On easy weekends

So it’s official: The Steelers kick ass and take names. Steelers-Packers, February 6^th. This year’s Super Bowl ought to be EPIC.

I obviously spent Sunday afternoon watching football, but the rest of the weekend is worth commenting on as well. 

On cheering for the underdog

Tom Brady scoffed when Plaxico Burress, the Giants' star receiver, predicted that the Giants would beat the Patriots, 23-17. He laughed it off, asking incredulously "we're only going to score 17 points?"

You're right, Brady - in a sense. Burress was wrong - he OVERESTIMATED your ability.

The final score? Brady, your team lost 17-14 to the Giants. Congratulations on your 18-1 season, Chin-boy!

I don't think I've ever been so stressed during a football game - the fourth quarter was just epic. Eli Manning came through and had a great game; in the fourth quarter, with four minutes to score and win, Manning led his team 83 yards in 12 plays to the end zone to clinch the Giants' upset over the Patriots. Playing superbly under pressure, Manning delivered to Burress for the game-winning touchdown.

But my personal favorite moment? An improbably play when, after breaking loose from at least 3 Patriots - what should have been a surefire sack - Manning scrambled down the field and threw a prayer to Tyree, who caught the pass for a game-saving play and 33 yards.

My second favorite play? Watching the Giants sack the Chin for the FIFTH time, with about 28 seconds left in the game. It was a brutal hit, knocking the Chin about 5 years back - beautiful.

Just in case the game didn't make it clear - the Giants' defense is MONSTROUS.

My third favorite moment - watching Belichick and Brady storm angrily off the field, with 1 second remaining and a perfunctory play by the Giants. True, the Giants would take a knee to end the game, but the least you could do, Grump and Chin, was remain on the field out of respect to the better team and their coach, your former colleague. Maybe LT of the Chargers was on to something, when he accused your team of being classless. Enjoy your slice of humble pie, Patriots!

Congratulations to the Giants and their historic 11 consecutive wins on the road, including 4 in the playoff. Their belief in themselves paid off magnificently - they won't ever be taken lightly again.

Congratulations to Eli Manning, MVP - you are the MAN!

What a game!

Photo credits to AP

On bad ankles and older brothers

I find it hilarious that Patriots fans have been blaming Brady's three interceptions in the AFC championship game against the Chargers on his "bad ankle" - when he threw perfect passes in that final quarter after the third picked pass. Quit making excuses for Chin-boy; it could be that he *gasp* screwed up. It could be *gasp* that a play-off caliber team like the Chargers has the defense it takes to hit the quarterback. "Bad ankle" my ass.

I also really, really loathe that in every Eli Manning article I've come across, Peyton is inevitably mentioned in some way or another. Fact: it took Peyton Manning nine (9) seasons to get to the Super Bowl. Fact: it took Eli Manning four (4) seasons to get to the Super Bowl.

I was never an Eli-hater. How many times, since his coming to the Giants, has he taken them to the post-season? How many championship games has he played in? How many records has his team set?

Look it up. You might be surprised.

On Sports

Note: I was going to hold off on publishing this post until tomrrow, so that my politics post would remain in the coveted first post position for at least 24 hours, but I just had to rant. ESPN has incensed me into action.

As a good number of my friends will tell you, with no little irritation in their voices, I've been thinking of almost nothing but football these past few weeks. But who will blame me, considering that Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner? (Mark your calendars - February 3!)

The coverage the game has been receiving has, however, by and large been completely uninteresting. The focus of the media attention? Tom Brady's goddamn right foot. Tom Brady's goddamn boot. Tom Brady's goddamn foray into Manhattan and supermodel-dating. Goddamn Tom Brady.

To find any interesting NY Giants stories, I have to turn to the New York Times; it makes sense for the Times to give the Giants predominance in coverage, since they're NY's team - but why is ESPN focused so heavily on the Pats? It's a national channel, and the "worldwide leader in sports" - shouldn't it be giving equal coverage to the Giants, who are now 10-1 on the road, and are coming off of three great showings in the Playoffs thus far?

Look at the site's homepage. The Chin and his girlfriend monopolize the attention, with another six headlines on the NFL section of the site. SIX HEADLINES! THE GIANTS HAVE ONE!

RIDICULOUS!

Here's a word to you sportswriters out there - it takes TWO teams to play a Super Bowl!

And here's a word of advice to Tom "the Chin" Brady - if you want to avoid unwanted attention, don't stroll around Manhattan in an oversized hoodie and gigantic sunglasses, a combination that screams "Look at me, paparazzi! I'm FAMOUS!" you twit! Go visit your family AND YOUR SON instead of your girlfriend, if you don't want your face and your goddamned shoe plastered all over the evening news!

GO GIANTS!

