It is Christmas Eve and for the Eagles, it will be the most tension filled afternoon of the season. If the Jets could make an emergency trade for Michael Bush, I'd appreciate it greatly.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG!*
*If you got an email from me, please disregard it. As I am sure you have seen, both Mookie and I sent live blog emails at around the exact same time. Even creepier, we then notified each other that we both sent live blogs at the same time at the exact same time. After one of us finally got a word in edgewise without the other repeating the same thought verbatim at the same time, it was agreed that Mookie would host this live blog. If you clicked my live blog first and got worried because I deleted it, please, do not worry. Just click on Mookie's invitation and go over there. If you did not get an email and want to comment, click the above link and follow Mookie's instructions.
Showing posts with label Dallas Cowboys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dallas Cowboys. Show all posts
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
NFL Week 16 Schedule
The Eagles need to beat the Cowboys. The Jets need to beat the Giants. If one of these things do not happen, the Eagles will be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
Thursday Night Football
Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts 8:20 (NFL Network - Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, SR: Alex Flanagan
Maps of who gets what Saturday afternoon games
CBS games
Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills 1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Rich Gannon)
Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
San Diego Chargers vs. Detroit Lions 4:05 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Fox early games
New York Giants vs. New York Jets 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnson, SA: Tony Siragusa)
St. Louis Rams vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Arizona Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)
America's Game Of The Week and other Fox late games
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys 4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks 4:15 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Charles Davis)
Sunday Night Football
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)
Monday Night Football
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Some Person)
Thursday Night Football
Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts 8:20 (NFL Network - Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, SR: Alex Flanagan
Maps of who gets what Saturday afternoon games
CBS games
Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills 1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Rich Gannon)
Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
San Diego Chargers vs. Detroit Lions 4:05 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Fox early games
New York Giants vs. New York Jets 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnson, SA: Tony Siragusa)
St. Louis Rams vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Arizona Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)
America's Game Of The Week and other Fox late games
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys 4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks 4:15 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Charles Davis)
Sunday Night Football
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)
Monday Night Football
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Some Person)
Monday, December 12, 2011
Fun With NFC East Pythagenport Records
(Originally published, for better or worse, at Bleeding Green Nation)
Those who are familiar with baseball and The Good Phight are no doubt familiar with the concept known as Pythagorean records. In short, it is a formula invented by Bill James serving as a means of predicting a baseball team's record based off runs scored and runs allowed. A few years ago, a writer at Baseball Prospectus named Clay Davenport figured out that because the offensive environment of the league changes with time, the exponent used in the formula should be changed as well to reflect that. Hence the name in the title, Pythagenport records. And if one seeks to be even more accurate, one can derive an exponent for each individual team as each individual team plays in a slightly different offensive environment. While Baseball Prospectus calls this Pythagenpat records, in their Week 13 DVOA column from which this little exercise is derived from, Football Outsiders continue to use the term Pythagenport. For the sake of consistency, I will use the term "Pythagenport" throughout the rest of this column.
The same principles invented by Bill James can also be applied to NFL football. Now I know the question of how this is relevant will eventually come up, so I will answer it before we get into the numbers, so you understand right away what you are looking at. Football Outsiders did the math on this in the above linked column, and on a scale of 1 to -1 with 1 being the two variables are a perfect positive relationship on each other, 0 being the variables are completely independent of each other, and -1 being a perfect negative relationship, the correlation between Pythagenport wins and actual wins from 1990-2010, according to Football Outsiders, is .9134. This is a very strong correlation and the numbers that you are about to see below are relevant and will tell us about the 4-teams in the NFC East.
The formulas used in this column are as follows.
Exponent = 1.5*log ((Points scored + Points allowed) / number of games)
Pythagenport win percentage = Points scored^exponent / (Points scored^exponent + Points allowed^exponent)
As a baseline, here is each NFC East team's actual win percentage rounded to the nearest thousandth.
New York Giants: .538
Dallas Cowboys: .538
Philadelphia Eagles: .385
Washington Redskins: .308
And now each team's Pythagenport win percentage:
Dallas Cowboys: .575
Philadelphia Eagles: .511
New York Giants: .452
Washington Redskins: .284
What Does This Mean?
First of all, in case you have not yet figured it out, the NFC East is a bumbling pile of mediocrity plus the abysmal Washington Redskins. The best team in the division, the Dallas Cowboys, are somewhere between a 7-6 team and an 8-5 team when you convert the three-digit percentage number into actual wins.
Perhaps what may be startling to some but less so to folks who have been paying attention close attention to the Eagles' point differential, the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles are not all that bad of a football team. Certainly not as bad as their 5-8 record would lead you to believe. Now a record hovering around .500 is certainly not what many people, Eagles fans included expected out of the Eagles coming into the 2011 campaign, but it is certainly better than the Eagles' actual 5-8 record and enough to have the Eagles right in the middle of the NFC East title race without having to rely on some sort of miracle as they currently do.
So why is there a such a discrepancy between the Eagles' actual win percentage and Pythagenport win percentage?
A very good question, and the answer probably is not what people want to hear and/or believe, although it is true. In one word: luck. In two words: bad luck*.
*Addendum: In this context, I am attributing luck to the reasons why the Eagles are 5-8 and not hovering around .500. I am not suggesting luck is the reason the Eagles are not 10-3 or better and right in the midst of a race for a 1st round bye with San Francisco and New Orleans. This is also not to say the Eagles do not have flaws. Clearly, this is not a perfect team. However, they are not as bad as a 5-8 record (.385 win percentage) would suggest.
A basic theory of football is there is the ability to win close football games (with close football game being defined as games where the final margin of victory is 7 points or less) is not an actual ability. Some might define this perceived ability as being "clutch." But alas, no coach/QB/team hold an ability to consistently win/lose close football games. Over the course of a season, teams will tend to hover around the .500 league median. In his article last Friday, Bill Barnwell elaborates on this general point further with Tim Tebow's performance being the subject of the post. To go back to the Eagles, the Eagles are 2-5 this season in games where the final margin of victory is 7 points or less. The bad luck the Eagles have seen in these close games is a major reason why the Eagles' actual win percentage is as far below the Eagles' Pythagenport win percentage as it is. The fact that over 50% of the Eagles games have been decided by a touchdown or less is part of the reason their Pythagenport win percentage hovers around the .500 mark.
Conclusion
Barring a near miraculous final three weeks of the season, the narrative of the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles will be written as followed: "A team with all sorts of talent but no heart and a coach that lost the locker room. (Insert bad Dream Team pun here)." Unfortunately for many in the media, that narrative does not match with the reality. Barring a drastic turn of events in the final three games of the season, the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles were a team whose actual record fell well below that of what it should have been, according to Pythagenport win percentage, a metric whose that correlates very strongly (.9134) with actual win percentage. The Eagles Pythagenport win percentage (.511) is by no means great, however, in a watered down NFC East where mediocrity reigns supreme, is good enough to have the Eagles in line to contend for the division title. However, thanks to a couple unfortunate losses early in the season, the Eagles are only hanging on by a thread and would need everything to fall just perfectly into place in the final three weeks of the season to have a chance at winning an NFC East championship.
