Sunday, December 4, 2011

Hiatus

Hi everyone,
We have all come down with pre-holiday colds around here and generally are doing as little as possible. Although I will be watching some games this weekend, I can't quite motivate to write what to watch for today. I'll be back in two weeks when things slow down over here and I can catch you up in time for the holiday games and the playoffs. So sorry, everyone!
Until next time watch the RedZone channel and try to pay attention to Sportscenter until I return!

I'll be back! 

Friday, November 11, 2011

Let's Catch Up, Shall We?

Welcome back everyone!
I'm so happy I'm in Mexico!!
I'm happy to report that Mike and I had a fabulous time in Mexico. Of course it went by way too fast and coming back to reality has been a big shock. Let's catch up on what's been going on around the league and get ready for this week's games. I don't know about you, but I really start to enjoy football more when the weather changes. It gets me all in the mood for cooking and the holidays and all of that good stuff.

So last week the Raiders beat the Chargers to take the lead in the AFC West. The new Raider, Carson Palmer, finally had a good game. Good for him. Unfortunately, a man got stabbed in the parking lot after the game. Not so good for him.
The Penn State/Joe Paterno saga rages on...read the latest updates here.

Games to watch Sunday:
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
Both teams are playing well and are trying for the NFC South title. Look for a high scoring game.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals' Andy Dalton
Cinci is one of the biggest surprises of the year. Rookie QB Andy Dalton has led the Bengals to a 6-2 record. This is a big deal because they were picked to finish last this year.

Buffalo Bills at Dallas Cowboys
This should be an exciting game with some of those flashy highlights we all know and love.

New York Giants at SF 49ers Game of the week!!
49ers are another major surprise this year with a record of 7-1. They've beaten some legit teams (Bengals, Eagles, Bucs, and Lions) and have another tough game against the Giants who are coming off a huge win against New England. Eli Manning's name is coming up in MVP talks.

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
This will be a great game between two NFC North teams. Should be exciting...and probably pretty cold.

Sunday night:
New England at NY Jets:
These teams have a long standing hatred of each other and are usually smack talking well before the weekend's game. Expect some serious tension and perhaps a little fighting to get everyone all pumped up.

Aaron Rodgers
Monday night:
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers:
The only reason this will be exciting is because the Packers' Aaron Rodgers is playing unbelievably well and Green Bay could continue their winning streak to 9-0 for the season.

That's it for this week...until next time!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Week 8/9

Baby Sasha as a pumpkin
Ok, ok, so it finally happened. All of the sleep deprivation mixed with my parents coming to visit mixed with Halloween and a dash of "We're going to Mexico next weekend" everything just all came crashing down and something had to give...unfortunately for this girl, it will always be football. :)

In any case, the Colts and Dolphins still haven't won and the Packers still haven't lost. The 49ers look great at 6-1 and so do the Lions.
With big sis Laila as Snow White-Rapunzel

And yes, we leave for Mexico on Friday (sans kids! woooooo!) for our great friend's wedding and the absolute last thing on my mind will be football. Sorry to let you all down but I'll be back next week! I'll leave you with a cute Halloween pic or two.

Until next time!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Week 7 and NFL happenings

Happy Sunday everyone!
We are now coming up on week 7. Here are the games to watch for the weekend and what's going on around the league.

Morning games:
Atlanta Falcons @ Detroit Lions (1pm ET, FOX)
These are two exciting offensive teams and Detroit is coming off its first loss of the season last week to the San Francisco 49ers. Should be a great game.

Tim Tebow
Denver Broncos @ Miami Dolphins (1pm ET, CBS)
All eyes will be on Broncos QB Tim Tebow as he makes his first start against Miami who hasn't won a game yet.

San Diego Chargers @ NY Jets (1pm ET, CBS)
Rex Ryan
Norv Turner
Head coaches Norv Turner and Rex Ryan have been talking smack to each other all over the media this week. Let's see who can walk the walk.

Chicago Bears @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1pm ET, FOX)
These are two tough "smashmouth" teams and the game will be played in London, England. The NFL usually hosts one game per season across the pond.

Afternoon games:
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Arizona Cardinals (4:05pm ET, CBS)
This will be a replay of the Superbowl three years ago when the Steelers won. Can the Cards come back to win the rematch?

