What a weekend

          Wow. Simply wow. What a weekend in the NFL. Easily one of the best weekends of football I have watched in a long time. All four losing teams scored at least 28 points, and in the game that was the least competitive we saw Colin Kaepernick break a single game record. It was both heartbreaking and triumphant. Extreme emotions flowed from both ends of the spectrum, depending on which team had your support on the day. But if we look at the games simply as a spectator it was an incredible weekend to be a football fan.       

          I personally had my heart ripped out of my chest with the mind blowing shocker in the mile-high city. I am unashamed in my support of Peyton Manning. I firmly believe he’s the greatest quarterback of all time, but I will also admit that there are plenty of very reasonable arguments for other signal callers (especially that super model’s husband in New England). I was devastated to see Manning do everything he needed to win the game, only to have it ripped from his hands by what could be called the WORST play by a safety in recent memory. I also firmly believe that John Fox blew the game by being the most conservative coach EVER. He decided to run the ball three straight times to try and milk the clock for every second and to leave the Ravens with as little time as possible. That is absolutely the correct strategy if Jake Delhomme is your quarterback. But let me do you a favor Fox, and introduce you to PEYTON MANNING. You know, the bionic man who led your team to 11 straight wins, holds innumerable records and is quite possibly the man with the highest football IQ the game has ever seen. But no, good old John Fox put away his man parts in the fourth quarter and made the cardinal sin in the NFL. He played to not lose the game. Allow me to quote Mr. Herm Edwards, who once said so convincingly that “You play to win the game.” Fox apparently missed that day in NFL coaching class, and instead left it up to Flacco to not come up big. Turns out Flacco has a rocket launcher for an arm and Jacoby Jones can run kinda fast. Then John freaking Fox decides that 30+ seconds and two timeouts and Manning at quarterback isn’t enough time to try anything, so he takes a knee. The expletives that flew from my mouth at that moment were enough to make a sailor blush. I’ll paraphrase by saying that Fox has the same genitalia as a Ken doll. Yes my hero Manning did throw the game away in OT with that bonehead interception, and ultimately I guess you can blame the loss on him. But if you did blame him, you’d be wrong.

Flacco's miracle heave (Sorry, best quality I could find)

          The Patriots won, despite losing the little engine that could Woodhead and the “Half man half hulk” who seems to have hit the next level of the evolutionary chain, known to most simply as Gronk. Any of this sound familiar to anybody? Because it should. The boys from the North do this all the damn time. It’s sickening, but admirable. They just win, and as the lovably loquacious Billy Belichick always says… wait he never has anything to say. This section is short because there’s nothing unique to say about this game. It’s January, in the NFL playoffs, Tom Brady and the Pats won. In other news the sky is blue and the sun rose today.

This one is for the ladies

          The Atlanta Falcons, the number one seed that nobody thought was any good. All we heard all week was the team that tied for the best record in the NFL had no chance. Matt Ryan was a choke artist and the Falcons never show up in the playoffs. I’ve got news for you, that’s not true anymore. Ryan jumped all over Seattle, giving his team a 20-point lead early in the game. Then, as if it was scripted for Hollywood, the Seahawks charged back led by the rookie quarterback who was “too small to be a pro.” But the Boston College product known to Atlanta faithful as Matty Ice put that Hollywood finish on hold, surprising the shit out of everyone by driving his team into field goal range in the blink of an eye and watched as Matt Bryant silenced all of the Atlanta critics… for now.

Falcons got a nice cold glass of Matty Ice

          Then we have the 49ers. What an interesting story, Alex Smith leads the team to the conference finals last year, and was in the top five in the NFL in QBR until a little bump on his head changed everything. A young man named Colin Kaepernick ripped Smith’s job away in about 4.43 seconds, which happens to be Kaepernick’s 40 yard dash time. But what would the second-year pro do in his first playoff game? He’d probably fold under the pressure of the big stage, right? Wrong. He ran for an astonishing 181 yards, an NFL single game record for a quarterback, and discount double checked Aaron Rodgers and the Packers all the way back to Green Bay. Can Kaep keep this show rolling? Only time will tell.

Yes it's corny, but oh so true

          I guess I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the Ravens, who hung around long enough in Denver to pull out a miraculous win. Led by the future hall of famer Ray Lewis, who is on his farewell tour, the Ravens have found a way to win. On the football field it is undeniable that Lewis is an emotional leader, and maybe the greatest middle linebacker in NFL history. Off the field is another story, but I’ll leave that topic untouched. Joe Flacco has been one of the most criticized quarterbacks in the NFL for a while now, because he “doesn’t win big games.” However, Flacco is the only NFL quarterback to win a playoff game in his first five seasons. The sound of critics being silenced was apparent on Saturday, as Flacco made throw after throw, hitting Torrey Smith on repeated deep throws and of course the absolute bomb to Jacoby Jones to tie the game with only a few ticks on the clock. Then Flacco and the Ravens took advantage of Manning’s mistake in OT to win the game on a field goal. All allegiances aside, it was an impressive performance and Flacco deserves a lot of credit for the win.

