The Couch Critic - Week 14
I know, I know, it's already Tuesday. Here it is. As always, first entry below, click here for the whole enchilada.
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12:50 - Here we go for the third straight week. One of the more amazing things about doing this is it makes me realize how lucky I've been to have open Sundays since October. With so many engagement parties, weddings, and other "distractions" taking place, I haven't missed a football Sunday since that three-week wedding streak to start the season. And, more importantly, January looks open, too - last year I missed Pats/Colts as I was at a wedding in Boca Raton (though I caught part of the game at the hotel bar). Anyway, today starts at 4:05. I'll keep an eye on Jets/Raiders on CBS, but more likely I'll be paying attention to goings-on around the league, notably Chicago vs. Pittsburgh and Indy vs. '72 Dolphins. This week has a 8-6 early game/late game breakdown, which is nice, with 2 televised games later this afternoon, Giants and Cowboys. Bless you, picture-in-picture.
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12:55 - Picks for the sake of picking games. Last week: 10-6. 22-7-1 since I started this thing. I've barely even paid attention to the lines yet, so this is pretty much off the cuff... Minnesota -7, Oakland -3, Pittsburgh -6.5, Tampa Bay +5.5, Indy -9.5, Patriots -3.5, Cincy -12.5, Titans -6.5, Seattle -15.5(!), Washington -4, Miami +13.5, Dallas -3, Denver -14, Green Bay -6, Atlanta -10. As for the Giants, I'll take Philly -9.5, but I think the Giants will win. If it's typical Giants, they'll beat a team they should blow out in edge-of-your seat, 4th-quarter comeback fashion.
1:00 - Ian Eagle is calling the Jets/Raiders game. I guess CBS really hates Ian Eagle. His second sentence of the day: "Brooks Bollinger still looking for his first start as a starting quarterback in the NFL." As Harry Doyle would say, "Who cares, nobody's listening anyway."
1:07 - Curtis Martin is missing his 5th game in his 11th NFL season. Why doesn't he get Favre-like praise for his durability? By the way, I may be watching the game right now, but I'm searching for a backup/pic-in-pic channel early.
1:10 - A telling sign of how much attention I'm paying to the TV: I just opened up the NFL.com GameCenters, and as I open the Jets one I actually think, "Wow, the Jets are moving down the field pretty quickly," completely oblivious to the fact that that has developed right before my eyes and ears.
1:13 - Jets have to settle for 3, fans not pleased. I mean, the ones that are there. When Nugent made that field goal, I saw a ton of empty seats. Is it worth it to call Time Warner right now and add the Cinemax package because one of the six channels they have is airing Ferris Bueller right now? Guess not. But seriously, 6 HBO's and here's what I have as backup channel options: Garfield: The Movie, Boxing, The Cooler, D.A.R.Y.L, Waiting for Guffman, and Dracula. Wonderful. Also, the Steelers scored on their first possession, with a 5-play, 66-yard TD drive. Think they're trying to tell the Bears defense something?
1:19 - Colts get 7 after an 11-play, 89-yard drive. Think they're trying to tell the '72 Dolphins something?
1:26 - I'm not sure I "get" this Nike LeBron commercial, where he's playing every member of the group/family, but I think I like it.
1:49 - Following the old "did I really call for a fair catch or did I just pull a fast one" routine, we have this exchange: Ian Eagle: "I have a feeling we're gonna see a little bit of everything here today." Solomon Wilcots: "I get the sense we're gonna see it all, my man." Me: "Yep, everything. Except good football." On the plus side, we might be at halftime by 2:05.
1:52 - Around the league... Bengals are not covering right now. Well, Bengals aren't even winning right now. One step at a time. Jacksonville got to the 10 but only got 3 out of it, that's the ballgame right there. Texans 3, Titans 0. They're just setting up a late-game collapse, don't worry. Heisman-winner Reggie Bush awaits.
1:54 - Tuiawhatever overthrows Moss, right into the hands of Ty Law. Law starts the runback, and as I say to myself, "he looks like he wants to make a stupid lateral," he makes a stupid lateral. Miraculously, the Jets didn't lose it. I would love to know the success rate of improv laterals. I'm guessing 20-30%.
1:59 - From GameCenter: 1-10-IND 35 (9:32) P.Manning pass to M.Harrison for 65 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Home. Field. Advantage.
2:01 - I should know better than to jinx myself. Due to recent developments, I may be missing the Giant game after all. Should this happen, I will DVR the game and come back tonight and watch the game, not knowing the outcome, and log the game here as if I was watching it live. The things I do for my reader(s). I'll miss around the league, but there's nothing really compelling at 4 other than Dallas, which is on TV anyway. Wait, should I DVR that game, too, then put them on together in picture-in-picture tonight as if I was watching both games from 4-7? Am I that sick? Stay tuned.
2:11 - Pats up 14-0. Steelers 14-3. Indy 14-0. Yawner of a 1:00, if I say so myself.
2:18 - Since I don't get to watch most Colts games (playoffs can't come soon enough), I'm quite used to seeing those long blue bars on GameCenter. Well, with two big bars and a couple of small ones, the Colts have it at the 5 yard line. The bad news is it's 4th and goal. I say go for it. Dungy agrees, wow. Didn't get it. Either it was a botched field goal or a fake, because the pass was thrown by Hunter Smith. (What exactly is a "modified swinging gate formation"? PrimeTime can't come soon enough.) Somehow I think Indy will survive this setback.
2:22 - Bengals got to the 4 yard-line, kicked for 3, got to the 10, kicked for 3. They trail by one going into the half. Not good numbers is you lay the 12.5.
2:25 - Oh, the Jets and Raiders are at halftime! Who knew? 6-3 Jets. Ugh. Greg Gumbel even makes fun of it: "we promise there are TD's being scored in the NFL today."
2:27 - The halftime crew just showed the "swinging gate play" from the Indy game. Hard to tell exactly, but after a lot of pausing and rewinding, it seems to go something like this. Line up in FG formation, then 7 players all go to the left side of the field, leaving the center, the "quarterback," (Hunter Smith, the FG holder) a back, and a blocker. Smith takes the shotgun snap, then the center goes out to the right while Smith fakes a screen to the back to his left. It worked brilliantly; all the Jaguar defenders broke left. Smith, though, just missed the hands of open center/receiver, Justin Snow, so no paydirt. But a really creative play call.
2:38 - CBS just lost its feed to the Jet game; my screen simply has the NFL on CBS logo and "Oakland at NY Jets" on the screen. Oh happy day!!!!! Gumbel comes on to make light of the situation, then sends us to another game! Yay! Oh, Bengals/Browns. Meh, still better than Jets/Raiders. Then again, it's the only game in the 2nd half right now. Maybe Colts/Jaguars is on the horizon. Though to be completely fair, this is the only competitive game of the afternoon right now, so maybe we should stick with this one.
