Awful Announcing Is Back!!!..........Sort Of

When I woke up this morning and put my socks on for my first day back at my university, the last thing I expected was to stumble on the return of Awful Announcing. Well, guess what? As of Sunday, August 29, 2010, Awful Announcing is back!. Just one caveat: It is no longer Brian Powell's site. The site has been purchased from Powell by the Bloguin network and the new site features a whole host of new writers. For a little more information on what is happening, here is the first 2 paragraphs of the 1st post of the new blog written by one of Awful Announcer's new writers and seemingly new head editor: SB Nation Detroit's Brian Packey.

A little over four years ago, Brian Powell started Awful Announcing because NBA broadcaster Hubie Brown somehow let "wideopenshotability" escape from his mouth on-air. It wasn't just another spontaneous sports blog destined to fail, though. Powell had a vision for the site and built it up into one of the most well-known sports blogs on the 'net, focusing on everything broadcasting from potential sharts to random hair product placements. Unfortunately, new responsibilities prevented Powell from posting as much and, ultimately, pretty much at all (the last post prior to today was April 20, but a source close to the situation has said that he still wants to post here occasionally).

Bloguin stepped up to the plate, offering to resurrect AA and put the revered sports blog back on top where it belongs. In an increasingly competitive blogsphere, it will be a tall task, but I think we've assembled a strong enough group of writers to make it happen. We all plan to work hard to maintain the roots of the original AA site, including announcing assignments, quotables, videos, live blogs and analysis, amongst other goodies, but we'll also be splashing in our own flavor to spruce things up a bit.

It is awesome that the site is back, even if under the proverbial new management. Even though I have never read Packey's work before, the fact that he writes for an SB Nation site gives him some credibility in my book. SB Nation writers know what they are doing.

Seeing as Awful Announcing went on hiatus over 4 months ago and prior to that the site was gaining loads and loads of criticism because of Powell's increased real-world responsibilities took away from the quality of the site, it will be interesting to see how big of an audience this new site receives. Whether or not this site's readership consists mainly of old AA readers or new readers that had not heard of Awful Announcing prior to this site revival will be interesting. Myself, Mookie, and 49er16 will still be hosting NFL live blogs on Sunday and I am definitely going to have live blogs up for some MLB playoff games, but I will still be peeking over at the new AA to see what is going on there as they are claiming they will be having live blogs.

Outside of the community fostered, the thing I liked most about AA was the fact that he took long and winded press releases and condensed them into short blog posts that got to the meat and potatoes of the story while adding his opinion at the end. Since AA's decline and hiatus, no site has really been all about what AA was about. The now defunct Sporting Blog kept track of some things, but occasionally ventured into other topics. Dan Levy's new Press Coverage site is a fine new site that could turn into something like an Awful Announcing, though the site is a lot more opinionated than AA was (which is saying something because AA did have his opinions) frequently focuses more on other topics in sports media outside of announcing. While the style of writing will surely be different, if this new re-launched version of the site can deliver posts and news regarding announcers in a matter similar to what the old AA did (already there are posts on non-stories that gets talked about in July and August, Jay Mariotti, and ESPN's so-called "fantasy experts") , I think it has the potential to be a great success.

Grading CBS Super Bowl Coverage

Seeing as AA is probably hung over on Bourbon Street or something, I figured I would chime in with my thoughts of the job that CBS did for their Super Bowl coverage. It is an odd tradition of mine dating from way back when I was a kid to only watch the pre-game stuff of the network covering the Super Bowl game until they go off the air for a new reality TV show. Therefore, I can't tell you how good or bad ESPN or NFL Network were last night, but I will talk a lot about CBS.

Last night, they once again showed why they are the best network at handling big sports events. There were no fancy graphics, there were no unusual gimmicks outside of Phil Simms' "Phil-osophy" analysis at the beginning of the game, but that is their routine segment and they can earn a pass for it, and there was nothing over the top about it. The extra, higher quality cameras were not used for flash, but rather to aid and enhancing the broadcast, which they did, in providing us many high quality replays from several different angles. There was no Manning Cam or Brees Cam or any of that nonsense. It was how a Super Bowl should be broadcast. You can never go wrong with using "Run This Town" as a pre-game intro song. The only knock on them was there seemed to be an audio glitch on during the team introductions. Production Grade: A.

Pre-pre Game shows: Personally, I love The Road to The Super Bowl, but if they never do another "All Iron Team" or "Howie Long's Tough Guys", the football world will be better for it. It really adds nothing and this All-Iron Team found me falling asleep, changing the channel, and going out to grab some lunch. If they must have those kinds of shows, they need to make it a 30 minute show. Extending Road to The Super Bowl to make up for that lost 30 minutes would not be the worst idea in the world. Grade: C+

The Super Bowl Today: What a difference a year and a different network makes. NBC tried to get cute by having 2 main desks with a shitload of people at each one, most of whom had never been in that situation before, talking over each other and fighting for airpsace. CBS on the other hand stuck with their main 5 and only brought in extra players, contributors, and reporters when they needed them for a segment. Thus it should be no surprise that CBS blew last year's NBC pre-game show out of the water and then some. While it was a bit heavy on the New Orleans segments, they were not over the top nor did they necessarily try to equate a Super Bowl win with a city being back and houses being built through the raising of trophy. While personally I think it is a useless segment altogether, the Katie Couric interview with the president was concise and to the political point and did not have stupid questions about what President Obama's favorite Super Bowl snack is. They were a little promotion heavy, but what Super Bowl pre-game show isn't nowadays. Oh, and Larry Fitzgerald missing a perfect pass from Dan Marino because of great defense from Darrelle Revis was gold. Pure gold. Grade: B

Jim Nantz and Phil Simms: Jim and Phil did not have their best game ever, but they did not need to. They had solid support around them to help them when they did make mistakes, they were able to clarify and correct themselves virtually on the spot. They did not fluff their words with stories and storylines, which while may be boring to the non-football fan watching the Super Bowl at a regular party who wants to get into the stories, was perfect for real football fans. They described the action and Jim Nantz even showed emotion throughout the game, something that has been said a lot more frequently about him now that he has split up with his wife. Before I give these guys a grade though, I would like to say something. Guys, it's the Super Bowl. You are being seen by more people than you ever imagined in your life. Super Bowl Sunday is not the day to bring out your loudest suits, people!

The only real offender on the main pregame set was Shannon Sharpe who broke something that I still have not figured out what it was.

Jim Nantz decided to bring out the white shirt, which is fine until you add a bright orange tie to it.

Phil Simms who has a thing for loud wardrobes breaks out the pink shirt with the pink and blue striped tie. Well, at least it was a dull pink.

Solomon Wilcots....oy ve........a hot pink shirt with a hot pink tie that did not even match. Words can't describe that other than I think he went pimping after the game.

Steve Tasker, thank you for being normal.

Over all announcing grade: B. Had they collectively not don the loudest wardrobe in the history of Super Bowl coverage, it would have been a B+.

The Book Of AA

Sorry for the dearth of posts over the past couple days, but I'm knee deep in perhaps the biggest and hardest paper I have ever written and I'll probably be that way over the next week and a half.

Anyway, I was not going to do a post other than the live blog today, but when I went to Keith's Sports Journal, I stumbled upon something so awesome, that it just has to be on here. I'm not a huge NBA fan, so I probably won't read Bill Simmons new book, The Book of Basketball, but anytime one of my favorite bloggers is mentioned in a footnote in the book, you know it's going to get posted here. From Keith's Sports Journal.

So last night after the Sharks shootout win against the Kings, I decided to do some reading before I went to bed. I picked up Simmons book and continued to read about how the NBA go to this point. At this point of the book Simmons starts talking about how former NBA legends became broadcasters and how horrible they were.

Simmons was talking about Oscar Robertson in particular. At the end of the paragraph about Robertson's broadcasting career, there is a number to one of Simmons' footnotes. So I look down to read the footnote and it said this.......

57"It's really a shame that dude who runs "Awful Announcing" blog wasn't around back then."

This footnote appears on page 117, chapter 3 of Simmons book.

Yep, Brian and his blog Awful Announcing makes an appearance in Simmons new book. Have to love how Simmons called Brian that dude, like he's a character from The Big Lebowski.

Now that's just awesome!

The funny part is that I'm not even fully sure if AA is aware of it. He's yet to put a post up.

Too funny!

Well, seeing as my bus is leaving at 6:30 tomorrow morning, I will hit the shower now and I'll have all the stuff for the live blog after I'm all nice and clean.

I know.....I know....way TMI.

Monday Night Football LIve Blog

Is right over here, and here, and even here.

So join myself, an Eagles fan, 12StepDrop and AA, 2 Redskins fans, and the rest of the usual gang for the live blog. See you there!

A Nathan Brice Pwning To Begin Your Night

I've been running around like a crazy madman for most of the day, so I have not really had time to put much up (not an uncommon occurance on a Wednesday). However, I have been perusing the blogs, and guess who showed up at AA today! Yes, it is indeed our good, good friend, Nathan Brice! The following is the conversation that took place today (as the conversation builds, I'll add to it).

Nathan Brice: I am going to say several things here.

1. If Thom Brennaman is filling in for Joe Buck this week, then those Dick Stockton to ESPN rumors must be true.

2. They obviously don't want to separate Kenny, Moose, and Goose because they might eventually overtake Joe, Troy, and Pam.

3. No Gus Johnson and no Bill Macatee is always a good thing.

4. They might have Chris Myers and Chris Rose confused because I really don't think that Myers can report from the dugout on Saturday in New York and then fly all the way across the country to Seattle in one night. Look into that.

5. Don Criqui needs to show improvement to keep doing games.

JFein: There is a reason why Kenny Albert does not work with Troy Aikman during the LCS and World Series and it is not because they don't want to separate Kenny, Moose, and Goose. They had Kenny Albert work with Troy Aikman before and the chemistry between the two was not good at all. Therefore, seeing as the 2nd announcer, Albert, can't fill in for Buck, Fox goes to their 3rd announcer, Thom Brennaman (not Dick Stockton). The way Fox does it is that their so-called 3rd, 4th, and 5th teams (Brennaman/Billick, Stockton/Davis, Rosen/Ryan), are all essentially equal, and seeing as Fox is phasing out Dick Stockton (or he is phasing himself out), Brennaman becomes the #1 guy while Buck is away.

And while I'm not sure about Chris Myers this year, last year he sideline reported a Falcons-Eagles game during the day and sideline reported a Rays-Phillies game during the night so it is certainly not out of the question that he does a Yankee game in New York on Saturday, flies out to Seattle afterward to do that game on Sunday, and then go down to Anaheim for Game 3 of the ALCS on Monday. It's Chris Myers, we're talking about, Fox works him like he's Superman (even though Myers is horrible). They always have and will probably continue to do so this week.

Nathan: The decisions that FOX makes with its "talent" continue to puzzle me. Chris Myers should be banned from television. Thom Brennaman should only broadcast Reds games. He should never do any national baseball games. He should never do another football game as long as he lives. Why he continues to do NFL games is puzzling. FOX will hopefully hire people like Dave Pasch and Bob Wischusen to replace the idiot announcers that are on there. I would not mind Chris Rose getting a full slate of NFL games. Ron Pitts should never do another NFL game on TV. Sam Rosen is not that bad, but Tim Ryan is a disaster. I hope that Trent Green and John Lynch move up quickly so that they can get rid of Tim and Charles Davis. I would also like them to hire Bob Papa from the NFL Network. Josh Lewin would also be another guy to potentially hire to work Cowboys games since Joe Buck cannot objectively call the games with the Cowboys. Kenny, Moose, and Goose could be the number one team in a couple of years because they are so good. As far as CBS teams go, the first two teams are good. Jim and Phil are great. Greg and Dan are pretty good, but they are a good number two team. Dick Enberg is still great but they cannot seem to give him a good analyst. Dan Fouts is a disaster. The other teams on CBS are catastrophic.

JFein: I would not mind Chris Rose getting a full slate of NFL games

Congratulations! You're a fan of one of the worst PbP guys in all of football!

