Well, it may be the Pro Bowl and I'll probably lucky if I get 10 combined comments throughout the game, but Andy Reid is coaching and I almost feel compelled to document the hilarity. Besides, I like all of the crazy plays the Pro Bowl produces because of it's stupid rules.
In a game of offense, I think the NFC's offense is better than the AFC's offense. Now if this were to be a normal football game with normal rules, I would take the AFC for their defense, but in a game where we constantly see offense dominate and the defenses rendered useless, I'm taking the NFC. Feel free to leave your predictions in the comments section and we'll be getting underway at 4:30. See you then!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
More Eagles Off-Season Rumblings
The rumors are flying as to what the Eagles may or may not do this off-season, but whatever it is, it looks like they are going to try to pull off something big. Right now the 3 biggest names flying around in free agency for the Eagles are all players to die for, and frankly, I'd be giddy if we sign any one of them. Wouldn't it be great if the Eagles can sign:
T.J. Houshmandzadeh and/or
Anquan Boldin and/or
Julius Peppers.
T.J. Houshamanilly......CHAMPIONSHIP!
And these are not just my fantasies. Here is a link All Philadelphia Sports that has links to other sources that are rumoring and/or speculating these moves. As far as the draft goes, even though I absolutely despise Ohio State, I would be eccstatic if the Eagles can come up with Chris "Beanie" Wells. He is what the Eagles need, and frankly, he is what Westbrook needs. If they can become a "Smash and Dash" team with Wells being smash and Westbrook as Dash, the pressure will be completely off Donovan McNabb, and that, in turn, may help eliminate some of his inconsistencies. And that's just their first pick. The Eagles other biggest concern is offensive tackle with the aging Jon Runyan needing surgery. There's a concern in me that Wells will indeed fall to the Eagles and the Eagles will pass him up (Andy Reid has never taken a bruising running back high in the draft), however, the Eagles very rarely pass up a chance to draft a good potential lineman (Almost all of the Eagles first round draft picks are linemen, both offensive and defensive).
T.J. Houshmandzadeh and/or
Anquan Boldin and/or
Julius Peppers.
T.J. Houshamanilly......CHAMPIONSHIP!
And these are not just my fantasies. Here is a link All Philadelphia Sports that has links to other sources that are rumoring and/or speculating these moves. As far as the draft goes, even though I absolutely despise Ohio State, I would be eccstatic if the Eagles can come up with Chris "Beanie" Wells. He is what the Eagles need, and frankly, he is what Westbrook needs. If they can become a "Smash and Dash" team with Wells being smash and Westbrook as Dash, the pressure will be completely off Donovan McNabb, and that, in turn, may help eliminate some of his inconsistencies. And that's just their first pick. The Eagles other biggest concern is offensive tackle with the aging Jon Runyan needing surgery. There's a concern in me that Wells will indeed fall to the Eagles and the Eagles will pass him up (Andy Reid has never taken a bruising running back high in the draft), however, the Eagles very rarely pass up a chance to draft a good potential lineman (Almost all of the Eagles first round draft picks are linemen, both offensive and defensive).
Saturday Afternoon Double Live Blog (That Turned Into A Triple Live Blog)
The original plan was to do a live blog of the Nova game while switching to the Flyers on and off, but seeing as I thought that the Nova started at 1 instead of noon, it appears that I will be doing the Flyers and switching to Nova-Cuse at commercials when they are back from halftime.
I can't do exact play by play because hockey moves to fast, but I'll give commentary on what is going on.
Shaun Thornton opens up with a quick shot right off the bat but Biron makes a nice save!
It appears Boston fans don't forget. Over a year after Randy Jones laid out Patrice Bergeron, Boston fans are still booing Jones when he touches the puck.
MARC SAVARD JAMS IT THROUGH MARTY BIRON! 1-0 Bruins lead.
Carter off the long pass had a good wrist shot that was saved by Manny Fernandez. And seeing as I was quick in getting this up, I kind of forgot to list the goalie match-up. And I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you that it's Martin Biron for the Flyers vs. Manny Fernandez for the Bruins.
1-0 Bruins as we head to our first break of the game.
For those that don't know, the Flyers are on a huge slump, 8 points out of first after having been in first not too long ago. And just like their basketball counterpart, the Boston Bruins are the best team in the NHL.
It's nice to see Braydon Coburn back. He was one of many Flyers that were struck with the flu over the past week or so.
Holding call on the Bruins and that means the Flyers are going on the power play! Power plays will always be conducted in bold in the live blog. Randy Jones is lucking hurt, that's not good. The puck is tipped out of play 15 seconds into it. Flyers powerplay is 2nd in the NHL. Coburn to Lupul whose shot is deflected out of play. Bruins clear it out of the zone, and we have a whistle though I'm not sure for what. Faceoff at center is won by the Bruins and cleared out to behind Biron. 50 seconds to go. Jones is back on. Gagne drifts and his shot is blocked. Flyers could not keep the puck in and take it in offsides. SHOT ON GOAL! LUPUL TRIES TO STUFF IT IN BUT FERNANDEZ TRAPS IT! WHAT A SAVE!
Power play over. And that was a dull power play with an exciting finish, that's for sure. Stuart's shot from the point is stopped by Biron. CARTER BREAKS THROUGH THE DEFENSE! PASS TO LUPUL BUT HE MISSES! Another penalty on Boston and that means back to bold.