Those who are familiar with baseball and The Good Phight are no doubt familiar with the concept known as Pythagorean records. In short, it is a formula invented by Bill James serving as a means of predicting a baseball team's record based off runs scored and runs allowed. A few years ago, a writer at Baseball Prospectus named Clay Davenport figured out that because the offensive environment of the league changes with time, the exponent used in the formula should be changed as well to reflect that. Hence the name in the title, Pythagenport records. And if one seeks to be even more accurate, one can derive an exponent for each individual team as each individual team plays in a slightly different offensive environment. While Baseball Prospectus calls this Pythagenpat records, in their Week 13 DVOA column from which this little exercise is derived from, Football Outsiders continue to use the term Pythagenport. For the sake of consistency, I will use the term "Pythagenport" throughout the rest of this column.
The same principles invented by Bill James can also be applied to NFL football. Now I know the question of how this is relevant will eventually come up, so I will answer it before we get into the numbers, so you understand right away what you are looking at. Football Outsiders did the math on this in the above linked column, and on a scale of 1 to -1 with 1 being the two variables are a perfect positive relationship on each other, 0 being the variables are completely independent of each other, and -1 being a perfect negative relationship, the correlation between Pythagenport wins and actual wins from 1990-2010, according to Football Outsiders, is .9134. This is a very strong correlation and the numbers that you are about to see below are relevant and will tell us about the 4-teams in the NFC East.
The formulas used in this column are as follows.
Exponent = 1.5*log ((Points scored + Points allowed) / number of games)
Pythagenport win percentage = Points scored^exponent / (Points scored^exponent + Points allowed^exponent)
As a baseline, here is each NFC East team's actual win percentage rounded to the nearest thousandth.
New York Giants: .538
Dallas Cowboys: .538
Philadelphia Eagles: .385
Washington Redskins: .308
And now each team's Pythagenport win percentage:
Dallas Cowboys: .575
Philadelphia Eagles: .511
New York Giants: .452
Washington Redskins: .284
What Does This Mean?
First of all, in case you have not yet figured it out, the NFC East is a bumbling pile of mediocrity plus the abysmal Washington Redskins. The best team in the division, the Dallas Cowboys, are somewhere between a 7-6 team and an 8-5 team when you convert the three-digit percentage number into actual wins.
Perhaps what may be startling to some but less so to folks who have been paying attention close attention to the Eagles' point differential, the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles are not all that bad of a football team. Certainly not as bad as their 5-8 record would lead you to believe. Now a record hovering around .500 is certainly not what many people, Eagles fans included expected out of the Eagles coming into the 2011 campaign, but it is certainly better than the Eagles' actual 5-8 record and enough to have the Eagles right in the middle of the NFC East title race without having to rely on some sort of miracle as they currently do.
So why is there a such a discrepancy between the Eagles' actual win percentage and Pythagenport win percentage?
A very good question, and the answer probably is not what people want to hear and/or believe, although it is true. In one word: luck. In two words: bad luck*.
*Addendum: In this context, I am attributing luck to the reasons why the Eagles are 5-8 and not hovering around .500. I am not suggesting luck is the reason the Eagles are not 10-3 or better and right in the midst of a race for a 1st round bye with San Francisco and New Orleans. This is also not to say the Eagles do not have flaws. Clearly, this is not a perfect team. However, they are not as bad as a 5-8 record (.385 win percentage) would suggest.
A basic theory of football is there is the ability to win close football games (with close football game being defined as games where the final margin of victory is 7 points or less) is not an actual ability. Some might define this perceived ability as being "clutch." But alas, no coach/QB/team hold an ability to consistently win/lose close football games. Over the course of a season, teams will tend to hover around the .500 league median. In his article last Friday, Bill Barnwell elaborates on this general point further with Tim Tebow's performance being the subject of the post. To go back to the Eagles, the Eagles are 2-5 this season in games where the final margin of victory is 7 points or less. The bad luck the Eagles have seen in these close games is a major reason why the Eagles' actual win percentage is as far below the Eagles' Pythagenport win percentage as it is. The fact that over 50% of the Eagles games have been decided by a touchdown or less is part of the reason their Pythagenport win percentage hovers around the .500 mark.
Conclusion
Barring a near miraculous final three weeks of the season, the narrative of the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles will be written as followed: "A team with all sorts of talent but no heart and a coach that lost the locker room. (Insert bad Dream Team pun here)." Unfortunately for many in the media, that narrative does not match with the reality. Barring a drastic turn of events in the final three games of the season, the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles were a team whose actual record fell well below that of what it should have been, according to Pythagenport win percentage, a metric whose that correlates very strongly (.9134) with actual win percentage. The Eagles Pythagenport win percentage (.511) is by no means great, however, in a watered down NFC East where mediocrity reigns supreme, is good enough to have the Eagles in line to contend for the division title. However, thanks to a couple unfortunate losses early in the season, the Eagles are only hanging on by a thread and would need everything to fall just perfectly into place in the final three weeks of the season to have a chance at winning an NFC East championship.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
NFL Week 8/MLS Conference Semifinals Live Blog
E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES! DOOP!
Leg 1: Houston Dynamo vs. Philadelphia Union 5:00 (ESPN2 - Rob Stone and Taylor Twellman)
Leg 1: Sporting Kansas City vs. Colorado Rapids 7:00 (FSC) (TSN2)
CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
NFL Week 8 Schedule
Philadelphia Union's 1st ever MLS Cup game plus Cowboys-Eagles in primetime? Don't mind if I do. This Sunday promises to be a stressful one. Hopefully it turns out fun, but it will certainly be stressful. Here's the Week 8 schedule. (all times ET; games I get are in bold)
Maps of who gets what Sunday afternoon games
Fox games
Minnesota Vikings vs. Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnson, SA: Tony Siragusa)
Arizona Cardinals vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
New Orleans Saints vs. St. Louis Rams 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Washington Redskins vs. Buffalo Bills (game to be played in Toronto, Canada) 4:05 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Detroit Lions vs. Denver Broncos 4:05 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
CBS early games
Miami Dolphins vs. New York Giants 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans 1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
America's Game Of The Week and CBS late games
New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Cleveland Browns vs. San Francisco 49ers 4:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Seattle Seahawks 4:15 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
Sunday Night Football
Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)
Monday Night Football
San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Suzy Kolber)
Maps of who gets what Sunday afternoon games
Fox games
Minnesota Vikings vs. Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnson, SA: Tony Siragusa)
Arizona Cardinals vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
New Orleans Saints vs. St. Louis Rams 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Washington Redskins vs. Buffalo Bills (game to be played in Toronto, Canada) 4:05 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Detroit Lions vs. Denver Broncos 4:05 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
CBS early games
Miami Dolphins vs. New York Giants 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans 1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
America's Game Of The Week and CBS late games
New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Cleveland Browns vs. San Francisco 49ers 4:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Seattle Seahawks 4:15 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)
Sunday Night Football
Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)
Monday Night Football
San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Suzy Kolber)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Eagles Week 17 Recap: Who Cares
On to the bullets of this pre-season game meaningless Week 17 football game.