/Bob Wischusen??? Seriously??? He's just as awful as Rose.
//I could go on, but I'll let the idiocy of what your 2 comments demomstrate for themselves how little you know and understand this business.

-----------------------------------------

As I said above, if he responds, I'll be sure to put it on here. His aura of great, in-depth knowlege of a business that in actuality he knows very little about is a constant source of great hilarity for me.

Your week 6 NFL and announcing schedule and broadcasting maps (Awful Announcing)

It's Report Card Time

Well, it's that time of year again, and this always seems to be one of the most common times to do a review of the announcers, so I figured why not put my own thoughts and insights into how each announcer pairing did this weekend. Some people like to separate the analyst from the PbP man when they do this, but I sometimes feel like it's a group performance and the performance of one often has an affect on the other so it can be very difficult and sometimes unfair to judge the performance of one without looking at the other. The grades are listed in descending order from best to worst. So without further ado, here is your 1st and 2nd Round March Madness Announcing Report Cards!

1. Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery - A: It certainly helped them tremendously that they got the games of the tournament, but even then, you can get the best games of a tourney and fall flat on your face (see Tim Brando last year). However, that did not happen with this group. They were more than up to the task of calling the big games and brought a great enthusiasm to the game. I often read that Verne Lundquist is past his prime and he is developing a Dick Enberg-esque senility, however, I disagree with that assessment. Uncle Verne still has it in him and let's face it, his partner his the best in the business. ONIONS!

2. Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel - B: There is definitley a drop off this year between the best and the rest. Lundquist and Raft were the best, and after that, there is, in my view at least, a clusterfuck of announcers in this whole B/C range and the next 4 or 5 could easily be switched up in any order. That being said, I am a big fan of Ian Eagle and his interview On The DL only made me like him more. Eagle and Spanarkel work really well together and I always enjoy listening to their broadcasts. That being said, however, nothing really stuck out, positive or negative about them, and I got a lot of their games, which is a rarity for me. Having seeing more of them this year than in years past, I had high expectations of an A, and I feel somewhat let down.

3. Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner - B: Personally, I am not a huge fan of Kevin Harlan. There are some people that love him to death, and I respect your opinion, but often times I just cannot get past that raspy voice of his. Seriously, if I listen to him for a longtime I end of with a headache. That being said, though, announcers should be judged by how well they perform, not the size of the headache the voice gives me. And Harland and Bonner performed well. For me Dan Bonner is just there, he's solid but he does not wow me as an analyst, and Kevin Harland was great on the WKU-Gonzaga game. If not for that, the voice, combined with the lack of time I saw him, may have been too much to overcome and this grade would have dropped to a C.

4. Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg - B-: As I said before, this is the most I have ever enjoyed Jim Nantz in my life, and yet, I still do not love the guy as an announcer. Having an excitable analysis like Clark Kellogg is clearly helping him a lot, and personally, even though he was far from perfect, he was one million times better than Billy Packer. Yes, he did have mistakes and had odd sayings at times (i.e. spurtability), but they have finally found someone that in my opinion, that can work with Nantz. I'm not sure how Clark Kellogg would fare with other partners and we saw what happened with Nantz and Packer, but together, these two can make a decent lead team for CBS' coverage of March Madness.

4. Gus Johnson and Len Elmore - C+: I did not get a whole lot of GuJo this year and he definitley did not get a lot of exciting games. Supposedly, there were moments during the USC-Sparty game where Gus Johnson was back to the old GuJo going crazy, but of course, my affiliate was not on that game at the time. But maybe it was the frustration with the lack of dramatic games or some fall out over his altercation in Memphis. This grade is based on the fact I would like to say that his peformance at the end of the USC-Michigan State game overcame the demons of his altercation in Memphis, a poor performance in the first round, and the error of reading the wrong score, something that could drop him into D category, although I would like to believe that he was reading from something and they fed him the crew sent him the wrong information. And while seemingly addicted to valium, Len Elmore is a good analyst and I think he works really well with GuJo.

6. Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas (with Carter Blackburn) - C: This one is hard because I feel obiligated that I should judge Carter Blackburn and I did not hear Carter Blackburn for more than 5 minutes, but judging from what I did hear of him this year and last, this kid may have a future in calling college basketball games. I'm seriously considering going to MMOD and going back and listening to one of the games he called because I want to hear more of him. This kid has a future. Why bring it up? Because the 5-minutes that I heard of him improved this team from a C- to a C. I have frequently read that Enberg improved this year over last. While I can't recall his exact performance last year, his performance this year was not good. The man is a legend there is no doubt about it, but he can no longer keep up with the pace of basketball and it seems like he struggles to keep up with his analysis. Maybe it is just me, but the old legend should not be paired with a stuck-up, know-it-all like Jay Bilas. My biggest gripe with Bilas is that he comes across as such and it brings down the team and his partner, which with Enberg does not help him at all. Enberg is completely lost and he can't keep up with the game anymore. He's a legend, he used to be one of my favorites, but he needs to retire before he becomes a punchline like Dick Stockton has.

7. Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel - C-: This one was tough for me. I was definitley torn between a C and a D for these two so, in the end, I settled with the middle of the road. I like Craig Bolerjack as a PbP guy, probably more so than both. I think he brings great enthusiasm to the game. However, he is paired with arguably the worst analyst covering a major sports event for a TV network. Wenzel is AWFUL! The man speaks in fragments, is sometimes oblivious to the rules of basketball, and no Bob, the shot clock is not 36 seconds. So the question I was faced with, does Bolerjack overcome the atrocities of his partner? And the answer, I think, is yes. I come to that answer by thinking of the end of dramatic games. Can I look forward to the end of a game that he is doing expecting a good, dramatic call that I can remember? And Bolerjack gives me that. If you were to pair Craig Bolerjack with an analyst who is stuck with a horrible PbP man (see below), I think he would be much better and he would be received as such. And I think I may have just the man who you can pair Bolerjack with.....(see below).

8. Tim Brando and Mike Gminski - F: I was going to give this team a D, but then I remembered Gminski's tie on Saturday and that alone dropped them a letter grade (I never actually saw Elmore's tie yesterday so I can't comment on it). Tim Brnado does not belong anywhere near a broadcast booth. He does not bring excitement, he makes mistakes, and his puns are downright the worst in the world. And that brings me to his partner, Mike Gminski, who dare I say, is probably one of the better analysts CBS has. But yet, it's almost hard to tell because Brando is so bad. I think that if you were to switch things up, and pair Craig Bolerjack with Mike Gminski, I think that could end up being a solid B team. Seriously. And no, Brando is so bad that Gminski's performance is not enough to elevate the team to a good grade. Sorry, I can't give any team with Tim Brando in it a passing grade. It just does not work.

Agree with me? Disagree with me? Think I'm a douche bag who knows nothing about what good announcer is? Let me know in the comments section! I am curious as to what other people feel about this, and especially my idea of Bolerjack and Gminski.

2009 NCAA First Round Schedule

Well, it is this particular reason that I discovered AA in the first place. Last year, this time I was wondering who the announcers would be for March Madness (and whether or not GuJo was back doing Sweet 16 games), and me being impatient, did not feel like waiting until Thrusday. So naturally, I went to Wikipedia for more information! Anyways, Wikipedia had a link to Awful Announcing and I clicked on that link. And that was it. I was hooked from there. Of course, if that does not happen, then I do not have a blog of my own and I have not had the great pleasure of chatting with you guys about sports. Anyways, enough about me and onto the schedule for Thursday and Friday of the NCAA Tournament!

Thursday, March 19th:

LSU vs. Butler (Greensboro, 12:20pm)- Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg
Memphis vs. Cal. St. Northridge (Kansas City, 12:25pm)- Tim Brando/Mike Gminski
BYU vs. Texas A&M (Philadelphia, 12:30pm)- Dick Enberg or Carter Blackburn/Jay Bilas

Purdue vs. Northern Iowa (Portland, 2:30pm)- Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner
North Carolina vs. Radford (Greensboro, 2:50pm)- Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg
California vs. Maryland (Kansas City, 2:55pm)- Tim Brando/Mike Gminski
Connecticut vs. Chattanooga (Philadelphia, 3pm)- Dick Enberg or Carter Blackburn/Jay Bilas

Washington vs. Mississippi St. (Portland 5pm)- Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner

Texas vs. Minnesota (Greensboro, 7:10pm)- Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg
Clemson vs. Michigan (Kansas City, 7:10pm)- Tim Brando/Mike Gminski
Villanova vs. American (Philadelphia, 7:20pm)- Dick Enberg or Carter Blackburn/Jay Bilas
Gonzaga vs. Akron (Portland, 7:25pm)- Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner

Duke vs. Binghamton (Greensboro, 9:40pm)- Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg
Oklahoma vs. Morgan State (Kansas City, 9:40pm)- Tim Brando/Mike Gminski
UCLA vs. VCU (Philadelphia, 9:50pm)- Dick Enberg or Carter Blackburn/Jay Bilas
Illinois vs. Western Kentucky (Portland, 9:55pm)- Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner

Friday, March 20th

Syracuse vs. Stephen F. Austin (Miami, 12:15pm)- Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel
Oklahoma St. vs. Tennessee (Dayton, 12:25pm)- Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery
Kansas vs. North Dakota State (Minneapolis, 12:30pm)- Gus Johnson/Len Elmore
Marquette vs. Utah State (Boise, 12:30pm)- Craig Bolerjack/Bob Wenzel

Arizona State vs. Temple (Miami, 2:45pm)- Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel
Pittsburgh vs. E. Tennessee St. (Dayton, 2:55pm)- Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery
West Virginia vs. Dayton (Minneapolis, 3pm)- Gus Johnson/Len Elmore
Missouri vs. Cornell (Boise, 3pm)- Craig Bolerjack/Bob Wenzel

Utah vs. Arizona (Miami, 7:10pm)- Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel
Louisville vs. Alabama St./Morehead St. (Dayton, 7:10pm)- Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery
Boston College vs. USC (Minneapolis, 7:20pm)- Gus Johnson/Len Elmore
Xavier vs. Portland State (Boise, 7:25pm)- Craig Bolerjack/Bob Wenzel

Wake Forest vs. Cleveland State (Miami, 9:40pm)- Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel
Ohio State vs. Siena (Dayton, 9:40pm)- Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery
Michigan State vs. Robert Morris (Minneapolis, 9:50pm)- Gus Johnson/Len Elmore
Florida State vs. Wisconsin (Boise, 9:55)- Craig Bolerjack/Bob Wenzel

Villanova has Dick Enberg/Jay Bilas (I'm assuming Carter Blackburn will take the morning shift like he did last year) and Temple has Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel. Consider me happy! While my opinion of both Enberg and Bilas fluctuates on their performance of that day, Eagle and Spanarkel is one of my favorite March Madness announcing teams and thanks to Tim Brando and his 235 upsets in Tampa last year, I heard hardly any of Eagle/Spanarkel last year. And let me just say, my heart bleeds for those of you in KC and those of you that will end up stuck with 2 or more games from Kansas City. You've got Tim Brando! And for those in Minneapolis....get ready to RISE AND FIRE!

Announcing Schedule(Awful Announcing)

Boom Goes The Dynamite In Hockey

I was playing around on YouTube typing in various "bad announcing" searches, and I discovered a previously undiscovered video (136 views) that was added a month ago and it's filled with utter hilarity! Meet this unnamed hockey announcer. It's his first time calling a game. In 18-seconds, he will admit that he sucks, put you to sleep faster than Jim Nantz can, confuse you with his unique style of calling the action, and make you think he is related to Brian Collins by quoting a certain phrase that Will Smith quoted at the Oscars on Sunday.



And this guy gives it over to those guys who send it back to that guy over to that other guy and he whacks the puck with his stick and it scores in the net!

I've seen the video 5 times and I still crack up when I see it. So funny, so so funny.

Everything You Need To Know About The Super Bowl XLIII

Head over to Awful Announcing at once who did an absolutely yeoman's work of gathering all of the information needed for the Super Bowl XLIII pre-game shows.

