NFL, anyone paying attention?

[Ghoulish Delight]

I've watched more football, thanks in part to TiVo, these last two weeks than I have over the last 2 seasons combined. The playoffs have been great, not a dull game yet (okay, maybe the Indy/Baltimore game with 7 field goals. But it had its charm).

I really wish I had been betting as I've predicted 7 of the 8 outcomes correctly (win/loss, I didn't pay attention to the spread). Only San Diego disappointed, and they should have won (when will players learn...never intercept the ball on 4th down, just knock it down!!).

If my intuition continues to be accurate, expect NO vs. Indy in the Super Bowl. Which I think will be an entertaining matchup.

[Alex]

To the extent that I cared about any of the teams in the playoffs it was Seattle.

I just have to reiterate (and I said this yesterday after Seattle had won the toss) that I hate the NFL system for overtime. It is barely tolerable in the regular season and just too much of a coin toss in the playoffs. I think they should at least have one full period of overtime and then if the score is tied go to something more drastic. Or just immediately go to the way college handles overtime now.

The games have been pretty good, the ones I've watched (two last weekend, three this weekend) but I probably won't be able to watch either of them next weekend. If I'm rooting at all it is for Indianapolis; Peyton Manning doesn't deserve a Dan Marino career.

[Strangler Lewis]

The Charger player thought there was just one fat lineman between him and the end zone. The problem was the people behind him.

I really like Peyton Manning. Even his commercials. However, he's disappointed in big games often enough that it's hard to get behind him. I'll be rooting for New England. I think dynasties are good for the game, even smoke and mirrors, small package roll-up kind of dynasties like the Patriots. I am a little concerned that Tom Brady reads his own press too much about his unflappability and inability to make bad decisions.

[wendybeth]

Per your thread-title query: Uhm, no.

[scaeagles]

Watched as much as I can.

I'm surprised Seattle made a game of it. I have always been a Seahawks fan, but with the number of injuries they have on the defensive side of the ball, I expected a blow out.

Glad to see the Eagles lose, and I'd like to see Manning get to the Superbowl.

[Kevy Baby]

Only 84 days until opening day at Dodger Stadium

[Prudence]

Our household is having a football hiatus after yesterday's game. I have to change the channel if someone on the telly mentions football. We have to mute the radio in the car when they start the sports report.

[BarTopDancer]

What is this foot. ball. that you are speaking of? Does it involve smacking a puck around ice and fighting?

[Drince88]

Yes, I'm paying attention!
It's nice to live in a city with a team doing well in professional sports! Last Saturday I was at the mall before the very late game (7 pm local time), and well over half of the people there were wearing some sort of Saints garb.

Who Dat?!

[sleepyjeff]

Soloman, Wright, and Stuckey.

What famous game were the above 3 unsung heros?

[Alex]

The Eastern Europe Jai Alai U18 Mixed Championship game in 1987?

[Strangler Lewis]

Soloman, Wright, and Stuckey.

What famous game were the above 3 unsung heros?

The Catch.

[SacTown Chronic]

The Catch is one of the top three most miserable sports days of my life. It's not cool making a 10 year old boy cry. Interesting side note that two weeks ago was the 25 year anniversary of The Catch and my 9 year old son got his own stomach-punch playoff game experience that weekend when the Cowboys lost to the Seahawks in a very painful manner.


And I'll forever maintain that weak-armed bitch Joe Montana was trying to throw that football out of the end zone on the play.


Peyton Manning doesn't deserve a Dan Marino career.Tee Martin begs to differ.

[sleepyjeff]

The Catch.

Bingo!

Soloman was the primary reviecver who drew triple coverage.
Wright made a touchdown saving tackle a few plays after the "Catch".
Stuckey fell on a Dallas fumble to really end the game.



And I'll forever maintain that weak-armed bitch Joe Montana was trying to throw that football out of the end zone on the play.

If one watches what Walsh(he looked disiapointed then surprised)did at that exact moment...it at least appears Walsh thought he threw it away too.

Of course that just makes what Clark did all the more incredible;)

[Ghoulish Delight]

In looking for footage of The Catch on YouTube, I came across this ridiculous bit of idiocy (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8rBk5liCI). That's just pathetic.