Apparently this is what "shit luck" looks like

          Sitting here with my fingers on the keyboard I can still feel every up and down of the emotional roller coaster that these games took me on. I can only hope that anyone reading this had half of the emotional excitement that I did watching these games, because it’s my opinion that sports have the ability to make someone forget about the world we live in. From kickoff to the final whistle, it can take your mind off of all the trials and tribulations this crazy ass world puts us through, and I believe that’s pretty special.

Football is Back!

          Friends hear the good news! The days of watching countless hours of mindless television are over. No longer will we be forced to watch golf on Sundays, praying for a magical shot from Tiger. Baseball will not grace my television anymore (especially since the Red Sox just shipped everybody on the roster out the door). Gone are the days of marathons on the Discovery channel watching sharks eat the shit out of little seals. In one week and two days, on Wednesday September 5th it will be official. Football is back.
          And I don't mean this half-assed preseason nonsense, I'm talking about games that actually matter. Games that don't feature John Doe from the local bakery trying to get a roster spot. We're talking about the games with all of the overpaid players on our favorite teams who we love to worship, and all the players on the other teams who we love to hate.
          The day has come when Peyton Manning is once again a starting quarterback, Rex Ryan has yet another cluster in New York, and Cam Newton takes the hopes and dreams of Panther nation on his back as he tries to deliver us to the promised land. Another season begins where 32 teams have a chance. Everyone is undefeated, and nobody has made a mistake. Except Ochocinco, he forgot that marriage is not a contact sport.

          With the season starting, Tim Tebow will now return to the spotlight.. Oh wait that never ended. Well at least he's a starting quarterback now.. wait no he isn't. Hey at least he's not on the punt team.. Oh.. yeah actually he is. I thought I'd never see the day when I actually felt bad for Mark Sanchez, but I stand corrected.

          The new era has been ushered in, both in Washington and Indianapolis. Andrew Luck has the shadow of Peyton Manning to get out of, while RGIII just has to overcome the shadow of the approximately 37 different starting quarterbacks that the Redskins have had since '05. Both will become either saviors or scapegoats in 16 games, and it will all happen before our very eyes.

          An interesting headline on the field not involving world class athletes is the lockout of the refs. Yeah, remember those guys we HATE and spend every Sunday criticizing? While they may suck, their  replacements suck even worse. And hey, at least the real guys know to spot the ball between the hash marks and can face the correct direction when making a call. So please, I'm begging you Ed Hochuli, bring your huge biceps and long winded explanations back. We miss you.
          From the rookies to the refs, from the veterans to the over-the-hill stars who think they still have it (I'm talking to you T.O.), and from every highlight to every bonehead mistake, NFL fans we can rejoice in unison because football is back!

Weekend Wrap up: Peyton's decision, what's left of everyone's bracket, and what's left of Kendall Marshall's wrist

"Hey... I just took your job"