My opinion is that NBC's coverage looks way better. And yes, long Super Bowl pre-game shows can get boring, but they only come once a year and in places they generally have some good stuff, so I am easily able to tolerate them. And as somewhat of a diehard football fan, I am somewhat intrigued by this matchup, so watching the pre-game shows, no matter how long, can serve as a fun time. Besides, Football Night in America is the only pre game show that I really watched religiously this year.

Either tonight or tomorrow, I'll have my exclusive preview up. And, as much as I hate to do it, I will spoil the ending for you guys. You have ESP, JFein? No, but in the last 6 playoff games this year, the team that I did not pick ended up winning. Just saying...

NFC Championship Game Eagles @ Cardinals Live Blog 2nd Half

Congrats guys on setting a Fire Andy Reid Now! comments record. Not that it's really saying much considering this blog's only been around for a few months, but nonetheless, congrats.

Second half kickoff in a few, and if the Eagles can't come back, let's hope this half is at least entertaining. Second half after the break.

Rackers kick is taken by Buckhalter who takes it to the 39. McNabb's pass is tipped at the line and incomplete. McNabb under pressure, somehow gets away and finds Klecko who gets out of the back field, down the sidelines, and he has a first down! But it will come back on the holding call and it's 2nd and 20 after all that. McNabb finds Avant who makes a nice catch for 14 yards and this is a huge 3rd down! McNabb finds Jackson and he has the first down! Westbrook gets the carry and he gets a couple. McNabb overthrows a wideopen Kevin Curtis! That would have been the play they needed!

Another 3rd down for the Eagles. McNabb is SACKED! FUMBLE! RECOVERED BY THE CARDINALS!

And executives at NBC are jumping off cliffs as we speak. James turns a loss of 2 into a gain of 4. And I'm surprised Andy Reid did not challenge that fumble.

"That's why McNabb thought he would have his backside protected." - Troy Aikman

False start on the Cards will move them back 5. Edge stumbles for a couple. Warner on 3rd down misses a wide open receiver! He missed a chance to put this one on ice permanently. Graham's punt is fair caught by Jackson at the 10.

Eagles would still have a chance if they would pull their heads out of their a$$es. The Cards will definitely let their foot off the throttle, that's just who they are. I've been subjected to a lot of their games this year. (Andy)

Best analysis of the day. Westrbook gets 7 on the carry up the middle. McNabb misses DeSean Jackson and it's 3rd down. Celek catches it on the underneath route and that's a gain of 7 and an Eagles first down. McNabb's pass is tipped and incomplete. Westbrook gets 8 on the carry.

"Good job of at least getting it into a pretty manageable 3rd down." - Troy Aikman

3rd down and 2 is more than just pretty manageable. Play action fake (Fire Andy Reid Now!) but McNabb's pass is caught by Celek for the first. Not quite sure what Reid/Mornhinweg was thinking but it worked, I guess. McNabb is SACKED FOR A LOSS OF 9! Baskett drops an easy repection and it's 3rd and 19 now for Philly.

McNabb just launches one over the middle on 3rd and long and IT'S SOMEHOW CAUGHT BY CURTIS! INSIDE THE 20! Jackson gets 4 on the catch. And wow, that catch by Curtis may have just saved the season for the time being. McNabb takes it off himself on the QB draw and he's at the 5! Eagles need more of that McNabb. As much as he wants to be a pocket passer, he is at his best when he is a threat to run the ball. Westbrook gets stuffed at the line.

2nd and goal, McNabb looks to the endzone and throws to CELEK WHO COMES DOWN WITH THE CATCH! TOUCHDOWN EAGLES! The extra point is good and it's 24-13 Arizona.

A running into the kicker penalty will in all likelhood the Cardinals will start this drive at their own 20 after a touchback (assuming the Eagles don't go with the surprise onside kick, that is).

It's amazing how many times you make a big play like that, it turns into something really positive." - Troy Aikman. (Via Secor314)

McNabb uses his legs on the run!" I prefer when he uses his elbows. (Via Rev)

Oh yeah, I forgot about the kickoff out of bounds. That's been one of the themes of the day thus far. Cards ball at the 40.

Wait, the 35? Did I miss something? Or is that a result of the penalty?

Akers funked that kick out of bounds. (Via Mal)

Joe Buck has a new word attached to his name. Warner misses his first two passes. 3rd down and KURT WARNER IS SACKED! LOSS OF 4 AND THAT'S A 3-AND-OUT!

Jackson takes the ball to the 38. Is it just me or does the Fox score graphic at the bottom of the screen that is shown before commercial look really awkward with the set up of the colors? That blue, green, red, and gray and gold do not look good together.

McNabb finds Curtis on the underneath route for a gain of 15. And this one is starting to have a different feel to it (*knocks on wood*). McNabb overthrows Curtis on the deep route. Westbrook gets the carry and picks up 4. Eagles need to convert here. McNabb finds DeSean Jackson for the first down! 10 yard completion and the Eagles are in field goal range, which is all they may need at this point. Westbrook gets 3. That little spot of sun at around the 40 yard line looks really weird, if for no other reason because the roof is closed.

Andy Reid blows his first timeout of the half. The only thing worse than Reid blowing that time out (Fire Andy Reid Now!) is that we get an extended shot of Joe "The Funk" Buck and Troy Aikman. McNabb throws it to Celek and HE MAKES THE CATCH AND RUNS INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN PHILADELPHIA! The extra point is NO GOOD! A bad hold from Rocca who was unable to get the laces turned around and it's 24-19 Arizona.

I guess it's just like the Eagles went for 2 and missed, as that's probably what I would have done.

As an aside, you should have seen me jump 5 feet out of my seat as Celek made the catch and score the touchdown.

Kickoff is kneeled down in the endzone by Arrington for a touchback. James picks up 3 on the carry. Warner's pass is TIPPED RIGHT BACK INTO HIS OWN HANDS! WARNER MAKES THE CATCH AND PICKS UP 3 ON THE ENSUING RUN! Scramble for the ball ensues, but the refs rule he was down.

That's the end of the 3rd quarter and I think we all need to catch our breaths, 24-19 Cards in what's shaping up to be a thriller.

"A good play was made in the hole."--Joe Buck
Not the first time he's said that, I'm sure (Via Rev)

James makes the catch out of the backfield and picks up 16 for the first down! James gets 5 on the carry. Hightower is tripped up in the backfield by Dawkins and it's another critical 3rd down. The pass for Fitzgerald is incomplete! Fair catch by Jackson on the punt at the 14.

Buckhalter makes the catch and picks up 12! McNabb's pass to Avant picks up 9. It's getting harder and harder for me to just sit still and watch this. I feel like jumping. Handoff to Westbrook and he has a first down. McNabb's looking deep......DESEAN JACKSON MAKES THE CATCH OF A LIFETIME!!!!!!!! TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!!!!! Eagles are going for 2. No good, but there's a penalty down. Holding on the Eagles. 25-24 Eagles lead the Cards.

I am officially pumped for my laryngitis diagnosis later in the week.

Did Larry Fitzgerald get traded at halftime? Did David Copperfield show up and make the wrong the man disappear? (Via Secor314)

Kickoff is taken to the 28 by Breaston. James loses a yard on the carry. Warner finds Fitzgerald for a first down at the 41. Pople makes the completion at midfield. James gets stuffed at the line and it's 3rd and short. Hightower with the carry and oh my this is going to be close.

"The line is unofficial." - Joe Buck

Drink! HIGHTOWER'S SHORT! 4th and inches! Biasness aside, if I were a coach, I'd go for it. And the Cards are! HIGHTOWER BOUNCES IT TO THE OUTSIDE, ESCAPES A TACKLE, AND HAS A FIRST DOWN!

Does this stadium have some wild post-season games or what? Edge picks up a couple. Fitzgerald makes the catch and he has a first down at the 23! Edge gets a couple. Fitzgerald makes the catch and he gets 7 yards and is just short of the marker! 3rd and short coming up. Hightower with a first down inside the 10! Edge is stood up at the line for no gain. Hightower goes nowhere and the Eagles will call a timeout. 3rd and goal coming up.

Buck: "The new series that has lying down to a science."Like Joe Buck being #31 on the top sportscasters list? (Via RJBO)

Asante Samuel showing the world his anatomical impression of the Liberty Bell on that last tackle of Fitzgerald. (Via Secor314)

You guys crack me up. 3rd and goal coming up for the Cards. Warner from the gun, pumps, screen to Hightower, HIGHTOWER BREAKS FREE AND SCORES! TOUCHDOWN ARIZONA! Cards are going to try for 2 and make it a 7-point game. WARNER CONVERTS TO PATRICK! 32-25 Cardinals!

What a game.

Buck: "The Little Engine That Could, the Arizona Cardinals, keeps on chuggin." (Via RJBO)

Buck must love children's books. Demps takes a knee in the endzone for the touchback. And here we go. Chance for the Eagles to make something happen again. McNabb's pass is off the hands of Westbrook and incomplete. 2:46 to go. 2nd and 10. McNabb finds Jackson along the sidelines for a gain of 9. 3rd and 1, we've seen this before. McNabb finds Celek for the first down! Westbrook makes the catch and has a ton of room to run and he picks up 19! 2:09 to go. Ball at the AZ 47. McNabb's pass is incomplete for Baskett.

It's worth noting that the Eagles have not had a big 4th quarter comeback win this year. Just saying. McNabb's pass is too high for DeSean Jackson! 3rd and 10. 2:01 to go. McNabb's pass is incomplete for Baskett! 2-minute warning. 4th and 10 coming up after the break.

Are we headed for OT? Will McNabb drive for a TD in the last 3 minutes? If he does someone has to explain the playoff OT rules to Donovan, I'd love to hear that conversation. "Wait a minute, but you guys told me before that there was only one OT!" (Andy)

That would truly the season coming full circle. MCNABB UNDER PRESSUER, THROWS, HAS CURTIS BUT HE DROPPED IT! INCOMPLETE! CURTIS WANTS A FLAG BUT HE WON'T GET IT AND THE CARDS ARE A FIRST DOWN AWAY FROM A TRIP TO TAMPA!

Hightower gets 7. Eagles call a timeout. That's their last. Hightower is just short of the marker.

"Hightower...keeps chugging." - Joe Buck

Short of the marker. 3rd and NFC Title Game (sorry for that channeling of Matt Vagersian). Cards will let the clock wind down and then call a timeout. 59 seconds to go. Hightower slips and he's short of the marker! And the Eagles will have a shot at a Boise State miracle.

The punt goes out of bounds at the 7. 9 seconds to go. And for once, I won't fault Andy Reid for trying something funky here. Anything has a chance in this stadium.

The Eagles go with the laterals! Jackson downs the sideline! LATERALS IT INTO THE HANDS OF DARNELL DOCKETT AND THAT'S IT! THE ARIZONA CARDINALS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL! 32-25 is the final score in yet another memorable NFC title game and another crazy football postseason game in University of Phoenix Stadium.

My sincerest congrats to the Arizona Cardinals who have certainly worked for it. They weren't picked coming in, but time and time again they proved themselves in this post-season and Warner came through when they needed it the most.

32-25 Cardinals over the Eagles. The AFC title game is being live-blogged by SSR. I'll be there and I hope everyone else joins him. Thanks for all the hilarious comments today/tonight.

NFC Championship Game Eagles @ Cardinals Live Blog 1st Half

All right, it's almost time for kickoff in Glendale. Here are the picks from the people at Fox.

Frank: Cardinals
Jimmy: Eagles
Michael: Eagles
Howie: Eagles
Terry: Cardinals

And all 5 of them went with Pittsburgh in the AFC title game. And yes, Curt just confirmed that TB is flying out to Glendale. And we also get the official unveiling of Lebron's "big announcement". Yay, State Farm commercial! (Not that we didn't know that already).

Joe and Troy are coming up after the break.

"One of these teams is 4 quarters away from the Super Bowl and a trip to Tampa, Florida." - Joe Buck stating the obvious.

Not a bad rendition from Jordin Sparks. A bit over the top toward the end, but alas, we've seen worse.

