Sunday, November 29, 2009

Sunday in a Nutshell: Week 12

More football!! Here are the games to watch on Sunday:
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Morning Games:
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INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT HOUSTON TEXANS:
This is a good division rivalry (now you know what this means! I'm so proud) with two very exciting offenses. Of course, we are also watching this game to see if Payton Manning and his ponies can remain undefeated. Houston has lost their last two games in the last minute so they are hoping that they might be able to hold onto a win going into the end of the game. Unfortunately they are playing on of the best QBs of all time. Payton seems to thrive under pressure and plays better when his team is behind in the game (example: look at the Colts last minute win against the Patriots two weeks ago). Payton Manning has been the MVP of the League 3 times and he is looking like he might make this season number 4. WR Reggie Wayne is playing fantastic football and is one of the top receivers in the league yet again. For the Texans, QB Matt Schaub is still playing great and hoping to stay healthy for the entire season for the first time in his career. His wide receiver All Pro Andre Johnson hopes he stays healthy as well. Johnson is having a fantastic season and will undoubtedly be selected to the Pro Bowl this season. This should be a high scoring game but I have a feeling the Colts will win another one and remain undefeated.
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Afternoon Games:
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ARIZONA CARDINALS AT TENNESSEE TITANS:
This is an interesting matchup between Arizona (NFC West) and Tennessee (AFC South). The Cardinals are sitting comfortably at the top of the NFC West standings. However, they cannot slow down and take it easy on a Tennessee team that is at the bottom of the AFC south division with a record of 4-6 because the Titans have won 4 straight games because of the arm and legs of QB Vince Young. Titans RB Chris Johnson is hoping to continue his campaign of rushing for 2000 yards this week so watch for him to break some big runs against the Cardinals defense. For Arizona, "Old Man" QB Kurt Warner will make his 42nd straight start this Sunday--this is good since Warner has been called fragile in the past and has been suffering from concussion like symptoms since last Sunday. WR Larry Fitzgerald is playing great football and does not seem to be suffering from the Madden curse at all. This should be another high scoring big play type of game.
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Sunday Night:
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PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS:

Both of these teams need to win to keep pace with the division leading Cincinnati Bengals. This might be a low scoring game as both of these teams boast incredibly tough and stingy defenses. But, both offenses have some serious weapons as well. Baltimore RB Ray Rice is leading the Ravens in rushing yards and passes caught for the season. He is an explosive 2nd year "back" and has the ability to break out huge plays for the Ravens offense. Pittsburgh, of course, has QB Big Ben Roethlisburger who is one of the toughest QBs in the league. Big Ben suffered a concussion in overtime in last Sundays loss to the Chiefs but he appears to be ok and ready to play on Sunday night. 2nd year RB Rashard Mendenhall has taken over and kept the starting job and is playing very well. Pittsburgh also has a bunch of receiving threats led by the always smiling Hines Ward. Seriously, watch next time--Hines Ward is literally always smiling. He loves playing football and one of his favorite things to do is knock a defensive player on his ass. This is going to be a game with much fighting and hard hitting. It will be another great primetime game but don’t expect too much scoring, instead expect to watch two of the best defenses in the league.
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Monday Night:
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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS:
This is definitely the game of the week! The Saints are still undefeated but will have a tough time beating Tom Brady and his New England Patriots. The Patriots are the only team to ever go 16-0 in a regular season (1972 Miami Dolphins did it but it was a 14 game season back then) and want to remain that way in the record books. Saints QB Drew Brees wants to continue his campaign for league MVP this year. He has thrown 22 TDs and only 9 interceptions this season. We’ll look for Saints RB Reggie Bush (so are he and Kim back together, or what?) to make some dynamic plays this week as well. For the Patriots, QB Tom Brady is playing at an incredibly high level at this point in the season. He has thrown 20 TDs and only 6 interceptions. His two main WRs, Randy Moss and Wes Welker, are both having pro bowl seasons. These are two division leading teams that want to keep winning at this point in the season. This will be a game with a lot of passing involved with two of the best QBs in the league facing eachother.

Next week....The DEFENSE. 