[Strangler Lewis]

And I'll forever maintain that weak-armed bitch Joe Montana was trying to throw that football out of the end zone on the play.



They've denied that repeatedly over the years. In fact, they've said they practiced it.

Now, if it's an overrated quarterback you're after, you need look no further than Troy "Here you go, Emmitt/Thanks for wrestling that one from the defender, Mike/Clang!What city is this?" Aikman

[sleepyjeff]

In looking for footage of The Catch on YouTube, I came across this ridiculous bit of idiocy (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8rBk5liCI). That's just pathetic.


That was pathetic.........I don't think Clark was more than 2 inches above the turf:rolleyes:

[sleepyjeff]

The Eastern Europe Jai Alai U18 Mixed Championship game in 1987?

I was in Hialeah, Florida the Summer of that year....maybe I should have tried to get tickets.

[SacTown Chronic]

They've denied that repeatedly over the years. In fact, they've said they practiced it.Yes, they practiced the play...and Walsh is on the record as saying he told Joe to throw the ball away if it's not there. So who knows?

Now, if it's an overrated quarterback you're after, you need look no further than Troy "Here you go, Emmitt/Thanks for wrestling that one from the defender, Mike/Clang!What city is this?" AikmanYou'll get no argument from me. That was Mike Irvin's team and it is a shame that Troy made the HoF before Michael.


For the record, i make no claim that Joe Montana is overrated. It's common knowledge that Joe didn't have the strongest arm in the league. But he had "it" and that's all he needed.

[Kevy Baby]

In looking for footage of The Catch on YouTube, I came across this ridiculous bit of idiocy (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8rBk5liCI). That's just pathetic.Lame is as lame does.

Lordy that was stupid.

[scaeagles]

Wow. That sure was a great game. On the edge of my seat the whole time.:rolleyes:

Here's hoping Colts and Patriots is more entertaining.

[Alex]

Doesn't look like it. Also doesn't look like either of my picks is going to win. Good thing I decided against placing a bet when I was in Reno this morning.

[Alex]

Disregard that.

[Alex]

Yeah, definitely disregard.

[scaeagles]

Wow. That sure was a great game. On the edge of my seat the whole time.

This time I mean it - for a half anyway. Glad I stuck with it, but I would never have imagined that even Manning could put up 32 pts in a half against the Patriots.

[Stan4dSteph]

It's Indiana vs. Illinois in the Super Bowl.

[sleepyjeff]

Wow...now that's a first. Both teams I was rooting for won. I've alsways been a Bears fan(next to the Dolphins and Rams they are my 3rd favorite team) and even though I am not a Colts fan I despise the Pats(perhaps my least favorite team...tied with the Jets)

Going to be a great Super Bowl this year I bet!

[Ghoulish Delight]

Thanks to TiVo, I have for the first season ever, seen every playoff game. Wow, I've watched more football in the past 3 weeks than I probably have over the past 3 seasons combined.

What polar opposite games. The first games started out as exciting as it gets, imo, and then kinda fell into a rut. The second...wow. Yeah.

I was disappointed to see NO lose, but at least Brees made a valiant effort. He didn't have many chances, but when he was given the time, he didn't make any unforced mistakes and put together some good drives. Unfortunately for him, his o-line wasn't ready for the early dominance by the Bears D, which forced them into a throw-heavy comeback mode. I think Brees would have the skills to handle a passing offense, but the line just isn't built for it. They're great at run blocking but only adequate at pass protection and only if the run is there as a threat. Without that, and with the Bears not giving them an inch, they didn't stand a chance.

Meanwhile...oh, THERE'S Payton Manning. It took him almost a game and a half to wake up, but that final drive of the 2nd half...wow. I watched their final regular season game against Miami, and Manning owned that game. He walked up to the line of scrimmage every down and decided exactly what would happen and how. That control was non-existent last week, whether it was because he was trying to be conservative to avoid mistakes under pressure or because he didn't need to turn that on due to their defense keeping them in it. But after a similar start, when it was finally clear that the defense wasn't going to carry them this week like they did last week, he was able to turn it on.

Gotta give NE credit for completely dominating the Colts on both sides of the ball up to that point, but once Manning decided to take the game into his hands, the secondary obviously suddenly started to feel every yard of those deep passes that Manning threw early that NE defended so well.

