NFL Week 1 Live Blog

Football's baaaaaaaaaaaaack.  It's an NFC East trifecta for me.  I just hope I do not have to hear T-hom fellate over Tebow while calling the Eagles-Rams game.  The Broncos don't even play today!  Enjoy the games, leave comments, and don't be a troll.  I've dealt with enough trolls as it is on other sites this week.

NFL Opening Night Live Blog

Football is back!  Now all I need is for my electricity to stay on and we will be all set for a fun night as I reap the benefits of living on high ground while those below me not even a mile away are being forced to evacuate their homes due near record flooding of the Susquehanna River.  Enjoy the game, but spare the people of Central Pennsylvania a few thoughts tonight.

NFL Week 1 Schedule

Woohoo!  It's a Tuesday before a Sunday where NFL football is going to be played, and you know what that means, schedule time!  I love putting these together, if only because they become an easily accessible resource on Sundays.  As you all know, these go on the top of the page, so when myself or someone needs scheduling information on Sunday, everything is in one quick and easy spot.  Now, onto the schedules. (all times PM ET unless otherwise indicated; games I get are in bold)

Thursday Night Football

New Orleans Saints vs. Green Bay Packers  8:30 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Map of who gets what games Sunday afternoon (the506.com has conveniently attached both Fox and CBS maps to one link now)

CBS games

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens  1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans  1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars  1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs  1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns  1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)

Fox early games

Atlanta Falcons vs. Chicago Bears  1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
Philadelphia Eagles vs. St. Louis Rams  1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)

Fox late games

New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins  4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers  4:15 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Minnesota Vikings vs. San Diego Chargers  4:15 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Jim Mora, Jr.)
Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals  4:15 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)

Sunday Night Football

Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Jets  8:30 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Monday Night Football

New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins  7:00 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Wendi Nix)
Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos  10:15 (ESPN - Brad Nessler and Trent Dilfer)

Eagles Week 1 Recap: It's Beginning To Feel Like 1990

The game that opened the year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the last Eagles NFL championship more resembled a game to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Body Bag Game. Leonard Weaver tore his ACL on this gruesome play, Jamaal Jackson is done for the year with a torn bicep, Kevin Kolb suffered a concussion, Stewart Bradley suffered a concussion, Jason Peters got nicked and missed a few series, Ryan Grant hopped off the field on 1-leg, Justin Harnell suffered a significant injury, Nick Collins got dinged up. I could go on but I think you get the point. Here are the rest of my thoughts on this game in bullet form. I find that I can cover most of my random and assorted thoughts the best with this format.

