Final Blog Entry for the Class!

As I sit here on the couch watching the Colts and Ravens I can’t help to think how interesting it was to write blogs for the past eight weeks and how boring this last entry will be on my blog site. I have also read several different sport blogs, and have found what I liked/disliked about them and how many people write on subjects that they don’t know much about.

Every week, I made entries about the games or highlights that I found to be interesting. Sometimes there were so many different things to write about that it was hard to narrow the selections down forcing the tough decision of what to write about. The thing I will remember about this was how much fun it was to write about something that I was interested in, and to read other writers opinions on the same thing that sometimes did not appear until one to two weeks later. What I really enjoyed and anticipated were the comments on the blogs.

I’m glad I took this course when I did, because I may have never learned what I have about blogging. Not to mention I believe this was a better approach to writing than the traditional research paper writing. Reading other student’s blogs was also educational as well as interesting and with so many people writing on the same subject it was amazing to see the different approaches taken to get points across.

Well, I guess that is all for this entry as I need to continue working on the analysis paper. But before I go, I would and already have recommended this style of writing to anyone that wanted to learn something new.

#1 Draft Pick Debut

How fitting is it that the #1 draft pick for the Oakland Raiders would make his debut against none other than the Denver Broncos? Jamarcus Russell drafted from LSU finally steps onto the NFL playing field and doesn't look all that bad.

The rookie QB was 4/7 for 56 yards and rushed three times for 4 yards. His first NFL pass came off a naked bootleg and resulted in a completed pass for 16-yards to Joey Porter that had Raider fans on their feet! How many more times will we see the rookie in an already losing season. Will he give Oakland fans reason to wonder what would have been, had he not held out?

Pats still Undefeated

The Patriots come from behind for the second straight week to take the lead in a game and in the final minutes rely on the defense for the final play. Two weeks ago it was an interception after Eagles quarterback Feeley over threw his receiver that would seal the 31-28 victory. Sunday against the Ravens it was the stop at the 2-yard line after a completed Hail Mary pass that allowed the Patriots to squeak by with a 27-24 victory and remain undefeated.

With four games remaining the Patriots begin a three game homestand against the Steelers with the Jets and Dolphins to follow before going to New York to play the Giants. Of the four teams left to play, who is the possible trap game? Can any of these teams stop the Pats from going 16-0?

I think if anyone has a shot it is the Steelers who have the best defense in the NFL and should have no problem getting to Brady and in the past two games we’ve seen what happens when you can get to Brady. The Steelers own a 13-9 all-time record against the Patriots, including the postseason but have not won in New England since a 24-21 overtime victory in 1997. Something else to think about is the Steelers snapped the Patriots’ NFL-record 18-game regular-season winning streak in 2004 with a 34-20 victory (Steelers.com, 2007).

With that said though we have also seen the Steelers get unimpressive wins over Dolphins 3-0 and the Bengals 24-10. Let’s chalk up Steelers the messy play to nature and the swamp like field conditions at Heinz Field. I’m sure the 1972 Dolphins are


Steelers.com.2007. Retrieved 04 December 2007 from
http://www.steelers.com/MediaContent/2007/12/04/09/Steelers_notes_for_Patriots_game_85497.pdf

Sean Taylor Rest in Peace

Sean Taylor was one of the hardest hitting safeties in the NFL and now he is gone! Here is a video in remembrance of a young man who was a leader in the Redskins organization.

Battle for NFC "Air Supremacy"

Like the AFC showdown in week nine this Thursday should prove to be the NFC championship preliminary. In this week’s power ranking, the Dallas Cowboys are #2 and the Green Bay Packers #3. Both teams are entering the game with 10-1 records and coming off wins from Thanksgiving Day. The winner of this game could have the advantage for home field throughout the playoffs.

The Green Bay Packers are 5-0 on the road this year and on a six game winning streak going to Texas where the Cowboys are 5-1. The Cowboys are on a five game winning streak and since 1991 have the upper hand in this series. Since Favre entered the NFL he has only beaten the Cowboys twice and both victories were at Lambeau Field.

Which air assault will prevail? Will it be Brett Favre with 17 years of experience who is surrounded by talented young receivers and a running game that is coming to life in the legs of Grant? Or will it be Tony Romo, the kid who grew up in Burlington, Wisconsin, who has been in the NFL since 2003 on the Cowboy bench and didn’t start until 2006? One thing is for certain be prepared to see the long ball, it doesn’t take long for TO or Jennings to get down field.

Pats Near Loss

When your team is winning you always seem to get the prime time games! Sunday nights match up on NBC between the Patriots and Eagles was supposed to be another display of NFL dominance. The Eagles were a 26 point underdog (Bloomberg.com, 2007) walking into this game with nothing to lose.

