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The Armchair Quarterback

Archive for 200511     ( return to current blog )


 And the Winner Is....
 

The Courtney Gains (aka Hans Klopek from the movie "The Burbs") look alike contest:I've narrowed it down to Kyle Orton and Koy Detmer. Right now I'm leaning towards Koy Detmer. Orton's face doesn't give me the same "I've been eating rats for 5 years" look that Detmer's does. Koy is definitely the creepier of the two (ranks just below Bill Belichick on the closet serial killer scale) and honestly, if you can't eat for at least 15 minutes after viewing his photo then that wraps it up doesn't it? Do we need to wait for Tagliabue to rule on this or can we just go ahead and hand out the hardware?

Posted by The Armchair Quarterback at 8:21 PM - No Comments   Add a Comment  
 

 Can the Colt's be beat?
 

 

I thought the Steelers actually played ok on defense. They disguised their blitzes pretty well and James may have had over 100 yards but he wasn't dominant. Unfortunately for the AFC, playing ok defense against the Colts still gets you a 19 point ass kicking. Just like Madden pointed out when Steeler corners bit early on play action passes, you should never worry about a running back when Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison are running by you. Yeah the Colts can run the ball fairly well, but if I was an opposing coach I'd still stack the secondary and hope to contain James. It at least makes it a slower game. If the Colts get beat this season or in the playoffs it will be for 3 reasons:

1. The opposing team doesn't turn the ball over. You can't give these guys any extra series on offense.

2. The opposing team causes the Colts to turn the ball over at key times. If you can get Manning feeling antsy, he might force the ball. It hasn't happened much this season but occasionally he just can't help himself. He may say he is happy handing the ball off but every part of him wants to throw the ball downfield. If somehow a limited number of lineman and linebackers can either pressure Manning or stop James then he will be forced to throw into a crowded secondary. The other part of this is getting lucky and causing a fumble or two. Remember when James fumbled near the goal line a couple of years ago against the Patriots? That kind of break will be needed.

3. The opposing team keeps the Colt's under 30 points. You’re not going to win a high scoring game with these guys as the Bengals already have found out. Run the ball effectively and control the clock. And oh yeah, you have to have a couple of scores yourself.

Nobody has done all of these things this season and I believe you have to do all 3 (a perfect game) to beat the Colts. It goes without saying, if Manning is not playing either due to injury or sitting to avoid that possibility , then all bets are off. They become an ordinary team.
Posted by The Armchair Quarterback at 1:38 PM - 2 Comments   Add a Comment  
 

 NFL Thoughts: Week 12
 

Rams/Texans

I almost turned this game off at halftime. I couldn't take it anymore. My Rams were playing their usual defense (none) and some bad breaks were going their way (did you see backup QB Jaime Martin's glazed eyes?). I kept the game on and lucky for me it became a Ram classic. Can I say that about a Texan game? Part of me still thinks the Rams can make the playoffs, so in my warped reality even a victory over Houston qualifies as a classic.

 



--So Fitzpatrick (Harvard guy...I'm not sure how I feel about that) comes in and proceeds to ---make some pretty good throws and some plays with his legs (offensive linemen don't know where the hell he is when he does that..they've never seen it before). Bruce and Holt become his go-to guys and he hit them in stride many times. My favorite receiver Kevin Curtis is not even getting a sniff of a ball...but considering this is a rookie and Curtis is playing slot in this game which makes him the 3rd read on most plays, I'll shut up. Down 10 with less than 30 seconds to go, Bruce catches a 4th down and 6 - 30 yard TD catch that silences the Texan crowd. Meanwhile I'm going nuts and my wife peeks in to give me one of those "you know your a total retard right?" looks.

 

- Now even though Fitzpatrick played out of his mind, my game ball goes to Jeff Wilkins for kicking the perfect onside kick (a rarity) that was recovered by Holt (update: I've now wet my pants and I don't care). You know the ensuing field goal is going to go in and I'm pretty sure even though overtime hasn't been played yet, the Texan fans know they're screwed.

 

 

In OT Fitzpatrick gets the ball to Curtis (finally) on a short WR screen and Curtis makes a nice move to leave a Texan safety (and jockstrap) as well as the rest of their defense in the dust (remember this was the guy that's not that fast according to offensive genius Neil O'Donnell). Game over. I know give thanks for the hospitality of Houston. My wife comes in, sees me passed out, proceeds to give me mouth to mouth resuscitation...I tell her I'm not in the mood and spaz out again. It's been a long season as a Ram fan and will most likely be longer still, so dammit I deserve this.


 

 

-Now on to the rest of the league's slightly less intriguing games.


Seahawks/Giants

Wow. This is a different year for Seattle. Never mind that the Giant's kicker gift-wrapped this sucker for them by missing 2 makeable (that 54 yarder was a bit out of range, so I won't count that one) field goals to win the game. These are the kind of breaks that never used to fall the Seahawks way. Now some are saying this didn't prove much for Seattle because they really should have lost the game. But I say, are you kidding? They have got some of what the Pats had the last couple of years. Some clutch play when it counts and some pretty lucky breaks. Don't knock luck, I can't remember too many championship teams that didn't dip into the charmed well a few times.
-one last note: did you see the replay of Shockey on the sideline doing the "you know it" "you know it" dance as Feely misses one of the game winners, only to realize in mid-dance that something just went horribly wrong. He turns towards the field with that "what the #$*%" look. Kodak moment. Someone needs to get this footage for him as a stocking stuffer.



Bengals/Ravens

I now watch the Bengals because I love to see an explosive offense. How much do these guys remind you of Indy last year(including the defense)? I'm not on the bandwagon but I sure like to trot alongside and watch the fun.