- The Dallas Cowboys played their healthy available starters. The Philadelphia Eagles played all of their back-ups. The Cowboys only won 14-13. Yeah.
- What is there to take from this game? Not much, really. Only four regular starters (Maclin, Jean-Gilles, Patterson, and Fokou) saw any amount of time at all in this game. Maclin played the first two series because Andy wanted to get him to 1,000 yards on the season (mission failed) and after that, the WR corps was all Chad Hall and Riley Cooper.
- Max Jean-Gillies was the only Eagle player to get injured. It is unknown whether or not he will play on Sunday
- What to take from this game: Stephen McGee is no Tony Romo, the Cowboys outside of DeMarcus Ware really are terrible, and the Eagles back-ups gave the Cowboys starters some stiff competition.
- Some people will say that the Eagles are limping into the playoffs with two straight losses. My answer to that is 18 of the 22 Eagles that will start on Sunday were not on the field at all for tonight's game. This game was irrelevant, the Eagles knew that, Andy Reid knew that, and the Eagles prepared for this game by recycling last month's and studying film on the Packers, Giants, and Buccaneers.
- If nothing else, this game showed that the Eagles should not be afraid to use Jerome Harrison during meaningful games. Harrison used to be a starter in Cleveland last year and could probably start for some teams today. If Andy Reid used him appropriately, he could and LeSean McCoy could make a legitimate 1-2 punch.
- The Eagles will host the Green Bay Packers Sunday at 4:30 ET. The Packers are a team strengths match-up perfectly with the Eagles weaknesses. The way I see it, if this game is a passing shootout, Green Bay will win. The Eagles best offense and defense in this game will be LeSean McCoy. The Eagles need to give him a huge workload in this game. Not only do the Eagles need to run the ball to neutralize Green Bay's stellar pass defense, but they need to do so to control the clock, the tempo, and to keep Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense off the field.
- Lastly because the less said about this dull meaningless game the better, here is the win probability chart. (advancednflstats.com)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
For Those Expecting An Eagles Week 17 Recap
You are going to have to at least wait a little bit. I missed the last 3 quarters at dinner with my family. Even though I DVR'd the game, I have not gotten around to watching it yet. I'll probably sit through the rest of that game sometime after I get home from work tomorrow night and I will have a brief recap either tomorrow night or Tuesday. The Cowboys won the game 14-13 and the Eagles played their back-ups. The Eagles did not care about this game, so I will put little effort into this recap as there is little to be said about a game that meant nothing.
The Eagles wild card opponent is the Green Bay Packers, with the game taking place Sunday at 4:30 ET on Fox.
The Eagles wild card opponent is the Green Bay Packers, with the game taking place Sunday at 4:30 ET on Fox.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
NFL Week 17 Schedule
It's the most exciting week of the season! Playoff spots are on the line, including an NFC West championship to determine a playoff spot and a Top 10 draft pick, an AFC South title is on the line to determine a playoff spot and a middle of the round draft pick, and 3 1st round byes are still up for grabs. It promises to be a wild ride, so without further ado, here is your Week 17 schedule! (all times ET)
Map of who gets what Fox early game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick)
Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons 1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and Charles Davis)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions 1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and John Lynch)
Map of who gets what CBS early game.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets 1:00 (CBS - Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker)
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Rich Gannon)
Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1:00 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Randy Cross)
Map of who gets what Fox late game.
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers 4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles 4:15 (Fox - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa)
New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins 4:15 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan)
Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers 4:15 (Fox - Chris Myers and Jim Mora, Jr.)
Map of who gets what CBS late game.
Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans 4:15 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos 4:15 (CBS - Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein)
Sunday Night Football
St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)
Map of who gets what Fox early game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick)
Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons 1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and Charles Davis)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions 1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and John Lynch)
Map of who gets what CBS early game.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets 1:00 (CBS - Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker)
Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Rich Gannon)
Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1:00 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Randy Cross)
Map of who gets what Fox late game.
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers 4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles 4:15 (Fox - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa)
New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins 4:15 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan)
Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers 4:15 (Fox - Chris Myers and Jim Mora, Jr.)
Map of who gets what CBS late game.
Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans 4:15 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos 4:15 (CBS - Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein)
Sunday Night Football
St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)
Monday, December 13, 2010
Eagles Week 14 Recap: DeSean/LeSean
Onto the bullets!
- There was a lot to like and dislike about that game against the Cowboys. What there is to dislike: Injuries. What there is to like: The Eagles beat the Cowboys!
- The injuries: Stewart Bradley suffered a gruesome elbow dislocation and is likely done for the year. Brandon Graham suffered a knee injury and could potentially be done for the year, depending on the results of the MRI.
- The Eagles have depth at defensive line so while Graham has played well this season, it is not a be all to end all loss. On the other hand, Stewart Bradley has had a good year, especially in the last few weeks. And his back-ups are the always dependably bad Omar Gaither and rookie 7th round draft pick Jamar Chaney. I prefer Chaney. He did not totally suck coming in for Bradley tonight, so there is hope. Kinda. Sorta. Maybe.
- Get well soon, Asante Samuel, though the main culprit of defensive blunders this game was Dimitri Patterson with two critical penalties giving Dallas a 1st down on what appeared to be 3rd down stops. And Dimitri Patterson is the Eagles starting CB anyway. The combo of suck that is Hanson/Lindley was not particularly dreadful tonight, but getting Asante Samuel back will be a major upgrade regardless.
- Get well soon, Winston Justice. King Dunlap is just.....bad.
- Offensive lineman Todd Herremans caught a TD pass tonight, the 2nd of his career. That catch also gave him one more reception than the Eagles tight end Brent Celek, who spent most of the night compensating King Dunlap's awful blocking with some awful blocking of his own.
