The Week That Was Week 11 in the NFL

Hockey, lacrosse, soccer.

Those are the only sports that should have ties/draws.

American football, and especially the NFL, no ties. Please, let's not have any ties.

But that's what happened today between Philadelphia and Cincinnati. After 75 minutes, the two teams couldn't play out of a stalemate.

I agree with the basis for college football's overtime system, giving both teams a shot at scoring a touchdown and the first team that fails loses the game.

That should happen in the NFL also. However, I propose, unlike college football where the offensive team starts at their opponent's 25 yard-line, teams in the NFL should kickoff each possession.

That way it's kind of a real game. And the first team to not score, loses.

It's simple. It might take longer than 15 minutes. But it does take care of those pesky ties.

To the rest of the week:

• I guess the Titans are for real.
• Aaron Rodgers = Brett Favre (you kinda have to put Favre ahead after his Jets beat the Pats this week).
• Speaking of Rodgers, did the Packers just turn this season around?
• I feel for you Rod Marinelli. I really do.
• I still don't know how Denver does it.
• The Chargers are still superpowers Jim Nantz?

Extra Point:

Whoever wins the AFC West, god bless them, but I don't think they'll get that far.

The Broncos, where do I begin? How many times can you come up with fourth quarter miracles before they bite you in the ass?

The Chargers, are they really the most talented team in the League? Ron Rivera's defense looks a little more ferocious than Ted Cottrell's, but what happened to this offense? Where did all the scoring go?

It'll be one and done for the AFC West division winner--unless that team plays Baltimore in the playoffs.

The Week That Was Week 4 in the NFL

Let the debate begin...again.

Brett Favre looked like the Brett Favre of old, throwing 6 (SIX!) touchdown passes.

Aaron Rodgers. Well, he's had better days.

Hopefully, by now, people know where I stand (and if you need a reminder, I'm standing behind the Packers and their decision to play Rodgers).

It's only one week and yes, if you look at the stats after four games, Favre numbers do look better. But I still think that Rodgers has played with more poise and has handled himself very well.

This debate will never end. Even if Rodgers takes Green Bay to a Super Bowl and even when Favre (finally) retires from the League. People will talk about this for ages (at least in Green Bay they will).

As of right now, Favre > Rodgers.

To the rest of the week:

• I was right about Denver, as the Broncos get pounded by Kansas City.
• Tennessee or Buffalo? Both are 4-0. What?!
• Goodbye Scott Linehan and (soon-to-be?) Lane Kiffin.
• Speaking of Favre's performance, don't forget about Kurt Warner's in the same game. It was like AARP Day at the Meadowlands.
• Too bad only three teams from the NFC East can make the playoffs.
• Sometimes, I still wish that Drew Brees was wearing lightning bolts.

Extra Point:

Back to Tennessee and Buffalo being undefeated. It's really hard to say which of these teams will continue their pace.

But, I'd argue that the Bills might have a better shot at winning the division and that taking the top spot in the AFC East is Buffalo's only way of getting into the playoffs.

The Titans are good and are probably better than the Bills, but the AFC South is still the best division in the AFC. If the Titans finished third in the South, they probably still make the playoffs.

Whereas, for the Bills, they have the Dolphins, the Jets and the Pats. Granted, the Bills are helped by the loss of Tom Brady. In any other year, I wouldn't expect the Bills to even contend. But no Brady gives Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch to taste the playoffs in their second year in the League.

Sure the Jets have Favre, but that team still makes me feel uneasy. And the Dolphins are light-years away from being a factor.

And remember, no one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.

The Week That Was Week 2 in the NFL

This lead section was going to be about how baller Aaron Rodgers was today (328 yards, three TDs, 0 INTs).

But that gets beat out by officiating and another heartbreaking loss for my San Diego Chargers.

