Hahahahaha, psyche!
No, there is no substantive Pro Bowl Trash Talk. Because the Pro Bowl is a complete worthless joke.
This is a let loose on idiocy in general post. Which is more than what the NFL Pro Bowl is at this point.
Have fun and let yer hair down.
Music by Jefferson Airplane. Paul Kantner was an incredibly nice, and extremely under appreciated, seminal musician. RIP Mr. Kantner, and thanks.
It is early Saturday afternoon here in the comfy confines of Casa de Bmaz in the desert cactus patch. Snowly Shit is afflicting everywhere from the northeast to southeast. Bad. It is kind of sick, but I have been watching the news and fielding Twitter feeds from good friends in the afflicted area for 24 hours now. All from the comfort of 74º high days. Wearing a suit, I actually had to use the air conditioner in my cay yesterday afternoon. Don’t fret, in a few more months, it will be 110º here and they can all laugh at me.
Frankly, I would kill to be in the winter maelstrom in New York and Washington DC, just to experience it. With plenty of food and booze properly stocked up, along with backup power, of course. But I am here, and so many of you and other friends are there, and my heart and best wishes go out to you. There are conference championship games afoot, and hopefully all can enjoy them comfortably, wherever you are.
First up is the Patriots at Broncos. Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady. Yadda yadda yadda. But there are 10 other people on the field for each on offense and 11 on defense. Brady will not lose the game. Manning could given his old age infirmities, but I would be stunned if that were the case. The Pats, despite Belichick’s infamously worthless injury reports, seem to be pretty healthy. Especially so as to Edelman and Gronk, which mean everything to Brady. The Donkos, maybe a little less so because of DB Chris Harris’ shoulder. If he is weak opposite Aqib Talib, that will be an exploitable problem.
It would be pretty easy to take the Pats here, all things being equal. But things are never equal, especially in this kind of battle. There are two other factors that I think – think – may be key. First, the Broncos are home in Mile High. And that is a brutal place for any team to play, anytime. But it has been especially toxic for the otherwise invincible Patriots, Brady and Belichick. It is not that they have never won there, but it has been an uncommonly black hole.
Secondly, the Broncos, under Mike Shanahan, had the best head to head success against Belichick, Brady and the Pats of anybody. Gary Kubiak was the OC on most all of those matchups. Shanahan altered his offense against Belichick to have a balance two tight end set on offense to compensate and pitch up the Belichick tactic of overloading the weak side. This not only protected the QB, but facilitated the run game. Kubiak knows the tricks that Shanahan used to be so successful. I bet Kubiak draws off that. Is it enough?
I dunno, but if I was betting real money, it would be on the Pats and Brady. I think they want to see Roger Goodell at Super Bowl 50, and I think they will. Even the New York Times now recognizes that Goodell and the NFL were horse’s asses in Deflategate. Which I explained from the start, both on Twitter and here. Also, ESPN has a real problem with ignorant assholes. First it was Curt Schilling, then Chris Mortenson perpetuating the patent fraud of Deflategate, and now blithering idiot Danny Kanell who is literally calling for the Broncos to take Tom Brady out with dirty hits.
The second game is Cardinals at Panthers. I probably have too many emotions wrapped up in this one to be overly fair. The Cards versus Packers was tough for me. Cards versus Panthers, however, is beyond an easy call. The Panthers are very good, and Cam Newton has turned into one hell of a pro quarterback, but the Panthers are basically not that easy to like for me.And certainly not this weekend.
The quarterbacks, on paper, look to be nearly a draw. If there is any justice, they will seriously finish first and second in the league MVP voting. Newton should absolutely win, but Carson Palmer is an arguably close second. Palmer is a better read and throw guy, and arguably better passer, but Cam Newton has gotten very good at that and can run in ways that Palmer can’t dream of. Edge Newton and Panthers. But Palmer and the Cards have better receivers and packages to exploit them, by a light year. Huge edge to the Cards there. The battle of offenses will come down to which offensive line plays and protects better. Frankly, that is probably what the game comes down to as well.
