The Miami Herald has an interesting little piece about Sean Taylor's relationship to actor Andy Garcia on the front page of their website. Will the national sports media pick this up? No, certainly not. ESPN will, however, carry a story of Antrelle Rolle of the Cardinals speculating wildly about the circumstances surrounding Taylor's death. Still, it's nice to know there are people out there with good things to say about this 24 year old kid.
The Onion has this piece, which effectively parodies all the negative talk about Sean Taylor's reckless lifestyle and the suggestion that he put himself in this bad situation. No, I don't think this is a laughing matter, but I enjoyed this because I'm having a hard time swallowing the way the story is being covered by the national sports media. I had to endure watching Charlie Casserly say on Comcast Sports Net that Taylor's loss is being taken out of perspective by fans and teammates, because he was only a safety (as if anyone is thinking about football). I also had to listen to local sports writer and ESPN Around the Horn regular Kevin Blackistone repeatedly downplay Taylor's death by reminding everyone that over 170 people have been murdered this year in Washington D.C., so I guess Sean Taylor's death isn't a big deal.
Look: people aren't upset about Sean Taylor's death because he means so much more to us than any other young man who'll be shot and killed this year. It has nothing to do with the loss of a talented free safety on the Redskins. I'm personally upset about Sean Taylor's death because I recognize his face, I know the sound of his voice, I've followed his career, and I've celebrated his accomplishments. In short, I'm pretty familiar with the guy. One of the real strengths of television, print media, and the radio (in the context of their coverage of stories about individuals), and one of the real engines of their continued success, is the bond they help foster and forge between those they cover and those that listen, and the fact is pretty much all sports fans worldwide are able to feel a bond between themselves and those they support from afar of a strength that simply can't be matched by the bonds we forge with the anonymous individuals around us, even accounting for a relatively strong sense of community that some of us share. If I had that level of access to ANY 24 year old in the country and then found out they'd been shot and killed in their home, with their fiance and infant daughter in the room, I'd be equally devastated; if there were comment boards on the web for these anonymous kids, I'd be posting my condolences on them, and I'd include their stories in my NFL blog. I think the same is true of almost every fan in America, and the fact that these asshole media jerks tell us we're caring too much about a 24 year old kid being killed in his home because we go to THEIR WEBSITES and read the stories, watch THEIR SHOWS for updates and opinion, and read THEIR MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS is an insult to . . . well, everyone. What a total jerk Blackistone is: yes, 170 people have been murdered in your town, dick. How many stories have you written about them? How much time have you spent on your television appearences familiarizing millions of viewers with their talents and accomplishments? Your paychecks are written based on the level of success you have at talking about these guys, analyzing their successes and failures, and having regular access to them: did I miss all the articles you wrote this year about the lives and occupations of any non-athletes? Are you petitioning your employers for the opportunity to cover the success of the citizens around you, to familiarize your readers with them and make a living off of the interest we all share with you in those people's accomplishments? You effing prick, you're quite a man to go on television and tell a national audience they shouldn't care so much about the murder of a 24 year old who represents a group of people you've spent your ENTIRE CAREER following around with the sole purpose of exposing them further to the rest of us. You know what? My new mission in life is to spend as much time dumping on this peice of shit as possible. I have to say, I felt the entire community of Washington D.C., the entire Miami community, football fans, and everyone who cares about Sean Taylor's death had been betrayed when I heard Blackistone on ESPN. For a D.C. journalist, of all people, to scold those of us that care especially about the death of a young man who'd risen to prominence in our home town is just so bad, I can't put it into words.
That's it! That's all I have to say!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Recap and Picks All-in-One!
I don't have time for a recap of last weekend and a set of picks for this weekend before Thursday night's game, so I'm putting them together in one pocket-sized posting. Huzzah!
Green Bay over Detroit, 37-26
My Pick: Green Bay over Detroit, 27-21
The game was not nearly as close as the final score. Great win for the Packers, who carry a ton of momentum into Dallas for their week 13 slugfest. Detroit is in dire straights right now, they've got big trouble on their offensive line, in their running game, and in the first half.
Dallas over New York Jets, 34-3
My Pick: Dallas over New York Jets, 28-13
Another Thanksgiving blowout. It really was a bad day for football, unfortunately, without one single close or entertaining game.
Indianapolis over Atlanta, 31-13
My Pick: Indianapolis over Atlanta, 24-3
I knew Indy would take care of business, but I didn't think it would take them so long to get going. They need to get healthy, they've got some tough games left.
New Orleans over Carolina, 31-6
My Pick: New Orleans over Carolina, 23-20
Neither team is realistically in the playoff picture anymore, and Carolina is still winless at home. Reggie Bush looks dinged up to me, and I have a hard time picturing Drew Brees having this much success next week against the Bucs.