Super Bowl XLII: February 3, 2008

Results of Round 3: AFC and NFC championship games:

I am a genuine fan of both Green Bay and New York, so watching the Packers and the Giants go head-to-head was tough. Watching a close game, with multiple lead changes, go into overtime? Exhausting.
The one reason why I chose the Packers over the Giants was because of Brett Favre. Today, however, he played like an aging quarterback in cold weather, and not like Grizzled Veteran of just last week. The team was tough, the weather was below freezing, but the Giants, who have now won three straight play-off games on the road as the wildcard in the NFC East, won on a field goal in OT.
Amazing game; I wish I'd seen Bad Brett out there, and I hope he sticks around for one more year, but I was thoroughly impressed with the Giants.

Results: Giants, 23-20

They will be facing the New England, who defeated the San Diego Chargers earlier in the day. Perfect Pretty Boy Brady threw 3 interceptions, and in New England's first possession, he threw 2 incompletions - the total number of incompletions in the game against Jacksonville. The team, for all that they are currently 18-0 (the first team ever to reach that mark), is not flawless, and it was the Giants that very nearly upset their perfect regular season during Week 17.

Results: Patriots, 21-12

So - my prediction for Super Bowl XLII: I fully expect the Giants to hand the Patriots a 18-1 season, and will be cheering for Eli against the Chin with no holds barred.

C'mon, Giants!

Round 3

I ended up 3-1 in my Round 2 picks; here are my choices for Round 3.

In the NFC:

Packers over the Giants:
The Giants are battered and bruised, and when you compare Eli Manning to Brett Favre... well, in my mind, there is no comparison. Manning is good, but Favre is a legend. They'll be playing at the notoriously tough Lambeau Field, where players fight it out on a snow-covered field and Packer fans in cheese heads will be out in full force.
The Giants have been great on the road thus far, however, so I expect a good game. But in the end, the Packers will win the NFC title.

In the AFC:

Patriots over the Chargers:
How the Chargers beat the Colts, I still don't quite know, but I doubt their winning streak will last beyond this victory. The Patirots are in fantastic shape - the Chargers are hanging on by a thread, with both Rivers and Tomlinson currently sidelined by injuries. Golden Boy Brady looked sharp (as much as I hate to admit it) during the game against the Jaguars, and his team is converting even his questionable passes into unbelievable plays for him. Even if the Chargers were at full health, I'd still doubt their ability to stop the 17-0 Pats. But with L.T. and Rivers both suffering? The Pats will take the AFC.

That, of course, means the Packers and the Patriots would meet in Arizona for the championship game on February 3 - a potentially historic game. Pretty Boy Brady and the Patriots versus Grizzly Farve and the Packers? Incredible action on both sides? Tom Petty at halftime?

Actually, I'm not too thrilled about the latest in humdrum halftime shows, but the prospect of a Packers-Patriots Super Bowl XLII is otherwise incredibly exciting. And the prospect of the Old Man taking down the Chin? Words fail to describe how thrilled I'd be.

Are you ready for some football?

Round 2 of the NFL Playoffs kicks off this weekend, beginning with the Seahawks at the Packers, followed later in the evening with the Jaguars at the Patriots. Sunday features the Chargers at the Colts and the Giants at the Cowboys on Saturday.

My picks for Round 2 are:

PACKERS over Seattle:
Favre has been playing like a man possessed, for all that he's a fast-aging 38 years old, and the rest of his team seems fueled by his drive. I'predicting that they'll defeat the Seahawks, and that if Favre doesn't go all the way, he'll be back next season.

Packers, 42-20

PATRIOTS over the Jaguars:
As much as I dislike the Patriots, as tired as I am of seeing Tom Brady's pretty face, I'll still pick them over the Jags. The Jaguars can run - but what else have they got up their sleeve, over the 16-0 Pats? It hurts to type this, but I'm taking the Patriots. I'll be cheering for the Jaguars, but logic compells me to choose the Patriots as victorious.

Does that make sense? I'm rooting for the Jaguars, but logic tells me the Pats will win anyway. Convoluted, but there it is.

Patriots, 31-20

COLTS over the Chargers:
I may have been living in SD for four years now, but I'm still not a Chargers fan. I honestly don't think that Rivers has anything on Peyton Manning. I was disappointed when Tennessee failed to stop the Chargers, but I don't think the Colts will face that problem.

Chargers, 28-24. WHAT? WHAT?!

GIANTS over the Cowboys:
This prediction was the hardest to write simply because I just don't know. A lot of my picks are based on personal preferences; if that were to hold true, I'd be selecting the Cowboys right about now. But something about Romo irks me; he's too blase about his potential moment to shine, and was quoted in the NY Times saying that no one would even remember his name in 10 years. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE THEM REMEMBER YOUR NAME! Or does he not want to be a Hall of Famer? Does he not aspire to be an MVP? Bah, I say!

He's also played dismally in his last few games; I honestly don't know if he can stand the pressure of a playoffs game. The Giants are also a wily team, and they pressure the quarterback - something I love seeing in a defensive line. I think Romo is likely to buckle under that pressure.

Besides - how awesome, if unlikely, would it be to see a Giants-Colts playoff game? Eli Manning, taking on his older brother Peyton? Fantastic thought.

Giants, 21-17

Bring it on, boys!

Results of my predictions are italicized.