Which leaves the defenses. Both are better than average on the defensive line. Carolina has a big advantage at linebacker, and Kuechly is simply killer. Despite Josh Norman, the Cards may, if they play well, have a slight advantage in the secondary. This would be a no brainer in the Cards’ favor if Tyrann Mathieu was on the field, but, alas, that is not to be.
So, what is the bottom line? Carolina is at home, which is always to be paid attention to. These are very clearly the two best teams in the NFC this year, and it is perfect they are playing for the Championship. I have no idea who wins, but they match up well against the Panthers and the two teams played in Carolina last year. But there is a hell of a difference between a healthy Arizona team with Carson Palmer at QB than a decimated Cards team with Ryan Lindley at QB. By the same token, Palmer and the Panthers are far better too. It is a tossup, but heart is very much with the Cardinals. Go #BirdGang
Alrighty then, that is a wrap for this Trash. Music, in honor of all the winter weather affecting the east is by the Bangles, with an incredibly awesome version of Hazy Shade of Winter. Rock and roll hootchicoos.
College football is done and over. I thought Clemson had a lot better chance against Bama than many did, mostly because of their quarterback, Deshaun Watson, and their defense. One of those was spot on, the latter, not so much. Irrespective, Alabama won fair and square in a fantastic game. Big hat tip to Tide QB Jake Coker, who proved to be calm and cool under big game status. He reminds me a little of Jim Harbaugh (and, seriously, I was personally present at Harbaugh’s last college game. Was in the Rose Bowl against ASU, and big Jim did not fare so well, but has had a hell of a career as a player and coach afterwards). Coker is a big kid, with a strong arm and huge heart. Coker might actually be a smart late round draft choice for an enterprising NFL team that could afford to try to groom him. I know Alabama QB’s have a bad name since Bart Starr and Joe Namath, but Coker seems to have something intangible.
Before we get down to the games, a word about David Bowie. Music, for better or worse, has always been a part of Trash Talk at Emptywheel. If you like it, many thanks, if not apologies. But a part it has always been. Because Trash has mostly been one of my duties here, you all usually get stuck with some music I select. Sorry about that.
I have been around a while (read: way too long chronologically) and, truly, have a pretty diverse range of likes in music. There has been everything from Charlie Pride and John Cash to Jimmy Hendrix and Be Bop Deluxe. And everything in between, here in Trash Talk. They are not particularly random selections, it is all music I have known and loved throughout my life. It is a very mixed bag, but I hope you enjoy it all as much as I do.
So….with a heavy heart, a bit of homage to David (Jones) Bowie. I almost did a standalone post on Bowie’s death, but I was pretty tied up in court this week, not to mention a few other things that consumed attention. But the sudden awareness of the loss of Bowie did indeed have a profound effect on me. David Bowie was never the number one band in the moving target of my rock fandom, but he was never very far off either. He was that good, that long, and in ever changing ways that made Bowie both unique and remarkable. There will always be music, but there will never be another Bowie. RIP Ziggy and David.
First up on the docket is the Chefs at Patriots. Edelman is back and ready to go full out. What does that mean, and will his foot hold up? Nobody knows. That was the early concern. But now it the bigger concern is Gronk. No, not the knee that has bee jabbered about, but his back. Gronk missed practice Thursday to get “treatment” at a local Boston hospital. Best bet that was for a serious epidural. Ouch. If Edelman and Gronk both play the full game and play well, then I will take the Pats. If not, then the Chefs may cook them. Alex Smith is not sexy, but he is scary good and consistent. And Andy Reid, while not maybe a game clock genius, is one heck of a coach overall.
