Post Week 9 Thoughts

Sunday felt like a really slow football day but... Maybe that's just me. The Falcons game was late. Several teams had their bye.  At any rate, let's see how my commentary stacked up against the reality of week 9 in the NFL. 

Green Bay/Arizona - Dang!! Rogers said the SAME thing I did!! "GB is playing flat, with no juice" - YES!! I said this!  Gosh, Gru, what was your first clue?  Oh! Apparently they DO have cardinals (the bird) in Arizona. Not many but... some. Ok, having watched the GB game, the first quarter was more of the same sub-par, sloppy playing. 4 dropped passes?  Really?  By the 4th quarter, they were wide awake  but... This is NOT the 2010 Packers!  And contrary to my prediction.... The Cardinals seem to be doing 4 wins, 4 loses, 4 loses, 4 wins. Same result, different math. I could be wrong and haven't looked at their upcoming schedule but... That's a guess!

Carolina/Washington - how very interesting!  All I can say, as I had to follow this game on-line, is that you CANNOT win with 13 penalties for almost 100 yards!  Looking at the stats, Washington should have won this but... Dang!  Penalties did them in!  Wish I had watched this one. Was Carolina really the better team or was this a gift?  Guess Cam Newton won't be sulking today.  And RGIII, why do you even CARE who anyone holds up for comparison?  This is a sign that you are WAY too concerned about the opinion of others and NOT focused on playing football. Are you reading your play book or the sports writers?  Dude!  Let it go!!  This seems a great deal like princess behavior to me!  Late comment here!!!  Apparently I was right with my 'herpes' comparison. There was a scathing article on the NFL website by Jeff Darlington about the negativity that seems to be spreading within the Panthers.  They gotta fix this!  

Jets - this is their bye week so we shall have to wait until next week to see what happens with this nightmare/soap opera. I have realized something about Rex and Rob Ryan though - they are not only twins, they share a brain!  What makes either of them think it's a good idea to make guarantees about the outcome of a football game?  That's about as smart as guaranteeing the behavior of a teenager!   Right now, I think Rex needs it more - the Jets are a mess!

Tampa Bay - hmmmmm...... I did not comment on these guys but they were playing football today - no, I mean really playing football! The Falcons play them twice so this was NOT exactly what I wanted.  Can they beat us? Sure. Can we beat them? Sure. This is the NFL - on any Sunday, any team can win - heck, even KC and the Jags have won once this season!!  I will have to get back to you on this. 

My Falcons - 2nd quarter and something is just not right. Can't put my finger on it but my guys are off tonight.  I have mixed feelings about this. For the past three years, the Cowboys beat the teams that ended up winning the Superbowl - NO, GB, NY.  Then, there's the whole jinx of a 'perfect season' that I mentioned.  Our defense is doing great but there's an offensive misfire. Gonna have to wait and see how this happens.   Dang, I still want us to win!
At the end, we won. There were some shining moments - I just LOVE Jaquizz Rogers!!  (GREAT pic of him here -http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media-lounge/photo-gallery/Falcons-vs-Cowboys---2012/f738c3bc-3142-4e91-9ccd-f0421eef7030#41fa6e47-dc16-44ee-bf47-e6ab5d1f18f2 - so small but so tough!!)   Julio, nothing but love! Roddy White, what can I say?  D Block?  Damn!!! Those boys worked!!  (Miss you 'Spoon! Come back soon!!!) My boys pulled it out!  They fought so hard for that win.  And I agree with Roddy, these hard fought wins are just as important as the dominating wins.  Knowing that you can keep it together, fight through and overcome are so vital to win in the post-season. Did GB ever have to do that last year or did they sail through their perfect season? Research needed here!  
8 wins - zero loses. This has not happened in my lifetime!! 

The Saints/Eagles game is tonight so I shall comment on that later. For the first time in a long time, I am actually cheering for... The Eagles?  Yeah. 

This is my final Falcons thought, promise!  Last week, we beat the Eagles - not scraped by, it was a decisive victory - and this week, the Cowboys.  Great, the media will comment on those victories, right? Wrong. The main sports stories were all about the loosing teams. Will Vick be benched? Will Reid still have a job? Can the Cowboys turn it around? How disappointed is Jerry Jones? And who the Hell cares?!?!?!?  I know, drama sells. I get it, the Falcons have yet to win in the playoffs. Yes, the boys know how well they are doing. You're right, it doesn't matter what the media says. But still...  Validation for a job well done is so important!  Do we have to win in the playoffs for validation? The Superbowl?  (insert sigh here)  

It's halftime for the Saints and Eagles. I'm just... Frustrated. The Eagles are just not performing. There were missed tackles, tons of missed blocking, dropped passes... In short, more of the same. They know, they KNOW how to play this game!!  And as for the Saints?  Gosh, imagine how well they would be doing if DB had actually participated in the off-season stuff!  Selfish bastard! This one ended in an Eagles loss.   As I said, plenty of blame to go around in Philly. Believe me, I would be the first one to blame it all on Vick but... He only gets his fair share and there's enough to go around!!

One additional Eagles comment:  What the f#*k was that kick return?!?  There's a video on the NFL website for all the world to see but watching it happen.... I couldn't believe what I was seeing!  Poor Riley Cooper. Can you imagine his reaction when the coach said, "ok, you're gonna lay down in the end zone and hide. After the kick is caught, we're gonna do a lateral to you and you race down the field!"  um..... Ok, coach.  If only it had worked!!!

My final thought after week 9 - I am SO SICK of biased announcers!  Yes, they have their favorites, so do I.  They, however, get paid to tell what is going on in the game - both sides of the game. Luckily, I get to sit at home, scream at the TV and voice my opinions here.  I am not going to name names (not Fox) but it makes me mute the TV so that I don't have to listen to their fawning and hero worship!  Knock it off!!  Pretend that you are impressed with good plays by BOTH teams - that's your job!!  

Ok, I'm done now.