NFL Championship Sunday Live Blog

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Super Bowl XLVI Live Blog

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Multiple Reasons Why I Am Rooting For The Patriots To Win Super Bowl XLVI

a). Penn State's new head coach is New England's offensive coordinator.

b).  The Giants sucked for 15 weeks, improved only on defense, and all anyone is talking about how Eli Manning is ELIte and what not.  Eli Manning has been very good (not elite) and very steady.  But his propelled eliteness in the story.

c). I don't care if this is a very BCS-ian argument or not, but the New England Patriots have been one of the best teams this year.  Several New York Giants players (Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Antrel Rolle to name a few) are way over-confident and think they are much better than they are.  They are underdogs but they are not very likable underdogs.  The best thing that can happen this year is for one of the three best teams in the league to win the Super Bowl.  I am speaking, of course, about the New England Patriots.

d). Belichick is a great coach.  Brady is a great QB.  The Patriots should have won a 4th Super Bowl in Glendale.  They are already going down as one of the greatest dynasties in league history.  What harm is one more Super Bowl for New England?

e). The Patriots' last Super Bowl win was against the Eagles.  I'd like this fact changed.

f). This Patriots team......gulp......has actually been somewhat likable this year, media hype aside.

NFL Conference Championship Games Live Blog

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots 3:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, SR: Steve Tasker)

New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers 6:30 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver and Chris Myers)

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NFL Conference Finals Schedule

I love Conference Championship Sunday.  It's my favorite NFL Weekend of the year, as there are two championship games in the time it takes to celebrate and play the Super Bowl.  Regrettably, in my numerous tweets and post about SOPA, I forgot to get this up earlier, not that anything here is a real surprise.  So here's the schedule for this year's Conference Championship Sunday.  Here is hoping this year could live up to the fun we've had in year's past.

Sunday, January 22

#2 Baltimore Ravens vs. #1 New England Patriots  3:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, SR: Steve Tasker)
#4 New York Giants vs. #2 San Francisco 49ers  6:30 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver and Chris Myers)

NFL Divisional Playoffs Saturday Live Blog

It's TebowTime!  Though before we can get to TebowTime, we can watch a much more intriguing football game between the Saints and the 49ers!  If you are looking to kill time until the games start, I wrote 1,600 words on the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles season.  I don't post frequently anymore, but when I do, I make them count.  I am the most interesting blogger in the world.  Or something.

New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers  4:30 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)

Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots  8:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, SR: Steve Tasker)

NFL Divisional Playoffs Schedule

And you thought Tebow-mania was bad last week?  Now just wait for the hype as this weekend, and then imagine what it will be if the Broncos somehow win.  Likely the biggest blowout of the weekend aside, there are three other interesting games this weekend, including the great offense of the Saints versus the great defense of the 49ers.  This should be a fun weekend of football and live-blogging.

Saturday, January 14

#3 New Orleans Saints vs. #2 San Francisco 49ers  4:30 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
#4 Denver Broncos vs. #1 New England Patriots  8:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, SR: Steve Tasker)

Sunday, January 15

#3 Houston Texans vs. #2 Baltimore Ravens  1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
#4 New York Giants vs. #1 Green Bay Packers  4:30 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver and Chris Myers)

NFL Week 12 Live Blog

The only question I have is how bad is New English going to demolish a suddenly injury plagued Eagles team?

NFL Week 12 Schedule

Thanksgiving week!  This year the games are.......actually quite good.  This is certainly one of the better Thanksgiving slates of games I can remember in quite awhile, namely because the Lions are not the laughing stock of the NFL.  But still, instead of the hapless Colts, they have been given the unbeaten Packers.  Eagles host the Patriots in a game where I reckon the first team to 50 will win. (all times ET; games I get are in bold)

Thanksgiving games

Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions  12:30 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Miami Dolphins vs. Dallas Cowboys  4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Baltimore Ravens  8:20 (NFL Network - Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, SR: Alex Flanagan)

Maps of who gets what Sunday afternoon games

Fox games

Minnesota Vikings vs. Atlanta Falcons  1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Tennessee Titans  1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Carolina Panthers vs. Indianapolis Colts  1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)
Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Cardinals  1:00 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)

Chicago Bears vs. Oakland Raiders  4:05 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
Washington Redskins vs. Seattle Seahawks  4:05 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Jim Mora, Jr.)