The late game today is here in the cactus patch. Packers at Cards. I’m sure some sport will be made of my dual loyalties. I am a Cheesehead from very early in my childhood. It started when I read a book about a former Bear Bryant player by the name of Bart Starr and, about the same time, Lombardi and Green Bay drafted and featured an electrifying ASU player by the name of Travis Williams. Arizona had no pro football then, and still didn’t for a long time after the Cardinals plopped their carpetbags down here. The Cardinals were unlovable losers until they drafted Jake Plummer, another ASU hero. Jake the Snake was also electrifying. But the Cards were still the loser Cards until Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald brought some real game. Both should be in the Hall of Fame, and both will be I hope. Now, under the guidance of Michael Bidwell, son of Bill Bidwell, and a quite decent chap I know from his days as an AUSA in the District of Arizona, the Cardinals are really embraced by the city of Phoenix and the state.
It took a very long time, but the Cards are really ours now, as Jerry Colangelo’s teams, the Suns and Diamondbacks were from the start. The Packers have won and been everything to pro football, from its inception. They are Titletown incarnate. But there is something special about the current Cards of Bruce Arians, Fitz, Carson Palmer, Honeybadger and all the rest. It is pretty contagious. I think Rodgers and the Pack are WAY different than they were a few weeks ago when Arizona rolled them. This will be a hell of a game, but Go Cards!
The early game on Sunday is Seattle at Carolina. The Panthers have been the darling of the 2015 season, and Cam Newton has been simply spectacular. Luke Kuechly, Josh Norman and the Carolina defense are better than even advertised. But the Squawks simply scare the hell out of me far more than the Panthers. We shall see what the Mode does, but the Seattle beast seams to be coming alive at just the right time. I’ll take the Squawks.
Lastly, the Steelers are gassing in the altitude at Mile High. Big Ben has a wounded clock arm, and Antonio Brown is out with the concussion the Bengals thugs claim didn’t happen. Bottom line, never count out the Stillers if Roethlisberger is on the field. But it is hard to see how the Steelers pull this off with an O-line that allowed the damage to Big Ben it did against the Bengals. Not to mention, of course, that Antonio Brown and D’Angelo Williams are out. Is it possible the Stillers overcome “against all odds”? You bet. But that is not my bet. I am betting on one last epic Peyton versus Major Tom battle for the AFC crown. But that is just me, the games speak for themselves.
So, that’s it. Music, of course, by Bowie. Suffragette City is one of the great rockers of all time. The overlaid guitar work by Mick Ronson is simply spectacular. Here’s a bit of trivia: There is a line in Suffragette City “Hey man, droogie don’t crash here, There’s only room for one and here she comes, here she comes”. Droogie is an homage to famed Brit author Anthony Burgess and his classic work A Clockwork Orange. The original book actually has a glossary with definitions for the liberal slang used throughout the book, and “droogie” is one of the more frequent terms used. It made it into the later (and, sadly, more famous) movie as well, but it really comes out in the book. Second fun fact: As quintessential a Bowie rocker as Suffragette City is, Bowie offered it to Mott the Hoople, but they took All the Young Dudes instead, which gave Mott new and continued life and, arguably, created their brand with the public. Bowie did so much for so many musicians over the years, his greatness is in all of them in addition to his own catalogue of work.
Four games on the schedule this weekend. No time for chit chat about balls that are round, whether large, as in the NBA, or small, like MLB. This is Playoff Football baybee!
In order, we have these games:
Chefs at Texans: This looks to be a surprisingly good game. Like the Skins in the other conference, Houston is hard to read. On a late roll. But they are4 on a roll with great defense and a boring, if marginally competent offense. That has been working for the Texans down the stretch. The line seems to consistently be on the Chefs. The real hesitation seems to be KC’s quarterback, Alex Smith. So, okay, Smith is not Joe Montana, but, then again, neither is Brian Hoyer, of whoever Houston is sporting. Edge Tejanos.
Steelers at Bengals: The matchup all the howling jackals on ESPN are uniformly calling the best of the playoffs. As usual, they are a bunch of NFL league co-opted mouthpieces that make Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy look like pikers. Especially twats like Chris (11 out of 12 balls) Mortensen. Welp,back to the game, Cinci is a minor favorite at home. But they are starting Mr. AJ McCarron. Is that enough to squash Big Ben and the Stillers? Yeah, not if.