          Alright so we have a lot to discus so I'll try to get to the point. Decision 2012 has come to a conclusion, Peyton Manning has joined John Elway in Denver and simultaneously stomped out Tim Tebow's dreams. The NCAA tournament has been beyond insane as usual and there are ZERO perfect brackets remaining on ESPN, and Wrist Watch 2012 has begun in Chapel Hill.
          Peyton Manning lands in the mile high city. If anyone has read my last post, I didn't really see this as a fit. And I'm still not sure it is. Apparently no one in the league wants to play in Miami, one of my reasons for Manning potentially landing there, Brandon Marshall, got out of town as soon as he could. Manning wanted no part of that. I actually saw San Francisco being a good fit. Great defense, decent wide receiving corps with the very dangerous Vernon Davis and hopefully up and coming Michael Crabtree (not to mention the 50/50 chance that Randy Moss is still fast enough to burn defenses) and a great running back in Frank Gore. But alas he has chosen the blue and orange. I think this team is missing the offensive weapons that we are used to seeing on Peyton Manning teams of old. Decker and Thomas are far from the Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne that we are used to seeing line up beside Manning in the past. I think that he will find a few of his old teammates joining him in Denver, specifically Dallas Clark his old tight end and one of his favorite targets. Also another ex-teammate of Manning's is Brandon Stokley. Stokley was a Bronco for a while and could be a valuable fourth option as a possession receiver should the Broncos give him a call. There's also a chance that Jeff Saturday, Manning's long time center, could join him in Denver as well. There are definitely some moves left to be made, but if Peyton Manning is even 80% of what he used to be, Denver is easily the favorite to win the AFC West, (a division that has long been sub par at best) and a team that no one wants to see at any point during the season. Also there's a regular season matchup against the Patriots and my beloved Panthers. It should be fun to watch.
          Now where will Tebow end up? I heard an analyst say earlier today that no one really wants him on their team, and I couldn't agree more. Everyone in the league has seen that he does not have the skill set to lead an NFL style offense. There really isn't a team in the league that wants to baby him by making their offense as simple as the Broncos made theirs last season. Now what I have heard is this, owners will take a shot at him. They want to bring the circus to town to drive ticket and jersey sales. My first thought is Jacksonville. Shad Kahn the new owner of the Jaguars has gone on record saying that he would have drafted Tebow if he had the choice, now let's see if he'll put his money where his mouth is. Then there's Miami. No one wants to play in Miami, which makes it the perfect spot for Tebow. but honestly no one is going to give up much for a quarterback who can't complete 50% of his passes. Then there's a wild card. The New England Patriots. I've heard multiple times today that Tebow is a "Belichick type of guy" and he could come in and run some plays as an H-back or a tight end. That would shock me, because we have no idea whether the kid can catch a football or run a route. His days as a quarterback in the NFL may be running short right now, he needs a lot of luck to get another chance.

Gee, 0 is the same number of wins Duke got in the tournament this year too

          And then there were Sixteen. If your bracket isn't busted by now, you probably let a 3-year-old pick your winners in crayon. It had been 11 years since a 15 seed had upset a 2 seed, and within 3 hours on Friday it had happened twice. The Missouri loss KILLED me, I had them in the Final Four, but the Duke loss made me forget all about my bracket. I loved watching the Blue Devils from down the road flounder at the hands of C.J. McCollum and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Truly a thing of beauty. Quick rundown of the Sweet Sixteen: Kentucky is on course to be in the national title game no sweat, and now they get a rematch against Indiana. The Baylor highlighters get a matchup against Xavier. Ohio State is playing great basketball and they're matched up against a very physical Cincinnati team. Syracuse is surviving without their center Fab Melo (hopefully he's home studying), but now must face a tough Wisconsin team. Kansas survived a very tough Purdue team and an offensive show from Robbie Hummel and will now face a very hot NC State team that still feels it has something to prove. Marquette gets Florida and Louisville will meet Michigan State. Last but not least, UNC will face upset minded Ohio. I'm not making any predictions anymore, because we all saw how that ended up (Thanks a lot Missouri and Florida State).

          Kendall Marshall's wrist has become the instant talk of the nation. He fractured the scaphoid bone in his right (non-shooting) hand with 10:56 to go in the game against Creighton. He played through the pain, but was rushed to the x-ray machine after the game. The entire team was instantly downtrodden, and Marshall and Williams had to choke back tears when they delivered the news to the media. Marshall underwent surgery Monday morning, with the slim chance that he could heal and be ready by Friday's game. Tarheel nation can only hope and pray that we can have our engine back. My dad told me during the ACC tournament that Marshall was the leader of our team. At that point I wasn't so sure that was true. Tyler Zeller had just been named the ACC Player of the Year, and he had lead us through so many tough games that I was sure it was Zeller. They say sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone, and I think that may be the case here. His new found scoring has definitely been a valuable addition to our offensive juggernaut. And now he may be gone. He is truly the one player on our team that can't be replaced. I said last night that if I could I would give my right wrist to Kendall Marshall, my left wrist to John Henson, my right ACL to Dexter Strickland, and my left ACL to Leslie Macdonald. That was truly the sentiment all around campus today. The rain this morning was really a reflection of how we felt after we heard our point guard had gone down. But we remain hopeful, this tournament is far from over, and while we may be down right now we are certainly not out. We all just wish Kendall a speedy recovery.
          Well that's that for now, so until the weekend comes around and college basketball commences again take this time to catch your breath and prepare for the next installment of March Madness!

