Wow. What a great, wacky, fun, insane, and ultimately apropos Championship weekend. Manning was Manning. Garcon raised the Haitian flag in support of his family who still lives there. Favre threw a back breaking INT to set up OT. A picture perfect kick sailed through the up rights to win the NFC Championship game. A jubilant Saints owner made a speech that is still trying to be deciphered. I could spend several days trying to break down the Xs and Os of either games but it comes down great QBs beat great Ds and stupid turnovers are hard to overcome. Its really a simple game. Not an easy one but a simple one.
My own comment was about how classy the Saints were about Deuce McCallister. For those that didn't know, Deuce was brought back for the playoffs. Not to play but to be a part of the team who he gave so much for. It was a classy karma inducing move and I couldn't have been happier when he was there on the podium to salute the Saint's fans.
NBA
As we near the NBA trade deadline two of the more intriguing teams (for me) are Utah and Ok City. Utah has a player they simply don't want for the long term (Boozer) but are playing fairly well at the moment (they are #2 in Hollinger's weird rankings). Do they pull the trigger anyways? Do they only do it if it's the right deal? Inquiring minds and all....
On the buyer side of the ledger are the ex-Supersonics. Kevin Durant has grown from a scorer to an efficient scorer to all around Superstar. I'm more than happy to argue all that seperates Durant from MVP consideration are wins and all that seperates Ok City from serious contender is a capable big man. Ok City has the cap space...do they open their wallets and push themselves from playoff fodder to dangerous team nobody wants to play?
College
Look I've never seen Urban Meyer's health records (at least that I can legally divulge over the internet), I've never examined him, etc so it's probably not in my realm of expertise to figure what Meyer's should or should not do. However the situations seems to fluid... of retiring, to staying out indefinitely, to staying out until Fall, to only recruiting, to recruiting and coaching spring ball. Meyers seems to be mimicking a boxer who convinces himself he can take the punishment. Whether coincidental or not, Meyer's weird escapades has not negatively affected recruiting. In fact not only is the Gator's recruiting class best in the nation but it is one of the best in the last 10 years. Personally I wouldn't want to play for someone that might drop dead at any second but I suppose that's starting to show why I don't get this generation of kids.
Amanda Beard
I really don't have anything clever other than she's needed for Mondays
9 comments:
1) I couldn't be happier about the Colts beating the Jets. I normally don't spend much time thinking about the Jets but their new coach is so outrageously arrogant and has rubbed off on his players so much that it became unbearable here in New York. Literaly every five seconds people were talking about another Jets player and their trash-talking bravado. It was just so gratifying seeing the so-called best D in football getting lit up like a Christmas tree by Peyton Manning. Fuck the Jets and their 7000-calorie consuming fat fucker of a coach.
1a) Mark Sanchez is already better than Eli Manning. Although I don't like the Jets, I find it hard not to like "The Sanchize." The Giants are fucked long-term as long as Eli is their QB but the Jets really do have hope for the first time in their franchise's history. Mark Sanchez is going to end up being the best QB in New York history, and that includes both teams.
2) I couldn't be happier about the Saints beating the Vikings. Brett Favre finally got what he deserved. Additionally, I enjoyed watching Adrian Peterson's career continue to go into the toilet as one of the most overrated and unreliable feature RB's in football. How many more times can a player fumble in a big game?
2a) The Saints were lucky to win that game. They're a good team, by no means a great team, and could possibly win the Super Bowl against a lesser opponent. I don't see how a team that played like that yesterday can beat the Colts.
3) I hate Kevin Durant on principle. It's nothing he's done and it's not even his fault. I just hate hype before it's earned and deserved. Until he carries his team somewhere and until he starts playing a little defense, Durant can go fuck himself. No offense, Kevin, I'm sure you're a great guy. I just hate you until further notice.
4) Amanda Beard and Gabrielle Reece are the two hottest female athletes of all time, in my opinion. You can never go wrong if they're your featured girl of the week.