When Joe Buck calls games in Arizona, the road team wins.The Giants were officially the road team in the Super Bowl.The Vikings beat Arizona.I conclude that the Eagles will win. (Via SSR)

Don't forget Philly's record with Buck the past few months. He's done the last 5 Eagles games where the Eagles have a 4-1 record and he called the Phils winning the World Series.

Akers kick is downed in the endzone by Arrington and we are underway! Edge picks up a couple on first down. Warner completes to Boldin for 7. Warner on third down finds Fitzgerald over the middle for a first down and a big gain past the 45! Boldin catches a quick pass from Warner and picks up 9. Edge pushes the pile forward for a first down.

Inside Eagle territory at the 40, Warner hands off to James who bounces it to the outside and picks up 16! James again with another carry and another first down inside the 20! Hightower picks up 4.

"How can a football blow off a tee in a dome? Maybe the noise knocked it off." - Joe Buck before the kickoff. (Via James Craven and Mal)

Kurt Warner finds Fitzgerald over the middle! Fitzgerald breaks a tackle! BREAKS ANOTHER TACKLE AND HE'S IN! TOUCHDOWN ARIZONA! The extra point is good and the Cardinals lead 7-0.

Can I get a "FIRE ANDY REID NOW!" please? (Via James Craven)

FIRE ANDY REID NOW! The kickoff goes out of bounds and the Eagles will have the ball at their own 40. How do you have a kickoff out of bounds in a dome? McNabb on first down is under pressure but he'll take off down the field for a big gain of over 20! That's the McNabb the Eagles need! Penalty was for an offsides on the Cards. Westbrook gets 4 on the carry. And yes, SSR, I think that tight end may be a traitor....

McNabb finds Celek on the completion but Celek gets walloped at the line and Joe Buck is being kind by giving him a yard on that completion. McNabb on 3rd down with all day and he finds Westbrook for 6 and a first down! Good grief! Is this an NFC title game or practice?

Toss to Westbrook gets a couple. LJ Smith catches it in the backfield and breaks a tackle and makes a nice play to turn what looked like a sure loss into a gain of 5. 3rd down and 4 becomes 3rd and 9 on the false start.

"Cardinals are coming." - Joe Buck.

Eww. McNabb has his pass batted down and that will bring up 4th come and on will come Akers to try a 45-yard and make it 18-straight post season field goals. Akers kick is up...AND GOOD! He killed that thing. 7-3 Cardinals still lead.

Joe B on Akers kick: "absolutely funked". (Via Mal
Mal, that came from Mr. Slamma Lamma Ding Dong himself (JamesCraven)

I was wondering what that second word was. Especially when I first heard it, I thought he said it was "absolutely fuc...." The kickoff is taken by Arrington to the 24.

"Eagles and Cardinals banging into each other today." - Joe Buck who clearly has his mind in the gutter today.

Handoff to James goes for a yard. Warner's pass on 2nd down is incomplete. 3rd down, and Warner finds Fitzgerald for 8. The punt by Graham goes 34 yards before going out of bounds.

McNabb can't connect with a wide-open DeSean Jackson on first down. Westbrook is stopped at the line as it seemed like Joe Buck had problems identifying the line of scrimmage. McNabb on 3rd down throws it up and it's TIPPED AND INTERCEPTED BY FRANCISCO! FRANCISCO DOWN THE SIDELINES AND HE LOSES THE BALL! EAGLES RECOVER AND HAVE A NEW SET OF DOWNS! INCREDIBLE!

McNabb on 1st down GOES DEEP FOR LEWIS WHO DROPS IT! Ex-Eagle Roderick Hood makes the play. Thanks for nothing Rod! McNabb puts the buscuit in the Baskett on 2nd down for the 1st and Kendra's happy. Westbrook busts one up the middle for a gain of 14 and into Cardinal territory! Buckhalter takes it and reverses field for a nice gain of 9. Buckhalter takes the carry and has the 1st down at the 35.

Well, that was a fun little quarter of football, wasn't it? 7-3 Arizona after 1.

"And he just tried squeeeezin' one in there." (Via David) Was that Aikman?

Troy, after the INT/Fumble: "good things happen around the football". Not really sure what that means and I don't think he does either (Via Mal)

Westbrook gets nothing. As Joe tells us the Eagles have done an incredible feat of running 4 straight running plays. McNabb's pass is incomplete. 3rd and 10 from the 35, McNabb has alld day dumps it off to Celek, tries to leap over the defender!...and gets taken down for a gain of 5.

Here comes Akers from 47-yards...NO GOOD! Akers streak is over and it's still 7-3 Arizona.

Warner on first down fires one deep down the field that is CAUGHT BY FITZGERALD WHO WALKS IN FOR THE EASY TOUCHDOWN! The penalty is roughing the passer and the PAT is good and it's 14-3 Arizona.

I'm not sure who...but somebody got absolutely funked on that play. (Via Mal)

There was definitley some funking going on on that play. And kudos to SSR for calling that play. We'd love to have you as our head coach in waiting in Philly.

Buckhalter gets 3 on the carry.

"Sold out this game in 6-minutes." - Joe Buck

That's a far cry from struggling to sell the place out for the wild card game against Atlanta. False start sends the Eagles back 5, but McNabb finds Curtis for 11. 3rd down and McNabb is SACKED! But holding on Arizona gives the Eagles a first down. McNabb finds Curtis over the middle! Curtis bounces it to the outside and he gets 47, all the way to the Cardinal 19!

Buckhalter picks up 7 on the carry up the middle. McNabb's pass for Lewis loses a couple and I have a feeling he won't be back next year. McNabb's 3rd down pass is incomplete and once again we'll see Akers.

Akers kick is up.....IT'S GOOD! No problem on that one and it's 14-6 Arizona.

Eagles may be losing, but I must say, this has been an entertaining game up to this point.

"You can bang them"-Aikman talking about what you can and can't do with the players involved in that defensive holding play. (Via Yet Another Idiot With A Music Blog)

Nice to see the NFL does not discriminate based on sexuality. Arrington takes the kick to the 27. James gets a big gain to the 47! Gain of 5 by Hightower.

"And here's Digger!" - Joe Buck

Arrington catches the pass and gets 17! From the 29, Hightower gets 3 on the carry. Pope makes the catch and he gets 15! Damn, Warner is lighting it up today. From the 14, James gets nothing.

And now a random fact that I just thought of. The Eagles have played 2-road NFC title games. Kurt Warner was the opposing QB in both of those games. Breston makes the completion for the first down by half of a football. 1st and goal from the 4, Arrington gets a yard. If there was ever time for a goal line stand, this is it. 2nd and goal, Warner's pass is incomplete but there's a flag down and that's pass interference and 1st and goal from the 1.

Warner on 1st and goal fires the FADE FOR FITZGERALD AND IT'S CAUGHT IN THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN CARDINALS! The PAT is up and good and it's 21-6 Cardinals.

What on earth did Buck say after the touchdown? It sounded like "Double-Double!"

Snap it McNabb, snap it! That ball was not out of bounds! FUCK! THEY'RE CHALLENGING! (End moment of homerism)

Oh. My. God. Kickoff out of bounds is a dead ball and that's Eagle ball at the 40. What a break for Philadelphia, and as an Eagle fan, I'll admit, that's not what happened.

Oh, they rule it touched Abiamiri. Anyway, that probably should be Cardinal ball ao I'm sure the Eagles will take it regardless. Celek picks up 8 on the completion. McNabb again to Celek and that's a first down. McNabb drops back and throws it to no one and gets called for intentional grounding.

Buck: "Play over, even if the call may not be correct." Ed Hochuli agrees. (Via RJBO)

Great way to officiate. Celek gets 8 on the completion and it's 3rd and 14. McNabb tries to launch one down the field for Avant who can't come up with it. Frankly, I'm just glad that it was not picked off. There were red jersies everywhere. Good punt from Rocca and the Cardinals are pinned inside their own 20. Boldin gets 5 on the completion and there's a penalty on Demps for unnecessary roughness.

Fringe. Sounds like a bad story about the New York Giants offense. (JamesCraven)

Hilarious! Warner fires and it's TIPPED BY MIKELL AND SOMEHOW CAUGHT BY BOLDIN! That ball did hit the ground though. The booth is reviewing it and this one should come back.

The call is reversed and there's not much of a reaction from the Cardinal crowd, which tells you exactly how obvious that one was on replay. Kudos to Boldin though for actually nearly catching it. It's 2nd and 10 form the 36. Arrington loses 6 on the carry and the Eagles call time out.

"Warner and Arrington banged into each other." - Joe Buck

Thank goodness he said "into". 3rd and 15, Warner finds Urban for 18 yards and a first down! Wow. Fitzgerald all alone makes the catch for 14. Warner throws it out of bounds.

"There's some history between these 2. If you go back to 1947...." - Joe Buck

Yeah, I don't think anyone playing this game was alive then. Warner is SACKED! 3rd and 17 and we've seen this before. Warner dumps it to Boldin who gets it to the 40. And on will come Rackers to attempt a field goal and maybe a dagger if this becomes a 3-score game.

From 49-yards out, Rackers kick is up.......IT'S GOOD! That may be a dagger. 24-6 Cardinals at the half.

I'll see you guys in the 2nd half thread.

Week 17 NFL Preview

Greetings! Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanza! Happy Festivus! I hope everyone's day was better than mine (long story, not getting into it).

I'm going to preview both the NFL and the Eagles game today, but first, the NFL as a whole. Aside from the Pats-Giants game last year, there really was not a whole lot to be determined Week 17. This year, however, let's just say, prepare for a wild ride. From The506

Fox 1 PM (Map)

Carolina @ New Orleans: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa
New York Giants @ Minnesota: Dick Stockton and Brian Baldinger (To be shown on Philly Fox 29, WTXV-TV)
St. Louis @ Atlanta: Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan
Chicago @ Houston: Matt Vasgersian and J.C. Pearson
Detroit @ Green Bay: Chris Rose and John Lynch

CBS 1 PM (Map)

New England @ Buffalo: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Oakland @ Tampa Bay: Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon (To be shown on Philly CBS 3, KYW-TV)
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh: Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker
Tennessee @ Indianapolis: Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots
Kansas City @ Cincinnati: Bill Macatee and Beuerlein

Fox 4 PM (Map)

Dallas @ Philadelphia: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman (To be seen on Philly Fox 29, WTXV-TV)
Seattle @ Arizona: Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick
Washington @ San Francisco: Ron Pitts and Tony Boselli

CBS 4 PM (Map)

Miami @ New York Jets: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms (To be shown on Philly CBS 3, KYW-TV)
Jacksonville @ Baltimore: Dick Enberg and Randy Cross

Sunday Night Football (NBC 8:15 to be seen nationally)

Denver @ San Diego: Al Michaels and John Madden

Several games are very meaningful this week. In the NFC, all the Cowboys need to do is win and they are in the playoffs. However, if they lose, they will not be advancing to the post-season. The NFC North is still up for grabs. If the Vikings lose and the Bears win, the Bears have come from the depths of nowhere to be NFC North champions. If Tampa wins and Dallas loses, the Bucs are in the wildcard. If Carolina loses and Atlanta wins, the Falcons are NFC South champions and the Panthers go from having a shot at home-field advantage to the 5-seed (which is like a bye, seeing as they would play Arizona). And as if that's not exciting enough, history could be made on Sunday! The Detroit Lions could be the first team in NFL history to become 0-16. All they have to do is lose to Green Bay, something that well, may be difficult to do.

If that was head-scratching, then I have bad news. The AFC is even more complicated! Let's start with the AFC West Championship game though, that's simple. The winner of Denver-San Diego will claim the title of AFC West champions and become the 4-seed in the AFC and will host the 5-seeded Colts. The loser will miss the playoffs. Now to the AFC East. If the Dolphins win, they are in, no matter what. If the Pats lose, then the Dolphins-Jets game becomes an AFC East Championship game. But if the Pats win and the Jets win, the New England Patriots would become AFC East champions. The Jets are not solely dependent on the Pats though. The Bretts can clinch a wild-card with a Patriots win and a Baltimore Ravens loss (assuming they beat Miami, if they lose they are done). Aspeaking of Baltimore, they can lock up a playoffs spot by beating Jacksonville. But if they lose, they are not done. A loss gets them into the playoffs if the Bills and Dolphins both win.