Flyers win the faceoof. Harntell to Carter who banks to Timonen back to Carter to Lupul who tries a shot but misses! Flyers misfire on a pass and i leaves the zone. Another penalty on Boston and this wil result in a 2-man advantage for over a minute. ONE-TIMER BLOCKED! Bruins clear the zone. Giroux tries to center it but no one could jam it home. TIMONEN TO GIROUX TO KNUBLE TO GAGNE WHO SCORES! 1-second left on the 2-man advantage and we're tied at 1! Therfore, the Flyers still have a power play. Flyers get a few good chances but there's going to be an interference call on Hartnell and that will give us 8-seconds of a 4-on-4 followed by a Bruins power play.
Boston on the power play. Savard to Axelson, they jam at the puck in front and Biron hangs on to the puck! Here come the Bruins after the Flyers cleared it. They have a shot deflected wide and one that missed. BIRON MAKES A GREAT SAVE! And the Flyers clear the zone with 20-seconds left on the power play.
Nothing on the rest of the powerplay and the Flyers kill it with no damage done. 1:15 to go in the period. Stuart shoots it from the point AND HE SCORES! WAIT, NO! REBOUND BY BITZ AND HE DOES KNOCK IT HOME! 2-1 Bruins.
Kobasew breaks free off the draw and SCORES! 3-1 Bruins.
Biron should have made that save and Jim Jackson said it best. This was looking like a good first period for the Flyers but now it's a disaster. 2.3 seconds to go and with a draw in Boston territory. Flyers pull the goalie because it's impossible to shoot the puck down the ice in less than 3 seconds. Flyers win the draw, shot by Gagne but it does not make it through!
End of the first period. Bruins lead the Flyers 3-1.
And while they are at intermission, it's time to switch over to Villanova and Syracuse from the Wachovia Center. 10:13 to go and Nova leads the Orange 78-59. Onuaku misses both of his free throws. Stokes makes both of his. FISHER MAKES DRAINS ONE FROM DOWNTOWN! That was a longer 3 than I'm pretty sure any Sixer has made this year in this building....
Ah yes, I've got people coming in and I can't concentrate on what's going on. Okay, I can finally concentrate on this again and ONUAKU JAMS IT!
83-66 with 7:55 to go.
Stokes goes in hard but he gets called for an offensive foul. The 3 goes down for the Orange and Cuse is trying to make it interesting. Stokes from 3 misses, but Clark with a BEAUTIFUL ONE-HANDED JAM ON THE REBOUND!
Foul on Flynn who makes a freebie. Out of bounds and hte Orange have the ball right back. Foul on Jackson who has fouled out. Cunningham misses both of his free throws but they get the rebound. Cunningham makes a layup as he is fouled! Ongenaet has now fouled out for Syracuse. And wait a minute, I'm losing the coverage to Georgetown-Cincinnati! Oh well, Flyers are losing so might as well stick with what's exciting.
34.8 seconds to go. Cincinnati is looking for a big marquee road win to perhaps power them into a bubble for the tournament. However, G-Town is not looking to marquee anymore as Georgetown is just hoping to not fall to 4-7 in the Big East.
Going bold for the end of this one, pass is tipped out of bounds. They inbound, SHOT DOES NOT GO! 5-SECONDS LEFT FOR GEORGETOWN! SUMMERS FOR 3 AND THE GAME!......OFF THE BACKBOARD! NO GOOD! OVERTIME IN GEORGETOWN!
Meanwhile the Flyers are back on. Asham intercepts a pass behind the net. He passes to Glen Metropolit who SCORES! HERE COME THE FLYERS! 3-2 Boston.
Well then, that was lucky timing for me. I turn to the Flyers game and 5-seconds later I see the puck in the net.
Let's go back to the finishes in college basketball and we'll go back to the Flyers later. 92-81 Villanova although Cunningham makes one deep for 2. Both free throws are missed for the Orange. Devendorf travels. Clark with yet another tip-in and Nova is up by 15 with 2:33 to go. Fisher to Reynolds with a wide open lay in and that may seal the deal! I actually get the Big East Network so I will go back to the Georgetown-Cincinnati game.
Cincy leads 60-59 with 3:10 to go. Cincinnati plays some great defense, not allowing Georgetown to score despite numerous chances. G-Town makes 1 out of 2 free throws.
"Tied at 60 again." - Mike Gleason
It was 60-60 before? Someone got minus points? Cincinnati misses on the runner but there is a foul. Mike Williams at the line makes both of his freebies. Cincinnati gets a takeaway! JTIII is livid, thinking that there was a foul on that play. G-Town fouls Vaughn and he makes both of his freebies.
I change the channel to see that the Flyers have tied at 3! It was Hartnell on the power play!
57.5 to go and Georgetown may be in trouble. I'll go back to the Flyers permanently and check back with G-Town-Cincy in a few minutes or so. It's a final in Philly. Nova 102, Syracuse 85.
11:08 to go in the second period, still tied at 3. Nittymaki is now in goal for the Flyers.
Flyers are at commercial. 64-62 Cincy but the Hoyas have the ball. JTIII calls a timeout with 13.3 to go. WRIGHT TO FREEMAN WHO SHOOTS AND TRIES TO DRAW THE FOUL BUT MISSES THE SHOT AND HE CAN'T DRAW THE FOUL! AND THAT'S IT! CINCY BEATS GEORGETOWN IN OVERTIME! 64-62.