CBS early games

Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets  1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars  1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals  1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker)

America's Game Of The Week and other CBS late games

New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles  4:15 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers  4:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)

Sunday Night Football

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs  8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Monday Night Football

New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints  8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Wendi Nix)

Joe Theismann Has Created A Unique Nickname For Danny Woodhead

I am sure bloopers happen all the time, but rarely are they as funny as this one. While taping a segment of No Huddle for the NFL Network, Joe Theismann and Deion Sanders (with others in the background) were discussing how the New York Jets could defend the New England Patriots offensive weapons. And inevitably, the tight ends and running backs were going to be mentioned. In particular, running back Danny Woodhead. Only, Joe Theismann did not exactly call him Danny Woodhead. And as you can imagine, the NFL Network guys (particularly Deion Sanders) handled this with the kind of aplomb you would expect; laughing uncontrollably for over 2 minutes. Enjoy!



Well then. It's good to know what Joe Theismann is thinking about, and all the while, disturbing to know that is what he's thinking about. Regardless, this blooper is excellent to watch if you are ever having a bad day.

NFL Playoffs Day 2 Live Blog

Live blog over here. Here is your schedule for the day with broadcast information.

#6 Baltimore Ravens @ #3 New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
#5 Green Bay Packers @ #4 Arizona Cardinals 4:30 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver and Chris Myers)

Wildcard Preview Podcast

I have taken the liberties of setting up a podcast that went much longer than I thought it would previewing this weekend's wildcard games as well as a look ahead to who I think has the best chance of making the Super Bowl. There are some sound difficulties and odd sounds in parts so please just bare with them and don't get too frightened. My family was sleeping as I did this so even though I am alone with in my room with my door closed, sound waves carry in this house so I ended up whispering a bit and thus at times it is difficult to discern what I am saying.

Enjoy it anyway! And given the surprisingly strong built-in microphone in my computer and the fact that after all these years I have finally gotten a 21st century cell phone, maybe next time I can call some of you and get your thoughts via phone. It would work. After all, I'm pretty sure every twitch I had in the past 20 minutes got picked up.

So sit back, relax, bare through the random sounds, especially at the beginning when it sounds like I'm drowning in a toilet, and enjoy JFein's exclusive wildcard preview podcast!

Episode 4

JFein's Wildcard Preview Podcast

The Latest Team To Quit On A Game This Year: The New England Patriots

We talked quite a bit about teams quitting in the beginning of the year but then that sort of faded as we got further into the year, well, it happened again and it happened on Monday Night Football to the team that won more Super Bowls this decade than any other team. That's right. The New England Patriots quit.

With 5:40 left in the game and down by 21, Bill Belichick pulled Tom Brady in favor of Brian Hoyer. Now surely he was not putting him in to start a QB controversy or he is even remotely thinking about starting Hoyer the next game. He wanted to put him in for mop-up duty or just to see what the kid has. Just one problem: the game is not out of reach at that point!

Now I know what you are saying, but JFein, down by 21 points with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter is surely a game over, no? Well, you're wrong That game is not over. How can I say that? There is precedence for such a comeback. I take you back to Monday, October 6, 2003. Down by 21 with 3:43 left in the game, Manning led a successful comeback to force OT, an OT that we all remember by one word: Leaping.

But the bottom line, the precedent was there not only at the end of the game, but how many times in general have we seen a team explode for 21 points in a period of 5-minutes in a game. Granted it does not happen every day, but it happens and who knows what would have happened had the Pats kept playing. Maybe Brady continues his dreadful day or maybe he rebounds, the world will never know as the Hoody decided to play Brian Hoyer and thus gave up on trying to win that game.

Congrats to the New Orleans Saints on a well-deserved win. Now here's hoping that they don't suffer the let down the next week as we see so many times when we see a team win a big game like that.

Colts Comeback To Beat Pats As Bill Belichick Makes Andy Reid Look Like Bill Walsh

That, my friends, is a statement that I never thought I would write. Ever. In a million years.

But alas, it happened. If you don't know the story by now, then welcome back from the rock that you just spent the last hour or 2 or under and let me fill you in.

The Patriots were up by 6 with 2:30 left with the ball at their own 30. They call a timeout. They ran a first play handoff for no gain. Timeout Indy. 2nd and 10 a pass to Welker over the middle. Timeout Indy, 1 remaining. 3rd down a pass to the sidelines nearly picked off and incomplete. 2:11 to go. The Pats then call their last timeout. The Patriots then decide to do the inexplicable, line up as if they were going for a 4th down. Okay, maybe this is an offsides draw or something (although the Pats have no timeouts; they might have been willing to take the delay of game) but no. They snap it. The pass to Faulk........and this happened.....



