smokinandjokin

Yeah, some dumb record, like being considered the greatest single season a team has ever played. I know the ultimate goal is to win your last game, but Dungy is doing a disservice to the NFL, his team, and the fans if he doesn't at least take a shot at it. Plus, if they go 19-0, they would only need to start next year at 3-0 to topple the Patriots streak of 21 straight wins (somebody correct me if 21 is wrong for the Pats win streak.) If you love the history of the game, you should be cherishing moments like this. This is an attempt at history. When players/teams approach records, it brings more recognition and appreciation to the original record setter. As far as hype, I know the "ESPN Age" is hard to take sometimes. But only 11 teams ever have gone 11-0. This is not Tedy Bruschi. I think this time, the Colts might be worth the hype. And the best part is, it will not be handed to them. They still have to play Jacksonville (all be it without Leftwich), San Diego, and Seattle to go undefeated. It will not be automatic. As for me, I'd like to see them do it. Screw the 1972 Dolphins. That team went undefeated, and the lasting memories are: 1) their kicker whiffing on an attempted pass in the Super Bowl; and 2) those cocky bastards rooting against undefeateds and popping champagne upon a loss. What a squad.

I had a meeting with Bush for about 30 minutes when he was the governor of Texas. We talked a little bit about Gulf of Mexico oil rigs and their exposure to hurricanes, the death penalty, and then we spent the remaining 20 minutes thumb wrestling. That tricky W, he had a real quick 1-2-3 count!

I'm scared.

YES!!! Eli too!!! No matter how much they win, they will always be down home honky tonk toolbags.

They've tried to coach the refs into letting the play "play itself out," therefore a fumble can be recovered, and then later overturned if the replays show the runner was down. But some refs insist they saw the play correctly and blow the whistle if it appeared the guy was down. The flaw with "letting them play" is that you force a team to use, best case, one of their challenges (you are only allowed two, with a potential for a third if the first two are correct) and worst case, losing a timeout and the ball if the ref was in fact correct.

Vince Ferragamo ahead of Joe Ferguson

It sounds to me like the mannequin is a real slut.

Agreed on the first part. Disagree with the second part. If the other team is challenging, running a hurry up forces them to decide if risking the timeout is worth the chance to overturn the play. And you have to decide quickly. Outfoxing the other team is completely within the spirit of the game. However, that is drastically different from the last 2 mins of a half, when a coach has to burn a timeout just to let the booth signal for a review. The booth should be immediate on any close play. They shouldn't have to look at it 10 times to determine if it's worth actually "looking at".

I agree, the system is whacked. They need to re-allign the numbers so that 100 is the perfect score. Enough of this 158.375 crap. It is hard to say what the best changes would be. I can't say that I understand (or care, for that matter) how the current number is calculated. You make a good point about lateral or line-of-scrimmage passes, but it is hard to draw the line. I think, in most cases, yards after catch are a major function of the QB's pass. In your suggested changes, when a QB throws a 5-yard slant on the money that the receiver turns into a 30 yard gain, the QB is credited with the 5 yard pass. But what if later in the game, the other QB throws a 5-yard slant and the receiver has burnt his man off the line, but the pass is behind him and he catches it and gets hit for a gain of 5. Those two passes weigh equally, even though the second one, for lack of a better pass, would have gone for more yardage? You're punishing the first QB for putting the ball on the money and contributing to yards gained. I agree, some room for changes, but I'm just not sure what those would be.

Mularkey and Clements had to have been in Indy for last night's game. How else do you explain Pittsburgh running a QB draw out of the shotgun on 4th and 4 in a crucial part of the game? Not only do you neglect your bread and butter running game (Bettis or Staley), but you ask your injured QB (who just scrambled for about 11 yards on the previous play and took a good shot) to pick up 4 yards-- or more like 8 yards when you consider he was in shotgun. You don't want one of your running backs, or maybe a Big Ben pass to Ward or Randle-El to pick up the 1st? That had Bills play calling written all over it.

Ricky? Michael Irvin?

I admire your thought and creativity. My only question is why the Chargers would give a #1 for Clements after he just had the worst game of his career in San Diego last week?