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving Day Recap!

So as you were cooking, visiting, eating, drinking and relaxing yesterday, here's what was going on on that TV behind you. :)


GREEN BAY PACKERS AT DETROIT LIONS:
Even though the Lions play every Thanksgiving it isn’t like watching the Lions in the 90's where you got to watch RB Barry Sanders make incredible runs with an entire defense chasing him. These Lions are far less exciting……but it IS Thanksgiving and it’s just a great time to watch football, period. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers had another good game on Thursday. He passed for 300+ yards and 3 TDs. The majority of the yards went to WR Donald Driver who had 7 catches for 142 yards and a TD. The Packers won the game easily 34-12. Lions QB Matthew Stafford (the #1overall pick in this years draft) had 4 interceptions (remember the rule that the more interceptions or turnovers a team has makes the team more likely to lose). The Packers are now on a roll with a record of 7-4 and look like they have a good chance of making the playoffs.

OAKLAND RAIDERS AT DALLAS COWBOYS:
The Raiders looked great last week in their win against Cincinnati so everyone was thinking they had a good chance of beating the Cowboys on Thursday but leave it to the Raiders to NOT play like they did last week. The Raiders only scored 7 points to the 24 that Dallas scored. After QB Jamarcus Russell was benched before last weeks game everybody thought that Bruce Gradkowski was the savior. However, he showed everybody on Thursday that there is no savior for the Raiders this season. The Cowboys played a good game on the other side. QB Tony Romo (Jessica's ex) had a good game passing for 300+ yards and 2 TDs. WR Miles Austin caught seven passes for 145 yards and 1 TD and TE Jason Witten caught 5 passes for 107 yards. The Cowboys added to their NFC East division leading record now 8-3, with the New York Giants loss to Denver they only need to worry about the Eagles competing for the top spot in the division.

NEW YORK GIANTS AT DENVER BRONCOS:
What has happened to the New York Giants? After winning their first 6 games they have now lost 5 in a row. They were only able to score 2 field goals and 0 TDs. The Denver Broncos' defense held the Giants' running game to 57 yards rushing between 3 players (not good at all!) The Broncos didn’t need much offense to win and Rookie RB Knowshon Moreno carried the team on 88 yards rushing and 1 TD. Injured QB Kyle Orton threw for 245 yards and a TD. We all hoped this game would be exciting with two teams at 6-4 playing eachother but the New York Giants did not show up this Thanksgiving. The Broncos are still keeping their playoff hopes alive and are hoping for a San Diego Charger loss on Sunday to be tied for 1st place in the AFC West division.

Week 11: What Happened?

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Here is the recap for the week. I'll have the summary of yesterday's games up soon. Enjoy the holiday weekend!
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Morning Games:

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INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS:
Well, Payton Manning and the Colts remain undefeated after Sunday beating the Ravens 17-15. The Colts held the Ravens to 5 field goals and no touchdowns. The Colts still have a tough road ahead of them if they want to remain undefeated this season. They have to play the Houston Texan's strong offense on Sunday which should be a good AFC South Division matchup. The Colts have already solidified a playoff spot but only two other teams in league history have gone undefeated the whole season. The 1972 Miami Dolphins went undefeated in a 14 game schedule and won the Superbowl and the New England Patriots went undefeated two seasons ago but lost the Superbowl. (poor Tom Brady) With the way Payton and his Colts are playing there is a very good chance we might see another undefeated team this season.

What to say to a dude: 

"Did you see that fumble that Ravens defensive players Ed Reed and Ray Lewis caused? I wouldn’t want to be hit be one of them but it must have been ridiculously painful to be hit by both of them."

ATLANTA FALCONS AT NEW YORK GIANTS:
The Giants fought their little hearts out and won in overtime 34-31. The Giants were up 31-17 in the fourth quarter and Atlanta QB Matt Ryan threw two TD passes to tie up the game. Atlanta RB Jason Snelling, replacing All Pro RB Michael Turner, had two TDs in the game but the effort wasn’t quite enough. Eli Manning threw 3 TDs, two of which went to TE Kevin Boss (great name, right?) The Giants are still trying to get back on track after losing 4 games in a row and this exciting win should help them get some momentum going forward. Unfortunately they have a short week of rest and will be playing the Denver Broncos on Thanksgiving. The Atlanta Falcons don’t have much of a chance catching up to their division leaders, the undefeated Drew Brees and his New Orleans Saints, so they will be playing for a wildcard spot, a spot that will be hard to secure if they lose anymore games.