Caught but short of the marker. Pats fans everywhere are screaming that Faulk had that but in my view, he was bobbling all the way to the ground. And even if I am wrong and that should have been a first down, for all the calls that the Pats get and screw other teams with, this is karma giving them a big ole bite on the backside (reading all the Pats fans complain about the officiating is PRICELESS HILARITY). Regardless, no replay review because the play happened before the 2-minute warning. So surely the Hoodie can challenge as Michaels alluded to, but one thing, HOODY WASTED THE LAST TIMEOUT ALREADY!!!!! (sidenote: No one bothered to correct Michaels as he made that mistake on the other side of the warning). Manning now has the ball at the New England 33 with 1-timeout and 2-minutes to work with. Was there ever a doubt in anyone's mind that this would end up happening, despite the fact that Manning was not having his best game?



Manning to Reggie Wayne for the touchdown!!!!

Pats would get the ball with the time remaining and would attempt what appeared to be a hook and ladder type play, although there is no way to be sure as the execution of it was every bit of awful as you can imagine.

Bill Belichick going for it to begin with though makes no sense whatsoever. Even if they do convert, there is still the 2-minute warning and the Colts still do have a timeout so the Pats can't just run out the clock with a conversion. Colts could still hold, give Manning the ball back with 30 or so seconds left, and even though there would be no timeouts, that would not be a gimme for the Pats. You can't say that with every NFL QB, but with Manning and as quick and efficient as he can work, it's certainly a possibility. The best move would be to trust your defense to force Indy to drive the entire length of the field. As mentioned above, Manning was not having his best game and the New England D was making a lot of plays. With all the talk about Belichick having confidence in his offense, you have to have confidence in your defense to force that stop or else there ain't no way in hell the Pats will even come close to the Super Bowl this year.

I must say, though, I feel bad for the Jets. The Hoodie will surely hang 77 on them after the questionning and criticism that he gets this week.

And as if the hilarity of it all was not enough, watch as Bill Belichick's security guard misplaces some of his aggression, which in this case will also be known as shoving down a camera man!



Suck it New England. You deserve this.

Update: To preserve this moment forever on this blog (the YouTubes will be down soon enough), here's a link to highlights courtesy of NFL.com

Week 1 Monday Night Choke Job Part 1

I'd add commentary, but it's 1:49 AM and I'm practically dead. So just enjoy the last 3 minutes of the Bills-Pats game and I'll try to get something up tomorrow morning for the 2nd MNF choke job (a.k.a. Raiders-Chargers).



The Bills just find new ways to lose Monday Night Football games and break my heart in the process. First Dallas, now New England (both by a score of 25-24, mind you), could they at least play the Eagles or San Diego, or another team I decently like/respect and choke to them. When he left the Eagles, I never thought I would openly cheer for T.O. again when the game had no impact on the Eagles. Well, I was wrong, and look what happened.

2009 NFL Preview: New England Patriots

(See below for Miami Dolphins preview)

By JFein:

I end up getting all of the good ones, don't I?

The New England Patriots are coming off a rough year in multiple ways. Not only were they suffering an 18-1 hangover, but Week 1, they lost Tom Brady for the season with an injury. That being said, Tom Brady is back this year and the New England Patriots are set to once again be the New England Patriots. But is Tom Brady the same QB he was a year and a half ago? And are the New England Patriots the same team that they were a year and a half ago? Randy Moss is not getting any younger and with the improved strength of the overall AFC East over the past few years may present a tough ride for the Patriots.

The Return Of Brady: Sadly, Tom Brady is back with the Patriots. and even more sad is that he may make his unofficial return to the football field this Sunday against my beloved Eagles. For his sake, it is certainly a good thing that Trent Cole will not be playing in that game. Then again, Brodrick Bunkley and Mike "Baby Sapp" Patterson most likely will be. But there are certainly questions surrounding the once untouchable superstar, including the question of will he be the same QB he was before the injury. Those surgeries can do some pretty crazy things to you, just look at Carson Palmer. And while it's true that he does not have near the same supporting cast that Brady does, Carson Palmer, in my view, has not reached the level he was playing at before the injury.

