Monday, January 25, 2010
Viking Curse
While it is a great story that the New Orleans Saints will go to their first superbowl, one can only imagine how many Viking fans called in sick instead of going to work today. The Minnesota Vikings throughout their history have come so close to winning a superbowl but failed at achieving that goal and yesterday's heartbreaking loss to the Saints for Viking fans adds another chapter to this sad saga. In the 70's the Vikings made the Superbowl three times and lost all three and take away a hail mary pass from Roger Staubach (Viking fans still think Drew Pearson pushed off Nate Wright) probably would have made it to four. In 1998, the Vikings who finished the regular season 15 and 1, lost in the NFC conference finals to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime 30 to 27 after kicker Gary Anderson missed a 38 yard field goal in regulation that would have put the game away and Head Coach Dennis Green opted to down the ball toward the end of regulation even though the Vikings had the most explosive offense in the NFC. It was hard to believe the Vikings could choke as bad as they did against Atlanta in 1998 but the 2009-2010 Vikings did just that. Despite Brett Favre throwing for more almost twice as many yards as Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson running for more than 100 yards and three touchdowns, the Vikings turned over the ball five times and took defeat right out of the mouth of victory. The first 4 turnovers were the reason why the Vikings did not have the lead in the final minute of the game and the 5th turnover will be hard Vikings fans to forget. With about 30 seconds left in the game and the score tied the Vikings got the ball to New Orleans 33 yard line. The Vikings were within field goal range and after taking a time out just needed to hold on to the ball to give kicker Ryan Longwell a chance to win the game. What instead happened was a comedy of errors that Viking fans found no humor in. After the timeout the Vikings were penalized 5 yards for 12 men in the huddle and moved out of field goal range. Then Brett Favre had the ultimate brain freeze moment at the worst possible time by scrambling right and throwing the ball across his body into the middle of the field, when he had 5 yards in front of him to run, right into the arms of Saints Cornerback Tracy Porter. The Saints then won in overtime with the help of some controversial calls by the referees and Viking players and fans were left with the bitter taste of a season ending defeat in a game the Vikings should have won. It's easy to blame the loss on Brett Favre but this was a total team meltdown and the hardest type of loss to take. It's one thing to lose because the opponent is better but when a team plays well enough to win and loses because of it's own careless mistakes, the pain of the loss is is compounded and lingers in the memory of players and fans. This year's superbowl between the Saints and the Colts will bring in high ratings but the one place where TV's will be turned off during the game will be in Minnesota.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
District 9
"District 9" had to be one of the best advertised films last year. The movie was shot in South Africa on a limited budget and had no stars.The film was produced by Peter Jackson, the Director of the "Lord of the Rings" and was advertised in commercials with an enormous dormant spaceship hovering over Johanesburg South Africa. The aliens in the movie were wisely kept out of the trailer and the commercials because that would have taken away from the curiosity audiences had before seeing it. All this resulted in the movie making $37 million its opening weekend. Here is a case where the advertisement of a movie is better than the movie itself.
"District 9" is not altogether a bad movie and cannot be faulted for its ambition. It wants to be a science fiction thriller mixed with social commentary on xenophobia , segregation and corporate greed. The first part of this movie is the best part. Director Neil Blomkamp uses a documentary style of filmaking showing fictional interviews, news footage, and video cameras to show audiences a alien spaceship which reports say was separted from its command module and dropped to earth. The aliens which (or extraterrestrials) look like a cross between a giant cockroach and a praying mantis are granted assylum on earth but trouble shortly ensues. Since some of the aliens engage in criminal activity like derailing trains the entire alien population, now derogatorily referred to as prawns, are relocated and forced to live in a government camp called District 9. The camp is a slum which is monitored by the police and where the prawns deal their highly sofisticated and explosive weapons that humans cannot operate to a Nigerian warlord. These conditions are intended to be compared with the conditions blacks lived in under South Africa's apartheid government and Blomkamp does a good job in showing these conditions without being heavy handed or preaching to the audience. When the government decides the aliens need to be relocated to District 10 which is a camp outside of Johanesburg, a Multinational Unit (MNU) using a private military corporation enforces the relocation. Leading the relocation is a bueracrat named Wikus Van De Merwe (well played by Sharlto Copley) and during the relocation we see him and his team confiscate alien weapons and abort alien eggs. During a raid of a prawn the military calls Johnson, Van De Merwe comes across a canister containing a fluid that he is accidentally sprayed with. We find out later that liquid that will both make Van De Merwe mutate into a prawn and will be the catalyst needed to reactivate the dormant mothership. As Van De Merwe's mutation continues he develops an alien arm and MNU discovers that he can utilize the alien weapons and wants to use him as a test experiment that they will soon discard. Van De Merwe escapes and goes back to District 9 and this is where the movie loses its way. Van De Merwe allies himself with the prawn named Johnson who has agreed to reverse effects of the liquid as long as he can use the liquid to reactivate his ship and return home. The film's pace meanders at this point and lacks the intense pace needed for a thriller. It felt like Blomkamp was trying to combine the drama of a man mutating into something not human like in David Croneburg's "The Fly" with the heavy high tech action of Paul Verhoven's "Robocop" and missed on both marks. As the film closes to it's end instead of being on the edge of your seat, you may discover parts of the movie that don't make much sense, for example, since the prawns had these superior weapons that humans cannot operate,why would they deal them to a Nigerian warlord and not use them to put up some resistance against the South African Military.