Cincinnati over Tennessee, 35-6
My Pick: Tennessee over Cincinnati, 31-24
This was a biltz-style mugging in a dark alley. Tennessee never knew what hit 'em, they were totally unprepared for it, and they never recovered. They're in bad, bad shape in the AFC playoff chase now, with Cleveland and Jacksonville each substantially ahead of them in the running.
Cleveland over Houston, 27-17
My Pick: Cleveland over Houston, 28-24
Man, the Browns are ROLLING right now. I'm not sure I'd pick against them at home against anybody except New England or Indianapolis. They looked great on Sunday.
Jacksonville over Buffalo, 36-14
My Pick: Jacksonville over Buffalo, 21-17
Man, Jacksonville is just so good when David Garrard plays. In another season, he'd be a top 3 MVP candidate. This season, there are no second or third place MVP candidates. Still, I wouldn't want to be the team that draws Jacksonville in the playoffs, and it'll probably be San Diego, the most fragile team in the playoff hunt.
Oakland over Kansas City, 20-17
My Pick: Kansas City over Oakland, 13-7
Gross. Who cares?
Minnesota over New York Giants, 41-17
My Pick: New York Giants over Minnesota, 21-20
Wow. It turns out, nothing is quite as dependable as the annual winter collapse of the Coughlin Giants. I'm not shitting on Coughlin, I think he's done a bang-up job this season, but this seems to be the Achilles heal of his New York team, and if they continue to slide, he'll be gone next year. As for Eli Manning . . . yipe. Bad, bad game. I still like this guy and root for him, but he's not doing much to convince anyone he can be a franchise quarterback.
Also, here's what I wrote about this game: ". . . let me say this: Minnesota has a real chance of beating the crap out of the Giants. Why? Because they don't need to pass the ball to win, and that neutralizes the scary Giants pass rush. The Vikings have the best offensive line in the NFC, and Chester Taylor is way more than enough to make it count. For the Giants to win, they need Eli to protect the ball and make plays, and they need to stop the run. They won't have much success on the ground against the Vikings, but if they can pass the ball and limit Taylor, they should win. I don't know ."
Seattle over St. Louis, 24-19
My Pick: Seattle over St. Louis, 31-21
There's no reason St. Louis shouldn't have won this game. Their goal-line playcalling at the end was inexcusable, an utter bed-crapping by the coaches. How often does a team take two time-outs to the goal-line on a potential game-winning drive? To screw that up by not calling a running play for your Pro-Bowl tailback until third down when you're playing Gus friggin' Frerotte is absolutely astounding. St. Louis deserved to win right up until Scott Linehan crawled half-way up his own ass with the game on the line. After that, they deserved to lose. Seattle is dinged up and grumpy, they may collapse.
Tampa Bay over Washington, 19-13
My Pick: Washington over Tampa Bay, 24-14
You know, sometimes players fail to execute on only a few plays and that's all it takes to lose a game. What can you say about this game? First quarter fumbles killed the Skins, who soundly outplayed the Bucs on both sides of the ball. It happens. I'm encouraged by the progress of their offense, but I have a suspicion that the Skins might need to take a look at a late round future tailback with some explosiveness. Portis ain't got it no mo'.
San Francisco over Arizona, 37-31
My Pick: Arizona over San Francisco, 28-9
If you picked this game right, bravo. You're the only one. I can't remember the last time a new assistant made such a huge, immediate impact on a team's success. Ted Tollner came in to help Jim Hostler with the offense, and look what happened! Gore went nuts and the 49ers took down a division foe. As for the Cardinals, what a terrible, terrible loss. They'll say they weren't looking past the Niners, but I don't buy it. Now they need to find a way to slow down the Browns, a true offensive powerhouse.
Chicago over Denver, 37-34
My Pick: Denver over Chicago, 20-17
Devin Hester kept Chicago in it, and against all odds, Rex Grossman ripped Denver's heart out and won it for the Bears, who are still fighting their asses off. Here's what I wrote: "Trap game for Denver, coming off a big win on Monday night to put them in a tie atop the AFC West. Chicago is tough as nails."
San Diego over Baltimore, 32-14
My Pick: San Diego over Baltimore, 31-10
Yep. Nailed it.
New England over Philadelphia, 31-28
My Pick: New England over Philadelphia, by a lot more than 3.
What a great, great game. I have an easier time appreciating the Pats when they look human and take a knee at the end. Their defense was exposed a little, but they found a way. Great effort from the sometimes-game Eagles, who managed to unearth a little more controversy by playing well. What a depressing mess that team is.
