What a game in the AFC Championship tonight. The Colts exorcised their demon tonight. I was driving home from reserve duty and tuned in time to listen to Asante Samuel's INT for a TD to give the Patriots a 21-3 lead over the Colts. The Colts had won their last 2 meetings against the Pats, but accomplished that by taking an early lead and dictating the flow and pace of the game. When the Colts scored before halftime to make it 21-6, they were still on the edge. The Pats didn't go down easy, re-taking the lead 3 times after the Colts tied the game up. Unfortunately for them, the last 2 times, they only added field goals, leaving the Colts an opportunity to pass them. On the Colts' third attempt, they scored the TD that they needed to take the lead.
Marty-ball struck the Patriots... WR Reche Caldwell had a couple of drops, he was picked up by a teammate on the drop in the end zone, but the other one the Pats weren't able to overcome. Then, Colts DB Marvin Jackson simply went down after intercepting Brady in the final minute, not allowing Troy Brown the opportunity to take the ball away.
I was able to see part of the 1st quarter of the Bears-Saints game during lunch. The Saints had 3 turnovers, but only dug themselves a 6-0 hole. They fell further behind, but got a TD before half, and then early in the 3rd, Reggie Bush scored from 88 yards out to cut the deficit to 2. But with only 56 yards rushing, they weren't able to win the line of scrimmage, and the Bears scored 3 TDs in the 4th to pull away.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
Divisional Playoffs
The Colts and the Patriots will meet for the 3rd time in 4 seasons Sunday night. It will be the first meeting in the RCA Dome though. Unlike previous postseasons, this time the Colts are playing their best defensively. Peyton Manning hasn't produced great numbers (1 TD, 5 INT), but has led the Colts to 2 wins. The long drive for K Adam Viniateri's 5th FG last Saturday was a drive that previous Colts teams didn't get the chance to execute since they played from behind in their losses to New England.
No doubt LT was incensed at the end of the NE-SD game... 4 turnovers, numerous personal fouls, dropped passes, etc., etc., etc. by his teammates. NE QB Tom Brady made the lion's share of the Patriots' mistakes, but without a running game, he was the center of their offense. Brady kept returning to the line to make the next play without thinking about getting chippy with the opponent.
Neither the Colts or Patriots are as formidable as they were in 2003 or 2004... some of the names that won't be on the backs of jerseys... IND: RB Edjerrin James, WR Brandon Stokeley, NE: DE/LB Willie McGinnest, S Rodney Harrison, and CB Ty Law. Neither team had a bye, an advantage that the Patriots had before the 2003 and 2004 playoff meetings. I'm looking forward to the late game on Sunday, the Colts had better show up ready to play; in the 2004 game they looked defeated at halftime despite only trailing 6-3.
No doubt LT was incensed at the end of the NE-SD game... 4 turnovers, numerous personal fouls, dropped passes, etc., etc., etc. by his teammates. NE QB Tom Brady made the lion's share of the Patriots' mistakes, but without a running game, he was the center of their offense. Brady kept returning to the line to make the next play without thinking about getting chippy with the opponent.
Neither the Colts or Patriots are as formidable as they were in 2003 or 2004... some of the names that won't be on the backs of jerseys... IND: RB Edjerrin James, WR Brandon Stokeley, NE: DE/LB Willie McGinnest, S Rodney Harrison, and CB Ty Law. Neither team had a bye, an advantage that the Patriots had before the 2003 and 2004 playoff meetings. I'm looking forward to the late game on Sunday, the Colts had better show up ready to play; in the 2004 game they looked defeated at halftime despite only trailing 6-3.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Swamped!
I hope that Ohio St QB Troy Smith made a beeline for his Heisman Trophy and handed it to WR Ted Ginn Jr. when the Buckeyes' plane landed in Columbus. If Smith was auditioning for the Raiders' QB position for next season, well he didn't show them anything they didn't already have on their roster!
Florida was outstanding in all phases of the game after the opening kickoff. They spread the field horizontally on offense, didn't do it veritcally because they didn't need to take that risk. It was such a dominating performance, I thought Florida must have had 12 men on the field the WHOLE GAME! Were they playing Canadian Rules?
I would have liked to have seen USC's speedier defense against UF's offense. I don't think that the Trojans would have fared too much better against the Gator defense though. USC couldn't run the ball against an above-average defense, forget about an outstanding one.