Well then, how's everyone's brains? Are they fried like mine are? We know one thing is for sure, expect some dramatic moments and epic heartbreaks, and if the rest of this season is any indication, maybe even a little controversy.

I'll be back later for your Eagles Week 17 preview.

Monday Night Football Live Blog Tampa Bay @ Carolina, 2nd Half

Well, it hasn't been a high-scoring game, but it's been entertaining thus far. The Panthers lead the Bucs 10-3 as we start the 2nd half.

Jones has difficulty handling the kickoff, as he takes it to the 21. Penalty flag down. Illegal block in the back on Carolina. From the 6, Williams gets the carry to the 11. 2nd and 6, Williams gets the carry again and is tripped up a yard shy of the marker. 3rd and 1, Delhomme hands to Williams who gets the first down. Delhomme's pass on 1st down is deflected straight up into the air but falls harmlessly to the ground.

2nd and 10, Delhomme hands to Williams and OH MY, HE JUST BARRELED THROUGH SOME BUCS AS HE TAKES IT TO THE 42! 1st and 10, Delhomme goes deep and he way overthrows his man, but there's a flag down. Illeagal contact on the Bucs.

"You can't understand football if you make that call." - Jaws

Whoa! Tell us how you really feel. 1st and 10 from the TB 48, Delhomme fires, IT'S TIPPED AROUND AND INTERCEPTED BY PHILLIPS! WHAT A CATCH!

"That gets you a graduate degree at the Troy Polamalu School of Making Interceptions." - Dr. Kornheiser

The world would be a better place if you would leave TV forever. 1st and 10 and Dunn loses a yard. 2nd and 11, Garcia FIRES DOWN THE FIELD AND IT'S CAUGHT BY ANTONIO BRYANT ON THE COMEBACK! HE TURNS AROUND, AND MAKES IT INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN TAMPA BAY! The extra point is up and good we are tied at 10.

Jones takes the kickoff to the 27. Williams takes the carry and loses a couple. 2nd and 12, Delhomme to Smith who gets 7. 3rd and 5 and it's caught by Muhammad who gets 12 and a first down. Smith makes the catch for 11 and another first down. From the TB 45, Williams gets 7. 2nd and 3, Delhomme fires it DEEP FOR STEVE SMITH WHO MAKES THE CATCH IN THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN CAROLINA! The extra point is good and it's 17-10 Panthers.

Kickoff is taken to the 30. 1st and 10, Dunn takes the pass for a couple. 2nd and 8, Dunn takes the carry and he has a Tampa first down. 1st and 10, Garcia throws to Bryant for 4. 2nd and 6, Dunn gets maybe a yard. 3rd and 5, Garcia throws it to Stevens who makes the catch, turns and dives for the marker, but is just short!

"Those markers are the real ones." - Mike Tirico on the sideline markers.

Thanks Capt. Obvious. Tampa's going for it on 4th down, Askew takes it up the middle and he's got it! Garcia on first down is firing deep and it's CAUGHT BY BRYANT AT THE 7! A stupid penalty by Bryant after the play will back them up 5. Williams won't get much on 1st down but a personal foul penalty will put the Bucs at the 4. It's now 1st and goal for the Bucs. Garcia hands it off to Cadillac Williams who BURSTS THROUGH INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN BUCS! The extra point is good and we are tied at 17.

Kickoff is taken by Jones who takes it to the 27. 1st and 10, Delhomme fires it to Smith who makes the catch at the 37 for a first down. Williams takes Delhomme's pass and he picks up 6. 2nd and 4 from the CAR 44, Delhomme hands it off to Williams who has the first down at midfield.

And here comes the Panthers again. Damn, talk about a back-and-forth battle. Williams takes the carry and gets no gain. 2nd and 9, Delhomme hands it to Stewart who has a huge hole and takes it all the way to the TB 30! 1st and 10, Delhomme throws it to Steve Smith who gets to the outside and gets 11!

Is it just me or has Dr. Kornheiser is abnormally quiet this half?

That's the end of the 3rd quarter and we are tied at 17.

1st and 10 from the 19, and Stewart takes it all the way to the 10. 2nd and 1, Stewart gets the carry and a first down at the 8. 1st and goal Panthers. Delhomme fires for the endzone incomplete, but there's a penalty down. Holding on Tampa Bay and that'll place the ball at the 4. Delhomme hands it to Stewart who DIVES FOR AND GETS INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN CAROLINA! The extra point is up and good and the Panthers lead 24-17.

What a fun game this has turned out to be. (Via SSR)

This game has had a bit of everything. Defense in the first half, offense in the 2nd half, and a few officiating controversies. Smith on the kickoff return takes it to the 28. Dunn on the carry gets 6 yards to the 34. 2nd and 4, Garcia to Smith is incomplete. 3rd and 4, Garcia completes it to Stevens who has a first down. Cadillac Williams on the carry gets a couple. 2nd and 8, Garcia's pass is incomplete.

"It would help if some of the receivers caught the ball." - Dr. Kornheiser

Really? Never knew that. Garcia on 3rd down is SACKED! And for the first time this half we'll see a punt. Bidwell booms one into the endzone for the touchback. Holding on Carolina and the Panthers will take over at the 10. 1st and 10, Delhomme hands it to DEANGELO WILLIAMS WHO GETS TO THE OUTSIDE AND A HUGH GAIN OF 41! Stewart on 1st down picks up 3. 2nd and 7, STEWART GETS TO THE OUTSIDE AND HE TAKES IT TO THE 17! There's just no stopping these Carolina running backs.

"This game is crucial if Carolina wants home-field advantage throughout the playoffs." - Dr. Kornheiser

But it won't mean squat if they lose next week. Delhomme hands it off to Williams who GETS TO THE OUTSIDE AND INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS! The extra point is good and the Panthers lead 31-17.

"This is they're way of saying 'Hello America, this is who we are'." - Dr. Kornheiser

Must you always try to be funny?

"This is a first time I've seen a Monte Kiffin defense just getting whipped." - Jaws

Jaws isn't kidding. This is a butt whopping and Tampa's defense is supplying the butt. Kickoff is taken to the 35 so the Bucs will have good field position. 1st and 10, Garcia has his pass dropped by Dunn. 2nd and 10, Hilliard makes the catch for a first down.

"This is not a Buccaneer team that's built to come from behind." - Jaws
"But they have, on the road. 3 times." - Mike Tirico

So they must be a team built to come from behind then! 1st and 10 and Dunn drops another. 2nd and 10, Garcia from the shotgun and it's incomplete again. 3rd and 10 for the Bucs and this is 4-down territory in my opinion.

3rd and 10, Garcia is under pressure and SACKED! Holding on Tampa Bay and they will punt it away. Bidwell's punt is taken by Jones who makes it to the 14. Delhomme's pass to Smith is caught for a gain of 9. 2nd and 1, and Stewart goes nowhere on the carry. 3rd and 1 and Dr. Kornheiser has nothing better to talk about than Rosario Dawson's, er, Dante Rosario's catch in week 1 to beat the Chargers. 3rd and short and Bucs get the stop on 3rd down! Hoover went nowhere.

Timeout Tampa Bay.

Punt is taken by Smith but an illegal block in the back will force them back to the 18. 1st and 10 and Jeremy Stevens drops a pass. 2nd and 10, Garcia fires incomplete again and now it's 3rd and 10.

"I see him as someone who gets bored very easily." - Dr. Kornheiser making no sense.

Garcia's pass is caught by Bryant who gets 14 and a TB first down. Dunn on the carry takes it to the 44 for another Tampa first down.

"You have to score once to score twice, but you have to score twice." - Dr. Kornheiser making no sense. Garcia throws to Alan Smith down the field and he catches it for a first down in Panther territory. 1st and 10 from the 36, Hilliard makes the catch at the 28. 2nd and 3, Garcia to Dunn who catches it at the 23 for a first down.

1st and 10, Garcia to Stevens who takes it to the 15. Clock under 3-minutes. 2nd and 3, Garcia from the shotgun passes it to ANTONIO BRYANT WHO MAKES A SPECTACULAR DIVING CATCH IN THE ENDZONE! WHAT A CATCH! TOUCHDOWN TAMPA BAY! The extra point is up and BLOCKED! NO GOOD! 31-23 Panthers.

ONSIDE KICK! RECOVERED BY CAROLINA! 1st and 10 from the TB 43. Bucs have 2 timeouts with 2:28 to go. Williams picks up 3.

Timeout Tampa Bay.

Williams picks up 3 on 2nd down. Timeout Tampa Bay. 2:17 to go. 3rd and 4, Delhomme pitches it to Williams who BREAKS IT TO THE OUTSIDE! BUC AFTER BUC FANS ON THE TACKLE AS WILLIAMS TAKES IT INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS! OVER 300 RUSHING YARDS TODAY FOR THE PANTHERS! Unreal. The extra point is good and the Panthers lead 38-23.

Smith takes the kick to the 37.

Williams should've done a Brian Westbrook there. (Via SSR)

Agreed. Now Tampa has a one-in-a-million chance of winning as opposed to no chance.

"And yes, Mike, I do have my gloves on." - Stu Scott

Congratulations. 1st down carry gets 7. Garcia to Stevens gets 7. Williams will pick up a couple. 3rd down and GARCIA'S PASS IS INTERCEPTED! This will be reviewed by the booth and overturned though. I know it's nearly impossible for the Bucs to win this, but the fact that it hardly looks like they're trying when there is a chance, is not good news for Bucs fans.

"It's one thing to get [2 running backs over 100 yards] against the Lions, it's another thing against Tampa's defense." - Dr. Kornheiser

Most high schools could get 2 running backs over 100 yards against the Lions. The play is overturned as the ball clearly hit the ground and it's now 4th down for the Bucs. 4th and 1, Garcia's pass is INCOMPLETE! AND THAT'S IT!

Jake Delhomme will come out and take knees as the Carolina Panthers have defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-23. Thank you for joining me for this live blog and every live blog I have done this year. SSR will take over Monday Nights from here on out. Good night and good luck.

Monday Night Football Live Blog Tampa Bay @ Carolina, 1st Half

It's showdown time! The 9-3 Carolina Panthers are set to take on the 9-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. We'll kick things off here at 8:30 when Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Dr. Kornheiser (Remember he's not a real doctor, he just likes to play one in the MNF booth) hit the air.

JFein's Prediction: This should be a good game. However, it seems like that Tampa Bay is a more well-rounded team than the Panthers. Therefore, I will pick the Bucs in this one 28-24.

Countdown's picks
Steve: Panthers
Emmitt: Panthers
Stuart: Panthers
Coach: Buccaneers
Key: Panthers
Cris: Panthers
TJ: Buccaneers
Boomer: Buccaneers

"That's the biggest deficit Carolina has lost by this year." - Tony Kornheiser
Well yeah......they've lost only 3 games. (Via SSR)

I had my hopes up that because this was such a big game, that Dr. Kornheiser would just shut up and keep the idiocy to a minimum. Apparently I was wrong.

"He took the Frankfurt Galaxy to the World Bowl, which I suppose made him All-World." - Dr. Kornheiser

Clifton Smith is back to return and the kick goes out of the endzone for a touchback. And on comes Jeff Garcia. 1st and 10, Garcia passes to Gilmore for a gain of 5. Garcia on 2nd down is SACKED! Loss of 8 and it's 3rd and 13. Handoff to Dunn who gets a couple.

The punt is returned to TB territory. And the Panthers have good field position. 1st and 10, Williams gets nothing. Williams gets 5 on 2nd down and it's 3rd and 5.