Maybe it's because I watched via TiVo, thus compressing the games greatly, but I thought both games were great. NO's defense did kinda poop out early, but the energy of Bears D in the first half made it pretty compelling to me.

[RStar]

No, I'm not paying attention. I Don't really care for sports at all.

That is all......

;)

[Gemini Cricket]

No, I'm not paying attention. I Don't really care for sports at all.

That is all......

;)
Me too.

Except I do know the Patriots lost and that's a big deal in Boston. No World Series for them...

[Not Afraid]

Did the Saints win? Is that even NFL?

[Gemini Cricket]

Did the Saints win? Is that even NFL?
According to something called "Sports Illustrated", the Colts won and the Bears won. The Saints lost to the Bears. The Patriots lost to the Colts.

And we all know the outcome if a colt is attacked by a bear.

[€uroMeinke]

According to something called "Sports Illustrated", the Colts won and the Bears won. The Saints lost to the Bears. The Patriots lost to the Colts.

And we all know the outcome if a colt is attacked by a bear.


A horsey colt or a weapony colt?

[Gemini Cricket]

A horsey colt or a weapony colt?
Of the horsey variety. With the galloping and the whinnying and all that business.

[€uroMeinke]

Of the horsey variety. With the galloping and the whinnying and all that business.

Ok, now what kind of Bear?

[Gemini Cricket]

Ok, now what kind of Bear?
You know, with the claws and the teeth and the roaring and the scratching its back with a tree kind of bear.
Not to be confused with the hairy, stocky, beard or goatee kind of bear with the 'Ooh, girl, you look fabulicious in those overalls...' and all that business.
:D

[Alex]

Ok, now what kind of Bear?

Little known fact about the team...but koala.

[Strangler Lewis]

A koala is not a bear.

Thank you.

[Alex]

Sure it is. It's in the name! Just like pandas!

Besides, the people of Chicago aren't Linnaeicly smart so you'll have to excuse their error in naming convention.

And I'm pretty sure a young horse would beat a grumpy fuzzball weak from hunger because eucalyptus is in short supply in the upper Midwest.

[CoasterMatt]

And I'm pretty sure a young horse would beat a grumpy fuzzball weak from hunger because eucalyptus is in short supply in the upper Midwest.
But the Super Bowl's in Miami...

[Alex]

Good point.

Ok, I'm pretty sure that a young horse would be a slumbering fuzzball sleeping off its first huge meal in a long while.

[Ghoulish Delight]

You know, a there's a lot of talk about Rex Grossman...and he is indeed extremely mediocre. But he's on the right team for that. As long as he doesn't do anything really stupid, he can get away without being particularly great either because the defense can magically create points. Heck, even if he DOES do something stupid, if the defense is at its best it won't matter (witness several regular season games, as well as the "called a timeout with no timeouts left" penalty that wasn't called and the "Oh, I was supposed to run the hurry-up instead of walk off the field?" brain fart at the end of the first half). Secondary to becoming better at the position, he'd first better work on staying aware of what's going on of he won't last long at all.

[scaeagles]

Well....I was glad the Colts won. What an odd game. The Colts were so completely dominant that it was incredible to me that the Bears were in the game until Grossman threw the interception that was returned for a TD in the 4th. The Bears stats were so embarrassingly poor I just couldn't believe it wasn't 30-7 at that point.

I guess that points to what GD last posted about Grossman. He was absolutely beyond pathetic, but the Bears were still in it.

In spite of all of the talk of the Bears that they are happy with Grossman and how he's their man (certainly what they had to say during the playoffs), it isn't going to be long the trades take place to get someone else in, or to trade up in the draft. I would guess it will more likely be getting a veteren, because their D can perhaps take them far again next year if they stay together. Not many groups stay together long in the NFL.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Adam Vinatieri can suck it.

[Mousey Girl]

I watched the entire game. I only saw 1 commercial that amused me (the 2 Coke ones didn't count since I have seen them at the movie theater). It was a BlockBuster commercial with a CGI rabbit and guinea pig trying to use a mouse to access the internet. That one cracked me up.

I am gald the Colts won...for some reason I have always seen the Bears as just a minor step up from the Raiders. This was brought home when the commentators were talking about one of the Bear's players having to get special permission to leave the state due to a huge weapons charge.

