Week 12 Football Recap

Browns 24, Panthers 23

Whew. That was way too close. I know Cleveland has nothing to play for anymore, but blowing a game like that, against a 1-9 team, still would have hurt. The Browns need to learn to tackle for 60 minutes, since this is the third game in a row the D gave up a big play late due to poor tackling. Colt McCoy better be back soon because Delhomme has a 1/6 td/int ratio with a pick 6 in EACH* of his three starts. (*In week 1 the defender returned it 64 yards to the 3 and they scored a TD on the next play, so I’m counting it.) Can the MVP come from a 4-7 team? My new favorite Peyton ran for 131 yards and three first half touchdowns and is 39% of the offense for the season and first in receptions as well. Before I get his jersey, he needs to at least make a pro bowl, so please vote for my coolness sake.

Cavaliers 7, Hokies 37

Well that was a giant thud to end the season. The outcome is about what you would expect from a team with only two D1 wins against one that had won nine straight. I would have liked to have seen some more heart to make the second half watchable. I know it’s a new coach and our offense went from 118^th to 41^st in the country, etc, but outside of the Miami win and USC loss, there wasn’t much to cheer for this year and many games were unbearable blow outs. Not sure if I’ll get season tickets again. Is it spring yet?

Redskins 13, Vikings 17

Any chance Washington had at a wild card berth disappeared after this game. The injuries and lack of a running game caught up to the Skins. At least they keep most games close and entertaining in true .500 team fashion. But to lose on old man Favre’s scramble, on a broken ankle with no Peterson at home to a team that just fired their coach, is pretty disappointing.

Colts 14, Chargers 36

I know Indy matches up poorly with San Diego and struggled recently against them, but I was not expecting four ints and Manning’s worst loss at home. Obviously the injuries are mounting in the O Line and receiving corps, and Reggie Wayne is not having his best year. Once again, they ran the ball under 20 times compared to 49 passing attempts, continuing the losing trend. Luckily though, the Jags lost to the Giants, so the Colts can still get healthy and win the division.

On a more personal note, my only cousin’s Miami of Ohio team is headed to the MAC Championship game on Friday night. Luckily, the Redhawks played nationally televised games on ESPN the last couple weeks so I was able to watch him play. First it was the fog bowl winning field goal against Bowling Green, then a victory over Akron, with a red shirt freshman quarterback making his first start. Finally Miami manhandled Temple last week and benefited from Ohio blowing their chance against Kent State to make the title game in Detroit against Northern Illinois. After going 1-11 last year, the Redhawks are 8-4 (7-1 in the MAC), the largest turnaround in the country. Maybe their second year coach Mike Haywood will join the Cradle of Coaches one day.

Week 11 Football Recap

Browns 20, Jags 24

You have to win the game when you get six turnovers. You just have to. Ugh. Cleveland forced four picks and two fumbles, but only managed ten points off of them, and seven of those were from the defense. The offensive line play was atrocious, allowing six sacks and only opening up holes for 2.4 yards a Hillis carry. Peyton has to stop hurdling defenders as like a ballerina so he does not hurt himself. For the second week in a row, the Browns D gave up a horrible game clinching play due to poor tackling. Avert your eyes. At least these losses mean we have a better chance at drafting a top wide receiver in the draft next year, like A.J. Green.

Cavaliers 17, Eagles 13

Considering Boston College was playing for bowl eligibility and UVa is just playing for pride without Dowling and Payne, a four point loss on the road is not too bad. Unfortunately allowing two separate runningbacks to go over 100 yards is brutal. The only highlight of the game was that for the first time in Virginia history, two receivers had 700 yards or more in a season. Hopefully VT rests its starters next week in the Commonwealth Cup game since they already clinched an ACC title berth so the Wahoos can win in November for the first time in 13 tries.

Redskins 19, Titans 16

How is McNabb’s cardiovascular endurance now? Donovan led Washington on a couple two minute drives in a surprising win over Tennessee. Despite losing eight players to injury, including another one in warm-ups, DC kept its playoff hopes alive in another close game. McNabb had to throw 50 passes in the game but converting 8-16 3^rd downs goes a long way towards winning. It helps to get three penalties for 35 yards on the game winning drive though. Portis returned to action for the first time since week four and of course promptly injured himself again. At 5-5 the Skins will need to go on a big run in order to make the playoffs which will be tough with seven NFC teams ahead in the standings and upcoming games against the Buccaneers and Giants twice.

