Playoffs!?!

In honor of Coach Jim Mora (Sr)-- former coach of, ironically, both the Saints and the Colts—it’s time to talk about playoffs. 

Colts- 30, Jets- 17

This weekend’s games were probably 2 of the most interesting this postseason. The AFC Championship started off making me fear more Rex Ryan air-time as the Jets looked good through the first half. Peyton even came close to making the Eli face a couple times. My family on Long Island and the majority of the people at the bar where I watched were happy with the way things were going for the Jets until late in the 2^nd when Peyton’s TD pass to Collie brought the Colts within 4 at halftime.

The Jets were done scoring after that, but chants of C-O-L-T-S Colts! Colts! Colts! would come from the friend next to me at the bar 3 more times before the game was over. Rex’s ranting was justified with the late hit on Sanchez that never got a flag, but at least we should have a break from his comments till August (I hope). Though I wanted the Chargers to get to the Super Bowl, Indy set up the first half of the battle-of-the-unbeaten-for-most-of-the-season matchup I’m happy to settle for.  

Saints- 31, Vikings- 28

Still conflicted about my feelings on Favre (especially just returning from Wisconsin), but having cheered for the Saints  all season because I had Brees and the D on my fantasy team*, I wasn’t sure who to go for in this one. The Saints and Vikings went score for score with some pretty impressive plays and some pretty bad calls right down till the last second, sending them into OT. Minnesota had more yards both passing and rushing, but they also had 3 fumbles lost and 2 INTs which led to their loss. (Percy’s fumble I blame on the migraine…) A slew of booth reviews only prolonged the wait for more bad calls in OT, but eventually Hartley’s kick secured my Super Bowl combo preference.

*Note that I took Brees and the Saints D when others in my league doubted them, and now they’re goin to the Super Bowl. I’m just sayin…

PATs:

• 
  -The un-flagged, anti-Tom Brady rule hit that sent Favre limping to the sideline had some guessing whether or not that will cause the end of his career… again. Let the indecisive Favre-ing begin.
• 
  -Andy Roddick didn’t make it past the quarterfinal of the Australian Open, and Nadal retired in his to Andy Murray because of his knee issues. I’m officially going for Murray to win now.
• 
  -The whole LeBron/D Wade matchup was fun to watch, so I’m not sure about ESPN’s pushing the free-agents-potential-as-teammates idea. I’m a big fan of rivalry, so I’m pro-separate.
• 
  -UNC’s losses are losing their fun, but I’m cheering on the Wolfpack tonight regardless. PS- Can someone please beat Kentucky?! Yay for Super Tuesday!

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Too Heavy, Too Light

These commercials always get stuck in my head, so today’s football analysis comes to you Too Heavy, Too Light style.

Vikings: 34, Dallas: 3

Sidney Rice had 3 TDs, Favre had 4, and the D held strong. The Cowboys looked like, well, the Cowboys I’m used to as opposed to in the games against Philly. Who called the return of the usual Romo this week? That would be me. The last TD was a little controversial on the Vikings’ part, though… I can see why they did it, but I’m not decided on where I stand with that one yet.

Too Heavy: The Vikings D. 6 sacks, 3 turnovers, and holding Dallas-- who recently looked shockingly decent-- to only a field goal. Special mention to Jared Allen with forced fumbles, passes batted down, great D, and of course, the mullet (& the lifestyle that goes with it).

Too Light:  Wade Phillips’ playoff record. People on espn.com boards were taking bets on how fast he’ll be fired. Apparently he’ll be sticking around for next season at least.

Jets: 17, Chargers: 14

The Jets had 3 straight 3-and-out drives to start out the game, which led me to believe I’d go 4 for 4 in my picks. Not so much. Some may agree with my Giants-fan friends that Philip Rivers is “a cocky asshole,” but talking trash is part of sports, and usually he can back it up. Of course, he didn’t do so hot when it counted and ended with 2 interceptions and a pretty messy 2^nd half on Sunday as the Jets ran up the score. Then there were the Chargers’ kicking issues. 3 for 4 on picks this weekend isn’t that bad… except the one I got wrong was the one I had going to the Super Bowl.

Too Heavy: Rex Ryan’s bragging about how great his running game is and all the other random crazy stuff he says. Every time I hear that man’s name, he gives me some reason to dislike him a little more.

Too Light: Mr. Nate Kaeding. I’ve had him as my fantasy kicker for quite some time now and he’s never let me down, hence my surprise as he missed three different attempts. I’ll give him the 57 yarder, but the other 2 were totally doable. Come on, man!

PATs:

• Kansas State beat #1 Texas 71-62. Told ya another one of the unbeatens would go down soon.
• Yet another week where UNC loses and Duke wins decisively… and the Canes lose…and the Magic lose…

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R is for Ray Rice

When my mom’s pre-school class listed words that start with R this week, one boy said “Ray Rice from the Ravens!” They’ve been discussing college and NFL football all season, and he really knows his sports. Aside from being a Cowboys fan (it’s his dad’s team—can’t fault the kid), he’s exactly how I hope my kids will be someday.