What to say to a dude: 

"The Giants and Eagles are 6-4 and the Cowboys are 7-3 in the NFC East Division, who do you think is the best team in the division? Who’s going to win the division?" 
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Afternoon Games:
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NEW YORK JETS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS:
In their first meeting this season both teams were playing completely different football, the Jets were playing great and the Patriots were playing terrible. Now the roles are reversed. The Patriots are coasting through the AFC East Division and the Jets are falling to the bottom of the division. Patriots WR Randy Moss was covered by cornerback Darrelle Revis so another WR, Wes Welker, had to step up and make plays. Welker had 15 catches for 192 yards, a monster game. On the other side of the football Rookie QB Mark Sanchez had 4 interceptions….not good at all. The Jets are now 4-6 after their great start and any more losses will pretty much put them out of playoff contention.

What to say to a dude: 

"Wes Welker is probably the best possession receiver in the league and Randy Moss is one of the best threats in the league. Tom Brady has the best of both worlds….plus he got to knock up Giselle." 

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS AT DENVER BRONCOS:
Well this game was not what it was supposed to be. The Chargers lost to the Broncos in the first meeting this season but they’ve won 5 straight since then. The Broncos started the season 6-0 but have now lost 4 straight games. The Broncos looked awful against the Chargers, only scoring 3 points the whole game. The Chargers didn’t need much offensive production to win this game and their kicker, Nate Kaeding, kicked 4 field goals in this game. The Chargers have solidified their place at the top of the AFC West division and the Broncos need a win against the New York Giants on Thanksgiving to stay close and keep their playoff hopes alive.

What to say to a dude:
 

"The Broncos were hot before their bye week winning six straight games. After the bye week they have lost 4 straight….they must have lost their momentum with the week off."
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Sunday Night:

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PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT CHICAGO BEARS:
Jay Cutler
and the Chicago Bears have lost another game. This team had such high hopes for the season but they are almost out of playoff contention these days. RB Matt Forte has had an incredibly disappointing season after such a great rookie campaign last year (he was drafted in the top 5 in most fantasy leagues) QB Donovan McNabb had help from rookie RB LeSean McCoy who was replacing Brian Westbrook who was benched after suffering his second concussion last week. WR Desean Jackson made some big plays as well to help the Eagles win. The Eagles need to keep winning to keep pace in the tough NFC East Division as the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys are all fighting for the top spot in the division.

What to say to a dude: 

"Jay Cutler needs a big play wide receiver. He has too many young receivers who drop passes, the Bears need to go after a free agent wide reciever that will help Cutler win some games."
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Monday Night:
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TENNESSEE TITANS AT HOUSTON TEXANS:
QB Vince Young and his Titans have won their 4th straight game after losing their first 6 games of the season. This was a hard fought game on both sides of the football. Texans QB Matt Schaub had another game of passing for over 300 yards and All Pro WR Andre Johnson made some big catches for him. Titans RB Chris Johnson ran for over 150 yards but wasn’t able to break any huge runs like we are used to seeing. He is still on pace for close to a 2000 yard season (a feat done by only 5 other Running Backs) Both of these teams deserved to win but in the end it was the team (Titans) who’s kicker made the field goal to win the game. Texans kicker Kris Brown (no, not Rhianna's ex) missed 2 clutch field goals this game.

What to say to a dude: 

"The only players to rush (run) for over 2000 yards in a season are : OJ Simpson, Erik Dickerson, Terrell Davis, Barry Sanders and Jamal Lewis. OJ did it when the season was only 14 games long, not 16 so he is in a class all by himself."

Other notes around the league:
- The Raiders upset the Bengals and won the game 20-17 behind QB Brad Gradkowski after the Raiders benched Jamarcus Russell.

