National Football League notes, Super Bowl edition.
1) I'm really happy for the New York Giants. I lived in New York for 6 years and had plenty of friends who were Giants fans. I watched Scott Norwood miss that field goal and cheered along with them. I'm something of a closeted Giants fan in that way. So while I won't claim to have known all along they could win, I am thrilled they pulled it off.
2) It doesn't hurt my feelings to see Bill Belichick lose the Super Bowl, and not get the perfect 19-0 undefeated season. It's very difficult to like that guy unless you're a Patriots fan.
3) Jordin Sparks looked genuinely nervous before singing the national anthem. She ended up singing a very gentle and nice version of the song. She did a good job.
4) The first quarter was very interesting in that each team had only one possession of the ball, both drives were clockeating monsters. The two possessions produced the only scoring in the game until the 4th quarter. Imagine if that had lasted the entire game. Four possessions for each team?
5) If you tuned in to the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter, you didn't miss much. The Giants opened the 4th by coming alive on offense and firing the ball downfield on a quick drive that resulted in a touchdown. Then the teams swapped leads a couple times before the game ended.
6) Nowhere near enough cheerleaders shown during this game. Actually, there were NO cheerleaders shown during this game. The only times I saw cheerleaders were in the background and in one slo-mo replay of a player running on the sideline. Where were the cheerleaders!? I thought this was FOX for crying out loud! They can't fit 4-5 cheerleader shots into a 4-hour game? Pathetic.
7) I'm having a difficult time accepting Randy Moss as one of the best NFL receivers of all time. I haven't forgotten his slacking off in Oakland, he's been absent in the playoffs this year, and was absent again in the Super Bowl until the fourth quarter. He had a total of seven catches in 3 post-season games. Seven. Could you imagine Jerry Rice or Michael Irvin or Marvin Harrison averaging 2.3 catches per game in a postseason, and catching zero balls in the first half of the Super Bowl? Moss has great talent, but does he have great hunger? Does he have the eye of the tiger?
8) The officiating in NFL games is always worth mentioning. Here's what I saw in the Super Bowl. Amani Toomer should have been called for pushing off on the defender on that amazing sideline catch he made. The fumble, when Eli was handing off to his running back, was recovered by the Patriots and stolen by the Giants in the ensuing pileup. Should have been New England's ball. And the officials missed a 12 men on the field call, but Belichick didn't. He challenged the play and won.
9) It's time for me to apologize to Eli Manning. Earlier this year I wrote, "He can make enough great plays to keep hope alive, but you know in your gut that every snap is a potential disaster." Let's face it, he played great throughout the playoffs and in the Super Bowl. He won the Super Bowl. I don't know what happened to turn his season around, but ... hmmm ... it's probably because he was reading my blog and got his ass in gear! I don't need to apologize to him. He should be THANKING me for saving his season! Eli wasn't the MVP of the game, by the way. For my money it must be a Giants defender. I'll go with Justin Tuck who had 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble.
10) Super Bowl commercials are a traditional source of Monday morning water-cooler discussion. Lucky for you, I've revived my "Worst Commercial of the Year" series, so you'll be able to tell your co-workers with authority what the worst commercial this year is.
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) Holy Crap! Only 6 months until training camp! Geaux Saints!
2) Looks like the Saints will be playing a "home" game next year in London against the San Diego Chargers. As long as I get the game on DirecTV's NFL package, I'm fine with it.
3) The Saints are somewhere around $30 million under the salary cap and have the #10 pick in this year's draft. Sounds like a good situation to me.
The Army has lowered its standards (again) for allowable candidates. Pretty scary ... no wonder we can't "win" the war in Iraq. Fred Kaplan over at Slate says - and I completely agree - this is a big problem in at least four ways:
1) "It's not a good idea."
2) "High-school dropouts tend to drop out of the military, too."
3) "A dumber army is a weaker army."
4) "Today's Army needs particularly bright soldiers - and it needs, even more, to weed out particularly dim ones."
Brett Favre's having an amazing season in the twilight of his career. His statistics rival the best of his career. It is a late-career resurgence that matches only those displayed by the likes of ... Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.
Here are Favre's numbers from the last 2 years compared to this year. This year he's completing 66% of his passes, which is the best of his career. Prior 2 years: 56% and 61%. Yards per pass attempt this year: 7.7, again the best of his career. Prior 2 years: 6.3 and 6.4. Touchdowns: 26 so far this year. Last 2 years: 18 and 20. Interceptions: 15 so far this year. Last 2 years: 18 and 29. This year's quarterback rating is 94.1, the third best of his career. Last 2 years, 72.7 and 70.9.
While Brett Favre is the darling of the NFL, the cuddly bear, the beloved MVP, the good 'ol boy; he also has a history of abuse with painkillers. He beat that problem, but does his past add suspicion to his current level of play?
This type of speculation is the crime and legacy of the steroid-cheaters. They've cast a long shadow on every other player who accomplishes great things. After all, if the top statistics were accomplished by really good players bolstered by drugs, how can we believe that future top players can beat the drug-enhanced stats with natural ability?
If the steroid-using players think they're not hurting anyone other than themselves, they're wrong. The people they hurt are the future (and present) players who accomplish great things on their natural ability. Thanks to the steroid-users I have no choice but to look at Brett Favre this year and wonder about his incredible production.
Where does that leave a guy like Devin Hester? He's been doing things on the football field the last two years that no player has ever come close to. What am I to make of that? Does he need to be under suspicion too? What about LaDainian Tomlinson's touchdown record from last year? Or Shawn Alexander's record from a few years back? Everything is in doubt thanks to the cheaters.
Guys like Favre, Tomlinson, Hester, and any future players who set the world on fire should be absolutely pissed at guys like Bonds, Clemens, Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire. It doesn't' even matter that I'm comparing baseball players to football players. Every sport has steroid users, and there's no way to know who is who or which is which, so I'm forced to assume it could be anybody and everybody.
1) Outcomes that surprised me: Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the New York Jets. That is all.
2) That kick by Phil Dawson which bounced off the support bar was clearly a good kick (watch it here). I told crocoWife right away that the refs botched the call. Good thing they fixed their own mistake, or the uproar would have been tremendous.
I liken that Dawson FG to a touchdown where the ball just barely crosses the goal line and then the defense pushes the player back to the one yard line. It doesn't matter. Once the ball crosses the goal line, even for a millisecond, the TD is good, you can't erase it. Same thing for the field goal.
In basketball, when the ball goes through the net and bounces back up through it, does that negate the hoop? No way. In baseball, when a fan throws a homerun ball back onto the field, does the batter only get a triple? Not a chance.