"You think Tampa Bay remembers they lost by 24 points in the first game?" - Kornheiser (Via SSR)

No, I don't. I think Carolina remembers losing by 24 to Tampa Bay, though. 3rd and 5 and Delhomme finds Muhammad over the middle for a 1st down! 1st and 10 and Delhomme agains find Muhammad for 19 yards! DeAngelo Williams on the carry takes it to the 8 with a pick up of 3. 2nd and 7, Delhomme , scrambles and is SACKED BY KEVIN CARTER! Loss of 8. 3rd and 15 for the Panthers. Delhomme throws it behind his tight end who dropped it. 4th down and on will come John Kasay. The 34-yard field goal IS UP...AND GOOD! 3-0 Panthers.

Kornheiser finally made a comment about Jaws' stupid "Catching the ball with your hands" comment. (Via SSR)

You mean to say you can't catch the ball with your nose?

"How does he get to keep his hair at 85 when you and I have had such trouble with that?" - Dr. Kornheiser

My heart bleeds for you. The kickoff is taken to the 27 by Smith. And on will come the TB offense.

Is there some producer at ESPN that is professional enough, with enough skill and talent, to tell those two morons to not devolve into giggling...it's because WE CAN'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND THEM WHEN THEY GIGGLE YOU IDIOTS. (Via Hollywood Wags)

Dunn picks up a couple. 2nd and 8, Garcia throws to Antonio Bryant for a gain of 8 and a first down. Cadillac Williams picks up a yard. 2nd and 9, Garcia throws to Askew for a pick up of 9 and another Tampa Bay first down. Dunn gets a yard on 1st down. 2nd and 9, Garcia swings to Cadillac Williams who gets 7. 3rd and 2, Garcia scrambles, will run for it, and he gets the first!

Timeout Tampa Bay.

"[Jon Gruden] loves quarterbacks, like antique cars." - Ron Jaworski (Via SSR)

Well that's one thing Jaws and Jon Gruden have in common.

"That was my homework assignment for the week." - Mike Tirico on learning Spanish.

We'll be awaiting his awkward 4th quarter apology. 1st and 10, Garcia fires incomplete for Clayton. Dunn takes the carry close to the first down marker. 3rd and 1, Askew picks up 3 and the drive continues. 1st and 10 from the CAR 30. The Cadillac picks up 5 on the carry.

Garcia throws it to Askew who can't get back to the line. Flag on the play and it's a tripping penalty on Tampa Bay. 2nd and 15, Garcia fakes it the handoff, scrambles past the line and gets 3.

"He's rumbling, bumbling, stumbling down the field." - Jaws on Garcia

Never say that again, Jaws. Garcia finds Antonio Bryant on 3rd down who gets 10 but that's not enough for a first down. On will come Matt Bryant to attempt a 40-yard field goal. The kick is up and IT'S OFF THE LEFT UPRIGHT AND NO GOOD! Still 3-0 Panthers.

1st and 10 from the 30, Delhomme hands it off to Jonathan Stewart who gets 2.

That brings us to the end of the 1st quarter, the Panthers lead the Bucs 3-0.

2nd and 8 and Stewart picks up 6. 3rd and a couple. Delhomme throws it to Steve Smith who has a first down at the 45. 1st and 10, Delhomme with tons of time, fires to to Brad Hoover who DROPS IT! Oy ve, Attention Captain Butterfingers. 2nd and 10, Stewart takes it into TB territory with that pick up of 5. 3rd and 5, Delhomme throws it to Jarrett who has the first down.

"Does that mean that, Delhomme, he went to Jarrett?" - Dr. Kornheiser

I'm speechless. And Doc, that was only obvious to you. 1st and 10 and Stewart loses a couple. Oh man, Hoover drops it again! Delhomme's pass on 3rd down is caught by Steve Smith inside the 30 for the first down! But wait, Tampa's challenging it.

My opinion is that it should be upheld, but we'll see what Walt Anderson says. It stands! Delhomme on 1st down fires and it's INTERCEPTED BY RONDE BARBER!

"Isn't Cincinnati also a queen city? How can you have two?" - Dr. Kornheiser

I don't know, Dr. Kornheiser, I don't know. John Fox is challenging the Barber interception. This one stands. Dunn picks up 4 on first down. Garcia throws to Dunn who gets near the first down marker. They measure it and he's just short. 3rd and inches, Garcia hands it to Askew who easily picks up the first down. 1st and 10 from the TB 35, Garcia fires and it's nearly picked off by Diggs! 2nd and 10, Garcia from the gun has his pass deflected and incomplete.

3rd and 10, Garcia from the shotgun again, throws it to Hilliard who makes the catch at the 47! First down Tampa Bay. Williams gets the carry, LOSES THE BALL, but the whistle blew and oh my, that was definitley a legit fumble. The refs blew that one. 2nd and 10, Garcia FIRES DEEP FOR IKE HILLARD WHO MAKES THE CATCH AND SPRINTS DOWN THE FIELD, DIVES FOR THE ENDZONE, BUT IS OUT OF BOUNDS AT THE 2! Wow, what a turn of events! And let me tell you what, I don't think he ever stepped out of bounds!

Timeout Tampa Bay. And it looks like the ball is a yard and a half behind where it should be. 1st and goal and Garcia fires for Smith in the back of the endzone, incomplete. 2nd and goal, Williams tries to go up the middle and doesn't get anything. Carolina says they have the ball, but the refs ignore them.

"That's how you stroke it up in there as a linebacker." - Jaws

3rd and goal. Garcia scrambling, fires to the endzone....incomplete! 4th and goal and on will come Matt Bryant for a 20-yard field goal. To tie the game, Bryant's field goal IS UP...AND THROUGH! We are tied at 3 in the Queen City as Nickelback's "Burn it to the Ground" off their new album Dark Horse, bumps us to commercial.

"Saved by the Westbrook" - Mike Tirico promosting next week's MNF game between the Eagles and the Browns. SSR will be live-blogging that one next week.

The kickoff is taken by Jones to the CAR 27. 1st and 10 for the Panthers. Williams takes the first down carry and picks up 9. DeAngelo Williams picks up the first down. 2nd down and WILLIAMS BREAKS FREE FOR A BIG GAIN OF 40 YARDS! Stewart gets a yard on first down and 7 on second down. Wiliams on 3rd down picks up the first.

Sorry for the delay of the update. Blogger's giving me hell. There we go, all better. Delhomme passes to Steve Smith who gets 7 yards and is down at the 2!

2-minute warning.

2nd and goal, Delhomme hands it to STEWART WHO WALKS INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN PANTHERS! The extra point is up and good and the Panthers lead it 10-3.

Clark takes the kickoff the 25 yard line and here comes Tampa with 1:49 remaining in the 1st half and no timeouts. Garcia to throw it to Jeremy Stevens who gets 5 and out of bounds. 2nd and 5, Garcia throws it to Antonio Bryant who has a first down at the 39. Garcia from the shotgun and GARCIA IS SACKED! Loss of 6 and the clock continues to tick.

Dunn takes the ball to the 40. 3rd and 8, as the clock is now at 10, Garcia scrambling and is SACKED AGAIN! Carolina decided not to call a timeout to try for a punt block and/or return.

That's the end of the first half. The Panthers lead the Buccaneers 10-3. I'll see you in the second half thread.

Monday Night Football Live Blog Green Bay @ New Orleans, 2nd Half

Well, the shootout and on this one could get crazy.

Crosby kicks it off and we are underway in the 2nd half. Brees launches one for Miller who drops it but who can blame him for dropping that bullet. 3rd and 8 and Brees connects to Shockey for a Saints first down. 1st and 10 and Brees is SACKED! Loss of 5. 2nd and 15 and Brees' pass is deflected and incomplete. Timeout Saints.

3rd and 15 and Brees finds Moore for 15 yards and a generous spot gives them a first down! Packers are challenging.

My apologies for not having any picture up but outside of last Monday Night, whenever I've tried to post a picture, Blogger has fucked up my spacing.

"He goes five-hole on the official to the side." - Mike Tirico on Mike McCarthy's challenge.

The refs do in fact overturn the call but it looks like they moved him back too much!

"Can I challenge the challenge?" - Mike Tirico

I never knew announcers could challenge. Must be a new rule implemented today by the NFL's newest employee, Bud Selig. Yes, that was a joke. Feel free to laugh at anytime.

4th and 1 and the Saints are taking a big gamble here. Stupid move but IT WORKS! Pierre Thomas squeezes through the middle for a 1st down. Billy Miller makes the catch for a gain of 7. 2nd and 3 and Thomas takes the carry all the way to the GB 35! 1st and 10 and Thomas picks up a yard. Brees airs it out deep incomplete but an illegal contact penalty on the Pack will give the Saints an automatic first down.

Thomas takes another carry and he picks up 8. Who would have thought Pierre Thomas would have a better year this year than Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister. 2nd and 2 and Thomas picks up 4 and a first down.

Brees on first down FIRES TO A WIDE OPEN BILLY MILLER WHO MAKES THE CATCH IN THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN NEW ORLEANS! Hartley's extra point is good and the Saints now lead by 10. 31-21 over the Pack.

Blackmon from the kick from the 6 takes it to the 27.

"A lot of cheese heads down here. A lot of Packers fans made the trip." - Mike Tirico
"And a lot of Brees-heads." - Dr. Kornheiser

May your chair explode and you get shot a mile into the air and land somewhere in the middle of nowhere, completely lost and stuck there for the rest of your life.

Grant takes the first down carry for a couple. 2nd down and RODGERS IS INTERCEPTED BY JASON DAVID! DAVID DOWN THE SIDELINE IS WHACKED OUT OF BOUNDS BY RODGERS AT THE 3!

1st and goal and Brees throws it to Moore but Moore slipped and it's incomplete. 2nd and goal and MCALLISTER POUNDS HIS WAY INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN SAINTS! The extra point from Hartley is good and the Saints now lead the Packers 38-21.

Congratulations to the Saints new leading touchdown leader, Deuce McAllister. Blackmon takes the kickoff to the 20. 1st and 10 and Rodgers from the shotgun passes to Jennings for a gain of 4 yards. 2nd and 6 and Rodgers from the shotgun avoids the rush, scrambles to the sideline, and gets a few yards. 3rd and 3 for the Pack and they need this. Rodgers fires and IT'S PICKED OFF AGAIN BY JASON DAVID! And this one's beginning to get ugly.

Brees to Miller and he gets 4. 2nd down and Brees laterals it Lance Moore who throws it deep....PICKED OFF BY AARON ROUSE! ROUSE HAS ROOM TO RUN AND HE TAKES IT TO THE 43! A 37 yard return and the Pack are not dead.

And this is getting as ugly as lipstick on a Rotweiler! (Via JamesCraven)

No more J.R. for you young man. Grant on the 1st down carry and he loses a couple. Rodgers to Nelson on 2nd down and he gets 7. 3rd and 5 and Rodgers rolls out and it's nearly intercepted again! The Pack just cannot find a 2nd half rhythm. Frost to punt it away and Lance Moore jukes and jives to the NO 27.

"The Saints have never won consecutive games. They've won 5 games, but never followed any win up with another win." - Dr. Kornheiser

Attenton Department of Redundancy Department! McCallister takes the 1st down carry for a yard. 2nd down and McCallister takes it for a couple. 3rd down and 7 and Oh, MY! BREES AIRS IT OUT DEEP FOR COLSTON WHO MAKES THE CATCH AND THE PACK ARE NOT.....GONNA.....GET HIM! INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN SAINTS! The extra point is good and our shoot out has turned into a blowout. 45-21 Saints.

Whoa! Colston nearly had a DeSean Jackson moment. I'm surprised the Pack didn't challenge that. That would have been a touchback and Green Bay ball! Blackmon takes the kickoff only to the 14. 1st and 10 for Green Bay and Jordy Nelson makes the catch to the 20. 2nd and 4 and Rodgers is a couple yards shy of a first. 3rd and 2 and how in the blue fucking hell are the Saints 5-5? This team looks like the' 07 Patriots tonight.

Rodgers connects with Driver and the Pack finally have a first down this quarter. 1st and 10 and Rodgers is incomplete. 2nd and 10 and it's nearly picked off again.

"Meanwhile the Lions season continues." - Mike Tirico

"A tradition unlike any other." - Mike Tirico on the Lions losing. Or the Masters. Wouldn't surprise me if they talk about that here.