Pittsburgh over New York Jets, 3-0
My Pick: Pittsburgh over New York Jets, 35-13
Rain and a god-awful field killed this game. Everyone and their mother is bitching about it, but I found it to be highly watchable and enjoyable. I love the slop, I love watching games in bad weather, I loved it. I'm glad Pittsburgh won. They do need to figure out the whole surface issue at Heinz, but I applaud their efforts to stick with grass. Maybe they want to reconsider having four high-school football games and a college game on the field in bad weather the week of a Monday nighter.
Week 13 Picks:
Green Bay @ Dallas
Call me crazy, but Green Bay is the better team, they've got more momentum, and they've already played and won in some of the NFL's toughest stadiums. Also, I prefer Green Bay.
Packers over Cowboys, 27-24
San Francisco @ Carolina
Was San Francisco's offensive explosion the start of something, or was it a flash in the pan? I can't pick them on the road, not even against winless-at-home-and-flat-out-terrible Carolina. This is a terrible, terrible game.
Carolina over San Francisco, 16-14
Jacksonville @ Indianapolis
Really tough game to call, this should be a humdinger to watch. I can't pick against the ultra-pro Colts, but I like Jacksonville better each time I see 'em. I think they're the one AFC team other than Indy I might give a chance in a playoff contest with the Pats.
Colts over Jaguars, 21-17
Detroit @ Minnesota
There are two playoff caliber NFC teams that I think will come out of week 12 in full tailspin, and Detroit is one of them. Is this an upset? Hard to say, but Minnesota has a winning formula at the moment.
Vikings over Lions, 28-24
San Diego @ Kansas City
I'm just not going to pick the Chiefs, not after they lost at home to Oakland. San Diego is at least 10 times better than Oakland. Did you catch that Norv Turner line about sometimes struggling to run the ball (with the NFL's best player) because they've played some tough teams? Holy shit, that is absolutely VINTAGE Norv. That pretty much sums up his entire time in Washington: Hey Norv, why'd you lose 11 games this year? "Well Obliterat, we played some pretty tough teams." Wow.
Chargers over Chiefs, 28-17
New York Jets @ Miami
Call this one the Toilet Bowl. Nobody cares. Gamblers, MAYBE.
Jets over Dolphins, 17-10
Buffalo @ Washington
Yeah, like I'm gonna start picking against 'em NOW. They can move the ball. Their defense has been good/great at times. If they can finish their drives and consistently get stops, their one of the NFC's best teams. Buffalo is in disarray and is starting Trent "The Hot Young Nanny" Edwards, plus Marshawn Lynch is a no-go.
Redskins over Bills, 31-21
Houston @ Tennessee
I have very little faith in the Titans after that awful bludgeoning they took in Cincinnati. I do have faith in Jeff Fisher (a great coach), and they're at home with pride at stake and potentially last place in the AFC South on the line. I'm sticking with the team with the better record, plus they're at home.
Titans over Texans, 24-17
Atlanta @ St. Louis
Yuk. Boooooooooo! Why not go with home-field advantage?
Rams over Falcons, 28-20
Seattle @ Philadelphia
A very game Eagles bunch takes on a banged up, grumpy, fragile Seattle team that perhaps sees the division crown looming too soon for their own good. Philly fans will undermine their team for the umpteenth time this season, but I'm taking the upset. Lofa Tatupu is the only guy on the Seahawks with any hope of sticking with Brian Westbrook, but he's hurt.
Eagles over Seahawks, 21-17
Cleveland @ Arizona
Stick with the horse what-what brung ya. I don't know why Cleveland is that horse, but for some reason, I feel like picking against them in a match with the Cardinals team that just lost to San Francisco at home would be disloyal. Wierd, I've only ever seen Cleveland from the highway.
Browns over Cardinals, 35-28
Denver @ Oakland
Oakland stinks. Denver at least has a playmaker or two on their roster. This should be a pretty miserable affair, with Denver clinging to a wild hope of making the playoffs.
Broncos over Raiders, 24-20
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans
The last gasp for the Saints. If Jeff Garcia starts, I think Tampa wins. That's a big question mark right now. Tampa Bay needs to make a few big plays through the air, run the ball well, and use their Tampa-2 to force Drew Brees to dink and dunk his way up the field. This is a coin-flip, but I'm taking the road warriors. The Saints are not a good team when they're forced to play from behind.
Bucs over Saints, 24-20
New York Giants @ Chicago
The Giants are the other NFC playoff contender that I expect to come out of week 13 reeling. They'll lose to the tougher 'n hell Bears and the wheels will come all the way off. Right now, there isn't a player on New York's roster that isn't thinking about last season's collapse and second guessing their head coach and quarterback.