3) How embarrassing is it that half the Ravens team, including Brian Billick, were in the locker room before the call was decided on the Dawson FG and had to be summoned back to the field? The kick was clearly controversial, the refs were clearly huddling, the game was clearly not quite over, even if to allow the refs to explain why they were huddling. That's just putting your head in the sand and wishing it to go away.
4) Current Top 5: New England Patriots, New England Patriots, New England Patriots, New England Patriots, and New England Patriots. At this moment there is no competition for the Patriots so there's no point in mentioning any other teams. I have an interesting internal debate going on, where part of me wants to see them go 19-0 and sail into the history books, while another part of me wants to see someone beat them. Not just beat them, demolish them.
5) Karma is a bitch, ain't it Shanahan? The whole call-a-timeout-one-split-second-before-the-play-is-snapped routine was popularized by Shanahan this year, and in the Denver Broncos Monday night game against the Tennessee Titans, it backfired twice. The first time allowed the Titans a second chance at a field goal they missed (which they converted on the second try). The second time allowed Jeff Fischer to challenge a play which ultimately resulted in a touchdown for the Titans. Sure, the Broncos won the game, but you just know Shanahan is second-guessing that strategy now.
6) Everybody named Brandon in the Monday night game scored a touchdown. Literally. Every player named Brandon on the Broncos and Titans notched a TD. Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley, and Brandon Jones all reached the end zone.
7) Brett Favre watch: another game, another win. Grandpa beat up the Carolina Panthers this week (which helps the Saints at least a little bit). Packers are 9-1 and continue to look impressive. Their game on Nov, 29 in Dallas should be a good one.
8) I saw Mike McKenzie jawing at Jason David on the sidelines after David got burned on an Andre Johnson touchdown. That was a rare glimpse at McKenzie's leadership abilities. Maybe he is a leader on that Saints defense after all.
9) Fantasy tip: If your team is .500 or worse, it's time to start throwing games so you can get a better draft position next year.
10) Favre's terrific season is securing his place in the Hall of Fame. Not only is he breaking records, but he's doing it at age 38. Everyone will remember how well he played this year, regardless of how the season ends up for the Packers.
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) Holy crap! The Saints lost to the Texans. There's not much more to say. It sucks.
2) Saints stat of the week: 52. Length of the field goal Olindo Mare kicked in the first quarter.
3) I figure the Saints plan this year is to go 0-4, 4-0, 0-4, and 4-0 to finish 8-8. Because if that's *not* their plan, then I don't know what the hell their plan *is*.
1) Outcomes that surprised me: St. Louis Rams beat the New Orleans Saints. Arizona Cardinals over the Detroit Lions.
2) Ben Roethlisberger is my favorite NFL quarterback. If I was starting a team today I would pick Ben to run my offense. No disrespect to Manning, Brady, Brees, Romo, or Palmer, all great quarterbacks, but Roethlisberger would be my guy. He's a charismatic leader with a little bit of the outlaw in him. I get the feeling that no matter what the situation he'll find a way to get his team through it. Sunday's heroics against Cleveland, and last Monday's monster of a game have made a lot of people re-evaluate what they thought of him.
3) While on the subject, if I was starting a team today ... I'd go with Joseph Addai as my running back.
4) Current Top 5: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and New York Giants. The tradition I started two weeks ago continues ... my top 5 contains 6 teams.
5) In the San Diego/Indianapolis game, the Chargers were so hyped up in the first quarter I wondered aloud if they would be able to sustain such a high emotional state through the whole game. Intuitively, they could not. And they did not. They did get very lucky, however, with Vinatieri's bad night.
6) Eli Manning does not inspire confidence. Watching him, I do not get the feeling he can handle any situation and get his team through it. No, he makes dumb mistakes (delay of game penalties), and throws interceptions and near-interceptions at the worst times, He looks like a guy who has been given every opportunity and somehow managed to not capitalize. The total opposite of Ben Roethlisberger. Eli reminds me of Aaron Brooks. He can make enough great plays to keep hope alive, but you know in your gut that every snap is a potential disaster.
7) Brett Favre watch: another game, another win, another record. Grandpa sucker-punched the Minnesota Vikings, and became the second player in NFL history in pass for 60,000 yards. Packers are 8-1 with a lock on the NFC North.
8) Tony Dungy, calm down. Your team was flagged for "simulating a snap", not for a "false start". Everybody who witnessed the event knew that you were purposely trying to draw San Diego offsides by giving the impression the ball was snapped. Was it technically within the rules? Maybe. But in calling that play, you had to know there was a chance it would get flagged. You are usually so unflappable, I'm surprised to see you respond like that. On the other hand, you did the right thing by apologizing to the team for wasting that timeout you took in order to argue with the refs.
9) Fantasy tip: If you are in a keeper league and it doesn't look like you're going all the way this year, seek out the owner of Adrian Peterson and offer your #1 stud in trade. Thanks to Peterson's injury, you might be able to convince the owner to give him up. Particularly if the owner was relying on Peterson and still has a good chance to win this year.
10) I'm going to reverse my position on Reggie Bush's physicality. I was listening to an Eric Dickerson interview where he was saying how lucky he is to have no serious long-term effects from his NFL playing days. Guys like Earl Campbell can barely walk, and many more retired veterans have serious disabilities due to playing in the hard-nosed league. If Reggie Bush wants to step out of bounds instead of taking an extra hit, or fall down when he clearly sees he has no more room to run, I'm not going to begrudge him that right. While it doesn't look very manly during the game, I'd rather see him walking under his own power in 20 years than gaining an extra yard in a regular season game. However, come playoffs, I expect every player to leave body parts on the field.
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) Holy crap! The Saints granted the Rams their first win of the season. If you know the Saints, then you knew in the first quarter they were going to lose that game. They opened the game well, with their first drive going for a touchdown, then they shifted into cruise control and got what they deserved. Brees was throwing interceptions, nothing worked on offense, and not much more on defense. The 4th quarter comeback was too little too late.
2) Saints stat of the week: 3. Number of bottles of champagne I imagine Jim Haslett drank after getting revenge on his former team.
3) I swear, it's as if this Saints team is always prepared to believe their own press. As soon as the media gives them the slightest praise, they show up on gameday unfocused and low-energy. There are no weeks off in the NFL. You can lose to a 7-1 team and you can lose to a 0-8 team. If you are not prepared and not focused, you will lose. There are no weeks off in the NFL. It is very much on the coaching staff to have the team prepared to play. A 4-4 team cannot expect to win simply by showing up for the game, and that's what looked like happened on Sunday.
