Archive for the ‘Football’ Category
September 27th, 2007
Didn’t see it, didn’t see any highlights. They had a decent lead, lost it, then won on a last second field goal.
Defense has been a pretty big let down so far. Had they started this year like last year, they’d be 3-0, and would easily earn a spot in the Top 5 with New England (BOOOO!), Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Dallas. Right now, I think Green Bay is better and possible Seattle.
September 17th, 2007
A bit better. Boller as QB, didn’t look horrible. But the Ravens didn’t look sharp. Still, it was a lot better than last week. Though, given Cincinnati 45, Cleveland 51, I am not sure if the Ravens should be feeling very good about themselves at the moment.
September 14th, 2007
Gift from Death Valley became “Death Valley” tradition
Having been to both Death Valley. CA and Frank Howard Field at Memorial Stadium (aka Death Valley). Clemson, SC, I will attest to the power of the both places. Just thinking about the football team’s entrance gives me goose bumps. It is one thing to see video or pictures, it is quite another to experience it live.
Sadly, none of the YouTube clips come close to letting you experience the emotion or overwhelming emotions. It is soooo loud, and just plain fun.
September 13th, 2007
Okay, so I am finally calm enough to write Ravens 20, Bengals 27. What a disaster. 6 Turnovers leading to 24 points. Ray Lewis, Steve McNair, Jonathan Ogden, B.J. Sams hurt. There was a brutal offensive pass interference call on Todd Heap that negated a game tying touchdown with less than 2-minutes left.
And yet, the Ravens lost by only 7 points on a last minute goal line interception. There is a little solace in this. Perhaps this was the Ravens’ ‘No F’ing Way Game‘ of 2007. If it had been Madden, that is surely how it would have been viewed by the losing player. I do agree with TMQ about the Ravens getting pass wacky at the end:
‘Tis Better to Have Rushed and Lost Than Never to Have Rushed At All No. 2: Baltimore, trailing Cincinnati 27-20 at the end of the game, ran eight consecutive goal-to-go plays — owing to penalties– and failed to score. Five of the eight plays were pass attempts, all leading to incompletions, interceptions or penalties; the Ravens went pass-wacky though beginning the series with first-and-goal on the Bengals 3, where with four straight power-rushes seemingly all but assured a score.
Conclusion: Injuries are bad. Losing is bad. Losing to a division rival is bad. Sams out all year is bad. It could have been worse. It looks like Ray Lewis will still be able to play this year. Ogden may or may not, but at least the Ravens were looking ahead in the draft, and since Ogden didn’t play during the pre-season the backups got a lot of work. McNair may need some rest, but should be able to play again this year. And I do think that if the Ravens find the handle on the ball, they can whoop Cincy next time they play. The offense scored 20 points, but got 17 of those after a turnover (the other TD was a defensive score).
August 14th, 2007
The guys at Football Outsider’s have published their Pro Football Prospectus 2007: The Essential Guide to the 2007 Pro Football Season with all kinds of number crunchy goodness. Yummy.
January 22nd, 2007
Manning finally wins big one, leads Colts to Super Bowl
Hmm, I am surprised. They beat the Ravens and Patriots. Granted, the Ravens played unispired football, and the Patriots were tired, hurting and ill, but they were the two best defenses in the NFL and the Colts beat them. Played just enough defense to win against three physical offenses, and scored enough on offense aganst good to great defenses to win.
The pivitol point (to me)? The 2-point conversion the Colts went for an made to make it 21-21. If they take one, then the Colts are likely down 4 with 2:28 to go. Even if they get the touchdown, the Patriots only need to get a field goal to tie. If the miss the 2-pt, then New England only needs a field goal to win it. And I think they would have.
Note Bene: Peyton Manning most did not choke in the Big Game. However, neither did Tom Brady. The Colts were simply the better team on Sunday. Which is something everyone needs to remember: Manning and Brady are only 2 of 108 players on the two teams. Even though their performances may disproportionately affect the outcome, the other 106 matter a great deal. And early this decade, the other 53 for the Patriots were just better than the 53 for the Colts. (Okay, so the roster rules change a lot, so it probably wasn’t 54 with active/inactive lists, and I may be wrong about the 54 part, but you get the point).