The Ravens v Colts game didn’t go exactly how Baltimore fans would have hoped, though, as Peyton led the Colts to a 20-3 victory. The Ravens weren’t nearly as impressive in general this week. Fumbles negated a few big plays for Baltimore, especially in the 2^nd half. I picked the Colts, because I had a feeling last week’s game against the Pats was a fluke. And besides, something about Flacco kinda creeps me out. At least Peyton’s commercials are funny.

New Orleans fans can yell “Who dat?” for at least 1 more week after going crazy on the Cardinals, winning 45-14. Drew Brees was my fantasy QB and hadn’t let me down all season, so I assumed he’d do well in the post-season, too. I didn’t assume it would be that big of a win, though. Especially when Hightower scored just seconds into the game. I didn’t get to watch much, but the opening play and final score looked awfully similar to the UF v Ohio State BCS Championship circa 2006… I’m just sayin.

My picks for tomorrow’s games are Vikings and Chargers. I’m 2 for 2 so far…

PATs:

• UNC lost—again-- but managed to recover from a good Georgia Tech lead a couple different times in that game. It came down to literally the last second, and Roy Williams did not look too pleased with that. I, however, am pretty pleased that I can now counter one of my favorite bartenders’ taunting for Duke getting beaten by Georgia Tech. (I bought a Duke shirt purely to piss off the cocky UNC fans in my life, and the 2 bartenders at our regular sports-watching spot are the most recent additions to that list.)
• Texas bball remains unbeaten after a close game in OT. Kentucky held on to its undefeated status beating Auburn. They’ve gotta go down sometime soon to even things out a little…
• My Gators finally got a W against an SEC team. Unfortunately, it was LSU who isn’t so great, but a W is a W. I’ll take it.

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The Devil Went Down to L.A.

…lookin’ for recruits to steal. So Lane Kiffin, annoying man that he is, has squashed all hope for me potentially not hating USC anymore by taking the head coach position. Bad on many levels, but at least he’s out of the SEC. His daddy, Monte, is going with him as defensive coordinator, and they are joined by Ed Orgeron, former recruiting coordinator for the Vols as asst. coach for USC. My good buddy, Kim, posted this link on facebook re:Orgeron’s dirty recruiting tricks to get the guys they want from Tenn to Southern Cal without the year of ineligibility.

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/jan/13/sources-say-orgeron-telling-ut-enrollees-not-to/?cid=Facebook

Sneaky bastard. He’ll fit right in.

On a more positive note for those who dislike cocky teams… UNC was beaten by 19 points in last night’s game against Clemson. It’s not that I hate the Tar Heels or anything, but their fans are almost as bad as Miami fans when it comes to cockiness. Whenever I can rub a loss in their faces, it makes me happy. Especially when Duke wins, which happened against Boston College in the first of the two games last night. All is right in the world of ACC basketball for the moment.

My Gators still can’t figure out how to win against an SEC team, which has already diminished my hope for the season somewhat. Just coming out of football season, I always forget that it’s ok to lose a few in bball, hockey and baseball… At least we lost to an unbeaten team and in a game that was closer than the final score ended up.

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Every New Season Comes From Some Other Season's End...

The transition from the oblong & outdoor grassy fields of Urban’s territory to the round ball & indoor hard court of Billy ball has begun. SEC play started Saturday against Vandy… and unfortunately our conference record starts 0-1. This year’s Gator Boys look a lot more like the championship teams than the short-lived era of Nick Calathes. Billy D’s philosophy of getting the ball to the guy who has the shot and not having an ego the size of Jerry Jones’s jumbotron seems to have clicked with this crew. This makes me happy. Cause that means there’s hope. Especially with only 1 senior on the squad this year.

NFL Playoff Wildcard games on Sat. were essentially a replay of last week. Literally. The J-e-t-s Jets! x3 continued their dominance over the Bengals with a final of 24-14. The Battle of Evil gave Romo and his Cowgirls a 34-14 W over the Eagles, and consequently, another week before he has to cry about the end of their playoff run.

Sunday’s games were a bit more surprising. Ray Lewis and the Ravens D seemed to know every Pats move before it happened. Brady’s 3 interceptions, among other various slip-ups, only helped lead Baltimore to beat NE 33-14 at home during the postseason for the first time since '78.   The Packers v Cardinals game was exhausting to watch and emotionally draining for those of us pulling for Green Bay. Struggling to come back from a serious deficit for a good chunk of the game, the Packers managed to tie it, but with enough time left for an AZ field goal attempt. And shank. Just when we thought there was hope in OT, the ball was stripped from Rodgers mid-throw (ish) and run in for a Cardinals TD. It was an amazing game to watch, though, with an average of 400 yds between the 2 QBs, 4 TDs each, and a final score of 51-45.

PATs:

• Pete Carroll is leaving USC for the Seahawks.  Pretty sure he’ll be more tolerable there since he'll have to prove himself in the NFL. I might even learn to be ok with USC’s existence without Pete or Leinart there to provide the cocky pretentiousness that made the Pac-10 overrated and USC the bane of my existence.