The Brady Bunch: Don't groan! You guys would have gone with the same pun as I did. But now that we discussed Brady, why not discuss his whole Bunch of backs and receivers. For starters, there is Randy Moss. As I said above, he is not getting any younger and questions loom as to whether his prime has come and gone. But even if it has, there is still a dynamic nature to Randy Moss that results in him being very dangerous to defenses around the league and if Brady can still get the ball to him like he did in 07, this could be a dangerous combo. The Pats have found a replacement for Dante Stallworth and his name is Joey Galloway. And while he is at the end of his career, don't count him out. Injuries last year caused him to not be effective, not old age. I've seen what Joey Galloway can still do when he is healthy and belive me, it is not a pretty site. And seeing as I like to laugh at the Pats all I can say is HAHAHAHAHA! PATS GOT GREG LEWIS! Expect to see 5 deep passes thrown to him this year and expect him to drop all 5. Or for his sake, maybe he'll suffer Jabar Gaffney Syndrome. Pats would love that. And now the RBs: Now the Pats have Fred Taylor. Oy ve. Same thing as Galloway: this guy can still get the job done. Add that to Sammy Morris and the aging yet always effective Kevin Faulk, and this is not an offense I would want to mess with.

The Curious Case Of Tom Brady's Back-Up: Matt Cassel is now a Kansas City Chief. So now, what to do with Tom Brady's back-up? Oh, what to do? Even though Cassel had not started a game since high school before coming in for Brady last year, he was in the system for quite a few years and was familiar with the players and personnel so the transition was much easier. Now they just have 2nd year man Kevin O'Connell to back-up Brady in case tragedy strikes Foxboro again. This is the part where I'd question if he can get the job done, but seriously, the Pats turned a kid who had taken a snap since high school to stardom, I think these guys know what they're doing. And as much as I hate to admit this and as much as I hate the Pats (so much so that I openly rooted for the Giants that fateful night in Glendale), I was sort of rooting for Cassel to do well. Then again, if he threw 6 TD passes and the Pats lost 45-42 through no fault of Cassel, that would have been the perfect scenario for me.

The D: Goodbye Mike Vrabel and Rodney Harrison. Hello Jarod Mayo and Leigh Bodden. The question is though are those upgrades? I would be inclined to say yes, they are. The Patriots are not stupid, they know what they are doing. Vrabel and Harrison were way up there in terms of age and Mayo and Bodden are a lot younger and may be just as good as Vrabel and Harrison would be now (not in their primes, though). The bottom line is if Brady and the offense can be successful and score points, even if it is not a repeat of 2007, then this defense will have little to worry about. Unlike some teams, the Pats do not need an awesome defense to win the Super Bowl. Actually, if Brady is healthy and the offense comes through, this could be your AFC Super Bowl contender. And that's if the defense is middle of the road this year.

Video: This never gets old!




Despite his crappy call of the Tyree catch, I thought that Joe Buck redeemed himself a bit with a great call of the Burress TD. I honestly swear I'm one of the few who does not think that he's an awful announcer. He's not my favorite, but I have a tolerance for him (more so on football than baseball where he is mediocre at best).

Prediction: 12-4, 1st place AFC East. If Brady stays healthy, that is. Their schedcule has it's stretches including playing what I feel is a very tough AFC South division. More on this later, but that is my pick for Division Of The Year. And they also open against Buffalo, @ New York Jets, and against Atlanta and Baltimore. Those are 4 playoff contenders right there. The Pats won't be perfect this season. They may not even be the last unbeaten team this year. But they will win the AFC East and in all likelihood will be the #1 or #2 seed in the AFC. It kills me to say it, but there's a difference between hope and reality.

The New England Patriots Are Back To Their Old Ways

With Tom Brady's injury giving them essentially a year off from dominating the league, the New England Patriots have decided that it is time to do some dominating. And they have started their epic conquest of theirs by acquiring none other than former Eagle, defensive end Derrick Burgess. From NFL.com

The New England Patriots acquired Derrick Burgess on Thursday after the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end held out of Oakland Raiders training camp in the hopes of being traded.

The Patriots gave up undisclosed draft considerations for Burgess, who's coming off an injury-plagued season in which he had 3.5 sacks in 10 games. New England released offensive lineman Al Johnson to create roster room for Burgess.

The trade was announced on the ninth day of Burgess' holdout from the team with which he recorded 38.5 sacks in four seasons, including a club-record and league-best 16 in 2005. Burgess had 11 sacks the next season and made the Pro Bowl both times in 2005 and 2006.

