Friday, January 23, 2009
Mike Freeman Is Delusional
So I visited the CBSSportsline website and in this week alone he has managed three articles on how bad the Eagles, Cardinals, and this year's Super Bowl will be. I won't necessarily go with block quotes here, but rather I'll rip him apart paragraph by paragraph.
"Who's playing defensive back for the Eagles, anyway? Pam Oliver? Philadelphia got beat by a flea flicker, the oldest trick in the book, first run by a Roman centurion, and mastered by 8-year-olds in backyards across America."
A defense is not aware of when a flea-flicker is going to be run, so unless they have some sort of supernatural powers, you can be caught off-guard by it. Do you expect that the defense will just dilly dally around as Edge (or whomever Warner originally tossed it to) bounces it to the outside on what appears to be a pitch. And also, Fitzgetrald was not wide open. The Eagles had the coverage in place except the defensive back slipped and fell right as Fitzgerald was making the catch, thus securing the easy touchdown. Nice collective memory, Mike! But wait, there's more.
"This one? This was the worst loss of them all because the Cardinals aren't very good, and the Eagles played the entire first half in a coma."
The fact that Larry Fitzgerald is having one of the greatest post-seasons anyone has ever had in NFL history and that they are led by a soon-to-be Hall of Fame quarterback, does not strike you as "oh, this is a really good team?" The Cardinals are a good team and they have proven it by advancing to the Super Bowl without any controversial calls. Even as an Eagles fan that just saw his team lose an NFC title game, I would never say that a team that has advanced to a Super Bowl was not very good. How idiotic can you get? Oh wait, there's more...
"Oh, many of us in the mainstream media (including me) will do our best to manufacture interest in this Super Bowl, but the media tried the same exact tactic with the World Series and that didn't work. Few watched. Here's what we're going to hear repeatedly for the next two weeks: Cinderella ... blah, blah ... Cinderella ... blah ... Cinderella ... blapity, blapity."
Okay, obviously Mr. Freeman does not remember the World Series, for if he did, he would know that a certain Game 3 did not start until a little after 10:00 at night and it did not end until 2 AM! That's not the fault of the teams, that's the fault of the commissioner for starting a game (that would prove to be a very long game) so effing late that of course people are not going to watch, they are tired! Had that game been rescheduled and started at 8 PM (with the first pitch being thrown, not the start of the pregame), then that game may have ended up getting higher ratings than the exciting Game 5 Version 2.0 did. Why, because having re-watched that game, it was a classic. In every sense of the word. And as far as Cinderella goes, the Cinderella story is how they got there, not in the actual game itself. This is not a game of lucky underdog vs. overwhelming favorite. It's a battle of the Cardinals' great offense vs. the Steelers great defense. And that is something that is always very interesting to watch. You think I'm done, I've saved the best 2 for last."
"The NFL itself helped to kill the Cinderella concept. Paul Tagliabue, the former commissioner of the league who should be in the Hall of Fame, was the champion of salary cap-generated parity. Well, here you go, Paul. The ultimate act of parity: The Cardinals are in the Super Bowl."
So you think that every Super Bowl should feature big-market teams such as New England and New York? Are you crazy? There's no doubt it was a great game last year, but this is what's great about the NFL. You get teams like the Arizona Cardinals who hobble into the playoffs, and yet, they finally discover their potential and get hot at the right time and make it into the Super Bowl. This is something that you rarely see in just about any other sport. And guess what? It's a thing of beauty.
And lastly...
"Maybe next year we'll get a real Super Bowl."
Do us a favor and shut the fuck up.
Mike Freeman Demonstrates His Idiocy Part 1 (CBS Sports)
Mike Freeman Demonstrates His Idiocy Part 2 (CBS Sports)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Eagles Thinking Of Some Big Moves This Off-Season?
"If Joselio Hanson doesn’t get a lot of attention on the market, the Eagles could try to bring him back as their third cornerback, because it seems likely that they are going to cut ties with Lito Sheppard and save $3 million in salary-cap space.
The Eagles will also have a decision to make on wide receiver Reggie Brown, who did not dress for Sunday’s NFC championship game. He would be more difficult to cut because he will enter the first year of a six-year contract extension he signed in 2006, and getting rid of him would cost the team nearly $3 million."
If you can recall from earlier in the season, Lito Sheppard is not exactly my favorite Eagle and the fact that he ended last year as a starting corner and is now fourth on the depth chart is not going to help him keep his job. Much to my delight, of course. Sheppard is often injured and when he does play he sometimes a bit too eager to jump routes to make plays that just are not there.
Meanwhile, Reggie Brown does come as a bit of a surprise to me. And while he certainly has underproduced, I always thought that the Eagles were high on him and that if they were to cut a receiver, it would be Greg Lewis, who did very little this year. There's no doubt that Brown has potential and the fact that the Eagles would think about getting rid of him is somewhat odd. Unless, of course, the Eagles are planning to go after a big-money, big-name wide receiver in the off-season. The Eagles made headlines last off-season by trying to pry away Larry Fitzgerald away from the Cards and by offering Randy Moss more money than the Patriots did, which leads me to believe that although we have DeSean, the Eagles want more. In case you have not figured it out, even though he's not a free-agent, the Eagles may be more than a bit interested in Anquan Boldin....
