A Lot of Hot (and Cold) Air: My Take on "Deflategate"

I have kept my silence all week. But no more. I can't. This week has made me question any faith in humanity I have and has ripped to shreds any remaining respect I had for the news media. That's well and truly gone, now. 

First, I am a Patriots fan. Die hard. And I am so excited for them to play in their 6th Superbowl with Brady and Bill B and watch my 7th Patriots Superbowl (remember, there was life before Brady...1996. They lost to the Packers). I expected this week to be full of discussion on the awesome matchup between the Seahawks D and the Patriots offense. Instead, I have been subjected to the most insipid, ridiculous, non-story ever. Let me also say that if the EVIDENCE (remember that stuff?) comes out and proves the Patriots guilty of tampering with the balls, they deserve the fine stipulated in the rules. 

May I also add that the NFL clearly needs to monitor this whole game-ball situation more closely as Aaron Rogers (see the story here) admits to over-inflating his game balls. And Brad Johnson PAID someone to tamper with the footballs for the SUPER BOWL (read that story here) so this is kind of a league-wide issue. And it's been going on for a while (Brad Johnson played in the Superbowl more than 10 years ago).

Now, I will address the rantings and ravings of the lynch-mob media/fans that are determined to hang the Patriots for the slightest infraction because of "Spygate" (insert sarcastic shudder) and now the unending vitriol that is "Deflategate" (insert eye-roll). 

Let me be clear. What the Patriots did filming the Jets sidelines was WRONG. It was wrong because the league sent out a memo following the 2006 season saying "stop doing it". Up to that point, ALL the teams were doing it. Don't be naive, you know it's true. Moving on. They were wrong, it was cheating, and they shouldn't have done it. They took their punishment and we all should have moved on. 

But let me also be clear, Bill never once lied or covered it up. And to back it up, here's an article from September 14, 2007, which contains quotes from Bill Bellichick: (this is what you call evidence, ladies and gentlemen)

Belichick, however, accepted full responsibility "for the actions that led to tonight's ruling. Once again, I apologize to the Kraft family and every person directly or indirectly associated with the New England Patriots for the embarrassment, distraction and penalty my mistake caused."

"I also apologize to Patriots fans and would like to thank them for their support during the past few days and throughout my career," Belichick said in a statement issued by the team. "As the commissioner acknowledged, our use of sideline video had no impact on the outcome of last week's game. We have never used sideline video to obtain a competitive advantage while the game was in progress." (original ESPN article here)

He owned up to it. Immediately. So you really can't say that Bill Bellichick is a "liar". In fact, I dare you to find me a time where YOU CAN PROVE, with FACTUAL EVIDENCE, that he lied about doing something or not doing something. 

In the same article, Gooddell (who needs to be fired so badly for his mishandling of virtually every "scandal" during his tenure has been atrocious) stated that the Patriots received no material advantage for doing that. As for the "supposed" filming of the Rams walk-through, here's the Boston Herald's retraction statement: 

It reads: "On Feb. 2, 2008, the Boston Herald reported that a member of the New England Patriots' video staff taped the St. Louis Rams' walk-through on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI. While the Boston Herald based its Feb. 2, 2008, report on sources that it believed to be credible, we now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walk-through ever existed. 

Prior to the publication of its Feb. 2, 2008, article, the Boston Herald neither possessed nor viewed a tape of the Rams' walk-through before Super Bowl XXXVI, nor did we speak to anyone who had. We should not have published the allegation in the absence of firmer verification.

The Boston Herald regrets the damage done to the team by publication of the allegation, and sincerely apologizes to its readers and to the New England Patriots' owners, players, employees and fans for our error." (read more here)

So those of you who are still on that, it wasn't real, it didn't happen, it's over, please move on. 

Since then, the Patriots have done NOTHING to incur the NFL's ire. Nothing. Except, of course, win. Which we all know that winning breeds contempt and this whole ball-deflation witch hunt is just that: contempt. over-blown nonsense and contempt. 

Because I am a rational human being, I like to look at things logically. So lets do that, shall we? 

"fact" 1: 11 of the 12 Patriots balls were found to be under-inflated by 2 lbs PSI. Let me say this, it's from ONE SOURCE (unsubstantiated) and just look at how the whole "Rams filmed! We have one unsubstantiated source that says so!" fiasco turned out for the Herald. Not so good. I mean, being realistic, how is it possible that the footballs were under-inflated by EXACTLY 2 pounds each? And was it 2 pounds from 13.5 PSI? Because the acceptable range is 12.5-13.5 PSI. Is is possible that the one UNSUBSTANTIATED source wasn't correct? Gee...that never happens. (eye roll...I need to stop being so sarcastic, it's hard to write that way.) In Bill's Best Press Conference Ever (keep reading for more on that) he stated that what they do to affect the TEXTURE of the ball artificially raises the PSI by 1 lb. They found that once the balls moved from inside the building to the oh-so-lovely 50 and below, freezing rain conditions that were in place Sunday night for the AFC championship game, the pressure in the ball equalized and lost 1.5 psi. Once they brought the ball in and let it set for a bit, it had come up .5 PSI, leading to an overall loss of 1 lb. Now, that's assuming that the balls were properly inflated to between 12.5-13.5 PSI once they went off to the refs to approve them. That is up to the refs to determine, NOT the Patriots, thus the onus is on them, not the team. 

"fact" 2: Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are LIARS and CHEATERS and they ALWAYS WILL BE (I feel like I should add "nah nah nah nah nah naaaaaa" at the end of that one). Well...that's not true. Bill owned up to the filming. He never once denied it, and doesn't deny it to this day (see: 1/24/15 press conference, we'll get to that gem later...) Tom Brady was never even implicated in the whole "Spygate" nonsense. 

People like to bring up baby-momma Brigit Moynahan as proof of TB's shadiness. Let's set that record straight, too:

Moynahan was in a three-year relationship with screenwriter Scott Rosenberg.^[2][46] She dated NFL quarterback Tom Brady from 2004 until December 14, 2006. Her representative confirmed their split to People in December 2006, stating that they had "amicably ended their three-year relationship several weeks ago".^[47]

On February 18, 2007, Moynahan's representative confirmed to People that she was more than three months pregnant and that Brady is the father.^[48] In August 2007, she gave birth to a baby boy.^[49][50] In a July 2008 interview in Harper's Bazaar, Moynahan discussed her willingness to raise her son as a single mother.^[51] Despite media reports that Moynahan and Brady have an acrimonious relationship, it was revealed that the two have maintained a civil relationship since the birth of their son.^[52]

So...there's no proof (I mean real, factual proof, not trolls on the internet) that either of them is a liar. So when they said Thursday that they had no knowledge of the issue with the balls, we have no reason to believe otherwise. (see more info here). 

"fact" 3: the deflated balls give the team a competitive advantage. It actually gives the team a competitive disadvantage. I'll post the link to the article and the video that ESPN has since taken down (not sure why that is...oh yeah, guilty Pats means better ratings...) 

Here's the article. And the video:

I'm getting irritated even writing this, because it is 100% a non-story that has been %1000 blown out of proportion by the media. The Patriots actually played better in the second half with the properly inflated balls (which, when tested after the game, had not lost as much air, thus eliminating the theory that they were tampered with in any way). 