• Kevin Kolb went 5/10 for 24 yards (5/7 for 24 yards before suffering a concussion) and while the yardage could be better, the completion percentage is not wholly discouraging.  But, Kevin Kolb played 30 minutes of football, threw only 10 passes, 3 of which he threw concussed (more on that in a moment), and all of a sudden people are saying he should not be the QB of the Eagles.  Wait, what?  A guy whom you have groomed for 3 years as McNabb's successor and a guy who you named the starter months in advance should be benched (when he is 100%) after 30 minutes and 10 passes?  Are you people who think that fucking high?  Not to mention Vick was not exactly a picture of great QBing (more on that in a moment).  Kolb is and should be the starter of this team when he is healthy.  End of story.  And yes, if he is cleared by the doctors, Kevin Kolb will start Week 2.  Start Vick over a healthy Kevin Kolb and your franchise has no future.
• Because tomorrow will be a "EAGLES SHOULD HAVE NEVER TRADED DONOVAN MCNABB WAHHHHHHHH!" day, I need to say that the Eagles absolutely did the right thing in trading McNabb.  It is right then.  It is right now.  And it will be right 5 years in the future.  Donovan McNabb was no longer fit with the Eagles.  He had lost that locker room, he is not a leader like the Eagles and their fans wanted in their QB.  Heck, McNabb is not a leader period.  The fans were tired of him, and I think most importantly, he was tired of Philadelphia.  He may have had a great relationship in Reid, but is it a coincidence that he dropped some weight and looks re-invigorated now that he is in Washington?  McNabb is McNabb.  He is an above average QB who throws bullets, makes some, misses badly on others, and keeps his INT total low.  Kolb may or may not pan out, but Donovan McNabb was never leading this Eagles team to a Super Bowl. (Update:  Even if you include passes after the concussion, Kolb finished with a better completion percentage than Donovan McNabb, who was 15/32 for 171 yards; typical McNabb, though he does look in better shape and a bit re-invigorated since the trade).
• I make a note of the first 2 things because the counter to them will be heard all over Philly tomorrow.  It will be embarrassing.
• Andy Reid used Vick far too often early in the game.  Using Vick that often that early in Kolb's 1st game as a Day 1 starter surely did nothing but hinder Kolb and contribute to his lackluster beginning.
• Michael Vick made the biggest mistake of the game.  Down 27-17 and in a 3rd and goal situation, Michael Vick dropped back to pass, avoided pressure, and got free.  He had 5 options:  Throw the ball to a wide open Jeremy Maclin for a sure fire touchdown, throw the ball to a wide open Brent Celek for a sure fire touchdown, throw the ball to a wide open (and incredibly dreamy) Riley Cooper for a touchdown, run straight ahead for a sure fire touchdown, and force the ball to a double covered DeSean Jackson flailing his arms aimlessly cause he simply thinks he is open.  Guess which option Vick chose?  If you said the last option, the only option where the play would not have resulted in a touchdown, you guessed correct.  It arguably cost the Eagles the game.
• The Eagles had 0 injuries heading into this week's game.  I think that is the last time we'll be saying that about this team.
• Bobby April is supposed to be one of the best special teams coaches in the league.  You wouldn't know it by watching the Eagles special teams performance tonight.  Beyond atrocious.
• This Eagle team was ravaged by injury.  They were down 27-10.  It looked hopeless.  But they fought back both offensively and defensively and nearly tied a game they had no business being in.  This team showed an incredible amount of heart.  That can take them places in future games.
• As bad as this game was, I do not think it is a stretch to suggest that given the Giants game and the 1st 3 quarters of the Dallas-Washington game that the Eagles played the best football of the 4 NFC East teams.
• Then again, losing Weaver and Jamaal Jackson for the year and Bradley and Kolb for an unknown period of time will make it hard for them to be the best of the 4 for a continued amount of time.  Those are some key players for this team.  Bradley's role on this defense cannot be underscored.  If I was in a corner and could only choose 1 of Bradley and Kolb to be back next week and play the Detroit Lions, I would choose Bradley.
• Outside of the aforementioned bad play, Mike Vick did have a really impressive game in the 2nd half.  He looked competent, put up good numbers, and his running ability has improved immensely.  His arm has never been anything to brag about and in typical Vick passion, did miss some throws he could have easily made, but given what he showed in pre-season, you can color me surprised.  All that being said, you are absolutely crazy if you think he should start over a healthy and medically cleared Kevin Kolb.
• While a healthy Kolb should never be benched for Vick, take a moment to think about this.  How many back-up QBs are there in this league that are better than Mike Vick?
• Kevin Kolb and Stewart Bradley both suffered concussions.  After the hits that caused their concussions, both were looked at by the training staff and both were subsequently allowed to re-enter the game.  Whomever looked at 2 clearly concussed men and said it was okay for them to re-enter the game should be fired.  If it happens once, it is bad but forgivable as no one is perfect.  But twice?  It reeks of incompetence and an inability to diagnose concussions.  And that's dangerous.  Someone needs to lose their job over this.
• What was Andy thinking with that last play call?  A Vick QB draw up the middle out of the shotgun on a 4th and 1?  Talk about predictable.   If Weaver was healthy, he should have gotten the ball there.  Sure that is predictable as well, but who is going to stop a guy like Church Van from getting 1 yard?
• If you must have Vick on that play, it needs to be to the outside on an option.
• Clay Matthews is a beast.  End of story.
• Mike Vick likes controversy!  This is him after the game:  ""I feel like if I had been out there for four quarters, maybe we would have had a chance to win the game."  You had a chance to win this game.  You and your coach blew it.  Kolb had a good pre-season.  Vick had a horrible one.  Kolb has been named the starter since Day 1 post-McNabb trade.  Vick has been Andy Reid's toy.  Vick believes he can still be a starter in the NFL.  Vick does not realize that as good as his legs may be, his arm is far too inconsistent for any contending team to ever consider starting him.
• Even with the injuries, I would step away from the panic button.  The Eagles next 2 games are against the Detroit Lions and the Jacksonville Jaguars.  They have the time and the place to work out the kinks and get adjusted to playing without Jamaal Jackson and Leonard Weaver and time to find out what works and what doesn't.   The injuries are bad, but the position they find themselves in is not the worst in the world.  There is a tendency in Philadelphia to overreact.  Let's all take a breath and step away from the panic button and reflect on what really happened.  A young Eagles team played a Super Bowl contender, suffered injuries on an unprecedented level, and only lost by 7 points.  That's not terrible.

2010 NFL Season Week 1 Live Blog: Capricorn (A Brand New Name)

"So I run, hide, tear myself up Start again with a brand new name."

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE WEEK 1 LIVE BLOG!

NFL Week 1 Schedule

Football season is just 3 days away from starting! Just like last year, I will be posting the schedules and the links to the506 maps for the games each week. Also just like last year, the games I will be getting on cable here at Bloomsburg will be put in bold.