2:42 - Or not. Feed back up. Just in time to see Janikowski miss a 29-yard field goal. Phew. Don't know what I would've done if I didn't see that. Here's hoping they lose the feed again.
2:53 - I haven't seen any highlights of the game, but either the Steelrs defense if playing really well or Kyle Orton is playing really crappy. Through 2+ quarters, Orton's 9/21 for 92 yards, sacked twice, 3 points for Chicago. Give the Steelers D credit, but watch for that Orton/Grossman QB controversy to get cooking tomorrow.
2:56 - Tom Brady just got intercepted at the 10 by London Fletcher. Great. I can already hear Chris Berman doing "awoooooooooo, werewolves of London" in my head.
2:57 - Next play, J.P. Losman thrown a pick. Rule of thumb: if your name is J.P., don't be attempting 44-yard bombs.
3:01 - The over/under for the Jet game is 30. Right now it's 9-3. Doug Jolley just made a spectacular drop (really, you had to see it to believe it), trying to do his part to make sure no TD's get scored today. You gotta admire his dedication, especially against his former team.
3:04 - Bruce Almighty on USA. As a backup channel, I give it a C+. Sadly, that's the top grade in the class today.
3:07 - Points coming in boatloads around the league. As I type this, 6 of 8 games have colored boxes around their GameCenters (red = red zone, blue = someone just scored). Steelers went up 21-3, Titans ran back a punt, 10-10 (seriously, if you were trying to lose, as Houston is, isn't allowing the punt return TD the perfect crime?), Carolina finally got on the board with a FG, Pats 21-0, Cincy FINALLY took the lead 20-17, and Indy's now in the red zone again. Of course, in the game on TV, the Jets get to the 4 and settle for another 3. 12-3. In the immortal words of Robbie Hart, somebody kill me please. As bad as I feel, though, Ian Eagle just sounds tortured at this point.
3:14 - John Abraham forces his second QB fumble of the day. Jet fans will miss him next year. Ian points out that a Jets win today really hurts their chances in the Reggie Bush sweepstakes. Nothing new there. But then he claims that players don't care, they just want to win. See, I have a hard time buying into that. Players have seen him play; they know any team that gets him is instantly better, especially a team who just lost their very old running back for the season. I know you "play to win the game," but isn't there some part of a player that says, "OK, I don't really like to lose, but why give 100% when a loss isn't that bad after all?"
3:56 - Phone call break. Catching up on the last 40 minutes: Jets and Raiders trade TD's, and in one of the greatest upsets in the 2005 NFL season, they rally to get 30 and reward those who took the over. Steelers beating the Bears handily, Same goes for Pats and Bucs (good call on both of those). Minnesota up 2 TD's. Predictably, the Texans are about to lose their third straight on a last-second game-winning field goal, which will be the second such field goal of the day, Shayne Graham and the Bengals being the first. Great game there, by the way. And Jacksonville made it interesting. Down 26-3, they scored, then recovered an onside kick, then got a TD and a conversion (26-18), but then elected to go deep with the kickoff, gambling that Indy wouldn't get a first down. I'll bet you can guess how that turned out. Backdoor cover by the Jaguars, as thousands of people scream in horror.
4:08 - Giants begin, and I've got to run. I tried to record Cowboys/Chiefs so I can recreate the full "Couch Critic" effect when I get back later, but alas, I don't have enough space on my DVR. I should watch that Baseball Tonight year-end Web Gem Spectacular and delete it already, I know.
8:41 - I'm back. It's 8:41 (see left). All the afternoon games are over. Right now in Green Bay, Patrick, Theismann, and Maguire are saying stupid things. But in the Student Lounge, it's 4:00. The games are going on, and I have no idea what happened. I do know that the Giant game was a good game, because of two indicators: 1) it ended at 7:40, and I know that because 2) my little brother called me at exactly that time only to hear "Don'ttellmewhathappenedItapedthegame" when I picked up the phone, and he'd only call if it was a close win or a close loss. So at least I know I'm not wasting my time. For the record, I said at 12:55, "If it's typical Giants, they'll beat a team they should blow out in edge-of-your seat, 4th-quarter comeback fashion." Kickoff for Giants and Cowboys is now. For simplicity's sake, I'll put down the time at which the events actually occurred, and not the time I'm actually watching them (i.e. 11:40 - Feely wins it with a 51-yard FG.)
4:06 - Buck and Aikman on FOX, Nantz and Simms on CBS. Works for me. Oh, and before I left I deleted enough crap on my DVR to make room for the Cowboys game as well. So to answer the question I posed above, yes, I clearly am that sick.
4:08 - Obviously, due to circumstances, my around the league comments for the late games will be restricted to reacting to scores, stats, and Game Breaks. I know you're all crushed.
4:12 - I didn't realize Eli Manning had such putrid Red Zone numbers. Greeeeeeeeeat. Luke Petigout, with his helmet on, looks a little like Jeremy Shockey. By the way, in the last three weeks Tiki Barber has gotten more praises, acclaims, and media attention than the rest of his career combined. That 3rd down extra effort is an example of why.
4:16 - 7-0. Great to see the Giants take their first posession all the way for a TD, even if took Shaun O'Hara shoving Tiki into the end zone to do it. Meanwhile in Irving, Dante Hall took the opening kick pretty far.
4:22 - Wait, this is not how it's supposed to work. The Giants are supposed to get beaten by backup quarterbacks, not backup running backs. This game belongs to Mike McMahon, not Ryan freaking Moats. Oh, and that 40-yard TD run was the longest run of the year for Philly. I'm not sure if the '86 Giants defense proclaiming the '05 Giants defense not in their league (see today's Daily News) was supposed to inspire them or something, but if that was the intention, it seems to have, shall we say, not worked.
4:28 - I don't know if it's a height thing, but Plaxico Burress draws a lot of pass interference penalties. I'm not complaining. And I know there are people who think I should cross out "draws" and replace it with "commits." Consider yourselves acknowledged.
4:30 - Aikman defends linemen in a roughing the passer discussion. Can't say I saw that coming. Really. Usually the former QB's side with the QB point of view. I see in pic-in-pic a flashback to the last Vermeil/Parcells matchup, a Jets/Rams game from the late '90's. I was thinking 'who cares,' but I guess Parcells and Vermeil were heated rivals in the Giants/Eagles days, so it warrants mentioning. Giants go into FG range, then out of FG range. Punt. Ugh.
4:36 - Petigout hurt. I'm OK with it. Pierce hurt. I'm NOT OK with that.
4:40 - Larry Johnson runs it in for 6. I may have picked the Cowboys to win this game (and cover), but that's because it's what I think will happen, not what I want to happen. 7-0 KC. Excellent. Speaking of picks, I went 4-4 in the early games. Won Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Tampa (great pick), and New England. Lost Tennesse (13 points against Houston?), Oakland (who cares), Indy (backdoor!), and Cincy (should've lost outright).