And all of you crying about the "pro QBs being able to tell", let's break that down, hmm? Sure the ones on ESPN who have reasons to hate the Patriots (Brunell, seriously?) are all going to say they can feel the difference. In his presser today (what a fountain of information that was!) Bill said that the QBs couldn't tell with any consistency which balls were inflated 2 lbs lighter, and couldn't tell the difference AT ALL when on deflated by 1 lb or less. 

Now onto the ACTUAL facts of this story.

Fact 1: We have not heard from the NFL's investigation and DATA (details, evidence, choose your own synonym) about: 

     a. how deflated the footballs were (exact amounts for each football - come on, were they all really deflated EXACTLY 2 lbs? ALL 11 of them?) 

     b. definitive evidence that the weather COULD NOT have caused this drop in PSI OR definitive evidence that they were tampered with.

     c. There's all these reports that the "Ravens told the Colts" or that "Mike Adams noticed it in November", but I can't find evidence (actual evidence, not "a source" from an article written after the AFC Championship game) of either thing actually happening. And I do mean NO EVIDENCE. Nothing. I looked. I'm thorough like that. No actual word from the NFL on any of that, and I feel like that would have been reported to them (and leaked to us) if it was true. 

Fact 2: The Patriots played BETTER with the properly inflated balls. BETTER. If they were trying to cheat, and if, as all the lynch-mob has been screaming that "they've probably done this for years!", then don't you think they would have known that under-inflated balls are not so good? That's been my question since the beginning. It makes absolutely no logical sense, especially given the EVIDENCE (there's that darn word again...) 

Fact 3: apparently, the refs inflate the balls, because they were handed two them 2.5 hours before the game and the Patriots asked for them to be inflated to 12.5 PSI (the lower end of the scale). That's the chain of custody, so once the Patriots hand the balls over to the zebras, I say it's on the zebras. It's not exactly shocking, the refs did NOT have a good playoff run, making major, game-changing mistakes in pretty much every game. 

Fact 4: Bill's presser today was awesome. And telling. What he said was fascinating and you can think he's lying all you want, but answer me this question: why would he get up there and lie his butt off like that? If it does come out that they tampered with the footballs and he knew about it, that press conference would guarantee him a suspension at minimum and might get him fired. Why would he risk it if he didn't genuinely believe that this is all a bunch of nonsense and the Patriots did not cheat? 

Fact 5: there is adequate scientific evidence that weather could be a logical explanation, not even using Bill's simulation he discussed today (See the epic presser here, and listen to the Q&A for more gems.). I present to you THREE (yes, THREE) scientific explanations. Lots of math. Lots of science. All the same answer: weather could have done it.

Sciency blog explanation

Teenagers recreating conditions and testing the balls (video)

Head Smart Labs article  (you have to scroll down a bit)

But there are some unanswered questions:

1. Why is the NFL moving so slow on this? Is it because they have no evidence or don't want to admit that it was the officials who goofed? I think Gooddell doesn't want the scandal on the refs so he's throwing mud at everyone's favorite villain. Why Bill B is a villain I'll never know. He may be the greatest coach ever, so again with the whole success breeds contempt...I guess I could see that. I don't get it, but I can see how people would feel that way.  

2. why weren't the Indianapolis balls under-inflated? I don't know. Perhaps Andrew Luck likes his footballs the same way Aaron Rogers does, so that even though they lost pressure, because they were inflated toward the higher end to start, the loss didn't matter. Or perhaps the Colts footballs were stored in a cold luggage area on the team bus before the game instead of a nice, room-temperature building, giving them time to acclimate to the weather well before being checked and thus, reached equilibrium, or a better equilibrium, to the elements. Maybe they don't rub the footballs and do what the Patriots do to get them set for TB. Maybe the refs didn't check the footballs thoroughly. Don't know. 

I just can not even understand how this has become such a big deal. At the most, it's an over-zealous ball boy or negligent refs and it's far more likely that the real culprit was the 50-and-dropping temperature and the freezing rain. In any case, the Patriots could have beaten the Colts playing with a beach ball, so it's a non-issue. And IF, as it's been claimed by so many "Off With Their Heads!" members of the sensationalist media, that the Patriots have been doing this, why haven't we heard about it before? Why haven't we heard from the Chiefs or the Dolphins or anyone else who intercepted Tom Brady this year? Where is the PROOF that the Colts said something in November? Where is the PROOF that this was anything other than the weather? 

WHERE IS THE FREAKING JOURNALISM THAT USED TO LOOK FOR PROOF INSTEAD OF FREAKING OUT ABOUT BEING SCOOPED??????? 

Where's the ACTUAL journalism? My goodness, the guys who broke the big stories of the last century are rolling their eyes and turning over in their graves. You can't call this journalism. It's biased, bitter, sensationalized propaganda at best. Give me proof. Give me something other than quoting each other's "reports" from "sources" as substantiated facts and do some actual reporting. Dig. Get to the bottom. Because I'm done. I've said my piece, I've backed it up with evidence, and I'm done. I've lost all respect for a lot of media guys I used to love, (Jason LaConfora, you're still okay) 

And one final thought. I know the internet trolls are bringing up that the Ravens suggested the K-Balls were flat during the divisional round. No one touches the K-Balls except when kicking them, they're shipped straight to the refs. (for more on NFL ball protocol, read here)

One more closing thought, as for other Patriots "scandals": the formation with a receiver declaring himself ineligible is completely legal. It's not the Patriots fault the Ravens weren't prepared to deal with that. 1000 percent legal. So was the Tuck Rule game (at the time - the rule has since changed, but that wasn't until 2013 and the Patriots knew it back then because they lost a game to the Jets because of it). So don't bring those up as evidence of the "cheating culture", it just makes you sound stupid.  

And now I'm really done. Drop the mic, I'm out. We're on to the Super Bowl. On to the Seahawks. Go Pats!

On the lookout for my Leben schlanger shicksals schatz...and healthy football food too

One of the Patriot's SB trophies

So today I need to find snacks for a party Sunday. I mean, who isn't hosting/going to/deciding against going to a party this weekend? Just about everyone, I think. But that's the problem with parties, especially ones that revolve around football. You're sitting for at least two hours, you don't really do anything active, and the snacks? Well. You're talking about pizza and chips and dip and pretzels and chicken wings and subs and basically really bad for you stuff. I mean, when faced with a choice, would you rather have a buffalo chicken wing or buffalo cauliflower? Let's be honest. I'm going for the chicken wing basically every time.