"District 9" is a good looking action film with a social conscience that lacks the proper execution needed to be an effective thriller.
"District 9" is not altogether a bad movie and cannot be faulted for its ambition. It wants to be a science fiction thriller mixed with social commentary on xenophobia , segregation and corporate greed. The first part of this movie is the best part. Director Neil Blomkamp uses a documentary style of filmaking showing fictional interviews, news footage, and video cameras to show audiences a alien spaceship which reports say was separted from its command module and dropped to earth. The aliens which (or extraterrestrials) look like a cross between a giant cockroach and a praying mantis are granted assylum on earth but trouble shortly ensues. Since some of the aliens engage in criminal activity like derailing trains the entire alien population, now derogatorily referred to as prawns, are relocated and forced to live in a government camp called District 9. The camp is a slum which is monitored by the police and where the prawns deal their highly sofisticated and explosive weapons that humans cannot operate to a Nigerian warlord. These conditions are intended to be compared with the conditions blacks lived in under South Africa's apartheid government and Blomkamp does a good job in showing these conditions without being heavy handed or preaching to the audience. When the government decides the aliens need to be relocated to District 10 which is a camp outside of Johanesburg, a Multinational Unit (MNU) using a private military corporation enforces the relocation. Leading the relocation is a bueracrat named Wikus Van De Merwe (well played by Sharlto Copley) and during the relocation we see him and his team confiscate alien weapons and abort alien eggs. During a raid of a prawn the military calls Johnson, Van De Merwe comes across a canister containing a fluid that he is accidentally sprayed with. We find out later that liquid that will both make Van De Merwe mutate into a prawn and will be the catalyst needed to reactivate the dormant mothership. As Van De Merwe's mutation continues he develops an alien arm and MNU discovers that he can utilize the alien weapons and wants to use him as a test experiment that they will soon discard. Van De Merwe escapes and goes back to District 9 and this is where the movie loses its way. Van De Merwe allies himself with the prawn named Johnson who has agreed to reverse effects of the liquid as long as he can use the liquid to reactivate his ship and return home. The film's pace meanders at this point and lacks the intense pace needed for a thriller. It felt like Blomkamp was trying to combine the drama of a man mutating into something not human like in David Croneburg's "The Fly" with the heavy high tech action of Paul Verhoven's "Robocop" and missed on both marks. As the film closes to it's end instead of being on the edge of your seat, you may discover parts of the movie that don't make much sense, for example, since the prawns had these superior weapons that humans cannot operate,why would they deal them to a Nigerian warlord and not use them to put up some resistance against the South African Military.
"District 9" is a good looking action film with a social conscience that lacks the proper execution needed to be an effective thriller.
Conference Finals
Since I am 1 and 8 in the playoff so far I feel very uncomfortable picking these games particulary when two of these teams (the Saints and the Jets) were teams I said in an earlier blog would be out of the playoff early. Regardless what happens Sunday both teams have proved many "experts" wrong and it will not be surprising if either team makes it to the superbowl.
That being said here are my picks
NFC Conference Final : Minnesota vs New Orleans
This is a tough call. With the return of Tight End Jeremy Shockey and Running Back Reggie Bush the Saints overwhelmed Arizona and look to have regained their regular season form when they were dominating their opponents. The Vikings who were also struggling late in the season are clearly firing on all cylinders as demonstrated with their annihilation of the Dallas Cowboys. The game is in New Orleans which does benefit the Saints but earlier in the season Drew Brees struggled at home in the Saints loss against Dallas due to the Cowboys defensive pressure. The Vikings defense is better than the Cowboys and if they create the same pressure on Drew Brees that they did against Tony Romo they will come out on top. The emergence of Reggie Bush will definitely help the Saints but in the end the Vikings have the better defense and that will be the difference in this game.
Vikings 27 Saints 21
AFC Conference Final : Indianapolis vs NY Jets
Whether you like Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan or not he has put together the best defense in the AFC. Like his father Buddy Ryan's Superbowl Champion Chicago Bear defense, the Jets defense creates the illusion that there are 20 defensive players on the field instead of 11 and confuses opposing quarterbacks into throwing interceptions. Every player on the Jets defense is solid and Cornerback Darrelle Revis is the best Cornerback in the NFL. Even though the Jets defense got the better of Charger Quarterback Phillip Rivers, it is unlikely that they will have the same success against Colts Quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning has been in top form most of the season and has faced Ryan's style of defense when Ryan was the Defensive Coordinator with the Ravens. In those games Manning did struggle some but did just enough to win and that will be the case in this game. Unless the Jets decide to let Quarterback Mark Sanchez throw the ball more (and it is very unlikely they will), this will be a low scoring game. The Jets will pressure Manning early but as the game goes on Manning will figure out the Jets defense and lead Indianapolis to the Superbowl.