Carson Palmer
Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders (4:05pm ET, CBS)
Last week the Raiders lost their starting QB to injury and traded a bunch of draft picks for Carson Palmer, formerly of the Bengals. They gave up a lot for him so eventually, he will be scrutinized. This week, however, he probably won't play since he just joined the team a couple of days ago.

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota (4:15pm ET, FOX)
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers and his Packers should destroy the Minnesota defense. Donovan McNabb (who got traded from the Washington Redskins) got benched this week after a terrible play last week.

Night game:
Indianapolis Colts @ New Orleans Saints (8:20pm ET, NBC)
This game is also a replay of a Superbowl game from two years ago although it will probably prove much less exciting without Peyton Manning.

Monday night game:
Baltimore Ravens @ Jacksonville Jaguars (8:30pm ET, ESPN)
Baltimore should crush the Jaguars but you never know.

Other news:
Jerome Harrison
Jerome Harrison of the Detroit Lions was going to be traded to the Eagles, went in for his routine physical and doctors found a brain tumor. If he hadn't been about to be traded, he wouldn't have gotten the physical. Without the physical, doctors wouldn't have found the tumor. In this case, it probably saved his life! Read more about it here.

Until next time!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Week 6 + players to watch

Good morning, everyone. I'm staring at my computer screen with a cup of strong coffee clutched in my hand. I think it's light outside but I'm not sure. My husband and I now converse with each other in yawns and I'm starting to trip over things more. Sigh. Sasha Jane is one month old today (!) and my sleep deprivation status is also at one month.
HOWEVER, of course I'll still update you with what to watch in today's games! Even when I zone out in front of the TV on Sundays, it's still nice to have an idea of what's going on. Makes my brain hurt a little less. Time to have a beer and relax until Monday.

Newton
Morning games:
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons (1pm ET, FOX)
Atlanta is a great team and Cam Newton is still a superstar on the Panthers.
Player to watch: Cam Newton

San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions (1pm ET, FOX)
San Francisco is 4-1 and Detroit is 5-0 meaning that these are two good teams. What's also great is that in the recent past, both of these teams have been pretty terrible so it's a nice change. Read a cool article about  Detroit's unique stadium, Kid Rock and fans here.
Player to watch: Lion's WR Calvin Johnson (nickname "Megatron")

Buffalo Bills at New York Giants (1pm ET, CBS)
These two teams have exciting offenses and are fun to watch. Should be a high scoring game.
Player to watch: Bills RB Fred Jackson (my husband has told me that he's a "workhorse," whatever that means.)

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins (1pm ET, FOX)
Vick
The Eagles' record is a pathetic 1-4, (Washingtons is 3-1) so if they have ANY hope of making the playoffs, they'd better win this one today.
Player to watch: is obviously Michael Vick who signed that $100 million contract earlier in the season.

Afternoon games:
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens (4:05pm ET, CBS)
Ravens have been playing well and Houston is coming off of a tough loss to the Raiders last weekend.
Player to watch: Raven's RB Ray Rice (another workhorse according to Mike)

Dallas Cowboys at New England Patriots (4:15pm ET, FOX)
Brady and Ochocinco
Tom Brady has been playing "lights out" football (also according to Mike who is just full of random football terms today! Apparently this is a good thing. But we already knew Tom Brady is good, now didn't we?

Night game:
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (8:20pm ET, NBC)
Not a very exciting game but watch for the Vikings' Adrian Peterson.

Monday night game:
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets (8:30pm ET Monday, ESPN)
Miami is currently 0-4 (read: terrible) and will be desperately trying for the win against the Jets.
Player to watch: Loudmouth Brandon Marshall of the Dolphins was quoted as saying that he wants to play so hard on Monday that he wants to get kicked out of the game. Ummmm, ok.

In other news, Chad Ochocinco has returned to Twitter after a 12 day break. (I KNEW it seemed quieter in the universe last week) Apparently he lost a bet related to a video game and was banned from Tweeting.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Week 5!

Alright ladies and gents, here are the things to know for today's games.

Some general news:
Al Davis RIP
**Oakland Raiders owner, Al Davis, has passed away at the age of 82. This is a big deal because he owned the Raiders for almost 50 years! He was one of the NFL's greatest innovators. If you're interested on reading more about him, click here. 
This morning, the Raiders will battle the Texans and I'm guessing that they'll want a victory for Al. The players will be wearing stickers on their helmets to honor him and Al's son will be at the game in Houston.