[Ghoulish Delight]

The Colts did precisely what they needed to do. They rode out the initial Chicago defensive onslaught just enough to come out with the lead. Manning then took advantage of the now tired defense to pad that lead. Then it was just a matter of waiting for Grossman to make a mistake. Voila.

As for my prior comment...if Vinatieri had made that field goal to end the first half I would have won $100 in a pool. :mad: Otherwise, I'm glad the Colts won. And I'm glad the first quarter/half were fun to watch, if sloppy. The second half was pretty boring.

[Nephythys]

I watched the entire game. I only saw 1 commercial that amused me (the 2 Coke ones didn't count since I have seen them at the movie theater). It was a BlockBuster commercial with a CGI rabbit and guinea pig trying to use a mouse to access the internet. That one cracked me up.



Carl and Ray- the ad is called Mouse Click. I went to Youtube and if you search for them there is a "Best of..." video that includes that mouse ad. Very funny.

I am happy for the Colts too (though I would also have been happy for the Bears)- though if the Bears want a new QB we have one in Denver they can have.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I suppose that first quarter was to be expected. Every single playoff game this season had at least one insane play. Whether it was multiple turnovers in a row, a ball that bounced off someone's head for a reception, or whatever. It only makes sense that the Super Bowl would continue the trend, only tenfold. I guess the rain contributed to that but I don't know. I mean, you expect Indy to have a little trouble holding onto the ball in rain, but the freaking Bears shouldn't be having a problem with a little drizzle (did anyone else notice David Spade already breaking out the poncho when it was barely drizzling?).

And then there was Prince. 4 partial songs, 2 of which weren't even his?! Oh well, at least he stroked he used the giant shadow opportunity to make some rather suggestive pantomimes with his guitar.

[Gemini Cricket]

Which team scored at the kickoff at the beginning of the game?
Babette and I were wondering... in line at the Haunted Mansion with a queue of other people who had no idea either...
:D

[Ghoulish Delight]

Bears.

[Gemini Cricket]

Bears.
Ah.
:)

[Ghoulish Delight]

Right after the game's over, you always see that the winning team is immediately wearing hats declaring them the champions. That, of course, means that two sets of hats are printed, one for each team. Someone told me yesterday that the NFL donates the losing team's hats to charities that distribute clothes and food and aid to Africans in need.

So there's some African village out there that thinks that the Buffalo Bills is the greatest franchise in the history of sport.

That actually got CP and I remembering the ill-fated Lakers "Three-pete" merchandise. After winning back-to-back titles in '87 and '88, Lakers "Back-to-Back" merchandise sold like mad. I had one of those shirts (you know, with the big-headed caricatures of the players standing back-to-back) and if you knew me and my parents at the time you'd understand just how big that means sales were.

So, having swept all 3 rounds of the playoffs, and playing against the Pistons whom they had beaten the year before, anyone and everyone was eager to cash in on what was sure to be massive merchandise sales. So they started early. The 3-pete (or "Back-to-back-to-back) shirts were out before the series started, if memory serves.

You can tell where this is going, I'm sure. Detroit swept the Lakers 4-0. That merchandise stuck around for a long time, showing up in thrift stores and crappy t-shirt places.

[Alex]

My understanding has always been that the other set is destroyed. I know that is what happened to the Blazers stuff that was made in the deluded belief that Jordan wasn't superhuman. I knew a person who participated in shredding the output (of at least one shop anyway, maybe it wasn't universal).

[Ghoulish Delight]

My understanding has always been that the other set is destroyed. I know that is what happened to the Blazers stuff that was made in the deluded belief that Jordan wasn't superhuman. I knew a person who participated in shredding the output (of at least one shop anyway, maybe it wasn't universal).
Don't know if it's true for other sports, but here's (http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/pr.nsf/stable/20070202_superbowl?Open&lid=superbowl_PR&lpos=main) the story about the NFL sending the stuff to Africa (damn, they started in 1994 so my vision of the Bills-worshiping village is shattered).

With the Lakers, so much of the merchandise was already floating around before the games, much of it surely bootleg. I'm sure a lot of the legitimate, official merchandise was destroyed or donated, but there was a ton of it already out there out of the league's and/or legitimate shops' control.