- DeSean Jackson had perhaps one of the Eagles highlights of the year when he turned a short and simple out route into a 91-yard touchdown. Much will be made about DJacc's celebration. The cons: It was unnecessary, inappropriate and drew a flag from the referees. The pros: It was hilarious to watch considering the opponent and venue, and it was not technically a penalty. Excessive celebration only occurs after a play ends, and technically, the ball had not crossed the endzone at the time of DeSean Jackson's dive. Therefore, by rule, what DeSean Jackson did is not a penalty. As hilarious as it was, I am not going to pretend like it is the most respectful or appropriate thing to do in that situation, it most certainly was not, but by rule, that should not have been ruled a penalty.
- That penalty ultimately did not cost the Eagles, as the ensuing kick was only returned to the 22. Furthermore, the 1st play of the drive was an INT from Kitna to Dimitri Patterson.
- DeSean Jackson had 210 receiving yards tonight, 3rd all time in Ealges history behind Tommy McDonald (237) and known physical specimen Kevin Curtis (221).
- After an Akers field goal to make it 30-20, the Cowboys responded with a TD of their own with over 4 minutes left. To top off the momentum, Jorrick Calvin got a dumb unnecessary roughness penalty on the ensuing kickoff to pin the Eagles at the 10.
- The Cowboys would never touch the football again, thanks mostly to LeSean McCoy. McCoy was outstanding, rushing for 63 yards on 9 carries to milk the clock and win the game for the Eagles. Michael Vick, who still had 3 TDs despite this not being one of his better games, also had a carry for 9 yards. Have I ever mentioned how awesome Shady McCoy is?
- I am not sure I understand Andy Reid's fascination with using Chad Hall as a tailback in redzone situations. The Eagles have 3 running backs, LeSean McCoy, Jerome Harrison, and Eldra Buckley, a fullback in Owen Schmitt, all of whom are healthy, and yet, the Eagles are lining up former Air Force WR Chad Hall out of the backfield. To the unsurprise of most, none of these plays have resulted in touchdowns.
- Michael Vick continues to get little protection from the referees. After Reid explicitly complained to the League last week about the lack of late hit/unnecessary roughness calls on some questionable hits on Vick, Vick was violently shoved as he was going out of bounds and the refs stood idle not throwing a flag. The answer to what it takes to draw a flag was answered later in the game when Vick received not one, but two helmet-to-helmet hits on a single play.
- After the game, Tashard Choice approached Michael Vick and asked him for an autograph. For some context, Tashard Choice is from Georgia, went to school at Georgia Tech, and presumably grew up a big Vick fan. That may explain why he asked Vick to autograph his game gloves for Choice's 3-year old nephew.
- Win probability chart (advancednflstats.com)
- Lastly, and most importantly of all, I would be remiss if I did not extend my well wishes to fellow live blog comrade James Craven who has been absent the past few weeks. Saturday afternoon he sent me an e-mail saying he had undergone heart bypass surgery to remove a blood clot from his heart. We have had our disagreements in the past, however, a person's health is above all petty disagreements. The good news is he eventually plans on returning. I wish him a speedy recovery and nothing but the best for his future health. He titled his email "Zipper Club Member." Glad to see his sense of humor is still with him.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
NFL Week 14 Schedule
Week 14 already. Geez, this season has gone by fast. The playoff push is upon us although there will be no push for the Panthers, Lions, Bills, Bengals, and Broncos, as they are already mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Also, this is one of the few times in a season where none of my affiliates are carrying the Fox/CBS marquee late game. Here is your week 14 schedule! (all times ET; games I get are in bold)
Thursday Night Football
Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans 8:20 (NFL Network - Bob Papa, Matt Millen, and Joe Theismann)
Map of who gets what Fox game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Redskins 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa)
Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan)
Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and John Lynch)
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers 4:05 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick)
St. Louis Rams vs. New Orleans Saints 4:05 (Fox - Dick Stockton, Charles Davis, and Jim Mora, Jr.)
Map of who gets what CBS early game.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Oakland Raiders vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills 1:00 (CBS - Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein)
Map of who gets what CBS late game.
New England Patriots vs. Chicago Bears 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets 4:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers 4:15 (CBS - Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker)
Denver Broncos vs. Arizona Cardinals 4:15 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Rich Gannon)
Sunday Night Football
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)
Monday Night Football
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings (game to be played in Detroit, MI) 7:20 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden)
Thursday Night Football
Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans 8:20 (NFL Network - Bob Papa, Matt Millen, and Joe Theismann)
Map of who gets what Fox game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Redskins 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa)
Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions 1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan)
Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Ron Pitts and John Lynch)
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers 4:05 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick)
St. Louis Rams vs. New Orleans Saints 4:05 (Fox - Dick Stockton, Charles Davis, and Jim Mora, Jr.)
Map of who gets what CBS early game.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Oakland Raiders vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills 1:00 (CBS - Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein)
Map of who gets what CBS late game.
New England Patriots vs. Chicago Bears 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets 4:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers 4:15 (CBS - Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker)
Denver Broncos vs. Arizona Cardinals 4:15 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Rich Gannon)
Sunday Night Football
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)
Monday Night Football
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings (game to be played in Detroit, MI) 7:20 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden)
Monday, September 13, 2010
Dallas Cowboys Fail Epically
Last play of the 1st half.
Last play of the game.
I am sure the Philadelphia media and/or Bleacher Report articles associated with Philadelphia will talk about Donovan McNabb, whereby I will need to do an FJM takedown about how stupid they are.
Last play of the game.
I am sure the Philadelphia media and/or Bleacher Report articles associated with Philadelphia will talk about Donovan McNabb, whereby I will need to do an FJM takedown about how stupid they are.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Jibber Your Jabber- Sunday Night Style!
Who's up for some exhibition preseason NFL action tonight? Or maybe it's ESPN's 100th broadcast this season of Yanks/Sawx. Who does Al Michaels have tonight? Will Joe Morgan take credit for the building of New Yankee Stadium? Is Don Draper going to regret banging the new secretary? Leave comments and enjoy the mayhem!
Dallas Cowboys vs Cincinnati Bengals 8:00 (NBC- Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth SR: Andrea Kremer)
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees 8:00 (ESPN- Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, Orel Hershiser)
Friday, April 30, 2010
Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland, Dez Bryant, And The Revelation Of Context (UPDATED: And Social Disorganization Theory
I think we all know the story of Jeff Ireland and Dez Bryant by now. For those that have been living under a rock, it is being reported that in an interview with now Cowboys WR Dez Bryant, Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland asked Dez whether or not Dez's mom was a prostitute. Ireland has since apologized and the issue has seemingly been brushed under the rug, but what if there was more to it than just that? To everyone sitting on their ass now thinking that this story is nothing but the world's dumbest football interview question, I can tell you right now, you haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about. And by the end of this post, you will be sorry for saying anything you said negatively about Miami Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland.
It's about the media and people protecting Dez Bryant. In other words, this is not a story about a dumb interviewer, it's about the absence of context and now the revelation.