Colts 17 Jets 13
That being said here are my picks
NFC Conference Final : Minnesota vs New Orleans
This is a tough call. With the return of Tight End Jeremy Shockey and Running Back Reggie Bush the Saints overwhelmed Arizona and look to have regained their regular season form when they were dominating their opponents. The Vikings who were also struggling late in the season are clearly firing on all cylinders as demonstrated with their annihilation of the Dallas Cowboys. The game is in New Orleans which does benefit the Saints but earlier in the season Drew Brees struggled at home in the Saints loss against Dallas due to the Cowboys defensive pressure. The Vikings defense is better than the Cowboys and if they create the same pressure on Drew Brees that they did against Tony Romo they will come out on top. The emergence of Reggie Bush will definitely help the Saints but in the end the Vikings have the better defense and that will be the difference in this game.
Vikings 27 Saints 21
AFC Conference Final : Indianapolis vs NY Jets
Whether you like Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan or not he has put together the best defense in the AFC. Like his father Buddy Ryan's Superbowl Champion Chicago Bear defense, the Jets defense creates the illusion that there are 20 defensive players on the field instead of 11 and confuses opposing quarterbacks into throwing interceptions. Every player on the Jets defense is solid and Cornerback Darrelle Revis is the best Cornerback in the NFL. Even though the Jets defense got the better of Charger Quarterback Phillip Rivers, it is unlikely that they will have the same success against Colts Quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning has been in top form most of the season and has faced Ryan's style of defense when Ryan was the Defensive Coordinator with the Ravens. In those games Manning did struggle some but did just enough to win and that will be the case in this game. Unless the Jets decide to let Quarterback Mark Sanchez throw the ball more (and it is very unlikely they will), this will be a low scoring game. The Jets will pressure Manning early but as the game goes on Manning will figure out the Jets defense and lead Indianapolis to the Superbowl.
Colts 17 Jets 13
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Fallen Stars
Make no mistake, DFW is where football is and always will be top dog but how many people know that the last professional team to win a championship in this area was the Dallas Stars. It was 1999 when the Stars made their Stanley Cup run. Every game was sold out and it seemed like almost everywhere you turned you saw both adults and children wearing Stars jerseys and people rollerblading on their neighborhood sidewalks or in public parks. Hockey would never replace football as the top sport in this area but at that time it was the best alternative sports fans had to the Cowboys who were struggling. These days rollerbladers are badly outnumbered by cyclers and joggers in public parks and Stars jerseys are only seen at games in the American Airlines Center which no longer sell out. I heard Dallas Morning News Sports Writer Jean Jacques Taylor on a radio show say that he had yet to write any article on the Stars this year and had not gotten any emails or letters asking him why.
The reason for the decline of interest in Hockey and the Dallas Stars is mostly due to the 2004-2005 strike. Any time a sport goes on strike for a year it is impossible to regain interest or enthusiasm for it in a short period. Even the most diehard fans (which I was one of) moved on to other interests like basketball and baseball and found it fairly easy to live without Hockey since it is still very new to this area. The other reason is that outside of Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen there are no remaining players from the Stanley Cup Championship team and the team they have now does not look to be a team that can make the playoffs.
For the Stars to regain the popularity they had in the late 90's they will need to find skilled players with charisma. They need another player like Mike Modano who has both great skills and a personality that is very accessible to the media. Even better, if the Stars can draft the next Sydney Crosby they can go a long way in regaining their popularity because the athletes who are the best in their sport always generate a massive amount of attention. Outside of this, the Stars Marketing department is going to need to be creative in finding ways how to sell the Stars and regenerate interest in Hockey. It will be time consuming but worth the wait. Another year of the Stanley Cup being paraded around the metroplex would be a great thing to see again.
The reason for the decline of interest in Hockey and the Dallas Stars is mostly due to the 2004-2005 strike. Any time a sport goes on strike for a year it is impossible to regain interest or enthusiasm for it in a short period. Even the most diehard fans (which I was one of) moved on to other interests like basketball and baseball and found it fairly easy to live without Hockey since it is still very new to this area. The other reason is that outside of Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen there are no remaining players from the Stanley Cup Championship team and the team they have now does not look to be a team that can make the playoffs.