Although I don't specifically dislike Rex Ryan, he is a bit annoying - and in any event, I was rooting for Indy more because I don't like when only slightly above-average teams make the Super Bowl. In fairness, the Jets played pretty damn well in the playoffs - but if they don't draw the "resting versions" of Indy and Cincy in Weeks 16 and 17, they probably don't even make the postseason. That's not the measure of a Super Bowl team, and thus I couldn't support NYJ. So kudos to Indy for gettin' 'er done.
Kinda ironic that Favre tossed that key INT, eh? It's unfair to blame that one play for the loss - but nevertheless it sure felt good to watch it happen.
And MJ is absolutely right, the Saints didn't look last night like a team that can beat Indy. Were it not for the Vikings' turnovers, the game wouldn't have been close. Peyton Manning won't make those mistakes (can we talk about that pass before the end of the 1st half to Collie down the middle of the field? Unreal).
1) hooray for Deuce! I'm glad he gets to be a part of this in some way.
2) I tend to think Utah throws in the towel and does trade Boozer, b/c even though they are playing well, even if they somehow got to the conference finals, Boozer and utah would be no match for the bigs on the lakers.
3) I think OKCity acquires a big-man only if it's perfect fit (i.e. still relatively young). Otherwise, they will be buyers this summer, because they only have $40 mill on next year's team.
4) Amanda Bear is sensational!
5) Mark Sanchez is NOT going to be the best QB in the history of both NY franchises. That's a tall order, and would assume he wins super bowls. I'm not prepared to make that prediction at all.
6) The Saints did not play great, but in the end, they "forced" enough fumbles to win the game! I love how Favre ended with an INT! Love it!
7) Durant has been better at defense this year. The OkCity team is in the top-5 or top-10 as a team. It's only his 3rd year... and just like LeBron, he hasn't been to the playoffs his 1st two years, but that will change soon.
"Mark Sanchez is NOT going to be the best QB in the history of both NY franchises. That's a tall order, and would assume he wins super bowls. I'm not prepared to make that prediction at all."
Gutsy, I'm curious to hear who you would have int he list of best NY QB's.
Other than Joe Namath -- currently, the best QB to ever play in NY -- the other two Hall of Famers are Y.A. Tittle and Fran Tarketon, both of whom earnd their Hall of Fame credentials in other cities. Phil Simms would be the runner-up but, apart from Super Bowl XXI, was a solid but unspectacular starting QB in the NFL.
The bar is set low enough that Sanchez will clearly be the best QB in NYC history as long as he plays long enough (which seems likely, given his talent).
If Super Bowls were the only thing that mattered, Dan Marino would suck.
I didn't mean to say super bowls are the only thing to judge him on.... i just find it hard to extrapolate that Sanchez will become better than Simms, Namath, Tittle, and Tarkenton, based on a rookie year. Almost all rookies stink, and to be honest, he stunk too with an up and down season including lots of INTs. After next season, would I be able to even say that he's grown enough to be thought of as one of the best in NYC. So far he's really only been "managing" the game, so my opinion is that he's not going to be the best NY QB ever. After next season, it will be easier to make such a determination, but then again, you still have to extrapolate a great deal.
If we extrapolate from a player's first year, then I believe Chad Pennington would be the greatest NY QB of all time!
But Pennington didn't have the raw tools that Sanchez has. I'm making my prediction based on what I saw as well as his projectability as a future player. He's got a big arm, he's accurate, he's mobile and he's a good leader whose teammates like and trust him. He's got all the ingredients there, it's just a matter of him playing long enough and up to his potential.
Pennington never had a strong arm for those downfield throws. Simms was never mobile enough. Tittle/Tarkenton made their names in other cities. Right now it's Joe Namath but if Sanchez plays 10 years at the level I expect, he'll certainly surpass Joe Willie.
Eli doesn't have a prayer.
You should make a mock-movie titled the "Book of Eli!"
It's a bold prediction that you've made, I'm curious to see what happens in year 2.
I'm happy to stand by my prediction. As I've said, the bar is set very low, as NYC hasn't had exemplary QB play despite having two franchises for over 40 years.
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