Week 14 Recap

It's Monday you know what that means: I should be doing homework but of course I'm blogging instead. So what happened this weekend in football?

Raiders @ Chargers - Seeing as this was a rivalry game, you think the Raiders would have elected to show up. Apparently, they didn't think so. It was UGLY! The Chargers played more like the Chargers everyone expected all season but when you consider who they were playing, it wasn't all that impressive. Also, what a terrible matchup for a prime time game. The NFL has been disappointing with their schedule making this season!

Jaguars @ Bears - This one was over on the Jaguars opening drive when Garrard threw an INT which the Bears turned into a TD a few plays later. This win keeps the Bears in playoff contention one game back of the Vikings. The Jags have dropped 4 in a row and now sit at the bottom of the AFC South.

Vikings @ Lions - Gus Frerotte left the game and the Vikings offense was left up to previous starter turned backup Jackson. The Vikings had quite the scare for the majority of the game as the Lions led them. But never fear, it's the Lions. They can't possibly win a game this season and they keep continuing to prove that. They're on their way to 0-16 stardom!

Bengals @ Colts - The Colts finally have a blow out! Peyton had one of those games, we've come to expect from him over the years (unlike most games this season). 26/32, 277 yds, 3TDs. The Colts defense sacked Fitzpatrick 5 times and held the Bengals to only 3 pts. This win keeps the Colts at the top of the wild card spot.

Eagles @ Giants - So my theory is after Plax told his (most likely soon-to-be-former) teammates, "Win this one for me," they all thought to themselves, "HAHAHAHA!! Yeah right!" And then proceeded to give the game to the Eagles. Anyone care to argue?

Browns @ Titans - I would like you all to refer to this post. What would the Cleveland Browns do without Phil Dawson? He's their only source of points. Don't forget to get your Pro-Bowl vote in for him! Despite having 131 penalty yds and 3 turnovers, the Titans won this one easily and clinched the AFC South.

Falcons @ Saints - The NFC South is all about the home team. The NFC South is collectively 23-2 when playing at home. So please tell me why so many people picked the Falcons? In a back and forth offensive shoot-out, both teams put up 414 yds and it came down to the final 2 mins for the Saints to take the lead and win the game. But 23-2, man the NFC South is serious about no one messing with their house!

Texans @ Packers - I love seeing guys who are warm climate players without sleeves at Lambeau. Matt Schaub came back after a 4 game hiatus (with sleeves...hint hint Tony Romo you're an idiot) and showed the Packers defense he meant business passing for 414 yds and 2 TDs. And despite having 4 turnovers, the Texans won a cold one in Green Bay - no sleeves and all.

Dolphins @ Bills - This was supposed to be a Bills home game. So why were there so many Fins fans? Easy; Welcome to Canada, leave your tailgating supplies and Bills jerseys at the border. In a lack lustre game, the Dolphins came out on top to join the 3-way tie of the AFC East.

Jets @ 49ers - Hi we're the 49ers, we can only beat teams from the AFC East because it screws up their hunt for the division title. Miami, you're next ;)

Patriots @ Seahawks - I became prematurely excited to see the Patriots trailing for most of the game. Although, perhaps the Seahawks should bump Wallace up to starter and telling Hasselbeck to enjoy the bench. They've really got nothing to lose.

Chiefs @ Broncos - After trailing at half time, the Broncos realized how incredibly embarrassing a loss to the Chiefs at home would be. After losing 3 in a row at home, the Broncos stepped up and beat the Chiefs 24-17. Although they'll make the playoffs with a divisional title, don't expect the Broncos and their inconsistency to win a playoff game.

Cardinals @ Rams - Oooo!! An exciting NFC West matchup! Ok sorry sometimes I ooze sarcasm just too much. Um the Cardinals clinched the west with a dominating record of 8-5!!!!! Gross.

Cowboys @ Steelers - Hi my name's Tony Romo. I was born in Wisconsin. Do you know what that means? I'm too much of a man for sleeves! Well Tony, you're a moron. In one of the strangest offensive battles I've seen, the Cowboys decided that handing the game over with 1:40 left seemed like the best idea. Also, once again Big Ben's o-line went ahead and showed their disdain for him. At one point, Big Ben's back was just grass. With the Cowboys' loss, the Giants clinched the NFC East.

Redskins @ Ravens - Joe Flacco and his flock of Ravens want it. They want it so bad. Ed Reed became a household name after his performance last night. The Ravens' D held Portis only 32 yds and got 2 INTs off of QB Jason Campbell. With this win, the Ravens remain one game behind the Steelers in the North and in line for a wild card spot.