Birds to Cut Ties w/ Sheppard and Brown? (Eagles Gab)
Donovan McNabb's Off-Season Home Looks A Little Different Right About Now
"Police arrested two Arizona Cardinals fans who they say burned messages in the front lawn of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb's home in Chandler, Ariz., a day before the NFC championship game.
Police tracked down the pair after they discovered a sticker containing the home address of one of the men on a cardboard sign left in McNabb's yard.
Rex Michael Perkins, 37, of Chandler, and Ryan Hanlon, 29, of Gilbert, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage Sunday after police questioned Perkins about the sign that said: "Go Cards" on one side and "Beat Philly" on the other, Chandler police said.
Perkins and Hanlon also are accused of pouring diesel fuel in McNabb's yard to read: "Go Kurt," and "Go Cards," causing an estimated $2,000 in damage, Chandler police Sgt. Joe Favazzo said.
I like how they did it before the actually game.....yeah, this would have been so much more hilarious if the Eagles won. McNabb took the whole thing in stride and apparently the two morons did it as a prank. Prank or not, this is what is most sane people call vandalism. Enjoy your stay in the pokey, and oh yeah, stay classy!
2 Held After Damage to McNabb's Lawn (Philadelphia Inquirer)
The
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Temple Owls Should Be BCS National Champions!!! This is an outrage!!!
"Temple (5-7)
Temple beat Army on 08/29/2008 by a score of 35-7 (on the road!)
Army beat Louisiana Tech on 10/25/2008 by a score of 14-7
Louisiana Tech beat Mississippi State on 08/30/2008 by a score of 22-14
Mississippi State beat Vanderbilt on 10/11/2008 by a score of 17-14
Vanderbilt beat Mississippi on 09/20/2008 by a score of 23-17 (on the road!)
Mississippi beat Florida on 09/27/2008 by a score of 31-30 (on the road!)
Florida is the 2008 Div 1-A champion
So ... Temple was the best Div 1-A school for the 2008 college football season"
No arguing that logic, that's for sure! This is an outrage! This is a scandal! Robbery the likes of this have never before been seen in the history of college football! How could the BCS deprive this team the national championship??? This is disgusting!
Do realize that that above paragraph was sarcastic. In a way, at least. Using this method, the Transitive Property, everybody in the FBS has a legitimate case to be national champions, unless you're Washington, Washington State, Southern Medhodist, North Texas, and Western Kentucky. Click on the link below, select your college, hit go, and let the rage go through your vains as now there is mathematical proof that your team does indeed deserve to be national champions!
The College Football Transitive Calculator (Racaire Software)
"We Have Chosen Hope Over Fear"
Part 1 of the Speech
Part 2 of the Speech
Just an absolutely phenomenal speech. I honestly watched the whole thing with tears in my eyes. Congrats, President Obama, I'm sure you will lead our wonderful nation in the right direction and pull us out of The Black Hole That Is The Bush Administration.
The Text of Obama's Speech (Yahoo!)
Today is a Historic Day
When Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America at noon, this country will never be the same again. I realize that while I am a product of the presidency of Bush XLI, I am currently majoring in history and while I did not experience the turbulent times of the civil rights period, to the greatest extent that one possibly can without living through the period, I understand what this day means to our country, and to the world.
I won't bore you by repeating all of the rhetoric surrounding today's historic events, but it is about time someone responsible is in the White House. As Al Michaels allegedly said (and when I say allegedly, I mean, Wikipedia says he said it), "The adults are back in charge". Of course, Al's quote was back in 2000 when Bush XLIII was elected. But aside from being a failure in all other ventures of his life (i.e. he was at-best in average student - he spent most of his days college days partying and doing drugs and alcohol, he failed in all of his prior business ventures before becoming president....and actually he failed in that as well), he single-handedly plundered more money from the U.S. Treasury than any president has in history, he also has authorized the use of waterboarding (which is torture, and that is something that either in the comments section or in another forum I am willing to debate with someone at any moment at any time, just a warning though, you will not win). I've read several lunatic-fringe right wing blogs (a. for the hilarity and b. because I do like to read up on the opposing viewpoint), and they like to blame Clinton for the 9/11 and the current mess our country is in. As someone who is a history major and someone who several relatives well-versed in history, I can tell you with all certainty that in 50 years or so, Bill Clinton will be judged as a great president, while as Bush XLIII will be known as one of, if not the worst president ever.
Which is what makes today's events all the more memorable. Not only is this a time of re-birth from the current hole Bush XLIII got us in, but it is also a re-birth of a nation that for centuries forced blacks into slavery. And now. January 20, 2008, that same black man is about to be president of the United States of America. And there are those that say, well, Obama is not a real black, he's half-white and half-black. And that is true. His mother was white. But throughout the course of history, if you even had a great-grandparent who was a man of color, you were considered black and were discriminated against and denied your rights.