1) Outcomes that surprised me: Detroit Lions killed the Denver Broncos. San Diego Chargers lost to the Minnesota Adrian Petersons.
2) What the hell happened to the Chargers? They couldn't stop one guy? ONE GUY?! I mean, was the Vikings' passing game so scary that the Chargers defense couldn't concentrate on the running back? Were they playing dime packages out there or something? Pathetic.
3) Mike McKenzie intercepted a pass and returned it for a TD against the Jaguars. Great play. As a fan, McKenzie is a mystery. Is he a leader on the Saints defense, or just a player? There's something about him that is likable, people want him to do well. And when he makes a big play like that, he seems like one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. But I've also seen him make his fair share of mistakes. Blown coverages, dropped interceptions, poor tackles, the usual stuff that afflicts DBs. I can see his skills, I wish he utilized them more often, I wish he would get more interceptions in the course of a season.
4) Current Top 5: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, and New York Giants. The tradition I started last week continues ... my top 5 contains 6 teams. That's how I roll.
5) If the Patriots go 19-0 this year, there will be no asterisk next to the accomplishment. I don't care what that old man Don Shula says. Spygate is not anything the same as Barry Bonds juicing up to grab the all-time home run record. The patriots were caught cheating, recording the signals of opposing team's coaches, and were punished. It's not like the entire Patriots team took a daily regimen of steroids.
6) Did you know that Ben Roethlisberger has thrown 20 TDs in 208 pass attempts and 137 completed passes? That's a touchdown for every 10 pass attempts or every 7 completions. The prolific Tom Brady throws a TD every 9 attempts or every 7 completions. Tony Romo throws a TD every 14 attempts or 9 completions. Payton Manning throws one every 19 attempts or 12 completions. Did you know Roethlisberger had been playing that efficiently? I did. He's my starting fantasy QB.
7) Brett Favre watch: another game, another win. Grandpa squeaked one out on Kansas City. Now they are 7-1. Can they keep this up? Let's take a look at their upcoming schedule: Minnesota, Carolina, Detroit, Dallas, Oakland, St. Louis, Chicago, and Detroit. They'll lose 2 of those games, maybe 3, which would give them a record of 12-4. Yup, looks like they can keep it up.
8) Isn't the Chargers defense supposed to be, you know, good? There is only one player on Minnesota's offense that needs to be accounted for, Adrian Peterson, who ran wild and unchecked by San Diego. Peterson is either the best player in the league, or Norv Turner is continuing to cast his spell of bad luck on the teams he coaches. Or maybe both.
9) Fantasy tip: You should be starting all your Saints. Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, David Patten, and Saints Defense. Stay away from Olindo Mare. He sucks balls.
10) There are so many games that I just don't care about lately. Last week there was Buffalo/Cincinatti, San Francisco/Atlanta, and Houston/Oakland. Could those games be any less relevant to the NFL? I don't think so. This week has Buffalo/Miami, Denver/Kansas City, Chicago/Oakland, and Cincinatti/Baltimore. Yawn.
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) Holy crap! The Saints are on a 4-game winning streak, and are only a half game out of first place in their division. On Inside the NFL last night, Dan Marino guaranteed the Saints would make the playoffs and play in the NFC championship game. Dan is correct.
2) Saints stat of the week: 7. Your New Orleans Saints have not allowed 100 yards rushing to any of their last 7 opponents.
3) The Saints easy schedule in the season's second half will propel them into the playoffs, but it won't do them any favors in terms of getting prepared to play in the playoffs. If they have to play Dallas or Green Bay in the playoffs, are they going to be prepared for it? After playing St. Louis, Houston, Carolina, Tampa, Atlanta, Arizona, Philadelphia, and Chicago, will they have been tested? Will they have the mettle to make it through the playoffs? Perhaps overcoming an 0-4 start is all the challenge they need for one year, just the same, I won't be feeling very smug when they head into the playoffs.
1) Outcomes that surprised me: None. There were really no surprises at all this week. The better team won pretty much every game.
2) I am definitely the New Orleans Saints' good luck charm. When I'm at the game they blow teams out, the games effectively over by halftime. Plus, they have not lost since I started going to games 3 weeks ago. This week they killed the 49ers, who suck balls, with a classic Drew Brees performance and breakout game by Marques Colston. Even Reggie Bush is continuing to pull his weight. I'm not in love with Bush as a player, but if he keeps this up he will keep me happy.
3) Monster Park in San Francisco needs to be either renovated or demolished. The home of the 49ers is extremely dated. The seating is crowded, the TVs on the concourse are easily 25 years old, there is only one jumbotron and large scoreboard, and the stadium is in the worst location of all time. The traffic situation getting into and out of the ballpark is ridiculous. There is one freeway on which you can either go north or south. That's it. No alternate routes. And the nearby neighborhood is no place you want to get lost in. Also, the parking areas are a freakin' mess. The bay wind blows the tailgaters' trash all over the place. The more I think of it, the more I think renovation is out of the question. That is not a stadium nor a location befitting the NFL.
4) The Patriots are more than crushing opponents, they're crushing the entire league with the weight of their awesomeness. I mean they are insane, out of their minds with playing dominant football. I really can't imagine the Colts beating them next week. The Colts are the second best team in the league, but they're still not going to match up very well against the Patriots. The other three teams in my top 5 are: Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, and San Diego Chargers (I can't count, so what?). Pittsburgh plays New England on Dec. 9, should be an interesting game. The Cowboys know how to make a bye week interesting, they signed Tony Romo to a 6 year, $67 million contract.
5) The San Diego Chargers came up with a dominating win against Houston to a backdrop of soot and ash. I'm glad the damage to the city of San Diego has been ... well, not nearly as bad as it could have been. I can't tell you how disappointed I am to hear that many of those fires were caused by arsonists. What the fuck is wrong with people that they start fires with the intent of doing as much damage as possible. People like that should be hung from a noose in the town square.
6) The 49ers' cheerleaders, called the Gold Rush, came out in the second half wearing Halloween costumes. There was a nurse, a bumble bee, a couple cops, a Supergirl, a Lara Croft, a beer wench, a Dorothy, etc.. At the two-minute warning, they did the famous Thriller dance. It's true about San Francisco, even the straight guys are gay, as the cheerleaders did not receive much attention or applause from the crowd. Nothing like Seattle, where they love their cheerleaders.
7) Brett Favre watch: another week, another win. This time Grandpa whipped up an overtime win against Denver, in Denver, on Monday Night Football. The Green Bay Packers at 6-1 may be the best team in the NFC. They play the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 29, so that's at least one NFC game to look forward to.
