It's such a shitty year for a 49ers fan. We had such high hopes at the beginning of the season(you know, before we started 0-5), and now we have to hear the CEO/president of the franchise insisting we can still make the playoffs despite being 4-8. http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/06/3235708/49ers-notes-york-insists-sf-can.html#mi_rss=49ers Frank Gore is out for the season with a hip injury, will just get another year older next year with the probable lockout and may not be a top-tier running back much longer. They're completely lost at QB. I have finally given up on Alex Smith. Troy Smith seems okay and might improve with more time at the helm but the situation looks bleak. Mike Singletary has proven to be more of an over-emotional mis-manager and terrible play-caller rather than the guy who was going to rally the troops with grit and determination that I thought he would be in the beginning. First round pick Anthony Davis very well may be a bust as well, although it's too early to tell. My only hope is that they can hold on to guys like Vernon Davis and Patrick Willis long enough to field a team that they deserve to be on. There's always next year...oh, wait.
I thought that he wouldn't be getting up after that one. But the league needs some damn consistency. That play as well as the hit on Rothlesburger's face should be penalized and fined. Not because I thought the massacring of his nose was intended to be malicious but because people have been fined and penalized for much less. And James Harrison did not get a single penalty that game which I thought was pretty impressive.
N. Suh has had two awful penalties (the tv announcers thought so too, not just because i'm a homer) called on him at pretty pivotal points in games in recent weeks. Some local radio people were musing that the league might be targeting him, which is silly. I do agree that the refs need to suck less though. and the 45 second mark here
Whew, is about all I have to say about the GB game. Poor old Big Ben is just having a rough time this season, a wack last week and a broken schnaze that requires surgery this weekend. Maybe he should just use some duct tape and wrap himself in bubblewrap. Speaking of wacks, Favre took one too that took him out of the game. He's on #297 for the start record. I do not see him not starting the next three games to hit the 300 mark. And they actually pulled out a win, over the Bills. heh A whoppin' two in a row though. At least they didn't almost lose in OT. *cough*Steelers* cough*
McDaniel's fired as head coach of the Denver Bronco's. I knew this was coming, but not in the middle of the season. Wonder where McDaniel's is going to go now. So many mistakes, so many bad choices.
Anyone have a decent stream for the Pats-Jets game? I'm stuck out at 29 Palms with no cable right now. Thanks in advance.
Um...yeah. Patriots. 42 points. Yeah. Exactly. Last in the league in most stats? Okay. Weak young defense? Yep. Rex Ryan said what? Thought so. Yep, did that say 42 point victory. Mark Sanchize a what? Top 10 quarterback? Definitely, sure. What's this about the Jets having the 5th easiest schedule in the league? Mmhmm. Patriots decimated the top two defenses in the league? They couldn't have. Who the fuck is Danny Woodhead? Deion Branch is so washed up, almost died in Seattle. Tom Brady's hair is so long, looks like a girl. Oh my...why does their RB have so many names? Patriots are going to the Superbowl. Cannot fucking wait.
Well my post six games ago about the Patriots being frauds is the dumbest thing I have ever wrote. Unless of course you want to count how stupid it was when I said that the pats gave up when they got rid of Randy Moss. I'm not sure if it's Brady or Belichick but they are without a doubt (in my opinion) the best Franchise in the past ten years. Belichick addresses and fixes the problems with his team better than any coach I have ever seen. The reason I put that statement in italics is Andy Reid may be the exact opposite of that statement. Honestly I know anything can happen in the NFL but I really do not see any team being able to beat the Pats. Falcons and "Matty Ice" fans I have bad news for you, Pats will kill you. I know I'm sounding like a homer but I think the Eagles may be a team that can run with them. The Pats strength in defense is the secondary they have been getting tons of interceptions, when the pass rush isn't that strong Vick is able to run as well as buying time for a receiver to get open. I'm not saying they would win or certainly not be favored but if it came to a shootout the birds could put up some serious offense. They match up well with the Pats. I know many people think Green Bay could also be a team to dethrone the Pats, I'm not buying this. When you have a monstrous problem of not being able to run the ball (at all) Belichick will make a huge advantage of this, Rogers is amazing, quickly climbing up and being spoke of in the big three (Manning, Brady, Brees) but he won't be able to pull a victory off against New England without a running back. NE's defense is just too potent. In the beginning of the season they drew almost every team into a shootout, made sure they got the final possession and won the game. Now the defense is above average and capable of making big plays. Considering the offense averages close to thirty points a game it's not incredibly difficult to defend the opposing team. Last point Manihack, I think you got a good look at Sanchez last night. Everybody takes a beating but the big guns don't get beat this bad. Spoiler Has anyone that shit on me about Sanchez actually watched him play? He doesn't have the most stellar numbers, but a lot of that is thanks to his receivers (at least 3 guys in the top 20 as far as dropped passes are concerned.) If you watch him play he has that "it" factor. It's not something you can quantify, but the kid is the real deal. Maybe top 5 was a stretch, but he's in the upper half right now, and he'll be someone everyone is talking about as a top 10 QB next year no doubt in my mind. People talk about him as a "game manager" rather than a "game winner", but the Jets are 5-4 rather than 7-2 if Sanchez doesn't play the way he did the last two weeks.