**This week is the beginning of "bye" weeks, meaning that once per season each team gets a week off. Most teams would like their bye week towards the end of the season so that they can rest their players.

**Only two teams remain undefeated going into week 5. They are the Green Bay Packers (defending Superbowl champs), and the Detroit Lions

Morning games:
New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers (1pm ET, FOX)
(Just an FYI, when people say the Saints "at" the Panthers, it just means that the game will be played at the second team's (Panthers) stadium. That way you can tell whose home game it is. Another annoying thing is that commentators and websites only list the cities, not the team name when they talk about the matchups. I asked Mike about that because it annoys me and he said, "well, obviously you should just KNOW what team goes with which city. Duh." Well, yes dear, I SHOULD know, but it takes me a couple seconds. Deal. Therefore I will always write out the city AND the team name for you guys. You're welcome. :)
Brees
Newton
This will be a matchup of Drew "bad hair" Brees and rookie superstar Cam Newton. (Did you catch Brees and his bad hair on this week's episode of The Biggest Loser? Why, oh why does no one tell him to brush his hair??) This will be a high-scoring game with lots of passing (meaning throwing). When this happens, you'll usually see some of those amazing plays where receivers catch the ball wayyyyyy downfield and do crazy flips and stuff. This is my highly scientific observation.

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans (1pm ET, CBS)
These teams both have exciting offenses. As previously mentioned, the Raiders will want to win this one for Mr. Davis and should be pretty fired up. Houston is playing without Andre Johnson (injury) who is one of the top three receivers in the league. Also, both teams have exceptionally good running backs, Texans' Arian Foster and Raiders' Darren McFadden.

Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills (1pm ET, FOX)
This should be a good game...Michael Vick is fun to watch and the Bills are doing great this season.

Afternoon games:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers (4:05pm ET, FOX)
Both teams are 3-1 and are both possible playoff contenders with young head coaches.

New York Jets at New England Patriots (4:15pm ET, CBS)
You know what's coming, don't ya? HOT QB TIME!!! Wooooo! I'll be watching this game and drooling alternatively between Mark Sanchez and Tom Brady. These teams pretty much hate each other and always play hard.

Night game:
Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons (8:20pm ET, NBC)
These are both great teams. The Packers (Superbowl champs) dominated the Falcons in the playoffs last year, 48-21, so this is kinda like a rematch.

Monday night game:
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (Monday, Oct 10th 8:30pm ET, ESPN)
Detroit is undefeated and has a great offense. Should be a fun game to watch.

Alright kids, I'm feeling up for going back to posting a couple of times a week. Stay tuned next week! Until next time...enjoy this amazing fall weather and football!!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Week 4

Hi everyone!
Ok so I know I've been slacking over here...this little tiny baby is a lot of work! Thanks for all of the support and patience! Let's get right to the point and review what's going on today.

Morning games:
Chicago!
Cam Newton
Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears
(1pm ET, FOX)
Cam Newton is coming off of his first win. Let's see what he can do against one of the best defenses in the league. Chicago is also one of my favorite cities. Maybe the background shots will make me nostalgic. :)

Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys (1pm ET, FOX)
3-0 Lions have an explosive and exciting offense. It's great to see this team finally winning some games!

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles (1pm ET, FOX)
Michael Vick
Frank Gore
Michael Vick will play but let's see how well he can do against a tough 49ers defense. 49ers Frank Gore is playing injured as well.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans (1pm ET, CBS)
This should be a great game featuring two good teams.

Afternoon games:
New England Patriots at Oakland Raiders
(4:15pm ET, CBS)
Darren McFadden
The Raiders are playing great these days. Darren McFadden could be the best running back in the league.
New England is coming off a tough loss to Buffalo. This ones going to be a great game. Feel free to stare at Tom Brady as well.

Night Game:
New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens (8:20pm ET, NBC)
This will be a low-scoring, hard fought game between two playoff contenders.

Until next time...!


Sunday, September 25, 2011

Week 3

Alright, one more week written by Mike...he goes a little more in depth than I usually do, so enjoy his extra insight while it lasts! Have a great Sunday!