3-3 in Boston with 9:01 to go in the 2nd. DAMN! There was a broken glass play that I missed! Replay, please!
"Lots of fans to be seen here at the Boston....Arena." - Keith Jones
You could tell he wanted to say "Boston Garden". Now it's the TD Banknorth Garden, and before that, for as long as I can remember, it was the Fleet Center. We're playing again in Bean Town. Kessel has a weird looking shot that's barely handled by Nittymaki. That was ugly the whole way around. Lupul with an interesting shot right off the draw that's stopped by Fernandez.
Ooh! A scrum in front of the Flyers' net. Hartnell with a wide open shot from the slot but it's saved by Fernandez! And now here's Giroux for Carter who has a chance but again it's stopped by Manny Fernandez! Oh man, that was close.
Oh! Puck sent in on Nittymake out of nowhere and he's lucky to make that save! And there's going to be a too many men on the ice penalty on the Bruins. This is the Flyers' 5th powerplay of the game (as opposed to 1 for Boston). 3:19 to go in the second, and we're going bold for the power play.
Timonen's shot off the draw is blocked. Bergernon lost his stick. Coburn blasts one that misses wide nad bounces all the way around along the boards out of the zone. Carter to Hartnell whose shot is deflected and sent out of the zone. Offsides is called as Hartnell and Zdeno Chara have a staredown. Giroux has a shot that's blocked. Gagne misses high. Jones can't keep it in and that's the powerplay.
CARLE TO GAGNE TO GIROUX WHO WAS NOT EXPECTING IT AND FERNANDEZ SURVIVES WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A WIDE OPEN GOAL! Less than a minute to go. We've got a penalty called on Wheeler of Boston for hooking.
The Flyers can't get anything off the draw. And that's the end of the 2nd period. The Flyers got 2 early on in the second and we are tied at 3.
We've started the 3rd period in Boston with the Flyers on the power play. Coburn with a nice wrist shot that's saved by Fernandez! And there's a small scrum in front of the net. Carle to Giroux back to Jones and the power play is over.
Backhander by Giroux that's saved by either Chara. and/or Fernandez I believe that just ended up tied up in his feet. Nittymaki saves one that bounces high and kept in by the Bruins although it's eventually poked out. Hartnell with a shot that's blocked!
Chara blasts one that goes wide of Nittymaki. Giroux tries to pass it to Gagne for an open shot but the pass was off. That could have gotten interesting. Carle touches up an icing call. Hartnell's shot is deflected wide off the draw.
The Bruins right now are just trying to survive the Flyers' offense. The best team in the NHL is clearly on the ropes as they are just trying to play defense by constantly clearing the zone whenever the Flyers has the puck instead of trying to build an offensive attack, often resulting in icing calls.
Wideman is down and we have a fight an ambush in the corner. Powe was just trying to clear the puck that accidentally hit Wideman and he got ambushed by Chara and 2 other Bruins. Refs don't call anything though. Metropolit could not locate the puck on a wide open net. Savard has a chance at the other end and he misses wide! So what was a slower 3rd period has picked up. Powe on in to the Boston zone and he fires one that's stopped by Fernandez!
Yelle with a shot and WHAT A SAVE BY ANTERO NITTYMAKI!
Over halfway through the 3rd and it's still 3-3. Kessel is taken down with a hook and the Bruins are going on a powerplay. Kessel could be nominated for an Academy award for that performance.
The power play starts off with a quick shot by Chara that's saved by Nittymaki! Knuble clears the zone. The Bruins take it back in but it's offsides. Chara to Savard behind the net where it's fought for. Sent in front but nothing comes of it. One-timer by Bergeron is blocked. Savard has it but loses control as he's taken down. 4-seconds remaining on the power play.
Back to 5-on-5 hockey. 6:35 to go. Ferentz blasts one wide for Boston. Kessel blasts one off of Coburn's stick and that subsequently goes wide. NOKELAINEN WITH A CHANCE IN FRONT BUT NITTYMAKI MAKES A GREAT SAVE!
Things are beginning to slow down a bit as we have 4:48 to go in regulation. Nittymaki with a dangerous turnover behind his net but the Bruins can't take advantage of it! Phew! Carter scoops up the puck, dances into the zone, but fires a weak shot that's easily handled by Fernandez! Meanwhile at the other end, Nittymaki handles 2 interesting shots from the Bruins.
Shot from the point and Nittymaki makes the save! And the roles in this game have reversed. Now it's the Bruins on the attack and the Flyers on thier heals. Less than 2-minutes ago.
METROPOLIT IN ON NET AND MISSES WIDE! Oh! I don't think that was a breakaway, but that was a damn good chance that he fanned on. Loose puck in front of the net. Nittymaki bats it with his stick and it ends up out of play! That's a penalty on Nitty! That was clearly not intentional, but when a member of a team knocks the puck out of the zone in their end it's a penalty.