Tonight we've got Bucs @ Panthers, the NFC South goes to 24-2 at home after this game giving the Panthers a one week lead of the division. Don't worry Bucs fans, it's only a week.

Just hand over your wallet Toronto

The first regular season NFL game in Canada will be played today in Toronto at the Skydome...err I mean Rogers Centre (ah eff it it's still the Skydome in everyone's mind). So I already made my views on the London games known. So now what's wrong with the Toronto series. Oh man where do I begin?

Well first of all, for any Toronto football fans to go to the game they've got to open their wallets and actually you know what just hand their entire wallet over. The average ticket price at the Skydome errr Rogers Centre is $183 CAD (about $144USD). Average ticket price at Ralph Wilson? $51.24USD. (Source: National Post)

Next problem - the closed dome! The Bills should never play a "home" game indoors. That's not Bills football. Bills fans wanted the dome open. So of course, the dome is closed. The elements are part of the game. I've been to an indoor game there. I saw last season's International Bowl there. It's not the same. The atmosphere is just not the same at all.

3rd problem - Back to the money factor. So it's almost $100 more to see a game in Toronto than in Buffalo. Now Toronto is only about 2 hours out of Buffalo. According to Mapquest, it's about $10 in gas if your car gets about 25 MPG. So now let's say it's you and your buddy going to the game:

• 2 tickets for Dolphins/Bills in Toronto = $288USD


• 2 tickets for a game in Buffalo = $102USD


• Gas to Buffalo from Toronto (return) = $20USD


• Tolls/border crossing = $5USD


• Parking in Buffalo = $15USD


• Parking in Toronto = $15USD


• Total for Toronto game for 2 people = $303USD


• Total for Buffalo game for 2 people = $142USD

That's a difference of $161!! That's ridiculous!

Next up - tailgating. Good luck with that in Toronto. Just another way Toronto will kill the atmosphere surrounding Bills football. How many tickets and arrests will happen today? Welcome to Canada; leave your beer at home :(

Next - (oh I can keep going and going) - the CFL. I'm not a CFL fan at all. But Mike Vanderjagt and the Toronto Argos can't be too impressed with this.

Ok I'll stop but seriously keep the Bills in Buffalo. Please!

Oh O.J.

Looks like O.J. is finally going away. 61 year old Simpson is going to jail for minimum 9 years and as much as 33 years. Looks like karma finally came back to bite him in the ass (might not be the only thing). Ok sorry I had to; it was just too easy!

Don't even need to photoshop a picture for this one. That smug look is good enough!

Has the ball gotten heavier??

The NFL suspended 6 players for using a diuretic, which works as a masking agent for steroids. This list includes the Vikings' defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams, and Saints' Deuce McAllister, Charles Grant, and Will Smith. In addition to the previous 5, the Texans' long snapper Bryan Pittman was also suspended. I guess the football has just gotten too heavy to snap for Mr. Pittman. I mean it must be so heavy to snap that ball 10ish yards.

Honestly though, I'm glad the NFL is cracking down on doping violators. Don't want another baseball issue.

Playoff predictions

Yeah Coach...I want to talk about playoffs!

Let's start with the NFC. Currently the playoff picture for the NFC has the Giants, the Vikings, the Bucs, and the Cardinals as the division leaders with the Panthers, Falcons, Cowboys, and Redskins in the wild card race.

NFC East - The Giants have a tough schedule remaining but I don't think tough enough to knock them out. They have a 3 game lead over the Cowboys. The only way the Cowboys could overthrow the Giants is if the Giants lose their remaining games and the Cowboys win out the season. Not seeing that happen, seeing as the Cowboys remaining schedule includes @Steelers, Giants and Ravens at home, and @Eagles. I think the Cowboys will finish 10-6 at best. Prediction: New York Giants

NFC North - I think the Lions are going to take this division with flying colours. Haha ok kidding! The Vikings are sitting atop the NFC North right now at 7-5, but the Bears are 6-6, and the Packers are 5-7. Any of these teams could win the division. The Vikings play the Lions next then visit the Cardinals, then back home for the Falcons and Giants. So at worse, the Vikings end up 8-8. The Bears have 3 home games against the Jaguars, the Saints, and the Packers, then visit the Texans, which will probably put the Bears at 8-8. The Packers host the Texans, then are on the road to play the Jaguars, and the Bears, then have the Lions at home. The Packers could easily win out their season, leaving them at 9-7. So I'm either giving this to the Packers or the Vikings if they can pull out a win against the Cards, or maybe the Giants for the last game of the season since that game would probably be meaningless to the G-men. Prediction: Minnesota Vikings