Week 3 things to watch for:

Cam Newton
Blaine Gabbert
Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers host the Jacksonville Jaguars. This doesn't seem like an important game but Jacksonville is starting their rookie quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, after cutting last year's starting QB in the offseason and last weeks' starting QB Luke McCown throwing 4 interceptions in the 32-3 loss to the Jets. Gabbert was picked 10th overall in this years draft so it should be exciting to see these two rookie QBs, the futures of both franchises, facing off on Sunday. (Note from Molly: I'm gonna check out this Gabbert guy because I cannot tell what he looks like from his internet pics. In some he looks really cute and others he has this long stringy hair and looks hideous. Hey, at least I'll be watching!)

Vick
NY Giants at Philadelphia Eagles. NFC East battles are always exciting. With both teams having records of 1-1 it is an important game for each team, both of which hope to win the division this year. Eagles QB Michael Vick suffered a concussion in last weeks loss to Atlanta and people are wondering if he will be 100%. Vick says he is ready to go.

Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints. This should be a high scoring offensive showdown. Houston hasn't lost yet and would like to continue to stay undefeated and at the top of the AFC South Division. The Texans want to take advantage of Payton Manning being injured and gain a large lead over the Colts, who have won the division the past few years. Drew Brees and the Saints would like a win here as they are trying to gain some of their swagger back from two years ago when they won the Superbowl.

Jackson
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills. Both of these teams are undefeated...this is normal for Tom Brady and the Patriots but everybody is surprised at how well the Buffalo Bills are playing this season. Running back Fred Jackson leads the league in rushing after two weeks. Patriots Tom Brady has an astounding 940 yards passing in two games. This should be a great game to watch and if the Bills win they will establish themselves as a playoff contender.

NY Jets at Oakland Raiders. The Raiders suffered a tough loss last week in the final minutes of the game against the Bills but the Raiders are showing promise. Running Back Darren McFadden is showing why he is considered one of the best RBs in the league. The Jets haven't lost and their defense is looking as tough as ever. This should be a very hard fought battle and I wouldn't be surprised if a few fights break out on the field....it could turn into a very dirty game on both sides of the ball.

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears. Green Bay won the Superbowl last year but the Bears won the division. The Packers beat the Bears 21-14 in the playoffs to get into the Superbowl and don't think the Bears have forgotten this fact. Look for Aaron Rodgers to come out firing but Chicago's defense will be tough to score on.


Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both of these teams won last week and would like to gain some momentum. The Falcons have one of the best offenses in the game, lead by QB Matt Ryan but the Bucs are always in contention when it comes to playoff time. This should be another great game to watch but could be low scoring.

--Due to one injury the Sunday night game, which would have been a fantastic game, will most likely be a blowout. If Payton Manning were playing for the Colts, they would have a good chance of beating the Pittsburgh Steelers. But since he is out for at least a few months, Ben Roethlisburger and the Steelers will most likely crush the Colts, who will be starting 0-3 for the first time in years with a loss on Sunday night.

Hightower
--The Monday Night game is another NFC East matchup with the Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys. Tony Romo is expecting to play on monday after suffering a broken rib and punctured lung in the win against the 49ers last week. The Redskins are 2-0 and will give the Cowboys a tough time, especially with Romo not being 100% and wide receiver Miles Austin not in the game. Look for Redskins RB Tim Hightower to take over the game.

(Until next time!)

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Week 2 Recap and welcome Sasha Jane!

Baby Sasha, big sis Laila and Daddy
Hi everyone! Things have been a bit crazy around here this week as you can imagine. On Friday morning, we welcomed Sasha Jane Alexander into our family! Big sister Laila is very proud and we are all recovering nicely.

Needless to say that football has taken somewhat of a backseat to all of the other goings-on at the Alexander household. Luckily, with three fantasy football leagues to contend with, Mike is still keeping track and has agreed to guest-write this weeks recap. Thanks, honey!! So here's his recap, I'll be back to give you the scoop on week 3 by Saturday. Enjoy!

--#1 draft pick Cam Newton is continuing to silence critics by breaking his own rookie record for passing yards that he set last week by passing for 432 yards in a loss to Green Bay.

--Not to be shown up by a rookie, Tom Brady had another incredible day passing for 423 yards and 3 touchdowns in a big win over San Diego. Brady has thrown for 940 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2 games (if you didn't know that is A LOT)

--The Oakland Raiders suffered a devastating loss to the Buffalo Bills in the final seconds of the game.