Zhara with a ONE-TIMER THAT GOES WIDE! SO CLOSE! WAIT A MINUTE! JEFF CARTER HAS A SHORT-HANDED BREAKAWAY AND HE MISSES WIDE! OH SO CLOSE! 20 seconds to go. Gagne has it. Flyers may have a chance! SHORTHANDED 2-ON-1! GAGNE SHOOTS IT AND IT'S SAVED BY FERNANDEZ! WHAT A SAVE BY FERNANDEZ WITH 4 SECONDS TO GO! Nothing comes off of the ensuing faceoff and we're going to overtime in Boston with still over 30 seconds remaining on the Boston power play.
I can't do exact play by play because hockey moves to fast, but I'll give commentary on what is going on.
Shaun Thornton opens up with a quick shot right off the bat but Biron makes a nice save!
It appears Boston fans don't forget. Over a year after Randy Jones laid out Patrice Bergeron, Boston fans are still booing Jones when he touches the puck.
MARC SAVARD JAMS IT THROUGH MARTY BIRON! 1-0 Bruins lead.
Carter off the long pass had a good wrist shot that was saved by Manny Fernandez. And seeing as I was quick in getting this up, I kind of forgot to list the goalie match-up. And I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you that it's Martin Biron for the Flyers vs. Manny Fernandez for the Bruins.
1-0 Bruins as we head to our first break of the game.
For those that don't know, the Flyers are on a huge slump, 8 points out of first after having been in first not too long ago. And just like their basketball counterpart, the Boston Bruins are the best team in the NHL.
It's nice to see Braydon Coburn back. He was one of many Flyers that were struck with the flu over the past week or so.
Holding call on the Bruins and that means the Flyers are going on the power play! Power plays will always be conducted in bold in the live blog. Randy Jones is lucking hurt, that's not good. The puck is tipped out of play 15 seconds into it. Flyers powerplay is 2nd in the NHL. Coburn to Lupul whose shot is deflected out of play. Bruins clear it out of the zone, and we have a whistle though I'm not sure for what. Faceoff at center is won by the Bruins and cleared out to behind Biron. 50 seconds to go. Jones is back on. Gagne drifts and his shot is blocked. Flyers could not keep the puck in and take it in offsides. SHOT ON GOAL! LUPUL TRIES TO STUFF IT IN BUT FERNANDEZ TRAPS IT! WHAT A SAVE!
Power play over. And that was a dull power play with an exciting finish, that's for sure. Stuart's shot from the point is stopped by Biron. CARTER BREAKS THROUGH THE DEFENSE! PASS TO LUPUL BUT HE MISSES! Another penalty on Boston and that means back to bold.
Flyers win the faceoof. Harntell to Carter who banks to Timonen back to Carter to Lupul who tries a shot but misses! Flyers misfire on a pass and i leaves the zone. Another penalty on Boston and this wil result in a 2-man advantage for over a minute. ONE-TIMER BLOCKED! Bruins clear the zone. Giroux tries to center it but no one could jam it home. TIMONEN TO GIROUX TO KNUBLE TO GAGNE WHO SCORES! 1-second left on the 2-man advantage and we're tied at 1! Therfore, the Flyers still have a power play. Flyers get a few good chances but there's going to be an interference call on Hartnell and that will give us 8-seconds of a 4-on-4 followed by a Bruins power play.
Boston on the power play. Savard to Axelson, they jam at the puck in front and Biron hangs on to the puck! Here come the Bruins after the Flyers cleared it. They have a shot deflected wide and one that missed. BIRON MAKES A GREAT SAVE! And the Flyers clear the zone with 20-seconds left on the power play.
Nothing on the rest of the powerplay and the Flyers kill it with no damage done. 1:15 to go in the period. Stuart shoots it from the point AND HE SCORES! WAIT, NO! REBOUND BY BITZ AND HE DOES KNOCK IT HOME! 2-1 Bruins.
Kobasew breaks free off the draw and SCORES! 3-1 Bruins.
Biron should have made that save and Jim Jackson said it best. This was looking like a good first period for the Flyers but now it's a disaster. 2.3 seconds to go and with a draw in Boston territory. Flyers pull the goalie because it's impossible to shoot the puck down the ice in less than 3 seconds. Flyers win the draw, shot by Gagne but it does not make it through!
End of the first period. Bruins lead the Flyers 3-1.
And while they are at intermission, it's time to switch over to Villanova and Syracuse from the Wachovia Center. 10:13 to go and Nova leads the Orange 78-59. Onuaku misses both of his free throws. Stokes makes both of his. FISHER MAKES DRAINS ONE FROM DOWNTOWN! That was a longer 3 than I'm pretty sure any Sixer has made this year in this building....
Ah yes, I've got people coming in and I can't concentrate on what's going on. Okay, I can finally concentrate on this again and ONUAKU JAMS IT!
83-66 with 7:55 to go.
Stokes goes in hard but he gets called for an offensive foul. The 3 goes down for the Orange and Cuse is trying to make it interesting. Stokes from 3 misses, but Clark with a BEAUTIFUL ONE-HANDED JAM ON THE REBOUND!
Foul on Flynn who makes a freebie. Out of bounds and hte Orange have the ball right back. Foul on Jackson who has fouled out. Cunningham misses both of his free throws but they get the rebound. Cunningham makes a layup as he is fouled! Ongenaet has now fouled out for Syracuse. And wait a minute, I'm losing the coverage to Georgetown-Cincinnati! Oh well, Flyers are losing so might as well stick with what's exciting.