- The Kansas City Chiefs upset the defending superbowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime winning the game 27-24.

- The New Orleans Saints remain undefeated after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-7

- Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings won again, they are now 9-1. Favre threw 4 TD passes.

- San Francisco 49er's WR Michael Crabtree caught his first TD pass this week!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Sunday in a Nutshell: Week 11

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Morning Games:
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INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS:
Payton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts look to continue their undefeated season in Baltimore this week. Indianapolis has not lost a regular season game since Oct 27th 2008--that is an 18 game regular season winning streak, just three games shy of the record held by their arch enemy the New England Patriots. The Ravens want a win to keep pace with division leading Cincinnati Bengals. Look for Ravens RB Ray Rice (wow, such alliteration) to have a big day against the Colts defense. These two teams are not in the same division but there is a rivalry here since the Colts moved to Indianapolis from Baltimore. Remember our division talk? I have a feeling the Colts will stay undefeated after this weekend--Payton Manning is usually a safe bet. We know that now. 

ATLANTA FALCONS AT NEW YORK GIANTS:
Both of these teams have a 5-4 record (meaning 5 wins, 4 losses) and need a win to stay in the playoff race. The New York Giants started the season 5-0 but have lost their last 4 games. Way to be consistent, guys. This is "gut check time" (apparently meaning that it's time to look deep inside yourself in order to see if you have the guts to step it up a notch--or so I've been told) for Eli Manning and his New York Giants. The Falcons will have a tough time getting a win with RB Michael Turner on the sideline with an injury. RB Jason Snelling and Jerious Norwood will try to replace this elite running back. On the Giants' side look for RB Brandon Jacobs, who has had a disappointing season so far, to have a big game on Sunday. This game will probably have as many highlights as Ryan Seacrest's hair. 
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Afternoon Games:
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NEW YORK JETS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS:
After that devastating last minute loss to the Colts last Sunday the Patriots want to bounce back with a win against their division rivals, the New York Jets. The Jets beat New England in Week 2 but New England is playing great football these days and the Jets are sputtering. No pun intended. Jets Head Coach and super villain Rex Ryan is trying any method possible to motivate his team, even shedding a few tears during a press conference. Sigh. He still has faith in his Rookie QB Mark Sanchez and his young and tough defense (and if we're going based on looks, I have faith in him, too). This will be a challenge for the Jets but they have stunned the Patriots before so lets see if they can do it again.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS AT DENVER BRONCOS:
Both of these teams are 6-3 and tied for 1st place in the AFC West. Denver beat the chargers in week 6 by a score of 34-23 but the Chargers have not lost a game since. The Chargers are playing great football and the Broncos are getting worried especially with their quarterback Kyle Orton having to leave the game last week with an injury and being questionable this week to play. If Orton doesn’t play back up, QB Chris Simms (son of Football Great Phil Simms) will get the start. Even though this game is in Denver, the Broncos will have a tough time beating the smokin' hot Chargers.
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Sunday Night:
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PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT CHICAGO BEARS:
The Eagles are one game behind the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East division so they want a win to catch up. They will have to get this victory without All Pro RB Brian Westbrook who suffered his second concussion in the last 3 weeks against the Chargers last week. OUCH. QB Donovan McNabb will have to win this game with his arm this week for the Eagles. Look for WR Desean Jackson to make some big plays for the Eagles. On the other side the Chicago Bears are having a disappointing season. QB Gay Butler…ahem…Jay Cutler is the leading player in the league with 17 interceptions. (this is not a good category to lead the league in--kind of like having a high golf score. Not good.). Second year RB Matt Forte is having a disappointing season as well. If the Bears get a win they are not yet out of the runnings for the playoffs. This game doesn’t look that great on paper but just about every Sunday night game has been great and I don’t think this one will be any different.
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Monday Night:
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TENNESEE TITANS AT HOUSTON TEXANS:
This game doesn’t look too good on paper either. The Texans are 5-4 and the Titans are just 3-6…BUT this is going to be a good game. Both of these teams have big playmakers that should make some big plays on Monday night. Texans QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson should make some big plays down the field against a soft Titans defense. On the other side Titans RB Chris Johnson wants to have another big game and add to his league leading rushing yard total. He said that if he breaks 2000 yards this season (a total that only 5 players have done in a season) he would buy his offensive linemen a Mercedes each. The Titans are on a 3 game win streak and need to win the next seven games to have a shot at the playoffs. The Texans don’t have much of a chance to win their division as the Colts are up 4 games on them with 7 left so their hope is for a wildcard spot. This should be a Monday night game with some huge plays.