Squawks at Teh Norske: Wowzah. I have no idea on this, but a shocking lot of talking heads on ESPN and whatnot are saying Minnesota has a real chance and may well win this. As Lee Corso would scream, not so fast! I will stick with Pete Carroll and the Emerald City Boys, even if Beast Mode is not in the mix. Squawks are on a roll, and my bet is only Carolina or the Cards will stop that roll. Hope I am wrong, but not betting otherwise.
Pack at Skins: Probably the best game of the weekend. Will Rahdgahs be Rodgers? Can the Pack O-Line block, or would H and R do better? Is there any secondary left for the Pack? I have no clue. It is not a pretty picture in Title Town right now. Yes, the Cheese are in the playoffs, but as our greatest President, Jed Bartlett said, “Boy, I don’t know”. On the other hand, I liked Kirk Cousins from the get go. Before the Cards collected up Carson Palmer, I actively lobbied to have them trade some bullshit to Dan Snyder to get Cousins. Ask Marcy, she will confirm. But Shanahan was right about Cousins being the man, and not RG III. You like that? I do, and right now, if I had to put money down, I would take the Skins, and that would be a fine story. But my heart will always be made of Cheese and my eyes filled with Geezers and Starrs, of the Brett and Bart variety. I will throw my sorry lot in with the Cheese, but the Washington Professional Football Franchise has been playing awfully well lately. This is a pick em.
Music this fine weekend by the one and only, dearly departed, Robet Palmer. Don’t kid yourself, the dude and his band seriously rocked. I wish there were words, but there are not.
Most unsportsy member of the Emptywheel team here, throwing up a placeholder post to catch the sports stuff.
Commenter Lefty665 “seeds the kitty”:
How about them Redskins? Gonna kick some Cheesehead butt. Rogers has all the history, but since the bye Cousins has been the better QB. GM Scott McCloughan has turned the ‘Skins around, Gruden has grown up as coach, and miracle of miracles, Snyder has apparently kept his fingers out of the pie for the first time ever.
Here’s a link to the tune for the day, Patty Loveless doing Darrell Scott’s “You’ll never leave Harlan Alive.”
Have at ’em. Marcy, bmaz, edit this post as you see fit whenever you have a few minutes.
Oh yeah, might be helpful to post this weekend’s NFL playoff game lineup:
Saturday: Pittsburgh Steelers versus Cincinnati Bengals — 8:15 P.M. EST — CBS (free)
Saturday: KC Chiefs versus Houston Texans — 4:15 P.M. EST — ABC/ESPN (free on ABC)
Sunday: Seattle Seahawks versus Minnesota Vikings — 1:05 P.M. EST — NBC (login required)
Sunday: Green Bay Packers versus Washington Redskins — 4:40 P.M. EST — FOX (login required)
Mashable’s posted info about streaming these games. Sucks if you have crappy internet, especially if you’re one of the roughly 30% of Americans without high speed internet access. Given how damned little came out of the FCC’s auction for 700Mhz bandwidth formerly used for analog television broadcast, does it ever feel like the auction was a scam to force the public to pay more to view sports?
UPDATED — 5:30 PM EST —
Head upstairs where bmaz has posted the REAL trash talk tackling the divisional playoffs. I’ve also corrected the lineup to add Kansas City vs Houston *now in progress*, per NFL’s schedule. Wow, so pressure, much football, very relief. /Rayne
NFL Sunday Update: Okay, I have been having fun thinking and talking about the idiocy going on up in Oregon. And, so far, that is all it has been, but there are real fears about what will transpire when the Feds finally interact a little more strenuously. So far, it seems both the Feds and locals have been pretty smart and letting it play out and seeing what happens without going all Ruby Ridge or Waco gonzo. The protest and action in Burns really does seem to have been peaceful, and the locals seem to want little to do with the nut bags that then split off and went out to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. It is an extremely remote location, and there have yet to be any homicides, shootings, kidnapping or other serious criminal offenses that would elevate the issue into terrorism or other major federal felonies. Let’s hope it stays that way.