And when you go to these parties, not everyone there is on a diet. You don't want to be the weird person who brought the chickpea and quinoa goat cheese lettuce wraps (I'm making that up off the top of my head but it actually might be good...) You want to bring stuff that will get eaten: brownies, cake pops, chips, pizza rolls. Fear not, for I have scoured the web for you and have come up with some delicious selections: 

1. Crispy chicken fingers baked with Cornflakes (recipe here)
• I have had these before, and if done right, they're a very tasty replacement for traditional chicken fingers
2. Hoisin glazed turkey meatballs (recipe here)
• I've never had these, but they look and sound absolutely delicious. 
3. Crab stuffed mushrooms (recipe here, you have to scroll down a bit)
• So good. Like, incredibly good. I am pretty much obsessed with stuffed mushrooms but I could eat like ten of these. And really, in terms of appetizers, not so bad.
4. Chipotle chicken sweet potato skins (recipe here)
• Sounds weird, I know. But they are very, very good.
5. Baked zucchini fries (recipe here)
• I made these at least twice a month summer before last. Couldn't do it that much this past summer because it was a really bad year for squash and zucchini. But these are so good. They're like cheese sticks and french fries all rolled into one. 

And look, some nights, you have to just let it go and not stress if you're eating a slice of pizza or a cookie. The answer is in portion control. Don't be this guy:

Side note: I have no idea why I keep using Supernatural gifs, other than the fact that they seem to have a gif for literally EVERYTHING. Next post, I'll try to find something Sherlockian or from the Office or something.

I was actually at a dinner party a week ago and my friend laughed at my plate because it was literally full of half-dollar size servings of everything. Despite the laughing, I've found that helps me with my portion control at parties and holidays and such. Everything looks so good and you want to try it all, but if you get an actual serving of everything, you'll be sick, for one, and destroying the diet, for two. I'm all for a splurge day, but this is how I compromise. It's nice, because I get to try a little of everything, and if I really like something, I go back and get an actual serving. If I don't like something, I didn't have that much to begin with so I'm not wasting food. 

If you just want to eat without thinking about it, sometimes you need that sort of day. For my part, I will probably again get teased for my wacky looking plate, but at the end of the night I won't have a food baby from eating too much, I'll have tried a lot of different things, and I won't feel like I've wrecked my diet. 

Want my advice? Enjoy the evening. Cheer for the Seahawks, watch the commercials and relax. The gym will absolutely be there Monday. 

Moving right along. If you actually read the title of this entry (and you should, I put a lot of work in making my titles clever/accurate) you might have gone "huh?" because it looks like I banged on the keyboard for a few seconds in the middle there. 

Wrong.

That's an actual German word. HIMYM fans know what it is. It's laben schlanger schicksals schatz. It means "lifelong treasure of destiny" in German or simply "soul mate". Somehow, some of the most profound and beautiful lines in How I Met Your Mother are given by characters that are only in an episode or two. Klaus explains the German idea of soul mates to Ted by saying that it is "something that happens instantaneously. It courses through you like the water of a river after a storm, filling you and emptying you all at once." 

Yesterday I talked about my singledom and how I'm okay with it. I am. Because I am looking for my schlanger...whatever, my soul mate. My "can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, World Series kind of " love (if you can guess the movie that little gem came from, kuddos to you 90s kid!). Why waste my time with a guy that I'm not going to end up with? Looking for that spark? Forcing it because I don't want to be alone? Nope. Not happening. 

Does that mean I'm waiting for some crazy sign and won't give anyone a chance until I feel it/see it? No. But ladies, come on, we know. When you go on a date with a guy and you just don't feel...anything...you know it's time to move on. 

I don't know who or what is coming around the corner, the cool thing about finishing up Grad school and actually getting to get a real teaching job in the fall is that I don't know where I'll be. I don't know what grade or what school, it's a bit of an adventure, so I'm approaching my search for the ONE in the same way. Yes, I'm going to apply for jobs and do my best at an interview, but I don't know when or where that job is going to come from. Same deal with the whole singleness situation. I could meet someone in the grocery store shopping for party supplies tomorrow or it could be a few years, it's out of my hands. 

But dude, once you meet me, get a move on, will you? I am NOT known for my patience. 

So that's all for today, folks. Enjoy the game tomorrow, I'll likely NOT be blogging because I have a party to prepare for and a game to watch and I might try to make it to the gym so I can eat without worries at said party. After the confetti settles, I'll post my own recap of the game with my very own special twist. I'll either be in mourning (broncos win) or celebrating (go Seahawks!). Catch you Monday!

Last one. I couldn't resist...the Supernatural fandom really does have a gif for every occasion, bless them.

The 4-3, the 3-4 and 34

Okay, if you have been following the Patriots at all this week you'd realize they were snapping up DEs and DTs like nobody's business. All of a sudden, the Hoody (Bill Belichick) is seemingly switching to a 4-3, considering they took less than 5% of all defensive snaps from the 4-3 since 2008 that's pretty ding dang dong ridiculous.

And at the risk of sounding like the homer I am, I have to say "all hail the Hoody".

Think about it. The Patriots played 3-4 for years. They didn't do 4-3. Period. So all these offense packages that teams have been dreaming up during the lockout, and you know they were working on those, to go against the Patriots D are all out the window now because to be honest no one really knows what they are going to do.

Okay now that I have everyone thoroughly confused, here's the deal with the different types of defense. I'll go over the major differences because if I start having to get into the coverage guys...it'll make your head spin. We'll start by explaining the personnel.

Linemen: these are the big guys. In a 3-4 defense, there are 3 lineman: a nose tackle (the biggest and strongest) and two defensive ends (DE) who are on either "end" of the three man line. In the 4-3 defense, there are four linemen. The two big dudes in the middle are called defensive tackles (DT) and are usually referred to as the "left" or "right" DT. Pretty self-explanatory.

Linebackers: they do exactly what their name suggests. The stand in back of the line. These guys are a little smaller and a little faster. In the 3-4 defense, you have four linebackers and they concentrate more on stopping the run and confusing the passer (the quarterback). In the 4-3, there are only three linebackers. Linebackers have several names:

Inside Linebacker (ILB) AKA Middle Linebacker (MLB) AKA "Mike". These are your guys in the middle of the line of linebackers. This is your boss of the defense, usually the guy yelling to his teammates what the QB is about to do or if a blitz has been called, etc. These guys have to do it all, they have to spy on the quarterback, tackle, block runs up the middle, blitz, or drop back into pass coverage depending on the situation.

Outside Linebacker (OLB) The outside linebacker stands on either end of the line of linebackers. They come in two varieties:
Strongside Linebacker AKA "Sam". These are your big strong guys in terms of linebackers. They line up on the strong side,
which is the side with the most offensive players.

Weakside Linebackers AKA "Will". These are your most mobile and your fastest linebackers. They line up on the side with
the least offensive players and often have to drop back into pass coverage.


Now that you know who everyone is, here is how those defenses work.

The 3-4
In the 3-4 you have 3 linemen, they consist of one Nose tackle and 2 DEs. Behind them you have 4 linebackers. This is a defense used by the Steelers, Jets, Dolphins, Redskins, Cowboys and several other teams. This seems to be the "trendy" defensive style at the moment,


The 4-3
In the 4-3, you have 4 linemen. A left DT and a right DT and two DEs. Behind them are 3 linebackers. Currently the Colts, Eagles, Lions and several other teams favor this style of defense.


Now, just because a team prefers one over the other doesn't mean that is the only defense they do. But count the players when they line up at the line of scrimmage (where the ball is) and you'll be able to make a good guess at what style of defense they are lining up in.