All the new news: From Peyton Manning to the NCAA Tournament

 

         
          The greatest free agent the NFL has ever seen. Peyton Manning is on the market. Words that a year ago I thought I would never speak. Denver, Miami and Arizona are all likely suitors for one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. I see Miami being the best choice, for a few reasons. First, he will have a big time receiver who will actually try hard if he is there, Brandon Marshall. Marshall may not be the worlds hardest worker, but the kid has talent, and I think Manning would whip him into shape real fast. Second, the weather. Manning has made his living in a dome, so heading for pleasant weather would be a plus. Third, Reggie Wayne already said he would follow Manning to Miami if he went, and he may not be the only one (Dallas Clark is another name that comes to mind). Why wouldn't Manning jump at the opportunity to play with two of his greatest teammates? Now I understand that Arizona has a dome, and has arguably a top 3 receiver in Larry Fitzgerald, but for some reason I have them sitting behind Miami in the Manning sweepstakes. Denver is the other team that analysts have suddenly all but confirmed as the frontrunner. I doubt Manning goes to cold weather, and let's play a game, name a Denver Bronco receiver! Don't worry, I'll wait. They have NO big name receiver that Manning can make his instant favorite target. Yes, they have a great defense and I'd love to see Tebow get shipped out of town in the blink of an eye, I just don't see this being a match. Anyway, who wouldn't want to see Brady vs. Manning twice a year IN THE SAME DIVISION! I pray to the football gods that I may get my wish.
          Now If I remember correctly, UNC recently beat Duke up and down the floor, on Miles Plumlee's senior night, AND he got a faceful of John Henson's lower half. THAT my friends was a beautiful day. Then, we had the good fortune of running into NC State in the ACC Tournament. "Oh my god, the refs cheated us out of that game!" no NC State, your coach blew it when he left your best player in with four fouls and over 8 minutes to go. "Yeah, but all the calls went UNC's way!" I assure you that if calls went our way, Zeller wouldn't have watched the final minute of the game. And lastly, yeah Kendall dropped his shoulder, but your team blew the game when they turned the ball over TWICE in the last minute. We won, you lost, for the 13th time in a row I believe. With all due respect, I am glad that you made the tournament, you were seconds away from beating both us and Duke this year, and certainly were well deserving of a spot in the big dance, congratulations.

This will NEVER get old

          On that point, The Tarheels are a #1 seed, and the sun is shining. In my honest opinion, Syracuse and Kentucky both have tougher brackets than we do, and I'm not saying that because Duke is in that bracket. And honestly where does Michigan State come from?!?! Every single year they come from nowhere to be a high seed in the Tournament. Tom Izzo is literally a basketball genius. He took a team that got manhandled early this season by UNC and Duke, and turned them into a #1 seed. Unbelievable. I don't think they deserved the #1 seed though, I believe Missouri is a much better team that will make a deep run in the tournament, and I think they should have been the fourth #1. But seeding makes little difference really because it's all about execution.

          My Final Four could be called a little bit biased, but I feel like it has some credibility. I have Missouri, Kentucky, Florida State and UNC (Surprise!). Obviously this is a very primitive selection, that is likely to get completely dismantled by the end of the first weekend, but who knows. Kentucky: do I even need to explain this one? Davis and his unibrow is the frontrunner for player of the year and he deserves it. Kentucky should make it out of their bracket without many bumps, even as tough as it is. Missouri: as I said before, I think they should have been the last #1 seed, and I think they will prove it by making their way to the final four. Kim English, the Pressey brothers, and Ratliffe inside drive this team to the Final Four. Florida State: probably the team with the most momentum in the country right now, after beating Duke and UNC twice this year, and coming off back to back wins against them to win the ACC tournament, they are on fire. Very tough defensively, Snaer is a great player and probably was snubbed from the All-ACC team, and they shoot the three well. They will be a tough team to beat, and I think they make it to the Final Four. UNC: well this is as much of a pick with my head as any of the others I assure you. Kendall Marshall is the best point guard in the country, and now he's scoring the basketball too. Harrison Barnes has played well, not great, but I think he steps up in the tournament as a big game performer. Hopefully John Henson returns to the lineup by next Sunday, and is still the defensive wall that he was before he reinjured his wrist. Reggie bullock has surprised everyone by being a terrific defender in Strickland's absence, can't say enough about his effort. And last but certainly not least, Tyler Zeller. If you could have scripted the perfect senior season for Zeller, I don't think it would be much different than this one. He has been absolutely the best player on our team, the most reliable in all but a few moments, and at times he's an unstoppable force in the paint. I can't wait for the day I see his jersey hang in the rafters of the Dean Dome.

          So there you have it, my Final Four picks, with a little reasoning behind each one (a little more reasoning behind UNC, but that's me). Feel free to disagree, then we can all laugh together when a mid major busts everyone's brackets like always. Until then, everyone enjoy the greatest month in sports, welcome to March Madness!