And the Drama Begins...

Well the usual post season fallout has begun with the firing of three head coaches and the annoyingly persistent question of Brett Favre's retirement. The Browns' Romeo Crennel, the Lions' Rod Marinelli and the Jets' Eric Mangini all received their pink slips today with no real surprise. Crennel and Marinelli are no-brainers, but I was a little surprised with the firing of Mangini since I don't think their downfall was all on him. He was not the one that threw three interceptions and I'm sure he wasn't solely behind the off-season spending spree that everyone had expected would get them to the Super Bowl. However, apparently Mangini's coaching style is a sore topic among players, as well as the team's effort to mold everything around #4. I guess the only problem I have with this decision is that same ol' excuse owners give for why they fired their coach..."we're going in a different direction." And what direction would that be??? Ummm, how about winning? According to Jets owner Woody Johnson, this was a decision they had been chewing on throughout the season. Really Woody? You mean, when you all were sitting around in the off-season coming off a 4-12 record and decided to buy your way into the Super Bowl by paying for all this fantastic talent and then figured you'd guaranteed the win in Tampa Bay by signing Brett Favre, was that when you thought of going in a different direction? Or was it when you got off to a phenomenal 8-3 start with Favre having one of his best games ever throwing for six touchdowns in Arizona? No, Woody, I'd be willing to bet this didn't come up until you went 1-4 badly over the last five weeks. Frankly, if you look back on all the teams' records after they fire their head coaches a day after Week 17 is in the bag, and their reason is "because they want to go in a different direction," I'm guessing that's code word for "we're pissed, you're outta here!" As I mentioned before, Crennel and Merinelli were obvious. Merinelli said it himself - "You can't go 0-16 and expect to keep your job." But you can always tell when a team's ownership is just pissed because they just realized that they're not as good as they thought they were and they're probably embarrassed. Oh well, hopefully they'll be going in the right direction this time. But yes, that question still remains - will the new direction include Brett Favre? Well the Jets don't think he was the problem (hmmmm, 22 interceptions?) and they really want him to stay. Personally I don't think they want to admit they made a mistake putting so much on the Brett Favre band wagon. But believe it or not, I think we've finally seen the last of Favre - although he still wants to drag it out. I think he's finally realizing that even though he still has the passion and drive for the game, he doesn't have the body. I'm really disappointed that he didn't realize this last year because, for me at least, his reputation has really been tarnished by the long drama that played out in the off-season and the dismal end to this promising season. And just to top it off, he didn't even go shake Chad Pennington's hand after the game! How classic for the quarterback who literally got kicked off the team because Favre had something to prove and then got the sweetest payback by beating him and taking his team (after a 1-15 season) to the playoffs! But Favre, I won't go as far as saying you're "old, washed up, and gray." You've given us 18 years of spectacular football and we'll never forget it. You're guaranteed a place in the Hall of Fame for all to see. It's really not worth another couple seasons full of pressure and pain for...well, what? So it's only been one day. We've got eight more months until the start of the 2009 season that I'm sure will be filled with more drama. I'll be sure to keep putting in my .02 cents:)

We Made It!

Week 17 is over! Well the Broncos-Chargers game is still on but close enough. All I can say is "we made it!" I say that for a few reasons:

1. The 49ers won an AWESOME game!
2. The 49ers hired Mike Singletary!
3. The Eagles beat the Cowboys and made it to the playoffs!

So all in all, this was a great ending to a long, exciting regular season for me. Now on to an exciting post season. The cool thing is that it's really going to be hard to call who goes to the Super Bowl - especially after the favorites, the Patriots and the Cowboys, have been knocked out of the playoffs altogether and the Giants aren't very strong going into the post season. On a side note - not sure it was very smart for the Giants to rest their starters. That tends to be a death sentence in the playoffs.

I'm really disappointed they didn't show the Eagles-Cowboys game here. Although, not really sure you can call it a game with a score of 44-6. But still, I would have loved to have seen how this game completely unravelled. I'm shocked that the Cowboys did so poorly. I know they haven't been playing their best, but NO touchdowns???