8) I was surprised by the amount of cigarette smoking at Monster Park. Lots of smokers hanging out all over the stadium. Well, maybe it's not "surprising," but in comparison to Qwest Field, where I didn't see any smokers at all, it seemed like virtually everyone was smoking.
9) Fantasy nook: Son of a bitch! Just when I think Marques Colston is cooked, he busts out for three touchdowns. Of course he was on my bench. Of course I lost my fantasy game by only 4 points, points which would have been more than covered by Colston's big day. My fantasy team is 4-4 and in danger of falling out of the playoff picture.
10) Tom Brady is ridiculous. Throwing touchdowns at a record pace is not enough for that guy. He is now rushing for TDs, he ran 2 in against the Redskins. The way he's playing, he's set to have the best season a quarterback has ever had.
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) Holy crap! The Saints dominated the 49ers. When they beat the Jaguars next week the league will be on notice that the Saints are back and mean business. Bitches better run for cover!
2) Saints stat of the week: 100, again. The Saints have not allowed 100 yards rushing to any of their last 6 opponents.
3) The NFC South is still very winnable for the Saints. They are only one game out of the lead with 9 games to play. If they can win their remaining division games and half of their non-division games, I'd say that's good enough to take the division.
Week 6 and Week 7 notes on the National Football League
Week 6
1) The reason Week 6 is so late is because I was visiting Seattle and attending the demolishment of the Seahawks by the Saints. I lucked out and my seat was on the aisle, 40 yard line, next to a few other Saints fans.
2) In Seattle they sing the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada", before the American national anthem. And they let fly a live "seahawk" out of the tunnel to lead the players onto the field.
3) 12:38, first quarter: Seattle's first offensive possession ends in a botched punt that New Orleans returns for a touchdown. 7-0, Saints. The route is on.
4) 11:24, first quarter: NBC's skycam crashes to the field, nearly hitting a Seattle player who almost trips up in the wires. The game is delayed for ten minutes, the crowd boos. I've always wondered when a QB was going to throw a pass and accidentally hit that camera, but crashing the field is almost as good. When the game resumed, the crowd was into it, ready for action. For not being a dome, Qwest Field is loud. They did a good job with the acoustical engineering.
5) The lady sitting next to me cheers like only a drunk non-fan can cheer. Cheering when the crowd gets loud, regardless of what just happened on the field, not because she's paying attention to the game. Half the time she's cheering the Saints, half the time she's cheering the 'Hawks.
6) 14:28, second quarter: New Orleans scores their first offensive touchdown. 14-0, Saints. The route is on. Drunk Lady hits me in the head repeatedly with her Saints bandana as she swings it in a circle over her head.
7) 8:06, second quarter: New Orleans blocks a Seattle field goal attempt. 5:18, second quarter: New Orleans scores their second offensive touchdown. 21-0, Saints. The route is on.
8) 3:41, second quarter: stadium employee walks up the aisle telling everyone beer will not be sold after halftime. Drunk Lady immediately grabs her purse and races to the concourse.
9) Seahawks fans love them some cheerleaders. Their cheerleaders are cute and the crowd roars every time one is shown on the jumbotron. 0:30, second quarter: Saints score third offensive touchdown. 28-7, Saints. The route is on, so I give them my permission to score zero points in the second half. You know, to cut the Seahawks some slack.
10) 6:39, fourth quarter: Seattle scores a TD. 28-17, Saints. This is either the beginning of the Seahawks comeback or a garbage time touchdown, depends what happens next. 0:01, fourth quarter: turned out to be a garbage time touchdown. Saints win 28-17!
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) Holy crap, the Saints won a game! Looks like all they needed was my attendance to give them the motivation they needed to win. crocoPuffs in the building is the ultimate good luck charm.
2) Saints stat of the week: 5 sacks, which is one more than they've had in their first four games combined.
3) Reggie Bush must be reading my posts and taking them to heart. He looked like a legitimate NFL player out there. Sadly, Colston has NOT been reading my posts, because other than a couple dropped passes (one in the end zone) and a 2-yard touchdown, he was invisible again. David Patten played a hell of a game, though. Maybe he will be the veteran receiving presence the Saints need.
Week 7
1) Outcomes that surprised me: Detroit Lions over the Tampa Bay Bucs was a pleasant surprise, and helpful to the Saints. Buffalo Bills over the Baltimore Ravens. Denver Broncos over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
2) Everyone is now discussing New England in terms of their place in NFL history. While it's probably too early to be calling them the greatest offense ever, they look as unstoppable as any of the great offenses I've seen (1999 Rams, 1998 Vikings, 1994 49ers, 1992 Cowboys, 1989 49ers, 1984 Dolphins).
3) For about three quarters against Atlanta, the Saints looked ready to notch another tick in the loss column. The defense couldn't get off the field and the offense couldn't make any plays, couldn't convert any third downs. But they hung in there and scored the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter on a nice drive capped by a nice run by Reggie Bush.
4) New England Patriots are still #1. My top 5 includes the Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New York Giants.
5) Brett Favre watch: Green Bay was on a bye week.
6) Fantasy nook: Last week the fantasy "experts" were all over the Redskins Defense, picking them to be awesome in week 7. 'Skins had a decent week, but I started the Giants Defense. Seemed obvious to me that the Giants D vs. Trent Dilfer would be a lopsided matchup. Whaddya know, I was right as usual.
7) The Saints still need to improve their game, but a win is a win and they're not completely out of it just yet thanks to a fairly weak division that is still up for grabs and a favorable upcoming schedule.
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) Holy crap. The Saints are on a roll, shooting up in the standings like a rocket. Soon to be leading the NFC South. I'll be at the Saints/49ers game this weekend, so it's a lock they will win.
2) Saints stat of the week: 100. The Saints have not allowed 100 yards rushing to any of their last 5 opponents.
3) Reggie Bush showed some power for the second game in a row, he is definitely reading this blog and taking my advise seriously. Colston made a big play against Atlanta, pulling off a 33 yard reception on the winning TD drive on 3rd down, with most of the yardage coming after the catch. Hopefully that will warm him up enough to start posting the big fat numbers.
1) Outcomes that surprised me: Washington Redskins dominated the Detroit Lions. San Diego Chargers dominated the Denver Broncos. Chicago Bears squeaked by the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay.
2) Some strange officiating was going on in the Steelers/Seahawks game and I seem to be the only person who noticed. During the Steelers 10 minute drive in the third quarter I noticed two plays that did not make any sense to me. On 2nd and 1 from the Steeler 41, Willie Parker made a long run and stepped out of bounds at the Seahawk 25. Holding was called on the Steelers. The next play was 1st and 10 for the Steelers from the Steeler 42. Shouldn't it have been 2nd and 11 from the Steeler 31? How in the world did the Steelers gain a yard and a first down on a holding call? Even the Fox telecast graphics thought it was 2nd and 11 until all of a sudden it wasn't.
A few plays later, on 3rd and 10 from the Steeler 41, Najeh Davenport turned a short catch into a long gain to the Seattle 40. Holding was called again on the Steelers. The next play was 3rd and 13 from the Steeler 39. Shouldn't it have been 3rd and 20 from the Steeler 31? Again, I have no idea how the officials determined the outcome of that play.
3) Was the 10 yard holding penalty being applied to the end of the play? If so, then the Parker play would have resulted in 1st and 10 from the Seahawk 35, and the Davenport play would have resulted in 4th and 1 from the 50 yard line. Nope, I guess that's not the answer.
4) Patriots still rolling, and are still the consensus #1. Lots of folks are saying this was the first game that Randy Moss did not make a big impact. I call bullshit. Cleveland's game plan was largely geared around stopping Moss, which enabled the rest of the offense to march up and down the field. He didn't have huge stats, but he had a huge impact on the game nonetheless. The other teams in the top 5 are Pittsburgh, Indy, Dallas, and Green Bay. Same as last week. I'll be shocked if Dallas beats New England next week. Shocked, I say!
5) I've got it! The holding penalty must be applied to the location of the infraction. On the Parker play, the hold was at the Steeler 45, so the next play would be 3rd and 7 from the Steeler 35. On the Davenport play, the hold was at the 50, so the next play would be 4th and 11 from the 40. Hmmm ... that's not it either.
The refs totally blew it on both those plays. I don't understand why no coaches were yelling at the refs about the absurdity of those calls. The Steelers scored a TD on that drive and won the game 21-0, so maybe it didn't matter in terms of the outcome of the game, but maybe it did. And that's kind of the point of having referees in the first place, to ensure the rules are being followed and that each team is treated fairly.
6) In the week leading up to the game, Reggie Bush proclaimed himself a tough runner who loves to carry the rock between the tackles, and he would prove it against Carolina. In related news, Reggie Bush was told (by me) to put down the crack pipe. After watching the kid for a season and a quarter it's clear that he shies away from contact whenever he can. His actions speak louder than his words. He runs out of bounds instead of turning up-field to get the extra yard, he moves sideways more than he moves forward, he curls up and falls down as tacklers approach, he doesn't dish out any punishment to defenses, and he approaches the line tentatively and doesn't hit holes very hard. He's like the Marvin Harrison of the Saints, except Bush is a RB, so that approach just isn't going to cut it.
7) Brett Favre watch: another game, another NFL record. This week Grandpa tied the NFL record for most interceptions in a career. Not exactly the kind of record to make your children proud, but a record just the same. Thanks to those picks Green Bay lost their first game of the year.
8) Matt Leinart broke his collarbone. Kurt Warner is now the full time starter in Arizona. Good luck with that, Cardinals.
9) Fantasy tip: Don't play any Saints until they prove they can win a game.
10) It's official, David Carr stinks. No idea how he lasted 5 seasons as the starter in Houston. Yes, Carolina won the game, but not due to Carr's play.
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) This goddamn Saints team is killing me. Killing me, I say! As I said before, Olindo Mare sucks. He has missed more field goals than he has made this season. He's been a huge bust so far for the Saints. He's been terrible on field goals, and couldn't kickoff on Sunday due to an injury. Well, his long kickoffs were the reason the Saints signed him, so without that, he's pretty much useless.
2) Saints stat of the week: rushing defense 4th in the league in rushing average allowed, 3.6 yards/rush.
3) The Saints need a veteran receiver. Right now. Devery Henderson finally had a decent game, but still dropped his share of balls. Marques Colston continues to play uninspired football; I wouldn't be surprised if he was pulled from the starting lineup soon. To add insult to injury, I won't be starting Colston on my fantasy team until he proves he can play like a number one receiver, the way he played last year.
1) Outcomes that surprised me: Cleveland Browns over the Baltimore Ravens. Atlanta Falcons over the Houston Texans. Oakland Raiders BIG over the Miami Dolphins (Oakland, don't get too comfy just yet. You beat a mediocre Browns team and an awful Dolphins team. Culpepper, 5 of 12 for 75 yards and 2 TDs and 3 rushing TDs, what kind of screwed up stat line is that?).
2) I started this season by stating to a (Chargers fan) friend that I wasn't very impressed with Norv Turner's history as an NFL head coach. What can I say; I continue to be less than impressed. Why do I have the feeling Schottenheimer would have more than one win after 4 games with this team?
Phillip Rivers is also underwhelming. He tossed 2 interceptions and lost a fumble against a crappy Chiefs team. And that lost fumble was huge, by the way. The Chiefs had previously turned the ball over, giving the Chargers a chance to get back into the game. But instead of leading his team to a game-tying touchdown, Rivers dropped the football on the grass while being sacked and Kansas City returned it for a TD.
The Chargers make too many mistakes, which comes down to either discipline or talent level. I think the talent level proved itself last year (Rivers notwithstanding), which leaves discipline, which comes down to coaching. Which makes perfect sense considering the massive turnover in the coaching staff from last year to now.
The most baffling part is that they were winning the game 16-6 at halftime while riding Tomlinson's 116 rushing yards. In the second half, they handed the ball to Tomlinson 6 times. How does that make sense? I'm no NFL coach, but that one seems pretty obvious to me. No wonder the San Diego crowd was chanting "MAR-TY" during the game.
3) Detroit posted 34 points in the 4th quarter against the Bears. Impressive. In fact, it's an NFL record. But what the hell does that mean for the Bears defense, a unit that was supposed to be dominant? Well, they're certainly not dominant when giving up 34 fucking points in a single quarter.
4) The Patriots continue to crush opponents, I can't wait to see them play Dallas in a couple weeks. Speaking of the Cowboys, they destroyed the Rams and are my #2 team in the league. I like them more than the Colts right now, with Indy coming in at #3. The Packers and Steelers round out the top 5, while Seattle looks like it's making a move in the NFC.
5) Donovan McNabb played a hell of a game Sunday, no? He lost a fumble, threw no touchdowns, and was sacked 12 times while making no meaningful plays for his team. Like I said, maybe if he played EVERY game as if he had something to prove, he wouldn't get the criticism he does. Granted, his offensive line was worse than the Saints', using a matador pass protection scheme. Still, when McNabb makes no plays and generally seems lost on the field, he should expect some criticism.
6) Worst team in the league? St. Louis Rams. In 4 games, they've scored only 39 points. In 3 games, the Saints have scored 38.
7) Brett Favre watch: another week, another win, another NFL record. This is getting repetitive. So repetitive, in fact, that I'm simply copying and pasting these lines from last week. Grandpa pulled off the fourth straight win of the season for the Packers and broke the NFL record for most touchdowns thrown by a QB in NFL history. Congratulations Brett Favre! Keep on winning! The Packers 4-0 record is more remarkable than Favre's personal records at the moment. I mean, breaking those records was only a matter of time for Favre, but being at the top of the NFC defies all expectations.
8) Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner are now sharing time at quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals. Weird. Arizona won the game, and both QBs led the team on touchdown drives, but the difference in the game was a punt returned for a TD. Warner was brought in when the score was only 7-0 in Pittsburgh's favor. Seemed kind of early to yank your starter, unless that was your plan going into the game. I wonder how long that strategy will work? My prediction is not very.
9) Fantasy nook: Son of a bitch! I KNEW playing Kevin Curtis would be a mistake, the guy had one big game, which means absolutely nothing. I should have played Derrick Mason instead. Okay, I'm late to these bandwagons, but if Sammy Morris or Dwayne Bowe are available in your league, you should snap them up.
10) Coaches in the NFL are important. Very important. The best coaches win year after year, or have an off year, then come back and win again. Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, and probably some coaches not named Bill too, say ... Bill Cowher, nope, damn! All Bills. Anyway, Norv Turner has been an entirely mediocre coach and coached mediocre teams for his career. Fans shouldn't be surprised if San Diego turns up mediocre this year (his name's not Bill, for starters).
Wade Phillips left San Diego to coach the Cowboys. Look how that's turning out. I wonder if the Chargers offered him the head coaching job before he left. Inheriting a very good team and keeping them very good is not as easy a task as it seems. Exhibit A: Norv Turner and the Chargers. It makes me appreciate the job guys like Barry Switzer and George Seifert did when taking over good teams and keeping them good.
At this point, Chargers fans and Saints fans are in the same boat. Both sets of fans had high expectations set from last season's success, and this season's media predictions. Both teams were picked by many to advance to the Superbowl this year. It's one thing to endure a season with your team when you know going in they are going to suck. It's another thing to endure a season of sucking when your expectations are so high. It's extremely disappointing. At least in the Chargers case, you could kind of see it coming when Turner was named head coach. With the Saints, it's the same players and coaches from last year, which makes it both baffling and heart-wrenching.
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) It was a good week for the Saints, they did not record a loss.
2) Saints stat of the week: Have not given up a TD on 21 kickoffs & punts this season.
3) Here's how to keep hope alive, Saints fans. Take a look at who they've lost to, and how much those losses mean in the big picture. Every team's goal is to win their division. To that end, beating your divisional opponents is very important. The Saints have lost one game to the Bucs, and have not yet played Atlanta or Carolina. The Saints can conceivably go 5-1 in their division. Face it, the Falcons and Panthers aren't very scary, so if the Saints can play just "good", that's probably good enough to get 4 wins. The Saints/Buccaneers rivalry has been a good one ever since the NFL realignment created the NFC South. The Saints beat the Bucs twice the year the Bucs won the Superbowl. The Bucs are playing well right now, but it seems entirely possible for the Saints to win their next matchup. And if the Saints take care of their division, good things will happen.
The other 2 Saints losses came to teams not in their division, and not even in their conference! From that perspective, things could be a lot worse. It all starts next week against Carolina, which I consider a must-win game. If the Saints go 0-4, they can forget about the playoffs.
1) Outcomes that surprised me: Green Bay Packers over the San Diego Chargers. Jacksonville Jaguars over the Denver Broncos. Oakland Raiders over the Cleveland Browns.
2) What's up with LaDainian Tomlinson? He's just not putting up the numbers everyone expected of him. Is it because he played 3 tough defenses to start the season? Is it a poor offensive scheme and philosophy from Norv Turner and Clarence Shelmon? What is it? And why was he arguing with Philip Rivers on the sideline during the game?
3) The Saints better get their asses in gear if they want to make the playoffs.
4) The Patriots are still looking like the best team in the league. The Colts are still looking like #2, with the Steelers, Packers, and Cowboys rounding out the top 5 (until the Saints get their asses in gear). The Houston Texans lost to the Colts, but damn, that AFC South division looks tough this year. I can picture the Texans grabbing a wildcard playoff spot.
5) Another player was taken off the field via stretcher this week. Cedric Killings of the Houston Texans fractured his C-4 vertebra but has already stood on his feet, and doctors expect him to walk out of the hospital on his own power. As I said after Kevin Everett's injury in Week 1, it's only a matter of time before a player is killed on the field.
6) Worst team in the league? Buffalo Bills.
7) Brett Favre watch: another week, another win, another NFL record. This is getting repetitive. And intriguing. Grandpa pulled off the third win of the season for the Packers and tied the NFL record for the most touchdowns thrown by a QB in NFL history.
8) Matt Leinart got pulled in favor of Kurt Warner? Interesting. And Leinart was having a better season than Rex Grossman. How long before Grossman gets yanked?
9) Fantasy tip #1: If you think you'll need a new QB soon, pick up Brian Griese, he'll be the Chicago Bears' starter in 2 weeks. Fantasy tip #2: If you can get Reggie Bush, he'll likely start posting good numbers now that he will be the featured back in New Orleans.
10) Donovan McNabb and Kevin Curtis exploded and connected on 4 touchdown passes. I guess McNabb felt he had something to prove. Maybe he should play every game with something to prove. Maybe then he would have won a superbowl. And isn't that really what it's about when it comes to good quarterbacks who play on good teams? They get all the blame when the team doesn't win games, and all the blame when they don't win a superbowl. Not because they are black. Peyton Manning had the same criticism before he finally won last year. Same thing with Steve Young and John Elway before they won their superbowls. What about Jim Kelly? Dan Marino? Quality quarterbacks who will always be remembered for having not won a superbowl.
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) Holy crap. The Saints played a little better, but not good enough to win, and not significantly better than the last two weeks. And certainly not as well as I'd hoped, considering it was their home opener. I still blame their offensive line for not providing enough protection in the passing game. I'm starting to think I should also blame Marques Colston. He disappears for large chunks of games, and I'm pretty sure he was responsible for Brees's 4th interception. It looked like he gave up on the play and let the defender beat him to the ball. That's a Randy-Moss-as-Raider move.
2) Saints stat of the week: Steve Weatherford's punt average against the Titans: 53.3.