3rd down and Rodgers finds Humphrey for a gain of 31 and a big third down. Rodgers to Nelson and he gets 8.

That's the end of the third quarter. The Saints have blown this one open, leading the Pack 45-21.

2nd and 2 and Rodgers pass is knocked down at the line and it's 3rd and 2 for Green Bay. 3rd and 2, Rodgersfrom the gun goes deep for Ruvell Martin but it's incomplete. 4th and 2 and the Pack will go for it. Rodgers from the gun, they hand it off to Jackson whose forward progress gets them a first down. Timeout New Orleans. 1st and 10 from the NO 33 and Rodgers is SACKED! Loss of 8.

"Cedrick Ellis, who is auditioning for Warren Sapp's role on Dancing with the Stars." - Mike Tirico

2nd and 18 and Rodgers throws a strike to Jackson for a first down WHO GETS HIS CLOCK CLEANED AND SOMEHOW MANAGES TO HANG ON TO THE BALL!

"I don't think I would have hung on to catch." - Dr. Kornheiser

1st and 10 from the NO 17 and Rodgers slides at the 11 for a gain of about 6. 2nd and 5 for the Pack and Rodgers will scramble again and pick up a first down at the 5.

"This is the Packers' version of the wildcat." - Ron Jaworski

So QB draws = wildcat? Rodgers on 1st down connects with RUVELL MARTIN IN THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN PACKERS! Pack going for 2 and Rodgers AGAIN PASSES IT TO MARTIN AND HE CATCHES IT AND THE CONVERSION IS GOOD! 45-29 Saints over the Packers.

"He's wearing a blue sharpie instead of a red one." - Dr. Kornheiser (Via SSR)

He's that desparate for talking points, eh? I knew we had a lot of points this week, but damn, more points this week than any other week in the NFL. Wow!

ONSIDE KICK IS RECOVERED BY THE SAINTS! Saints ball at the 42. Thomas on the carry takes it to the 35 for a gain of 7. 2nd and 3. Brees hands to Thomas who get a couple. 3rd and 1 now for Nawlins. Saints toss to Thomas and the Pack bring him dowin in the backfield and that's big. Let's see what the Saints do. They're going for it on 4th and 1. Handoff to Thomas and he gets the first down!

1st down and WATCH OUT! THOMAS BREAKS FREE AND HE'S GONE! TOUCHDOWN SAINTS! They're going for 2 to try to completely cancel out the Pack score but McAllister is stuffed in the backfield. 51-29 Saints.

"Are they trying to get a higher rating on the BCS standings?" - Dr. Kornheiser

Will Blackmon takes the kickoff to the 29 and here comes Rodgers back on the field, down by 22. Rodgers over the middle and Jennings makes the catch 48. 1st and 15 after a false start penalty and Martin makes the catch for a gain of 10. 2nd and 5 and Rodgers throws to Jennings who dances along the sidelines for a big gain. Jackson takes it to the NO 24. Rodgers throws a bullet in the endzone that falls incomplete.

"Will you bite my head off, Jaws, if I mention Brett Favre one more time?" - Dr. Kornheiser
"Yes!" - Jaws

DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DRINK! BITE OFF DR. KORNHEISER'S HEAD WHEN YOU SEE HIM AND DRINK!

Rodgers overfires again and it's 3rd and 10. Rodgers under pressure and SACKED! 4th and 16 and the Pack are going for it. Rodgers with all day to throw and he heaves one to the endzone that's INTERCEPTED! And I think you can call this one a game. But alas, I'll continue!

"I hear we're inviting Jimmy Kimmel back. The ban has been lifted." - Mike Tirico

And that's when you know you have a blowout. 1st and 10 gets a yard. Bell again on the carry, gets a couple this time. 3rd and 6 and Bell takes the hand off and gets 3. Sheesh, how many running backs can one team have? Timeout New Orleans.

Anyone sensing a Monday Night miracle? It's the Saints defense, it can happen. Blackmon takes the punt to the GB 45. 1st and 10 and Rodgers pass for Driver is incomplete. Rodgers is SACKED on 2nd down and the miracle is looking more and more unlikely, especially as the Pack are just running the clock out. Rodgers on 3rd and 19 misses his target. 4th and 19 and I just want to see more points.

Damn, they punt. 1st and 10 from the NO 39 and here comes Mark Brunnel who backed up Brett Favre. The fun never ends! DRINK!

Good thing that I myself don't drink cause otherwise I'd be completely shitfaced right about now. 2-minute warning.

"Becuase you can't watch every single game, we'll show you highlights." - Stu Scott

Bell gets the carry for a yard. 3rd and 11 and Bell stumbles back to the line of scrimmage and we'll get one more chance to see some points as the Pack are gonna get the ball back.

Blackmon muffed the punt, got it back, and took it to the 24. And we have a Matt Flynn sighting. That play gets a yard.

And that's it. In the 5th highest scoring game in MNF history, the Saints beat the Packers 51-29. Thank you for sticking this one out with me, SSR will be live blogging MNF next week. Happy Thanksgiving to all, good night and good luck!

Ugh, Stu Scott just said "Nawlins"...

Monday Night Football Live Blog Green Bay @ New Orleans, 1st Half

Are you ready for some football? Some Monday Night Football? Well I certainly am and this one should be a dandy.

My prediction: Packers 38, Saints 35. Feel free to leave your predictions in the comments section.

The fun gets underway at 8:30. See you then!

Picks
Steve: Green Bay
Emmitt: Green Bay
Stuart: New Orleans
Coach: Green Bay
Key: New Orleans
Cris: Green Bay
TJ: Green Bay
Boomer: Green Bay

Tony with a lot of hyperbole already. (Via 49er16)

That surprises you somehow? Hyperbole is the Doc's speciality.

"Feels a little different than last week in open-air Buffalo where it was minus 45 degrees." - Dr. Kornheiser

More hyperbole!

The kickoff is taken to the 21 and here comes Aaron Rodgers. 1st and 10 and Rodgers throws to Jennings for 5.

"It's the Sarah Palin moment for John McCain." - Dr. Kornheiser on the Pack switching to Rodgers.

Methinks the Doc loves Sarah Palin. Grant takes the run for a couple on 2nd down and it's 3rd and short for the Pack. Timeout Green Bay. 3rd and short and Rodgers tries to get it to Driver but it's incomplete and on will come Frost to punt and it's downed at the 23.

Deuce McAllister takes the 1st down carry for a yard which he loses and then one more on 2nd down. 3rd and 11 for Nawlins and Brees will throw for the first time and it's incomplete for Pierre Thomas.

"This is what Green Bay will do to you, spread you out with 3 wide receivers."-Jaws Ummm, Jaws, doesn't every NFL team do that? (Via J)

Yeah, yeah they do. The punt by Pakulak is taken by Blackmon all the way into Saints territory at the 37! Rodgers throw is incomplete on 1st down. Screen to Ryan Grant on 2nd down puts the Packers a couple yards short of the marker.

Ryan Grant with a big run on 3rd down and they are at the NO 12! Grant takes the carry on 1st down for 6.

"It's kind of a prehistoric formation" - Jaws on the I-Formation

Yeah, when cavemen played football, they used the I. Grant picks up a 1st down and it's 1st and goal for the Pack at the 2.

Kuhn on the carry gets to the 1. They hand it off again to the full back and HE GETS IN THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN GREEN BAY! Crosby connects with the extra point and it's 7-0 Packers.

Who knew Tony would know more about hockey than football? (Via 49er16)

Dr. Kornheiser knows more about quantum physics then football. Coby takes the kickoff to the his own 30 and Brees will come back on the field.

Does ground beef taste the same as beef on the ground? It's a question I ponder everyday.

On 1st down, Brees passes it to Lance Moore who MAKES THE CATCH AND RUNS AWAY FROM EVERYBODY INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN SAINTS! Hartley kicks the PAT and it's tied at 7.

"At least you know there's a crowd here." - Tony Kornheiser (Via SSR)

Oh yeah, so many empty seats. Kickoff is taken to the 30 and Grant is stuffed in the backfield on 1st down for a loss of 6! Rodgers pass is knocked down on 2nd down. 3rd and 16 for the Pack. Rodgers throws it down the seam on 3rd down and it's nearly picked off. Frost shanks one out of bounds and the Saints will have the ball at the Pack 41.

"Tonight Bobby McCrae is going to have to play well." - Jaws (Via SSR who wants to be killed.)

From the GB 41, Brees fires it to Pierre Thomas who gets to the outside Pierre Thomas who takes it to the GB 27. Jeremy Shockey sighting! He catches the 2nd down pass for 3 yards. Pierre Thomas catches one for the 1st down at the 13.

"That's a pretty graphic." - Dr. Kornheiser

No comment. Brees throws over the middle to Devry Henderson who takes it to the 4 and is a yard shy of the marker.

"He's completing passes to guys found on Bourbon Street." - Dr. Kornheiser
"Bourbon Street?" - Jaws
"Well maybe St. Louis Street" - Dr. Kornheiser

Pierre Thomas takes the handoff AND HE TAKES IT TO THE HOUSE! TOUCHDOWN SAINTS! The PAT is good and the Saints now lead 14-7.

"They rushed only 3. That means they dropped 8 into coverage." - Jaws...who think our football intelligence is no higher than a Turkey. (Via SSR)

Gobble Gobble. Blackmon takes the kickoff to the 28 and on 1st down Rodgers scrambles for 7. Grant and Rodgers each pick up 2 for a GB 1st down. Grant bounces one to the outside and he picks up 6. 2nd and 4 and Rodgers drops back and Jennings just dropped a touchdown pass!

3rd and 4 and Rodgers from the gun finds Driver who takes it all the way to the 30! 25 yards on that one and here come the Pack.

"McCarthy with a red pen today. I don't know if this a political statement." - Tony Kornheiser He is on fire tonight, and my TV could be the same if he keeps up with this. (Via SSR)

Grant gets a yard on 1st down. 2nd and 9 and a gain of 8 by Grant and it's 3rd and a yard. Timeout Nawlins.

"Gotta get a little rub element there." - Jaws (Via SSR)

"11 seconds left in the longest 1st quarter in the NFL. This game's been going on for an hour." - Dr. Kornheiser

Um, you hit the air at 8:30 ET. It's now 9:20 ET. You've been on the air for less than 50 minutes, and remember, the 10-minute open? Sigh.....3rd and one and Grant has the first down.

That's the end of the first quarter and the Saints lead the Packers 14-7.

"A shot of Brees. He may pass Dan Marino tonight." - Dr. Kornheiser

1st and 10 from the 21 and Rodgers completes it to Driver who seriously looked like he was being humped by Young on that tackle. 2nd and 1 and Rodgers hands it to Grant who takes it to the 7 and another Green Bay first down. Rodgers drops back on first down AND HE THROWS IT TO GREG JENNINGS IN THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN PACKERS! The extra point is good and we're now tied at 14.

Why is there a blimp for a dome game? Phone call, be back in a bit.

Sorry about that. The Saints have an impressive drive going and that carry by McAllister puts them at the GB 23. Thomas takes it to the outside and he'll pick up a first down at the 14! 1st and 10 and Brees drops back and connects with LANCE MOORE AT THE 3, TURNS AROUND AND GOES AIRBORNE INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN NEW ORLEANS! The PAT is up and through and the Saints lead 21-14.

Well it took awhile, but these two, as expected are lighting it up now. Kickoff is taken by Blackmon to the 17. 1st down Grant picks up 4. 2nd down and Grant picks up another 4 and it's 3rd and 2. Rodgers rolls out and connects with Driver for a Packer first down. Rodgers airs it out way deep for Jennings.....Incomplete! Overthrew him. I spy with my little eye a non-pass interference call. Rodgers finds Jennings on the pass for a gain of 9 and it's 3rd and 1.

Grant busts one up the middle and he has a Packer first down at the GB 48! Grant takes the handoff on 1st down into Nawlins territory.