Bears over Giants, 31-20
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh
The Steelers really need this game. I know that sounds a bit strange, but they really need it. They're confidence is low, I can feel it. Cincinnati will come out gunning, but I expect the superior toughness of the Steelers and the rowdy home crowd to pull them through.
Steelers over Bengals, 38-27
New England @ Baltimore
This game is eerily like the Pats/Eagles game on paper. Think about it: long-tenured, time-tested, embattled coach; tough, prideful, historically successful but declining defense with at least one future HOFer; underachieving offense with stud-ish tailback; underwhelming backup QB under center; anonymous receiving corps; talented but underachieving offensive line; playoff hopes just about shot (or in this case, all the way shot). The differences: Andy Reid is the superior coach, Baltimore has home-field, Baltimore has the superior defense, and Philly did enough in their strong effort against the Pats that Baltimore can at least try to copy the model. I don't know, this could be interesting. Nevertheless, Pats win.
Patriots over Ravens, a lot to a little
There you have it. I upgraded my fantasy team at the receiver position by replacing D. J. Hackett with Kellen Winslow. Consider this my final push for respectability. I finished 10-6 in week 12 picks, but I took seven road teams this week, so my streak of solid picking may come to a brutal close.
Go Skynards!
Green Bay over Detroit, 37-26
My Pick: Green Bay over Detroit, 27-21
The game was not nearly as close as the final score. Great win for the Packers, who carry a ton of momentum into Dallas for their week 13 slugfest. Detroit is in dire straights right now, they've got big trouble on their offensive line, in their running game, and in the first half.
Dallas over New York Jets, 34-3
My Pick: Dallas over New York Jets, 28-13
Another Thanksgiving blowout. It really was a bad day for football, unfortunately, without one single close or entertaining game.
Indianapolis over Atlanta, 31-13
My Pick: Indianapolis over Atlanta, 24-3
I knew Indy would take care of business, but I didn't think it would take them so long to get going. They need to get healthy, they've got some tough games left.
New Orleans over Carolina, 31-6
My Pick: New Orleans over Carolina, 23-20
Neither team is realistically in the playoff picture anymore, and Carolina is still winless at home. Reggie Bush looks dinged up to me, and I have a hard time picturing Drew Brees having this much success next week against the Bucs.
Cincinnati over Tennessee, 35-6
My Pick: Tennessee over Cincinnati, 31-24
This was a biltz-style mugging in a dark alley. Tennessee never knew what hit 'em, they were totally unprepared for it, and they never recovered. They're in bad, bad shape in the AFC playoff chase now, with Cleveland and Jacksonville each substantially ahead of them in the running.
Cleveland over Houston, 27-17
My Pick: Cleveland over Houston, 28-24
Man, the Browns are ROLLING right now. I'm not sure I'd pick against them at home against anybody except New England or Indianapolis. They looked great on Sunday.
Jacksonville over Buffalo, 36-14
My Pick: Jacksonville over Buffalo, 21-17
Man, Jacksonville is just so good when David Garrard plays. In another season, he'd be a top 3 MVP candidate. This season, there are no second or third place MVP candidates. Still, I wouldn't want to be the team that draws Jacksonville in the playoffs, and it'll probably be San Diego, the most fragile team in the playoff hunt.
Oakland over Kansas City, 20-17
My Pick: Kansas City over Oakland, 13-7
Gross. Who cares?
Minnesota over New York Giants, 41-17
My Pick: New York Giants over Minnesota, 21-20
Wow. It turns out, nothing is quite as dependable as the annual winter collapse of the Coughlin Giants. I'm not shitting on Coughlin, I think he's done a bang-up job this season, but this seems to be the Achilles heal of his New York team, and if they continue to slide, he'll be gone next year. As for Eli Manning . . . yipe. Bad, bad game. I still like this guy and root for him, but he's not doing much to convince anyone he can be a franchise quarterback.
Also, here's what I wrote about this game: ". . . let me say this: Minnesota has a real chance of beating the crap out of the Giants. Why? Because they don't need to pass the ball to win, and that neutralizes the scary Giants pass rush. The Vikings have the best offensive line in the NFC, and Chester Taylor is way more than enough to make it count. For the Giants to win, they need Eli to protect the ball and make plays, and they need to stop the run. They won't have much success on the ground against the Vikings, but if they can pass the ball and limit Taylor, they should win. I don't know ."