But this is Trash Talk, and we have a full slate of games. The big one locally is of course the Sea Squawks here in the Big Toaster to take on the Cardinals. Hard to tell how long either team will play their key personnel, but they will all (mostly) start and play. It will not affect either team that much for playoff seeding, and won’t affect the Cards at all. It’s a pick em, but these two always put on a good show. Skins were all over the ‘Boys early, but Dallas is catching up and getting momentum. Pats/Fish, Bills/Jets, Steelers/Browns and Lions/Bears all within a touchdown nearing the start of the fourth quarter.
Going to take the Broncos over Chargers, Chefs over Raiders and Panthers over Bucs in the late afternoon bloc. Though it would be real nice, and much appreciated, if the Bucs would knock off the Panthers! The bigger got flexed to Sunday Night, i.e. Vikes at Packers in the finally Frozen Tundra. I am not going to pick against the green and gold at Lambeau, but this could be a great game. Get yer Cheeseheads on!
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As we close another year out, thanks to one and all for joining us here. And I hope that one person, long a fixture on this blog, that is right about now surely missed…Freepatriot…can see this. For Freep, Go Oklahoma!
As I write, Boomer Sooner is down 17 to 23 to Clemson. I have no idea how to pick this game. There are a hundred reasons why I ought to like the Sooners here. But Bob Stoops is the anti-Belichick, he really does not usually win big games with championships on the line. A little Dabo will do ya.
Later tonight, the other final four game goes off with Michigan State taking on Alabama in the Cotton Bowl. Most of the media attention has been on the Nick Saban mentor and Mark Dantonio plebe meme. I find that hard to buy after all these years. They are both great coaches, and both great teams. Alabama will probably win, but my heart is with Michigan State. Can’t stand the Big Ten/B1G, but they are better than the SEC. And East Lansing rocks.
Every ounce of rooting goes out to the Northwestern Fighting Journalists, but the Tennessee Vols are better than you think, and I am not going to bet against them. My city is full of Irish and Buckeyes. A decidedly unpleasant situation. Two diseases at one time, in the same place. One of them has to not die I suppose, and I will, regrettably, take the Domers. Because I just can’t think about taking either Urban Meyer or Ohio State, much less them together. Never.
Gators versus Wolverweenies is a great game. Maybe as good, interesting and perplexing a matchup as there is in the bowl schedule this year. It is also Marcy versus Jim White, which has heretofore only occurred in women’s softball. But, here we are on the gridiron. I’ve no clue who to take here, but it is hard to root for any team coached by Mr. Khaki Pants, dude is insane.
The only other bowl – until the championship game – that is really worth mentioning is the Rose Bowl. That would be the Stanford Tree versus Herky Hawkeye. I have been to football in a lot of states, in a lot of places, and at a lot of schools. But I have never been in a more magical place than the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. It is not just the fabled parade. It is not just the pageantry. It is the place. Simply magical. There is just a feeling and a vibe that comes from the location and the structure itself. Kirk Ferentz is one of the more underrated coaches in the business. He and the Hawks are class. But never bet against a Pac team in the Rose Bowl against a Big-10 team. Never. Any given year, you might not win, but overall, it is one of the soundest bets in the history of man. I’ll take that bet.
So, as we reach the end of yet another year at Emptywheel, again thank you. Tomorrow is a new year, and it will be even brighter and better than the last. Rock on friends, and have a safe and great New Years Eve.
I was away, playing in New York with my family and a few friends last week. Predictably, everyone got along quite fine! Yet, like a bad cold, here I am again. It is a weird week with the football spread out as it is. NFL and lesser bowl games today, NFL tomorrow, and then weird bowl games through the next week. Not sure how often we will post up new Trash, we shall see. But, here it is for now, on an interstitial basis, so let’s rock and roll.