NFC South - This is the toughest division in the NFC to decide on. The Bucs are tied with the Panthers at 9-3, but have already won their first matchup. The Falcons are just one game behind them at 8-4. The Bucs play guest to the Panthers next Monday night, then visit the Falcons, then are home to play the Chargers and the Raiders. The Bucs have already beat both the Panthers and the Falcons, and the Chargers and the Raiders shouldn't be a problem so the worst they finish is 11-5, but I'm feeling a 12-4 out of them with a loss to the Panthers who are undefeated at home. The Panthers play the Bucs (as just mentioned) and the Broncos at home, then on the road to play the Giants and Saints. So they finish out 11-5 and take a wild card. The Falcons play the Saints, the Bucs, the Vikings, and the Rams. Depending on the outcome at the Superdome, the Falcons finish either 11-5 or 10-6. Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC West - I'm not wasting my time. Prediction: Arizona Cardinals

Wild card - We haven't talked about the Redskins yet. They're currently 7-5 and have 2 hard games left (Ravens and Eagles) and 2 gimmes (Bengals and 49ers). So I'm putting them at 9-5 which makes them miss the playoffs since the Panthers should be 11-5, the Falcons 11-5 or 10-6, and the Cowboys 10-6. So who gets it if the Falcons and Cowboys both finish 10-6? Well they haven't played each other so it would turn into record against common opponents. That would give it to Dallas. Prediction: Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys (if I gave it to the Falcons, I'd get the cold shoulder from Dave so this is his influence)

AFC time. Division leaders as of right now: Jets, Steelers, Titans, and Broncos. Wild card hunt: Colts, Ravens, Patriots, and Dolphins.

AFC East - Oh God. Well the Bills are out because there's no way they'll win the rest of their season with Losman. So scratch that one out. So the Jets have the division right now at 8-4 with both the Pats and the Fins nipping at their heels at 7-5. The Jets have a trip to play the 49ers, home to the Bills, @Seahawks, and finish up at home against the Dolphins. As much as this pains me to say, they could easily win out the season. They might lose to the Dolphins. So I'm going to put them at 11-5. Patriots play @Seahawks, @Raiders, Cardinals, and @Bills. Easy 3 wins there. So they'll finish 10-6. Dolphins play @Bills (well in Toronto), 49ers, @Chiefs, and @Jets. So by week 17 they potentially could be 10-5, with the Jets 11-4. If this is the case, Jets win and go 12-4. If the Dolphins lose a game before this and come in at 9-6, the final game of the season won't matter and to the Jets and the Dolphins win finishing 10-6. So either way Fins go 10-6. Prediction: New York Jets

AFC North - Steelers or Ravens? Steelers are currently 9-3. They've got Cowboys, @Ravens, @Titans, and Browns. I think they beat the Cowboys and definitely Phil Dawson aka the Browns. But the Ravens and Titans on the road could be hard, but they already beat the Ravens once this year. So let's say they finish 12-4. Where's that going to put the Ravens? They're 8-4. They've got Redskins, Steelers, @Cowboys, and Jaguars. Let's say they win 2 of those (Redskins and Jaguars) putting them at 10-6. Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC South - Titans currently have a 3 game lead over the Colts. Titans have Browns, @Texans, Steelers, and @Colts. They win their next 3 and then lose to the Colts (no this is not wishful thinking) at Lucas Oil finishing 14-2 and taking the division. Prediction: Tennessee Titans (I can't believe I just said that; it hurt a little)

AFC West - What’s with the West divisions? They’re terrible in both conferences. Prediction: Denver Broncos

Wild card - Colts have an easy schedule left minus one; Bengals, Lions, @Jaguars, and Titans. They can easily win the rest of the season and finished 12-4, which would give them the top wild card spot. Now’s the tricky part: Who gets the second wild card? According to my thoughts, the Patriots, Dolphins, and Ravens are tied at 10-6. Frankly, that’s too much tie-breaking for me to do right now. So I’m picking randomly. Prediction: Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens

Week 13 Recap

This week's recap might be a little rough seeing as I'm going 100% off of highlights since the only game I saw this Sunday was the Colts/Browns game. So if I miss anything, please fill me in!

Titans @ Lions - The Lions are so terrible this year that I'm actually starting to feel for them. They only got 154 offensive yds in this matchup against one of the best teams in the NFL. After losing last week to the Jets, the Titans wanted to remind everyone that they still are a force to be reckoned with.