4:43 - Antonio Pierce is leaving being carted off the sidelines. This is not good at all. 7-7 after first quarter. Against a team coming off a demoralizing 42-0 loss, mind you.
4:47 - Amani Toomer just made his 743rd dragging-the-feet catch of the year. Not as pretty as the one in Seattle, but nice nonetheless. Oh, and Tiki brought it to the 1-yard line. And the only thing more predictable than Brandon Jacobs coming into the game is Troy Aikman ciriticizing Tom Coughlin for bringing Brandon Jacobs into the game. And Jacobs brought it.... close. Here we go again... Giants/Eagles, close game, 1st and goal from the 1, and they can't get it in. Except he seemed to get in on 3rd. Coughlin's gonna challenge, and probably win. Nice second effort by Jacobs, by the way. Wow, no TD. 4th and 6 inches. Manning takes it in, though minus the leap that McMahon used a few weeks back. Aikman continues to bash the Coughlin/Jacobs specialty decision.
4:58 - Now Kareem McKenzie is limping. This is fun, let's guess who gets hurt next. Um..... Carlos Emmons. Why not. Osi Umenyiora is now leading the NFL in sacks. And people are starting to notice. That Seattle game, where he dominated the previously unstoppable Walter Jones, was clearly his "notice me" game.
5:02 - As McKenzie gets carted off and Manning starts to wonder how many sacks are now forthcoming, I'm recalling reading a column in this morning's Daily News in which the columnist mentioned how fortunate the Giants have been to have had a relatively injury-free season thusfar. I don't remember who wrote the column, but I hope bad things are happening to him right now. Cowboys and Chiefs have been trading punts, as far as I can tell, though Dallas is at the 25 right now.
5:07 - Big Play Burress gets it done again on 3rd down. As he made that catch, you could definitely hear a big Giant fan contingent there. Always good. Dallas settles for a field goal. Also good.
5:11 - This Whitfield fella they brought into to play left tackle seems a tad overmatched. Just a tad. Not like that should bother Manning or anything. Don't you love when your team has 3rd and goal from the 14? And now Diehl is limping. This is as frustrating as the Seattle game, except with injuries instead of penalties. The only good news is Tony Gonzalez just broke a Roy Williams tackle at the 43 yard line, and took it inside the 10. If I made an "I love...." Coors commercial, "Roy Williams giving up a big play" would be up there more than once. 14-3, KC.
5:16 - Jay Feely Time. He of the last 4 of 5 missed. If you can't hit this 24-yarder, Jay, leave the stadium. He hit it; 17-7.
5:20 - Big run by Moats, the newest official Giant Killer, and then we have some good old-fashioned fisticuffs. Grabbing, swinging, all the good stuff. Like most football fights, it lasts 10 seconds. The NFL needs hockey-style, one-on-one, 2-minutes-at-a-time brawls. Meanwhile... Bledsoe to Glenn for 71 yards. On a flea-flicker. Those things still work, I guess, because Glenn was pretty open. By the way, Bledsoe had that ball in the air for about 60 yards. Vermeil is dismayed. Yeah, I'd be too. 14-10.
5:24 - At the end of the day, that flea flicker and Ryan Flippin Moats are gonna give the Cowboys the NFC East back. He turned the corner and just bolted down the sideline. Buck: "Boy, he can fly." Westbrook: "Nah, he's not that good." 17-14.
5:30 - Giants trying to put together one more drive before the half. After converting 3rd and 1, a holding penalty from the makeshift O-line brings it back. This is definitely a good sign. And now a false start, for tradition's sake. Punt. And the Eagles fumble it but recover. This is too tight to take. (Then again, I already know this. I'm just trying to convince myself maybe the Giants really did blow them out, and my brother was calling to celebrate a 45-14 win that took until 7:40 to end.)
5:37 - Manning's 1st half: 13/20, 151, TD. Not bad for a historically awful road QB. Of course, the Eagles could tie or take the lead with this last drive. Akers ties it with a 42-yard FG. Arizona has a 10-3 lead over Washington at halftime. Interesting. I switch to Dallas/KC in time to see Green get sacked and fumble inside the 20, and Dallas take it back to the KC 25. My dinner is having trouble staying down. Couple of plays later, Beldsoe to Witten, 17-14. On a flea-flicker and a 14-point swing off a fumble. Words escape me.
5:46 - I don't know why I'm watching the halftime highlights, I really don't. But I am. No halftime score really jumps out at me except the aforementioned 10-3 Arizona lead.
5:57 - It's actually 10:10 in the real world, and I'd like to finish by 11:35 so I can watch Mike Francesa's NBC show (instant Giants analysis plus he has Reggie Bush in studio). I watched the first half pretty quickly; after all, time flies when you're skipping commercials.
6:02 - So close to a 3-and-out, the defense allows a huge gain on the first Philly drive of the 2nd half. Picking up where they left off. (Am I more bitter at night?) And Deloatch commits a questionable PI. And Allen commits holding. 7 penalties, 56 yards. Great. Now the Eagles hold on a play where Strahan gets the sack anyway. Why Coughlin accepts these penalties and allows extra downs, I'll never know. Well, at least this time, they got another sack.
6:07 - Bonnie Bernstein, on CBS, just made fun of former MNF sideline gal Lisa Guerrero for posing in Playboy. Well, not really, but it would be funny if she did.
6:08 - Akers doinks a 49-yarder. They didn't show Feely, but I'm guessing he's smiling. Washington seems to have gotten its act together; they now lead 17-13.
6:14 - Giants moving the ball real well with their first 2nd-half possession. With a makeshift line, Buck reminds us. Good point. Inside the 5 now, but no guarantee they'll get points out of this. Whitfield starts falsely, to help move things along. Toomer saves the drive as KC goes back on top of Dallas (3rd TD for Larry Johnson). Good things and bad things both seem to happen at the same time. I conclude, therefore, that the Giants and Chiefs will either both win or both lose.
6:19 - Fade to Shockey, incomplete. 3rd and goal. Fade to Burress, incomplete. Inspired play-calling by John Hufnagel. This 21-yarder should be in Feely's range, and as he hits it, I begin to wonder if he can hit one outside of 30.
6:30 - I'm starting to grow impatient, so I'm starting to fast forward between plays every so often. Better to do it now than late in the 4th (and overtime?), when I'd rather simulate the tension of game time, when there' s no fast forward.
6:32 - Tiki just turned an 8-yard catch and run into a 32-yard catch and run. You know, it's not that he hasn't been doing everything he's doing this year for years, it's just that nobody seemed to notice until recently. 20-17 Giants after 3. In a game I've yet to mention, the Broncos are leading the Ravens 12-3. Sounds like fun.