34.8 seconds to go. Cincinnati is looking for a big marquee road win to perhaps power them into a bubble for the tournament. However, G-Town is not looking to marquee anymore as Georgetown is just hoping to not fall to 4-7 in the Big East.
Going bold for the end of this one, pass is tipped out of bounds. They inbound, SHOT DOES NOT GO! 5-SECONDS LEFT FOR GEORGETOWN! SUMMERS FOR 3 AND THE GAME!......OFF THE BACKBOARD! NO GOOD! OVERTIME IN GEORGETOWN!
Meanwhile the Flyers are back on. Asham intercepts a pass behind the net. He passes to Glen Metropolit who SCORES! HERE COME THE FLYERS! 3-2 Boston.
Well then, that was lucky timing for me. I turn to the Flyers game and 5-seconds later I see the puck in the net.
Let's go back to the finishes in college basketball and we'll go back to the Flyers later. 92-81 Villanova although Cunningham makes one deep for 2. Both free throws are missed for the Orange. Devendorf travels. Clark with yet another tip-in and Nova is up by 15 with 2:33 to go. Fisher to Reynolds with a wide open lay in and that may seal the deal! I actually get the Big East Network so I will go back to the Georgetown-Cincinnati game.
Cincy leads 60-59 with 3:10 to go. Cincinnati plays some great defense, not allowing Georgetown to score despite numerous chances. G-Town makes 1 out of 2 free throws.
"Tied at 60 again." - Mike Gleason
It was 60-60 before? Someone got minus points? Cincinnati misses on the runner but there is a foul. Mike Williams at the line makes both of his freebies. Cincinnati gets a takeaway! JTIII is livid, thinking that there was a foul on that play. G-Town fouls Vaughn and he makes both of his freebies.
I change the channel to see that the Flyers have tied at 3! It was Hartnell on the power play!
57.5 to go and Georgetown may be in trouble. I'll go back to the Flyers permanently and check back with G-Town-Cincy in a few minutes or so. It's a final in Philly. Nova 102, Syracuse 85.
11:08 to go in the second period, still tied at 3. Nittymaki is now in goal for the Flyers.
Flyers are at commercial. 64-62 Cincy but the Hoyas have the ball. JTIII calls a timeout with 13.3 to go. WRIGHT TO FREEMAN WHO SHOOTS AND TRIES TO DRAW THE FOUL BUT MISSES THE SHOT AND HE CAN'T DRAW THE FOUL! AND THAT'S IT! CINCY BEATS GEORGETOWN IN OVERTIME! 64-62.
3-3 in Boston with 9:01 to go in the 2nd. DAMN! There was a broken glass play that I missed! Replay, please!
"Lots of fans to be seen here at the Boston....Arena." - Keith Jones
You could tell he wanted to say "Boston Garden". Now it's the TD Banknorth Garden, and before that, for as long as I can remember, it was the Fleet Center. We're playing again in Bean Town. Kessel has a weird looking shot that's barely handled by Nittymaki. That was ugly the whole way around. Lupul with an interesting shot right off the draw that's stopped by Fernandez.
Ooh! A scrum in front of the Flyers' net. Hartnell with a wide open shot from the slot but it's saved by Fernandez! And now here's Giroux for Carter who has a chance but again it's stopped by Manny Fernandez! Oh man, that was close.
Oh! Puck sent in on Nittymake out of nowhere and he's lucky to make that save! And there's going to be a too many men on the ice penalty on the Bruins. This is the Flyers' 5th powerplay of the game (as opposed to 1 for Boston). 3:19 to go in the second, and we're going bold for the power play.
Timonen's shot off the draw is blocked. Bergernon lost his stick. Coburn blasts one that misses wide nad bounces all the way around along the boards out of the zone. Carter to Hartnell whose shot is deflected and sent out of the zone. Offsides is called as Hartnell and Zdeno Chara have a staredown. Giroux has a shot that's blocked. Gagne misses high. Jones can't keep it in and that's the powerplay.
CARLE TO GAGNE TO GIROUX WHO WAS NOT EXPECTING IT AND FERNANDEZ SURVIVES WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A WIDE OPEN GOAL! Less than a minute to go. We've got a penalty called on Wheeler of Boston for hooking.
The Flyers can't get anything off the draw. And that's the end of the 2nd period. The Flyers got 2 early on in the second and we are tied at 3.
We've started the 3rd period in Boston with the Flyers on the power play. Coburn with a nice wrist shot that's saved by Fernandez! And there's a small scrum in front of the net. Carle to Giroux back to Jones and the power play is over.
Backhander by Giroux that's saved by either Chara. and/or Fernandez I believe that just ended up tied up in his feet. Nittymaki saves one that bounces high and kept in by the Bruins although it's eventually poked out. Hartnell with a shot that's blocked!
Chara blasts one that goes wide of Nittymaki. Giroux tries to pass it to Gagne for an open shot but the pass was off. That could have gotten interesting. Carle touches up an icing call. Hartnell's shot is deflected wide off the draw.
The Bruins right now are just trying to survive the Flyers' offense. The best team in the NHL is clearly on the ropes as they are just trying to play defense by constantly clearing the zone whenever the Flyers has the puck instead of trying to build an offensive attack, often resulting in icing calls.