This is a sports forum, but we have always focused on the NFL. Okay, NCAA football and my hobby horse, the F1 Circus too. But, as we round out yet another year, let’s go to the NFL. Tonight we have a great game, Skins versus Eagles. By the way, for all of you who think the US Government is your ride to elimination of the dreaded “Redskins” name for the Washington Professional Football Franchise, I have news for you. Think again. I warned there were First Amendment concerns with the much publicized patent/trademark decision earlier, and the Federal Circuit has, unsurprisingly, found just that. Personally, I think Snyder should change the name of the team, but I do not think it is a function of an US Government agency to mandate that he, or anybody else similarly situated, do so. And I doubt the Supreme Court, should this case get there, will disagree.
Back to the Skins. They play the Eagles tonight. Washington is even at 7-7, Philly not so even at 6-8. The game is at the Linc in Philadelphia, which is a boon to the Iggles. Sam Bradford is back, and playing for a job with the Eagles next year. Hard to see who else will take him as a starter next year (Houston??) Bradford and the Chip Kelly offense is looking more consistent over the last two weeks. But hard to see that as enough.
Ever since Kirk Cousins lit up Tampa Bay at the end of October, he has been a different QB. Not perfect, but poised and confident, and playing like a real NFL QB. Washington seems off the snide now, and they are getting the full return of Desean Jackson. If this game was not in Philly, it would be an easy call. I am taking Washington anyway.
Okay. tomorrow there are a few games too! None bigger here that the meeting up of my once and always beloved Packers and my now (though NOT when I was young and picked my team) home town Cardinals. I am ready for all the potshots Marcy, Scribe, BSL and Phred etc may lob at me on this. I think. Seriously, this is tough. I seriously love the Packers, and have since I was a kid and long before Bidwell and the Cards carpetbagged their way here to Phoenix. But this is my town, and I will root for Larry Fitzgerald, Carson Palmer, Pat Peterson and the boys tomorrow. Sorry Aaron and Cheese, you will always be first in my heart, but I gotta do this now. The Pack have more NFL Championships than anybody ever. Phoenix could use one, just a measly single one. I am sorry Phred.
As much as i would hope differently, Cam and the Panthers should have no problem with the snakebite Falcons. Atlanta is not that bad of a team, and clearly Mike Smith was not the problem. But not much has changed, has it? Really, after the Cards and Pack, the game of the day may be Pats at Jets. A game that matters a hell of a lot more to the Jets Jets Jets than it does Bill Bel and the boys. That said, NY is the home of Goodell, and do not expect Tom Brady to take his foot off.
Giants at Vikings also has big significance. If the Eagles knock off the Skins tonight (big if!) then Gents at Vikes is huge. Better question is can Eli and the Gents beat the Vikes in their Norske home irrespective of what happens in other games? Frankly, I am not so sure; tend to think Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikes are a better team, especially at home.
That leaves the final game of the weeks, Bengals at Broncos. This game is in Denver at Mile High. You all know what a problematic forum Mile High is for other teams, even the mighty Patriots. If you have never been to a game at Mile High, especially in the cold of winter, you just don’t know what a tough joint it is. Brock Osweiller is starting again for the Donks. I got a chance to see him up close here at ASU, and Osweiller is a great kid. Is he the long term answer for Elway and Denver? Not sure. Better question is whether he will continue to be a better option for the Broncos after this week, as Manning really will be available. I tend to say no, let Peyton ride his rest and experience into the sunset, win, lose or draw. If Manning’s legs are healthy, his arm is certainly rested, ride it out. Will be fascinating to see what Elway does.
Okay, that is it for this week’s Trash Talk. Music by Jefferson Starship, and a song I always hear when seeing a full moon over big mountains like I am seeing right now.
Here I was thinking I had better put this belated Trash thread up for the Las Vegas bowl pitting Utah against BYU — but by the time I started I saw Utah was 35-0 still in the first quarter. Oops.
Before launching into pro gridiron, two women deserve special notice today: Edith Piaf, who would have been 100 today. Scribe requested this video personally, though he said something about “Cheatin’ Bill” that made no sense to me.