6:38 - Defensive holding keeps the Giant drive alive. One Manning scarmble later, 3rd and short. Tiki gets nothing, so Feely's gonna try to be 3 for 3 from inside 30. Got it. 23-17.
6:43 - Patrick Surtain just dropped a 6-point INT in the red zone. Bledsoe and co. are trying to make him pay. They succeed. 24-21, Dallas.
6:47 - Reggie Brown just caught a deflected, wobbly pass he had no business catching. I'm gonna go out and say it: the Giants' secondary sucks. Eagles now inside the 20, and the Giants just missed a pick. Huge 3rd down. Not converted. Akers cuts the lead to 3.
6:59 - Manning finally throws that INT we've all been waiting for, and with 3:30 or so left and the Eagles trailing by 3, this game has overtime written all over it. And yes, I'm probably saying that because I realize there are about 40 real-time minutes left in the game.
7:01 - Reggie Brown almost caught it at the goal line. 2 minute warning. I've barely paid attention to the pic-in-pic, though I just saw Dallas pull the old fake FG/pitch punt move in lieu of attempting a 53-yarder. Net gain: 16 yards. Parcells can't be pleased. Akers from 50, for the tie.... bulls-eye. 23-23. Giants will get the ball with 1:52 and 3 timeouts; they should be able to win it here. Unless it's resting on the foot of Feely. Actually it would be nice if Feely wins it here, especially if it's on a kick of some range.
7:08 - False start. Yeah, that's the way to start a game-winning drive. In happier news, Green bomb to Kennison, 28-24 KC. Maybe good things are in store after all. Shockey hauls in a bad Manning throw, and we're in business.
7:11 - 37 ticks left, Giants just barely in Philly territory. Feely must be squirming on the bench. Feely breathes a sigh of relief as Manning overthrows Shockey and hits Michael Lewis in the numbers. They just can't win on the road, though in this case they might not lose. Note the subtle difference between winning and not losing. Eagles continue to drop passes; apparently they lead the league in that prestigious categories. The secondary is getting bailed out. Like I said, they're not winning, they're just not losing. Anyway, 9 seconds left, and it looks like OT to me. It's OK, OT has been good to the Gi- what? Oh, right. Bad loss to the Cowboys, shattering loss to Seattle.
7:15 - Cowboys driving to save their lives, while a Game Break on CBS shows San Diego fighting to stay alive as well: late TD to cut the deficit to 2, onside kick coming up. What an upset that would be. For those forgetful folk, that spread was 13.5 (some places a bit higher, even).
7:17 - Coin toss..... Eagles. Damn. Dallas inside the 10. Damn. Washington held off Arizona. Damn.
7:21 - Question: Do the Giants need a touchdown or safety to win this game? Answer: Not if they get the ball inside the 10, Remember, Feely's unstoppable inside 30 yards. FINAL: Miami 23, San Diego 21. Wow. Gotta pause the Giant game to see 3rd and goal in Dallas.
7:22 - 3rd and goal.... close but no cigar. 4th and goal... close but no cigar! But a flag! Wow. CBS didn't really show the defensive hold, thanks guys. 4 more chances for Dallas. KC needs a huge stand. 1 down, 3 to go. CBS uses the timeout to show the holding, finally. Simms says good call. I agree. 2nd and goal... play-action perfection. Nobody was anywhere near Dan Campbell there. Cowboys 31, Chiefs 28. Helluva game.
7:25 - Back in Philly, close spot after a nice gain for the Eagles on 3rd down. They got it. Strahan and Gibril Wilson get a desperately needed sack. 3rd and long now. Strahan makes it 4th and longer with another huge sack (huge in yards, huge in importance). Giants will get it. Please get inside the 10.... Please get inside the 10....
7:28 - Giants moving the ball well, cameras all over Feely. And then a great sequence: Buck calls Manning "McMahon," and Kearse gets called for a horse-collar tackle. Except he doesn't.
7:32 - KC just completed a long pass to Hall; they're in FG range to tie. Lawrence Tynes misses the 41-yarder wide right. Like I said, helluva game. Cowboys win and the game's a push. Great. Giants need to win. Badly.
7:33 - 3rd and 3, if they don't get it, it's some kick for Feely. They don't get it. 52-yard attempt. Not happening, they're going for it. I'm glad they have so much confidence in their kicker. Deflection, INT. That's 3 since the start of the 4th quarter. Another banner day for Eli Manning. Eagles poised to win this one, if they can find an offense.
7:37 - Eagles have been penalized for 101 yards, 30 more than the Giants. 1st and 20 begets 2nd and 20. 2nd and 20 begets 3rd and 20. 3rd and 20 begets... FUMBLE? or incomplete? For your information, I think Osi was the Greek god of defense.
7:40 - 3rd and 8, at the 21. This kick is inside 40. You HAVE to trust your kicker. If you don't, why is he on the team. Let him win this f---ing game. By the way, if he misses, there's a good chance this game ends in a (gasp!) tie.
7:42 - Andy Reid ices Feely. Couldn't hurt. FOX shows the 4 misses from the last two weeks. Couldn't hurt, either.
7:43 - Memo to Shockey: KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM UNTIL THAT BALL SPLITS THE UPRIGHTS, UNDERSTAND?
7:43 - Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood! The Feely Redemption! That man is smiling like a psychotic serial killer right now, and Giant fan or not, you gotta feel happy for the guy.
7:44 - Pick the back pages tomorrow: "FEEL-ING GOOD"? "FEEL-ING JUST FINE"? For the record, I thought that kick was sailing wide left.
7:44 - Post-game highlight: Pam Oliver having to kick out the reporters from CBS2, NBC4, FOX5, MSG, and News 12 (seriously, there were 5 microphones on camera when they went to Pam), so she can get to Feely. "Excuse me, people." Awesome. 4 of 4 for Feely. Good for him.
7:46/11:55 - As I switch to Mike'd Up, a little perspective. I said it at the start of the day: they should have blown the Eagles out, and they had to squeak it out in OT. Why? Because Eli choked when it mattered, and the secondary continues to be susceptible. The Chiefs are coming to town in six days. They better get healthy, play a clean offensive game, and figure out a way to stop Kennison and Hall, or it's gonna be a long Saturday evening at the Meadowlands.
11:58 - NFC picture: Seattle 1, everyone else... well, it's complicated, just check the standings, I'm too tired to get into all the permutations. Same goes for the AFC. Off the cuff predictions: AFC order: Indy, Cincy, Denver, Pats, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh. NFC order: Seattle, Carolina, Giants, Bears, Bucs, Cowboys. Oh, and speaking of picks, I went 3-1-2 in the afternoon (Dallas and Washington pushed, and Denver won by 2, not 14). And Green Bay didn't cover, either. Final for the day: 7-6-2.
As for next week's edition, there are three possibilities: 1) a special Saturday edition for the Giant game; 2) regular Sunday special; 3) both. Playing it by ear.