Wideman is down and we have a fight an ambush in the corner. Powe was just trying to clear the puck that accidentally hit Wideman and he got ambushed by Chara and 2 other Bruins. Refs don't call anything though. Metropolit could not locate the puck on a wide open net. Savard has a chance at the other end and he misses wide! So what was a slower 3rd period has picked up. Powe on in to the Boston zone and he fires one that's stopped by Fernandez!
Yelle with a shot and WHAT A SAVE BY ANTERO NITTYMAKI!
Over halfway through the 3rd and it's still 3-3. Kessel is taken down with a hook and the Bruins are going on a powerplay. Kessel could be nominated for an Academy award for that performance.
The power play starts off with a quick shot by Chara that's saved by Nittymaki! Knuble clears the zone. The Bruins take it back in but it's offsides. Chara to Savard behind the net where it's fought for. Sent in front but nothing comes of it. One-timer by Bergeron is blocked. Savard has it but loses control as he's taken down. 4-seconds remaining on the power play.
Back to 5-on-5 hockey. 6:35 to go. Ferentz blasts one wide for Boston. Kessel blasts one off of Coburn's stick and that subsequently goes wide. NOKELAINEN WITH A CHANCE IN FRONT BUT NITTYMAKI MAKES A GREAT SAVE!
Things are beginning to slow down a bit as we have 4:48 to go in regulation. Nittymaki with a dangerous turnover behind his net but the Bruins can't take advantage of it! Phew! Carter scoops up the puck, dances into the zone, but fires a weak shot that's easily handled by Fernandez! Meanwhile at the other end, Nittymaki handles 2 interesting shots from the Bruins.
Shot from the point and Nittymaki makes the save! And the roles in this game have reversed. Now it's the Bruins on the attack and the Flyers on thier heals. Less than 2-minutes ago.
METROPOLIT IN ON NET AND MISSES WIDE! Oh! I don't think that was a breakaway, but that was a damn good chance that he fanned on. Loose puck in front of the net. Nittymaki bats it with his stick and it ends up out of play! That's a penalty on Nitty! That was clearly not intentional, but when a member of a team knocks the puck out of the zone in their end it's a penalty.
Zhara with a ONE-TIMER THAT GOES WIDE! SO CLOSE! WAIT A MINUTE! JEFF CARTER HAS A SHORT-HANDED BREAKAWAY AND HE MISSES WIDE! OH SO CLOSE! 20 seconds to go. Gagne has it. Flyers may have a chance! SHORTHANDED 2-ON-1! GAGNE SHOOTS IT AND IT'S SAVED BY FERNANDEZ! WHAT A SAVE BY FERNANDEZ WITH 4 SECONDS TO GO! Nothing comes off of the ensuing faceoff and we're going to overtime in Boston with still over 30 seconds remaining on the Boston power play.
We start overtime. Bruins still on the power play. Wideman fires and it's saved by Nittymaki. Savard WALKS IN FRONT.....CAN'T GET THE SHOT OFF!
The power play is over and it's now a 4-on-4 overtime. Ferrence with a shot that does not get through. Giroux steals it, but nothing comes of it. Kessel has it to Cahra who blasts one wide! 3-minutes to go in overtime.
The Flyers ice the puck and there will be a faceoff in front of Nittymaki with 2:49 to go.SHOT FIRED BY THE BRUINS GOES OFF THE POST! Carter makes a move fires one that's stopped by Fernandez!
Randy Jones fires one, IT DEFLECTS OFF A BRUIN AND GOES IN! THE FLYERS SCORE AND THEY HAVE WON IT OVERTIME! 4-3 FLYERS!
And the man who knocked out Bergeron a year ago and is already hated in Boston is hated even more, as he as gotten the game-winning goal for the Flyers!
Well then, that was a fun Saturday afternoon! Villanova dominated Syracuse, Georgetown lost to Cincinnati at home, and the Flyers came back from a 3-1 first period deficit to beat the Bruins 4-3 in overtime. I will be live blogging the Pro Bowl tomorrow at 4:30 and Villanova's showdown with Marquette on ESPN's Interactive Tuesday.
Friday, February 6, 2009
A Preview Of The Pro Bowl
What: A game that many men and most monkeys don't care about.
Who: The NFC and the AFC.
Where: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
When: 4:30 EST
What Channel: NBC
Announcers: Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth
Announcer's Talking Point of the Game: Yawn.....let's discuss the Super Bowl, off-season moves, potential draft picks, and everything else that does not have to deal with this boring game.
Weather Forecast (Just to make everyone jealous): Partly Cloudy, 78 degrees
Okay, so it's the Pro Bowl and not too many people care (actually, hardly anyone cares), but Andy Reid is coaching this time around and that means we're going to be having fun in the sun in Hawaii! Andy Reid coaching a bunch of all stars always results in some sort of entertainment. Why? Because it's Andy Reid and it's so easy to make fun of him, especially when the game means nothing.
And just because I'm sure that pretty much everyone has forgotten who all is in the Pro Bowl, here is a run down of everyone that we will be seeing in Honolulu. First off, for the NFC, coached by none other than everyone's favorite challenge-wasting, useless timeout calling coach, Andy Reid!