Colts 28, Pats 31

In one of their least anticipated matchups, Brady outdueled Manning in a game that will have later playoff seeding ramifications. It was definitely not Peyton’s day with three picks. However, considering the Colts are without Addai, Clark, Sanders, and others, Manning’s late comeback on the road against an 8-2 team was still impressive despite the failed outcome. Once again, Indy will not win many games with Peyton throwing 52 times compared to 20 rushes. In fact, this balance is key to the outcome of their games since in all four losses the Colts carried the ball 20 times or less while passing for 46 times or more, while they maintained a balance in all of their wins.

On a side note, I had my best FFL week this year, going 3-0 with wins by 19, 33, and 48 point margins, including 101 points in the SRO league, the highest in my team’s 18 seasons, and one point away from the league record.

Week 10 Football Recap

This week of football had three separate collapses.

Browns 20, Jets 26

In the battle of the Ryans, and Mangini’s revenge game, Hillis pounded the rock for 84 yards and a td against one the best defenses, while Colt McCoy displayed his poise again tying the game on a two minute drive. Both teams had opportunities to win the game but missed field goals and fumbles extended the overtime period. With 16 seconds left before a tie, Sanchez threw a quick out to Santonio Holmes and the defense, which had held the Jets to 20 points after nearly five quarters, collapsed with three missed tackles causing the game winning play. There are no morale victories in football. While losing in overtime with 16 seconds left to a 7-2 team would have been impressive two months ago, the Browns squandered a golden opportunity. If Cleveland had prevailed, at 4-5 they were facing five straight winnable games and a possible playoff push. Now at 3-6 with Cribbs dislocating four toes and Fujita injured, the Browns will be playing spoiler and for momentum for next season, which is a lot less fun to follow.

Cavaliers 23, Terrapins 42

On senior day, UVa took a 23-21 lead in the third quarter including another trick play on special teams. Unfortunately after the picturesque sunset, the Wahoos collapsed in the fourth quarter. Two picks, 16 penalties, and 21 points later the Cavs fell to 4-6. With two road games left, and Ras I Dowling injured for the rest of the year, there’s not much to root for until next season. Hopefully VT loses to Miami next week, so our game will mean something since we could be able to prevent them from going to the championship game.

Redskins 28, Eagles 59

Wow, that was embarrassing. With a national audience watching, coming off a bye week, the Skins laid a huge egg against a division rival. The only fireworks from the Skins were during the player intros as the Eagles jumped to an historic 35-0 lead. After the first play which Vick flicked his wrist for a 70 yard bomb, Washington’s collapse was almost comical. It was like watching a game of Madden on rookie. Including the last quarter of the UVa game, and the first quarter and first play of the 2nd quarter of the Skins game, I witnessed my teams get outscored 56-0. Combined with the pouring rain, here was the FedEx crowd to begin the second half. Of course the big news was Donovan McNabb’s absurd contract extension, which he proved its worth with three picks against his former team and understudy. The other bloated contract showed his pass rushing prowess by laying on the ground like a beached whale allowing Vick to stand in the pocket for seven seconds and find an open receiver in the end zone. It doesn’t get any easier going to Tennessee and scrambling QB Vince Young next week.

Colts 23, Bengals 17

The only team to win this week was my 1%, just great. I barely saw any of the game since I was watching and following the Browns. Manning had one of his worst statistical games and TO’s TD streak ended. Blah.

