and Ray Bentley, SR: Quint Kessenich)
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (San Francisco, CA): UCLA vs. Illinois 3:30 (ESPN - Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard, SR: Shelley Smith)
Chick-fil-A Bowl (Atlanta, GA): Virginia vs. Auburn 7:30 (ESPN - Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge, SR: Holly Rowe)
January 2
TicketCity Bowl (Dallas, TX): Penn State vs. Houston 12:00 (ESPNU - Clay Matvick and Danny Kanell, SR: Allison Williams)
Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL): Georgia vs. Michigan State 1:00 (ABC - Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden, SR: Lisa Salters)
Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL): Ohio State vs. Florida 1:00 (ESPN2 - Mike Patrick and Ed Cunningham, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
Capital One Bowl (Orlando, FL): Nebraska vs. South Carolina 1:00 (ESPN - Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore, SR: Quint Kessenich)
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA): Oregon vs. Wisconsin 5:00 (ESPN - Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, SR: Erin Andrews)
Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ): Oklahoma State vs. Stanford 8:30 (ESPN - Sean McDonough and Matt Millen, SR: Heather Cox)
January 3
Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA): Michigan vs. Virginia Tech 8:30 (ESPN - Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge, SR: Holly Rowe)
January 4
Orange Bowl (Miami, FL): Clemson vs. West Virginia 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Lisa Salters)
January 6
Cotton Bowl (Arlington, TX): Kansas State vs. Arkansas 8:00 (Fox - Gus Johnson and Charles Davis, SA: Tim Brewster)
January 7
BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, AL): Pittsburgh vs. SMU 1:00 (ESPN - Mike Gleason and John Congemi, SR: Eamon McAnaney)
January 8
GoDaddy.com Bowl (Mobile, AL): Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State 9:00 (ESPN - Rob Stone and Danny Kanell, SR: Cara Capuano)
January 9
BCS Championship Game (New Orleans, LA): LSU vs. Alabama 8:30 (ESPN - Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, SR: Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi)
NFL Week 13 Live Blog
If tonight goes I think tonight is going to go, this is going to be one fucked up night of sports.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
NFL Week 13 Live Blog
Eagles. Seahawks. Thursday Night Football. Mediocrity at its finest. Join us, why don't you?
CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG
CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG
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