Tag Archives: nfl

Screw Egg Nog! Just give me the Pats vs. the Saints

  By Chris Speziale | 11/25/2009 - 12:04 am | Musings
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I know it’s only Wednesday, but I cannot wait until next Monday night.  Yeah, you’ve got an awesome holiday on Thursday.  You’ve got the crazy holiday shopping season kicking off on Friday. And most importantly, you’ve got Egg Nog hitting the shelves!  But Monday you’ve got the game of the year in the NFL, and I am pumped.  On ESPN’s Monday Night Football the Patriots will visit the Saints in New Orleans.  The Saints come into the game undefeated and looking to assert themselves as a clear Superbowl favorite.  The Patriots could conceivably be coming into this game with only one loss, but they lost a coin flip in Denver and handed the Colts the game in week 10 (No, we’re not going to talk about 4th and 2.  I operate like the Pats, so we’re moving on).   This is an intriguing match-up for a lot of reasons.  Both of these teams have fantastic offenses; the Saints and the Pats rank one and two in passing.  On the defensive side of the ball you have two highly underrated D’s.  So what do you watch for?

Let’s start with the Patriots offense against the Saints D.  The Patriots are coming off a highly emotional win over the Jets at Gillette Stadium.  They wanted to prove to the rest of the league that there would be no lingering effects from the loss to Indy, and they did just that.  The offense hummed, with Wes Welker catching 15 balls for a ridiculous 192 yards and the also effective Laurence Maroney, who rushed for 77 yards and two scores.  The Pats were successful against the Jets because they spread the field and exploited the mis-matches in the secondary.  This week Brady won’t have that luxury; the Saints have picked off opposing quarterbacks a league leading 20 times.  And just to add insult to non-injury, Darren Sharper will most likely be back to full strength and playing quarterback for the Saints defense. That said, the key for the Patriots is going to be the running game.  The Saints have allowed an average of 115 rushing yards per game and have let opposing running backs into the endzone 12 times this year. The Patriots also hope to get Sammy Morris back from injury this week, giving them a three-headed attack.  Look for Maroney and BenJarvus Green-Ellis to get carries on 1st and 2nd downs and Morris to come in on 3rd and short situations and around the goal line.  The Saints relentlessly pressure the quarterback, and that will be no different against a banged up Patriot offensive line, so look for Welker to be a prime target.  The Patriots will run screens early and often to keep the Saints pass rushers honest.

On the other side you’ve got Drew Brees leading a crazy good offense.  The key here is really simple.  The Patriots secondary is super young and super small.  Brees is going to look deep for Robert Meacham and Marques Colston to try and beat the Patriots rookies Darius Butler and Patrick Chung.  Those two receivers are both 6’2” or taller.  The Patriot secondary doesn’t have anyone over 6’1” and they average a little more than 5’11”.  This could be a huge problem for the Patriots.  Brees has been deadly accurate this year.  He’s got a 68% completion percentage and has a passer rating of 124 on throws of 20 or more yards.  He’ll use that accuracy to feed the ball to those tall receivers up high, where only they can catch the ball. For the Pats, getting healthy will be the key: Ty Warren is back from injury and played well against the Jets, Jerod Mayo has been getting consistently better with each passing week, and Tully Banta-Cain has been battling a rib injury but appears to be coming out of it.  Most likely we’ll see the linebackers dropping into coverage to help protect against Brees’ high-powered arm.  This again provides an opportunity for the running game to star in this match-up.  Much was made in the off-season about Pierre Thomas emerging as the star running back in New Orleans, but he has been anything but spectacular so far.  He has just under 600 yards on the ground and 5 rushing touchdowns.  Belichick will most likely use four down linemen to combat the run game and perhaps gamble on a couple of passing downs by shooting the linebackers into the gaps.

Then there’s the Superdome.  Truly there isn’t a better homefield advantage in the NFL than the Saints have in the Superdome.  In the last two years, the Saints have gone 11-2 in their building.  There will be no distractions on Monday night for “Who Dat” nation.  The stadium will be filled, and the fans will be incredibly loud.  Everyone in New Orleans wants respect, and they feel like they can get it with a win against the Patriots.  The Saints haven’t played a big game since week 6, when they beat the then undefeated New York Giants.  However, the Patriots seem to be at the center of the media frenzy every week. And they’re hoping to ride this emotional wave into New Orleans and derail the dream season these Saints have put together.