Seattle over St. Louis, 24-19
My Pick: Seattle over St. Louis, 31-21
There's no reason St. Louis shouldn't have won this game. Their goal-line playcalling at the end was inexcusable, an utter bed-crapping by the coaches. How often does a team take two time-outs to the goal-line on a potential game-winning drive? To screw that up by not calling a running play for your Pro-Bowl tailback until third down when you're playing Gus friggin' Frerotte is absolutely astounding. St. Louis deserved to win right up until Scott Linehan crawled half-way up his own ass with the game on the line. After that, they deserved to lose. Seattle is dinged up and grumpy, they may collapse.
Tampa Bay over Washington, 19-13
My Pick: Washington over Tampa Bay, 24-14
You know, sometimes players fail to execute on only a few plays and that's all it takes to lose a game. What can you say about this game? First quarter fumbles killed the Skins, who soundly outplayed the Bucs on both sides of the ball. It happens. I'm encouraged by the progress of their offense, but I have a suspicion that the Skins might need to take a look at a late round future tailback with some explosiveness. Portis ain't got it no mo'.
San Francisco over Arizona, 37-31
My Pick: Arizona over San Francisco, 28-9
If you picked this game right, bravo. You're the only one. I can't remember the last time a new assistant made such a huge, immediate impact on a team's success. Ted Tollner came in to help Jim Hostler with the offense, and look what happened! Gore went nuts and the 49ers took down a division foe. As for the Cardinals, what a terrible, terrible loss. They'll say they weren't looking past the Niners, but I don't buy it. Now they need to find a way to slow down the Browns, a true offensive powerhouse.
Chicago over Denver, 37-34
My Pick: Denver over Chicago, 20-17
Devin Hester kept Chicago in it, and against all odds, Rex Grossman ripped Denver's heart out and won it for the Bears, who are still fighting their asses off. Here's what I wrote: "Trap game for Denver, coming off a big win on Monday night to put them in a tie atop the AFC West. Chicago is tough as nails."
San Diego over Baltimore, 32-14
My Pick: San Diego over Baltimore, 31-10
Yep. Nailed it.
New England over Philadelphia, 31-28
My Pick: New England over Philadelphia, by a lot more than 3.
What a great, great game. I have an easier time appreciating the Pats when they look human and take a knee at the end. Their defense was exposed a little, but they found a way. Great effort from the sometimes-game Eagles, who managed to unearth a little more controversy by playing well. What a depressing mess that team is.
Pittsburgh over New York Jets, 3-0
My Pick: Pittsburgh over New York Jets, 35-13
Rain and a god-awful field killed this game. Everyone and their mother is bitching about it, but I found it to be highly watchable and enjoyable. I love the slop, I love watching games in bad weather, I loved it. I'm glad Pittsburgh won. They do need to figure out the whole surface issue at Heinz, but I applaud their efforts to stick with grass. Maybe they want to reconsider having four high-school football games and a college game on the field in bad weather the week of a Monday nighter.
Week 13 Picks:
Green Bay @ Dallas
Call me crazy, but Green Bay is the better team, they've got more momentum, and they've already played and won in some of the NFL's toughest stadiums. Also, I prefer Green Bay.
Packers over Cowboys, 27-24
San Francisco @ Carolina
Was San Francisco's offensive explosion the start of something, or was it a flash in the pan? I can't pick them on the road, not even against winless-at-home-and-flat-out-terrible Carolina. This is a terrible, terrible game.
Carolina over San Francisco, 16-14
Jacksonville @ Indianapolis
Really tough game to call, this should be a humdinger to watch. I can't pick against the ultra-pro Colts, but I like Jacksonville better each time I see 'em. I think they're the one AFC team other than Indy I might give a chance in a playoff contest with the Pats.
Colts over Jaguars, 21-17
Detroit @ Minnesota
There are two playoff caliber NFC teams that I think will come out of week 12 in full tailspin, and Detroit is one of them. Is this an upset? Hard to say, but Minnesota has a winning formula at the moment.
Vikings over Lions, 28-24
San Diego @ Kansas City
I'm just not going to pick the Chiefs, not after they lost at home to Oakland. San Diego is at least 10 times better than Oakland. Did you catch that Norv Turner line about sometimes struggling to run the ball (with the NFL's best player) because they've played some tough teams? Holy shit, that is absolutely VINTAGE Norv. That pretty much sums up his entire time in Washington: Hey Norv, why'd you lose 11 games this year? "Well Obliterat, we played some pretty tough teams." Wow.
Chargers over Chiefs, 28-17
New York Jets @ Miami
Call this one the Toilet Bowl. Nobody cares. Gamblers, MAYBE.
Jets over Dolphins, 17-10
Buffalo @ Washington
Yeah, like I'm gonna start picking against 'em NOW. They can move the ball. Their defense has been good/great at times. If they can finish their drives and consistently get stops, their one of the NFC's best teams. Buffalo is in disarray and is starting Trent "The Hot Young Nanny" Edwards, plus Marshawn Lynch is a no-go.