Stay tuned for some Defensive positions explained on Monday and this week's recap on Tuesday. Until next time...

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Week 10: What Happened?

Hi everyone! How are we all doing today? Ready for some football recap? Of course you are...
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Morning Games:
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CINCINNATI BENGALS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS:
The Bengals have beaten the Steelers for the second time this season, sweeping the season series for the first time since 1998. The Steelers won 10 straight games at home until the Bengals came in and beat them, holding the Steelers to just 4 field goals. There weren’t many big plays on offense but both defenses played tough. The Bengals have Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions coming up so expect them to get a few more victories for their record. The Bengals are playing great football these days and the Steelers need to keep winning to keep up with them.


NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT ST. LOUIS RAMS:
Well the Saints stay undefeated but they barely beat the Rams winning the game 28-23. Kim Kardashian's boyfriend Reggie Bush (insert Khloe joke here if necessary) scored one rushing TD and one receiving TD. Rams RB Steven Jackson is the only person who seems to be playing hard on the Rams these days. He carried the ball 26 times for 131 yards and a TD. The Rams are an awful 1-9 but Jackson is in the top 10 in rushing yards for the season. I’m guessing he’ll want to be traded soon. New Orleans QB Drew Brees had a decent day but threw 2 interceptions. The Saints stay undefeated but they need to play better if they want to stay undefeated.
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None of the afternoon games were very exciting so we will skip to the Night game, the Game of the Year:
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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS:
This was the best game of the year. It will go down in history, not only because Colts QB Payton Manning beat Patriots QB Tom Brady for the fifth time in the last six times these teams have met, not because the Colts stay undefeated, not because since 2003 the regular season winner of this matchup has gone on to win the AFC title 4 times and the superbowl 3 times, but because Patriots coach Bill Belichick made a risky call at the end of the game that cost them the win. The Patriots were up by 6 points with 2 minutes left and had 4th down and 2 yards to go. The standard procedure would be to punt the ball to give the colts a longer field to score but Belichick went for it on 4th down and they failed to convert. This gave the Colts and Payton Manning a little under 2 minutes to go less than 30 yards and score, and score they did. This is the play that will be remembered but the entire game was GREAT!!!!!!! The Colts trailed by 17 points in the 4th quarter and it looked like the Pats had the victory but we now know to NEVER count Payton Manning out of a game. The Colts scored 21 points in the 4th quarter and won the game 35-34 keeping their undefeated season alive. Payton Manning threw for 327 yards, 4 TDs and 2 interceptions. On the other side Tom Brady threw for 375 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception. There were also two of the top WRs in this game and they definitely did not disappoint us. Pats WR Randy Moss had 9 catches for 179 yards and 2 TDs. Moss became the 7th player in NFL History to catch for 14,000 yards putting him on the list with the likes of Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. He also became the 11th player in NFL history to catch 900 balls in his career and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down. On the other side colts WR Reggie Wayne had 10 catches totaling 126 yards and 2 TDs the second of which was the game winning TD. There were so many highlights to this game that it’s tough to put them all into one paragraph but as I said before this was the best game of the year, if not the best game in the last couple of years. Yet another GREAT primetime Sunday night game.
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Other news around the league:
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-The Minnesota Vikings won again giving them a record of 8-1. Brett Favre passed for 300+yards most of which went to WR Sidney Rice who had over 200 yards receiving (big game for a WR). "All Day" Adrian Peterson had another great game--133 yards rushing and 2 TDs.

-Jacksonville Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew stopped at the 1 yard line instead of going into the endzone so they could run the clock down to 1 second before kicking the game winning field goal. He apologized to fantasy owners.