For the Stars to regain the popularity they had in the late 90's they will need to find skilled players with charisma. They need another player like Mike Modano who has both great skills and a personality that is very accessible to the media. Even better, if the Stars can draft the next Sydney Crosby they can go a long way in regaining their popularity because the athletes who are the best in their sport always generate a massive amount of attention. Outside of this, the Stars Marketing department is going to need to be creative in finding ways how to sell the Stars and regenerate interest in Hockey. It will be time consuming but worth the wait. Another year of the Stanley Cup being paraded around the metroplex would be a great thing to see again.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Put Down the Kool Aid, the Season is Over
If the Cowboys were a stock they would be one that Investment Analysts and Stockbrokers would say is about to skyrocket off the charts only to see it plummet the next week. Just about everybody (myself included) in the metroplex and the national media saw a Cowboy team that had what looked like a tidal wave of momentum heading into their game against Minnesota and would dominate the Vikings like they did the Eagles. Unfortunately all this momentum blinded us to some obvious facts. The Minnesota Vikings were undefeated at home this season and had 48 sacks which averages to 3 sacks a game. Whenever any team no matter how good they have been playing goes into an opponents stadium that is sold out and has a great pass rushing defense, if the defense succeeds in pressuring the quarterback, the team's built up momentum will come to a sudden screeching halt. That is what happened yesterday. The Viking defensive line of Ray Edwards, Jared Allen and Jimmy Kennedy dominated the Cowboy offensive line and reminded older Viking fans of the days of the purple people eaters in the 70's, when defensive linemen Alan Paige, Jim Marshall and Carl Eller dominated their opponents. The Cowboy offense did not help themselves because of Quarterback Tony Romo's careless turnovers and Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett's strange play calling, but in fairness it is hard and almost impossible for both of them to do well when the Viking defensive line was in the Cowboy backfield most of the game. The Viking defense sacked Romo six times and forced countless other hurries. On top of all that Viking Quarterback Brett Favre was at his best and Wide Receiver Sydney Rice played like Jerry Rice catching 3 touchdown passes. Midway thru the 3rd quarter it was obvious that the Cowboys season and hopes for another superbowl appearance were finished and thoughts of what to do for next year were starting.
Even though the Cowboys lost 34 to 3 yesterday, the future still looks good. Owner Jerry Jones made the right move today not firing Head Coach Wade Phillips and he should keep Jason Garrett as well. What the Cowboys need is additional offensive linemen and another Wide Receiver to take over for Roy Williams. The defense is sound but the special teams needs a more reliable place kicker. Even though the Cowboys don't have a first round pick in the draft they can still address these needs and if they do next year's superbowl in Arlington has a good chance of including the Cowboys.
Even though the Cowboys lost 34 to 3 yesterday, the future still looks good. Owner Jerry Jones made the right move today not firing Head Coach Wade Phillips and he should keep Jason Garrett as well. What the Cowboys need is additional offensive linemen and another Wide Receiver to take over for Roy Williams. The defense is sound but the special teams needs a more reliable place kicker. Even though the Cowboys don't have a first round pick in the draft they can still address these needs and if they do next year's superbowl in Arlington has a good chance of including the Cowboys.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
what a weird football weekend
Looks like my ability to pick NFL games has declined faster than the Cowboy offensive line did today against the Vikings. I wrote that the Jets and Saints would exit the playoffs quickly, that the Chargers would be in the Superbowl and that the Cowboys would dominate the Vikings. Way off on all counts.
I'll have my picks for next week's games later but I wonder what the Indianapolis Colts are wondering right now. The Colts lost to the Jets late in the sesaon by resting their best players in the 2nd half and had the Colts have won that game the Jets would have been eliminated from the playoffs. What if the team that the Colts could have eliminated from the playoffs earlier in the season ends up eliminating them from the playoffs. Stay tuned.
I'll have my picks for next week's games later but I wonder what the Indianapolis Colts are wondering right now. The Colts lost to the Jets late in the sesaon by resting their best players in the 2nd half and had the Colts have won that game the Jets would have been eliminated from the playoffs. What if the team that the Colts could have eliminated from the playoffs earlier in the season ends up eliminating them from the playoffs. Stay tuned.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
The Hurt Locker
The opening part of Director Kathryn Bigelow's film "The Hurt Locker" includes a line that war is a drug. That explains what is behind the actions of Sgt William James (played by Jeremy Renner) in "The Hurt Locker". James is an expert in disarming bombs and when he joins his unit ,which has just lost a respected member while trying to dispose an improvised explosive device, it is clear that he not only doesn't fear extremely dangerous situations, he cherishes them. He tells a Major in the movie he has disarmed more than 800 bombs and probably wishes he could disarm many more. The two subordinates of his unit who's job it is to provide protection for him and have just over a month left on their tour of duty in Iraq now have to struggle to find a way to work with a soldier they both admire and fear.
'The Hurt Locker" has no agenda regarding the United States invasion of Iraq and doesn't want to make audiences cry when a soldier perishes. It is a unique war movie showing the difficult situations soldiers, who in this case are members of a bomb disposal unit, face and how each member deals with them. Sgt James is the renegade who always takes chances. Seargeant Sanborn is more traditional and goes by the book while always looking out for the safety of his unit. Specialist Eldridge is understandably insecure since he has to guard against Iraqi spectators who could be bombers themselves. All the characters are interesting in this movie, but the character of Sgt William James may be one of the most fascinating war movie characters in recent memory. He is a soldier constantly on the edge, always flirting with the line between bravery and insanity. James does not excel in his job at disarming bombs out of a need to be a hero but to provide a stimulating adrenaline rush that he can no longer live without. For James, being safe back home is like a temporary detox house that he can inhabit but never live in comfortably.