First, can you please tell me why the review booth and all of it's technical stuff wasn't working at the beginning of the game? This isn't high school football? This is the bloody NFL. Millions and billions of dollars are spent on these games every year, and the officiating crew at Mile High Stadium couldn't get the fucking replay equipment to work to review a play?!

What happened was that Chris Chambers fumbled the football. The Chargers wanted a look and the look made it seem like Chambers was down by contact. Except the equipment wasn't working, so the Chargers got charged for a timeout because the equipment didn't work. The referee, in this case Ed Hochuli said that the two minutes for NFL replays was up and decided to let the game move forward.

That's so absurd! What a fucking Mickey Mouse thing to have happened.

But that wasn't so much the referees fault. What was happened at the end of the game, when Hochuli blew a fumble dead, giving Denver the ball back, and leading to the eventual game-winning touchdown and two-point conversion.

Ed, Jay Cutler fumbled the ball. At least he admitted that he made a mistake.

To the rest of the week:

• What I failed to mention up there was that the Chargers defense again looked atrocious. And Antonio Cromartie looked like a fool. How can you let one guy catch 18 passes like Brandon Marshall did today?
• Rodgers > Favre as of week 2.
• Also, Cassel > Favre as of week 2.
• Eli Manning is a magician. First, you have that amazing throw in the Super Bowl. And then today, Little Manning throws a LEFT-HANDED PASS?!!!!! Amazing. YouTube video is forthcoming. And oh, the Giants won.
• Not to be outdone by his little brother, Peyton Manning still has it.
• Lane Kiffin off the hotseat, at least for one week.
• I'm going to say it now: those Bills/Pats games this year will be epic, especially if Buffalo continues to play the way they're playing.
• Reggie, Reggie, Reggie. Oh Reggie Bush. I guess they didn't teach you to not taunt your opponents with a shit-load of time left in the fourth quarter. So next time, don't wave goodbye to your opponents until, well, there are four zeros on the game clock. I guess was Ray Small said about Southern California was right (but of course, being a man doesn't mean you win football games, right Ohio State?).

Extra Point:

Back to Brett Favre. I know this may sound like I'm hating on him, and maybe I am, I haven't really figured my own thoughts out, but geez, is everything really about him?

Okay, so maybe he got asked a question that prompted him to say "I'd like to come back and win every game...It's why I came back. It was fun out there today. It'd be more fun if we had won."

But still, this is probably the reason why the Packers got rid of him. He's so self-absorbed. He's soooo into himself. Dude, Brett, you've been with the team for over a month. Get over it. You're back playing professional football. Now act like a professional.

Then again, New York (New Jersey) might be the only place that would have wanted or could have handled a self-promoting, woes-me, prima donna like Favre.

So Who's The Favorite Now?

I don't remember where I saw it or where I read it. But I did see it. I did read it. And it went something like this: Because of Brett Favre, with Tom Brady out for the season, the New York Jets are now the favorites to win the AFC East.

Say what?

First, I don't know if there's a favorite out east anymore? New England was the prohibited favorite to defend its AFC East crown, but with Brady sidelined, obviously the Pats aren't favorites. But then, I don't think anyone is in that division. I think New England, the Jets and Buffalo all have a shot of winning the division. Miami not so much.

But to say that the Jets are the favorites? C'mon. And all this after the Jets (who by the way won only four games last year) inched by a team that won one game last year.

And the Bills? Let's just say that that offense is beginning to gel a little quicker than most thought. And, Marshawn Lynch is brining the hyphy, while Trent Edwards is showing how good of a quarterback he can be if someone just blocked for him just once.

Second: just because of Brett Favre the Jets are going to win the division? Please. What is with this love affair with Favre and (most) of the media. Maybe it comes from the fact that during the summertime, when baseball's beginnings are too far away in the rear view mirror and baseball's postseason is too far ahead to see over the horizon, that the media actually loved to cover Favre and his soap opera in Green Bay.