The second play from scrimmage had Eagles fans pulling out their hair as A. J. Feeley, who was in for the injured McNabb, threw a pass that was intercepted by CB Asante Samuel and returned for a touchdown giving the Pats 7-0 lead. For many this was the prelude to the onslaught. But after that mistake, Feeley settled down and stood in the pocket connecting with eight different receivers for 345 yards and three touchdowns (NFL.com, 2007). However, it was Feeley’s forced pass in the end zone at the end of the game to Kevin Curtis that turned into Samuel’s second interception of the game that will be remembered as the pass that could have ended the Pats undefeated season.

The Eagles defense played a superb game sacking Brady three times and holding him to just one touchdown pass that wasn’t even to Randy Moss who had just five receptions for 43 yards. But it was that speedy slot receiver, Wes Welker, which kept New England drives alive! The Eagles exploited something here and trust me when I tell you Patriot opponents will be watching this tape as it was a close one 31-28!

Bloomberg.com. 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2007 from
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aIIsOIHkys7k

NFL.com. Game Center. Retrieved 26 November 2007 from http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?season=2007&week=REG12&game_id=29369

Upcoming Potential Sources

As this term nears the end we are beginning to wind down our blog entries and begin working on our analysis paper. When writing this paper we will analyze the community in which we are blogging. By now, I'm sure everyone knows that most of my blogs are written on Monday or Tuesday mornings and revolve around the games played on Sunday.

There are many football bloggers but some of the ones I find interesting are those that can be found on ESPN.com written by John Clayton and the NFL Blog Buzz at NBCSports.com. Both of these sites contain blogs written by professional analysis who are well known not only because of their writing but also because of their appearances on shows such as NFL Countdown and the NFL Network.

The above mentioned sites are just a couple of the positive sites out there on the internet. But believe me when I tell you there are many other football blogs that will make you madder than a coon dog stuck in a thorn bush. These guys have absolutely no clue, they haven't seen the ball since kick-off! A majority of the bad blogs make false statements to bash players or teams and use no stats or resources to back up such statements.

To me blogs like these are not even worth the time it would take to analyze them since life is so short and it's time you'll never get back.

Which #81 do you prefer?

When the season began everyone was concerned about how Randy Moss would fit in as a New England Patriot. There was also concern about the effect Terrell Owens would have on the Dallas Cowboys. Well all the speculation of the two supposed bad boy receivers of the NFL are actually 180 degrees out from all the anticipation.

Now, with 10 games behind them everyone wants to know, “Which reformed NFL bad boy is having a better season?” (NBCSports.com, 2007) or, “Who is the best WR in the NFL?” (FOXSports.com, 2007). Well, who do you think is the best?

After watching the Dallas Cowboys or should we say the Tony Romo and TO show on Sunday, when he caught four touchdown passes, I thought to myself, damn this guy is good and he is even better when he shuts his mouth. But it didn’t stop with the offense, knowing how good he is at jumping for the ball, the Cowboys found it fitting to put TO in the game to help defend the Hail Mary pass.

Later that even, I watched the New England Patriots and thought that it was déjà vu. This time it was Tom Brady and the Randy Moss show. These guys also connected for four touchdowns and almost five. However, when Randy Moss came into the game to defend against a Hail Mary pass, I couldn’t help think that the Patriots watched the earlier Cowboys game. Were the Pats making sure that TO didn’t outshine Randy Moss?

Well, who is better? Below are some stats pulled from Fox Sports Stats to help you make your decision!

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/sortableStats?div=NFL&stable=receiving&stat=recYds&dir=descending

NFL SORTABLE STATS, INDIVIDUAL -- Receiving Yards
Rk Name/Team Rec Yds Avg TD Long Fumbles 100-Yd Gms
1 Randy Moss, NE 66 1052 15.9 16 55 0 7
2 Terrell Owens, Dal 58 1028 17.7 12 52 1 5

Fox Sports on MSN. 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2007 from http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl.


NBCSports.com. 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2007 from http://www.nbcsports.com/portal/site/nbcsports/menuitem.985c117df26e300afafa6d91d0d08a0c/?vgnextoid=6f33d5e59df02110VgnVCM100000dc032c03RCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Cowboys NFC East Champs!

The Dallas Cowboys (8-1) will face off with the Washington Redskins (5-4) in Dallas this weekend and will virtually set themselves a top the NFC East after already defeating the NY Giants (6-3) in the Meadowlands this past weekend and the Philadelphia Eagles (4-5) at Lincoln Financial the weekend prior to New York.

The Cowboys are currently 3-0 in division play with two wins over the Giants and one over Philly. The only loss they have is against the AFC undefeated New England Patriots who has the number one total offense in the NFL with the Cowboys ranked number two.
The only team in the NFC that could possible match or contend with the Cowboys on paper is the Green Bay Packers whose only loss was to the Bears. These two teams will meet November 29th and this game could possibly get the same hype as the Patriots and Colts game.