Director Kathryn Bigelow and Writer Mark Boal deserve high marks for creating a different view of war through the eyes of soldiers facing the unpredictable and extremely dangerous task of disarming bombs. It is both a tense war thriller and a first rate character study. The lingering thought audiences will probably have is of Sgt William James and how the extremely dangerous job of disarming bombs which he probably feared in a younger day became without any doubt the one thing he loves in his life that he will never be able to let go of.
'The Hurt Locker" has no agenda regarding the United States invasion of Iraq and doesn't want to make audiences cry when a soldier perishes. It is a unique war movie showing the difficult situations soldiers, who in this case are members of a bomb disposal unit, face and how each member deals with them. Sgt James is the renegade who always takes chances. Seargeant Sanborn is more traditional and goes by the book while always looking out for the safety of his unit. Specialist Eldridge is understandably insecure since he has to guard against Iraqi spectators who could be bombers themselves. All the characters are interesting in this movie, but the character of Sgt William James may be one of the most fascinating war movie characters in recent memory. He is a soldier constantly on the edge, always flirting with the line between bravery and insanity. James does not excel in his job at disarming bombs out of a need to be a hero but to provide a stimulating adrenaline rush that he can no longer live without. For James, being safe back home is like a temporary detox house that he can inhabit but never live in comfortably.
Director Kathryn Bigelow and Writer Mark Boal deserve high marks for creating a different view of war through the eyes of soldiers facing the unpredictable and extremely dangerous task of disarming bombs. It is both a tense war thriller and a first rate character study. The lingering thought audiences will probably have is of Sgt William James and how the extremely dangerous job of disarming bombs which he probably feared in a younger day became without any doubt the one thing he loves in his life that he will never be able to let go of.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Playoff picks
Ouch! I missed all my picks last week. Green Bay did their best but the Bengals and the Patriots were pathetic. This week's games have great matchups and all but one are difficult to pick.
Cardinals vs Saints
This should be a high scoring game but New Orleans struggled late this years against losing teams and will have trouble keeping up with Kurt Warner and the potent Cardinal offense.
Cardinals 35 Saints 24
Ravens vs Colts
Baltimore dominated New England early in the first quarter and the Patriots never recovered. You can't blame a long layoff for the Patriots poor performance. It was because they are old at offensive line and their defense does not have anywhere near the speed and talent that they had when they were winning superbowls. The Colts led by Dwight Freeney will pressure Joe Flacco into some turnovers and Peyton Manning will do just enough to engineer some scoring drives. This will be a close on
Colts 20 Ravens 17
Chargers vs Jets
Give the Jets credit. They have exceeded all expectations and Head Coach Rex Ryan has created one of the premiere defenses in the AFC. This will be a close game where special teams will be a factor. Charger place kicker Nate Kaeding has made 69 straight field goals within 40 yards and punter Mike Scifres is the best punter there is punting the ball in the coffin corner and making offenses start deep in their own area. The Charger offense if very effficient and rarely turns over the ball and this should be just enough for the Chargers to win
Chargers 21 Jets 14
Cowboys vs Vikings
Unless Adrian Peterson has a big game which is unlikely since his best games this year were against Cleveland and Detroit, the Cowboys should dominate. Brett Favre when pressured has a tendency to throw interceptions and the Cowboys will be bringing more pressure than he can handle. The Cowboys are on a roll and will steamroll the Vikings.
Cowboys 27 Vikings 13
Cardinals vs Saints
This should be a high scoring game but New Orleans struggled late this years against losing teams and will have trouble keeping up with Kurt Warner and the potent Cardinal offense.
Cardinals 35 Saints 24
Ravens vs Colts
Baltimore dominated New England early in the first quarter and the Patriots never recovered. You can't blame a long layoff for the Patriots poor performance. It was because they are old at offensive line and their defense does not have anywhere near the speed and talent that they had when they were winning superbowls. The Colts led by Dwight Freeney will pressure Joe Flacco into some turnovers and Peyton Manning will do just enough to engineer some scoring drives. This will be a close on
Colts 20 Ravens 17
Chargers vs Jets
Give the Jets credit. They have exceeded all expectations and Head Coach Rex Ryan has created one of the premiere defenses in the AFC. This will be a close game where special teams will be a factor. Charger place kicker Nate Kaeding has made 69 straight field goals within 40 yards and punter Mike Scifres is the best punter there is punting the ball in the coffin corner and making offenses start deep in their own area. The Charger offense if very effficient and rarely turns over the ball and this should be just enough for the Chargers to win
Chargers 21 Jets 14
Cowboys vs Vikings
Unless Adrian Peterson has a big game which is unlikely since his best games this year were against Cleveland and Detroit, the Cowboys should dominate. Brett Favre when pressured has a tendency to throw interceptions and the Cowboys will be bringing more pressure than he can handle. The Cowboys are on a roll and will steamroll the Vikings.
Cowboys 27 Vikings 13
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
America's Team Rising
Whether you love or hate the Dallas Cowboys, there is no doubt now that they are the best team in the NFC and maybe the best team in all of football. The Cowboys much maligned Head Coach Wade Phillips has ,under the radar, put together the NFL's best defense. The Cowboys defensive linemen and linebackers are hard hitting, fast players that create turnovers and the secondary has speed and discipline. There is no glaring weakness on this defense.
