Early Week 13 Thoughts

Hello, friends!! My beloved Falcons play early this week so... Here we go!!!

First, a little business to take care of for the week. As a group, we must bite the bullet and cheer on some teams we might, under normal circumstances, prefer to see lose. I know, it sometimes hurts but... It's for the best.

Denver needs to beat Tampa Bay - Go Denver! Go Manning! (it gets easier after a few times)
Chicago needs to beat Seattle - Go Bears!!! (come on, you can do it!)

On any other day, we can all spread as much hate and ill will towards these teams as we want but NOT THIS WEEK! This week, their success is our success! We secure the NFC South and a playoff spot with these wins so... Man up and work with me! Wear your lucky underwear, sit in your lucky football spot, do your lucky rituals... Whatever it takes! So, wins by Atlanta, Chicago and Denver are what we want! Now, apparently there are still ways for this to work with tie games but... The whole "tie game" things is an abomination! (it's just WRONG! Who thought a tie was ok? Idiot!!)

Ok, Falcons - Saints -

I read an article on the NFL web site that was total BS!! It claims that the Saints don't see the game with the Falcons as a rivalry game - just a divisional game. HA!! RIGHT!!! Want me to pull your finger, too? Sorry but... TOTAL RIVALRY!! On the field, off the field, fans and players alike, this game matters!
Back in Week 10, I gave my thoughts on rivalries. Still applies! Go ahead and throw the books out the window because you just never know what's going to happen. Take our last meeting (I would rather not but it does prove my point) we should NOT have had a game like that given our record and the players on the field. Heck, THEY shouldn't have either! You just never know when these long-standing feuds come into play.
As far as this game goes....it should NOT surprise anyone that I think the Falcons have this one. Yes, I always think they're going to win but I think there's a little bit more WANT on the Falcons side. I think my guys have something to prove - to themselves and their fans! It is PAST time that we shut them up and show them who's top dog (or Bird!) this year!
This week I have heard and read some Falcons hate - it makes me sad :" (
Let's NOT give up on Matt Bryant! Everyone goes through a rough patch and makes mistakes on the job. I know that I have! (Are you kidding? I broke my foot on the SOFA! It was a total fluke - I've kicked things before without this kind of damage but I hit it exactly wrong this time.) I refuse to give up on Bryant!!! Other people are hating on Michael Turner. I get this. He has not been as explosive or dynamic as in years past. But, guys, that's why they brought in Jaquizz!! Turner is getting less ball time and I would imagine its hard to get into a rhythm with such sporadic play time. I also think that teams have had ample time to prepare for Turner's style of playing. They know that he's like a bowling ball and have learned how to stop him before he gets going. Jaquizz is still a bit of an unknown. He's a sneaky little guy and he's damn hard to bring down - heck, he drags people down the field with him!! You know something else? I think players are really surprised by how short he actually is! Yes, they see him on film and watch how he plays so they think they get it but then... They see him on the field! I think they are surprised by his size in person! I've got to imagine that they start to think "he's not that tough, I can take him! He's tiny!" Then... He does his thing and shocks them all! Knowing something is one thing but until you see it with your own eyes... Yeah, I really like this kid!!

Ok, we've covered 3 games! Ok, sort of.

Tampa-Denver could be a tough game. Tampa can and are playing football and now, they are fighting for the post-season. Historically, they are bad year/good year/bad year team and the pattern allows for this to be a good year under Freeman. I just don't think he is consistent and Manning has proven that he can do the job. Putting my personal feelings for Manning aside, I think he has the skills, experience and consistency to put Denver on top of Tampa. I sincerely hope so, at any rate!

Chicago-Seattle - I really hope the Bears are healthy and can pull this off! I'm not usually a Bears fan, don't keep up with them to be honest. I have also admitted that I sometimes completely forget about Seattle. (Sorry, can't explain it.) I do know that Seattle has played quite well this year but we want Chicago to win! End of story!! Well, almost! Isn't Seattle facing some tough suspensions? This could play a part and it's a but early but... GO BEARS!!

Houston-Tennessee - ok, so the odds of the Titans winning this are about as good as me winning the $550 million PowerBall but... IT COULD HAPPEN!! Ok, me winning the lottery is probably a better bet given the choice. It would be awesome to see Houston lose but it is highly unlikely.

Eagles-Cowboys - gosh, I really, REALLY want the Cowboys to lose. Sorry, Jason Garrett, I really like you but... I have no use for the great Man-love duo of Romo&Jones or should that be Jones&Romo? Wonder who gets top... Billing!!! Oh. Sorry. Is that bitchy? My bad!!

Pittsburg-Baltimore - I really want to say something about this!!! If Ben R's injuries are as serious as they say, if he has a dislocated rib in a dangerous place... THE NFL CANNOT ALLOW HIM TO PLAY!!! It is stupid and a huge liability! I couldn't care less how much he WANTS to play! Heck, I want to play in the NFL!!! His injury is worse than career ending - it is potentially LIFE ENDING! It is wrong to expect any defensive player to hold back or pull his hits OR to accept the burden of killing another player by doing what he's paid to do!! It is unfair to put that burden on anyone - the Steelers O line or any defensive player! I cannot imagine that he will play but... They don't ask me. Hopefully they will ask someone with more than two functioning brain cells!!

Cardinals-Jets - yes, folks, the New York Jets are still playing football games! I know, shocked me too!!! Gotta say, I think the Cardinals have this one. I'm just so over the Jets. One of Savannah's friends (Brian) made the following comment, which I just LOVED!! "As a Jets fan, watching a game is like getting kicked repeatedly in the balls and then, when it's over, it's just you and the pain." Yup, sums it up quite nicely!!

Speaking of getting kicked in the balls... What do you think the NFL does with all the fines they collect? Suh is going to throw another $30k into the kitty for "oops! Were those your balls?" Is this a beer fund? Christmas party fund? A golden toilet for Roger fund? I mean, they are just raking in the cash so I wanna know what they do with it? I haven't heard the fines for the other fun & games from week 12 but... They could throw a SERIOUS party with just what they've collected so far!

So... That's about all I've got for now. I'm doing much better with my foot and back in a football frame of mind! It is getting kinda tough though. We are coming to the end of the season. :" (
I don't want to bring anyone down but... We gotta enjoy it while we've got it!! Our game is Thursday but that doesn't mean Sunday is ruined! There are some important games Sunday! Tune in!! Like I said, pull out your lucky underwear! Clear off your lucky spot for watching the game! Do what you gotta do but let's all cheer on our Falcons!! And, like it or not... We are cheering for the Bears and the Broncos! Man up, folks! It's for the best!!