Back to the Patriots. So why are they changing things up when the rest of the league seems to be going the other way? Why not? If this season has taught me anything so far it is that you can never trust Bill Belichick to do what is expected. Watching them and the Eagles this pre-season, I keep wondering where they are getting all this money from. The Patriots like to get good deals for their players but they've always stayed closer to the cap than the stingier teams. And now they are switching the defense all up and have all these new faces I don't know what the team will look like come Thursday when they take on the Jags for the first preseason game of the year. Football (for real) is ALMOST HERE!

You know what, I might even watch the whole preseason game because I'm so starved for football that I don't care if I have no idea who is playing and the JV team is out there. It's football and it's back.

Switching sports for a moment. I'd like to add something about my very favorite #34 since we've been talking about 3-4 and 4-3. David Ortiz had a monster night against the Twinkies (Min Twins) tonight. 4-5 with 3 RBIs and just a triple short of the cycle is no laughing matter, especially since the team arrived in Minnesota around 5 PM due to an extremely late marathon against the Yankees. Papi has been slumping a little since the break, but seems to be coming out of it with a great night tonight and some solid ABs against the Yankees.

Schedule for the week:

Sox vs. Twins 8/9 and 8/10

Sox vs. Mariners 8/12-8/14

Patriots vs. Jags 8/11

Now if only I didn't have finals, this would be a fantastic week. I gotta go dig out my jerseys because FOOTBALL IS BACK!

NFL Week 10: Blackout for Big Blue, Big Ben, But Not Buffalo

Here's the big story of the week: The Bills have won their first game of the season. They beat the Lions 14-12. The Lion's ability this season to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is astounding. Good for the Bills, terrible for Detroit.

On to the actual big stories of the week.

The lights went out in New Jersey. Literally. And we aren't talking about an old dump like Schaefer Stadium, we are talking about the Brand Spanking New New Meadowlands Stadium. Did they forget to pay the power bill or what? Perhaps the Giants need to call in Mike Holmes from HGTV to check out their contractors work and fix what they did wrong.

Things did not go uphill from there. The Cowboys had already plowed over the Giants and were leading the game 26-6 early in the third quarter. The Giants made a good run after the lights came back on 12 minutes later, but much of the amenities we are used to did not return. The biggest thing missing for viewers at home? The score graphic.

Not that it mattered as the Cowboys beat the Giants 33-20. Jason Garret got his first win and the 'Boys are now 2-7. But hey, if the Cowboys run the table and beat Philly twice, New Orleans and Washington in Dallas, and Indianapolis and Arizona at home, they'll be 9-7 and may even make the playoffs.

Not exactly likely, but they don't say "any given Sunday" for nothing.

Another big story of the week: Jacksonville at Houston. After starting the season hot, Houston seems to have cooled off a bit. They went 4-2 before the bye and have lost all three games since then. But nothing hurts as much as the way they lost to Jacksonville on a last-second Hail Mary pass thrown by David Garrard, batted like a volleyball by Houston defensive back Glover Quin into the hands of Jacksonville wide receiver Mike Thomas who scored the go-ahead touchdown with no time left.

Someone needs to explain what you should do in that situation to Quin. You don't bat the ball you catch it. Or at least make sure that no one else can catch it. Either way Houston walked away with it's third straight loss and Jacksonville walked away happy.

On to the Sunday Night Game. Pretty good match up as far as Sunday Night games go. The Patriots and the Steelers had identical records, Pittsburgh was coming off a win over Cincinnati, and the Patriots were coming off a shellacking by the Cleveland Browns.

Mike Tomlin called it a match up of emotion verses cerebral. In one sense it is. The Steelers are more aggressive, hard running, taking the lunch pail to the coal mine kind of mentality. The Patriots are like a steady organized assembly line, everyone has a roll, and they do it or they are replaced.

Of course, Tom Brady showed more emotion in the first half that most of the fans there. After his stagnant offense got in it's own way (again) he pulled them together and blasted them. That seemed to do the trick as the offense quickly put the game out of reach.

It didn't help that Big Ben was sacked 5 times for 38 yards, as the offensive line couldn't hold up with both of Ben's blind side guys, Max Starks and Chris Keomeatu, out with injuries. They also could not establish the run with the offensive line, and when you take away the run, you take away the play-action pass.

All told it was really a bad match up for the Steelers. They are excellent against the run, but the Patriots run game is iffy at best. They have a decent secondary, but the team is predicated on stopping the run. When you face a team that is pass first think about the run later, and your linebackers are not generally pass rushers, its a difficult match up. Especially with the return of Logan Mankins and a generally stout offensive line built around protecting the passer.

Final score: 39-26, though all three of the Steelers touchdowns came in the fourth quarter, which started with the Pats up 23-3. It is of note that Hines Ward left the game early with a "neck injury" (aka concussion) and did not return, leaving the red zone offense to the likes of Randell El.

Other notes from Sunday:

Newly minted Titan Randy Moss caught one pass out of the 5 thrown to him as the Titans dropped one in Miami. The day was equally bad for Miami, despite the win. Chad Pennington attempted his first two passes of the regular season, was promptly injured and now requires surgery. See you in 2011 Chad. So in came Chad Henne. He made it to the tail end of the third quarter before injuring his knee on an incomplete pass. The Dolphins have not ruled out Henne for week 11.

After Henne left, in came quarterback number three, Tyler Thigpen. At this point Tennessee, themselves on their second quarterback of the game, was only down by five. But Thigpen threw a touchdown to Anthony Fasano, they kicked a field goal, and Miami's defense held Tennessee scoreless in the fourth on their way to a 29-17 victory.

The Jets managed to score in the last minute of overtime to defeat the Cleveland Browns 26-20.

Carson Palmer's late interception halted Cincinnati's comeback against Indianapolis as the Colts hang on to win 23-17.

Tampa Bay clobbered Carolina 31-16, just about every player on the Broncos scored in their 49-29 route of Kansas City. Ye Olde Gunslinger Brett Farve's 1 TD and 3 INTs helped the Chicago Bears on their way to a 13-27 victory over Minnesota.

It is also notable that Jay Cutler thew 3 TDs and 2 INTs in the game and he and Farve are tied for the most picks thrown this season.

Seattle, with Matt Hasselbeck back at the helm, easily defeated the hapless Cardinals 36-18 and the Niners rallied for 10 points in the fourth quarter and an OT field goal to defeat the St. Louis Rams 23-20, giving QB Troy Smith his first win of the season.

Philly takes on Washington tonight, and with the Giants loss to Dallas, an Eagles win would put them in a tie for first in the NFC East with the G-Men. If the Redskins win they will move into a tie for second with the Eagles.

Big games next week:

Brett Farve and the Vikings take on the Green Bay Packers at home in Minnesota.

Philadelphia plays at home against the Giants, and if they win this week against the Skins, it would be a battle for first in the NFC East.

The Broncos taking on the Chargers could be a good game, certainly a make-or-break one for San Diego, and if Denver plays like it did this last week, the Bolts could be in for a tough one.

And the mother of them all:

Indianapolis at New England. The weather at the moment is cold but clear and this looks to be a big match up, as these games always are, pitting Tom Brady against Peyton Manning. Both teams are pretty evenly matched, with the Pats getting a slight edge for being at home. We should be in for a real treat, watch at 4:15 on CBS.