The only thing that can derail the Cowboys is if quarterback Tony Romo throws careless interceptions but Romo has become a much smarter quarterback this year and that along with the emergence of running back Felix Jones make it very unlikely that Romo will turnover the ball.
The Cowboys should dominate the Minnesota Vikings this weekend. While Minnesota does have some great offensive weapons, quarterback Brett Favre and running back Adrian Peterson are both prone to turning over the ball. This will play right into the hands of the Dallas defense and Dallas will win by at least 2 touchdowns causing Brett Favre to go back into (and probably later out of) retirement.
Cowboy haters need to brace themselves because this team has all the potential to dominate the remainding playoff teams in the NFC. The Cowboys are back and better than ever.
The only thing that can derail the Cowboys is if quarterback Tony Romo throws careless interceptions but Romo has become a much smarter quarterback this year and that along with the emergence of running back Felix Jones make it very unlikely that Romo will turnover the ball.
The Cowboys should dominate the Minnesota Vikings this weekend. While Minnesota does have some great offensive weapons, quarterback Brett Favre and running back Adrian Peterson are both prone to turning over the ball. This will play right into the hands of the Dallas defense and Dallas will win by at least 2 touchdowns causing Brett Favre to go back into (and probably later out of) retirement.
Cowboy haters need to brace themselves because this team has all the potential to dominate the remainding playoff teams in the NFC. The Cowboys are back and better than ever.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Playoff picks
Here are my picks for this week's playoff games.
Cincinnati 27 Jets 13 (The Jets are lucky to be in the playoffs and this game is where they crash and burn)
New England 24 Ravens 14 (Joe Flacco is not yet the quarterback to win a playoff game against a high caliber quarterback like Tom Brady)
Packers 28 Cardinals 21 (The toughest game to pick but the Packers have more momentum going into this game. Since their victory over the Cowboys November 15, the Packers have only one loss and that was in the final play against Pittsburgh. The pack is back).
Dallas vs Philadelphia
Dallas has the stronger offensive and defensive line and their secondary has been able to neutralize the Eagles speedy wide receivers. The Cowboys have all the momentum on their side and an abundance of confidence since they have already defeated the Eagles twice this year so the final score will be
Philadelphia 20 Dallas 17 (Tony Romo throws 3 interceptions, the "Sports Illustrated" jinx plays havoc on Miles Austin, and the fact that I picked Philadelphia to make it to the superbowl before the start of the season are the reason I pick the Eagles to win).
Cincinnati 27 Jets 13 (The Jets are lucky to be in the playoffs and this game is where they crash and burn)
New England 24 Ravens 14 (Joe Flacco is not yet the quarterback to win a playoff game against a high caliber quarterback like Tom Brady)
Packers 28 Cardinals 21 (The toughest game to pick but the Packers have more momentum going into this game. Since their victory over the Cowboys November 15, the Packers have only one loss and that was in the final play against Pittsburgh. The pack is back).
Dallas vs Philadelphia
Dallas has the stronger offensive and defensive line and their secondary has been able to neutralize the Eagles speedy wide receivers. The Cowboys have all the momentum on their side and an abundance of confidence since they have already defeated the Eagles twice this year so the final score will be
Philadelphia 20 Dallas 17 (Tony Romo throws 3 interceptions, the "Sports Illustrated" jinx plays havoc on Miles Austin, and the fact that I picked Philadelphia to make it to the superbowl before the start of the season are the reason I pick the Eagles to win).
NFL Season
Playoff season is about to commence and looking back at the regular season there were a few surprises that caught me completely off guard.
The first was the collapse of the New York Giants defense. A defense that dominated the powerful New England offense in the superbowl in 2008 became a shell of itself this year. Things were going fine at the start of the season but beginning on week 6 when the Giants gave up 48 point to New Orleans, the Giants would finish giving up 356 points in 10 games, an average of 35.6 points a game.
The other suprise on defense was the Cincinnati Bengals. As the Giants defense collapsed the Cincinnati Bengals defense finally showed some teeth and were no longer pushovers like in years past. For the entire season the Bengals gave up 291 points which averages to 18 points a game and that would have been lower had Cincinnati not decided to mail in their last game against the Jets. Former Cowboy Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer earned everyone's respect this year turning this defense around in a season while having to deal with the sudden and tragic death of his wife.
I'm not sure what the odds are in Las Vegas for each team to win the superbowl but there are two teams that I'm already counting out.
In the AFC it's the New York Jets. How can even the most loyal Jets fan get excited about a team that got into the playoffs because their last two opponents (Indianapolis and Cincinnati) folded up their season's early. With a rookie quarterback who has a bad habit of throwing interceptions, the Jets will crash and burn early in the playoffs.
In the NFC it's the New Orleans Saints. A team that won its first 13 games in the regular season has clearly been exposed. An already suspect defense is even weaker now with the loss of Defensive End Charles Grant and it looks like opposing defenses have figured out Drew Brees and the rest of the Saints offense. If you can hear that distant sound of trumpets and trombones, that's the sound of the Saints marching out of the playoffs early.