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12:50 - Here we go for the third straight week. One of the more amazing things about doing this is it makes me realize how lucky I've been to have open Sundays since October. With so many engagement parties, weddings, and other "distractions" taking place, I haven't missed a football Sunday since that three-week wedding streak to start the season. And, more importantly, January looks open, too - last year I missed Pats/Colts as I was at a wedding in Boca Raton (though I caught part of the game at the hotel bar). Anyway, today starts at 4:05. I'll keep an eye on Jets/Raiders on CBS, but more likely I'll be paying attention to goings-on around the league, notably Chicago vs. Pittsburgh and Indy vs. '72 Dolphins. This week has a 8-6 early game/late game breakdown, which is nice, with 2 televised games later this afternoon, Giants and Cowboys. Bless you, picture-in-picture.
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12:55 - Picks for the sake of picking games. Last week: 10-6. 22-7-1 since I started this thing. I've barely even paid attention to the lines yet, so this is pretty much off the cuff... Minnesota -7, Oakland -3, Pittsburgh -6.5, Tampa Bay +5.5, Indy -9.5, Patriots -3.5, Cincy -12.5, Titans -6.5, Seattle -15.5(!), Washington -4, Miami +13.5, Dallas -3, Denver -14, Green Bay -6, Atlanta -10. As for the Giants, I'll take Philly -9.5, but I think the Giants will win. If it's typical Giants, they'll beat a team they should blow out in edge-of-your seat, 4th-quarter comeback fashion.
1:00 - Ian Eagle is calling the Jets/Raiders game. I guess CBS really hates Ian Eagle. His second sentence of the day: "Brooks Bollinger still looking for his first start as a starting quarterback in the NFL." As Harry Doyle would say, "Who cares, nobody's listening anyway."
1:07 - Curtis Martin is missing his 5th game in his 11th NFL season. Why doesn't he get Favre-like praise for his durability? By the way, I may be watching the game right now, but I'm searching for a backup/pic-in-pic channel early.
1:10 - A telling sign of how much attention I'm paying to the TV: I just opened up the NFL.com GameCenters, and as I open the Jets one I actually think, "Wow, the Jets are moving down the field pretty quickly," completely oblivious to the fact that that has developed right before my eyes and ears.
1:13 - Jets have to settle for 3, fans not pleased. I mean, the ones that are there. When Nugent made that field goal, I saw a ton of empty seats. Is it worth it to call Time Warner right now and add the Cinemax package because one of the six channels they have is airing Ferris Bueller right now? Guess not. But seriously, 6 HBO's and here's what I have as backup channel options: Garfield: The Movie, Boxing, The Cooler, D.A.R.Y.L, Waiting for Guffman, and Dracula. Wonderful. Also, the Steelers scored on their first possession, with a 5-play, 66-yard TD drive. Think they're trying to tell the Bears defense something?
1:19 - Colts get 7 after an 11-play, 89-yard drive. Think they're trying to tell the '72 Dolphins something?
1:26 - I'm not sure I "get" this Nike LeBron commercial, where he's playing every member of the group/family, but I think I like it.
1:49 - Following the old "did I really call for a fair catch or did I just pull a fast one" routine, we have this exchange: Ian Eagle: "I have a feeling we're gonna see a little bit of everything here today." Solomon Wilcots: "I get the sense we're gonna see it all, my man." Me: "Yep, everything. Except good football." On the plus side, we might be at halftime by 2:05.
1:52 - Around the league... Bengals are not covering right now. Well, Bengals aren't even winning right now. One step at a time. Jacksonville got to the 10 but only got 3 out of it, that's the ballgame right there. Texans 3, Titans 0. They're just setting up a late-game collapse, don't worry. Heisman-winner Reggie Bush awaits.
1:54 - Tuiawhatever overthrows Moss, right into the hands of Ty Law. Law starts the runback, and as I say to myself, "he looks like he wants to make a stupid lateral," he makes a stupid lateral. Miraculously, the Jets didn't lose it. I would love to know the success rate of improv laterals. I'm guessing 20-30%.
1:59 - From GameCenter: 1-10-IND 35 (9:32) P.Manning pass to M.Harrison for 65 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Home. Field. Advantage.
2:01 - I should know better than to jinx myself. Due to recent developments, I may be missing the Giant game after all. Should this happen, I will DVR the game and come back tonight and watch the game, not knowing the outcome, and log the game here as if I was watching it live. The things I do for my reader(s). I'll miss around the league, but there's nothing really compelling at 4 other than Dallas, which is on TV anyway. Wait, should I DVR that game, too, then put them on together in picture-in-picture tonight as if I was watching both games from 4-7? Am I that sick? Stay tuned.
2:11 - Pats up 14-0. Steelers 14-3. Indy 14-0. Yawner of a 1:00, if I say so myself.
2:18 - Since I don't get to watch most Colts games (playoffs can't come soon enough), I'm quite used to seeing those long blue bars on GameCenter. Well, with two big bars and a couple of small ones, the Colts have it at the 5 yard line. The bad news is it's 4th and goal. I say go for it. Dungy agrees, wow. Didn't get it. Either it was a botched field goal or a fake, because the pass was thrown by Hunter Smith. (What exactly is a "modified swinging gate formation"? PrimeTime can't come soon enough.) Somehow I think Indy will survive this setback.
2:22 - Bengals got to the 4 yard-line, kicked for 3, got to the 10, kicked for 3. They trail by one going into the half. Not good numbers is you lay the 12.5.
2:25 - Oh, the Jets and Raiders are at halftime! Who knew? 6-3 Jets. Ugh. Greg Gumbel even makes fun of it: "we promise there are TD's being scored in the NFL today."
2:27 - The halftime crew just showed the "swinging gate play" from the Indy game. Hard to tell exactly, but after a lot of pausing and rewinding, it seems to go something like this. Line up in FG formation, then 7 players all go to the left side of the field, leaving the center, the "quarterback," (Hunter Smith, the FG holder) a back, and a blocker. Smith takes the shotgun snap, then the center goes out to the right while Smith fakes a screen to the back to his left. It worked brilliantly; all the Jaguar defenders broke left. Smith, though, just missed the hands of open center/receiver, Justin Snow, so no paydirt. But a really creative play call.
2:38 - CBS just lost its feed to the Jet game; my screen simply has the NFL on CBS logo and "Oakland at NY Jets" on the screen. Oh happy day!!!!! Gumbel comes on to make light of the situation, then sends us to another game! Yay! Oh, Bengals/Browns. Meh, still better than Jets/Raiders. Then again, it's the only game in the 2nd half right now. Maybe Colts/Jaguars is on the horizon. Though to be completely fair, this is the only competitive game of the afternoon right now, so maybe we should stick with this one.
2:42 - Or not. Feed back up. Just in time to see Janikowski miss a 29-yard field goal. Phew. Don't know what I would've done if I didn't see that. Here's hoping they lose the feed again.