I have to say that's it. Because the Favre I saw Sunday was a Favre that took too many risk, and just prayed for this to go right. Maybe that's another reason people love him. He doesn't care. He's that epitome of the gunslinging cowboy, out to do good with a reckless abandon. But if you asked me, in this generation's NFL, you don't want a quarterback who'll just throw it up and hope someone catches it. You want efficiency. Yes, Favre stats seemed efficient, but if you watched his play, it looked nothing like the new breed of NFL quarterback that is prevalent today.

That miracle play he made, when he just threw the ball up on 4th and 13, that pass could have easily been intercepted. Easily. But it's Favre and he's magical. We know.

And maybe that's what the media people like. He's different. Different in a sense that he's "old school," though no one has said that about him.

But one person doesn't make a team (cliche, I know, but it works), especially in football. And, in this generation's football, I'm sorry, but the quarterbacks aren't the true focus anymore. Yeah, there's the whole leadership and star power that still comes to NFL qbs, and yes, a few teams still use the passing game as their centerpiece of their offensive attack, but it's the running game that dominates.

I don't care how good your passing game is, if there's no attack on the ground, then there aren't any wins, especially in the playoffs. And, so many teams are no beginning to use this dual back threat, having as many as two or three backs as the featured guy, all being different and giving offensive attacks a different look.

It's now up to the quarterbacks to "manage" the football games and not go out and win them.

And for that reason, I don't think the Jets can be labeled "favorites." I still don't think their in the top half of that division. The Pats and Bills look mighty fine, and guess what, they both have good running games.

Show me a Jets running game, and I'll show you a winner.

Oh, and by the way, Aaron Rodgers sure looked good tonight.

The Golden Boy Finally Gets His Chance

I remember waking up that Saturday morning, April 23, 2005, and being really excited. Excited because it was the day of the NFL. Excited because my San Diego Chargers, after a playoff appearance, had the No. 12 and No. 28 picks in the first round (thank you Eli Manning, I hope you enjoyed that Super Bowl win).

And I was excited because Aaron Rodgers, the Golden Boy quarterback of my University of California football team, was going to get picked in the first round, maybe even as the No. 1 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers.

When I woke up, I could hear Paul Tagliabue say, "With the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select Aaron Rodgers, quarterback, from the University of California." And then I could go do whatever the hell I was going to do that day.

But that didn't happen. The 49ers took Alex Smith of Utah and I waited for hours, with Rodgers, to get picked.

Now, Rodgers was a beloved player for Cal. He awkwardly held the ball as he scanned the field for receivers. He was okay looking for all the girls (and a few guys). We perceived him to be smart. And he was a really chill, laid back, really cool guy.

He was in my history discussion section in my first semester at Cal and Rodgers' last season with the Bears. I remember one morning, in class, one of my classmates asked Rodgers if he was someone that he knew. I, under my breath, said "He's the fucking quarterback for the football team."

Rodgers, in a sort of nonchalant way, asked the kid, "Do you follow Cal football?

"Yes," the naive classmate said.

"Well, I play quarterback," Rodgers said, with a little smirk.

I jumped in, "He's the starter."

Rodgers was a likeable guy, who acted like he was a normal student (even though we all know that the starting quarterback for a team that was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country is no normal student). He even continued to talk to me when I said I wrote for the school paper, The Daily Cal.

One day, he asked if I was going to interview him. I said that I wasn't--I'm not that big time yet--boosting my fragile little ego.

Back to the NFL Draft. There, Rodgers waited, for hours, and I with him. He was in the green room. I was in my dorm room, waiting for this guy I barely knew--he probably doesn't even remember me--get drafted. And when he did, I was probably just as relieved as him.

Because he got picked into a good situation. He got to learn from one of the NFL's greatest in Brett Favre. The fan base will be just as frenetic and crazy and oogle all over him as they way the students at Cal did for Rodgers.

And then Rodgers waited his turn as Favre, in a kind of soap opera fashion, decided each year whether or not to retire. Now Favre's with the Jets. Good for Rodgers, cause I think he's ready. He's ready for his time. He's ready to take this team by the reigns. Rodgers is ready to get his taste of NFL football.