Week 9 Football Recap

Browns 34, Pats 14

While the Saints win was impressive, and the one over the Steelers last year was surprising, this beatdown of New England was especially awesome. Earlier embattled Mangenius outsmarted his former mentor and Cleveland enemy Belichick. The Pats came in with a NFL best 6-1 record, but left embarrassed by Peyton Hillis and the Browns. The stud runningback continues to impress as he rumbled for 184 yards and two touchdowns, including the game clinching drive, running on all six plays. You gotta love the fumblerooskie/ oak-e-doke for a score as well. Hillis was not the only star, as rookie Colt McCoy outplayed pretty boy Brady, who was actually pulled after rout was on. The best play of the game was McCoy’s touchdown scramble, helped by a monster block by Cribbs. Unfortunately, it does not get any easier with 6-2 Jets coming into town. In fact, when looking at the Browns schedule, it is a miracle they are 3-5. Eight of their first nine opponents are at least two games above .500. Of the eight NFL teams that have six wins, Cleveland has played six of them!

Cavaliers 48, Blue Devils 55

We did not deserve to be in this game. In what would be considered a low scoring basketball game, neither defense showed up in this shootout. The defense that held Miami scoreless for three quarters gave up seven touchdowns to a team without an ACC win yet. Once again an option quarterback offense torched the Hoos’ front seven, rendering our strong but injured secondary useless. The blame is not all on the defense though. Starting the game with three picks and seven first half penalties are tough to overcome, despite 643 total yards of offense. Even after all that, UVa still had a lead with 1:10 left and after consecutive sacks, Duke was facing a 4^th and 20. FAIL! Giving up a conversion like that is unacceptable, especially since it ruins any chance of a bowl and is the third straight loss to Duke (yes, in football). I’m not going to remember Verica setting a school record for passing yards, or Inman’s 239 receiving yards, but horrible, horrible defense on that play/drive/game.

Colts 24, Eagles 26

Despite a plethora of injuries, Indy had a chance to win a game in which Vick outplayed Manning. Without Addai, the Colts only ran the ball 19 times compared to 51 passes by Peyton, which is the imbalance that leads to most of their losses. Somehow Indy was still within striking distance on a late drive, with another key 4^th and long on the weekend. This time the Colts got a gift of a penalty allowing them to score a touchdown to bring it to within two points and setting up a later failed game winning drive. Even though helmet to helmet hits are getting all the attention, accusing the NFL of turning into flag football, a personal foul for hitting a quarterback’s head while going for a sack/fumble is way more wussified, even if it is a coddled superstar quarterback. That’s why they wear a helmet!

Week 8 Football Recap

Cavaliers 24, Hurricanes 19 – That’s more like it. UVa put together its best win in several years, upsetting #22 Miami for their first victory against a ranked opponent since October 2008. It helps to jack-up the Canes’ starting quarterback in the second quarter. The U’s backups proceeded to throw four more interceptions, including an incredible one by Chase Minnifield above. The junior cornerback now leads the NCAA in interceptions at six. Payne added two more rushing touchdowns bringing his ACC leading total to 12. Even the Star Wars themed halftime show by the marching band was pretty sweet. Despite the 24-0 performance through three quarters, the game ended on a scary note since Miami scored three straight touchdowns late to force the Hoos to convert two key third downs to preserve the victory. While storming the field after defeating a barely ranked opponent may be a little much, this guy always makes me laugh. With four games remaining, Virginia will need to win at least three to become bowl eligible and have winnable games against Duke, Maryland, and BC coming up.

Redskins 25, Lions 37 – Really? The Lions again? Washington played down to its competition again in a stunning loss to now 2-5 Detroit. The offense line was just atrocious leading to the McBenching. Even if Donovan was in shape or knew the offense up to Shanahan’s standards, no quarterback was going to stand up to that pressure. I wonder what these two were talking about when Grossman was blowing the game? Instead of going after Randy Moss, the Skins need to somehow incorporate special teams stud Brandon Banks into the offense. The Burgundy and Gold has kept six of their eight games to six points or less contests. The other two? Blow out losses to St. Louis and Detroit. At least they have a bye this week to sort out this disaster.

Colts 30, Texans 17 – In a battle of my two favorite quarterbacks, Manning out dueled Schaub, to take over first place in the AFC South. Despite missing Clark, Collie, and Addai, Peyton avenged the Week 1 loss to Houston with a 268 yard two td, no pick performance. The defense stepped up, pressuring Schaub and the fifth ranked Texan offense all night, leading to three sacks, a pick six, and only 17 points. After the Steelers and Jets lost this week, it’s looking like the two best teams in the league are the Pats and Colts. We’ve heard that one before.