Florida was outstanding in all phases of the game after the opening kickoff. They spread the field horizontally on offense, didn't do it veritcally because they didn't need to take that risk. It was such a dominating performance, I thought Florida must have had 12 men on the field the WHOLE GAME! Were they playing Canadian Rules?
I would have liked to have seen USC's speedier defense against UF's offense. I don't think that the Trojans would have fared too much better against the Gator defense though. USC couldn't run the ball against an above-average defense, forget about an outstanding one.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
BCS Championship Game
It's finally going to be played tomorrow night... I'll need to read the previews in SI and TSN before kickoff to remember the names of anyone besides Ohio State QB Troy Smith, WR Ted Ginn Jr., and Florida QB's Chris Leak and Tim Tebow. Oh, and New England WR Reche Caldwell's brother since CBS's Jim Nantz dropped that bit in during today's AFC Playoff Game.
My pick: Ohio State 33 (-8) Florida 20. The Buckeyes have been aggressive on offense this season in contrast to their 2001-2 Championship team. They've played against Northwestern's version of the spread offense and held Vince Young's Longhorns to 22 points in an early season game last year, so I think that they're more likely to contain Florida's offense than vice versa.
NFL Wildcards:
I figured that the Colts would win, but 0 first downs allowed in the first 40 minutes? Peyton had better get back on track with Marvin Harrison; they won't survive 3 INT's in Baltimore next week.
The Cowboys... John Madden tried to call for Romo to hit Witten in the back of the end zone, similar to Stabler hitting Dave Casper in OT against the Colts back in the 77.... his reminder that there's no such thing as a sure thing in the kicking game. Thus, the Seachickens were able to earn their first victory against a team with a winning record this season! Next up are the Bears, who have been showing Rex Grossman film of their 37-6 pounding of Seattle to try to restore his skills.
The Patriots pulled away from the Jets late, they will need similar balance and more big plays next week in San Diego. I'll definitely be watching that game on the wall.
The Eagles ran an awful lot, and ran effectively. It's been a few years since the Saints were in the playoffs, so I'm not sure how well they will perform. Their offense has a lot of options and creative play calling to take advantage of their skills.
My pick: Ohio State 33 (-8) Florida 20. The Buckeyes have been aggressive on offense this season in contrast to their 2001-2 Championship team. They've played against Northwestern's version of the spread offense and held Vince Young's Longhorns to 22 points in an early season game last year, so I think that they're more likely to contain Florida's offense than vice versa.
NFL Wildcards:
I figured that the Colts would win, but 0 first downs allowed in the first 40 minutes? Peyton had better get back on track with Marvin Harrison; they won't survive 3 INT's in Baltimore next week.
The Cowboys... John Madden tried to call for Romo to hit Witten in the back of the end zone, similar to Stabler hitting Dave Casper in OT against the Colts back in the 77.... his reminder that there's no such thing as a sure thing in the kicking game. Thus, the Seachickens were able to earn their first victory against a team with a winning record this season! Next up are the Bears, who have been showing Rex Grossman film of their 37-6 pounding of Seattle to try to restore his skills.
The Patriots pulled away from the Jets late, they will need similar balance and more big plays next week in San Diego. I'll definitely be watching that game on the wall.
The Eagles ran an awful lot, and ran effectively. It's been a few years since the Saints were in the playoffs, so I'm not sure how well they will perform. Their offense has a lot of options and creative play calling to take advantage of their skills.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Did Notre Dame deserve their BCS Berth?
ND lost decisively to 2 BCS teams, Michigan and USC. Thus, the 27-point margin of victory by LSU in its home state in the Sugar Bowl's return to New Orleans shouldn't be a surprise.
In terms of not deserving to being the BCS, lets look at facts.
1. Money drives the BCS.
A. ND is the "home" college football team for the Northeast Megalopolis from Washington to Boston. (Penn St. probably has a majority in Philly, but that is it.) How many Rutgers fans were there before this season? Growing up in NYC, the Scarlet Knights DIDN'T have highlights shown from their games, just the scores. BC has had its moments and is building a successful program, but is a "safety" school for ND applicants. Our nation's money is concentrated in the NE, so ND offers the ability to generate the money for the BCS bowls ($15 million PER bowl).