Redskins over Bills, 31-21
Houston @ Tennessee
I have very little faith in the Titans after that awful bludgeoning they took in Cincinnati. I do have faith in Jeff Fisher (a great coach), and they're at home with pride at stake and potentially last place in the AFC South on the line. I'm sticking with the team with the better record, plus they're at home.
Titans over Texans, 24-17
Atlanta @ St. Louis
Yuk. Boooooooooo! Why not go with home-field advantage?
Rams over Falcons, 28-20
Seattle @ Philadelphia
A very game Eagles bunch takes on a banged up, grumpy, fragile Seattle team that perhaps sees the division crown looming too soon for their own good. Philly fans will undermine their team for the umpteenth time this season, but I'm taking the upset. Lofa Tatupu is the only guy on the Seahawks with any hope of sticking with Brian Westbrook, but he's hurt.
Eagles over Seahawks, 21-17
Cleveland @ Arizona
Stick with the horse what-what brung ya. I don't know why Cleveland is that horse, but for some reason, I feel like picking against them in a match with the Cardinals team that just lost to San Francisco at home would be disloyal. Wierd, I've only ever seen Cleveland from the highway.
Browns over Cardinals, 35-28
Denver @ Oakland
Oakland stinks. Denver at least has a playmaker or two on their roster. This should be a pretty miserable affair, with Denver clinging to a wild hope of making the playoffs.
Broncos over Raiders, 24-20
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans
The last gasp for the Saints. If Jeff Garcia starts, I think Tampa wins. That's a big question mark right now. Tampa Bay needs to make a few big plays through the air, run the ball well, and use their Tampa-2 to force Drew Brees to dink and dunk his way up the field. This is a coin-flip, but I'm taking the road warriors. The Saints are not a good team when they're forced to play from behind.
Bucs over Saints, 24-20
New York Giants @ Chicago
The Giants are the other NFC playoff contender that I expect to come out of week 13 reeling. They'll lose to the tougher 'n hell Bears and the wheels will come all the way off. Right now, there isn't a player on New York's roster that isn't thinking about last season's collapse and second guessing their head coach and quarterback.
Bears over Giants, 31-20
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh
The Steelers really need this game. I know that sounds a bit strange, but they really need it. They're confidence is low, I can feel it. Cincinnati will come out gunning, but I expect the superior toughness of the Steelers and the rowdy home crowd to pull them through.
Steelers over Bengals, 38-27
New England @ Baltimore
This game is eerily like the Pats/Eagles game on paper. Think about it: long-tenured, time-tested, embattled coach; tough, prideful, historically successful but declining defense with at least one future HOFer; underachieving offense with stud-ish tailback; underwhelming backup QB under center; anonymous receiving corps; talented but underachieving offensive line; playoff hopes just about shot (or in this case, all the way shot). The differences: Andy Reid is the superior coach, Baltimore has home-field, Baltimore has the superior defense, and Philly did enough in their strong effort against the Pats that Baltimore can at least try to copy the model. I don't know, this could be interesting. Nevertheless, Pats win.
Patriots over Ravens, a lot to a little
There you have it. I upgraded my fantasy team at the receiver position by replacing D. J. Hackett with Kellen Winslow. Consider this my final push for respectability. I finished 10-6 in week 12 picks, but I took seven road teams this week, so my streak of solid picking may come to a brutal close.
Go Skynards!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
We'll Miss You, Sean Taylor
It's going to be a long day, probably a long week. I jumped out of bed early this morning to check Sean Taylor's condition after he was shot in the leg Monday morning and was horrified to see that he'd died overnight. I just want to emphasize this: this is terrible, terrible news, bad enough that I can't properly quantify it.
I don't know, I guess I have a lot of thoughts about this, but I don't have the vocabulary or energy to get into all of them. Mostly, I suddenly feel like its very important that somebody, maybe everybody is made aware that those of us who've followed Sean Taylor's career are crushed by this news for reasons that have nothing to do with his prowess on the football field. Taylor was 24 years old when he died, he had a fiance and a daughter and a wonderful life ahead of him. He was beloved by his teammates, his coaches, and those few members of the media that were able to get to know him. We'll miss him here in Washington. I don't tend to think about this most of the time, but now that this has happened, I'm more aware than before of how the players I cheer for and that represent my hometown have become a strange extension of my family and a part of my town's identity. Dozens and dozens of celebrities have died since I've been paying attention, but this one sucks so much worse than any I can remember.
This news is being reported in a handful of ways around Washington, and I'd like to discuss a few of them.