It started with an interview Marcellus Wiley did for ESPNEWS, and continued in a long string of tweets from Wiley. The initial question by Ireland was manufactured by Mike Silver at Yahoo! and Brooks of SbB. A recent stream of tweets from Marcellus Wiley further teased the truth.
First, a follower of Wiley hitting the nail right on the head:
And a (presumably condensed) version of the transcript in 140 characters from (of all things) the Dan LeBatard Show Twitter account.
All of a sudden does this all make sense?
People everywhere want to protect Dez Bryant. But when you admit in an interview in response to the standard question of what your father does for a living (I've been on both sides of interviews, family background is standard stuff here, folks) and you answer "pimp," is asking if the mother is a prostitute not a reasonable follow-up. Could it have been worded better? Sure, Ireland could have worded it better, but Dez set himself up for that. After all, does a pimp not often find themselves with prostitues? Asking that as a follow-up is not reaching far. And even Silver did not lead with that quote in his story on Dez where he first brought it up. Aside from that one quote buried, why else did Dez Bryant not make this a huge story? Because he knew the context. And why were people so afraid to admit this context? Because people wanted to protect Dez Bryant from the word getting out to the public that he admitted in an interview that his father was a pimp. You think the Dolphins are going to reveal the context and throw Dez under the bus like that? Hell no, they are not. They did the right thing by not speaking up or saying anything. You do not throw a kid under the bus, but a certain Mike Silver could be one to ask, "okay, Dez, why would they ask if your mother was a prostitute?" And then when he found out the perfectly rational context of the whole story then just drop it and not print it and lead to a whole controversy.
Of course, the context will never get out to the public like the original story did, so a lot of people will go on thinking that Jeff Ireland is an incompetent jackass who with no justification at all asked a kid who survived a tough childhood if his mother was a prostitute. I just hope more people learn the truth about what happened behind close doors and do not judge a man and his beliefs based off of that.
Update: Mike Silver apparently just spoke to a source close to Dez who says the Dolphins story is bullshit. That source cites the apology as the main reason the Dolphins story can't be true. This has already been well covered above, but I shall elaborate further in that how many times have you apologized just to move on from an awkward situation, even if you were not at fault just to get away from it all, end the madness, take the hit and move on with more important things.
Instead of re-stating what he says, I will quote Dan Levy from the Sporting Blog, who brings up a very interesting and valid point that even if the Dolphins are lying and this was a random, out-of-the-blue question that contrary to belief, asking Dez Bryant about his mother like that is nowhere near as bad as everyone makes it out to be, and in fact, a rather smart interview question, if worded a lot better.
Regardless of whose side of the story turns out to be correct (and we'll never know for sure until we see the transcript), why does any of this matter? While I initially let my emotions guide me in my thoughts of Ireland, it has become quite clear that whether out of the blue or in a germane context, knowing that a person you are potentially paying millions of dollars to had a rough childhood with a mother who is only 15 years older than him and asking about that is not offensive, is not insensitive, is perfectly relevant (especially if you consider Social Disorganization Theory and Social Bond Theory), and should even be done more often. It's like Levy said, you hire private investigators to investigate and research every aspect of these kids private lives. Then something like this poorly-worded, well-intentioned interview question comes out and all of a sudden the outcry against Ireland and the Dolphins is on the levels of political scandal??????
What the fuck?
It's about the media and people protecting Dez Bryant. In other words, this is not a story about a dumb interviewer, it's about the absence of context and now the revelation.
It started with an interview Marcellus Wiley did for ESPNEWS, and continued in a long string of tweets from Wiley. The initial question by Ireland was manufactured by Mike Silver at Yahoo! and Brooks of SbB. A recent stream of tweets from Marcellus Wiley further teased the truth.
I actually do! RT @pigskinpundit @marcelluswiley Do you know yourself the exact context in which that question is asked? I'm struggling to CAnd now the money tweets. The moment when you will no longer make fun of Jeff Ireland and heck, the moment you will apologize to Jeff Ireland. You think I am kidding? The line of questioning by Ireland was perfectly rational though just poorly worded. You will soon see that.
BINGO! RT @Kaleem88 @marcelluswiley I don't think Jeff was in the wrong, I think he worded the question wrong
Big Biz PR! RT @raromero07 then why hasnt Ireland come w/ the rest of the story yet to clear his name? why apologize if there was more 2 it
Bcuz Dez knows the TRUTH & CONTEXT of the ?'s RT @ronwahl Dez is not making a big deal of this-why is everyone else going berserk over it
I'm not the only person that knows the entire story, but every1 is trying to protect Dez. That's why it's not out YET!
Out of respect, another trying to protect Dez RT @nickborrelli Why didn't Ireland tell the public what the context was when he apologized?
Every1 reacted (understandably so) with emotion to this story, diminishing the cognitive thought process. Sit back & think w/o emotion.....
.and the truth and the context of the question will start to crystallize. Their is a justifiable reason why someone asked him that question
I know this is sensitive stuff...and trust me, I get that. But sometimes in life, you have to deal with real, despite how painful it is!
First, a follower of Wiley hitting the nail right on the head:
BINGO! RT @RealCedAllen Takin a guess but never heard ANYTHING bout Dez's pops! Is it that he was once a pimp? That would give reason 2 ask.
And a (presumably condensed) version of the transcript in 140 characters from (of all things) the Dan LeBatard Show Twitter account.
Here's dolphins side: what does dad do? Pimp. Mom? Works for dad. She's a prostitute? No she helps him with other stuff.
All of a sudden does this all make sense?
People everywhere want to protect Dez Bryant. But when you admit in an interview in response to the standard question of what your father does for a living (I've been on both sides of interviews, family background is standard stuff here, folks) and you answer "pimp," is asking if the mother is a prostitute not a reasonable follow-up. Could it have been worded better? Sure, Ireland could have worded it better, but Dez set himself up for that. After all, does a pimp not often find themselves with prostitues? Asking that as a follow-up is not reaching far. And even Silver did not lead with that quote in his story on Dez where he first brought it up. Aside from that one quote buried, why else did Dez Bryant not make this a huge story? Because he knew the context. And why were people so afraid to admit this context? Because people wanted to protect Dez Bryant from the word getting out to the public that he admitted in an interview that his father was a pimp. You think the Dolphins are going to reveal the context and throw Dez under the bus like that? Hell no, they are not. They did the right thing by not speaking up or saying anything. You do not throw a kid under the bus, but a certain Mike Silver could be one to ask, "okay, Dez, why would they ask if your mother was a prostitute?" And then when he found out the perfectly rational context of the whole story then just drop it and not print it and lead to a whole controversy.