Bears/Bucs

Can the Bears win the NFC in January with their offense? It's a valid question. After what the Bears defense did on Sunday, can Chris Simms sleep at daddy's house tonight? Equally valid.

Saints/Jets

I don't know what I'm more surprised with: the fact that both Brooks and Bollinger had passer ratings over 100 for this game or that I actually watched part of it. It's a toss up.

-Curtis Martin reached 14,000 rushing yards for his career in this game. Though he's never got the pub, he's a hall of famer and the stats will speak for him when it's time.


 
- New Orleans savior Aaron Brooks on the win: "We're proud of getting a victory...breaking a six-game losing streak is the best feeling this team can have at this point." -- No kidding. This has to be one of the most uninspiring post-game quotes I've ever read.



 


Patriots/Chiefs

I didn't catch any of this game. Only saw the highlights and was stunned to see Brady overthrowing guys and getting intercepted (4 times!). Bad games for Brady are like eclipses, they happen every so often and you better get a good look while you can.

Chargers/Redskins

Brees and Gates played their worst games of the year and the Skins still can't beat the Chargers. Tomlinson had a little something to do with that. That and the fact that the Redskins suck.

Panthers/Bills

So Carolina was everybody's hot pick a couple of weeks ago for the Superbowl. If the trendy thing in the NFC is going to be tough defense and low scoring games, then stop the bus, I want to get off.

Vikings/Browns

Nothing. I've got nothing.


Titans/49ers

Ditto. Wait...nope..nada.

Packers/Eagles
Favre played badly but so did many other Packers. It's time for Green Bay to face reality. They haven't hung on to any free agents the past few years, they haven't drafted well, and Mike Sherman isn't going to be given football genius status anytime soon. Favre isn't a pro-bowler this year but he's not the reason this team is in the running for Reggie Bush.

Jags/Cardinals

-I've watched the Jag's Garrard before and been impressed with him as a backup. Can he do it again and for more than a couple of games? Leftwich might be out a while so if Garrard falters and the Jags lose any of their creampuff games left (minus Indy of course) then maybe the Chargers can sneak up on them for the Wild Card spot. Thinking about Arizona's game last week with the Rams where Bulger went down, I'm starting to think the Cardinals defensive coordinator is telling his players, "you know what guys, we suck ,so just go out and kill their QB. Why should we be the only ones that don't trust our quarterback?"

 

 

 

 

Dolphins/Raiders

Frerotte had a passer rating above 90 for this game. Nick and Jessica have broken up. What the hell is happening? Oh wait...Collins still sucks. Whew! I'm not crazy. ---I still don't recognize Ricky Williams on the highlights. He looks as skinny as Tiki Barber. I thought getting off weed was supposed to increase your appetite

Posted by The Armchair Quarterback at 11:50 AM - 1 Comment   Add a Comment  
 

 College Football Thoughts for Nov 26th
 

-LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, & Texas all won but none of them looked great doing it. Still at this time of year I'm not sure any team should feel bad about a win, no matter how ugly. It's tough to make it through the season without some hiccups. Notre Dame's close call though gives a little more ammunition to Oregon supporters like me who think money shouldn't rule the decision on major bowl games.....yes I still believe in Santa Claus, why do you ask?

 


-Nevada is not a bad team (8-3) but Fresno State's run defense is
as soft as my favorite quilt (I love that thing!). I'm guessing Nevada has similar feelings of affection for Fresno's "D" as they dashed their way through holes the size of Rhode Island (261 rushing yards given up). Suddenly Reggie Bush's near 300 yards against the Bulldogs, while still incredible, isn't as superhuman as it seemed.


 


-I know that Florida lost some key games this year but they beat
Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida State. Now, none were as good as pre-season hype led us to believe, but they are hated rivals. Doesn't that buy Urban Meyer at least a year before Gator fans torch his house and sell his wife and kids on e-bay?


 


-Oklahoma and Nebraska fans can also call off the dogs as both teams got badly needed aesthetic victories. Neither was awful this year, but a 6 win regular season just wouldn't have cut it for these former Big 12 powerhouses. Prior to the Callahan experience, wasn't Frank Solich run out of Nebraska for eking out 9 wins? The nerve of that guy!

Posted by The Armchair Quarterback at 1:27 AM - No Comments   Add a Comment  
 

 Turkey & Football
 

Thanksgiving is without question my favorite holiday. Turkey, mashed potatoes, pie, & 8 hours of football. What's not to love? ---The look on my wife's face after the start of the Broncos game might qualify.

- The Broncos have been getting a lot of love in the press lately. Even though I haven't seen many of their games this year I admit I wondered if today would be a rout. So either the Cowboys are better that I thought, or the Broncos are worse than I thought. Also, If I'm signed by the Broncos tomorrow what are the odds of me running for 100 yards next week? My 40 time is a bit off, but I'm coachable.

- I missed the name of the hyperventilating Falcon coach with the sideburns. Who is he and more importantly is he available to sing at a wedding next week? ---Seriously though, the Falcons have to feel good about dominating the Lions. Dunn was a stud again (116 yards without playing the 4th quarter), Vick was pretty good, and the defense made Garcia and Harrington look like....well...themselves. It was the Lions, so hopefully they didn't pop open the bubbly to go with their turkey. They still have some work to do if they want to make the playoffs.
Posted by The Armchair Quarterback at 2:06 AM - 2 Comments   Add a Comment  
 
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Author: The Armchair Quarterback
From Utah, USA
Age: 36
 
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