"Green Bay was so desperate in their runniing bakc search." - Mike Tirico

Yeah, that generally happens when you turn to Samkon Gado. Rodgers throws it deep and he finds Jennings for a 22 yard catch to the Saint 26! And here we go again. Grant picks up a yard on 1st down. 2nd and 9 and Rodgers from the gun connects with Donald Lee who's a yard shy of the yard marker.

Favre reference by Dr. Kornheiser! DRINK! 3rd and a yard. Rodgers hands it off to Brandon Jackson and will you look at that Andy Reid? A big running back who easily plows his way through the pile for a 1st down on a 3rd and short situation. How incredible is that! Sorry about that, no more. I promise.

Grant picks up a yard on 1st down and that's the 2-minute warning. Pack ball at the 12 when we come back.

"40:30 that's the number that sticks out to me. The amount of time the Jets had the ball." - Mike Tirico
"I thought you were talking about today's score." - Dr. Kornheiser

Rodgers to Grant on 2nd down and that picks up 4. Timeout Saints. 3rd and 6. Will the Pack convert again on 3rd down? Rodgers out of the gun, can't find a man, SCRAMBLES AND FINDS HIS WAY INTO THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN GREEN BAY! The PAT is good and now we're tied at 21.

"He laid out, nothing touched the ground." - Ron Jaworski

And now we've got more Favre talk! DRINK TIL YOU DIE!

"They're a high-fiveing, back slapping bunch of guys." - Jaws
"I agree and I know you're going to poo-poo this..." - Dr. Kornheiser

Ah, I love a good poo-poo. Rody takes the kickoff return AND HE BOUNCES TO THE OUTSIDA AND TAKES IT ALL THE WAY TO THE PACKER 32!

Shockey makes the catch for the first down inside the redzone having dragged a Packer for 5 yards. Brees over the middle for Moore for 5. Thomas picks up 7 and the Saints have a first down at the Packer 5.

False start on the Saints move them back 5. And once again Drew Brees is threatening Donovan McNabb's record of 22 consecutive completions. It was over 2 games, but that's the record. 1st and goal for the Saints and Brees throws an incompletion. You can thank me later, Donovan. Brees under pressure, still alive, and he fires one into the endzone but it's incomplete!

Here's Hartley from 30-yards out. It's up....IT'S GOOD! 24-21 Saints.

"That would have been good all the way from 32." - Dr. Kornheiser

Jordy Nelson takes the kickoff to the 25 and that's the end of the 1st half.

One half down and one to go. The Saints lead the Packers 24-21 at the break and I will see you in the second half thread.

Sunday Night Football Colts @ Chargers Live Blog 2nd Half

Manning face! The Colts and the Chargers are tied at 10 as we get set to start the 2nd half at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. Sproles takes the kick to the 34. 1st down is a pass to Chambers who picks up 13 and a 1st down. Tomlinson on 1st down up the middle and he picks up 20! 1st down and here's Sproles! All the way to the Indy 12, a gain of 21! Tomlinson goes nowhere this time and the Colts can breath a little.

LT gets a couple on 2nd down and it's 3rd and 7 but wait, false start, it's now 3rd and 12. Rivers from the gun under pressure, Rivers is sacked AND THE BALL'S OUT AND RECOVERED BY RAHEEM BROCK WHO TAKES IT TO THE INDY 34!

"You got a strip, you got a fumble, and you have a recovery."-Al Michaels (Via 49er16)

Was Al describing the play or his sex life? Anyway, Manning completes it to Addai for 4 yards and on 2nd down he hits him for 2. 3rd down he finds Addai again, this time it's for 8 yards and a first down. Addai gets the carry and he picks up a couple. 2nd and 8 and Manning audibles into the gun and passes to Addai who takes it the the SD 46 for 4 yards.

Colts in the hurry up, 3rd and 4, Manning is dancing around with those audibles and finallyh he gest it off for Gonzalez who makes the catch AND TAKES IT ALL THE WAY TO THE SD 17! Gain of 29 and almost all of those can be attributed to Gonzalez's running after the catch. 1st down goes for a yard on the carry by Rhoads.

2nd down and Manning finds Clark for 8 and a timeout is called. Sorry for the seemingly lack of break in paragraphs, Blogger is bunches everything up whenever I click away. 3rd and 1 and Rhoads picks up the first down....REACHES FOR THE GOALLINE....JUST SHORT! 1st and goal. Handoff to Rhoads and he loses yards. Shovel pass on 2nd down and the Chargers get another stop. Timeout Colts who barely got it in before the play clock struck double 0. And it looks like Manning face is going to have to go. It was fine before I added that picture. Or not. Ugh.

Manning hands it off to Rhoads and he is STUFFED BY THE CHARGERS! 4th and goal and let's see what the Colts do. They're going for it. Manning from the gun, barely beats the play clock, and throws it to A WIDE OPEN RHOADS WHO MAKES THE CATCH IN THE ENDZONE! TOUCHDOWN COLTS! The Extra point is good and the Colts lead the Chargers, 17-10.

And it looks like my problem's been fixed. Odd. Sproles takes the kickoff to the 27 and that's where the Chargers will set up shot. Remember when Eli Manning was in those Citizen Eco-Drive commercials? Good times....good times.

"Even if the market goes down 1,000 points this week, it will still be better to week than those guys." - Al Michaels as the cameras shows some turkeys.

Tomlinson picks up 8 on first down. Gates catches the 2nd down pass for a first down to the Charger 44. Rivers hands to Tomlinson and he picks up 4. 2nd and 6 and Rivers from the shot gun is sacked back at the 44! 3rd and 10 now for the San Diego Super Chargers.

"Right into the sack of Robert Mathis." - John Madden

Poor Robert Mathis! Rivers tries to dump it to Tomlinson but it's incomplete and it's 4th down. Scifres' sky high punt is fair caught at the 18. Addai on the carry picks up 3. 2nd and 7 and damn, the Colts schedule looks easy. Cleveland, Cincinnai, Jacksonville, and Detroit. Dallas Clark makes the catch for 4 yards and bowls over some guy on the sideline in the provess. Manning on 3rd down and we will have to wait to see that play. Manning had no idea that the quarter had ended.

We've played 3 in San Diego and the Colts lead the Bolts by a score of 17-10.

3rd and 3 from their own 25 and Manning overthrows everyone, but wait, there's a flag down. Pass interference on the Chargers but no way that ball was catchable. Colts ball at their own 41 and MANNING IS SACKED! Loss of 5. 2nd and 5 and Addai picks up 8. 3rd and 7 coming up for Indy and Manning from the shot gun fires incomplete intended for Clark. Hold everything, we have another pass interference flag on the Chargers. Colts ball at the 50.

This game is quick. (Via SSR)

Agreed. A false start backs the Colts up 5 and on 1st and 15 Manning passes to Harrison for 3 yards. Manning fires and it is ruled incomplete although the Chargers and Chargers fans think that that should have been a catch and a fumble and I agree with said team and fans.

3rd and 12 and Manning finds Gonzalez for a first down at the 37. Gain of 5 on 1st down and on 2nd down Addai up the midde picks up the first. From the 20, Manning fires for the endzone but it's incomplete. 2nd and 10 and Manning form the shotgun overthrows Addai and it's now 3rd and 10 and the Chargers need a stop because this game has quickly turned into Chargers vs. Colts and Refs.

Manning under pressure, just gets it away but it's incomplete. And will come Adam Vinatieri. From 38 yards out. It's up.....AND IT'S DRILLED THROUGH! 20-10 Colts have doubled up the Chargers.

"Great QBs make big plays on 3rd down." - John Madden This man is making millions of dollars to tell me that. (Via SSR)

Did you learn something? I for one, had no idea that that was something great QBs did....The kickoff is taken by Sproles to the San Diego 30. Rivers to Tomlinson and it picks up 7. 2nd down and Rivers finds Chambers for a first. 1st and 10 from the SD 45 and LT picks up 3. Cris Chambers makes the catch on 2nd down and he's just shy of the first.

What is it with announcers being on camera with one standing and one sitting. LT picks up the 1st down on 3rd and short. They needed a yard. They got a yard. Jackson makes the catch inside the 30 to a 28 for another SD 1st down!

Rivers to Jacob Hester and he picks up 5. Amd right now Uncle Gary is shocked to learn that this is why LSU hasn't been handing the ball off to him. Rivers scrambling, looking for a man and he decides to take off and pick up the first down all the way to the 13! Slowest 9 yards ever. Rivers to Hester over the middle and he gets another 9 yards to the 4. LT on the carry is just short of the marker. 3rd and inches Tomlinson gets the first down, but not the TD.

1st and goal for the Chargers and they need to start hurrying. Rivers passes it to Jacob Hester who MAKES THE CATCH IN THE ENDZONE FOR THE TOUCHDOWN! The extra point is good and it's now 20-17 Colts.

Think Norv will kick an on-side kick? He's probably dumb enough to do it this early. (Via Walnuts)

We'll see. I don't think he'd do it but it wouldn't surprise me if he did. And I agree SSR, this has been a well played game throughout. Very entertaining.

Simpson takes the kickoff to the Indy 30 and on will come Peyton to kill the clock. Addai picks up 5 on the 1st down carry and there's 5:10 remaining on the clock in counting. 2nd and 5 and Manning from the gun will throw and it's caught by Addai just short of the marker. And this is big. 3rd and 1 for the Colts.

Manning hands it off to Addai who is brought down in the backfield! The Chargers get the stop they needed and this is quickly becoming the Chargers' game to lose.

"Hunter Smith bangs one deep" - Al Michaels

and it's taken by Pierre Garcon (cue French joke) to the 13. Rivers swings it to Gates who gains 6. 2nd and 4 and Rivers throws it to Tomlinson on the screen and he takes it all the way to the SD 34! 2:38 to go. 1st and 10 and Rivers finds Chambers who makes the catch at the SD 48 for another first down!

Rivers to Sproles and he picks up 11 on the swing pass! He was wide open! And we are at the 2-minute warning. Chargers driving, down by 3, all 3 timeouts intact. This one's finishing up in bold, folks. (sorry for that channeling of Brent Musberger)

1st and 10 for the Chargers and Rivers fires for Gates and it's incomplete. 2nd and 10 coming up. Al said it best. The Chargers need to score a TD while milking as much time as possilbe.

2nd and 10 and we have a false start on the Chargers. That hurts. 2nd and 15. Rivers throws it to Tomlinson who DROPS IT! How costly is that! He had them in field goal range if he makes that catch. Rivers on 3rd and 15 and the pass is caught by Manumaleuna who reaches for the 1st down marker and is just short!

Here comes Nate Kaeding, to tie the game. From 47 yards out....IT'S UP, AND.....IT'S GOOD! KAEDING HAS TIED THIS GAME AT 20!

Here's Simpson from the 14 to the 29 yard line. And here's Peyton Manning with a 2-minute drill. I'd be scared if I were San Diego. His first pass is caught by Gonzalez for a gain of 13. Manning fires again and it's incomplete.

2nd and 10 and Clark makes the catch for a gain of 5. 3rd and 5 and the clock's ticking Manning throws it to Harrison who makes the catch but they're short of the marker! Wait, they've given him the first after all! No, wait again, it's being reviewed! Holy cow!

"What Indianapolis will have to do on 4th down is decide what to do." - Al Michaels

Thanks for the insight! And they've got a spot but they have to measure it! From the replay, it looks like there was no way he got it, but let's see what the measurement says....

JUST SHORT! AND THEY'RE GOING FOR IT! 4TH AND INCHES! MANNING PLAY FAKE AND IT'S CAUGHT BY HARRISON AT THE 34!

That took guts. They hand off to Addai who doesn't get much. They have to spike it, and they do with 2 seconds left! And on will come Vinatieri for a chance at retribution from last year.

Timeout San Diego.

From 51-yards out. VINATIERI'S REDEMPTION IS UP.......AND GOOD!!! AND THAT'S IT! THE COLTS BEAT THE CHARGERS 23-20 IN ANOTHER COLTS-CHARGERS SNF THRILLER!

Thank you all for joining me for this live-blog. This was a fun one and it put me in a better mood after watching the Eagles debacle. Good night and good luck.