Of course, the context will never get out to the public like the original story did, so a lot of people will go on thinking that Jeff Ireland is an incompetent jackass who with no justification at all asked a kid who survived a tough childhood if his mother was a prostitute. I just hope more people learn the truth about what happened behind close doors and do not judge a man and his beliefs based off of that.
Update: Mike Silver apparently just spoke to a source close to Dez who says the Dolphins story is bullshit. That source cites the apology as the main reason the Dolphins story can't be true. This has already been well covered above, but I shall elaborate further in that how many times have you apologized just to move on from an awkward situation, even if you were not at fault just to get away from it all, end the madness, take the hit and move on with more important things.
Instead of re-stating what he says, I will quote Dan Levy from the Sporting Blog, who brings up a very interesting and valid point that even if the Dolphins are lying and this was a random, out-of-the-blue question that contrary to belief, asking Dez Bryant about his mother like that is nowhere near as bad as everyone makes it out to be, and in fact, a rather smart interview question, if worded a lot better.
It's actually quite amazing to me how much fervor this has created, making me feel like a bit of a sociopath for thinking the question was tactless, but fair to ask a guy you're potentially going to give millions of dollars to. In addition, hearing the team's explanation, it was clearly germane for Ireland to ask that question in that context. By all accounts, the question may have been disrespectful, but it seems that Bryant opened the door.Now I had never heard of Social Disorganization Theory before this, but I've looked it up. It exists. What Levy's wife says about it is true. So while on the outset if may not seem that asking about a guy's mother in a football interview, regardless of context, is completely irrelevant, if you are thinking about possibly committing millions of dollars to the guy, don't you think you would like to know a little more about his chances of getting into trouble? He may have stayed out of trouble before, but that does not mean anything about the future. You may think the kid is a good kid, but you never know for sure.
And while were on it, I just don't see how sending private investigators to research a prospect's background – something the league and teams regularly do – is okay, but asking a kid a question like this about his mom is off limits. Michael Vick was adamant about the fact that he didn't think dog fighting was all that bad because he was raised in an environment where the practice was commonplace. So shouldn't teams be doing their research as to what type of criminality a prospect is exposed? My wife, a PhD in Criminal Justice, went back and forth with me on this:
"Social Disorganization Theory says any exposure to that sort of criminal life can make you more likely to do it. Social Bond Theory says that, in essence, subjects form bonds with people and – to put it a way sports fans can understand – being around people who do bad things does make someone more likely to do bad things themselves.
"Having said that, there are many criminological theories that suggest that free will is more important than socialization."
In other words, people should be able to decide right from wrong on their own, but there are theories that indicate being exposed to a life full of bad decisions could lead to bad decisions. With millions of dollars at stake, it's amazing if more people didn't ask the questions Ireland did…albeit with a little more tact.
Regardless of whose side of the story turns out to be correct (and we'll never know for sure until we see the transcript), why does any of this matter? While I initially let my emotions guide me in my thoughts of Ireland, it has become quite clear that whether out of the blue or in a germane context, knowing that a person you are potentially paying millions of dollars to had a rough childhood with a mother who is only 15 years older than him and asking about that is not offensive, is not insensitive, is perfectly relevant (especially if you consider Social Disorganization Theory and Social Bond Theory), and should even be done more often. It's like Levy said, you hire private investigators to investigate and research every aspect of these kids private lives. Then something like this poorly-worded, well-intentioned interview question comes out and all of a sudden the outcry against Ireland and the Dolphins is on the levels of political scandal??????
What the fuck?
Monday, January 18, 2010
What Makes Keith Brooking And Whiny Cowboys Fans Hypocrites?
Complaining about running up the score when the other team is up 24 points and they throw the ball. That's what.
We all know the story of what happened yesterday when the Cowboys were down 24 to the Vikings yesterday. The Vikings threw a pass on 4th down and it was caught by a wide open Visanthe Shiancoe in the endzone for a touchdown. Subsequently, Keith Brooking stormed the Vikings sidelines and allegedly called Brett Favre classless to his face. Now whether or not that was the case, we don't know, as Favre was too busy winning that game to listen to Brooking complain, but regardless, that is what has been alleged and he may have even had some choice words for the other coaches on the sidelines. We don't know exactly what was said, but Keith Brooking did have some choice words during the post game press conference. Via ESPN.
What on earth am I talking about, you ask? Sheil Kapadia of Philly.com points out this little looked over fact from the Week 17 meeting between the Eagles and the Cowboys
Like I said, you can go back and forth on what is or is not classless here, but who on earth are you to talk to storm the other team's sidelines and whine and complain like a 9-year old about them "running up the score" when your team attempted to do the same damn thing 2 weeks ago.
I guess my true views on this are pointed out when I tell you that I had thought nothing of it when Romo did attempt that pass in that game and in fact, up until Sheil and JasonB of Bleeding Green Nation pointed it out, I had completely forgotten about Romo and Week 17. So maybe it is not as classless an act as Cowboys fan would have you believe.
Thank you, former Eagles offensive coordinator and current Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress, for giving me the greatest sports moment in 2010.
(Hat tip to Bleeding Green Nation)
We all know the story of what happened yesterday when the Cowboys were down 24 to the Vikings yesterday. The Vikings threw a pass on 4th down and it was caught by a wide open Visanthe Shiancoe in the endzone for a touchdown. Subsequently, Keith Brooking stormed the Vikings sidelines and allegedly called Brett Favre classless to his face. Now whether or not that was the case, we don't know, as Favre was too busy winning that game to listen to Brooking complain, but regardless, that is what has been alleged and he may have even had some choice words for the other coaches on the sidelines. We don't know exactly what was said, but Keith Brooking did have some choice words during the post game press conference. Via ESPN.
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said the Vikings ran up the score, and Brooking agreed.Now we can go back and forth on the classless part of it all day long and not get anywhere. My views on this are somewhat tainted because I despise the Cowboys, but when an you are crying over something you tried to do 2 weeks ago, then it quits being a discussion of classlessness and turns into an argument of hypocrisy.
"I thought it was classless," Brooking said. "I thought it was B.S. Granted, we get paid to stop them, but we had zero timeouts left. I didn't think there was any call for that."
What on earth am I talking about, you ask? Sheil Kapadia of Philly.com points out this little looked over fact from the Week 17 meeting between the Eagles and the Cowboys
With about 2:30 left in that game, the Cowboys faced a 4th-and-2 from the Eagles' 35-yard line. They were up, 24-0 (the exact point differential in yesterday's game before the final TD). Dallas could have easily taken a knee and given the Eagles' offense the ball back with 2:20 left, but Romo dropped back and looked for a receiver before getting sacked by Juqua Parker.Sheil also goes on to point out that at no point afterward was Keith Brooking spotted on the sidelines yelling at his coaches telling them they were being classless.