Quarterback: Kurt Warner (Cardinals), Drew Brees (Saints), Eli Manning (Giants)
Running back: Adrian Peterson (Vikings), Michael Turner (Falcons), Clinton Portis (Redskins)
Fullback: Mike Sellers (Redskins)
Wide Receivers: Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals), Anquan Boldin (Cardinals), Steve Smith (Panthers), Roddy White (Falcons)
Tight End: Jason Witten (Cowboys), Chris Cooley (Redskins)
Offensive Tackle: Jordan Gross (Panthers), Flozell Adams (Cowboys), Jammal Brown (Saints)
Guard: Chris Snee (Giants), Steve Hutchinson (Vikings), Davin Joseph (Buccaneers)
Center: Andre Gurode (Cowboys), Shaun O'Hara (Giants)
Defensive End: Julius Peppers (Panthers), Justin Tuck (Giants), Jared Allen (Vikings)
Defensive Tackle: Kevin Williams (Vikings), Jay Ratliff (Cowboys), Pat Williams (Vikings)
Outside Linebacker: DeMarcus Ware (Cowboys), Lance Briggs (Bears), Julian Peterson (Seahawks)
Inside Linebacker: Patrick Willis (49ers), Jon Beason (Panthers)
Cornerback: Antoine Winfield (Vikings), Ronde Barber (Buccaneers), Al Harris (Packers)
Full Safety: Nick Collins (Packers), Brian Dawkins (Eagles)
Strong Safety: Adrian Wilson (Cardinals)
Punter: Jeff Feagles (Giants)
Kicker: John Carney (Giants)
Kick Returner: Clifton Smith (Buccaneers)
Special Teamer: Sean Morey (Cardinals)
Long Snapper: Zak DeOssie (Giants)
Wait a minute.....there's a Seahawk in the Pro Bowl? Holy Hell! I can't figure out for the life of me though why on earth no one from the Detroit Lions is in it. Weren't they perfect this year?
And now let's move onto the AFC. They will be coached by a disciple of everyone's favorite challenge wasting, useless timeout calling coach, John Harbaugh!
Quarterback: Peyton Manning (Colts), Jay Cutler (Broncos), Kerry Collins (Titans)
Running Back: Thomas Jones (Jets), Ronnie Brown (Dolphins), Marshawn Lynch (Bills)
Fullback: Le'Ron McClain
Wide Receiver: Andre Johnson (Texans), Brandon Marshall (Broncos), Reggie Wayne (Colts), Wes Welker (Patriots)
Tight End: Tony Gonzalez (Chiefs), Owen Daniels (Texans)
Offensive Tackle: Joe Thomas (Browns), Michael Roos (Titans)
Guard: Alex Faneca (Jets), Kris Dielman (Chargers), Brian Waters (Chiefs)
Center: Nick Mangold (Jets), Casey Wiegmann (Broncos)
Defensive End: Mario Williams (Texans), Dwight Freeney (Colts), Robert Mathis (Colts)
Defensive Tackle: Albert Haynesworth (Titans), Kris Jenkins (Jets), Shaun Rogers (Browns)
Outside Linebacker: James Harrison (Steelers), Joey Porter (Dolphins), Terrell Suggs (Ravens)
Inside Linebacker: Ray Lewis (Ravens), James Farrior (Steelers)
Cornerback: Nnamdi Asomugha (Raiders), Cortland Finnegan (Titans), Darrelle Revis (Jets)
Full Safety: Ed Reed (Ravens)
Strong Safety: Troy Polamalu (Steelers), Chris Hope (Titans)
Punter: Shane Lechler (Raiders)
Kicker: Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots)
Kick Returner: Leon Washington (Jets)
Special Teamer: Brendon Ayanbadejo (Ravens)
Long Snapper: Ryan Portland (Browns)
Prediction: The AFC looks like it has the better defense of the two teams, but there is definitley a dropoff at quarterback depth after Peyton Manning leaves the field. The NFC's QBs all have really good arms and even though that AFC secondary consists of two men that are often mistaken for God, in a game that is all about offense, the NFC has the edge over the AFC, and they will beat them by a score of 34-23.
Pro Bowl Rosters (NFL.com)
Friday Fun With The Arizona Cardinals
It seems as if the Cardinals are dominating the NFL headlines this Friday, even though the Super Bowl is over. I was initially going to post these as two separate items, but seeing as they are closely related, I'll condense them to one post. First off, we've got Kurt Warner talking trash to the Steelers, 5 days after the Super Bowl. From Yahoo.com.
And now for the more impactful news out of Arizona. It appears that offensive coordinator Tood Haley will not be returning to the desert next year. Instead, he has found a new home and a new job. May I introduce to you the new head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs! According to the sources at FoxSports.com
Unless AA has something up, I'll be live-blogging the Pro Bowl on Sunday. And yes, I know it's the Pro Bowl and few people care, but whenever Andy Reid is coaching a Pro Bowl, it's always guaranteed to be entertaining and worth the watch, even for non-Eagle fans. Reid is 1-2 in the Pro Bowl, with the one win coming in his latest attempt in 2004, where the NFC was down 25 and came back to win by a score of 55-52.
Warner hesitates to call Steelers a dynasty (Yahoo!)