I was 11 and 5 this last week so I finish off the regular season at 142 and 98. Congrats Mr. Slag , you picked these games better than me this regular season.
The first was the collapse of the New York Giants defense. A defense that dominated the powerful New England offense in the superbowl in 2008 became a shell of itself this year. Things were going fine at the start of the season but beginning on week 6 when the Giants gave up 48 point to New Orleans, the Giants would finish giving up 356 points in 10 games, an average of 35.6 points a game.
The other suprise on defense was the Cincinnati Bengals. As the Giants defense collapsed the Cincinnati Bengals defense finally showed some teeth and were no longer pushovers like in years past. For the entire season the Bengals gave up 291 points which averages to 18 points a game and that would have been lower had Cincinnati not decided to mail in their last game against the Jets. Former Cowboy Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer earned everyone's respect this year turning this defense around in a season while having to deal with the sudden and tragic death of his wife.
I'm not sure what the odds are in Las Vegas for each team to win the superbowl but there are two teams that I'm already counting out.
In the AFC it's the New York Jets. How can even the most loyal Jets fan get excited about a team that got into the playoffs because their last two opponents (Indianapolis and Cincinnati) folded up their season's early. With a rookie quarterback who has a bad habit of throwing interceptions, the Jets will crash and burn early in the playoffs.
In the NFC it's the New Orleans Saints. A team that won its first 13 games in the regular season has clearly been exposed. An already suspect defense is even weaker now with the loss of Defensive End Charles Grant and it looks like opposing defenses have figured out Drew Brees and the rest of the Saints offense. If you can hear that distant sound of trumpets and trombones, that's the sound of the Saints marching out of the playoffs early.
I was 11 and 5 this last week so I finish off the regular season at 142 and 98. Congrats Mr. Slag , you picked these games better than me this regular season.
Monday, January 4, 2010
The Boys are Back
Sunday's domination of the Philadelphia Eagles has clearly shown that the Cowboys have their best team since the superbowl championship team of 1996. Unlike prior Cowboy teams coached by Wade Phillips that started out great and faded toward the last part of the season, this team has hit its peak at the right time. Quarterback Tony Romo has been excellent running the team's offense without turning the ball over but the reason for the Cowboy's recent surge is the outstanding play of their defense. The recent emergence of Linebacker Anthony Spencer has helped the Cowboys create more pressure on opposing quarterbacks and the improving play of Cornerback Mike Jenkins has helped take away opposing teams deep threats. To shut out the Philadelphia Eagles with a Quarterback like Donavan Mcnabb and fast Wide Receivers like Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin is impressive and as long as Spencer and Jenkins keep improving and reliable veteran players like Demarcus Ware, Keith Brookings and Marcus Spears keep playing the way they have been this year, the Cowboys will go far in the playoffs. The last time a team had a defense that started to improve in the last part of the season and dominate in the playoffs was the 2007-2008 New York Giants who defeated the seemingly invincible New England Patriots in the Superbowl. Generally the team with the best defense wins the superbowl and this year's Cowboys team has an outstanding chance to raise the Lombardy trophy.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
A Call for Honest Debate
Sometimes all it takes is to look a little to the past to make improvements on things in the present. Television can better serve our American Democracy by providing a forum for honest and civil debate on the issues by using the example set by the late William Buckley. Buckley, best known for his PBS show "Firing Line" , also provided and took part in debates that aired on PBS. Buckley, the deep conservative thinker, would be joined by his fellow conservative intellects to debate issues ranging from foreign policy matters like the cold war to domestic issues like the role of government in our lives with some of the best liberal minds in the country. What made these shows memorable is that they were honest civilized debates that challenged both the intelligence and opinions of viewers. They were not like the current presidential "debates" which have become staged speeches and photo ops. The participants in these debates were intelligent and could articulate their side of the debate in well thought out paragrahs without being disrespectful to their opponents. There were no sound bytes here, these debates involved people who could articulate a view without resorting to third rate one line statements designed only to create shock value. After the debate , I always suspected there would be some viewers whose opinions on issues would change and some viewers whose opinions would be reaffirmed after watching the debates.
Shows like "Meet the Press" and "This Week" on Sunday mornings do provide some discussion with with different views on topics but that is only for 15 minutes. Bill O'Reilly, host of Fox's "The O"Reilly Factor" and Bill Mahr, host of HBO's "Real Time" (the show should be called The Politically Correct emotional orgy hour) probably think their shows provide debate. Someone should tell O'Reilly that bullying and interrupting your opponent to where they can't articulate their opionions does not make you right on an issue and that arrogance is not the same as intelligence. Someone should also tell Bill Mahr ,who has his show packed with an audience that overwhelmingly agrees with him, (and probably aren't smart enough to think for themselves) that ganging up on someone who has a different view does not make you a better debater and that a person with intelligence is not the same thing as a smart ass.