Special Teams, Special Win

I've seen a lot of MNF games in my life, and a lot of Patriots MNF games. I've seen great defenses, better offenses, and pretty good special teams. But I have never seen anything like what happened on Monday night.

The Patriots set an NFL record for scoring a touchdown 5 different ways:

1. Brandon Tate kickoff returned for a touchdown (start of the second half)
2. Patrick Chung blocks a punt with 13:32 remaining in the 3rd quarter, which leads to a BenJarvis Green-Ellis rushing touchdown with 12:50 to play in the 3rd.
3. Tom Brady threw to Danny Woodhead for 11 yards and a touchdown with 4:09 left in the 3rd.
4. Patrick Chung blocks a field goal attempt and Kyle Arrington picks the ball up and scores with 14:16 left in the game
5. Brandon Marshall doesn't commit to his route which leads to Chad Henne throwing the ball right to Patrick Chung who promptly runs the ball 35 yards for a pick-6 touchdown.

Actually, that's pretty much the only ways you can score a touchdown, the only one missing was a punt return.

By the way, Rob Ninkovich is the honorary Yeti of The Week for stopping two Miami drives with his first and second interceptions of his career. Chad Henne will be seeing number 50 in his sleep this week.

Also, kudos to Randy Moss. He didn't see a lot of action this week, but his presence on the field opened things up for the running game, the tight ends and the slot receivers. (PS...please don't trade him!)

Tom Brady also won his 100th game of his career, 7 games faster than any other quarterback, the next quickest being Dan Marino at 138 games, in the Superbowl Era (yes, that includes Peyton Manning, it took him 154 games). In fact, only two coach-quarterback combinations have more wins together than Brady and Belichick, and if they stay together for the next two years, they will easily surpass that number.

But the offense was not really the story on Monday. It seems the thing missing last year was Rodney Harrison. Not necisarily him, personally, but his ability to get the team feeling like they were being disrespected, overlooked, and underappreciated by everyone else. For the first time in a while, that team looked around the locker room and knew that all they had was each other. If you don't think that's a powerful thing, you haven't seen the difference between a team gelling on defense and a team not gelling on defense.

It's night and day.

This time the lack of respect was brought up by the Hood Man himself. In the Patriots weekly newspaper, they post the "expert" picks from around the NFL. None of the experts picked New England, and most of them were down on the young defense, calling them the worst pass defense in the league. Bill Belichik thought it appropriate to share that with his team, and most of them did not appreciate the lack of faith from the leagues "experts".

Yes, the defense needs work, but its hardly the worst in the league. The defense is young, and with that youth comes the propensity to make mistakes. Without veteran leadership from guys like Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi, who are, admittedly, the one-in-a-million type guys who lead without trying, some of the young guys fall apart when they make mistakes instead of fighting back.

This Patriots defense fought back, and fought back hard.

The first half wasn't pretty. In fact, Miami would have scored another two touchdowns if it weren't for Rob Ninkovich. But Ninkovich was prepared, he knew the routes Miami was running, and it paid off. So despite the fact that they gave up 400 yards, they only gave up 14 points. And I'll take that any day. When they needed stops, they got them, and as such looked much, much better then they had the previous two weeks.

Which is good, because you can't give up thirty points to Buffalo and have people take you seriously as a defense. But I was really impressed at how everyone stepped up their game this week. Mayo seemed to be all over the field, making tackles left and right, Banta-Cain got some good pressure in Henne, Patrick Chung made some outstanding plays and so did Rob Ninkovich.

The most important improvement from the defense this week was confidence. When the game was close, they held it together. They shut down the Dolphins and kept them down. And confidence can be built on. Now they know they have this sort of game in them, now they have a huge chip on their shoulder by being doubted so completely, now they are playing as a team.

Bill Belichick needs to take a page out of Doc River's book and have his defense working on Ubuntu. It means "I am what I am because of who we all are". It is the Celtics mantra, and what helps them remember that individuals do not win games, teams do.

So I am heading into the bye week with hope. Hope for the Patriots, and hope for that young defense.

And since the Red Sox are officially out, I'm going with my hometown boy Mike Cuddyer and saying "GO TWINS!". This could also stem from a hatred of the Rays, dislike of the Texans, and a burning, intense hatred for the Skankees.

Goals For The Fall: Cook More, Run More & Understand Hockey

Going off the title, I have decided to better learn to cook this fall. And I've been wanting to read the book Julie & Julia after seeing the movie. I love cooking but I'm not great at it yet, so we'll see how that goes.

And October is fast approaching. Which, if you even remotely follow sports, its a big month. The MLB postseason kicks off October 6th with the ALDS and NLDS. (American League and National League Division Series). The NBA preseason starts, but no one really pays much attention to that, and the real NBA starts October 26th. The NFL is in full swing in October with games every Sunday and Monday, and college football starts to get into interesting conference match-ups. Oh, and if you follow hockey, that starts October 7th too.

Which means I'll be doing a lot of cooking in front of the tiny little tv in my kitchen instead of the giant HD one in the living room. Go figure.

I also got a Gordon Ramsay cookbook. Gotta love him. I love watching Kitchen Nightmares on the BBC, it's fantastic.

Another goal of the fall: continue running, which, by the way, is some sort of bizarre addiction. Doing a 10K in October, 10 Miler in December, 14K in February, and Half-Marathon in March. Maybe another 10K in April. After you run a Half-Marathon (13.1 miles) a 10K (6.2 miles) seems a whole lot easier.

Which brings me to the idea of running as a sport. It is completely different from team sports in that you are not usually motivated by a coach, and for most sports, running is the punishment for doing something wrong. I know, we used to have to run around the field if we missed a pop-up because we didn't use two hands or didn't get the glove all the way down on a ground ball. Now my coach likes squats. Five squats for every screw-up. Ouch.

So because I am training for a 10K, infinitely easier than training for the 1/2 Marathon, I'm going to use the cooking goal and the running goal and combine them. How, you ask? Easy. I'm going to learn healthy, energizing recipes I can use not only as a tasty meal, but something that gives me fuel and electrolytes and all the vitamins and minerals you need to get in shape and keep your body from having problems when you do run.

So on to the final fall goal: hockey.

I love hockey. I find myself watching it with rapt attention like you would watch the word "dvd" bounce around the screen in a boring meeting waiting for it to hit the corner. But I have zero clue what's going on. Its different from the other sports I watch, because I know the rules of those, except curling. I still don't have a good grasp on that. Anyway, hockey is the beast that has eluded me for some time. Its like football combined with basketball combined with MMA (mixed martial arts).

And it moves as fast as the 100 meter dash.

So what is the best way to go about learning the sport? I've found the most effective way is to watch it with someone who knows and ask questions. Yes. It is never bad to ask questions, even if you think they are stupid. There's a difference between asking a stupid question because you want to understand and asking a stupid question because you want attention.

If you are uncomfortable with a group setting, ask someone in advance to watch a game with you and explain it. Chances are good they won't mind. Which is my plan. This fall I will master hockey, I will understand it, I will know how to pronounce all the Russian and Canadian names, and I will not jump on the Sidney Crosby bandwagon (Go Bruins!)