The implications of this game are huge.  I personally believe that whichever team wins will represent its conference in the Superbowl.  If the Patriots can win on the road in one of the most hostile environments in the NFL, I believe they can win anywhere.  And they might have to.  If the Colts continue to dominate, we’ll surely see a Patriots/Colts playoff game in Indy.  If the Saints can pull this one out, it proves that they can play with and beat anyone at anytime.  In the end, it’s all going to come down to which team can make the big play on defense, and which of these two incredible QB’s can make the fewest mistakes. Regardless of the outcome, we’re about to see one of the great match-ups in the league this season.  I know I’ll be glued to the TV.  You should be too.

It’s Always Sunny In…Cincinnati?

  By Chris Speziale | 11/16/2009 - 5:36 pm | Musings
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Let’s go back to August shall we. You’re watching preseason NFL action and gearing up for the college football season, and you’re thinking “Wow, Cincinnati is in for a loooong winter.”  The Bengals ranked 24th in the ESPN Power Poll in the preseason and the Bearcats were ranked 33rd in the preseason AP poll.  We are now sitting at the Monday after week ten in the NFL, and the college football regular season ends in two weeks.  Guess where Cincy ranks now?  On top of everything!  The Bengals have the second best record in the AFC, behind only the Colts, and the Bearcats are one of six undefeated teams in the country. So what happens to these two teams as their respective seasons come to an end?

The Bengals have shocked, literally, everyone.  In the preseason, the media big wigs were trying to sell us on Carson Palmer’s injury and how unhappy Chad Ochocinco (it still pisses me off to write that name) was going to be.  Marvin Lewis was fighting for his job before the season even started, the running attack was under scrutiny because Cedric Benson had yet to prove himself, and to top it all off, in the preseason, the first team offense struggled through the first three games.  Now, the Bungles have the third leading rusher in the AFC behind Chris Johnson of the Titans and Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars.  And Carson Palmer, who hasn’t been spectacular but has been consistent, can still be counted on to lead a game winning drive if his team is down late.  Add to that, a stout defense, which has been the biggest surprise.  Cincy ranks second in the NFL in points allowed and sixth in the AFC in yards allowed per game.  They were projected to finish third in the AFC North behind the Steelers and Ravens (who played for the conference title last year, lest we forget), and have now completed a season sweep of both teams!  They have a one game lead on the Steelers, and their schedule the rest of the way is a complete joke.  In week 11 they go to Oakland, then come home to face Cleveland and Detroit.  Next, they go on the road to Minnesota and San Diego and then come home to face Kansas City before finishing on the road against the Jets.  They could very, VERY easily finish the season with 13 wins and the second seed in the AFC.  My prediction…Cincy takes that second seed and beats the Chargers in the divisional round of the playoffs, before getting whacked by Indy or New England in the AFC Championship game.  Not bad for a team picked to finish with 6 wins.

The Bearcats are an interesting story as well. They beat Oregon St. when they were ranked in week 5, Rutgers in Week 1, West Virginia as a ranked team, and USF as a ranked team.  Their only tough game left will be the toughest game on the schedule. They will face #9 Pitt, on the road, December 5th to decide the Big East.  If, and that’s a big if, they can get by Pitt I think that Cincy could have a shot to play for the National Championship in January.  And here’s how:  Alabama and Florida will play each other for the SEC championship later in December and whichever team loses will be out.  Personally, I think that scenario is ludicrous, but that’s the BCS folks!  If Texas drops the ball against Texas A&M to close the season, we’ll be looking at Florida/Alabama vs. Cincinnati for the Championship.  What’s crazy is that this is absolutely possible!  A&M has played the Longhorns tough the last couple of years, and Texas has not been immune to the in-state rivalry upset.  Does anyone remember that monster upset verse Texas Tech last season, that ended Texas’ title hopes?  Very possible!  It won’t be TCU or Boise State in the title game because neither team will play a high profile game in the final two weeks.  Fortunately for Cincinnati, that’s how the BCS works.  If they can take down the number 9 team in the land to finish the season and win the Conference, they’ll surely be more warmly embraced by the BCS computers than the Horned Frogs or the Broncos.

All in all, the Cincinnati football fan only has one thing to be worried about: The Bearcats have been so good that their coach might walk after the season to pursue a career at a more prestigious university, or perhaps…the NFL!  Brian Kelly, the Redskins are calling.