So when Rodgers takes his first real snap as the starter for Green Bay tonight on Monday Night Football, you know that an entire university and its alums and fans will be cheering from about 2,000 miles away.

And it's that personality that will make Rodgers' transition in taking over for one of the most popular quarterbacks in NFL history. (By the way, I hope history takes a little note of how Favre as acted the last three years, making himself into a faux-news story every summer, bluffing about retirement).

While some Packers fans may still want No. 4 to be on the field and No. 12 to still wait his turn, I'm pretty sure that Rodgers' personality and play on the field will win them over eventually. Rodgers is good. In my opinion, he's probably the best quarterback prospect that Jeff Tedford has coached (and Tedford has coached a long list of NFL quarterbacks).

Yes, people are gonna knock Rodgers for being a Tedford mentee, but I really do this he's ready. He's got the mechanics, the work ethic, he plays for his teammates and he can rally his teammates. And he's got the personality of a guy who you just really can't hate. How can you really hate a guy like Rodgers?

And that's why people should be rooting for him. I know that Favre has the MVPs, the records and that Super Bowl, but I think Rodgers has a little bit more class. I mean, this guy was just waiting for his turn. He could've bitched, like Eli Manning now wanting to go to San Diego. Or he could have been a prima donna, like Matt Leinart and his faux-Hollywood lifestyle. But he didn't and he's not. He bided his time.

Rodgers has earned his start tonight.

What I've Missed Because of the Olympics

The Olympics are over and sport must go on. And actually, I was glad to be distracted by the Olympics. I didn't even touch ESPN once on my tv dial while the Olympics were on. No baseball. No Red Sox. No Yankees. No shitty ESPN slant. No talking heads talking about stupid things. And best of all, no Brett Favre. It was awesome.

But reality has come to bite me in the ass and if I want to continue this whole blog thing, I'll have to pay attention to "main stream" sports.

So here we go. A list of what I've missed because of the awesome-ness of the Olympics.

• Aaron Rodgers was in my History 7A discussion section in my first year (and Rodgers' last year) at the University of California. He was a cool guy. He fell a sleep a lot, but who didn't? The class was at 8 in the morning. But that's just the way I can say that I have actually met an NFL quarterback and one who starts for the most historic franchise in the League. Rodgers waited his turn. He has it now. Thanks for nothing Favre.

• Speaking of Brett, that prima donna plays for the Jets now.

• And speaking of Cal quarterbacks, the young gunslinger, Kevin Riley, gets the nod from Jeff Tedford. The Bears have no expectations for this year, which is good. They have a pretty advantageous schedule also. (More on this when I preview college football).

• While we're on the topic of college football, Georgia No. 1? Why the hell not. At least it's not THE Ohio State University or THE University of Southern California. But can the Dawgs really beat Tim Tebow and Florida? I think not.

• And speaking of the Trojans, I love them fightin' words coming out of the Southern Branch of the University of California. And remember, UCLA did upset the Trojans two years ago.

• Speaking of Los Angeles, the Dodgers still trail the Diamondbacks for the NL West lead, even after getting Manny Ramirez. And the Angels...best team in baseball?

• While we're still in SoCal, let me talk about my Chargers. Philip Rivers looks fine. Antonio Gates will be fine. LT will be fine. Shawn Merriman? He needs to just sit out. Please remember that A.J. Smith is the best general manager in pro football. And please remember that the Chargers have the deepest team in the League. And please remember that the Bolts plays the cheating Patriots and the Indy Colts at home this year. If there ever was a year for San Diego, it's this one.

• Congrats to Maurice Edu for getting signed by European giant Rangers. And good luck Freddy Adu, win some playtime with Monaco.

• And the most overrated event in sport happened the same weekend the Olympics closed. Thanks Hawaii for bring the Little League World Series title back to the States.