B. With the Plus-1 game and a limit of 2 teams per BCS Conference, there is a pretty good chance that a low-revenue team or two will earn a BCS berth. How many fans did Wake and its 4,500 student body bring to the Orange Bowl? Or Boise State to the Fiesta Bowl? ND could fill a bowl game in each time zone if it were to play that type of schedule during the length of the Bowl Season. A guaranteed revenue generator is needed to offset the likes of Louisville, Wake Forest, and Boise State.
C. How many regular season Division I-A college football games has NBC televised in the last 25 years that weren't at Notre Dame Stadium? ZERO. That number WOULDN'T be higher if CBS, FOX, or ABC had negotiated for the contract.
D. Of the teams in BCS Conferences that didn't make the BCS, which ones earned a spot? Texas lost twice in a row to close the season to Kansas St and AM. There was no guarantee that their BE was going to be back for the bowl game. ND beat Georgia Tech. Rutgers or West Virginia - you can't lose to the likes of Cincinnati or South Florida in November and lay claim to a BCS berth. Cal - Tennessee is still scoring Tads against them.
E. Matchups - The bowls pick the matchups. 1 v 2 in the Title Game. Big 10-Pac 10 in the Rose Bowl. ACC in Orange, SEC in Sugar, Big 12 in Fiesta. The Sugar picked first for the open slot (since it was played closest to the Title game) and picked the best money generator from Boise St, Notre Dame, Louisville, and the rest (LSU beat out the other 108 I-A teams to be their opponent as a substitution for Florida).
2. I don't like ND's "automatic" qualification for the BCS, do the Yankees get a playoff berth if they win 85 games regardless of what place they finish? That being said, ND players don't charge the field and windmill their helmets into the opposition like some players team captains do!
The answer: Yes.
From Zap2It Ratings for Tuesday Night's Louisville-Wake Forest Game:
TV viewers were more into "SVU" than the BCS Tuesday, allowing NBC to score a ratings win opposite FOX's college football.
NBC averaged an 8.6 rating/13 share for the night, scoring a fairly sizable victory over FOX, 6.4/10. CBS was a close third at 6.2/10. ABC came in fourth with a 3.9/6, and The CW trailed at 1.3/2.
In the adults 18-49 demographic, NBC's 4.1 rating was tops, beating out FOX's 3.4. CBS averaged 2.5, followed by ABC, 2.0, and The CW, 0.8.
Wednesday Night's Ratings post:
FOX won the night with a 9.0 rating/14 share among households. CBS finished second at 6.9/11, a point ahead of NBC's 5.9/9. ABC drew a 4.1/6, and The CW came in fifth with a 3.0/5.
College football also led FOX to the top among adults 18-49, where it scored a 4.9 rating. CBS finished second in the demographic with a 3.2. NBC was third at 3.0, followed by ABC, 2.5, and The CW, 2.2.
The Sugar Bowl, featuring LSU and Notre Dame, delivered an 8.4/13 for FOX at 8 p.m. "The King of Queens" and a "Two and a Half Men" repeat were second for CBS. "According to Jim" premiered on ABC with two episodes, averaging 4.6/7. NBC's "Friday Night Lights" drew a 4.3/7 in its Wednesday debut, on par with its average on Tuesdays. The season premiere of "Beauty and the Geek" on The CW earned a 2.8/4.
FOX's Sugar Bowl coverage jumped to a 9.3/14 at 9 p.m., holding off CBS' "Criminal Minds" rerun, 7.9/12. NBC moved up to third with "Deal or No Deal," 7.1/11. ABC dropped one spot with the premieres of "The Knights of Prosperity," 4.4/7, and "In Case of Emergency," 3.9/6. "Beauty and the Geek" improved a little on The CW.
The Sugar Bowl held steady for FOX at 10 p.m., posting a 9.3/15. A "CSI: NY" rerun on CBS was second at 7.1/12. "Medium," 6.3/10, put NBC in third, ahead of ABC's "Primetime."
In terms of not deserving to being the BCS, lets look at facts.