NFL Roundup: The Eli Effect

  By Chris Speziale | 11/09/2009 - 12:07 pm | Musings
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Big news from the NFL in week 9.  In the NFC, Big D used its D to stop the Eagles and their two game win streak and take over the top spot in the East.  New Orleans stayed perfect but started very slowly against the Panthers who need to very seriously look at who they want under center.  Arizona absolutely wrecked the Bears in Chicago behind monster days from Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald.  The Bucs got off the snide and laid a big hit on the reeling Packers.  And in the battle of who cares the Seahawks came from behind to beat the Lions.

The bigger storylines, however, were in the AFC.  The Patriots continued their dominance over the Fins and put the smack down on the wildcat.  The Bengals proved they’re for real against a stumbling Baltimore team that looked in the beginning of the season like it was going to run away with the division.  The Colts barely got by the Texans and remain undefeated going into week ten for the third time this decade.  And the Chargers shocked the Giants in the final minutes and won by a point in the Meadowlands.  Leading up to the San Diego/New York game the media made a huge deal about the draft in 2004. What I’m wondering is if anyone was as appalled about Eli’s refusal to play for San Diego as I was.  You can make an argument five years later that both teams were winners.  Eli led the Giants to their first Superbowl since 1990 in 2007 when they beat the Pats and San Diego ended up with two additional draft picks which turned into perennial pro-bowlers Shawn Merriman and Nate Kaeding.  What stands out to me was the reasoning behind Eli’s refusal.  He simply didn’t want to play in the same conference as his brother.  Eli and his agent crafted that deal to get him out of the AFC because it was Peyton’s turf.  He was the top dog, the Colts were coming off a 12-4 season where big bro threw for over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns.  Eli knowing that he couldn’t compete and fueled by the Indy/San Diego rivalry simply stated that he wouldn’t sign.  He even did an interview AFTER HE WAS DRAFTED saying that he was hoping for a trade.  Now let me get this straight.  You are a highly touted college quarterback, you get picked first overall, you are about to sign a contract that will make you the highest paid rookie in league history, but you won’t sign with the team that drafted you because you don’t want to have to put up numbers against your big brother?  Well I got news for you buddy…it doesn’t matter where you play, you’re a Manning and you’re gonna be compared against other Mannings for the rest of your life!

It’s impossible to say what the league would look like now if Eli had in fact signed with the Chargers and Rivers had ended up with the Giants, but I think you can make a major argument that Rivers would have the ring right now and Eli would be sulking his way through another early playoff exit in San Diego.  Intangibles aside (and I do grasp the importance of leadership), Rivers is the better quarterback.  He has a higher career passer rating, he’s thrown for more yards and fewer picks, and if you get real crazy and start looking at splits Rivers, has him beat there too.  He’s got a higher completion percentage and passer rating in the final two minutes of games and he can make the big throw as evidenced by his 56% completion rate on throws of 20 or more yards.  Put simply, Rivers isn’t winning in San Diego because he has greater competition.  Every year the playoffs go through New England, Indy and Pittsburgh, because these teams are perennial powerhouses.  They have terrific personnel in the front office, they are coached well and their players are seasoned winners.  When Brady and Peyton start to slow in their ripe old age, we are going to be set up for some incredible Ben Roethlisberger/Phillip Rivers match-ups, and Rivers will get his ring. They will be the best two quarterbacks in the AFC, but right now there are just two many good QB’s standing in the way.

When you come back to last night’s game in New Jersey you are left with one thing: leadership.  Eli has always been labeled the leader, while Rivers has been called the distraction, but last night, under pressure and faced with a long field, Rivers crafted a masterful drive, going 80 yards and completing 6 of 8 passes.  He ran the offense through a no huddle two minute drill and threw the winning score to Vincent Jackson with 21 seconds left on the clock, leaving Eli no time to get his team into field goal range.  He showed poise, guts, a killer instinct, and I think what is sometimes lost with Rivers: passion.  He gets his team fired up, and yes, he can sometimes run his mouth which makes him a target, but more importantly it takes the pressure off of his teammates.  This is what I think makes him a good leader.  He knows what his team needs and how to get it.   At the end of the day, Rivers was there, with a lightning bolt on his helmet, leading his team to victory.