So, by December 21st (the official start of winter) I will be a better cook, a better runner, and possibly a hockey fan. Who knows. Life is full of possibilities.

NFL Jargon: Acronyms, Nicknames and Words to Wonder About

The NFL is one for acronyms and nicknames. With OTAs, uprights, the Fins, Gang Green and pig-skins its hard to keep track of what, exactly, is going on. Here's a few things to remember when watching or talking about football:

OTAs: This is an acronym for "Organized Team Activities". These are like the pre-season to the pre-season. They are not mandatory, usually last from late April and into May, and the most you get out of them is a good look at rookies and free-agents and something to talk about if someone's having issues with their contract. Not terribly exciting, but for the hard-core football fan, it sort of kicks off the football season.

mini-camp: exactly like it sounds. It's another event before the start of training camp in the end of May, but usually only lasts three days. These are usually mandatory, but no where near as intensive as training camp.

uprights: the goal-post. Usually when a kicker hits a field goal right in the middle it is called "splitting the uprights".

Here are a few (of the many) team nicknames:


AFC East
New England Patriots: The Pats, Flying Elvi (named for the patriots logo, which resembles a flying Elvis head), Patsies

Miami Dolphins: The Fins or The Fish ("The Fish" is also a nickname for the Marlins, so it is less used than the other)

New York Jets: Jersey B (they play in New Jersey along with the Giants), Gang Green, and the Jest (when they play poorly).

Buffalo Bills: no nicknames but interesting trivia, they are the only team to play their home games in the state of New York.


AFC South
Indianapolis Colts: The Dolts. Not as widely used now that the Colts are pretty good, but still funny

Tennessee Titans: The Flaming Thumbtacks (just look at the logo), also the Oilers or the Tenn. Traitors, but only for people who are angry that the Houston Oilers are now the Tennessee Titans.

Houston Texans: the Texans are really too new to have a nickname. Trivia: they are the only major sports team in the US to not play in the playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars: the Jags. Again, they are pretty new. For more information on how a team could be "new" look up "expansion teams".


AFC North
Pittsburg Steelers: The Black and Gold (self-explanatory), their field, Heinz Field, is also nicknamed the Ketchup Bottle for obvious reasons.

Baltimore Ravens: The Crows. Not terribly creative but still true.

Cleveland Browns: the Dawgs. A corner in the 80s nicknamed his team this to help motivate them and it stuck.

Cincinnati Bengels: the Bungles (when things are going badly) and Cincy (for the city)


AFC West
San Diego Chargers: The Bolts (for the lightening bolt design on their helmets)

Denver Broncos: no nicknames

Kansas City Chiefs: KC (again, the city), and the Chefs (this has something to do with a Snickers commercial...not sure why)

Oakland Raiders: the Silver and Black (team colors), Da Raidahs (for the way Chris Berman pronounces the team's name)


NFC East
Washington Redskins: The DeadSkins (when they play poorly), The Potomac Drainage Basin Indigenous Persons (due to the stink made occasionally by the name "Redskins", this is an overly politically correct nickname) and the Skins

Dallas Cowboys:The Boys and America's Team (given by the media in the 90s)

New York Giants: G-Men, Jersey A (being the other New York team that plays in New Jersey), and Big Blue (uniform color)

Philadelphia Eagles: surprisingly, no nicknames for this team.


NFC South
New Orleans Saints:the Aint's (when playing poorly), the Sinners (play on the idea of Saints/Sinners)

Atlanta Falcons: the Dirty Birds (the team nicknamed themselves this on their way to a Superbowl appearance)

Carolina Panthers: Cardiac Cats (in 2003 the Panthers made a living off of fourth quarter comebacks)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: the Bucs


NFC North
MInnesota Vikings: the Vikes, occasionally the Purple People Eaters

Green Bay Packers: The Pack, their fans are sometimes called "Cheese Heads" because of the cheese head hats frequent at games

Chicago Bears: Da Bears

Detroit Lions: Detroilet (a combo of Detroit and toilet), the Lie-Downs (instead of Lions when they are playing poorly)


NFC West
Arizona: The Cards (short for Cardinals)

Seattle: Seagulls (another play on the team's name for when things are not going well)

San Francisco: The 'Niners (short for Forty-Niners)

St. Louis: Lambs or Goats (when playing poorly)


Now you are all introduced to team nicknames, here are a few more words to familiarize yourself with:

line of scrimmage: invisible line across the field where the ball is placed before being snapped. If a defensive player crosses that "line" they can be called "offsides" for a five yard penalty. Note: this is only in the Pros, in college, if the player gets back across before the ball is snapped a penalty is not called.

false start: if an offensive player moves before the ball is snapped, a penalty is called

hold: (or holding) An illegal action where one player keeps another from advancing by grabbing him and holding him back. This happens on nearly every play but is only called when it is in front of a ref or blatantly obvious.

red zone: twenty yards in front of the end zone. In this area, the team is likely to score a touchdown and if not, almost certainly a field goal.

pass interference: illegal hindering of a player to catch a forward pass. This means swiping at a receivers arms to knock them out of the way of the ball or the receiver knocking a defender's hands away from intercepting a forward pass. Occasionally pass interference will not be called, and you'll hear the announcers talk about "incidental contact". Pass interference is usually intentional, occasionally a defender or receiver will run into the other accidentally and prevent the catch, this is incidental contact. Not intentional and not a penalty.

no huddle offense: usually used in late game situations when there is little time left in the game or half, a team will not huddle before each play. This also speeds up the game and prevents defenses from getting set and making substitutions.

blind side: the direction a player is not facing. For example, a quarter back who throws with his right hand will be facing away from the left. HIs left side will typically be his blind side, but it depends on the quarterback and where he is passing.


Now you have sufficient knowledge of football's acronyms and nicknames, you are ready to impress your friends and can understand the game just a bit better.

Crysal Ball: A Look at the 2009 NFL Season

The 2009 season of NFL football looks to be an interesting one. 11 head-coaching changes (many of them new to the job), the Cutler Diva Drama, hold outs, the return of Tom Terrific, and the possible returns of Vick and Favre.

With all of these variables, and with roster cuts far in the future, predictions right now are a little premature. But its fun, and if I happen to be right at the end of the season I can look back and say "wow, I called that in June!"

We'll start with the NFC

NFC West

This is a difficult division to call, because there are 3 new head coaches in the division (well, Singletary was interim last year, but...) Here go my picks:

1. Arizona. I'm giving the division to the Cards because, despite the Superbowl hang-over, they are (right now) the most-stable team with the least likelihood of some kind of roster shake-up.
2. Seattle. Experience and maturity keeps them in the mix in this soft division, but that maturity could bring them down if the injury bug bites.
3. San Francisco. They could possibly take the division or they could lose every game. The 9ers are in a state of flux, because they don't have their starting QB named, and they're still looking at getting him offensive weapons. If it was August, this would be a problem, good thing for them its June.
4. St. Louis. After a dismal season, the Rams have made a coaching change and some cuts and trades. I wouldn't look for them to be Superbowl champs this year, but I would call this year a "rebuilding" one. They look like they're making all the right steps, so it should be an interesting year for the Rams.