2:53 - I haven't seen any highlights of the game, but either the Steelrs defense if playing really well or Kyle Orton is playing really crappy. Through 2+ quarters, Orton's 9/21 for 92 yards, sacked twice, 3 points for Chicago. Give the Steelers D credit, but watch for that Orton/Grossman QB controversy to get cooking tomorrow.
2:56 - Tom Brady just got intercepted at the 10 by London Fletcher. Great. I can already hear Chris Berman doing "awoooooooooo, werewolves of London" in my head.
2:57 - Next play, J.P. Losman thrown a pick. Rule of thumb: if your name is J.P., don't be attempting 44-yard bombs.
3:01 - The over/under for the Jet game is 30. Right now it's 9-3. Doug Jolley just made a spectacular drop (really, you had to see it to believe it), trying to do his part to make sure no TD's get scored today. You gotta admire his dedication, especially against his former team.
3:04 - Bruce Almighty on USA. As a backup channel, I give it a C+. Sadly, that's the top grade in the class today.
3:07 - Points coming in boatloads around the league. As I type this, 6 of 8 games have colored boxes around their GameCenters (red = red zone, blue = someone just scored). Steelers went up 21-3, Titans ran back a punt, 10-10 (seriously, if you were trying to lose, as Houston is, isn't allowing the punt return TD the perfect crime?), Carolina finally got on the board with a FG, Pats 21-0, Cincy FINALLY took the lead 20-17, and Indy's now in the red zone again. Of course, in the game on TV, the Jets get to the 4 and settle for another 3. 12-3. In the immortal words of Robbie Hart, somebody kill me please. As bad as I feel, though, Ian Eagle just sounds tortured at this point.
3:14 - John Abraham forces his second QB fumble of the day. Jet fans will miss him next year. Ian points out that a Jets win today really hurts their chances in the Reggie Bush sweepstakes. Nothing new there. But then he claims that players don't care, they just want to win. See, I have a hard time buying into that. Players have seen him play; they know any team that gets him is instantly better, especially a team who just lost their very old running back for the season. I know you "play to win the game," but isn't there some part of a player that says, "OK, I don't really like to lose, but why give 100% when a loss isn't that bad after all?"
3:56 - Phone call break. Catching up on the last 40 minutes: Jets and Raiders trade TD's, and in one of the greatest upsets in the 2005 NFL season, they rally to get 30 and reward those who took the over. Steelers beating the Bears handily, Same goes for Pats and Bucs (good call on both of those). Minnesota up 2 TD's. Predictably, the Texans are about to lose their third straight on a last-second game-winning field goal, which will be the second such field goal of the day, Shayne Graham and the Bengals being the first. Great game there, by the way. And Jacksonville made it interesting. Down 26-3, they scored, then recovered an onside kick, then got a TD and a conversion (26-18), but then elected to go deep with the kickoff, gambling that Indy wouldn't get a first down. I'll bet you can guess how that turned out. Backdoor cover by the Jaguars, as thousands of people scream in horror.
4:08 - Giants begin, and I've got to run. I tried to record Cowboys/Chiefs so I can recreate the full "Couch Critic" effect when I get back later, but alas, I don't have enough space on my DVR. I should watch that Baseball Tonight year-end Web Gem Spectacular and delete it already, I know.
8:41 - I'm back. It's 8:41 (see left). All the afternoon games are over. Right now in Green Bay, Patrick, Theismann, and Maguire are saying stupid things. But in the Student Lounge, it's 4:00. The games are going on, and I have no idea what happened. I do know that the Giant game was a good game, because of two indicators: 1) it ended at 7:40, and I know that because 2) my little brother called me at exactly that time only to hear "Don'ttellmewhathappenedItapedthegame" when I picked up the phone, and he'd only call if it was a close win or a close loss. So at least I know I'm not wasting my time. For the record, I said at 12:55, "If it's typical Giants, they'll beat a team they should blow out in edge-of-your seat, 4th-quarter comeback fashion." Kickoff for Giants and Cowboys is now. For simplicity's sake, I'll put down the time at which the events actually occurred, and not the time I'm actually watching them (i.e. 11:40 - Feely wins it with a 51-yard FG.)
4:06 - Buck and Aikman on FOX, Nantz and Simms on CBS. Works for me. Oh, and before I left I deleted enough crap on my DVR to make room for the Cowboys game as well. So to answer the question I posed above, yes, I clearly am that sick.
4:08 - Obviously, due to circumstances, my around the league comments for the late games will be restricted to reacting to scores, stats, and Game Breaks. I know you're all crushed.
4:12 - I didn't realize Eli Manning had such putrid Red Zone numbers. Greeeeeeeeeat. Luke Petigout, with his helmet on, looks a little like Jeremy Shockey. By the way, in the last three weeks Tiki Barber has gotten more praises, acclaims, and media attention than the rest of his career combined. That 3rd down extra effort is an example of why.
4:16 - 7-0. Great to see the Giants take their first posession all the way for a TD, even if took Shaun O'Hara shoving Tiki into the end zone to do it. Meanwhile in Irving, Dante Hall took the opening kick pretty far.
4:22 - Wait, this is not how it's supposed to work. The Giants are supposed to get beaten by backup quarterbacks, not backup running backs. This game belongs to Mike McMahon, not Ryan freaking Moats. Oh, and that 40-yard TD run was the longest run of the year for Philly. I'm not sure if the '86 Giants defense proclaiming the '05 Giants defense not in their league (see today's Daily News) was supposed to inspire them or something, but if that was the intention, it seems to have, shall we say, not worked.
4:28 - I don't know if it's a height thing, but Plaxico Burress draws a lot of pass interference penalties. I'm not complaining. And I know there are people who think I should cross out "draws" and replace it with "commits." Consider yourselves acknowledged.
4:30 - Aikman defends linemen in a roughing the passer discussion. Can't say I saw that coming. Really. Usually the former QB's side with the QB point of view. I see in pic-in-pic a flashback to the last Vermeil/Parcells matchup, a Jets/Rams game from the late '90's. I was thinking 'who cares,' but I guess Parcells and Vermeil were heated rivals in the Giants/Eagles days, so it warrants mentioning. Giants go into FG range, then out of FG range. Punt. Ugh.
4:36 - Petigout hurt. I'm OK with it. Pierce hurt. I'm NOT OK with that.
4:40 - Larry Johnson runs it in for 6. I may have picked the Cowboys to win this game (and cover), but that's because it's what I think will happen, not what I want to happen. 7-0 KC. Excellent. Speaking of picks, I went 4-4 in the early games. Won Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Tampa (great pick), and New England. Lost Tennesse (13 points against Houston?), Oakland (who cares), Indy (backdoor!), and Cincy (should've lost outright).