- Tennessee Titans won their 3rd game in a row being carried by the leagues leading rusher, Chris Johnson, who had 100+yards rushing and 2 TDs along with 9 catches and 100 yards receiving. Needless to say he is the only thing holding this team together

-The Denver Broncos who were once one of the undefeated teams in the league lost to the terrible Washington Redskins. The Broncos need to pull it together if they want to win the AFC West division as San Diego is now tied at 6-3 with them

Until next time....next up: DEFENSE.

Monday, November 9, 2009

{AFC + NFC = NFL} and other random musings

Ok, so it's finally time to decode these mysterious acronyms that plague our Sunday watching festivities. AFC West? AFC North? WFC (Who Effing Cares) South? Ok, so I made that last one up, but you know what I'm talking about.

Basically, think back to college (or high school, or even middle school for that matter). When the football team at your school played the regular season, they pretty much played the same local schools--sometimes several times. At the end of the season, if they did well, they advanced to the regional finals or something like that. And so on, and so on. This is basically how the NFL works.

A tad bit of history as to how this all came to be.... 
The NFL (National Football League) was founded in 1922. The sport really gained popularity and took off in 1925. In 1933, the NFL split into two divisions: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. (Ok, so it was East vs. West. Got it?)

Then in 1960, another division called the American Football League (AFL) was formed. The AFL and the NFL now competed against each other. Ok. No more East vs. West (that would be too easy). Now fast forward to 1970 when the two leagues merge into one league--keeping the name "NFL" and essentially dividing into 2 conferences. So now, the NFL consists of the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC).

These conferences (NFC and AFC) are both split up into four divisions: North, South, East and West. This means there is an NFC North, NFC South, NFC East and NFC West as well as an AFC North, AFC South, AFC East and AFC West. There are four teams in each division. Do the math and you come up with....32 teams total!

So, now it's no longer really East vs. West or any sense-making model like that. It's kinda like McDonald's and Burger King. Both places are all over the country. During the playoffs all of the best McDonald's play each other and all of the best Burger King's play each other. The best McDonald's then plays the best Burger King to see who will win the title of best burger in the National Fast food League. You know what I mean. 

Ok, I've put together a chart listing all of the different teams and where they are in regards to their division.


So why do we need to know all of this, you ask? Well, we learn a couple of things--first, we can see how seemingly unrelated cities have rivalries. For instance you may wonder why the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams have such a heated rivalry when they aren't even near each other? Well, they are both in the AFC West division. (To be fair, the Rams used to be in Los Angeles so it makes a little more sense.)

And second, we learn that this is not the "Football Olympics" meaning that the Superbowl will showcase the BEST two teams in the NFL for that season. It hopefully will, but the best team could have been knocked out a few rounds before. And say the two best teams happen to be in the AFC--then it's actually impossible for that rivalry to go down in the Superbowl. Allow me to explain. 

The road to the Superbowl begins this way: The team with the BEST RECORD during the regular season advances to the PLAYOFFS. In other words, there are no "special" games to determine who's in and who's out--it's just who's played the best (enter all those pesky stats that we all hate). Now, because this isn't always the most fair (there could be two amazing, undefeated teams on the AFC West for instance and one mediocre team on the AFC East) each season, two WILD CARD teams are selected. They are the two teams who have the best record in the whole conference (AFC or NFC) behind the four teams already chosen. So, six teams from one conference move on to the playoffs. And with six teams on the other side, that makes 12 total teams in the playoffs.

The playoffs are "sudden death" (kinda like college basketball's "March Madness") meaning once you lose, you are out of the running. So now you know why you always hear things like, "This Superbowl will be so lame...the best game already happened in week 2 of the playoffs."