I went to today's Niners-Redskins game and it was fantastic! We're really starting to notice a huge difference since Singletary took over. So it was wonderful to start the game knowing Jed York had been promoted to team president, coming out with a huge win at home and then finishing with Singletary being announced as the head coach. I kind of equate Singletary to Coach Dungy in that he's so successful because of the character he brings to the organization overall. Although it sure helps that he's a Hall of Fame linebacker with a great work ethic (Dungy actually played one season with the Niners as well).

So a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks and the 2009 season as well. We haven't gotten off the roller coaster yet:)

The Surprises

So after Week 14, the playoff spots were still very much up in the air. Now, heading into Week 17 - the last week of the season - we still have some spots being fought over. We can pretty much throw my predictions out the window, along with the predictions that the experts made at the beginning of the season (now I don't feel so bad:) ). But what's really exciting is the teams that have earned spots or are still in the hunt. Predictions aside, some of the teams that got off to terrible (and sometimes surprising) starts are now in the playoffs. First, my absolute favorite surprise, the Miami Dolphins. I am so happy for this team who went from a 1-15 record last season to 10-5 this season. That's incredible!!!! Next we have the San Diego Chargers that were at 4-8 and then won their last three games for a 7-8 record going into Week 17. How can they get in with an 8-8 record you ask? Trust me, I asked too:) Well, if the Chargers beat the Denver Broncos (8-7), they'd be tied at 8-8, but the Chargers would have the better conference record. Unbelievable!!! Lastly, I have to say the Atlanta Falcons have improved drastically. They went from 4-12 last season (and a whole lot of foolishness with the Michael Vick fiasco) to 10-5 and a playoff spot. That's fantastic!!! So on to Week 17! I'm so excited to see how this is all going to work out! Happy Holidays everyone!!!!!

Where Are They Now?

So we've just completed week 14. It's been quite a ride and we're not done yet. With only three weeks left in the season, only three teams have clinched division titles - the AFC South Tennessee Titans, the NFC East New York Giants, and the NFC West Arizona Cardinals. Now before I go any further, I've got to say CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ARIZONA CARDINALS!!! OK, back to my point. At this point last season, all divisions had been clinched as well as wild card spots and home field advantage for the Patriots and the Cowboys. Weeks 15, 16 and 17 are going to be really exciting! The AFC East is all tied up with the Jets, Patriots and Dolphins at 8 - 5. The AFC North is close with the Steelers at 10 -3 and the Ravens at 9 - 4. The NFC North is close with the Vikings at 8 - 5 and the Bears at 7 - 6. And the NFC South is up in the air with the Panthers at 10 - 3 and the Bucs at 9 - 4. So I'm going to take a stab and make some predictions. In the AFC East, I'm going with Jets, Patriots, then Dolphins. In the AFC North, I think I'll go with the Steelers on top. I'm going with the Bears over the Vikings in the NFC North. And I think the Bucs are going to come out on top over the Panthers. And on another quick note, the league is going to be looking into extending the season an extra few weeks! Yay!!!!

Perplexed by Plaxico

OK, sorry everyone. I'm a little late but I still have to put in my two cents. I'm confused by a few things regarding the Plaxico Burress incident.

1. I'm starting to understand the thought process behind these guys having guns, but if it's for your protection, why is it not registered in the state(s) you live and socialize in???
2. Why are you carrying a gun without the safety on???
3. What in the world made you think you could carry a Glock (or any gun for that matter) in the waistband of your sweats???
4. And why are you wearing sweats to a club anyway???

I know why everyone went through so much effort to cover up this story - this has got to be the dumbest incident I've ever heard! And for this, Plax will likely spend the next 3 years in jail. All I can do is shake my head.

For another perspective, read What Sucks - this is hilarious!

And now I'll leave you with the most pitiful comment by Plax's lawyer that needs no commentary: "He is standing tall. He is a mature adult...I think any professional athlete in this situation would be concerned."