Week 7 Football Recap

Browns 30, Saints 17

Who dat going to beat dem Saints? Apparently 1-5 Cleveland. In one of the two biggest wins for the Browns since their playoff season 8 years ago, Cleveland blew out the defending champs in their own house. The defense held the high powered Saints offense to only 10 points before junk time, and the special teams had a 68 yard fake punt. Colt McCoy and the offense did not have a turnover and the team only committed four penalties. It also helps when the Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees throws four picks. Strangely enough, two of the picks went to David Bowens, days after Brees welcomed in a son named Bowen. The 265 pound linebacker then rumbled, stumbled and bumbled those two picks for scores, and who doesn’t love seeing the fat guys score? The Browns better enjoy playing the spoiler role with 5-1 Patriots and 5-1 Jets coming up after a bye.

Cavaliers 48, Eagles 21

UVa finally got a victory over a D1 school albeit in ugly fashion. In the lowest attended game in 13 years, Eastern Michigan ran all over the Hoos for 290 rushing yards. At one point in the 3^rd quarter, Virginia was only up 24-21 against a 1-6 MAC team. It’s a sad statement on your defense when the scoreboard hit of the day was made by the pee wee team at halftime. While Verica rebounded with a clean game, and the Cavs scored 48 points, it was still not the best game to take your girlfriend to for the first time. The best highlight of the game came in the opening, when CavMan parachuted into the stadium. Next week Sebastian and the first place ‘Canes storm into town in a rematch of the game two years ago when UVa gave up a tying td with a minute left and lost in overtime after I got a speeding ticket and forgot my game ticket before the game. Hoping for a better day this time.

Redskins 17, Bears 14

This game set offensive football back five years. Nine combined turnovers? The 13 combined drives in the second half ended with five picks, three fumbles, three punts, a missed fg and a kneel down. Thankfully Haynesworth finally stepped up and DeAngelo Hall had a career game. Big Al had his best game as a Redskin, with a sack and stopping Cutler on a qb sneak with a scary jump over the line. Meanwhile DHall picked off four of Cutler’s ill advised passes including a sick one handed grab for a touchdown. The first player to pick off four passes in a game was also a Redskin, Slingin’ Sammy Baugh. Next week the Skins better not play down to the competition against Lions like they did against the Rams in Week 3 this year and Lions in Week 3 last year.

Week 6 Football Recap

Browns 10, Steelers 28 – The outcome and score of this game was predictable but Colts McCoy’s NFL debut was not as bad as expected. He looked poised and comfortable even though he threw two picks. I would leave him in there the rest of the season since what good is having Delhomme play for a 1-5 team do? Hillis needs to get healthy for a balanced attack in order to make the rest of the season’s games entertaining. Meanwhile the Steelers’ James Harrison should be fined for his head hunting on Cribbs and Massaquoi, especially since TJ Ward was disciplined earlier for a less violent hit. Some scary notes of the game, McCoy is the 11th QB to start for the Browns since Big Ben became the starter and the Browns next three opponents are a combined 13-4.

Cavaliers 10, Tar Heels 44 – For the third straight game, UVA got blown out, but this time to a team of equal talent level. While going into the season UNC had high expectations, seemingly half their team has been in trouble each week and the Heels had not won in Charlottesville since 1981. When the first play of the game is an 81 touchdown pass with several missed tackles, you know it is going to be a long night. It was encouraging to see Matt Snyder get the start at wideout but when your quarterbacks throw five picks, it does not really matter who they are attempting to throw to. Payne got back on track with 107 yards, but 49 of that was on one play in a drive that ended in a pick anyway. Three different quarterbacks threw picks in the redzone, which has to be some sort of record. The lone highlight of the night was the warm chili at the tailgate on a surprisingly chilly night. Next week might be the only win left on the schedule, when 1-6 Eastern Michigan comes to town with the 98th ranked scoring offense and 119th scoring defense.