The Patriots are definitley trying, that's for sure. I never really bought into the philosophy that you build your team by acquiring the biggest names possible through free agency and trades, but the Patriots seem to be one of the few teams in sports that can for the most part successfully pull it off. Burgess is injury prone, though, so it will be interesting to see how this move turns out for the Pats.

Oh, yeah, 600th post! Not bad for starting in the middle of November....

Somebody Hand Jay Cutler A Bottle And A Binky

I'm sure that most of you have heard this by this point, but Jay Cutler was almost traded to the Broncos and to say the least, the Bronco QB is not at all that happy. This is his response from the Denver Post.

"My understanding at this point is they're trying to trade me," Cutler said this afternoon. "We'll see where I end up at. I liked it here, I liked playing with these guys but obviously they're not going to let me have that opportunity."

[....]

"I'm upset. I mean I'm really shocked at this point," he said. "I could see why they want Cassel. I don't know if they think I can't run the system or I don't have the skills for it. I just don't get it. Or if they don't think they can sign me with my next contract. I just don't know what it is. I've heard I'm still on the trading block."

[...]

If Cutler is not traded, and he stays with the Broncos, can his situation be mended? Cutler took a long pause before answering.

"Anything can be mended," he said. "I'll always play with the guys we've got. I love playing for those guys. Obviously, Josh and I's relationship has taken a few steps backward. I don't play for the coaches anyway, I play for teammates. As long as we keep the guys we've got I'll go out there and play. I love those guys."

Cutler said he had spoken with teammates Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley, Tony Scheffler and Casey Wiegmann, among others, about his trade.

"I know they love playing for me and I love playing for them," Cutler said. "There's going to be a lot of problems if they try to trade me. Well, they've already tried to trade me, but if they trade me for sure."

Aww, poor Jay-Jay Cutty Wutty is upset because he was nearwy twaded by dose mean, nasty, Bwoncos.

Okay, so what exactly then was this big trade all about? Well, it's a complicated matter. NFL-Network's Adam Schefter has more.

While New England and Kansas City were agreeing to Saturday’s trade of Cassel to the Chiefs for the draft’s 34th overall pick, there were more teams in the mix. Detroit, Tampa and Denver were involved in trade talks of their own also tied to Cassel, according to sources in the respective NFL cities.

Tampa approached Denver to try to make a three-way trade that would have sent Cassel to the Broncos and quarterback Jay Cutler to the Buccaneers. The Broncos entertained the notion and pondered it but ultimately decided against it.

Also, the Lions approached the Broncos about a trade for Cutler, trying to dangle Cassel as bait. Once again, Denver debated the deal and opted against it apparently. What made it a moot point was that while all Tampa, Detroit and Denver engaged in trade talks with New Engalnd, the Patriots went ahead and dealt Cassel to the Chiefs.

The Broncos firmly maintain that they never intended to trade Cutler, that they were approached to make the trades. But, as of Saturday afternoon, Cutler was angry to hear that his name had been floated in any trade conversations.

Now the Chiefs have Cassel, the Broncos still have Cutler and the Lions and Buccaneers continue their search for quarterbacks in one of the wilder and more complex behind-the-scene dramas the NFL has seen in any recent offseason.

That's an article that should start with the words "Warning: May cause severe headache".

But in all seriousness, there are trade talks with almost all players and almost all teams, and very few of them ever come to fruition. Look at Donovan McNabb. There have been trade rumors and discussions regarding him for the past few years now and look where he still is and look at how he's handled the situation. How many hissy fits as he thrown over his career over trade rumors?

And before you call me a hypocrite for crying over Dawkins and yet here I am making fun of Cutler, remember this, Cutler is a multi-millionaire professional, I'm an unpaid hapless blogger who lives in my mother's basement.

Update: It appears as if our buddy Jay Cutler is a hypocrite. For according to SI's Peter King, Cutler wanted to be traded out of Denver. According to Peter King

I heard one other interesting thing Sunday: Cutler asked for a trade shortly after the Broncos lost offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates -- Cutler's confidant -- to USC after the season. So maybe both sides need to go into marriage counseling here.

Marriage counseling? Seriously Peter?

But getting to the meat and potatoes of this story, it appears as if Jay Cutler only wants to be traded when it is a benefit to him, not right after the Denver Broncos hit the non-Albert Haynesworth jackpot during free agency. Typical prima donna quarterback. Jay Cutler, I take no shame whatsoever in calling you a selfish, hypocritical douche bag!

Jay Cutler upset with Broncos after trade talks (The Score Report)
King: Cutler had already asked to be traded (The Score Report)