--The Detroit Lions are off to a 2-0 start for the first time in years by crushing the Kansas City Chiefs 48-3. The Chiefs not only lost the game but they also lost their star Running Back Jamaal Charles for the season. This not only hurts the Chiefs but hurts many fantasy football teams.

--Payton Manning-less Colts lost another game showing how important Payton is to the team.

--Pittsburgh Steelers had a decisive victory over the Seattle Seahawks 24-0 which will help them gain some confidence after getting beating by the Baltimore Ravens in week 1.

--The Washington Redskins are 2-0 after beating the Arizona Cardinals 22-21...nobody knows how they're doing it.

--Mark Sanchez and the Jets won again....super villain Coach Rex Ryan is happy

--San Francisco 49ers lost to the Dallas Cowboys in overtime showing that even though they lost, Jim Harbaugh is a coach that can improve this team. Tony Romo suffered a punctured lung but came back in the game and won it for the Cowboys. Also, Kim Kardashian's ex Miles Austin caught 3 touchdown passes.

--Amidst boos and chants of "Tebow! Tebow!" QB Kyle Orton and the Denver Broncos beat the Cincinnati Bengals 24-22. I have a feeling if Orton doesn't win many games the Broncos fans will get their wish of seeing Tim Tebow starting.

--The Sunday Night Game was the Philadelphia Eagles at the Atlanta Falcons. If you don't remember, Michael Vick (QB for the Eagles) was drafted by the Falcons and given a $100 million contract before breaking the contract and heading to the slammer. The Eagles have recently given Vick a $130 million contract....this means that in one lifetime Michael Vick has signed TWO $100+ million contracts...pretty amazing. Vick ended up losing to his old team in a great game.

The whole (tired) fam!
Until next time!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Week 2 Games

Good morning, everyone!
I'm off to have my baby girl today but I couldn't keep you guys in the dark about this weekend. I'll give you a quick overview of the games to watch.

Morning games:
Oakland Raiders vs. Buffalo Bills (1pm ET, CBS)
These two teams were on the lower rung of the AFC but now they are showing a lot of promise. Both could be playoff contenders.

Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs (1pm ET, CBS)
The Lions offense is looking exciting.

Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints (1pm ET, FOX)
These are two great NFC teams, both made the playoffs last year. They could both do it again.

Green Bay Packers vs. Carolina Panthers (1pm ET, FOX)
Newton
Packers are the Superbowl champs and watch for Cam Newton on the Panthers.

Afternoon games:
Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers (4:05pm ET, FOX)
This matchup has always been a heated rivalry and rivalries are always fun to watch.

San Diego Chargers vs. New England Patriots (4:05pm ET, CBS)
This is another huge rivalry--PLUS we get to see golden boy Tom Brady do his thing.

Kind of a funny story: Tom Brady told his fans to "start drinking early" this Sunday so they could be all liquored up ready to cheer for the Patriots. Of course, shortly thereafter a spokesperson for the team clarified his comments and said that what he meant to say was "stay hydrated, drink lots of water and drink responsibly." Way to take the fun out of it! I, for one, will be having a beer or two on Sunday!

Night game:
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons (8:20pm ET, NBC)
Michael Vick
My husband says that he'll watch every single game that Michael Vick plays in this year. Apparently he's living up to his huge contract and is one of the most exciting players in the league. Atlanta looked bad during the first game, not looking like a team who went 13-3 last year.

I know it's a short summary, but I should be back soon to help you on your football journey.

Until next time!


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Week 1 Recap

So did we survive week 1? And how about those TWO games last night? Were you as annoyed as I was about that? I mean, c'mon, that's like 8 more hours of football...on one night! I was a little cranky to say the least. Good thing I'm nine months pregnant and can use that as an excuse for going to bed at 9pm.

Let's review what happened this week...
Cam Newton
Rookie QB and Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers passed for 422 yards and had two touchdowns. This obliterated Peyton Manning's record of a little over 300 yards for the first game of any rookie career. He also did it on the road. The Panthers ended up losing the game but this guy is gonna be big. Remember his name.

Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles (who just signed that monster contract) played well and the Eagles won the game.

The Detroit Lions won, just as I predicted.

The Baltimore Ravens crushed the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-7. This was a big deal because the Steelers won the Superbowl last year. You'd think they'd have put up more of a fight.