And clearly, Tony Dungy was not out coached in this game.
Nice job. Indy. And good luck.
December 27th, 2006
The season is winding down, and the Ravens and Saints are still looking good. The Ravens are arguably the 2nd best team this season, (in arguably in the AFC). They have the one of the 2 or three best Defenses, they have already beaten the Chargers and Saints. I think the Ravens are probably no lower then 3rd on the list of teams no-one wants to play (the others being the Patriots and the Chargers, but I’d guess people think the Chargers can be beaten, but the Ravens will be brusing). And if the Chargers falter this week, and the Ravens don’t, the Ravens could be the #1 seed in the AFC.
The Saints are possibly the second best team in the NFC, and are probably the one team in the NFC no-one wants to play. The offense is so potent, that any of 5 or 6 players can make huge plays.
I wish playoffs started this week.
November 8th, 2006
Ah, they beat Bengals. They started real well, then played enough defense and got enough offense to hold them off. A solid, in division win that puts the Ravens in the dirver’s seat for the division. The offense is still not high octane, but it definitely looked competent. No turnovers, took advantage of some turnovers, had a few longish scoring drives that ate a lot of time off the clock. If the O continues improving at any reasonable rate, and they avoid the dreaded injuries, they should be division champs.
Oh, and BTW, they have the EASIEST schedule left in the league. But they earned it, because the last 5 weeks they playes”
So, they put 3 of the 14 losses on those teams, while losing to a very good Denver team, and, who know, the possible NFC Champion Panthers, while also beating a very good Chargers team and a surprisingly good Saints team (and a surprisingly mediocre Bengals team).
November 3rd, 2006
Since they both had a bye and played each other after the bye, I’m going to combine my thoughts.
First, the Ravens looked good again. I am sure that partly it was sue to rest (the Ravens are an old team), and partly it was because the Ravens’ QB, Steve McNair, was able to get more than average prep time. McNair is a good player, but he is learning a new system with new players after spending his whole career to this point with the Tennessee Titans.
The Saints looke like a young team, not quite ready to make the next step. If they learn from this, they should be able to grow quicker. Really, the Saints have not played a team with as good a defense as the Ravens, and they looke a little overmatched. Reggie Bush is still learning, but Marcus Colston looks like he will be a helluva player. The Saints future is still very, very bright.
The Ravens get Cincinnatti next at home, and that should be real good game.
October 20th, 2006
They beat the hated Eagles. Cool.
Sitting on the ball for the last two minutes was kinda of brash, but it worked. Sean Payton seems to be a sharp young coach.
Okay, so my impressions of the Saints: not as good as their record indicates, but they have the potential to be better than that. How so? They made many, many changes since last year, and they are still learning to play well to together. Consider:
And that is just a few key changes.
Brees and McAllister coming off injuries are not back to the last few years of performance.
Bush has been productive, but not up to the hype (in many ways the other rookie, Marcus Colston, has had more visible impact.) However, in Bush’s defense, only LeBron James could have lived up to the hype that Bush has recieved. Also, except for Arizona QB Matt Lienert and Tennessee QB Vince Young, no other rookie has been asked to do as much as Bush, nor had as much attention by the opponents in preparing for playing their respective teams. And the opposition game planning for Bush is actually of a different kind than the others. For Bush, teams are planning to not get hurt by him, but for the others, it is how to exploit their inexperience.
The team, barring injuries, will continue to improve as they are get comfortable with Sean Payton’s schemes, and as Brees and McAllister continue to improve physically, and as the rookies continue to learn and grow. The Saints, for the first time I can remember, have a bright future.
October 17th, 2006
Did not see hardly any of the game. Steve McNair was still the QB when I checked in. Consdering their problems, the final score was surprisingly close. I don’t think the bye week can come soon enough, though.
On the plus side, the Ravens are still tied for first (in their division), so it is not like the season is lost. I hope things go better for them.
October 12th, 2006
I suppose I should say something about the game since I have been giving my impressions thoughout the season. The truth is, I only saw the first half because I get up early now, so the game ends long after I need to be asleep.