So let's sit back, relax, and enjoy the inauguration of now-President-elect, soon to become President Barack Obama. I'll have the video up later in the day.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Eagles Conference Title Game Recap
The next you're not, watch it drop
Making your heart stop
Just before you hit the floor
One minute you're on top
The next you're not, missed your shot
Making your heart stop
You think you've won
And then it's all gone"
That song by Linkin Park describes exactly what happened to the Eagles last night in the desert. It looked like they may have had it won. And then they hit the floor.
DeSean Jackson had just made the catch of a lifetime to put the Eagles on top, giving them 19 straight unanswered points and a 1-point lead after trailing by 18 in the middle of the 3rd quarter. It looked like the Eagles were gonna make an improbable comeback. Hell, one the ensuing drive the Eagles had forced a 4th and inches situation. But then Hightower made it to the outside, capping a drive that may eventually put Kurt Warner in the Hall of Fame.
It was an incredible game, one for the ages in Glendale. But in the end, the Eagles just did not have enough to respond one more time after Warner's drive. The Eagles had a chance to make it interesting, but the offense just missed some plays on that final drive. However, that was to be expected. The Eagles offense looked like they did the entire post-season. Slow-start, strong finish. The big story was the defense. After beating the physical ground teams such as Minnesota and New York, the Eagles lost to the team that likes to air it out in Warner and the Cardinals. Unbelieveable.
So after all of that, repeat after me: The Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl. No, that's no typo. The Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl. One of the all-time bad franchises is going to the Super Bowl and in a somewhat ironic twist, they're facing one of the all-time great franchises, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Aspeaking of historic, let's take a moment here and reflect on the Cardinals' stadium, University of Phoenix Stadium. First of all, it's one of my favorite NFL stadiums. Unlike some stadiums/domes, it is very pleasing to look at and to watch games from. However, more importantly, it's like the big time site for dramatic post-season finishes, both in the NFL and the college ranks. This is a stadium that opened in 2006 and look at what games have already been played there.
The 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl with the Boise State miracles
Super Bowl XLII and the Giants upset of the then unbeaten Patriots and the Tyree catch.
Texas' dramatic comeback win against Ohio State in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl.
Last night's thrilling NFC Championship game that culminated in what some are already calling a Hall of Fame drive
And that's not even including Arizona's post season upset of Atlanta a few weeks ago, Florida's upset of Ohio State in the 07 BCS Natonal Title game, and West Virginia's upset in the '08 Fiesta Bowl of Oklahoma.
Throughout this whole post-season there has been a certain left for dead theme, especially in the NFC. At 1:00 on Week 17, no one thought the Eagles had a prayer to make the playoffs. They needed Oakland to upset Tampa Bay. There was no way that would happen, right? Then look at the Eagles playoff run. While many had them to beat the Vikings, there was no way they could handle the Giants and beat them twice in the Meadowlands, right? And then the Cardinals. People were talking about revising the playoffs system to keep mediocre teams division winners like the Cardinals out. There was no way they could beat Atlanta. Michael Turner would run all over them, right? Then came Carolina. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were going to dominate them, right? Then came the Eagles. That defense would be too much for them, right? The Cardinals had no chance, right? And now look. The Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl. And while if the Cardinals pull the upset, I don't think it will be considered the biggest upset in Super Bowl upset ever, but definitley the most improbable run ever. The Steelers of a few years ago, while a 6-seed, were considered a team with talent and while unprededented at the time, few were overly shocked that they made it as far as they did. Same story with 5-seeded New York last year. Again, they were a team with talent and they were never really counted out. Folks, this Arizona Cardinal team was flat out left for dead. Folks, this same Arizona Cardinal team is going to Tampa to play in the Super Bowl.
And lastly, a great big thanks to all those who joined me in the live blog of this remarkable title game. Twice you set a record for most comments on a post (The record was shattered in the 1st half thread, and you broke it again in the 2nd half). I hope everyone had as much fun as I did (despite the Eagles losins), your comments were hilarious, and even if I did not put yours in the thread, that does not mean I thought it was not funny. There was only enough time for me to copy and paste the best-of-the-best. Thanks again, and I hope that you come back soon and read more of what I have to say on various Eagles/other sports issues.
Which reminds me, seeing as the Eagles are done, I will be shifting my coverage to the football off-season in general, I'll get to you my what's sure to be God-awful mock draft, and I may even live blog a nationally televised hockey/basketball game involving the Sixers or the Flyers. While I may not post as regularly as some other bloggers, I'll get to you some of the more interesting stuff and maybe even provide you guys some links that you should check out. I also think I'll be live blogging the Phillies opener, assuming it's not being done at AA, and I will be your one-stop shop for all of the Eagles off-season moves (including my in depth coverage of the Eagles' draft). And depending on how things turn out, I may actually live blog the Super Bowl and/or Pro Bowl (Andy Reid coaching a Pro Bowl is worthy of a live blog). So just because Eagles season is over, the fun around here is just beginning. Thanks for joinng me for all of the Eagles live blogs and MNF live blogs throughout the season and I'll see you around.
"Hit the Floor" by Linkin Park lyrics (AZ Lyrics)