Also, this week, the great Abby Wambach retired from old-school football. The American team worked so hard, unsuccessfully, to get her a score in her final game that we lost a friendly to China. A new generation of great American players have clearly taken over from her, but she’s been a key leader along the way. Wambach wants you to forget her, but I’m hoping she sticks around and gets Jürgen Klinsmann fired, as she tried to do this week.
Now to the housewives of my title, the affectionate name I’ve coined for the NFC East on a part of its dysfunction and the entertaining cattiness of its fans.
Someone has to win this division, and the Gents, Lobbyists, and Iggles are all tied up at 6-7. This week should give the Lobbyists a boost, as they face the Bills, who have much improved personnel this year, but are saddled by Rex Ryan’s bad coaching. The Gents and Iggles, by contrast, host the two most formidable teams in the NFC, Cam’s Panthers and Spidey Fitz and the Cardinals. I think the Gents have a good shot at ruining Cam’s perfect season, but the Cardinals should win comfortably in Philly (unless they decide to melt down in the special teams game, as some teams have been known to do when playing Philly).
Scribe’s Stillers should beat the Donkos at home. While the Broncos’ O is far better playing with Osweiler, their D has lost the edge it had earlier this season, and Big Ben has been lighting it up. Plus, the Stillers have a shot at catching the Dalton-less Bungles.
I have a feeling the Raiders, fresh off beating the Broncos in Denver for the first time in forever, will beat the Packers. Even with Brady and Hasselback’s success this season, Charles Woodson has been the most amazing old man to watch this year. He has brought the perfect balance of still-sharp play and great leadership for the younger players.
The Pats have to weather the Titans at home one more week as the injured players continue to get healthy, though Brady himself was sick yesterday. That’s good, because the Jets’ O is jelling well enough to beat Dallas, setting up a big showdown in New Jersey next week.
Which will you be watching tonight: the Jets or the newly rancorous Democratic debate?
Oops: Look like scribe and I were reaching for the same gift at the same time. This is scribe’s trash
It’s that time of the week again and the press of the holidays is getting in the way of taking out the trash. Ms. Wheel says she’s packing for a road trip. BMAz is off trying to hang Christmas lights on a cactus and wondering why things keep hanging up on those damned thorns. I snuck in and took over; I expect they’ll be happy b/c I’m taking out the trash.
The games: well, I was listening to the radio while in the car today and the sports-talk guys were going on and on about how the Bowl Season is finally here. First up, the New Mexico Bowl with some cow college from Arizona and New Mexico going at it for a big mess of huevos served, as they say in Albuquerque, “Christmas”. For those not in the know, that’s with both green and red peppers/salsa/chiles. Frankly, the college season between now and New Year’s is a parade of made-up Bowl games designed, IMHO, more to generate tourism dollars for some town and make a profit for the boosters all of the unpaid backs of the players. You can watch, but seeing teams with a losing record going to a bowl on the strength of their history and the drawing power of the school’s name – Nebraska, I’m looking at you – just doesn’t do it for me. There’ll be games all over the TV for the next 10 days but for Christmas Day. And when you watch, try not to look at all the empty seats.
Christmas day, you get an NBA super-duper tripleheader or something, which likewise does nothing for me. You mileage may vary.
Now for the real football. King Roger the Clown is probably in hog heaven right now, what with games on Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from here to the end of the season.
There have been 13 games played and but for two teams, everything is still fluid. Cheatin’ Bill and his Cheating Cheaters of Cheatertown, otherwise known as the Patriots, are playing the Titans at home this week. Despite already having clinched the AFC East, the Patsies still have something to play for: they want a bye and they want home field. The Titans – likely victims. I’m told the big news this week in New England remains the Trump hat in Tom Brady’s locker and his steadfast refusal to say anything about it or, especially, against his friend Trump’s odious policy positions. But, as a friend within the range of WEEI passed along, the opinion of New England is something like this: “If Tom Brady clubbed a baby seal, Patriot Nation would blame the seal.”