A 9-story Brady in Manhattan
As everyone predicted, the Colts got their butts kicked without star QB Peyton Manning who is out indefinitely after his third neck surgery.

The SF 49ers won their first game with Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach.

During the night game, our Battle of the Hot QBs, Dallas was winning the game until Tony Romo blew it at the last minute when he threw an interception. The Jets won 27-24.

In last night's games, Tom Brady was the ultimate superstar (what's new?) passing for a whopping 517 yards and 4 touchdowns. Yes, this makes him even hotter. The record for most yards in one game is 554 yards.
The Patriots beat the Dolphins 38-24.

In the other Monday night game, the Raiders beat the Broncos 23-20. Sebastian Janikowski tied the record for longest field goal ever at 63 yards. Darren McFadden was also a standout player.

That's it for this week! I'm scheduled to have my baby on Friday and I'll keep you all posted! Until then, enjoy this pic from our friends wedding we attended this weekend. :) Until next time...

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Week 1 Sunday!

9/11 gear worn in today's games
Welcome to the first Sunday of Week 1!
There are 13 scheduled games today on this 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In honor of this day, players were given the go ahead to wear specially designed cleats and gloves. I'm expecting many stories today of how players and coaches lives were affected by that terrible day 10 years ago. Should be a pretty emotional day.
Peterson

Some news around the league today:
Viking's RB Adrian Peterson signed a mega-deal for 7 years, $100 million. Remember that he's a running back and their careers are generally short. We told you that Chris Johnson of the Titans signed a huge contract for $53.5 million. Well, this one dwarfs it. Everyone will be talking about this today. Also, Steeler's safety Troy Polamalu (he of the big hair) signed a large extension as well. The exact details have not been released, but he's expected to make over $9 million a year.
Polamalu
Games to watch today:

Atlanta Falcons/Chicago Bears (1pm ET, Fox)
Watch Bears QB Jay Cutler (ex-fiance of Kristen Cavallari) play agains the Atlanta Falcon, one of the best teams in the NFC.

Detroit Lions/Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1pm ET, Fox)
Everyone wants to see if the Lions are any good this year. (Usually, they're not.) Apparently the team is shaping up to be a good one and people are anxious to see if it pans out.

Pittsburgh Steelers/Baltimore Ravens (1pm ET, CBS)
These are two AFC powerhouse teams with a lot of talent. Watch for Troy Polamalu and his huge hair. Should be a good game.

McNabb
Rivers
Minnesota Vikings/San Diego Chargers (4:15pm ET, Fox)
Everyone will be watching Adrian Peterson on the Vikings as well as QB Donovan McNabb. Watch for Philip Rivers on the Chargers.

New York Giants/Washington Redskins (4:15pm ET, Fox)
These are NFC East rivals. Rivalries are always fun.

Night game:
Dallas Cowboys at NY Jets (8:20pm ET, NBC)
Sanchez
Battle of the hot QBs! Cowboy's Tony Romo vs. Jet's Mark Sanchez.
You have to wait all day for it but it will probably be worth it!

Until next time...
Romo

Friday, September 9, 2011

Game 1 Recap

Good morning! Did everyone survive the first night of football season? I watched most of the game and it was pretty good. High scoring battle of the QBs, just as I predicted. To get you through the morning, here's a recap and let's figure out 'What to say to a Dude' so you can look super educated.

First things first. Packers won, 42-34. This means you should console your Saints fans and high-five your Packers fans. Both quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers of the Packers and Drew Brees of the Saints) had statistically great games. This is important for fantasy football. For example, my husband didn't care who won or lost last night, as long as his Barbies...er, sorry...players did well.

Couple of things the boys will be talking about today.

Cobb
1. Randall Cobb, a Packers rookie wide receiver (say that 5 times fast!) caught a touchdown from Rodgers and ran a kickoff back 108 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. 108 yards. If we do our math on this one, the field is 100 yards long so he was all the way in the back of the 10 yard endzone. This is a big deal because it ties the NFL record for longest kickoff return in history and most people wouldn't try to run the ball from way back there--they'd ask for a 'fair catch'.
Extra Credit: he ties New England's Ellis Hobb's record set in 2007.


Sproles
2. Tiny Saints running back Darren Sproles was a force in last nights game. He was like a little Mighty Mouse. The guy is only 5'6" and trust me, he looks TINY on the field next to all of those beasts. BUT, he can run like a freaking cheetah! He ran a punt back for a touchdown and was a great playmaker in last night's game.