1. NFC South

1. Atlanta Falcons. I like the Falcons because I feel like they have a lot of young talent, good coaching, and went through a post-Vick karmic rebirth last season. They are not the Falcons they were under Vick, and even though its a tough division, I think the Falcons come out on top.
2. New Orleans. If they can get the defense to match that high-powered offense, and no one gets arrested or anything, the Saints should be a force to be reckoned with.
3. Carolina. The Panthers are coming off a decent NFL season, but they have to find balance in their offense. Great running offense, okay passing, but the defense will be the key here. Peppers is unhappy, which causes distractions, and may end up causing a trade, which would be very bad for Carolina.
4. Tampa Bay. I do not have an irrational hatred for all things Tampa Bay, I promise. (I still hate the Rays and their cowbells, but I'm neutral on the Bucs) The reason Tampa Bay is down here? One, its a tough division, the teams are pretty equal in talent, and two, coaching change.


NFC North

I'm not even going to try ranking these teams. A Chicago Bears with Cutler could take the division, a Minnesota Vikings with Vick in the Wildcat and Jackson under center could take the division, a Vikings with Favre under center could take the division, and the Green Bay Packers with Rodgers are still a force to be reckoned with and they could take the division.

The only thing I feel comfortable picking for the NFC North is this: the Detroit Lions will not win the division.


NFC East

1. Philadelphia. They made some good off-season moves, they didn't loose anyone too big, they picked up a great WR in the draft in Maclin, and they picked up a coordinator who worked with the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator last year. That is bound to help. I like the addition of another ex-Patriot in Hobbs, he's inconsistent, but the Eagles secondary is good enough that they won't notice.
2. (3 or 4) Dallas. The loss of TO is big. They needed him as that deep threat and to draw the double-team. There's also a lot of pressure on them this year to preform, they've been so good and projected to be NFC favorites, and win the Superbowl, but they can't win in the post-season. They are like the NFL version of the Chicago Cubs, only without the championship drought. (For those of you who don't know, the Cubs ha ve now lost 9 straight post-season games. That's three years of being out in the first round.)
3. (2 or 4) New York. (Or Jersey...) The Giants are still a good team. They have that big distraction named Buruss still hanging around, and they lost their defensive genius to a head coaching job, but they'll make some noise in this division.
4. (2 or 3) Washington. The Redskins need confidence. They need their QB to have it, their coaches to have it, and their fans to have it. The reason I have put the Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins with the possibility of moving up or down the rankings is because all three teams have the talent and the ability to win games, maybe even win the division. The question is, will they reach their potential?


Now onto the AFC

AFC West

1. San Diego. They should again be a playoff team. They have the talent, a few injured players returning, and a descent off-season. LT may be on the decline, however, so that could shake things up in the west a bit.
2. Denver. New head coach Josh McDaniels made a splash early in the off-season with the Cutler Diva Drama. It ended in a messy divorce that will hurt the Broncos, but they should still win some games and probably won't have a losing record.
3. Kansas City. The additions of Pioli, Cassel, and Vrabel from the Patriots certainly help this team who did pretty much nothing last year. It will be up to Cassel to prove that he's not just flash in the pan and new coach Haley to prove that this team can win games. The only place to go is up.
4. Oakland. I think we have to face one truth in all of this: as long as Al Davis gets to make decisions, the Raiders are screwed. If new head coach Tom Cable can stand up to Davis and avoid being fired, that team has a lot of talent, if not...


AFC South

Like the NFC North, this is a division I just can't make up my mind on. Saint Tony has retired, along with a good bit of the coaching staff. Its gotten so bad that Peyton Manning has actually called them out on national TV. He's clearly frustrated and uncomfortable with what has to be a big change for the Colts. No Rhodes, no Harrison, and new coaching may make the beginning of the season tough for Manning and Co. They could win the division or this could be called a "building year".

Between Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Houston, with the talent they have and the moves they've made in the off-season, I don't have a favorite. My gut tells me that it will be one of these three, not the Colts, who wins the division.


AFC North

1. (or 2) Baltimore. Tough defense, good arm and football IQ for Flaco (trust me, I've seen him play live and its amazing), and a gritty, tough vibe, the Ravens look good. They are my tentative number one, because like the Colts, you can never count the Steelers out.
2. (or 1) Pittsburgh. The possibility of the Superbowl hangover is looming, the chance that Big Ben takes up alligator wrestling to top his motorcycle accident is there, and the Madden curse is just waiting in the wings to claim another victim. Despite all of that, the Steelers are again in contention for division.
3. Cleveland. This town deserves someone to play well. While I don't think the Browns have any shot at the post-season, I think they will win as many games as they lose this year.
4. Cincinnati. The Bengals are all over the place, they are getting arrested, not showing up for training camp but showing up on ESPN in LA doing something completely unrelated to football. They are just a mess. And if you think those off-field distractions won't bother their game, wrong.


AFC East

1. New England. Number 12 is back, Welker and Moss know the offense better this year, they picked up some good free agents, and made some good draft day moves to freshen up an aging defense. The loss of Vrabel and the retirement of Harrison does not help, but Rodney Harrison was injury-prone, and Vrabel is past his prime. The additions of Galloway and Taylor are excellent, considering they ha ve three passing weapons, and Taylor can join the Morris-Maroney running back by committee group. Look for them to be the top of the AFC east, and possibly the AFC.
2. Miami. Ronnie Brown and Chad Pennington will do their best to take the Dolphins back to the playoffs. They could be a wild card team, they could even possibly take the division, but with an entire off-season and hours of film, I don't think defensive coordinators will be fooled by the Wildcat.
3. New York Jets. (Or Jersey...) All eyes will be on Sanchez this year which is probably not great for the young Rookie. I wouldn't look for him to be the post- Favre savior, but as long as he doesn't crack, he should win a few games. I wouldn't look for the Jets to be as dangerous this year, new head coach, new QB, etc., but they made some good moves for next year.
4. Buffalo. I know, TO is at Buffalo. He'll help them. But you have to remember, the AFC East secondary is used to going up against guys like Randy Moss, they won't be dazzled by TO's ability to catch balls no human should. Sure, he'll help the Bills, and they certainly won't be a bad team, but I think them taking the division is a little far-fetched.

That's all my rankings, premature and slightly-biased though they may be. Feel free to argue!

So Long, Hottie McHottie

Josh McDaniels is going to coach the Broncos. While I'm glad he's getting a chance to move up and prove himself, I am going to miss that good looking mug on the sidelines. While I think the Pats will be minimally affected by this, since Josh had a good relationship with Tommy and Matty, (Brady and Cassel for those of you who don't have nicknames for them).

I think it will be interesting to see how he does, but I will have to start watching Denver games now...eh. I mean, he was the one bright spot on the coaching staff, the one who looked somewhat well-dressed, put together, hair always cut...now we'll just have the All-Powerful Hobo to look at. (note, I still love Bill, but he looks kind of homeless sometimes).

So farewell, Josh McDaniels, just not that well.