1. Andy Pollin is a fucking asshole. Taylor has been dead for less than 12 hours and Pollin is already scraping the bottom of the barrell for the worst possible angles on this story, questioning whether Taylor's on-field recklessness and feeling of invincibility translated to off-the-field recklessness, and whether his troubled past has finally caught up to him. Hey Pollin, you goddamn prick, let's recap: a 24-year old kid was shot and killed while he slept in his bed at his home. Take your muckraking and shove it up your ass, you heartless bastard.
2. Doc Walker isn't a whole lot better. He dared to ask ex-Redskin Ken Harvey (more on him below) how prepared the Redskins would be for their Sunday matchup at home against the Bills. Unbelievable. He then went on to suggest that had Sean Springs not been dealing with his own personal issues with his ailing father, he'd surely have seen this coming and kept Sean Taylor from going back down to Florida a week after an ominous break-in at Taylor's home. Way to go, Doc: because what this story really needs is an injection of contrived, bullshit speculation. Let's recap: a 24-year old kid was shot and killed while he slept in his bed at his home. Not interesting enough for you? I know what happens to guys who've had long football careers: they turn into football hardheads with permanent helmets, and every comment they make is a chance for them to prove how tough they are and how tough you have to be to play in the NFL. I strongly object to Doc Walker even bringing up Sunday's game. You can't imagine how sad the Redskins must be today, you can't imagine how sad many of us fans are, the last thing anybody wants to think about is the game of football.
3. Chic Hernandez, of Comcast Sports Net, seemed to be one guy who truly understood the sadness of this loss. Pollin tried to rake in a little Len Bias comparison, and Hernandez was in a unique position to comment on it, as he was a graduate student at Maryland when Bias died on draft night. Hernandez spoke eloquently about the feeling of wasted brilliance and wasted life, and expressed several other appropriate emotions before he was overcome and the interview ended. That more closely resembles how the rest of us feel, and it helps to know there are some members of the media that feel the same.
4. Ken Harvey was about 3 sentences in to reaming Pollin on live radio after the recklessness comment before Doc Walker kind of jumped in and steered things another way. Harvey is a great guy and family man; I met him once at the bookstore I worked in. Did you know he writes children's books? I met his son that day, he seemed like an outstanding kid. Harvey took exception to the characterization of a man that grabs for a weapon to protect himself, his home, his fiance, and his 18 month old daughter from an armed intruder at 3am as reckless. He was in the middle of making the point that all players exhibit recklessness and require a sense of invincibility on the field in order to do the job, but that off the field, you don't have to be reckless to do whatever you can to protect those things and people that are important to you. It's probably a good thing Doc interrupted, I have a feeling Pollin was really in for it.
5. Against all odds, local radio news powerhouse WTOP is reporting the Taylor death with far more class than local radio sports news powerhouse SportsTalk 980. All the above atrocities took place on 980, whereas WTOP was featuring the story and continuous interviews with various DC media members and personalities, but without any of the crap about on-field accomplishments or the speculation baloney on 980. I didn't get a chance to catch ESPN Radio, but if the Taylor story is getting the level of attention on their radio broadcasts its getting on Sportscenter, we won't know anything happened until next week. I'm not saying the world should shut down over this, but seriously: a 24-year old kid was shot and killed while he slept in his bed at home, and ESPN is showing taped analysis of the upcoming Packers/Cowboys game. I don't know, call me crazy, but the bigger, more important story in sports news might be the young standout that was murdered in his home yesterday. I don't decide what goes on Sportscenter, and it's probably a good thing, but I was pretty upset to see that in the 30 minutes I had the TV on this morning, they didn't even cut in with an ESPNews update.
Hey, lets all of us send good vibes to Sean's family and friends, and choose to think about and talk about this guy in terms of his value to them and his promise as a person, as a husband and as a father; lets try to remember this awesome guy for his strength of character and his impressive ability to take control of his life. Lets appreciate his loss as a loss to our strange, extended family and a tremendous loss to the identity of our community. We as fans got all we could get out of this guy, lets remind ourselves and those around us that the value of that goes beyond the game of football.
I don't know, I guess I have a lot of thoughts about this, but I don't have the vocabulary or energy to get into all of them. Mostly, I suddenly feel like its very important that somebody, maybe everybody is made aware that those of us who've followed Sean Taylor's career are crushed by this news for reasons that have nothing to do with his prowess on the football field. Taylor was 24 years old when he died, he had a fiance and a daughter and a wonderful life ahead of him. He was beloved by his teammates, his coaches, and those few members of the media that were able to get to know him. We'll miss him here in Washington. I don't tend to think about this most of the time, but now that this has happened, I'm more aware than before of how the players I cheer for and that represent my hometown have become a strange extension of my family and a part of my town's identity. Dozens and dozens of celebrities have died since I've been paying attention, but this one sucks so much worse than any I can remember.