Redskins 24, Colts 27 – Due to my 100% theory I was pulling for Washington over Indy here and was wearing my Portis jersey instead of my Manning jersey during this game to prove it. The Skins once again took a game to the wire (almost last play this time) and made it entertaining. Washington missed several opportunities including dropping interceptions and not capitalizing on the turnovers they did get. McNabb had an opportunity to win it at the end, but could not come up with the big play or drive. He is obviously an improvement over Campbell and any other quarterback in the past decade, but it’s looking like he is not the quarterback that will be able to carry a team to clutch victories every week in a playoff run. After Torain’s solid performance (110yds, 2tds), it is looking like the Portis era is done in Washington. Of course there was Haynesworth drama as the $100 million distraction missed too many practices to play, but his 335 pound frame would have been useless against the Colts fast paced offense anyway. With the Giants and Eagles winning, the Skins fall to second place at 3-3, and face 4-2 Bears next week. Meanwhile, Indy keeps pace with the Texans in the division at 4-2, and the winner of tonight’s 3-2 Jags vs 3-2 Titans game. The Colts are on a bye next week, which means I need a new qb for the week, AHHHHHHHH!

DC Sports Stars at thier Finest: TV Ads

Now that we are nearing the election, I am no longer fast forwarding through tv commercials as fast to actually notice the political ads. In the process, I’ve come across some sweet local sports celebrity ads. While typical local sports ads are for car dealerships and are poorly acted, some can be funny with high production values. I’m not talking about Peyton Manning for MasterCard or Nike, but the backup qb making some bucks on the side for the local bank. Here’s the evolution of some local DC ones through the years:

First you start off in a big group:

A catchy jungle helps:

Then you move on to singular speaking roles, albeit not in English

Now closer English (luckily never aired):

Even the fluent speakers still need their jerseys or name recognition:

Sometimes the coaches cash in as well:

And then the English improves:

Eventually you get a commercial with the main local star before even playing a game:

Finally after all the bad acting, staring into the teleprompter, you get some actually well- produced funny ads:

Week 5 Football Recap

Cavaliers 21, Yellow Jackets 33 – This was a very strange game. While UVa got pounded on the ground, the scoreboard doesn’t quite reflect it. In the first half, Georgia Tech moved the ball at will, but kept turning the ball over or settling for field goals. Meanwhile the Hoos could not capitalize with three “3 and outs” in the first half, surrounding by only one big play. Somehow the fullback Max Milien summoned his inner Maximus/Max Power/Max Payne and ripped off a 37 yard touchdown almost untouched to give Virginia hope. Two separate times the Ramblin' Wreck started to pull away, but the Cavs would respond to keep it interesting. For the second time this year, Matt Snyder made some incredible catches in mop-up duty. Maybe we should play him in the first three quarters of a game with Burd and Inman in some sort of spread offense. Luckily the Wahoos return home for the next three weeks including two more winnable games vs UNC and Eastern Michigan.

Redskins 16, Packers 13 – Thanks to Fox News, I got free tickets to the Skins game, including free drinks, food, and field level passes. After Nat gushed when Cooley walked by, I tried to get Galloway’s attention by yelling “O-H” to no avail. It was a really sunny day, even with Landry’s biceps blocking out the sun. Despite starting their first four possessions between their own 14-9 yard line, Green Bay took an early lead due to five straight punts by Washington. After two uneventful quarters, the Burgundy and Gold’s offense finally woke up tying the game late in the fourth quarter with an incredible td catch by Armstrong. The Packers won the toss and got the ball first, but the drive ended on a sack, which I recorded since FexEx Field was the loudest I had ever heard it. After the Skins punted their possession, Landry picked off Rodgers, setting up Gano’s game winning field. The Skins have now won three games against some of the NFC’s top teams, and four of the five games have come down to the last play.

Browns 10, Falcons 20 - Since I was at the Skins game, I really have no idea/commentary outside of the articles about it. I’m just a little worried Colt McCoy will have to start against Pittsburgh, New Orleans, New England, NY Jets, etc.

Colts 19, Chiefs 9 – See above.

New Defensive Rankings

Who has is the best defense in the NFL? The team with the least yards allowed? The team with the least points allowed? What about the team with the most turnovers? Sacks? In any article mentioning defensive rankings, the default is yardage, followed by points. Even in 2000, when the Ravens set a record for least points allowed and regarded as one of the best defenses of all time, the Titans were the “#1 defense” that season. Allowing the least amount of points seems like the most logical choice to help your team win. So why the disparity? I couldn’t find the grand conspiracy, so I made my own rankings.

