Tuesday Morning Quarterback

It was a great sight to view the scene at Carolina for the opener between the Saints and Panthers. The Saints earned a 23-20 opening win in the first of 16 potential road games.

Barry Bonds finally made his debut in 2005 (was it a coincidence that the Giants’ uniforms spelled GIGANTES last night?), and doubled off the wall (and a fan’s outstretched hand) in his first plate appearance. He did have complications after a knee surgery, but why were the Giants as in the dark on Barry’s rehabilitation progress as ESPN’s Barry Bonds reporter, Pedro Gomez?

Last night’s game between the Falcons and Eagles… I guess the NHL is back, with some player ejections before the opening kickoff. Speaking of other leagues, Falcons QB Mike Vick has an NBA style license. In the 2nd quarter, Vick made it look like he was going out of bounds; then stepped out just before receiving a tap in the shoulder from an Eagle defender. Vick was still on the white sideline boundary, and was less than a step from the defender when he stepped out of bounds. The officials flagged the Eagles for an unnecessary roughness personal foul for hitting Vick “late”. I’d love to show that official a highlight from the Steelers and Patriots in the 97-98 playoffs. Steelers QB Kordell Stewart got out of the pocket, and hustled towards the sideline ahead of the first down marker. As Patriot LB Ted Johnson chased a coasting Stewart towards the sideline, Johnson let up. Stewart cut hard upfield after passing a slowing defender, and scored on a 30-yard scramble for the deciding points in a 7-6 Pittsburgh victory. Back to the Monday Night game, the possession before the flagged tap of Vick, Eagles kindergartener Terrell Owens took a second hit from Falcons LB Keith Brooking after popping up too quickly after being tackled. If Vick gets protected, then all players should be protected.

Black uniforms… at least ravens are black. Lions? Guess that they shouldn’t be wearing blue either… but we know from watching the Browns and Bungals that orange isn’t the best option for football uniforms.

The Raiders’ blocked extra point against the Patriots cost me a victory on the opening week’s investment recommendation. The Raiders later went for 2 and didn’t convert, leaving the final total at 50 instead of 52.