Like I said, you can go back and forth on what is or is not classless here, but who on earth are you to talk to storm the other team's sidelines and whine and complain like a 9-year old about them "running up the score" when your team attempted to do the same damn thing 2 weeks ago.
I guess my true views on this are pointed out when I tell you that I had thought nothing of it when Romo did attempt that pass in that game and in fact, up until Sheil and JasonB of Bleeding Green Nation pointed it out, I had completely forgotten about Romo and Week 17. So maybe it is not as classless an act as Cowboys fan would have you believe.
Thank you, former Eagles offensive coordinator and current Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress, for giving me the greatest sports moment in 2010.
(Hat tip to Bleeding Green Nation)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Methinks Wade Phillies Will Be Out Of A Job Soon
If that look from The Plastic mean does not scream "You fucking pussy! You have embarrassed me once again in a big game and have made me, The Great Jerry Jones, look like a complete imbecile, when really you are the retarded imbecile that is fucking me up and fucking my team up and you and your fucking piece of shit coaching team can go rot in an eternal hell of 10,000 degrees", then I don't know what does.
NFL Playoffs Day 4 Live Blog
is over at The O Files. So come join us, won't you? Unless of course you are Nathan Brice, Captain Cocktacular, Big Dick Johnson, "someone with diarrhea", a "Journalist" who mocks us, a Jim who hates his tiny thingy, a Michael who hates his tiny thingy and wants us to make it bigger for him (the answer is still No, by the way), or any other random troll. We've seen the cream of the crop this year.....and I damn sure don't want to see anymore!
Moving on.....here is today's schedule.
#3 Dallas Cowboys @ #2 Minnesota Vikings 1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver and Chris Myers)
#5 New York Jets @ #2 San Diego Chargers 4:40 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Moving on.....here is today's schedule.
#3 Dallas Cowboys @ #2 Minnesota Vikings 1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver and Chris Myers)
#5 New York Jets @ #2 San Diego Chargers 4:40 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Sunday, January 10, 2010
It's Official: The 2009-10 Cowboys Are Better Than The 2009-10 Eagles
Is there any more that really needs to be said about this game?
The Eagles were hanging in there defensively for awhile, even amidst a stuttering offense. Despite McNabb's 1st half ineptness, Michael Vick saved the day for awhile with a long TD pass to Maclin. Then the Cowboys got the ball back. Sean Jones intercepted a Romo pass.
And before you could blink, the Cowboys had won the game. Wade Phillips brilliantly challenged it, contesting that the ball hit the ground before Sean Jones had possessed it fully. And while it looked good from far out, a closer inspection revealed that the ball indeed had hit the ground without Jones possessing it. The Cowboys took that break and drove it for a TD making it 14-7. And they never lost momentum.
This game was not because of poor Eagles execution. The Cowboys fundamentally played better than the Eagles did. They brilliantly got pressure on McNabb, forced the Eagles to use their running backs as blockers on non run plays and that in turn allowed for them to double cover DeSean Jackson and even Jeremy Maclin at times without much of a worry.
Cowboys 34, Eagles 14. They earned this win and Cowboys fans have every right to live it up and celebrate their 1st playoff win since 1996. They even earned some respect from me today, something that they previously did not have. Romo is proving he can be an elite QB. Wade Phillips is proving he can be a successful head coach in this league. The Cowboys 3-headed running back combo is as dangerous as they come in this league. Miles Austin is for real and Roy Williams was not totally useless today. Their secondary stopped the Eagles receivers like no other team has been able to do this year.
Enough on this game and let's look a bit at the future. Where do the Eagles go from here?
For starters, the Eagles had a lot of injuries, including losing Stewart Bradley, their rock star starting middle linebacker to injury during training camp, Quintin Demps during the year, Ellis Hobbs as a kick returner thus leaving us with Macho Harris in that role, and the beating our secondary took today.
They'll get a lot of key players back next year. There will be free agency, although with the uncapped year coming, there may not be a lot going on there, there will be trades, and there will be the draft. This team has a young core and it will improve. But what moves do you make? And as much of an ideal as it would be that the Eagles fire Andy Reid and bring in Bill Cowher to be their new head coach, we all know that that's not happening. Reid will be the head coach of the Eagles next year and we must go from there.
First of all, right now, I would trade Brian Westbrook. He's too fragile and too old for a running back whose game is speed and quickness and elusiveness to be effective anymore. That being said, if you can get a team to bite like the Raiders would or the Redskins would and get a really good return (3rd round draft pick or better), then go for it. Make the move. You have 2 running backs in Shady McCoy and Leonard Weaver. It will be getting something at the cost of nothing. The Eagles were 7-1 this year when Westbrook was NOT in the line-up. This team won't miss him at all. they no longer need him.
Second question, the quarterbacks. I know I said trade McNabb in the live blog, but the more I think about it, is that really the best move you can make? Yes, he is maddingly inconsistent at times, but is he your best option? Kevin Kolb had 2 impressive games this year, but he has not been tested at all with the rigors of a full season. Can you trust Michael Vick to be a full-time starter? More on Vick later, but now there is talk that teams could be targeting Kolb as a potential starting QB for their team. What happens if the Eagles get an offer for Kolb they can't refuse?
Now onto Vick. Michael Vick has just stated that he would be open to returning to the Eagles in the same role as last year, and frankly, I would be open to that. Maybe Vick should be our starter. He has his option that the Eagles will need to pick up if he wants to stay, but as he has gone along, he has proven that he can still play in the NFL and while I for one would love to see him start again in this league, maybe Philly is his calling. McNabb is just as fragile as Westbrook is, we've seen that story before, and there is just something about Vick in an Eagles uniform that looks and feels right. I know I posed the question in the above paragraph that made it sound like the answer is no, but maybe with a full load of reps in practice Vick can be the man and you can trade McNabb. Do I think that will happen? No, especially seeing as I think Reid will want to play Kolb before Vick if McNabb goes, but from a strategic football standpoint would I be against Vick being this team's starting QB on Week 1 of the 2010 NFL Season? I can't sit here and tell you that that's the dumbest idea in the world because frankly, it's not.
As far as the draft and free agency goes: Make sure Jamaal Jackson gets healthy pronto and retool that offensive line and both safeties. Macho Harris is not ready yet, Quintin Mikell is inconsistent, and Sean Jones just is not the guy. Those should be Reid's number one priorities this off-season. Sure the Eagles could use a 4th or 5th string receiver, but that should not be addressed at the start of free agency or the early portion in the draft. That's something you worry about once all the headliners are gone and you are in the 4th round of the draft.
McNabb may be a wiley old vet who can be very inconsistent, but this Eagles team does not need to be completely nuked. They have a core of very good and promising young players that can be around for awhile and they need to take advantage of that. Give McNabb better protection and he might be able to find more open receivers. He has the receivers that he's always wanted and the tight end they've always needed. He just needs to get the balls to them and a defense to make sure that he can't be outscored.