Ingram
3. Remember Mark Ingram from yesterday's post? Everyone was watching to see how he'd do. Well, he did ok, however he royally messed up the last play of the game. Ouch. The Saints had one play to tie it up with 1 yard to go (for a touchdown) and a few seconds left. Brees handed it off to Ingram and he didn't make it into the endzone. Everyone will be asking, 'Why wouldn't they just give the ball to Brees so that he could make a better decision? Why hand off the ball to the rookie?' This will be one of those morning watercooler conversations for sure.
What to say to a Dude: "Why'd they hand it off to Ingram? That was dumb. Shoulda given it to Brees."

In other news, Peyton Manning had yet another neck surgery yesterday which might be a season-ending event. It usually takes 8-10 weeks to heal from something like this so it's not looking good for the Colts.

Now go forth and impress your football fans! 

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Right about now, all over the country, giddy little boys (well, actually more like giddy grown-ass men) are waking up to a different version of Christmas morning. The official start of the 2011-2012 football season! Many of their wives are waking up with a strange feeling of dread that they can't quite place until later this evening when the TV gets taken hostage and the DVR goes on overdrive.

But have no fear, I am here to help guide you through the season. You'll know just enough to be able to hold your own in a watercooler/sportsbar/couch conversation and might even learn a thing or two. Dare I suggest you might even begin to ...enjoy it? ...a little bit? I won't hold my breath.

Here's what you need to know for tonight's game. (8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT on NBC): 
We have the Green Bay Packers vs. the New Orleans Saints. The Packers are the reigning Superbowl Champs and the Saints won the year before. My husband says they are both "NFC powerhouses." To brush up on AFC/NFC, click here.

Drew 'Bad Hair' Brees
Aaron Rodgers
It will be a 'Battle of the Ugly Quarterbacks' instead of our preferred Battle of the Hot QB's but they are two of the best in the NFL so I guess we'll forgive them. First up, we have Drew Brees of the Saints. Here he is on the left. Feel free to discuss his terrible hair. Next we have Aaron Rodgers of the Packers. Here he is on the right. There, now you at least know the leaders of both teams. Also, both teams have great receivers so it could potentially be an exciting game. 

Other players to watch for tonight are rookie Mark Ingram, a running back for the Saints. He's basically taking Reggie Bush's place (Kim Kardashian's ex who has since moved to the Miami Dolphins). 
Mark Ingram

Jermichael Finley
You can always ask your sports fan how he thinks Ingram will do tonight. If you want to brush up on why running backs are like Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, click here. Remember that RB's are the guys who get absolutely hammered by the defense and don't have very long careers. 

On the other side, watch for the Packers' tight end Jermichael Finley. (Don't even get me started on the name!!) He suffered a season-ending knee injury last year and everyone will be watching to see how he performs tonight. To brush up on why the tight ends are like shape-shifters, click here. In my experience, it really helps to know a couple of the key players in the game so that when the announcer talks about them you can think to yourself, "Oh yeah, that guy!" Trust me, it will really help keep your interest during those 3-4 hours. 

A couple more things to know about the season:

Manning
Colt's QB Peyton Manning (who's wife gave birth to twin boys in March!) will not be starting this weekend due to residual pain from neck surgery earlier in the year. This is a big deal as everyone seems to think that without Peyton, the Colts are just an average team and probably won't get very far at all this season. This will also end his streak of 227 consecutive starts.




Johnson
Titan's Running Back, Chris Johnson, signed a 4 year, $53.5 million contract extension with a guaranteed $30 million. This is a big deal because it is a crapload of money and remember that RBs generally have short careers because they get so beat up. It's also cool because Johnson has a huge head of dreadlocks and lots and lots of gold teeth. Easy one to remember and comment on. 



Tressel
Jim Tressel, former head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, resigned this year after facing allegations of "memorabilia for ink" by his players. What this means is that they were accused of trading valuable sports memorabilia for....tatoos! (???) Who does this? In any case, this is a big deal because he was one of the best coaches Ohio State has ever seen and has now been hired by the Colts as a consultant. However, he will not be allowed to participate in the first seven games of the season due to his involvement in the NCAA scandal.

And there you have it! All prepped for tonight. Enjoy!

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