1. Money drives the BCS.
A. ND is the "home" college football team for the Northeast Megalopolis from Washington to Boston. (Penn St. probably has a majority in Philly, but that is it.) How many Rutgers fans were there before this season? Growing up in NYC, the Scarlet Knights DIDN'T have highlights shown from their games, just the scores. BC has had its moments and is building a successful program, but is a "safety" school for ND applicants. Our nation's money is concentrated in the NE, so ND offers the ability to generate the money for the BCS bowls ($15 million PER bowl).
B. With the Plus-1 game and a limit of 2 teams per BCS Conference, there is a pretty good chance that a low-revenue team or two will earn a BCS berth. How many fans did Wake and its 4,500 student body bring to the Orange Bowl? Or Boise State to the Fiesta Bowl? ND could fill a bowl game in each time zone if it were to play that type of schedule during the length of the Bowl Season. A guaranteed revenue generator is needed to offset the likes of Louisville, Wake Forest, and Boise State.
C. How many regular season Division I-A college football games has NBC televised in the last 25 years that weren't at Notre Dame Stadium? ZERO. That number WOULDN'T be higher if CBS, FOX, or ABC had negotiated for the contract.
D. Of the teams in BCS Conferences that didn't make the BCS, which ones earned a spot? Texas lost twice in a row to close the season to Kansas St and AM. There was no guarantee that their BE was going to be back for the bowl game. ND beat Georgia Tech. Rutgers or West Virginia - you can't lose to the likes of Cincinnati or South Florida in November and lay claim to a BCS berth. Cal - Tennessee is still scoring Tads against them.
E. Matchups - The bowls pick the matchups. 1 v 2 in the Title Game. Big 10-Pac 10 in the Rose Bowl. ACC in Orange, SEC in Sugar, Big 12 in Fiesta. The Sugar picked first for the open slot (since it was played closest to the Title game) and picked the best money generator from Boise St, Notre Dame, Louisville, and the rest (LSU beat out the other 108 I-A teams to be their opponent as a substitution for Florida).
2. I don't like ND's "automatic" qualification for the BCS, do the Yankees get a playoff berth if they win 85 games regardless of what place they finish? That being said, ND players don't charge the field and windmill their helmets into the opposition like some players team captains do!
The answer: Yes.
From Zap2It Ratings for Tuesday Night's Louisville-Wake Forest Game:
TV viewers were more into "SVU" than the BCS Tuesday, allowing NBC to score a ratings win opposite FOX's college football.
NBC averaged an 8.6 rating/13 share for the night, scoring a fairly sizable victory over FOX, 6.4/10. CBS was a close third at 6.2/10. ABC came in fourth with a 3.9/6, and The CW trailed at 1.3/2.
In the adults 18-49 demographic, NBC's 4.1 rating was tops, beating out FOX's 3.4. CBS averaged 2.5, followed by ABC, 2.0, and The CW, 0.8.
Wednesday Night's Ratings post:
FOX won the night with a 9.0 rating/14 share among households. CBS finished second at 6.9/11, a point ahead of NBC's 5.9/9. ABC drew a 4.1/6, and The CW came in fifth with a 3.0/5.
College football also led FOX to the top among adults 18-49, where it scored a 4.9 rating. CBS finished second in the demographic with a 3.2. NBC was third at 3.0, followed by ABC, 2.5, and The CW, 2.2.
The Sugar Bowl, featuring LSU and Notre Dame, delivered an 8.4/13 for FOX at 8 p.m. "The King of Queens" and a "Two and a Half Men" repeat were second for CBS. "According to Jim" premiered on ABC with two episodes, averaging 4.6/7. NBC's "Friday Night Lights" drew a 4.3/7 in its Wednesday debut, on par with its average on Tuesdays. The season premiere of "Beauty and the Geek" on The CW earned a 2.8/4.
FOX's Sugar Bowl coverage jumped to a 9.3/14 at 9 p.m., holding off CBS' "Criminal Minds" rerun, 7.9/12. NBC moved up to third with "Deal or No Deal," 7.1/11. ABC dropped one spot with the premieres of "The Knights of Prosperity," 4.4/7, and "In Case of Emergency," 3.9/6. "Beauty and the Geek" improved a little on The CW.
The Sugar Bowl held steady for FOX at 10 p.m., posting a 9.3/15. A "CSI: NY" rerun on CBS was second at 7.1/12. "Medium," 6.3/10, put NBC in third, ahead of ABC's "Primetime."
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