I hope that as the new decade begins stations like PBS or cable stations like HBO or Showtime will some day soon provide an hour and a half to two hour debates the way William Buckley did. These debates don't need to include polarizing media hustlers who are intellectual light weights like Ann Coulter on the right or Michael Moore on the left but instead people who are respected for their intelligence and expertise in their fields both by people who agree and disagree with their views. For example, there could be a debate on the United States role in the global economy with George Will, Newt Gingrich, and Alan Greenspan on one side and Paul Krugman, Gary Hart, and Mario Cuomo on the other. That's just one example and there are plenty of other intellectual heavy weights today, both conservative and liberal, who can provide stimulating debate on current topics. Televised debates like these are not only good television, they show people exercising their first amendment rights in the best and most responisble ways.
Shows like "Meet the Press" and "This Week" on Sunday mornings do provide some discussion with with different views on topics but that is only for 15 minutes. Bill O'Reilly, host of Fox's "The O"Reilly Factor" and Bill Mahr, host of HBO's "Real Time" (the show should be called The Politically Correct emotional orgy hour) probably think their shows provide debate. Someone should tell O'Reilly that bullying and interrupting your opponent to where they can't articulate their opionions does not make you right on an issue and that arrogance is not the same as intelligence. Someone should also tell Bill Mahr ,who has his show packed with an audience that overwhelmingly agrees with him, (and probably aren't smart enough to think for themselves) that ganging up on someone who has a different view does not make you a better debater and that a person with intelligence is not the same thing as a smart ass.
I hope that as the new decade begins stations like PBS or cable stations like HBO or Showtime will some day soon provide an hour and a half to two hour debates the way William Buckley did. These debates don't need to include polarizing media hustlers who are intellectual light weights like Ann Coulter on the right or Michael Moore on the left but instead people who are respected for their intelligence and expertise in their fields both by people who agree and disagree with their views. For example, there could be a debate on the United States role in the global economy with George Will, Newt Gingrich, and Alan Greenspan on one side and Paul Krugman, Gary Hart, and Mario Cuomo on the other. That's just one example and there are plenty of other intellectual heavy weights today, both conservative and liberal, who can provide stimulating debate on current topics. Televised debates like these are not only good television, they show people exercising their first amendment rights in the best and most responisble ways.
Friday, January 1, 2010
this weeks picks
I was 9 and 7 last week and am 131 and 93 for the year. My nemesis Mr.Slag will beat me for regular season games with just a week left but just wait til the playoffs start.
Colts 17 Bills 16
Jaguars 20 Browns 14
Bears 24 Lion cubs 3
SF 27 Rams 7
Steelers 20 Dolphins 17
Giants 21 Vikings 14 (vikings are falling and can't get up)
Atlanta 27 TB 13
Carolina 23 Saints 20 (Saints defense is coming apart)
Texans 20 Patriots 17
Dallas 21 Eagles 20 (Eagles are without their starting center. That is the difference in the game)
Ravens 24 Raiders 17 (tough one to pick. The Raiders do well when you don't expect them to but Baltimore needs a win for the playoffs)
Cardinals 24 Packers 20 (Both these teams are peaking at the right time)
San Diego 21 Redskins 6
Denver 14 Chiefs 13
JETS 17 Bengals 16
Titans 28 Seahawks 14
Colts 17 Bills 16
Jaguars 20 Browns 14
Bears 24 Lion cubs 3
SF 27 Rams 7
Steelers 20 Dolphins 17
Giants 21 Vikings 14 (vikings are falling and can't get up)
Atlanta 27 TB 13
Carolina 23 Saints 20 (Saints defense is coming apart)
Texans 20 Patriots 17
Dallas 21 Eagles 20 (Eagles are without their starting center. That is the difference in the game)
Ravens 24 Raiders 17 (tough one to pick. The Raiders do well when you don't expect them to but Baltimore needs a win for the playoffs)
Cardinals 24 Packers 20 (Both these teams are peaking at the right time)
San Diego 21 Redskins 6
Denver 14 Chiefs 13
JETS 17 Bengals 16
Titans 28 Seahawks 14
Playoff push
The Cowboys do deserve some credit for their two consecutive wins. They have now shown that they are a team that can continue to play strong in December. Critics who have complained that the Cowboys are a team with no heart that fade in December have quickly jumped back on the Cowboy bandwagon. The fickle nature of the fair weather fan never ceases to amaze me. However, as good as the Cowboys have played lately, a reality check is in order. One of the Cowboys two victories in December was against the woeful and disorganized Washington Redskins . The other was what was thought to be a great win against the Saints in New Orleans. While it is always impressive to beat a winning team on the road, the Saints prior to that game and since have been declining. The week before that game the Saints needed overtime and luck (meaning a misssed 22 yard field goal) to beat the Washington Redskins and the week after the Saints lost at home to the lowly Tampa Bay Bucanneers. Clearly the Sainst are declining and how far the Cowboys will go in the playoffs will be determined by this Sunday's game against Philadelphia which is a team that has surged in December. As it stands now the NFC teams that look to be in position to make a push for the superbowl in the NFC are Philadelphia, Dallas, Green Bay and Arizona.
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