The Steelers and the Chargers are tops in points and yards allowed, but what about the other factors? I ranked the top defenses in points allowed, yards allowed, 3rd down conversion %, penalty yardage, sacks, and turnovers. I even threw in subtracted a point for each TD scored by the defense, the most direct contribution to team victories. Here is the chart showing the combined rankings (click on the picture to actually be able to read it):

San Diego tops the list due in part to being the top 11 in each of the categories. #2 Pittsburgh also is in all top 11, including top’s in turnovers as well, coming in second overall. The #3 Cowboys were #1 in both 3rd down conversion and penalty yardage, but only caused three turnovers in their three games, contributing to their 1-2 start. #3 Titans lead the sacks with two other teams and are in the top 14 in four other categories. Some of the outliers are that #16 Baltimore is #2 in yards and #5 in points, but gave up the most penalty yardage in the league and only have two turnovers. Meanwhile Buffalo has committed the least amount of penalties, but is dead last on this list since they are 27th or worse in the other five categories. If you look at the conditional formatting colors, you can see the correlation between the categories, and the standings on the left. This is only based off a quarter of the season, curious to see what it looks like at the end.

Week 4 Football Recap

Browns 23, Bengals 20 – VICTORY! After blowing fourth quarter leads in each of the previous three games, Cleveland finally held on for the victory. I may be getting a Peyton jersey again, Hillis that is, after the runningback’s consecutive solid performance. Unlike the previous games, there was no killer turnover or penalty leading to the Brown’s demise. While Senaca Wallace’s numbers were down, Cleveland only had one turnover and 44 yards of penalties. While it was encouraging to see Ward’s physical play in crushing Shipley in the endzone, penalty and all, Eric Wright got torched again while TO had a career day on my fantasy benches. It’s really good that Cleveland got off the schnide now, with 3-1 Atlanta, 3-1 Pittsburgh, 3-1 New Orleans, 2-1 New England, and 3-1 NY Jets coming up. Yikes!

Cavs 14, Seminoles 31 – Apparently Florida State isn’t a D-2 school. The Nole’s turned the “white out” T-shirts into flags of surrender. Half the crowd was gone after thirty minutes after UVa’s embarrassing first half performance. Verica was inaccurate, took too many sacks, and threw a pick in the end zone, ending the faint hopes of a comeback in the third quarter. Nine penalties and missed tackles causing long touchdown runs also contributed to the embarrassment. The only thing that went right was that the Cavman video/team entrance was synched together for once. A quick glance at the schedule shows only possibly 3-4 wins out there this season, (UNC, E Mich, @ Duke, MD). Hopefully there’s at least nice weather for tailgates at these games.

Redskins 17, Eagles 12 – The Vick/McNabb drama fizzled fast after the Hokie on Hokie violence injured the Eagles QB’s ribs early in the game. Washington’s last ranked defense stepped up and made Andy Reid look like he was making the right decision starting Vick in over hapless Kolb. The running game looked dominate, McNabb looked sharp at times, and Haynesworth actually showed up. I’m going to petition the NFL to start tracking “holding calls drawn”, since Orakpo would be leading the league. The Skins should have put them away, and definitely should not have come down to another Hail Mary attempt. Now Washington is in a three way tie for first in the division, with idle Dallas in last. While the Burgandy and Gold won’t face another divisional foe until 11/15, the next three games will be brutal, Green Bay, Indy, and Chicago, a combined 8-4.

Colts 28, Jags 31 – I knew the divisional matchup would be tough, despite the recent play of both teams. Jacksonville played a turnover free game after losing two straight while Indy committed two turnovers after coming in off of two losses. But still, a 59 yard game winning field goal? Come on. The Colts still need more balance since they ran for only 58 yards compared to 348 passing. Addai should only receive touchdowns since Peyton only had 350+ yards, two tds and a pick that bounced off his receiver’s hands. Next week, Indy will try to knock off the last undefeated team, Kansas City (really?), which is a role reversal for the annually 10-0 Colts.