When I look at this team I see the makings of another Dallas tri-factor. The same tri factor that led to a few Superbowl wins in the 1990’s. Back then it was names like Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith. Today, the Dallas Cowboys revolve around the same three positions with names like Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, and Marion Barber. I could be wrong but if these key players keep performing the way they are Dallas fans can buy their tickets to Arizona now!

NFL.com. Team Stats. Retrieved 12 November 2007 from http://www.nfl.com/stats/team.

Dallas Cowboys. Schedule. Retrieved 12 November 2007 from http://www.dallascowboys.com/schedule.cfm.

Who is Worse?

Who is worse? Is it the Miami Dolphins or the St. Louis Rams, place your votes. It's too bad they don't play each other! If you are a Miami Dolphins fan or St. Louis Rams fan you probably have already accepted the fact that your team is having a losing season. Unlike most teams in the NFL these two teams are playing for the #1 draft pick and not to make it to the playoffs. Neither of these teams have much to brag about this season.

The Dolphins have three things going for them this year despite their record. The Dolphins home field is in sunny Florida, they have good looking cheerleaders, and they played in London in the first ever NFL regular season game abroad. But even then I don’t think it’s worth bragging about, I mean, that was an awful display of what the NFL has to offer. The Dolphins have a legitimate chance of joining only a few other teams to be winless in a single season and with opponents such as the Eagles, Steelers, Jets, Bills, Ravens, Patriots, and Bengals remaining the chances are looking more like reality.

The Rams can at least say they won a game beating the New Orleans Aints (the S was purposely left off) and have the opportunity to win a second game this upcoming weekend as they square off with the San Francisco 49ers who are on a 7-game slide and were just skunked by the Seahawks in a Monday Night game! A win this weekend will allow the Rams to finish the season at a possible 2-14 record. But that might be good enough to knock them out of the playoffs for the #1 pick in the draft.

Rookie Running Backs, Getting It Done!

Marshawn Lynch leads the Buffalo Bills to a 33-21 victory over the Cincinatti Bengals. Lynch had 29 rushes for 153 yards and a touchdown. His longest run was 56 yards in the 4th quarter with 2:25 left in the game. Lynch didn't only do it with his legs; he also threw an 8 yard pass for a touchdown. Although these numbers look good and in most cases are fantastic, on this day they are second best to a fellow rookie playing for the Minnesota Vikings.


Minnesota Vikings improve to a 3-5 record using the legs of running back Adrian Peterson who was responsible for 315 of 528 offensive yards for the Vikings. Of the 315 yards 296 came on the ground as Peterson used the Charger defense as his paved way to the endzone three times. The way Adrian was running, plays probably could have been simplified down to Peterson to the left, right, or up the middle.

NFL Game Center. Post game-Cincinatti Bengals at Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 05 November 2007 from http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?season=2007&week=REG9&game_id=29312

NFL Game Center. Post game-Cincinatti Bengals at Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 05 November 2007 from http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?season=2007&week=REG9&game_id=29315

What a game!

The game of the week between the two AFC power houses concluded with the Patriots squeaking by the Colts 24-20. If you think the score is close then check out the game stats:

New England Patriots (9-0-0)
Total Net Yards 342
Penalties-Yards 10-146
Time of Possession 29:44
Total Turnovers 2
Indianapolis Colts (7-1-0)
Total Net Yards 329
Penalties-Yards 4-25
Time of Possession 30:16
Total Turnovers 2

The Colts led the entire game until there was 3:21 left in the game and Tom Brady found Kevin Faulk for 13 yard touchdown. The Colts got the ball back and began there drive down the field. But with 2:34 left in the game, Manning was hit from behind and coughed the ball up and right into the hands of OLB Colvin. This turnover would wind up being the nail in the coffin for the Colts as the Pats ran three plays and began kneeling, to run out the clock and continue their undefeated season.

After this game the question that lines the sky is, “Can the Patriots go the rest of the season undefeated?” There is only one other team in NFL history that went undefeated and that was the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

NFL Game Center. Post game-New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts. Retrieved 05 November 2007 from http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?game_id=29321&displayPage=tab_gamecenter&season=2007&week=REG9

Indy Colts vs N.E. Pats; AFC Championship Preliminary

November 4th, 2007; a date being built-up to go down into infamy as the quintessential battle for all football fans to revere it as the game of all games, the mid-season Superbowl or the notorious Good (Indy) vs. Evil (Pats). NFL has given us a game to anticipate, rival over and begging for more.

This game is built-up by the two most predominant programs in the NFL today, with both being undefeated facing off in a mid-season battle as to gain an advantage or claim mid-season superiority, well at least the FANS will claim. Not to mention the Home-Field advantage for the Play-offs or the lessons learned by either for the Superbowl run. This game will be a classic for years to come, never mind the winner or loser it will be the bar set for others to match-up to or surpass.