FCS Playoffs: James Madison Squeaks By Wofford, Prepares for Villlanova in Round 2

Round 1 of the FCS (that's 1-AA) playoffs has come to a close, and the first round clearly favored the home teams.

James Madison played host to the tough offense of Wofford, and what a game it was. While the Dukes had a hard time containing the triple option Wofford offense, Wofford’s D was likewise unable to contain James Madison QB Rodney Landers, who became just the fifth player in FCS history to rush for 3,000 yards (3,250) and pass for 3,000 yards (3,116).

The Dukes also started with great field position every time, starting (on average) on the 35-yard line. Mostly because Wofford refused to kick to JMU return specialist Scotty McGee. It was probably a good plan considering the one time they did, Scotty burned them with a 37-yard return to let the Dukes start on their own 48. McGee also found use on the offensive side of the ball on several long-yard situations due to his speed.

The Dukes led by two touchdowns at half time, but Wofford tied the game heading into the fourth quarter. The following JMU drive stalled, and ended in a field goal, 31-28 JMU, with twelve minutes left in the game.

Wofford again began to drive, and going for it on 4th and 6 at the JMU 40, the Duke’s defense stepped up and stopped the drive just three inches shy of a first down, causing a turnover on downs with nine minutes left.

JMU marched down the field, with QB Rodney Landers and RB Eugene Holloman rushing every play. On 3rd and goal, Landers dragged two Wofford players into the end zone to score what would be the game-winning TD.

The last touchdown upped the score to 38-28 JMU, and left a little over three minutes on the clock for Wofford to drive, score, recover the onside kick and score again. The one thing that hurt Wofford is the crowd noise. Normally a shot-gun team, they went almost entirely under center the fourth quarter, and drove down the field, finally scoring a touchdown in 15 plays, covering 56 yards and taking 2:19 off the clock, leaving them with one minute to onside kick, recover, and at least kick a field goal to go to overtime.

The entire stadium stood waiting, holding its collective breath as the onside kick went up, and was caught by Bosco Williams to seal the win for JMU. Two knees later and the game was over, final score JMU 38 Wofford 35.

So the Dukes move on to round two, facing off with CAA rival Villanova at 3:30 PM on Saturday at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The Heir: The Tom Brady-Matt Cassel Debate

The talking heads have spoken. Matt Cassel has gone from Brady's heir-apparent after having two back-to-back 400-yard games to the inexperienced backup who lost TWO fumbles in last night's loss to Pittsburgh.

They're like the Red Sox. The team leading the A.L. East losses and all they need to do is win to take a share of the lead back and they play really well to start it off, but a few mistakes cost them the game.

This game, I am giving a little leeway to Matt; it was nasty, his receivers couldn't catch the ball, and they were playing a phenomenal defense. It just got to Matt. That's where you can see his inexperience showing through, in the bad-weather games when it's cold and the defense is really good.

Is Matt Cassel the heir-apparent to Brady? No. Matt Cassel is passing his graduate exam from Brady-U. So far, he's done pretty well. If you look at the games we lost (aside from the San Diego game), they were all because of mistakes: a fumbled snap, penalties, bad defense in sudden-death overtime, or three fumbles and two interceptions like last night.

I'm still not sure we would have won the game last night, but we should have beaten the Jets by holding them to 3rd-and-long in overtime, and we should have beaten the Colts, were it not for a penalty and Jab not being able to catch a perfect pass. While some of these things can be attributed to Matt Cassel, there are also many beyond his control.

Brady is still better in the pocket in reading defense, finding the open man, and getting away from tackles. So, do I think Brady will be replaced by free-agent Cassel? No. Do I think he's better than most starting quarterbacks in the league? Definitely. I think at the end of this season, especially if the Patriots pull off a miracle and make it into the playoffs, Detroit or Minnesota should come calling.

With their running game, decent set of receivers, and good defense, Minnesota would flourish with a QB who is not a turnover machine and who can hit his receivers. If they were to add in Matt Cassel, Minnesota would be even more of a playoff contender.

Detroit would need more help than just adding a good QB to the mix; that organization needs a makeover from top to bottom. But still, the addition of Cassel would dramatically improve their chances.

So, back to the Brady-Cassel debate: There shouldn’t even be one. Yes, Tom has been injured this season, and yes, he probably won’t be his normal self at first, but he’ll only be 32.

We’ve got him for three to five years or more, barring injury, and since he doesn’t seem to be injury prone, this being his first big one, Tom Brady should be right back in the starter position.

Cassel is a better running QB, but he’s not quite good enough in other areas to replace the reigning league MVP who is simply not done yet.

Do I think Matt Cassel will be a starter? Of course he will. Teams with subpar QBs would be crazy to not snatch him up, and he will do well: He’s trained under the best and come up in one of the best systems out there.

My prediction is the Pats and Matt part ways amicably, and he’ll head off to go be great somewhere else.

FCS Playoffs: Predictions!

Most D1-AA (or "football championship subdivision") players, coaches, and fans tuned into ESPNU at 7PM to see who was going to the FCS playoffs. Here's the bracket as it stands:

#16 Wofford at #1 James Madison

#15 South Caroline State at #2 Appalachain State

#14 Maine at #3 Northern Iowa

#13 Texas State at #4 Montana

#12 Weber State at #5 Cal Poly

#11 New Hampshire at #6 Southern Illinois

#10 Easter Kentucky at #7 Richmond

#9 Colgate at #8 Villanova

The CAA is well represented with 5 seeds in the playoffs, with 3 (James Madison, Richmond and Villanova) in the top 8. The other two: New Hampshire is ranked 11th and Maine ranked 14.

Lets look at how these schools stacked up against each other:

JMU 24, Maine 10

JMU 38, Richmond 31 (why they kicked to Scotty McGee...I still don't know. Look it up on youtube.)

JMU 23, Villanova 19 (another last-second victory on the craziest looking pass. Again, look it up on youtube)

Richmond 44, Maine 17

Villanova 26, Richmond 20

Villanova 24, New Hampshire 13

New Hampshire 28, Maine 24

With the exception of the Richmond/Maine game, none were blow-outs, making me think that the CAA is pretty tough. This is the CAA's 18th straight season with multiple bids for the championship.

I personally cannot wait to attend my first playoff game. GO DUKES! But the competition this year is pretty tough.

The winners of the first round will advance to the Quarterfinal Round on Dec 6th. That will go down like this:

Eastern Ky/Richmond winner vs. South Caroline/App State winner

Colgate/Villanova winner vs. Wofford/James Madison winner

Weber State/Cal Poly winner vs. Texas State/Montana winner

Southern Ill/New Hampshire winner vs. Maine/Northern Iowa winner

Then onto the Semifinal round, which is TBD and the remaining two teams from the semis will go on to the Championship game Dec 19th in Chattanoga, Tenn.

Here's my bracket:

For everyone wondering why I have Montana beating App State here's the one simple reason: I think App State will beat Richmond, but it will be a painful, smash-mouth game with injuries galore.(note: I am not hoping for this. As a Patriots fan I have a new view on injuries (Tom Brady going down was hard to watch) and I don't want any player hurt, I just remember how tough it was playing both of those teams. Someone is bound to get hurt.)

My champion? James Madison.

Call me biased, but here's to hoping.