The half ended in a 3-3 tie, but the Ravens QB, Steve McNair, threw a bad pass that was picked off in the end zone, just before the half ended. The Ravens should have gotten at least 3 points, and possible 7. I was pretty sure the Ravens would lose. It wound up 13-3. The defense played reasonably well: 13 points on the road in Denver is not a failure. 3 points by the Offense is.
But lets not go overboard here, had the Broncos been playing in Baltimore, the score could easily have been reversed. In seasons past, the Ravens may well have been shut out, playing one of the top 5 defenses (#1 against the rush) on the road. Now, they were a threat until the last few minutes.
If the Ravens respond by playing well this coming Sunday, then I don’t believe there is a reason to panic or unduly worry. Yes, there are some weaknesses the Ravens have to improve on: kick coverage, running the ball, and stretching the field some. And if they continue to improve on those, they can still be playing late into January. McNair still has a lot to improve on, and the offensive line is wounded, losing a starting guard for the rest of the season. But the Ravens have already shown once, that a great defense, timely running, and a mistake-free offense can win the Super Bowl. Let’s see how they play over the next few weeks.
October 3rd, 2006
More good news for the McElrathbey brothers: Fund for McElrathbey brothers raises nearly $50,000.
I do hope things continue to go well for them. 50k should be enough money for all four years (with the scholarship and other benefits). But it is still not an ideal life or situation. It is fortunate, though, that the brotehrs have the support, and can continue in school. With that, they have a real chance to escape the life adn environment that their parents have created.
October 1st, 2006
Ah, this was a close game. The Ravens did just enough to win, but unlike the first few games, this was against a legitimately good team. The Ravens were fortunate the Marty Schottenheimer pulled another late game boner, trying for a 52-yard field goal, rather than just punting it or even just going for it.
The Ravens Defense was tested by the best offense they played so far this year (well, so was the Chargers Defense, but that is not really to their credit). The Ravens held the San Diego Offense to 13 points, just 6 after the first drive. That was a strong performance by the Defense, against a skilled, balanced and talented offensive team. The San Diego QB, Philip Rivers, looks like he will be a good QB. It is quite possible that San Diego made the right decision swapping Rivers for Eli Manning with the NY Giants.
The Ravens Offense is still not very good. They had more turnovers. The big positive was the Ravens’ QB, Steve McNair go the job done at the end of the game.
This was an important game for the Ravens. From this game forward, no team playing the Ravens can afford to take them lightly, because offensively and defensively, very few teams are as talented or balanced at the Chargers on both sides of the ball. When the Ravens play their best, they are going to be very, very tough to beat. What has surprised me the most is that the Ravens have now comeback twice, late in games. Granted, both teams they did that to (Cleveland San Diego) made late game mistakes. But the Ravens are playing well enough that teams cannot afford mistakes.
It seems clear to me, though, that the Ravens are not yet good enough to beat teams that don’t make mistakes. They really should have lost to Cleveland, and probably to San Diego. It would be nice if the Ravens Offense was playing better so that margin of error for the Ravens was higher, but to this point, they have passed the test.
September 25th, 2006
Jaguars contain Manning, but still can’t beat Colts
I was a little surprised by this. I expected the Jax Offense to be better. Holding Indy to 21 points is a good showing, even if the Colts are still learning to live life without Edgerrin James. The Colts Defense was in bend but don’t break most of the first half. I thought Jax was kind of lucky that some of the calls that could have been made downfield weren’t called. Indy, as poor as the numbers look for the first half, could have had a 13-7 (or more lead) if the incomplete pass and no call on interfering with Marvin Harrison had gone Indy’s way.
So, I was impressed with Indy. They played tough, even if Jax was beat up. The Indy defense made some big plays, the Jax Defense did not. That more, or less, was the difference in the game (okay, the difference was 7 points, but you know what I meant, smart guy or gal).
September 18th, 2006
NCAA shows a heart in allowing this ‘extra benefit’
We should pray for the McElrathbey brothers. They need them… and all the other help they can get. I’m proud the other Clemson players helped out. It makes me feel good about the kind of players Tommy Bowden is recruiting.
September 18th, 2006
Giants rally from 17-point deficit, beat Eagles in OT
HAA HAA!
-Neslon Muntz