Big games this weekend-- (11) UCLA at (1) USC USC has already clinched PAC 10 title and a Fiesta Bowl berth, but Fiesta would be a worst case scenario with the Rose Bowl in their sights. Colorado vs. (2) Texas Big 12 Championship Game- Houston's Reliant Stadium. Buffaloes 5-3 conference record "earns" them a spot in the conference title game. Gag me. Big 12 is WEAK- Colorado will be lucky to stay within 30. (13) Georgia vs. (3) LSU SEC Championship Game- Georgia Dome. Interesting matchup. Georgia playing a near home game, with plenty of LSU fans on hand. I think it will be a low-scoring battle. Florida State vs. (5) Virginia Tech First-ever ACC Championship Game- Jacksonville, FL. Seminoles 5-3 conference record "earns" them a spot in the title game. Miami had a shot at a rematch with FSU but lost to Georgia Tech. Florida State has a chance to get BCS bid after losing 3 in a row and 4 of last 6. Not gonna happen. Army vs. Navy Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA. Storied matchup. Navy has had Army's number the past several years, but Army was usually entering the game with 1 or fewer wins. This year the Cadets are 4-6 and on a 4 game winning streak. If you are a senior on either team, this is the biggest game of your life. And, my picks: UCLA gave them all they could handle last year, but USC rolls at home in the Coliseum and win by 17. UCLA scores, but Bush outscores them. Confirms Heisman victory on national TV. Texas by 40 to bounce back after last week's poor outing. LSU eeking out a win at home against lowly Arkansas last week makes me pick Georgia, as the Dawgs defend their home state. Another blowout in the ACC game- VT wins the first title game 34-3. I have made a little money wagering on Navy the past few years, as Army has put up little resistance. With Navy (6-4) already locked in to the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsetta Bowl (seriously!) I will take Army, as the Black Knights start the season 0-6, and finish with 5 straight wins.

Uhhh, because he's a big pu$$y, that's why.

Was he supposed to be on the rise after 10 years of playing the most brutal sport around??? A 10-year vet on the decline is not breaking news. The productivity is still there.

NICE!!!

I love the college rule of clock stops to move the chains after a 1st down. End of close games are intense!!!

I can't knock Manning, he is obviously the best in the game today. But I don't like the way he wanders around, pointing at every defender, and whispering to every player on the offense. I had read somewhere (sorry no linky) that more than half of all that stuff he is doing does not mean sh*t. It is predominantly fake audibles. It works, you can't question the results-- but it is pretty dang annoying. I think the homefield will be a huge advantage for Indy in the playoffs, moreso than for other teams. The quiet dome allows Manning to call plays at the line and make adjustments and fake adjustments. Manning and the offense were always out of synch against the Pats D and crowd noise. And as we saw last night, the loud dome can force 5+ false starts by an opponent's O-Line. Also, IMO, if you ain't throwing picks, you ain't trying. Every good QB will have confidence that they can complete every pass, and some forces will get picked. A season with 30 TD's and 5 INT's is a rare occurance. The good QB's just know when not to force the issue, like in the red zone or in the 4th quarter of a close game.

Tastes great vs. less filling?

Tis true. Repubs have just been getting caught a bit more frequently lately. Perhaps the 21st century Dems are good at something other than nosediving in elections!

Another stain in the underwear that is the Republican party

The free agents TD didn't sign have been pretty good moves. Specifically, Peerless Price and Jonas Jennings come to mind as players who did well in Buffalo but didn't warrant the type of money other teams wanted to pay them. Peerless could have been a big loss, as Moulds was hurt the next season and Josh Reed did not play well as a #2. But PP is definitely not a #1, and that's the money he was offered by Atlanta. TD franchised him and worked a 1st rounder out of the deal. Pat Williams would have been nice to keep (he was always a personal favorite of mine) but it didn't make sense, at his age, to pay him the money the Vikings offered. TD did overestimate the talent of Ron Edwards and Tim Anderson. Letting Winfield walk looks like a good move too, as he makes some serious bank in Minnesota. McGee is more of a playmaker at a cheaper price. Resigning McGee was an excellent move, as I anticipate Clements walking also.

It just worried me because I thought it should have been more, and two of my buddies were taking Dallas. I liked Denver but couldn't figure out what I was missing. So I stayed away and just went with the over. I woke up at halftime from my turkey nap and it was 14-14, so I felt good about the over, but it barely made it...I had 41.5 and it was 42 at the end of regulation...Over is over, by 1 point or by 20 points!

Uh oh!!! A&M jacked Vince Young to force a fumble and punched it in...22-21 Aggies (without their starting QB) early in the 3rd... The state of Pennsylvania suddenly got excited...

Story/rankings A resident gives Camden, NJ a ringing endorsement: