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First, the Oakland Raiders pull off a rarely seen midseason blockbuster trade for QB Carson Palmer, then the news that he is projected to start this Sunday against the Chiefs, and I think we have ourselves the top billing game of the NFL weekend.
There's also the celebratory fact that the Kansas City Chiefs are playing a meaningful game in 2011. A win on Sunday and the Halloween Monday Nighter against the San Diego Chargers becomes the hottest ticket in town (I'm gonna go as 13-year old Andy Reid).
To get in the spirit of Raider Week, I began watching videos on YouTube and came across this beauty entitled "Chiefs vs. Raiders: The History of the Rivalry" which seems to have aired last year on NFL Network (not sure how I missed this). I've decided to give this video the Sports Guy style breakdown that it truly deserves.
Here's the vid...
0:00 - The song for this video is super awesome. Does anything beat the music for NFL Films videos? Similar to any video being funny to the Benny Hill Theme Song, I think you could put any football video to this music and it becomes unequivocally riveting. I think I'll make this song my alarm for Sunday morning afternoon.
0:13 - Of all the hits in this video that would be declared illegal in today's NFL, this completely unnecessary flying clothesline off the top turnbuckle may have been the most illegal.
0:23 - This is the result of adults played the children's game Red Rover.
0:36 - "The Kansas City Chiefs: They were a team that projected the image that Hank Stram wanted to project - A dapper outfit." This is a pretty cool reputation.
0:42 - John Madden smoking a cigarette on the sideline of an NFL game. Has anybody else dominated three aspects of the sporting world as well as Jaaaaahn? His winning percentage as a head coach ranks 2nd all time. He popularized such words as "Boom!", "Whap!", "Bang!" and "Doink!" as an announcer (thanks Wiki). And yet everybody born after 1990 will remember him as The Godfather of sports video games. WAIT A SECOND...is that a hooter he's smoking? I'm becoming a bigger Madden fan by the minute.
0:50 - 0:57 - This series of hits on former Chiefs QB Lenny Dawson is in dire need of a few Wilhelm screams.
1:00 - Is that an interview with an active Kenny Stabler? He's a damn drunken bumpkin. I imagine him wearing Hillbilly Jim overalls during that interview with a pint of Old Crow in the breast pocket.
1:08 - And clearly Stabler is racist...
1:10 - What's with all the clothesline hits? Did those get outlawed at some point and time or just go out of style?
1:20 - Calm down...PHIL
1:28 - I distinctly remember my dad owning that same hat that sits upon Marty Schottenheimer's head. I guess the NFL didn't charge $40 for anything players or coaches wore back then because my dad wouldn't have paid that.
1:47 - "And the Raiders would make up their own rules" as we see Al Davis sporting an all white jumpsuit.
1:55 - What's the context of "the bastards got 3 points"? Was Marty encouraging the defense because they held them to a field goal? Was he pissed that his defense allowed them to even score 3 points? Or was he referring to his own offense as the bastards and thought that 3 points was enough for his defense?
2:02 - 2:24 - My love for obscure 90's Chiefs players is in sensory overload. Bill Maas, Dave Kreig, JJ Birden, Todd McNair, Leslie O'Neal, Chester McGlockton, Bam Morris (I demand to know where Donnell Bennett and Dino Hackett are). I almost cried right along with Marty.
2:17 - The Oakland QB right there is Donald Hollas. I thought I knew of every starting NFL QB of that era, especially within the division, but I have never heard of this dude. He went to Rice. And he led the Raiders to four straight wins in 1998! However, he threw 6 INT's in his final start. Three months later, the Raiders signed Rich Gannon.
2:29 - Greg Hill sighting!!!
2:51 - Documented proof that Thomas Jones can gain more than 5 yards in a single run.
2:57 - Darren McFadden leads the best rushing attack in the NFL against Kansas City this week. The Chiefs run defense has been secretly awesome this season (especially in the past three games). Shut down Oakland this week and they are officially for real. I feel you need to be dominant in one aspect of the game to be a real contender and the Chiefs lost that when Jamaal Charles went down. In other words, you'll learn everything you need to know about this team on Sunday. But first, one last brawl...
3:03 - Who knew Lenny D was so wily on the move like that? He's got wheels.
3:14 - Definitive punch to the groin.
3:18 - Look at Raider #84. I can't make out his name but I'm sure it rhymes with a part of the female anatomy. Perhaps he needs to have a sit down with overstimulated Phil from the 1:20 mark.
You can always tell a lot more about a man following a loss than you can after a win.
Congratulations Andrew Bynum, ya big dumb animal, you have now been reduced to a punchline for the rest of your existence (people may forget - I will remind them). In your effort to prove you're a tough guy, you took out the smallest guy on the court. Maybe you didn't see the elderly woman sitting courtside? Hopefully, there were some children in the locker room for him beat on to continue his hissy fit. Although, to be fair, I guess they didn't just get done abusing your backside to the point where the police had to be called (we've got a bleeder!). I am impressed that you were able to steal the goat label away from both L'Odom (who went after The Man) and Kobe Bryant (do your scowl Kobe!). I could attach any number of characterizations to your embarrassment, however I think the most obvious might be the most fitting - Bitch.
The best part about the Lakers meltdown was that it was such a glorious sight to take in that it effectively countered watching them win the past two NBA Championships. I feel like it's almost been negated in my mind now. Dejustified. Imagine how you'd feel if you were a true, die-hard Lakers fan (are there any?) right now. Not only did your team just take a beatdown of epic proportions, but they showed their true colors in the process. And you sit back and think to yourself, "This is the team I've been supporting this whole time...?!" I can't imagine how their true fans (there's gotta be some, right?) could go on supporting this current group of players. I guess it's a long offseason though.
The weirdest part of the whole thing was how surprised everybody was. I expected everything I saw in Game 4. Magic Johnson and Mike Wilbon were shocked that the Lakers came out with a weak effort in the first half, but I fully expected a Lakers lay down. This ain't Kobe's first time either. In fact, when he loses he usually goes down with a whimper in the Playoffs (2008 Finals anybody?). So maybe they just believed in Phil Jackson? Although, he had never been in a 3-0 hole before, and anybody that heard his pre-game taped interview could easily tell that he had moved on past this series. So once the game was in hand (around mid 2nd quarter), my thoughts immediately turned to what kind of Laker meltdown we were about to see. To my surprise, people weren't expecting this either. Why did people think the Lakers exude class? Because there were no qualms during their times of success? The best part of this series is how it verified everything I had previously thought about the Lakers.
Now on to the man...
Dirk Nowitzki - How ya like me now? Can this man finally get a break when being discussed as a current superstar and/or all time great? Does publicly undressing Kobe and spanking him in front of the entire fraternity of the NBA enough? I mean he had a few bad seriesi (although it was more his team than himself) and yet he gets brushed aside when compared to rest of the league's elite. Hell, Kobe has quit on his team 2-3 times throughout his career now, yet that barely gets a mention. It's as if quitting on your team carries more street cred than going all out but falling short. That's a sad, sad state of affairs, man.
But since this is the first time they've ever met in the NBA Playoffs, I have no problem now saying that Dirk Nowitzki owns Kobe. Whatcha'll say about that?
"Yea, but Kobe is on the tail end of his career, thus lessening Dirk's accomplishment." I almost bought into this argument myself, until one quick look at Wikipedia told me that DIRK IS OLDER than Kobe!
"Yea, but Kobe has 5 rings, while Dirk has none." Well, 3 of those rings belong to Shaq. Kobe played a big part in obtaining them, but now you're walking the slippery slope of putting the likes of Rick Fox ahead of Dirk (which wouldn't shock me to hear NBA folks do). 2 of the rings are rightly Kobe's, but he needed a star in Pau Gasol to get back to that level. Remember, he doesn't even have a single series victory without Shaq or Pau. So Laker fans (crickets) might wanna reconsider that whole blaming Pau thing.
"Yea, but this series wasn't about Kobe vs. Dirk. The Mavs are just better than the Lakers. Not Kobe's fault." Tell that to Dirk's reputation of the last 10 years. But, you are right, because Kobe's Lakers have the far superior team to the Mavs. As Sports Guy tweeted last night...
On paper, LA has 4 of the best 5 players in the series. Their 4th best player (Odom) would be #2 for Dallas.
So that would mean that Dirk would have to severely outplay Kobe to give his Mavs a chance at this shocking upset right? A quick look at point totals doesn't give you that impression. However, a deeper look at games 1 & 3 reveal that Dirk made the plays down the stretch, while Kobe came up empty (or was the 2nd choice behind L'Odom). Best closer in the league? Nein.
"Yea, but Kobe can just buy the Playoffs a 4 million dollar ring and it'll all go away." Now that one I cannot counter. Sometimes you just gotta tip your hat to a man that has it all figured out.
Enough about Kobe though. Like his teammates, I'm gonna give up on him. However, I remain very intrigued by what drives this perception of Dirk. As my buddy Cheebah Sheebah and I discussed the issue, we wondered if he will always remain perpetually underrated because he isn't flashy on or off the court. He rarely dunks the ball (although when he does it sounds something like this). He hardly even likes to shoot 3's anymore (even though he shot 70% for the series from deep). He DOES like to always make the right play (almost never see the Mavs take a bad shot, and that starts with Him), get all of his teammates involved (the most unselfish non-point guard in the NBA), and play smart. He's very comparable to Tim Duncan in these regards, but with one big difference: He's not boring as shit.
I'm just really glad to see Dirk rise up and make atleast one more (hopefully not last) run in the NBA Playoffs. I didn't (and never will) think that the NBA didn't intervene in the 2006 Finals, giving the Heat a hockey assist to the Championship (although I've never contended the Mavs are innocent in this injustice - I just think that title should be nullified altogether). I feel like if Dirk and I can keep feeding off the same seismic energy (huge bowling victory this week for Ze Dirkness), then he might just get his second chance.
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A week past the Super Bowl felt like the proper time to conclude football season (as well as Dirkness sports articles for a temporary attempt at movies) by finally sitting down to re-watch the Chiefs-Ravens playoff clash. You see the game an entirely different way watching on TV than you do in attendance at the game. For starters, at the game, you're more focused on the end result of each play as opposed to what led to the result of a play. All you care about is being as loud as humanly possible and witnessing success. I feel like you're more in tune with the game because you're feeling many of the same emotions that the players are feeling (the atmosphere, the weather, momentum, etc.) At home, you're in constant reminder of what players are doing what, and more in tune of WHY stuff is happening. You're usually more aware of the tiny nuances that make the game so beautiful (in game adjustments, breaking tendencies, injuries, replays, etc.). I've made a point to re-watch every Chiefs game I attended throughout the year so that I was able to get the best of both worlds. Time was both available and needed after, what turned out to be, the last game of a GREAT Kansas City Chiefs season.
I've decided I'm gonna attack this article in a Sports Guy retro diary kind of way, sharing thoughts with you as the game goes on in chronological order.
12:00 - I LOVE the CBS pregame hype-up videos. I feel instantaneously fired up about this game, almost like we've been given a second chance.
12:03 - Jim Nantz: "It snowed overnight here, but now it's just cold."
12:05 - Eric Berry almost picks off the pass on the very first play of the game, which I half remember. Now realizing that I'm gonna cringe at every missed opportunity that could've altered the outcome of this game.
12:08 - Flowers follows that with another near INT
12:10 - "Houshmandzadeh has been involved in some jawing on the last two plays." This is the point where I tried to decipher which race he was so I could hurl vulgar slurs his way. I settled on "vagina."
12:12 - Fumbled Flacco snap on 1st and goal at the 1 yard line. Missed opportunity number 3 of the first drive.
12:13 - Ray Rice is a bitch.
12:15 - Berry finishes his up-and-down drive with a terrific breakup of a pass. Heap beat him for multiple 3rd down conversions on the drive. It seemed like Berry was involved on every single play of that drive, which I think is a good thing. I can't remember the last Chiefs goalline stand from the 1 yard line, and if I didn't know the end result of this game, I'd say that was huge. 3-0 Ravens.
12:18 - The blimp view displays a "Go Chiefs" between two arrowheads and HyVee logos in the stands. How did this happen? Was it superimposed? Was everybody holding up cards of some sort? SOMEBODY ANSWER ME!
12:20 - Beautiful deep fade throw to Moeaki on the second play for the Chiefs offense and he lands just out of bounds. The bipartisan part of me is thinking none of the breaks are going our way.
12:21 - God Jam gets rocked on his first carry and pops up emphatically with a nice Wilhelm scream. Mutual respect begins to radiate out of Ray Lewis' body. Chiefs punt.
12:27 - 3rd and 11 swing pass to Ray Rice picks up a first down. I had heard endless criticism of Jon McGraw from this game. There's the first piece of evidence.
12:28 - Haley challenges after the Ravens get the first down by a few inches (great balancing effort by The Pocket Butthole, Ray Rice). Don't like challenging calls in the first quarter unless it's a huge play or obvious. I think what he really wanted to challenge was his decision to keep McGraw on the roster.
12:36 - First goosebumps of the game watching Tamba crawl around on the ground after strip-sacking Flacco. The Chiefs get their first break of the game with Joe's non-recovery skills.
12:37 - First play after the turnover is a flea flicker, another play I didn't remember. Love the call. Kevin Curtis was open. Wait, who?
12:37 1/2 - Before the snap, I scream at the top of my lungs, "RUN JAMAAL CHARLES!"
12:38 - GOD JAM CHARLES! His head-bobbing run was oddly reminiscent of Priest Holmes record breaking touchdown run (edit: the run I'm referring to a Priest run that came against the Miami Dolphins in a weird Friday night game, where he bobs his head just like JamaAL did for like 30 yards). At this point, I can't believe we could lose. 7-3 CHIEFS!
Game Pause: In search of this Holmes run I was referring to I stumbled across this video, which must immediately be seen by anybody who has ever cheered on the Chiefs. Roll it....
First off, the Priest arms out move is so fuckin' awesome that words cannot even describe it. Second, check out the Trent Green block on the run starting at the 3:08 mark. Third, pay attention to the score in the Minnesota game: Down 31-0 but score 3 TD's in about 5 minutes to cut it to 31-20. Lastly, Priest's record-setting run (the one I had gotten it confused with) came against the Bears and was so unbelievably brilliant that it transcended football (and life, for that matter) and exceeds anything I, or my children, or my children's children could ever accomplish.
12:41 - Nantz brings up God Jam's run against the Chargers from the season opener which confirms my sentiment that this game seems remarkably similar to. Opponent races out to an early lead, looks like it might pull away with it, until a long Charles run swings the tide.
12:44 - Really like how Eric Berry positions tape at both joints on his fingers. That IS badass.
End of 1st quarter - Can't believe how good the Chiefs look outside of 3rd down defense. The Ravens are completely unable to run the ball, but seem to find success on every short crossing route. Defense has been on the field for too much of the first quarter, confirmed by the Ravens 27-5 advantage in offensive plays.
12:47 - Eric Berry just made an unfathomably amazing play where he came from a deep safety position all the way across the field to break up a 5 yard drag route in the flat. My god Berry, my god.
12:48 - Ravens punt from the Chiefs' 40 yard line on 4th and 5. I break the World Record for most times yelling "vaginas" in public in a 60 second time span. Nate tallied 44, while Rob said 47.
12:51 - JamaAL Charles for 11 yards. JamaAL Charles for 8. JamaAL Charles for 7. Just sayin'.
12:53 - JamaAL fumble. I need a drink. Let it be known that the Chiefs were dominating up to this point.
12:57 - Interesting to note that his fumble wasn't the tide-turner that I thought it was. Following a Ravens' 3-and-out and bad punt, the Chiefs still stand in good shape. I sense doom though.
12:59 - Hold up! The "bad Ravens punt" was marked out of bounds at the 18 yard line by the side judge. Coming back from commercial the ball is sitting at the 13. This is bullshit! There was no penalty to speak of, and ESPN's play by play shows the punt going to the 13. But I just re-watched and double-checked it 5 times. I'm now debating writing a letter to the NFL asking them to reconsider the outcome of this game. I think it should be replayed from the moment of this punt, 9:12 left in the 2nd quarter.
Now, everybody's first reaction to this is gonna be, "Did it cost them the game?" Which nobody could reasonably argue, but this is a big business league. This is an NFL playoff game. I'm just a fan, but people's livelihoods are at stake on games like this. And no, that's not an exaggeration. I just don't understand how this could happen, and makes me question how often this happens.
1:00 - First play of the drive is a beautiful fake screen to McCluster quick slant to Moeaki over the middle. This is a play design with a very high chance to succeed.
1:01 - Next play is Jam Charles for 11, finishing the run by lowering his shoulder into Ravens CB Josh Wilson. "Charles shaken up right here Phil" may have been the biggest turning point in the game.
1:07 - McCluster gets absolutely trucked by Ed Reed to end the drive. These are the drives I was most curious about in re-watching this game, when the Chiefs had the ball and the lead. I think there was only two of them, and both were squandered by mistakes (Charles fumble, Albert false start on 3rd and 3).
1:08 - Ricky Price fucks up downing the punt inside the 5 yard line leads to me throwing a pillow in frustration. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
1:14 - Joe Flacco to Todd Heap on 3rd and 13 (McGraw on the coverage) is the biggest play of the game to this point. Ensures the Ravens with the last drive of the half, ultimately leading to the pull ahead score.
1:17 - Pretty good little cheap shot on Flacco from Jovan Belcher right there. Goes uncalled. Neither Berry nor McGraw can stop Heap (season highs in catches and yards before half).
1:20 - Apparent miscommunication between DJ and McGraw leads to Rice touchdown. DJ doesn't run with him, and looks around after he scores like he thought somebody should've been there. McGraw jumped a slant over the middle from the opposite side, which was already well covered by Berry. McGraw went with his instincts. Good eye manipulation by Prop Joe. Ravens 10-7.
HALFTIME - It's frustrating because I really feel like the Chiefs were the superior team in the first half. KC owned the line of scrimmage, finding plenty of room to run the ball, while the Ravens could hardly muster anything on the ground, hanging around with long 3rd down conversions thrown to Todd Heap. Cassel only attempted 5 passes in the 1st half, none of which in D-Bowe's direction obviously. Without knowledge of the end result, I would feel confident in the Chiefs coming back in the 2nd half.
1:38 - I had no idea Matt Cassel played in the Little League World Series, but I love that his nickname was "Moose."
1:39 - Chiefs come out pass, pass, pass on the first drive. The second pass was a fake screen to McCluster, screen to McCluster, truly one of the worst play designs I've seen of the Chiefs season. The third pass was intercepted, at which point Ed Reed immediately begins clapping his hands wanting the pitch, which the Japanese Ravens finally does, only to get it stripped away. Who forced the fumble AND recovered it? That would be Jamaal Charles.
1:40 - Oh yea, what an incredibly stupid play by Reed. I can't consider him one of the all-time greats after witnessing something that idiotic.
1:44 - I think it went largely unnoticed that Barry Richardson played a great game, atleast so far.
1:45 - Thomas Jones did a bad job of picking his hole on the 3rd and 1 prior to the biggest play of the game. If he plows behind Asamoah and Shaun Smith he easily gets the first down.
1:46 - Oy. The 4th and 1 toss to Charles was unbelievably bad. I watched the play over and over and I think the blame goes on Leonard Pope, who was slow to get out of his stance, and then stumbled into his block, giving the Ravens' Jarret Johnson the corner, forcing Charles to cut it back. It's funny how you never know which player can be involved in the biggest play of your season, and sometimes it's someone like Leonard Pope not executing, and that's all it takes. You never know.
1:49 - Wow, I can't believe they just called that Roughing the Passer on Tamba Hali. I guess that makes up for the non-call on Belcher. I guess...
1:50 - Eric Berry just caught a pass that happened to be in 'Quan Boldin's chest.
1:51 - Ray Rice is a bitch.
1:52 - Obvious holding call on Oher vs. Dorsey goes uncalled.
1:54 - I feel like the Chiefs have missed so many opportunities in this game that I want another shot to cheer them on harder. I can do better! Ravens 13-7.
1:58 - Intentional grounding call was absolute bullshit. D-Bowe ran an out, was covered, and cut up field, at which point Moose Cassel threw it, only D-Bowe stopped on it, giving the appearance of intentional grounding. I'm now booing at my TV.
2:01 - Don't ask me my thoughts on Dexter McCluster until next season unless you want to see a grown man bitch and moan like an 8 year old girl.
2:02 - Awful illegal contact penalty on Eric Berry. This quarter is being officiated atrociously bad, one of the worst I've ever seen.
2:06 - It's tough to say the defense didn't do their job in this game after stuffing the Ravens on yet another red zone trip. 16-7 Ravens.
2:09 - Leonard Pope manhandled by Suggs on a running play that looked promising. Cut him, cut him now.
2:10 - Cassel interception. It's fair to say he's entering "shitting his pants" territory.
2:11 - After the announcers talked about how the Ravens were going to attack Brandon Carr all game long, I don't think they've thrown at him a single time.
2:12 - At this point, the Chiefs defense is playing 10-on-11 with Mike Vrabel on the field.
2:13 - I think I'm becoming a Tyson Jackson fan.
2:16 - At this point the Chiefs felt the same way that I did up in the stands. Fight!
2:18 - Flowers chews out Vrabel after touchdown throw to 'Quan. Changing of the guard on the defense? Ravens 23-7.
End of 3rd quarter - This 3rd quarter fits every necessary criterion to be classified as a complete and utter meltdown (and I wrote that before the Cassel tuck rule call).
2:20-2:35 - (Pouting...)
2:36 - Awesome back-to-back play sequence where Oher drives Belcher's face back well after the whistle followed by Belcher kicking him in the face to get off of him. Next play Belcher punks Oher in the face after the play, faux-knocking him to the ground. Somebody should tell him that Sandra Bullock sucks as a person.
2:39 - Of all the bad plays in the game, I think the Demorrio Williams offsides on the Ravens punt may have been the most depressing.
2:44 - Awesome. Things got so chippy, with scuffles after each play, that the refs went to both head coaches and told them, "Stop it!"
2:48 - McGahee scores a TD and then this happens....
2:54 - Ray Lewis is pacing the sideline like he just murdered somebody and got away with it.
Final: Baltimore Ravens 30, Kansas City Chiefs 7 - Just remember Chiefs fans, something like 7 straight postseason losses can build character (yes, in you as a fan), and it will make that streak-breaking victory all the sweeter. Trust me, fans of teams that win all the time don't cherish it, and would long for the emotions that will overtake us when it happens.
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Ever since the Indianapolis Colts complained endlessly after playing like girls and getting curbstomped by the New England Patriots in the 2003 AFC Championship game, the pass interference rule in the NFL has gotten out of hand. It had a major part in deciding three (count 'em 3!) games this past weekend.
Chiefs~Texans
Cowboys~Vikings
Broncos~Jets
(insert video here)
All the talk surrounding the hard legal hits from this past weekend has kept NFL fans in the dark about a much bigger problem that needs to be discussed. This would've been the perfect week to talk about it. Damn you James Harrison (you should probably retire) and Brandon Meriweather (dude probably brings his helmet to gang fights).
I'll let you slide Dunta Robinson (sorry Smiley)....
Ay Chihuahua that's a big hit! The Pass Interference did pick up some steam from a few familiar voices on Twitter this weekend. Let's check them....
Jason Whitlock: Pass interefernce is the biggest plague in football. It's worse than the BCS.
ESPN's Sports Guy: Here's what I don't get: why don't bad teams just throw deep every down + try to get long pass interfererences? Seems like they'd hit 20%.
A spot foul is just too big of a penalty for what can be, and oftentimes is, extremely minor contact. Too often teams are throwing jump balls down field, with a receiver and cornerback handfighting each other evenly, only to see the defender get flagged resulting in a 50 yard gain. It's too much. Like Sports Guy suggests, teams are designing plays in hopes of drawing the penalty. As a league, this isn't what you want. Penalties are designed to intervene when one side unfairly gains an advantage, but should remain the backstory to the actual play on the field. Having teams purposely try to draw flags penalties/fouls is against the spirit of the game. It's terrible. It's one step closer to the NBA.
You have two options when deciding how to fix the rule.
Option 1: Take a page from the college rule book, and make all Pass Interference penalties 15 yards and an automatic first down. Any infractions shy of 15 yards, should be marked at the spot. Way less complaining in the college game than in NFL you might notice.
Option 2: Instigate a minor and a major infraction. Make the major call a spot foul. Make the minor call a 10 yard penalty. Anything short of 10 yards wouldn't need a minor/major designation and would be a spot foul plus automatic first down. An automatic first down would accompany both major and minor calls as well.
I prefer Option #2 personally. I think it would be the fairest way to enforce the penalty. However, I would be very pleased with option #1 as well, in order to keep things easier, and leave less rule intrepretation for the officials, who have a hard enough job already, and take enough blame from fans and media for their team's losses.
On to the rankings....
NFL Power Rankings: Week 6 Edition
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. New York Jets
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. New England Patriots
6. New Orleans Saints
7. Indianapolis Colts
8. Philadelphia Eagles
9. Tennessee Titans
10. New York Giants
11. Miami Dolphins
12. Kansas City Chiefs
13. Green Bay Packers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. Houston Texans
16. Washington Redskins
17. Seattle Seahawks
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. Cincinnati Bengals
20. Chicago Bears
21. Dallas Cowboys
22. St. Louis Rams
23. San Diego Chargers
24. Denver Broncos
25. Arizona Cardinals
26. Detroit Lions
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
28. San Francisco 49ers
29. Cleveland Browns
30. Oakland Raiders
31. Carolina Panthas
32. Biffalo Buffs
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Without much insight to share from the game last night, and with recovery still a few days away, I thought I'd share what the media (mostly national) has been saying about the big Chiefs victory over the San Diego Chargers last night, specifically about what I touched on prior to the game, the Arrowhead Stadium crowd. I wanted the nation to realize they'd been overlooking Kansas City for what it was the last few years (due to sucking), the best crowd in the NFL. And this may have been the best NFL game I've ever been to (with only the 2003 Chiefs-Broncos- Dante's return- game as competition).
I plan on rewatching the game on TV to see what many of you out there saw. When your in attendance at a game, individual plays and players take less precedence, with all emotion and brainpower put towards winning the game and what's about to happen next. On TV, you get replays and announcers telling you who did what. I'll be sure to share some thoughts after watching some film this week. For now, my thoughts don't extend past this.....
Michael Wilbon had this to say on Tuesday's Pardon the Interruption...
Last night (the crowd) lifted that team. As loud and appreciative a crowd as I've ever seen in pro football.
The Evil Empire's Sports Guy had this to say via Twitter...
Great job by the Chiefs fans tonight. Now that was a football crowd!
Tony Reali on Around the Horn intro'd the game like this...
The New Arrowhead Stadium, what'd you guys think? It was CRAZY LOUD! And they had plenty to cheer about.
Woody Paige on Around the Horn made this large statement...
They've (Chiefs) always had that great support. Give them a little bit of a team and they'll come out and be the best crowd in the NFL.
Former Kansas City Star columnist Joe Posnanski busted this tweet out...
Even if it's only for a night, it's great to see Arrowhead alive and red and loud again.
Current KC Star columnist Sam Mellinger added this....
Chiefs crowd is rocking. Feel like I'm in a time machine.
Edit: Jim Rome did come through with this via twitter...
Man...been a few mins since I've seen Kansas City's house this ELECTRIC. That joint is bumping HARD.
These were just the ones I came across in my favorite morning after Chiefs game in quite some time. Scott Van Pelt was also raving about the crowd from last night, but I didn't get a chance to record his show. The only person that didn't touch on the crowd at all was Jim Rome (edit), who spent his time raving about our young speedsters instead. I'll take it. More coming on the Chiefs this week when my head is no longer pounding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Finals have been such an eclectic group of games, that I feel like there is no one way to properly analyze and sum up everything that is happening. Each game is vastly different than its predecessor, consisting of different players starring in each game. Game 1 was all about The Bearded Seal, King Kong Kung Pau (although I didn't watch, his numbers told the story). Ray Allen dominated Game 2 with an NBA Finals record eight three-pointers. Derek Fisher took over the 4th quarter of Game 3. Self-appointed "Shrek n' Donkey" (Big Slobby Davis and Lil' Mane Robinson) were the stars off the bench for Game 4, while Paul Pierce, The Troof, finally asserted himself in Game 5. You may notice a big name left off of that list, the Icon Impersonator himself (while John Hollinger of the Evil Empire wrote a shameful article suggesting Kobe should be the MVP, even in a losing effort). Will Game 6 be his game? He must do a better job of delegating the ball, as he took his teammates out of rhythm with his 3rd quarter raindrops, leaving them with nobody else to help contribute come 4th quarter, and wearing himself out in the process. Is new Kobe II back to old Kobe II or was there ever even a transformation? We should find out in Game 6 tonight.
If there was one defining angle to take away from the first five games, it would be that the Celtics are much tougher than the Lakers, perfectly evidenced by the extremely symbolic play that saw Paul Pierce outmuscle, outwill, and outheart the ball out of Kobe II's hands at the end of Game 5. This seemed to start at halftime of Game 4, when the Celtics emerged from the locker room with their season on the line ready to beat up what they perceive as a soft Lakers team, specifically their frontcourt, with a hobbled Gomorrah. If I had to guess, I'd say this stems directly from Kevin Garnett, who seems to be the tone setter for the Celtics. I think he is just a mean dude, and has rubbed off on to the mostly talentless Kendrick Perkins, creating a monster that is very effective on the boards and defensive end. These are two blokes I would not want to run into in a dark alley. It's strange because the Lakers obviously outclass the Celtics in talent, but can't measure up to their toughness, will, and resolve. And if you doubt them, then you'll get the Paul Pierce treatment, just like this referee did...
All this being said, I believe the series to be a complete toss-up right now. This is what the Finals should always come down to, the team with the last two home games needing to win both for the title. I expect some fishy, one-sided officiating for Game 6, but to what extent? And how many times will Cheezy Sheed Wallace whirling dervish his way down the court after a slaptacular foul call? I do believe the Celtics need to tone down the on-court whining, or atleast the spectacles they create about singletary calls. It doesn't help their cause. So with a gun pointed at my head right now, and my fate on the line based on the pick of this series, I think I'd go with the Celtics by a vuvuzuela.
So what are the keys to tonight's Game 6? Well, the Celtics' are obvious: Keep the inept Con Artest on the floor as much as possible. If I were Phil Jackson, I would severely limit his minutes, and would even consider playing The Abominable Snowman, Luke Walton, over him. Or they could just play The Unrealized Potential, L'Odom, more minutes. Anytime there is a player on the court that the other team openly roots for to shoot, and even cheer when he makes one because that means he's certain to shoot more, that's a bad sign. The Lakers' goals seem clear to me too: They have to get Kung Pau more involved in the game. If he remains intimidated by the Celtics frontcourt, which was the case in Game 5 and all of the 2008 Finals, than the Lakers will lose. I would aim to get The Bearded Seal 20 shots in Game 6 (shot totals so far: 14, 10, 11, 13, 12. Kobe II's shot totals: 22, 20, 29, 22, 27). The Dirkness guarantees that if Kung Pau takes more shots than Kobe II, then the Lakers will win the game. It's ironic that the reason they work so well together (Pau's passiveness and security in Beta-dog status) could end up being their tragic downfall.
Dirkness prediction for Game 6: Lakers 96-87, in an ethically questionable matter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I thought I'd steal a page from The Sports Guy and keep a running diary of thoughts while enjoying a full slate of the final week's worth of games in the NFL:
Games on: Noon~Steelers-Dolphins, Vikings-Giants, 3PM~Chiefs-Broncos
~Wes Welker gives support to the strategy of resting starters by going down with what has to be a season-ending knee injury. This is huge. He has been a bigger factor than Randall Gene Moss this year-his actual middle name.
~A Tyler Thigpen sighting on the Dolphins sidelines- almost forgot he still existed.
~I like Chad Henne a lot in his first year of starting. He reminds me of an old Carson Palmer pre-knee injury. Even more proof that Bill Parcells knows what he's doing on draft day. I expect the Dolphins to be in the playoffs next year.
~Anyone who thinks safety isn't an important position in the NFL needs to watch the season in review tape of the Pittsburgh Steelers this year and pay attention to them with and without Troy Polamalu. Helloooooo Eric Berry!
~Why aren't networks quicker to switch games when they aren't close and there are no regional ties? Can't they just put a person in charge of choosing which games are being shown? Can I apply for this job? I put the blame for this not existing squarely on Roger Goodell.
~Visanthe Shiancoe is unfairly anatomically gifted. This guy knows what I'm talking about...
~Brett Favre is definitely a rhythm passer and seems to have found it today. If he stays in that rhythm, nobody will beat the Vikings.
~The Rams starting quarterback is some guy named Keith Null. How could they be 1-14?
~I would check out the Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator, Dan Henning. They are one of the most exciting and creative offenses in the league without top talent.
~At first I just saw Tyler Thigpen on the sideline. He is now in the game and has led two touchdown drives in about 3 minutes. This is bittersweet to watch because I like Thiggy, but well obviously...Somewhere Chan Gailey is smiling.
~Thigpen makes a terrible decision in the Red Zone and throws a pick. Seems very familiar. I sure do miss the excitement he brings to Sundays though.
~Thankfully Jacksonville lost to the Browns ending any shot at a playoff berth. They would've been blown out by whoever they played and I'm glad I don't have to sit through it.
~I'm basing my NFC Super Bowl pick on who gets the 2nd seed. If Philly beats Dallas tonight then I'm going with Philly. If they lose, I'm going with Minnesota.
~First play of Chiefs game defies all conventional wisdom. Terrence Copper catches a pass. Champ Bailey gets burnt. Matt Cassel throws successful deep pass. And the Chiefs have their first offensive touchdown of the first quarter ALL YEAR!!!
~A day of firsts- The first sack of the season for Glenn Dorsey!!!
~One of my favorite things to see in football is the punt returner who is nowhere near breaking a good return gets up and acts like he was oh so close to breaking it. Lets call it the Dante Hall post goodness syndrome.
~Two good plays by Brandon Carr already, crashing the block and tripping Knowshown on a 3rd and 1 run, and a 3rd down pass breakup.
~The Chiefs are driving down the field with a chance to go up two scores and Haley calls for a trick play pass to Matt Cassel?!?!?! I officially have zero confidence left in Todd Haley. He is a joke of a coach. What a loser. Could've challenged the catch too.
~The Pass Interference rules need to be adjusted. It's the most inconsistently called penalty in the game, and you can't have minor touches resulting in 40 yard gains. There needs to be a major and a minor infraction. Major-spot foul. Minor-10 yard penalty. Boom Boom Pow. Terrible call on my man B. Carr.
~Denver's in-com-plete chant is the lamest cheer in all of sports. It is the only play of no consequences. Nothing happens. It's a reset. It would be like having a cheer for a missed shot in basketball. Or a cheer for a foul ball in baseball.
~I don't care if it worked this time, add lining up in shotgun on 3rd and 1 to the list of continuously stupid moves made by Haley.
~Jamaal Charles is a stud. He has figured out how to read blocks and use his electric speed. Throw in just a decent bigger back (easy to find) to back him up and we are set at running back.
~How many times are we going to see Bobby Wade and Todd Haley almost come to blows on the sideline this year?
~These refs are doing an atrocious job. Pick up the pass interference flag on Denver for "not enough contact" and then throw another terrible one on Brandon Flowers on a 3rd and 20.
~Haley not prepared to go for 2 to try for a 14 point lead with 9 minutes left. Mistake.
~Derrick Johnson--where have you been all my life?
~Tamba Hali owns Broncos offensive tackle Ryan Clady. He has 4 sacks on him this year and has been in the backfield all day today. That's a bright spot for the future. I predicted 10 sacks on the year for Hali, he finished with 8.5, but the point was made.
~Nobody, and i mean NOBODY, blows the last game of the season...like the Denver Broncos! 49ers, Chargers, Chiefs.
~The curse is broken...Chiefs snap an 8 game losing streak at the fake Mile High!