As for now, it's time to focusing all of my attention on the Flyers and Villanova Wildcats basketball. Don't look now but the Flyers are winning games again and the Wildcats may just be one of the best college basketball teams in the nation.
Oh, and pitchers and catchers report February 18.
The Eagles were hanging in there defensively for awhile, even amidst a stuttering offense. Despite McNabb's 1st half ineptness, Michael Vick saved the day for awhile with a long TD pass to Maclin. Then the Cowboys got the ball back. Sean Jones intercepted a Romo pass.
And before you could blink, the Cowboys had won the game. Wade Phillips brilliantly challenged it, contesting that the ball hit the ground before Sean Jones had possessed it fully. And while it looked good from far out, a closer inspection revealed that the ball indeed had hit the ground without Jones possessing it. The Cowboys took that break and drove it for a TD making it 14-7. And they never lost momentum.
This game was not because of poor Eagles execution. The Cowboys fundamentally played better than the Eagles did. They brilliantly got pressure on McNabb, forced the Eagles to use their running backs as blockers on non run plays and that in turn allowed for them to double cover DeSean Jackson and even Jeremy Maclin at times without much of a worry.
Cowboys 34, Eagles 14. They earned this win and Cowboys fans have every right to live it up and celebrate their 1st playoff win since 1996. They even earned some respect from me today, something that they previously did not have. Romo is proving he can be an elite QB. Wade Phillips is proving he can be a successful head coach in this league. The Cowboys 3-headed running back combo is as dangerous as they come in this league. Miles Austin is for real and Roy Williams was not totally useless today. Their secondary stopped the Eagles receivers like no other team has been able to do this year.
Enough on this game and let's look a bit at the future. Where do the Eagles go from here?
For starters, the Eagles had a lot of injuries, including losing Stewart Bradley, their rock star starting middle linebacker to injury during training camp, Quintin Demps during the year, Ellis Hobbs as a kick returner thus leaving us with Macho Harris in that role, and the beating our secondary took today.
They'll get a lot of key players back next year. There will be free agency, although with the uncapped year coming, there may not be a lot going on there, there will be trades, and there will be the draft. This team has a young core and it will improve. But what moves do you make? And as much of an ideal as it would be that the Eagles fire Andy Reid and bring in Bill Cowher to be their new head coach, we all know that that's not happening. Reid will be the head coach of the Eagles next year and we must go from there.
First of all, right now, I would trade Brian Westbrook. He's too fragile and too old for a running back whose game is speed and quickness and elusiveness to be effective anymore. That being said, if you can get a team to bite like the Raiders would or the Redskins would and get a really good return (3rd round draft pick or better), then go for it. Make the move. You have 2 running backs in Shady McCoy and Leonard Weaver. It will be getting something at the cost of nothing. The Eagles were 7-1 this year when Westbrook was NOT in the line-up. This team won't miss him at all. they no longer need him.
Second question, the quarterbacks. I know I said trade McNabb in the live blog, but the more I think about it, is that really the best move you can make? Yes, he is maddingly inconsistent at times, but is he your best option? Kevin Kolb had 2 impressive games this year, but he has not been tested at all with the rigors of a full season. Can you trust Michael Vick to be a full-time starter? More on Vick later, but now there is talk that teams could be targeting Kolb as a potential starting QB for their team. What happens if the Eagles get an offer for Kolb they can't refuse?
Now onto Vick. Michael Vick has just stated that he would be open to returning to the Eagles in the same role as last year, and frankly, I would be open to that. Maybe Vick should be our starter. He has his option that the Eagles will need to pick up if he wants to stay, but as he has gone along, he has proven that he can still play in the NFL and while I for one would love to see him start again in this league, maybe Philly is his calling. McNabb is just as fragile as Westbrook is, we've seen that story before, and there is just something about Vick in an Eagles uniform that looks and feels right. I know I posed the question in the above paragraph that made it sound like the answer is no, but maybe with a full load of reps in practice Vick can be the man and you can trade McNabb. Do I think that will happen? No, especially seeing as I think Reid will want to play Kolb before Vick if McNabb goes, but from a strategic football standpoint would I be against Vick being this team's starting QB on Week 1 of the 2010 NFL Season? I can't sit here and tell you that that's the dumbest idea in the world because frankly, it's not.
As far as the draft and free agency goes: Make sure Jamaal Jackson gets healthy pronto and retool that offensive line and both safeties. Macho Harris is not ready yet, Quintin Mikell is inconsistent, and Sean Jones just is not the guy. Those should be Reid's number one priorities this off-season. Sure the Eagles could use a 4th or 5th string receiver, but that should not be addressed at the start of free agency or the early portion in the draft. That's something you worry about once all the headliners are gone and you are in the 4th round of the draft.
McNabb may be a wiley old vet who can be very inconsistent, but this Eagles team does not need to be completely nuked. They have a core of very good and promising young players that can be around for awhile and they need to take advantage of that. Give McNabb better protection and he might be able to find more open receivers. He has the receivers that he's always wanted and the tight end they've always needed. He just needs to get the balls to them and a defense to make sure that he can't be outscored.
As for now, it's time to focusing all of my attention on the Flyers and Villanova Wildcats basketball. Don't look now but the Flyers are winning games again and the Wildcats may just be one of the best college basketball teams in the nation.
Oh, and pitchers and catchers report February 18.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
NFL Playoffs Day 1 Live Blog
Playoffs? PLAYOFFS!?!?
I'll only be around for the first half of Jets-Bengals and not much else, but the rest of the regular crew should be here so kick back, relax, and enjoy the first day of the playoffs. I'll be back here after the Eagles-Cowboys game to give you my thoughts and analysis of the game, win or lose. Here is your schedule and broadcast information for today's games.
#5 New York Jets @ #4 Cincinnati Bengals 4:30 (NBC - Tom Hammond, Joe Theismann, and Joe Gibbs, SR: Tiki Barber)
#6 Philadelphia Eagles @ #3 Dallas Cowboys 8:00 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Andrea Kremer)
E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!
I'll only be around for the first half of Jets-Bengals and not much else, but the rest of the regular crew should be here so kick back, relax, and enjoy the first day of the playoffs. I'll be back here after the Eagles-Cowboys game to give you my thoughts and analysis of the game, win or lose. Here is your schedule and broadcast information for today's games.
#5 New York Jets @ #4 Cincinnati Bengals 4:30 (NBC - Tom Hammond, Joe Theismann, and Joe Gibbs, SR: Tiki Barber)
#6 Philadelphia Eagles @ #3 Dallas Cowboys 8:00 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Andrea Kremer)
E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!
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