This is when I stopped looking at football as the "Olympics of football" and started to see it for what it really is--unabashed capitalism at its finest! There's nothing really wrong with this, of course. I guess it just kind of ruined the illusion for me. When I actually started looking in to it and thinking, "Well, who decides who will play who? and where will the home games be? and how come some teams play each other 3 times a season and some not at all? where is the fairness in that?" (Yes, I tend to question in run-on sentences) I came to some startling "Chick" conclusions. They are presented below:

1. If a team has lots and lots of money, it can buy the best players.
2. To be fair, a "draft" system is used.
3. The owner of a team can really be any schmo who has millions and millions of dollars and wants the ultimate ego boost and supreme control over his own group of mega-athletes. They will be the team of his dreams--his fantasies. His.........own.........................wait.................................. fantasy football team???

Did I just come to the conclusion that the NFL is actually not much more than ONE BIG GIANT HIGH-STAKES GAME OF FANTASY FOOTBALL?????
Only instead of barbies, these are real people and you use real money?????
Yes, I think I did. And now, it's really a soap opera. 

Oh, and PS- if you really want to know how games are scheduled, I found this for you:
Quoted from CBS Sportsline press release May 2001
"...the new scheduling format, under which every team will meet every other at least once in four years. There will be six home-and-home divisional games; four against teams in another division within a conference; and four more against a division in the other conference on a rotating basis. The final two games will be against conference teams based on the previous year's standings--first against first, second against second, and so on."

 And yes, I'm sorry I asked too. Until next time!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Sunday In a Nutshell: Week 9!

Good morning, all! Are we ready for today's games? First of all, I have to share a recipe with you all that I made last night from the pages of my favorite magazine, Sunset. It's called "Shot and a Beer Pork Stew" and it braises for 3 hours. PERFECT for a Sunday game day. Yummy. The pork ends up falling-apart-tender and the tequila and Tecate really make the flavor rich. Click here for the recipe.

Aside from that, let's get down to it! Here are the games to watch:
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Morning Games:
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BALTIMORE RAVENS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS:
In football terms these teams are bitter rivals that are fighting for the top spot in their division so they're going to play as hard as possible. Baltimore is coming off of a strong win against the formerly undefeated Broncos and Cincinnati is coming off of a week off after destroying the Chicago Bears two weeks ago. These teams really can't stand each other (like Kristen and Audrina on The Hills) so we should expect some fighting and smack talking between the players--always a good time. Keep an eye on Bengals RB Cedric Benson who is having the best season of his career. We also want to watch Bengals WR Chad "I felt the need to change my last name letters into last name numbers" Ochocinco who is playing well and loves to talk trash to the Ravens defense. This will be a great game to watch in the morning.
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HOUSTON TEXANS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS:
The Colts are still undefeated and QB Payton Manning is having an MVP-esque season. However, the extremely well-playing Houston Texans--lead by QB Matt Schaub who is having a Pro Bowl season himself--will be a challenge. Texans WR Andre Johnson (possibly the best Wide Reciever in the league--a supermodel, remember?) needs to have a big game to give the Texans any chance of winning. On the Colts, WR Reggie Wayne (another of the best receivers in the league) also must make some plays for his QB to give the Colts a shot at staying undefeated. This game will be FULL of highlights and big plays. Expect this to be a high scoring game.
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Afternoon Games:
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SAN DIEGO CHARGERS AT NEW YORK GIANTS:
So, Giants QB Eli Manning was drafted to the Chargers but refused to sign with them (hmmm, he sounds lilke a diva, no?) so the Giants traded their top draft pick QB Phillip Rivers to the Chargers for Eli. Eli has gone on to win a Superbowl with the Giants but Phillip Rivers has been a top tier QB for the Chargers. Both of these QBs will want the win to show the other team what they missed out on. (Mine is better....no, MINE is better! Remember the barbies!! Everyone thinks they have the best team possible.) The Giants have lost 3 in a row after winning their first 5. They need a win to bounce back. The Chargers are looking to catch up on their division leading Broncos with a win this weekend. Another great game to watch.
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Night Game:
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DALLAS COWBOYS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES:
It seems that all injuries on both sides have been healed so every star will be out to shine on Sunday night. QBs Tony Romo (Dallas) and Donovan McNabb (Philly) will be in the spotlight but look for Dallas players WR Miles Austin and RB Marion Barber along with Eagles players WR Desean Jackson and RB Brian Westbrook to be making highlights as well. This will be yet another GREAT primetime NFL game this season.
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Monday Night:
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PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT DENVER BRONCOS:
The Broncos had their first loss of the season last week when they were manhandled by the Ravens Defense. Manhandled. Ouch. Now they have to face another incredibly tough Pittsburgh Steelers Defense. The Steelers are coming off of a bye week so they have had time to lick their wounds and are ready to play a tough second half of the season. Look for newly appointed starter Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall to have a big game to prove to everyone that he deserves to be the starting running back. Denver Broncos WR Brandon Marshall had a BAD game against the Ravens so look for him to come back and have a solid game against the Steelers. Remember the Steelers are the defending Superbowl champs so they are always coming in as the favorites.