Now that I'm sober and not hyped up: I don't think this is a game to bash Mark Sanchez on, I watched the whole game, volume up, and even to the chagrin of my 6 friends over in my small living room rewinded a couple times. This does make me question that "It" factor, and the hype is so overblown on this kid. Once again I feel his receivers fucked him. again. My friend made a hilarious comment about him being a "Mexican from SoCal, it's 16 degrees there. Good fucking luck with that." In 2-3 more years he'll be able to play in those conditions. Rex Ryan got out coached. When the Patriots pulled that play with bunched 3 on one side then pulled that pick/rub with Branch and Welker for the touchdown because Rex (or anyone that wasn't a Patriot) never expected those top 3 to stay in and block. GENIUS PLAY. Bill knew Rex was going to bring the house and they were ready for it. Also I fault Rex for not busting out one Wildcat play. We know that fucks with Bill's mind, and they have the personnel. The Jet's offense was a little predictable in my mind. Danny Woodhead to the Jets. "You assholes cut me, I'm going to beast you." Mission accomplished.
Yes, he did and it began early with that weirdass challenge on the spot. What the fuck was that? In the first? Really Rex Ryan? Terrible. Lost the challenge and a timeout. That challenge could have taken 7 off the board for that sketchy TD in the third....not that it would have made any difference. They got their asses handed to them in every aspect of the game. Say what you want about the Pats but no one can deny the machine that they are with Brady and the best coach in the league at the helm. And believe me, I hate saying that. GB really needed the Jets to pull that one out. The storm is coming.
How fucking stupid is Albert Haynesworth?? I really don't understand it. What planet is he on that he thinks it's ok to not play because he does not like the defense? Regardless if it's effective, best for the player or team you play in whatever system the coach tells you to play in. Refusing to play in a nickle or dime package? Constantly complaining about the 3-4 and insisting on going back to a 4-3? Honestly where does he come off? I am not interested if the defense is working or if it's the best fit for a particular team but I can't recall a player flat out refusing to go on the field because of a formation. This doesn't even compare to Randy Moss's antics. Giving up on a route because the ball isn't going to you is one thing, refusing to go on the field because you don't like the formation? Unbelievable. It's sad because Haynesworth is a beast, a machine. He would be one of the best DE's in football if he actually played.
GB has a lot more forthright things to worry about than the Pats for now, such as the Falcons who should lock up home field advantage throughout the playoffs(facing carolina twice and seattle in the last four weeks). GB has a pretty tough schedule finishing up the season and could end up missing the playoffs. I don't think it's likely that they will miss the playoffs, but they definitely aren't a shoe-in like we thought they were early in the season. It will be sad for the two or three NFC teams that don't make the playoffs while somebody from the NFC West with a worse record does.
Call me crazy but I'm not one that is buying into the whole "Matty Ice" deal. The guy's good, there is no denying that but I'm still not all that worried. Maybe I should be. We'll see. I knew the last half of the GB schedule was tougher than the first. I think they'll make the play-offs I just don't know how far into it they'll get. At least Rodgers is healthy.
Until I see "Matty Ice" pull the last minute heroics out if his ass in a playoff game, I'm not buying it. For all we know he could be another Romo. But I have to give credit where credit is due, I think the guy is playing great. I'm not gonna lie, I was scared shitless about last nights game and am so damn happy NE got that win. The way they did it was icing on the cake. But I couldn't relax until the end of the third quarter because as a NE fan, the third quarter fuck ups are all too real for me. I was pretty sure that regardless of who won last night, these two would meet up again in January but now I'm not so sure barring some drastic changes by the Jets. Overall, I'm loving this season. Having so many tight races is awesome and the final games all being division games is one thing the league got right.
I didn't say GB should be worried about Matt Ryan, I said they should be worried about the Falcons. The Falcons who already bested them once, and have the best record in the NFC despite being in the toughest division. They have a top 5 RB, a top 5 WR, and one of the best TEs of all time. Ryan is an average QB, but he's only thrown 7 INTs this season, so he's not going to make a lot of huge mistakes to lose his team the game. The biggest thing the Falcons have going for them though is momentum. They're on a 6 game winning streak and could very will finish the season without losing again, their toughest game being against New Orleans who they beat at NO already.
I don't know what it is about Joe Flacco or Matt Ryan. Something about me doesn't inspire me to jump on their bandwagon. The Packers are going to have to play their asses, noses, tails, dicks, fingers, arms, legs, torsos, and anything else they have off to win these games without a running back. It's going to be tough. I talked to a guy from STL who was talking about once the Rams getting into the Playoffs they're taking off because Sam Bradford is the second coming of Christ. I asked him if he was good enough to throw and catch his own passes because I have no idea who their receivers are. He stopped talking to me.
So Urban Meyer steps down from Florida the same week Denver canned McDaniels. Imagine that shit. Posted to the college thread too. Because it works.
Ryan is far from an "average" QB. Average QB's lose the games he's won, including the shootouts with the Saints, who we beat at home (suck it Hartley), Packers and Ravens, the man is 19-1 at home, the only QB in the league better at home is Tom Brady.
I think Sunday will be the game where the Bears come back down to Earth. They just aren't that good, and have caught way too many breaks to their 9-3 record. A defeat to the Patriots will be the beginning of a four-game losing streak.