3) Looks like Deuce McAllister may have been ailing when he missed last week's second half. This week, he tore his ACL, probably out for the season. That sucks. He's a class act and a solid football player.
1) Outcomes that surprised me: The Cincinnati Bengals scored 45 points. And lost. To the Browns! Houston Texans over the Carolina Panthers (are the Texans for real? See my thoughts below). The Saints lost again.
2) Spygate. I don't know if every team videotapes their opponent's sideline, but clearly the Patriots are not the first, last, or only team to do it (hopefully the last, but probably not). Does that make it right? Of course not. Jimmy Johnson all but admitted on the FOX pregame show that he'd been involved in that type of activity. Nobody in the league (players, coaches, former players and coaches) seems particularly surprised or outraged, so I can only assume it was a common practice. The people making a big deal about it are the fans and media types. This is not a defense of the Patriots actions, just an acknowledgement that NFL teams have been cheating for a long time, hopefully it will stop now.
3) Olindo Mare sucks. The New Orleans Saints managed to take a position (kicker) that was rock solid for years with John Carney and turn it into a question mark.
4) Right now, the Patriots are looking like the best team in the league. Nobody in the NFC is even close, and only the Colts in the AFC seem like they could give them a good game.
5) Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans might be for real. Their defense looks legit, and Schaub is leading the team in a way the team has not been lead before.
6) The Oakland Raiders always find a way to lose. Somehow you instictively knew Janikowski would miss that second kick, didn't you?
7) Brett Favre watch: another week, another win. Grandpa pulled off the second win of the season for the Packers and captured the NFL record for the most wins by a QB.
8) O.J. Simpson has been arrested and is facing conviction. Again. I'm wondering how many crimes O.J. has NOT been arrested for. Most career criminals get arrested once for, I dunno, maybe every 6-7 crimes they commit. Or maybe O.J. is the worst criminal ever, getting caught every time. Either way, he's retarded.
9) Despite Derek Anderson's big day, I stand by my statement that the Browns should play Brady Quinn. Who's to say Quinn wouldn't have thrown 5 TDs, or at least 3, and gotten a huge confidence boost in the process? Is Anderson that much better than Quinn? If he is, then why plan to play Quinn at all this year? Just stick with Anderson and play the season. If you want to go with Quinn, then get him in the game and start racking up experience points.
10) Stating the obvious here, but the Saints pass defense is horrible. Their run defense has been pretty good, though. I thought Roman Harper would be all over the field making plays this year, but it hasn't happened.
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) Holy crap, did the Saints play terrible again. They made Tampa Bay look like world champions. Their offensive line looks like crap, forcing Drew Brees to dump the ball off quickly for short gains, not enough time to let longer plays develop.
2) Saints stat of the week: Fumbles by Saints running backs Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister: 4 (2 each). Only one of those fumbles was recovered by the Bucs, but it's indicative of the way the team played. The game was one big fumble.
3) What the hell happened to Deuce McAllister in the second half? Did he even play one snap? Get that kid involved in the game, he was the only player producing decent results in the first half.
1) Outcomes that surprised me: Green Bay Packers over the Philadelphia Eagles (I believed the Eagle hype), Washington Redskins over the Miami Dolphins (I expected the Redskins to go winless this year), the combined 80 points scored by the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants (I thought these were supposed to be strong defenses?).
2) I'm saddened by the spinal injury to Kevin Everett of the Buffalo Bills. A man is going to die on an NFL field one day, I'm glad it didn't happen this week, and hope it never happens, but it's inevitable. The players are only getting bigger, stronger, and faster as the years pass.
3) Damn good thing the San Diego Chargers won their game over the Chicago Bears. If the Bears had won, we'd hear nothing but Charger fans whining about the botched call when the Bears were offsides at the goal line. The Bears defense practically took the snap from center, yet somehow they were not offsides. Brilliant.
4) That's the way I expect Ben Roethlisberger to play, 4 touchdown passes. That is why I drafted him on my fantasy team last year and this year. Last year was a disaster and he pretty much cost me the championship in my league. This year he will atone for his sins against me.
5) Can't say Randy Moss surprised me with his big game for the New England Patriots. It's well known that Moss has the talent to create big statistics and plays hard only when he feels like it. On a quality team like the Patriots, he feels like it.
6) The Oakland Raiders still stink. Shocker.
7) Brett Favre is ridiculous. How is Grandpa still winning NFL games? He's a hall-of-famer, I just hope he doesn't get seriously injured while trying to extend his career a couple extra years.
8) The game winning field goal kicked by Jason Elam for the Denver Broncos was nutty, but not THAT nutty. That's the kicker's job, stay cool under pressure and make kicks.
9) Wow. Could Charlie Frye have been pulled any quicker? Well, technically, yes, he could have. But damn, that was a really quick hook. Most people are saying the Cleveland Browns should keep Brady Quinn on the sidelines for a while. Not me. I say throw him in there and give him some experience. The NFL is for men, not pussies. Weed out the pussies by throwing them into the fire and see how they react.
10) Alex Smith surprised me by leading the San Francisco 49ers to a late game victory. He gave no hints throughout the game of being able to run that offense, but when the game was on the line he came through for his team. 49ers still suck though.
Bonus! New Orleans Saints notes!
1) Holy crap, did the Saints play terrible in the second half against the Indianapolis Colts. First half was fine, they looked a bit rusty, but 10-10 at halftime against the Colts was perfectly acceptable. And then ... the Colts found their game and made the Saints look like chumps.
2) Saints stat of the week: The Saints had the ball on offense 3 1/2 minutes longer than the Colts.
3) The New Orleans Saints are much better than what they showed against the Colts. They had an off game and key players (Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Duece McAllister, Marques Colston, Jason David) had off nights. They are a very good team and will bounce back from this loss. Hopefully the whipping will serve as a wake-up call that the season has started.
If you pour Drano into a glass, serve it to your spouse, and your spouse dies, think you'd walk out of court scot-free on the defense that you didn't know Drano was poisonous? Even if you really didn't know, it wouldn't matter. It may have been accidental but you poisoned and killed your spouse just the same. And honestly, what jury would believe that you didn't know Drano is poisonous?
Ever been pulled over for speeding? Did you tell the cop you didn't know what the speed limit was? Did the cop say it didn't matter if you knew because you were speeding anyway? Did the cop write you a ticket? You bet he did.
So how are there still people who don't think Barry Bonds cheated? He admittedly used Balco steroid products. Whether or not he knew he was cheating is irrelevant to the fact that he cheated. He used the products. He cheated. It's simple.