Thursday Night Kickoff

Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints 8:30 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)

Map of who gets what CBS game

Cincinnati Bengals vs. New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Oakland Raiders vs. Tennessee Titans 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills 1:00 (CBS - Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker)
Cleveland Browns vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00 (CBS - Spero Dedes and Rich Gannon)

Map of who gets what Fox early game

Carolina Panthers vs. New York Giants 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa)
Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton, Jim Mora, Jr., and Charles Davis)
Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick)

Map of who gets what Fox late game

Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles 4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks 4:15 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan)
Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams 4:15 (Fox - Ron Pitts and John Lynch)

Sunday Night Football

Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)

Monday Night Football

Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Jets 7:00 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden)
San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs 10:15 (ESPN - Brad Nessler and Trent Dilfer)

Week 1 Monday Night Choke Job Part 2

The Oakland Raiders had the San Diego Chargers right where they wanted them, but then, the Chargers marched down the field in the final minutes to win the game. This truly was a typical week 1 game. Horribly boring game, worse announcers, and a fantastic finish. Here are your highlights, oh, and I guess I should warn you that this video is over 6 minutes of Mike, Mike, and Steve. I can't just surprise my readers out of nowhere with such annoying, awful announcers.



Even though the refs did have a few big time calls in the game, the Raiders deserved to lose it. Russell needs to play better at QB and they need to avoid stupid penalties. They may have a star in McFadden, but JaMarcus Russell is proving time and time that he was not worth the 1st round draft pick.

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.

My Week 1 Picks

So here ya go. And just so you know, there is a basic rule for this if you want to make money. Pick the opposite team that I pick and go to Las Vegas with that pick. Easiest way ever to make a fortune.

Pittsburgh over Tennessee (1 for 1! Yeay-yah!)

Atlanta over Miami (Both won't be as good as last year. Miami is more of a 1 hit wonder though than Atlanta).

Baltimore over Kansas City (Yawn.....)

Philadelphia over Carolina (They've got a dangerous combo at RB.........and that's about it. Have I ever mentioned how happy I am that Macho Harris is B-Dawk's replacement at free safety?)

Cincinnati over Denver (Look, I'm not saying the Bengals are going to be any good this year, I'm just saying that the Broncos are going to suck epicly)

Minnesota over Cleveland (If they stay healthy, the Vikes will be really good. The same can't be said about the Browns)

Houston over New York Jets (Mark my words, Mark Sanchez will suck)

Indianapolis over Jacksonville (Peyton Manning could be surrounded by 10 high schoolers and the Colts would still win this game).

New Orleans over Detroit (New Lions uniforms FTW!)

Dallas over Tampa Bay (Both teams won't be any good. However, Tampa will rival Detroit, Denver, and Oakland as the worst in the NFL this year).

San Francisco over Arizona (I'm feeling the upset here).

New York Giants over Washington (Let the soon-to-be failed Haynesworth experiment in Washington begin!)

Seattle over St. Louis (Seattle will be so much better this year it's not even funny. Remember, the Seahawks were above all else a victim of the injury bug last year).

Green Bay over Chicago (Have I ever mentioned how overrated Jay Cutler and the Bears are this year? And to that point, the Packers are vastly underrated in my view. Watch out for the Pack this year. Just saying).

New England over Buffalo (I love watching 42-3 MNF games!)

San Diego over Oakland (See New England over Buffalo)

I'll be keeping track of my wins and losses as we go through the season, something that I will probably soon regret. I think I'm looking pretty good this week, but a big part of that is the fact that I don't think many games will be that competitive this week.

Your 2009 NFL Week 1 Schedule

The maps have been released, which means that instead of that I can now unveil all the information about what announcers are doing what games this week and who is getting each game. Due to possible copyright issues with the506, I will not be screen grabbing the maps, but rather you can just click on the links that you will see below. With that being said, here is your complete and entire schedule for Week 1 starting on Thursday and ending on Monday! The games that I get will be in bold. (all times eastern)

Thursday Night Kickoff Game
Tennessee Titans @ Pittsburgh Steelers 8:30 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)

Sunday regional games

Map of who will get what games on CBS.

New York Jets @ Houston Texans 1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Miami Dolphins @ Atlanta Falcons 1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 (CBS - Gus Johnson and Dan Fouts)
Kansas City Chiefs @ Baltimore Ravens 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Rich Gannon)

Map of who will get what early games on Fox

Dallas Cowboys @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa)
Philadelphia Eagles @ Carolina Panthers 1:00 (Fox - Dick Stockton and Charles Davis)
Minnesota Vikings @ Cleveland Browns 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick)
Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints 1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Trent Green)

Map of who will get what late games on Fox.

Washington Redskins @ New York Giants 4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals 4:15 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan)
St. Louis Rams @ Seattle Seahawks 4:15 (Fox - Ron Pitts and John Lynch)

Sunday Night Football
Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)

Monday Night Football
Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots 7:00 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden)
San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders 10:15 (ESPN - Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic, and Steve Young)