“Evil” has been identified with Bill Belichick and his P.A.T.S. (Permanently Acknowledged as Tyrant Scoundrels) for the season prelude of video scandals and cheating with those advantages. Not to mention the abundance of arrogance resonating from the team attitudes and the coach foremost with running up scores and scoffing at the notion that it’s poor sportsmanship or a classless act by a professional team. On the other side of this you have “Good”, the Colts; faith driven coach, a QB with humility and a team of spot check players that only have made a name for themselves by being with the Colts. This is why I make the comparison to Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader…you have Tony Dungy (Faith Driven-religious, stay within his means) in white (Luke Skywalker) and then you have Bill Belichick (Cheating, Scoundrel, win at any cost, Hoodie wearing Tyrant) in black with his hood. It’s a perfect parallel thus Good vs. Evil, I can’t wait to watch.

All aside, the battle will be pretty close to even. If you take a look at the stats of the seven teams that played the Colts before now, they all have better statistical value and on paper and should have beaten the Colts. To no avail, here they sit undefeated. This is in despite of their leading receiver Harrison being injured and with only two receiving TD’s on the season, an all time low for him dating back to his rookie season in 96’. However, somehow Peyton finds the open guy and R. Wayne is picking up that slack for Harrison. Wayne is on pace with Moss of the PATS but not in the TD area, of course if Dungy were to play like Belichick and run up the score maybe things would be different. The average margin of victory for the Colts has been some 17.4 points per opponent and the Pats 25.5 a difference of 8.1 in favor of the Pats. So, I have to say if the Colts stay within 8 points of the Pats then they can win. Checking out the other stats here how they match-up:

N.E. Indy
Offense: Pts: 41.4 32.0
Yds: 439.5 399.0
Pass: 303.8 258.7
Rush: 135.8 140.3

Defense: Pts: 15.9 14.6
Yds: 268.5 272.9
Pass: 181.5 165.4
Rush: 87.0 107.4

What will they do? That is the question we anticipate and even though, on paper N.E. has the advantage…the game still has to be played on the field. I am sure the Pats are reveling at the notion of taking down Mr. Commercial QB in Peyton Manning but what are the Colts waiting to do, take down Poster Boy Tom Brady. The tough and rugged Colts seem to always find a way to win and the Pats always find a way to impress.

If you can only watch one game this weekend then this is it!

Yahoo (2007). Stats. Accessed October 30, 2007 from

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/stats/byteam

Favre does it again!

Brett Favre , the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, goes on the road to visit the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field with Jay Cutler at the helm in a Monday Night showdown. This was Favre’s 33rd Monday Night game.

The game started out as if it were going to be a shootout. The Broncos first scoring drive lasted 5 minutes and 24 seconds and consisted of 10 plays that went 60 yards ended with a 5 yard Touchdown pass to T. Scheffler. With the score in the Broncos favor T. Sauberman kicks off and the Packers begin their drive from their own 21 yard line. Favre calls the play in the huddle, gets the team up to the line, calls the signals and has the ball snapped to him. One play and 23 seconds later, Favre finds rookie wide receiver J. Jones down the right sideline with Champ Bailey trying to catch up and hits him with a 79 yard pass for a Touchdown. Denver would return the favor by driving all the way back down to the Packers 1 yard line before and offensive lineman knocks the ball out of Cutler’s hand resulting in a fumble recovery by the Packers. The question you have to ask yourself is where was the defense?

At the end of the first half, the score was 13-7, Packers. The score could have been 17-7 if the Packers weren’t plagued with false starts by the offensive line on their third drive. This would also prove to be the last time the Packers would get into scoring range. The second half would only allow for two Bronco field goals which would tie the game at the end of regulation.

Green Bay wins the coin toss and elects to receive for to begin overtime. Once again on the first play after the kickoff, Brett found Jennings this time and on the left sideline beating Dre Bly with an 82 yard Touchdown pass for the win.

The Packers win 19-13!

McNabb's Bold Statement

The usually subtle Donovan McNabb states, "I think one thing that people tend to forget is - the NFC East championship comes through Philadelphia." This is a bold statement that the Eagles have yet to back up unless he was talking about the route to get to the Meadowlands where the Giants are riding their defense to victory as of late.

After making his statement the Eagles faced off with the Bears in Philadelphia. The Eagles were in the Red Zone four times walking away with one touchdown and three field goals. But a Bears drive that started on their 3 with 1 minute, 57 seconds left in the game concluded with a touchdown pass from Griese to Muhammad from the 15 yard line on second down for the winning score.

Now the Eagles are 2-4 and are getting ready to square off with the Minnesota Vikings this weekend before they play the division leading Dallas Cowboys who will be coming off a bye week on November 4th at 8:15 pm on NBC.