4:43 - Antonio Pierce is leaving being carted off the sidelines. This is not good at all. 7-7 after first quarter. Against a team coming off a demoralizing 42-0 loss, mind you.
4:47 - Amani Toomer just made his 743rd dragging-the-feet catch of the year. Not as pretty as the one in Seattle, but nice nonetheless. Oh, and Tiki brought it to the 1-yard line. And the only thing more predictable than Brandon Jacobs coming into the game is Troy Aikman ciriticizing Tom Coughlin for bringing Brandon Jacobs into the game. And Jacobs brought it.... close. Here we go again... Giants/Eagles, close game, 1st and goal from the 1, and they can't get it in. Except he seemed to get in on 3rd. Coughlin's gonna challenge, and probably win. Nice second effort by Jacobs, by the way. Wow, no TD. 4th and 6 inches. Manning takes it in, though minus the leap that McMahon used a few weeks back. Aikman continues to bash the Coughlin/Jacobs specialty decision.
4:58 - Now Kareem McKenzie is limping. This is fun, let's guess who gets hurt next. Um..... Carlos Emmons. Why not. Osi Umenyiora is now leading the NFL in sacks. And people are starting to notice. That Seattle game, where he dominated the previously unstoppable Walter Jones, was clearly his "notice me" game.
5:02 - As McKenzie gets carted off and Manning starts to wonder how many sacks are now forthcoming, I'm recalling reading a column in this morning's Daily News in which the columnist mentioned how fortunate the Giants have been to have had a relatively injury-free season thusfar. I don't remember who wrote the column, but I hope bad things are happening to him right now. Cowboys and Chiefs have been trading punts, as far as I can tell, though Dallas is at the 25 right now.
5:07 - Big Play Burress gets it done again on 3rd down. As he made that catch, you could definitely hear a big Giant fan contingent there. Always good. Dallas settles for a field goal. Also good.
5:11 - This Whitfield fella they brought into to play left tackle seems a tad overmatched. Just a tad. Not like that should bother Manning or anything. Don't you love when your team has 3rd and goal from the 14? And now Diehl is limping. This is as frustrating as the Seattle game, except with injuries instead of penalties. The only good news is Tony Gonzalez just broke a Roy Williams tackle at the 43 yard line, and took it inside the 10. If I made an "I love...." Coors commercial, "Roy Williams giving up a big play" would be up there more than once. 14-3, KC.
5:16 - Jay Feely Time. He of the last 4 of 5 missed. If you can't hit this 24-yarder, Jay, leave the stadium. He hit it; 17-7.
5:20 - Big run by Moats, the newest official Giant Killer, and then we have some good old-fashioned fisticuffs. Grabbing, swinging, all the good stuff. Like most football fights, it lasts 10 seconds. The NFL needs hockey-style, one-on-one, 2-minutes-at-a-time brawls. Meanwhile... Bledsoe to Glenn for 71 yards. On a flea-flicker. Those things still work, I guess, because Glenn was pretty open. By the way, Bledsoe had that ball in the air for about 60 yards. Vermeil is dismayed. Yeah, I'd be too. 14-10.
5:24 - At the end of the day, that flea flicker and Ryan Flippin Moats are gonna give the Cowboys the NFC East back. He turned the corner and just bolted down the sideline. Buck: "Boy, he can fly." Westbrook: "Nah, he's not that good." 17-14.
5:30 - Giants trying to put together one more drive before the half. After converting 3rd and 1, a holding penalty from the makeshift O-line brings it back. This is definitely a good sign. And now a false start, for tradition's sake. Punt. And the Eagles fumble it but recover. This is too tight to take. (Then again, I already know this. I'm just trying to convince myself maybe the Giants really did blow them out, and my brother was calling to celebrate a 45-14 win that took until 7:40 to end.)
5:37 - Manning's 1st half: 13/20, 151, TD. Not bad for a historically awful road QB. Of course, the Eagles could tie or take the lead with this last drive. Akers ties it with a 42-yard FG. Arizona has a 10-3 lead over Washington at halftime. Interesting. I switch to Dallas/KC in time to see Green get sacked and fumble inside the 20, and Dallas take it back to the KC 25. My dinner is having trouble staying down. Couple of plays later, Beldsoe to Witten, 17-14. On a flea-flicker and a 14-point swing off a fumble. Words escape me.
5:46 - I don't know why I'm watching the halftime highlights, I really don't. But I am. No halftime score really jumps out at me except the aforementioned 10-3 Arizona lead.
5:57 - It's actually 10:10 in the real world, and I'd like to finish by 11:35 so I can watch Mike Francesa's NBC show (instant Giants analysis plus he has Reggie Bush in studio). I watched the first half pretty quickly; after all, time flies when you're skipping commercials.
6:02 - So close to a 3-and-out, the defense allows a huge gain on the first Philly drive of the 2nd half. Picking up where they left off. (Am I more bitter at night?) And Deloatch commits a questionable PI. And Allen commits holding. 7 penalties, 56 yards. Great. Now the Eagles hold on a play where Strahan gets the sack anyway. Why Coughlin accepts these penalties and allows extra downs, I'll never know. Well, at least this time, they got another sack.
6:07 - Bonnie Bernstein, on CBS, just made fun of former MNF sideline gal Lisa Guerrero for posing in Playboy. Well, not really, but it would be funny if she did.
6:08 - Akers doinks a 49-yarder. They didn't show Feely, but I'm guessing he's smiling. Washington seems to have gotten its act together; they now lead 17-13.
6:14 - Giants moving the ball real well with their first 2nd-half possession. With a makeshift line, Buck reminds us. Good point. Inside the 5 now, but no guarantee they'll get points out of this. Whitfield starts falsely, to help move things along. Toomer saves the drive as KC goes back on top of Dallas (3rd TD for Larry Johnson). Good things and bad things both seem to happen at the same time. I conclude, therefore, that the Giants and Chiefs will either both win or both lose.
6:19 - Fade to Shockey, incomplete. 3rd and goal. Fade to Burress, incomplete. Inspired play-calling by John Hufnagel. This 21-yarder should be in Feely's range, and as he hits it, I begin to wonder if he can hit one outside of 30.
6:30 - I'm starting to grow impatient, so I'm starting to fast forward between plays every so often. Better to do it now than late in the 4th (and overtime?), when I'd rather simulate the tension of game time, when there' s no fast forward.
6:32 - Tiki just turned an 8-yard catch and run into a 32-yard catch and run. You know, it's not that he hasn't been doing everything he's doing this year for years, it's just that nobody seemed to notice until recently. 20-17 Giants after 3. In a game I've yet to mention, the Broncos are leading the Ravens 12-3. Sounds like fun.
6:38 - Defensive holding keeps the Giant drive alive. One Manning scarmble later, 3rd and short. Tiki gets nothing, so Feely's gonna try to be 3 for 3 from inside 30. Got it. 23-17.