Ok, look for lots of extra entries this week. Chick 101 is getting down to business!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Week 8: What Happened?

 I know, I know....the blog is a little late this week. But--I have a good excuse, I swear! I had the opportunity to appear alongside some fabulous women in the TV show, "Desperate Housewives"--which is funny because that's exactly how I feel sometimes...desperate for sleep, anyway. So, you can watch for us on the final episode before the holidays--we're in Santa hats in a choir. Either the first or second week in December. Stay tuned!

And finally, what you've all been waiting for...what the @#$$% happened in last week's games? Just a quick summary this time as it's almost time for this week's games! And, as always, "What to say to a Dude." Enjoy.
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Morning Games: (Winners in PINK)

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DENVER BRONCOS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS:

Denver is no longer undefeated after suffering a lopsided loss to Baltimore. Baltimore let the Broncos score only 7 points (1 TD and extra point) and that didn’t happen until the 3rd quarter. Other than Baltimore's RB, Ray Rice the player with the best day was Baltimore kicker Steven Hauschka who had 3 field goals and 3 extra points.

What to say to a dude:
"Do you think the Broncos are a fluke this year going undefeated this deep into the season?"

"The Ravens defense really exploited the Broncos offensive weaknesses."
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MIAMI DOLPHINS AT NEW YORK JETS:
The Dolphins beat division rivals, the New York Jets for the second time this year. Jets QB Mark Sanchez threw for 2 TDs and rushed for 1 TD but it wasn’t enough to beat the Dolphins. Both of these teams cannot afford to lose anymore games to keep pace with the New England Patriots who play the Dolphins next Sunday while the Jets have a much needed week off.

What to say to a dude:
"After winning there first 3 games the Jets have only won 1 game and lost 4. Maybe it’s time for Rex Ryan to change his game plan a bit."
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Afternoon Games:
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MINNESOTA VIKINGS VS. GREEN BAY PACKERS:
Brett Favre beat his old team for the second time this season, this time was at his former home stadium, Lambeau Field. Favre threw 4 TD passes and "All Day" Adrian Peterson had 1 rushing TD. The game was a blowout in the first half with Green Bay only scoring 3 points. Brett Favre and the Vikings are now 7-1 and have a few easy games ahead versus the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks so it looks like the Vikings are solidifying a sure spot in the playoffs.

What to say to a dude:
"Brett Favre has sure proven that he is still one of the best QBs in the league."

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Monday Night:
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ATLANTA FALCONS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS:
The Saints are still undefeated! The only other team that hasn’t lost are the Colts and it looks like Saints QB Drew Brees and Colts QB Payton Manning are fighting for the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the NFL. Brees had another good game with 300+ yards passing and 2 TDs. Falcons RB Michael Turner had a big game along with Falcons WR Roddy White but unfortunately Falcons QB Matt Ryan threw 3 interceptions, one of which was returned for a TD at the end of the first half. Oopsie.

What to say to a dude:
"Who is the best QB in the NFL, Drew Brees or Payton Manning?" 
"Which team will lose first, the Saints or the Colts?"
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Here are some stories we're following this season:
-Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only team without a win in the NFL
-The Tennessee Titans finally won a game.
-Oakland Raiders Coach Tom Cable is being investigated for domestic violence accusations. This was the coach who supposedly broke an assistant coach’s jaw during preseason. Chill out, Tom.

Until tomorrow!
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