• The Magic finally won one after a 4 game losing streak. Is it wrong that I feel bad cause we beat Al Horford’s team?

• The Canes managed to pull off a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Surprising because we won, but even more surprising we won by 3 points! Maybe things are turning around…

• Bruce Pearl coached the #15 Vols to a 76-68 win over top-ranked Kansas, knocking out one of the remaining unbeatens and shaking things up a bit in the world of college bball. Should be an interesting season!

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Roll Tide... ish

37-21 Bama.

Kinda what I’d hoped for, but not at all how I thought they’d get there. After Colt’s mystery shoulder/arm injury early in the game, it started going downhill. I fell for the hype of the Heisman candidate/winner matchup ESPN built up for at least a week. That game probably would have been better for validation purposes. It also would have been better if Carlos Dunlap hadn’t gotten drunk on a Monday night (?!), decided to drive (?!), and fell asleep behind the wheel at a light with the SEC Championship waiting at the end of the week, but instead been there to lead the Gator defense to kick Bama’s ass and put us in the title game where we belonged. (I’m not bitter at all.)

It may have been due to Colt’s absence, but Bama’s D stepped it up in the 2^nd quarter. Arenas’ int made me slightly less worried. Then the pick-6 by Darius to end the first half reassured me an SEC defense was on the field. The mystery of Colt’s potential return loomed, though, and of course all commentators cited that as the reason for the lead. Cause Bama didn’t hold the title of best defense in the country going into the game or anything…

The semi-comeback by Texas in the 3^rd with Gilbert’s 44 yard touchdown pass followed by a Texas-recovered onside kick gave me hope a real game could surface, and one would in the 4^th quarter. A bad kick by Tiffin and TD w/2 pt conversion for Texas on the next drive got them within 3. Bama’s D continued to step up, though. The blitz near the Texas endzone resulted in a fumble recovery to set up 1^st and goal and the nail in the coffin for Texas.

Ingram did well with 116 yds and 2 TDs despite the Heisman jinx. I have a ton of respect for Colt after his comments at the end of the game. He easily could have pulled a Matt Leinart, but instead he gave Alabama credit like a true athlete should in good sportsmanship. Stay classy, Colt. 

Though I'm sure ESPN will say it was mainly because Colt was taken out early, I'm still glad a fellow SEC team won, and wish we could replay sans injury to confirm our dominance. Congrats Saban, and till we meet again, Roll Tide.

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A Gator can be a semi-Nole

My love for 2 rivals is totally explainable... My high school didn't have football, so when I got to FSU, I took the fight song part of orientation way seriously and learned it to the letter. I didn’t know where my classes were, but I knew when to get in line for season tickets and what to scream when I heard certain music cues from the Marching Chiefs. I learned to hate UF & Miami and stocked my closet with garnet & gold t-shirts. I even bought one of those cliché little-kids-in-black-&-white-with-team-logos-photoshopped-in shirts that said “Prince Charming doesn’t wear orange & blue.”

My heart stopped when I walked into Doak for the first time. I was in love. I lost my voice at every game, defended the 4th quarter “4” that my UF friends mocked, and chopped till my right arm about fell off, especially during the last 5 minutes of the 4th quarter pushes when things got intense. I mocked my UF friends as Zook & Leak had a rocky season, even though Rix threw more interceptions than touchdowns and we all not-so-secretly thought he was an ass. I lived a block from Doak. I updated the top 10 AP rankings and complete ACC standings on my bathroom mirror, taking up so much space, I had to use my roommate’s side to see. I wore black the week after we “lost” to Clemson (don’t get me started), and stayed for the entire loss to Miami Oct. 11, 2003, despite being cold and soaked as if I jumped into a pool fully-clothed due to the torrential downpour that delayed the game more than once. I even went to the UF v FSU game, in the Swamp, in the UF student section, wearing as much Noles gear as one person can.

...Then I transferred to UF for totally academic reasons. The switch was hard. I learned on my Noles. They were my first football love. The first tingles when I walked into the stadium on game day. The first excitement when we won. The first heartbreak when we lost. I was unsure about cheering for the Gators I so recently mocked. After losing to Miami twice in the same season, I justified cheering for the Gators while staying loyal to my Noles by hating Miami with a burning passion.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my Gators & will defend them till I die, but I still don’t know all the words to the fight song and can only slur along with the alma mater like the 90,000+ other Gators in the Swamp, getting about 50% of the words at the right time. I cheered just as hard in the Swamp as I did at Doak. The Swamp & UF's campus feel like home, the Gator Nation like extended family. I shed a single tear during the song we sing & sway to between the 3rd & 4th quarters at my last game as a student (a momentous thing, since I hadn’t come close to crying since high school graduation). My first football season as a Gator wasn’t as magical as losing my football virginity to FSU, but it was just as intense if not more so with all the new, crazy rivalries in the SEC. My original football love and my alma mater will forever be in competition, but I will always boo Miami.

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