Sources: Cards assistant tabbed to coach Chiefs (Fox Sports)
""I think dynasty is such a hard word in this day and age because when you think of dynasty, you think of dominance over everybody else," Warner said. "Maybe dynasty in games won or titles won, but I think there's just great parity around this league."Sounds a bit like sour grapes for me. While they don't always win, the Steelers are almost always perennial contenders in the AFC and they are always in that playoff and AFC Championship picture. Do remember, this is a team that once made the playoffs with Tommy Maddox at quarterback. And while they don't have the most overall championships of any NFL team dating back to the pre-Super Bowl era (Green Bay Packers - 9), they still have had three coaches since 1969, and all three of them have won a Super Bowl.
As an example of the balance in the NFL today, Warner pointed to the start of the playoffs where he said no one had any idea who would be in the Super Bowl.
And many, if not everyone outside of Arizona, counted the Cardinals out.
"Yeah, they separated themselves and won the games and won the championship, but I look at dynasty different now," Warner said. "I don't know if there are any dynasties, or I think it's hard to come by.
"I think if they're going to be one, they're going to have to dominate a little bit more over the next couple years. But you can't take anything away from what they've done over the course of the last few and how well they played."
And now for the more impactful news out of Arizona. It appears that offensive coordinator Tood Haley will not be returning to the desert next year. Instead, he has found a new home and a new job. May I introduce to you the new head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs! According to the sources at FoxSports.com
The Kansas City Chiefs' long road to finding a head coach has just about come to a close.That's definitley a huge blow to the Cardinals. He seemed like he was loved (in a non-creepy way, of course) by everyone in the locker room and the Cardinal offense will definitley miss his leadership. Best of luck to him in his new home, Kansas City, and he may need that luck as well. Todd Haley, meet your starting quarterback, Tyler Thigpen!
The Chiefs offered the position to Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley and he has accepted, FOXSports.com has learned. They are now trying to work out terms of a contract agreement.
Haley interviewed for the position earlier this week and a Cardinals player at the Pro Bowl told FOXSports.com Haley was scheduled to arrive in Honolulu for the Pro Bowl Thursday as a guest of Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald, but canceled at the last moment because of the Kansas City job.
Unless AA has something up, I'll be live-blogging the Pro Bowl on Sunday. And yes, I know it's the Pro Bowl and few people care, but whenever Andy Reid is coaching a Pro Bowl, it's always guaranteed to be entertaining and worth the watch, even for non-Eagle fans. Reid is 1-2 in the Pro Bowl, with the one win coming in his latest attempt in 2004, where the NFC was down 25 and came back to win by a score of 55-52.
Warner hesitates to call Steelers a dynasty (Yahoo!)
Sources: Cards assistant tabbed to coach Chiefs (Fox Sports)
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Elton Brand Is Done For The Year
Well, I think you can file Elton Brand as a free agency bust for the Sixers. He was injured in December, came back for a bit, although he never appeared entirely healthy, and now it appears as if he is done for the year. Comcast SportsNet reports:
Brand is scheduled undergo season-ending surgery Monday to repair a torn labrum in the shoulder he dislocated Dec. 17 against Milwaukee. He is expected to need six months to recover.Somewhere, Bill Plashke is smiling...
The standout power forward underwent an MRI on Wednesday that showed no further damage to the shoulder. Thursday morning, Brand went to see orthopedic surgeon Dr. Craig Morgan, who performed his torn Achilles surgery in the summer of 2007.
After an examination of Brand’s MRI and discussion with Sixers team physician Dr. Jack McPhilemy, it was decided surgery was necessary. Dr. Morgan explained that since returning on Jan. 24, Brand was experiencing more pain, which limited what he could do on the court.
“Elton wanted to do whatever he could to get back on the court and initially elected to forgo surgery in order to help his teammates,” general manager Ed Stefanski said in a statement released by the team. “He worked as hard as he could over the past six weeks to return, however the scope the injury would not allow it.”
The rate of full recovery from the surgery – called the Bankart procedure – is 95-98 percent. Dr. Morgan, renowned for his work with professional athletes, performed this surgery on Speedy Claxton. Claxton suffered a torn labrum on opening night of the 2002 season and returned to play the final 30 games of the regular season and help the Spurs win the NBA championship
Projecting the NCAA 2009 Field Part 1
Every week or so, one of the columnists at CBSSportsline posts what they think will be the bracket come the time for March Madness. And I know we still have over a month ago and there's a whole heck of a lot to be determined, but whenever I see one of the March Madness brackets, whether it be the real thing or a projection, I could stare at it for 30 minutes or so and just take it in. So thanks to my recent learning of how to take a screenshot (yesterday, to be precise), I have down below the screen shot of this week's projection for the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. Click on the image to see a larger version that is easily legible.
I'm kind of surprised that Penn State is not on there. Yes, I know that in their signature wins, Michigan State and Purdue, both of those teams had some key players missing, and they had a weak non-conference schedule, but come on, when you've been as consistently bad as Penn State has been over the past several years and you are all of a sudden out of nowhere doing half-decent, they should be projected in the tourney just as a congratulatory "way to turn things around!" Okay, maybe not, but still, it would be cool if they did do that.
I'm kind of surprised that Penn State is not on there. Yes, I know that in their signature wins, Michigan State and Purdue, both of those teams had some key players missing, and they had a weak non-conference schedule, but come on, when you've been as consistently bad as Penn State has been over the past several years and you are all of a sudden out of nowhere doing half-decent, they should be projected in the tourney just as a congratulatory "way to turn things around!" Okay, maybe not, but still, it would be cool if they did do that.
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