The point is, it's your responsibility to know. To know what the speed limit is, to know Drano is poisonous, and if you are a professional athlete, to know what you are using in and on your body. Bonds needs to own up to that responsibility. Claiming ignorance is the lamest excuse on the planet because it is his responsibility to not be ignorant. He can't just shirk that responsibility and expect people to sympathize with him.
The amazing thing is, somehow, some people actually are sympathetic with Barry Bonds. The concept of personal responsibility is not popular. I've written plenty of words on the topic. It's always easier to blame others or claim ignorance than to stand up, take responsibility, and face the music. Nice role model you are, Barry Bonds. You are teaching kids it's okay to cheat as long as you don't get caught, and even if you do get caught, you just deny it.
Terrorists must love us, we make their job so very easy. Let's take a look at some of our fine residents and the terrorist-like acts they bring upon us by their own hands. Keep in mind, these all happened in the month of April alone!
Blown-up highway
Meet James Mosqueda,
James crashed a tanker truck full of gasoline, exploding and collapsing part of the MacArthur Maze in Oakland, just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco. This portion of the Bay Area highway system is an important cog in the daily commute. Bin Laden himself may not have chosen a more disruptive target.
According to police, David killed his elderly female neighbor, stole her car, shot a cop in the arm, drove to a shopping mall, opened fire, killed two people, then got shot and killed by police officers. Kansas City temporarily became a scene from American Born Killers.
This psycho murdered 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus before killing himself. I'm thinking he should have skipped the massacre and went straight to the suicide.
I love a good heated, passionate debate. I wish there would be more of this on television. I wish this is how political debates went down. Imagine a real throwdown between the next presidential candidates. Sweet.
The CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, received a bonus of $53.4 million dollars. Apparently it's a record setting amount for a bonus.
I want to take a moment to think about that money. What else could be done with it? How deserving is Mr. Blankfein of this huge sum of cash? I have to argue, not very. I'm sure he works hard and all that, and his company earned a dozen boat loads of money, but still, the success of his company is determined more by market conditions than anything he did. If they had a different guy at CEO, would they have performed much worse? I doubt it.
Here's what that amount of money could represent instead.
* $53,000 annual salary for 1,000 people for one year.
* The cash purchase of $270,000 homes for 200 families.
* The down payments on $270,000 homes for 1,300 families.
I'm not saying it is Goldman Sachs's responsibility to be more charitable with their money, but I guarantee there are people working within that company who could use the money, who are underpaid, who are under appreciated, who are part of the backbone of what makes that company tick.
And in this age of such severe income inequality, and dwindling middle class, I think companies should do all they can to help rebuild the middle class instead of increasing the divide between rich and poor.
"Oil companies tried their best to get us to feel sorry for them in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
...
But then came the third-quarter earnings reports from companies such as ExxonMobil, BP and Conoco-Phillips.
ExxonMobil said its profit rose by 75 percent. Conoco-Phillips was up 89 percent. BP was the piker among the three with only a 34 percent increase in profits.
So much for sympathy."
Motherfucking oil companies. And to me, it's not even about the oil. I only drive a car twice a week for 5 minutes each way. It's the principle. Companies should not be allowed to get away with this shit!
Where are the reduced gasoline prices to make it up to the consumers? Where are the money-hungry lawyers' class action lawsuits? The article states, "Politicians from both sides of the aisle are calling for investigations into the huge profits." Which is just the government's way of looking like they care, when really all they want is to give the appearance of outrage, but I'll bet nothing comes of it. Why do we - the consumers - not seem to care about this?
Because we're sheeple! We simply pay the price and bend over to take it the ass. That's the American way!
Truthfully, it's because we feel like there's nothing we can do. Our system is set up in such a way that we have elected officials that are supposed to take care of the "people." But they don't. We can't trust politicians to take care of us, and we have no other effective means to affect change (key word is "effective"). Sure you can set up a protest, or an internet site, but those tactics are simply not effective.
Certainly you've heard about the bombings in London yesterday. America's response to the attack was to "increase vigilance" within our mass transit systems, and raise the terror alert from "elevated" (yellow) to "high" (orange). I ask you, could our response make us look any more ridiculous? Even the Homeland Security Secretary who announced the increased terror level at a press conference said "we have no specific credible information suggesting an imminent attack here in the United States".
I heard the perfect analogy on the radio for what this is like. You ever play fetch with a dog, but instead of throwing the ball you pretend to throw it and hide it behind your back? The dog simply watches the motion of your arm and runs out into the field to retrieve the ball that you didn't throw. When he realizes there's no ball, he looks all around, looks up, looks down, he's bewildered.
America is the dog and al Qaeda is the guy holding the ball. Every time something happens, we run furiously to take action! Sort of. I don't consider an increased alert level to be "action". How about securing the nation's borders? That would be action. How about decisively ending that litle Iraq skirmish. That would be action too.
I'm embarrassed for my country this day.
Best wishes to those affected by the tragedy in London.
Prediction: No future American president will weather his/her administration without some sort of scandal.
One of the questions regular folk have been asking recently is along the lines of, "why did the media spend so much time covering the Michael Jackson trial, and so little time covering more important stories?" And the answer appears to have been, "because that's the story that generated ratings." Let us never forget that newspapers, television news shows, and radio shows are in the business of generating revenue. They require viewership and readership to stay afloat.
What does that have to do with the president, you ask? Americans love scandals, that's what. The media spends countless time and money covering the ridiculously unimportant "Runaway bride" and Jacko stories because that's apparently what people want to see. Legitimate media cover celebrity relationships almost as much as the tabloids. Who is Lindsay Lohen dating this week?
This is why the country will never have another presidency pass without scandal. Hell, we love scandal so much we even tried to dig one up on John Kerry, and he wasn't even president yet! I suppose we needed to have all the bases covered, in case he won. Clinton had Monica Lewinsky (no pun intended). Bush has Iraq and the missing WMD's. No matter how big or small, every president will be exposed from now on ... because gee whiz, what's more exciting than The President of the United States caught lying and cheating!? This is also why someone like John Kerry could never really get elected: too boring. The public couldn't smell scandal on him, he wasn't dynamic enough.
Politicians are celebrities now. And they know it. Which is how we arrive at Arnold Schwarzenegger elected as governor of California. If you're a celebrity, you're in. If you attract scandal, you're in. If you simply want to put your head down and get to work, you're out.
People give a lot of lip service towards "hard work", but they don't really believe in it. They don't practice it, and they don't reward it when it appears. They'd rather sit on the couch and hear about the latest celebrity scandal. The bigger the celebrity, or the bigger the scandal, the better.