Seahawks @ Cowboys - Another terrible team vs. good team blowout. The Cowboys suffered some injuries to big players though during this one. Ware and Barber both left the game. Both are listed as day to day now. The Seahawks need to do some big restructuring seeing as this is the first time they've lost 10 games in 8 seasons.

Cardinals @ Eagles - Ok Donovan, I'm sorry. Happy now? I said it. I'm sorry. The Eagles dominated this game and my fantasy team LOVED it! Westbrook got 2 receiving TDs and 2 rushing TDs. Thank you!! Just a thought for the Cards though - maybe you should stop playing on Thanksgiving. You've lost the last 8 games you've played on Thanksgiving. Too much tryptophan perhaps?

49ers @ Bills - Please see this post about the Bills. All I've heard about this game was that it was only mildly better than the Colts game. Trent Edwards left the game with a strained groin. Once J.P. Losman is your QB, you know you've just got another loss, man. (Ok that was bad). The Bills can kiss any playoff hopes bye-bye.

Ravens @ Bengals - The Ravens continue to play well, not that they had much of an opponent, but I'll still give them props. WR Mark Clayton threw a TD, everyone is lovin' the wildcat formation this season.

Saints @ Bucs - With the Saints loss on Sunday, I think their playoff hopes are done. The Saints need to establish a running game seeing as relying on Drew Brees just doesn't work. The 3 INTs were the losing factor in this one.

Giants @ Redskins - As much as I thought it would affect the Giants, Plax's drama seemed to be completely out of the Giants' minds. The Giants have one thing on their minds and that's winning. And they are definitely winning. With the loss, the Redskins fall one game behind the Cowboys now, which could be a big factor for the wild card race.

Dolphins @ Rams - If Phil Dawson played for the Rams...haha ok I'll stop with the Phil Dawson stuff. In the battle of the field goals, the Dolphins managed to get a TD to put them ahead and still in the playoff race. And well the Rams, there's always next year.

Colts @ Browns - The rain made it impossible for either offense to get anything going. Addai fumbled the first play of the game. Peyton only threw 125 yds. LB Gary Brackett left the game with an ankle injury, leaving the Colts defense missing two stars since Bob Sanders didn't start. Both kickers missed field goals. Derek Anderson left the game with a sprained MCL and will miss the rest of the season. Ken Dorsey is now the starter in Cleveland and I've just learned that if he gets injured return specialist Joshua Cribbs will play QB. I actually feel bad for Browns fans now.

Panthers @ Packers - Panthers' RB Williams ran in 4 TDs in this back and forth battle. Despite controlling the ball for 15 mins longer, the Packers drop this one to the Panthers and look like their playoff hopes are over at 5-7.

Falcons @ Chargers - I love how at the beginning of the season the Chargers were supposed to be one of the best in the AFC. They're now 4-8. And the Falcons are 8-4. LT continues to disappoint this season with only 24 yds.

Broncos @ Jets - Yes!!! Brett Favre sucks again!! Muhahaha! Also, for the life of me, I cannot figure the Broncos out. Both teams still lead their divisions. For the Jets, that's an accomplishment in the AFC East where every team is at least 500. For the Broncos, that just means they're the best in a group of losers.

Steelers @ Patriots - I love this picture. The Pats had 5 turnovers and Matt Cassel did not have 400 yds. Yay!

Chiefs @ Raiders - Apparently, the Chiefs won. Apparently, no one cares.

Bears @ Vikings - The Vikings took the top spot in the AFC North, which had been tied up for a while, with this win. The Vikings defense got to the Bears offense, which had to depend on rookie RB Matt Forte since QB Orton was too busy throwing INTs.

Jaguars @ Texans - Currently, it's 13-3 Texans.

Phil Dawson IS the Cleveland Browns

After my weekend in Cleveland, I realized something. Cleveland Brown fans LOVE Phil Dawson. I've never seen so much love and praise for a kicker. Then, I realized something else. He's their only source of offense so of course they love him. 95 of their 213 points scored have been from him. And now that Anderson's out; Ken Dorsey is the Browns' QB so we know there's not going to be anymore passing TDs in Cleveland...I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Dawson is the 4th string QB. Crennel's got to be thinking, "Hey Phil scores all our points anyways he might as well do it all!"

Next - Cleveland Browns fans: I'm really disappointed in every last one of you. I was decked out in a ton of Colts gear and not one of you chirped me or even attempted to boo me. The Browns were leading most of the game. No one said a word. So Cleveland, your fans aren't as rowdy as they were made out to be. I'm kinda upset. I was all fired up for some good ol' fashioned football chirpin'!