6:43 - Patrick Surtain just dropped a 6-point INT in the red zone. Bledsoe and co. are trying to make him pay. They succeed. 24-21, Dallas.
6:47 - Reggie Brown just caught a deflected, wobbly pass he had no business catching. I'm gonna go out and say it: the Giants' secondary sucks. Eagles now inside the 20, and the Giants just missed a pick. Huge 3rd down. Not converted. Akers cuts the lead to 3.
6:59 - Manning finally throws that INT we've all been waiting for, and with 3:30 or so left and the Eagles trailing by 3, this game has overtime written all over it. And yes, I'm probably saying that because I realize there are about 40 real-time minutes left in the game.
7:01 - Reggie Brown almost caught it at the goal line. 2 minute warning. I've barely paid attention to the pic-in-pic, though I just saw Dallas pull the old fake FG/pitch punt move in lieu of attempting a 53-yarder. Net gain: 16 yards. Parcells can't be pleased. Akers from 50, for the tie.... bulls-eye. 23-23. Giants will get the ball with 1:52 and 3 timeouts; they should be able to win it here. Unless it's resting on the foot of Feely. Actually it would be nice if Feely wins it here, especially if it's on a kick of some range.
7:08 - False start. Yeah, that's the way to start a game-winning drive. In happier news, Green bomb to Kennison, 28-24 KC. Maybe good things are in store after all. Shockey hauls in a bad Manning throw, and we're in business.
7:11 - 37 ticks left, Giants just barely in Philly territory. Feely must be squirming on the bench. Feely breathes a sigh of relief as Manning overthrows Shockey and hits Michael Lewis in the numbers. They just can't win on the road, though in this case they might not lose. Note the subtle difference between winning and not losing. Eagles continue to drop passes; apparently they lead the league in that prestigious categories. The secondary is getting bailed out. Like I said, they're not winning, they're just not losing. Anyway, 9 seconds left, and it looks like OT to me. It's OK, OT has been good to the Gi- what? Oh, right. Bad loss to the Cowboys, shattering loss to Seattle.
7:15 - Cowboys driving to save their lives, while a Game Break on CBS shows San Diego fighting to stay alive as well: late TD to cut the deficit to 2, onside kick coming up. What an upset that would be. For those forgetful folk, that spread was 13.5 (some places a bit higher, even).
7:17 - Coin toss..... Eagles. Damn. Dallas inside the 10. Damn. Washington held off Arizona. Damn.
7:21 - Question: Do the Giants need a touchdown or safety to win this game? Answer: Not if they get the ball inside the 10, Remember, Feely's unstoppable inside 30 yards. FINAL: Miami 23, San Diego 21. Wow. Gotta pause the Giant game to see 3rd and goal in Dallas.
7:22 - 3rd and goal.... close but no cigar. 4th and goal... close but no cigar! But a flag! Wow. CBS didn't really show the defensive hold, thanks guys. 4 more chances for Dallas. KC needs a huge stand. 1 down, 3 to go. CBS uses the timeout to show the holding, finally. Simms says good call. I agree. 2nd and goal... play-action perfection. Nobody was anywhere near Dan Campbell there. Cowboys 31, Chiefs 28. Helluva game.
7:25 - Back in Philly, close spot after a nice gain for the Eagles on 3rd down. They got it. Strahan and Gibril Wilson get a desperately needed sack. 3rd and long now. Strahan makes it 4th and longer with another huge sack (huge in yards, huge in importance). Giants will get it. Please get inside the 10.... Please get inside the 10....
7:28 - Giants moving the ball well, cameras all over Feely. And then a great sequence: Buck calls Manning "McMahon," and Kearse gets called for a horse-collar tackle. Except he doesn't.
7:32 - KC just completed a long pass to Hall; they're in FG range to tie. Lawrence Tynes misses the 41-yarder wide right. Like I said, helluva game. Cowboys win and the game's a push. Great. Giants need to win. Badly.
7:33 - 3rd and 3, if they don't get it, it's some kick for Feely. They don't get it. 52-yard attempt. Not happening, they're going for it. I'm glad they have so much confidence in their kicker. Deflection, INT. That's 3 since the start of the 4th quarter. Another banner day for Eli Manning. Eagles poised to win this one, if they can find an offense.
7:37 - Eagles have been penalized for 101 yards, 30 more than the Giants. 1st and 20 begets 2nd and 20. 2nd and 20 begets 3rd and 20. 3rd and 20 begets... FUMBLE? or incomplete? For your information, I think Osi was the Greek god of defense.
7:40 - 3rd and 8, at the 21. This kick is inside 40. You HAVE to trust your kicker. If you don't, why is he on the team. Let him win this f---ing game. By the way, if he misses, there's a good chance this game ends in a (gasp!) tie.
7:42 - Andy Reid ices Feely. Couldn't hurt. FOX shows the 4 misses from the last two weeks. Couldn't hurt, either.
7:43 - Memo to Shockey: KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM UNTIL THAT BALL SPLITS THE UPRIGHTS, UNDERSTAND?
7:43 - Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood! The Feely Redemption! That man is smiling like a psychotic serial killer right now, and Giant fan or not, you gotta feel happy for the guy.
7:44 - Pick the back pages tomorrow: "FEEL-ING GOOD"? "FEEL-ING JUST FINE"? For the record, I thought that kick was sailing wide left.
7:44 - Post-game highlight: Pam Oliver having to kick out the reporters from CBS2, NBC4, FOX5, MSG, and News 12 (seriously, there were 5 microphones on camera when they went to Pam), so she can get to Feely. "Excuse me, people." Awesome. 4 of 4 for Feely. Good for him.
7:46/11:55 - As I switch to Mike'd Up, a little perspective. I said it at the start of the day: they should have blown the Eagles out, and they had to squeak it out in OT. Why? Because Eli choked when it mattered, and the secondary continues to be susceptible. The Chiefs are coming to town in six days. They better get healthy, play a clean offensive game, and figure out a way to stop Kennison and Hall, or it's gonna be a long Saturday evening at the Meadowlands.
11:58 - NFC picture: Seattle 1, everyone else... well, it's complicated, just check the standings, I'm too tired to get into all the permutations. Same goes for the AFC. Off the cuff predictions: AFC order: Indy, Cincy, Denver, Pats, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh. NFC order: Seattle, Carolina, Giants, Bears, Bucs, Cowboys. Oh, and speaking of picks, I went 3-1-2 in the afternoon (Dallas and Washington pushed, and Denver won by 2, not 14). And Green Bay didn't cover, either. Final for the day: 7-6-2.
As for next week's edition, there are three possibilities: 1) a special Saturday edition for the Giant game; 2) regular Sunday special; 3) both. Playing it by ear.
posted by Binny at 10:39 AM
1 Comments:
Some of us don't get so lucky when we tape games and watch them later.
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