The Mission Statement

  By Chris Speziale | 11/06/2009 - 12:00 pm | Mission Statement
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If the Red Sox won the World Series but no one was there to see it, did it happen?  Picture this.  Keith Foulke is on the mound for the Red Sox, it’s game 4 of the 2004 World Series in St. Louis.  Edgar Renteria steps into the box with a 1-0 count. He takes the next pitch and hits a knubber back to the mound.  Foulke snares it; he is so stunned and excited that he hesitates to throw on to first.  He takes a couple steps towards the bag and flips underhanded to Doug Mientkiewicz.  That’s it.  The Red Sox have just won their first World Series title in 86 years.  BUT! The stands are empty, there are no camera crews, no flash bulbs, no Joe Buck trying to capture the emotions of hundreds of thousands of Boston fans.  It’s just a bunch of guys pouring champagne all over each other in the middle of a baseball field.  Doesn’t sound right, does it? So what conclusion do we draw from this? We face facts: it’s a fans game.  And I’m not just talking about baseball.  The American sports industry would be absolutely nowhere without its fan base.

That one moment on October 27th, 2004 changed the lives of millions of people and sent a riptide through the sports world.  With an unlikely cast of characters, a sometimes wobbly manager, and a 3-0 hole to the Yankees in the ALCS, no one expected them to win.  But they did, and it was the fans who carried them through those last 8 games.  When Dave Roberts stole that base in game 4, we knew something special was about to happen.  On ANY other Red Sox team, in ANY other year, he gets thrown out and the season is over.  But he didn’t and the Sox pulled off one of the most incredible comebacks in the history of sports. And WE did it.  Am I biased?  You bet your ass I am.  The Red Sox are my team.  They have been since I came out of the womb.  I’ve followed them every season since I could comprehend the game.  We, as fans, want to believe that we are a part of this, that we can somehow affect the outcome and push our team to the next level.  We employ truly crazy superstitions, wear rally caps and scream until our lungs bleed, all in the hope that we get to see them in the playoffs. We pour our hearts and souls into these teams.   So why are we getting such a raw deal?  Professional sports are an industry.  I get it.  There is money to be made, and if you have the opportunity to make a buck, why wouldn’t you do it?  Ticket prices are climbing, the media frenzy is increasing, every Tom, Dick or Harry is writing a blog (ironic, isn’t it?) or doing a Podcast.  We are all trying to cash in.  All it’s costing us is our sports identity.

That’s where I come in.  I took a sports broadcasting class this summer led by the immortal Ed Ingles.  He brought in a cast of characters to impart some wisdom on breaking into the sports business.  And they all basically had the same advice: Don’t quit, practice practice practice, and lastly, write.  It was that last one that knocked me for a loop.  I never considered writing; I didn’t think I had the chops, but sports broadcasting is what I want to do.  It’s something I feel like I can be good at.  So what do you write about?  Who will read it?  I thought about this for a long time and I came to this.  Fans will read it.  And so, I will write about the fans.  How do we get that identity back?  Who will fight for it? I don’t have the answers, but I’m hoping to explore these questions, and with your help maybe we can figure something out, come to some sort of arrangement, either with the sport (whichever it may be) or with ourselves.

So what are we going to do here?  I’m glad you asked.  Of course we’re going to talk sports, because a real fan isn’t a fan without knowledge.  But this can be so much more than that.  Along with all those sports posts, on the first Friday of every month you’ll see a story about the fan experience.  We have lots to discuss; whether it be gambling, fantasy sports, announcers, TV blackouts, the disappearance of the NHL, the lack of soccer in America or just plain old ticket prices — we’re going to cover it all.  And I want your feedback.  Each monthly post will be sent along with all your comments, to someone who can make a difference.  For example, the post set for December is about the disappearance of the NHL.  After the lockout ended in 2005 it seemed like the league vanished from TV and sports news shows, but no one seemed to get angry and it continued to get worse.  Now they cover, maybe 10 games nationally all year.  In the 2008-2009 postseason you couldn’t even see the first three rounds on National TV! So, we send the letter along with all your comments to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in hopes that he’ll notice the millions of hockey fans aching for more coverage. Will it work? Who knows?  But it’s worth standing up for.  Sports mean so much to us, so why shouldn’t we fight back? The 2004 Boston Red Sox were underdogs just like the fans of today.  Everyone is counting us out, but maybe, just maybe, we can pull off an even bigger comeback.