This news is being reported in a handful of ways around Washington, and I'd like to discuss a few of them.
1. Andy Pollin is a fucking asshole. Taylor has been dead for less than 12 hours and Pollin is already scraping the bottom of the barrell for the worst possible angles on this story, questioning whether Taylor's on-field recklessness and feeling of invincibility translated to off-the-field recklessness, and whether his troubled past has finally caught up to him. Hey Pollin, you goddamn prick, let's recap: a 24-year old kid was shot and killed while he slept in his bed at his home. Take your muckraking and shove it up your ass, you heartless bastard.
2. Doc Walker isn't a whole lot better. He dared to ask ex-Redskin Ken Harvey (more on him below) how prepared the Redskins would be for their Sunday matchup at home against the Bills. Unbelievable. He then went on to suggest that had Sean Springs not been dealing with his own personal issues with his ailing father, he'd surely have seen this coming and kept Sean Taylor from going back down to Florida a week after an ominous break-in at Taylor's home. Way to go, Doc: because what this story really needs is an injection of contrived, bullshit speculation. Let's recap: a 24-year old kid was shot and killed while he slept in his bed at his home. Not interesting enough for you? I know what happens to guys who've had long football careers: they turn into football hardheads with permanent helmets, and every comment they make is a chance for them to prove how tough they are and how tough you have to be to play in the NFL. I strongly object to Doc Walker even bringing up Sunday's game. You can't imagine how sad the Redskins must be today, you can't imagine how sad many of us fans are, the last thing anybody wants to think about is the game of football.
3. Chic Hernandez, of Comcast Sports Net, seemed to be one guy who truly understood the sadness of this loss. Pollin tried to rake in a little Len Bias comparison, and Hernandez was in a unique position to comment on it, as he was a graduate student at Maryland when Bias died on draft night. Hernandez spoke eloquently about the feeling of wasted brilliance and wasted life, and expressed several other appropriate emotions before he was overcome and the interview ended. That more closely resembles how the rest of us feel, and it helps to know there are some members of the media that feel the same.
4. Ken Harvey was about 3 sentences in to reaming Pollin on live radio after the recklessness comment before Doc Walker kind of jumped in and steered things another way. Harvey is a great guy and family man; I met him once at the bookstore I worked in. Did you know he writes children's books? I met his son that day, he seemed like an outstanding kid. Harvey took exception to the characterization of a man that grabs for a weapon to protect himself, his home, his fiance, and his 18 month old daughter from an armed intruder at 3am as reckless. He was in the middle of making the point that all players exhibit recklessness and require a sense of invincibility on the field in order to do the job, but that off the field, you don't have to be reckless to do whatever you can to protect those things and people that are important to you. It's probably a good thing Doc interrupted, I have a feeling Pollin was really in for it.
5. Against all odds, local radio news powerhouse WTOP is reporting the Taylor death with far more class than local radio sports news powerhouse SportsTalk 980. All the above atrocities took place on 980, whereas WTOP was featuring the story and continuous interviews with various DC media members and personalities, but without any of the crap about on-field accomplishments or the speculation baloney on 980. I didn't get a chance to catch ESPN Radio, but if the Taylor story is getting the level of attention on their radio broadcasts its getting on Sportscenter, we won't know anything happened until next week. I'm not saying the world should shut down over this, but seriously: a 24-year old kid was shot and killed while he slept in his bed at home, and ESPN is showing taped analysis of the upcoming Packers/Cowboys game. I don't know, call me crazy, but the bigger, more important story in sports news might be the young standout that was murdered in his home yesterday. I don't decide what goes on Sportscenter, and it's probably a good thing, but I was pretty upset to see that in the 30 minutes I had the TV on this morning, they didn't even cut in with an ESPNews update.
Hey, lets all of us send good vibes to Sean's family and friends, and choose to think about and talk about this guy in terms of his value to them and his promise as a person, as a husband and as a father; lets try to remember this awesome guy for his strength of character and his impressive ability to take control of his life. Lets appreciate his loss as a loss to our strange, extended family and a tremendous loss to the identity of our community. We as fans got all we could get out of this guy, lets remind ourselves and those around us that the value of that goes beyond the game of football.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Serious Business
News out of Florida is that Sean Taylor of the Redskins is in critical condition after being shot in the "lower body" last night at his home. This is serious stuff. Let's all cross our fingers for this kid, who in addition to having a break-out season, really seemed to be putting his life together.
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