As I see it, one of the biggest games of the weekend, at least for people who care about the AFC, is tonight. The J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS go to JerryWorld to meet the Owboys. Early in the season, this looked to be a critical matchup between two good teams and got King Roger’s nod to be on the NFL Network all by their lonesome. Now that we’re here, the Owboys are playing for jobs, pride and draft position and the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS are in a three-way dogfight for the 2 AFC wild card slots. This one could go either way. I’m going contrary to my usual rooting position of “Who’s playing Dallas” because my Steelers are the third team in that 3-way fight for the Wild Card, on the outside looking in, and the Jets and Chiefs hold the tiebreakers against them.
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Was a little hard to get too gigged up over the Army/Navy game, and that was about it for football and/or other interesting sports yesterday. So Trash Talk is a Sunday affair this weekend and it is brought to you be the weird weather of Fat Al Gore. It is, according to the innertoobz, 60º in Grand Rapids right now, yet 44º and freezing here at Casa de bmaz. Freakier still, today’s game between the Cowboys and Packers will be the warmest December game in the history of Lambeau Field. The Tundra, it ain’t frozen.
As to the games, with the exception of the Lions/Rams and 49ers/Browns, every game has playoff implications of one sort or the other. I actually think the Cowboys have righted their ship with Matt Cassell a little bit, but hard to see that being enough at Lambeau, and that will be the final death blow to the absurd talk of the Cowboys making the playoffs.
The best game of the day looks to be the Steelers at Bengals. Big Ben is back and the Stillers are gelling, but it will be a tall task to walk out of Cinci with a win. The Redskins had a brief run at the head of the NFC East, but the Skins truly suck on the road, and I think the Bears are just a better team right now. The Bills at Eagles could be a great game being the return of Shady McCoy to Philly and the desperate need of both teams to win to keep any playoff hopes alive. I rate that a very interesting toss up.
Seahawks should obliterate the Ravens, who are now down to Jimmy Claussen at QB. Love to see the Falcons take out the Panthers, but hard to see that the way Carolina is playing, and the game is a home game for the Panthers. A lot of people are yakking about Houston upsetting the Pats. The Texans are better than people think, but Tom Brady and Bill Belichick losing three in a row? Nope, can’t see that.
Well, that is it for today, we are starting late, so get trashing. We have a little bit of DC Go Go Christmas music today from Pleasure. And they are indeed a pleasure.
[Okay, it is hard when you have to start on Thursday. So, here, for the second week in a row!….is repurposed Thursday Trash. Tear it up same as always. And Phred and I thank you for all the congratulations to the CheesePackers. Go Cards! Also, watch the damn video, Tab Benoit and Janiva Magness really rip it up]
Choose up yer sides, and do it now. Cause we are about to have a failure of communication (for those of you who know Cool Hand Luke), as Marcy’s Lions are hosting my beloved Cheeseheads tonight.
That is pretty much nuff said. But I am worried about Mr. Rodgers, who is decidedly not himself lately. A bad stretch? Sure. O-Line hurt? Yep. Running backs and receivers out and/or underperforming? Yep, very much that too. But it is MORE than that. Something is wrong. Not making excuses for him, but dude is too good to just suddenly have the happy feet, indecisiveness and aversion to contact. And the Cheese defense is suddenly like Swiss.
Eh well, on the other hand, the Kittehs are on a serious roll and lately looking like the team everybody thought was coming this year. Including the much maligned Matt Stafford. I have always thought Stafford to be a very capable QB on a team that didn’t hold up to what he could do. I still do, but the Lions are really starting to jell under new Coach/General Manager Martha Ford.
Music again tonight involves my old friend Janiva Magness because, other than Peterr, you all did not give her enough love last weekend. Shame on you. Granted, Janiva does nothing but play the washboard on this cut, but Tab Benoit had her there for a reason. Also, Tab Benoit fucking kicks ass and takes names. Give it a listen for some Creole from down on the bayou.