Football Week 3 Recap/Week 4 Preview

A combined 2-5 this weekend? Ugh.

Browns 17, Ravens 24 – Cleveland actually showed up against a far more talented team in Baltimore and held a lead in the fourth quarter for the third straight game. Peyton Hillis manned up and ran for the most yards the Ravens have ever allowed to a Brown. I doubt injured Jerome Harrison sniffs the field anytime soon. Senace Wallace was efficient with the ball with a 100+ rating and Cleveland didn’t have a turnover. However, like the other two weeks, the Browns found a way to lose the game. Cornerback Eric Wright had a terrible game covering Anquan Boldin, allowing three TD’s. Why did we bother to draft Joe Haden if we aren’t going to play him? The game clinching play this time was an offsides penalty on a third and short with no timeouts left. Next week the 2-1 Bengals come to town.

Cavaliers 48, VMI 7 – UVa took care of business and routed the Keydets in a sweltering hot day. Even though the win doesn’t count towards bowl eligibility it was still good to iron out the kinks and get healthy. The star of the game was cornerback Chase Minnifield, son of Cleveland Brown cornerback Frank Minnifield, which was one of my starting lineup figures growing up. He had two picks, including an amazing one where he tipped it up and recovered to catch it before going out of bounds. Hopefully he doesn’t return punts anymore, since he muffed one. Senior Ras-I Dowling is the attention grabber, projected first round rd draft pick, but junior Minnifield has been making all the plays this season so far. Strangely enough, over 1,500 VMI cadets showed up for the game in their all white uniforms, while the UVa student section and players were wearing Navy on a sunny 90 degree day. Maybe they were trying to get rid of extra Gatorades at the stadium or something. Saturday 3-1 Florida State comes to C’Ville in a prepared “white-out” promotion. The last time the Seminoles were in Scott Stadium, we were charging the field as they were exiting as the #4 team in defeat. And who doesn’t enjoy watching the ’95 version either?

Redskins 16, Rams 30 – Wow, that was a dud. Washington obviously took St. Louis for granted, stumbling out to a 14-0 hole. After rallying, the vaunted defense failed again, while the offense only scored three points in the second half. Portis is becoming a non-factor and may lose his job after taking a slide like a qb. Nine penalties, two turnovers, and 1-10 on third down isn’t going to get it done against any team, regardless of the record. All the playoff and division talk will be shelved due to the Cowboys’s win and Vick’s resurgence with the Eagles. If next week’s trip to 2-1 Phily wasn’t enough drama already, it was McNabb’s idea to bring Vick to the Eagles in the first place. Hopefully it will be a “sunny” trip to Philadelphia for the Skins.

Colts 27, Broncos 13 – Another week, another 300 yards, three tds, zero picks, and win for Peyton. However, only rushing for 40 yards, while allowing 519, and seeing shots of Freeney going in and out of the locker room are concerning though. The Colts better not overlook the struggling Jags next week in Jacksonville, since Jones-Drew has torn them up in the past and you can never count out a divisional foe.

Due to popular demand, I shortened my fantasy recaps, which is especially timely this week since I got spanked in all three leagues and am now 2-1 across the board.

Football Week 2 Recap/Week 3 Preview

Just like last week, my fantasy teams went 3-0, while my real teams struggled.

Browns 16, Chiefs 14 – Different QB, barely different score, same result. With Seneca Wallace at the helm Cleveland once again took a lead into half only to squander it with penalties and turnovers. Even though Cribbs had a sweet 65 yard td bomb, his talents are still being underutilized on a team devoid of talent. Now after starting 0-2, Cleveland faces a murderous schedule and another high draft pick. Good thing I don’t have season tickets to those games.

Redskins 27, Texans 30 – Much better game from the Skins offense. McNabb looks legit and a great trade for the Skins so far. Portis got two TD’s and the D looked solid until blowing the 17 point lead. Landry is a beast with another11 tackles, three qb hits and a sack. Schaub would have been having nightmares of him blitzing all night if he hadn’t chucked the rock in the comeback like his UVA days. With Dallas faltering at 0-2, and the Eagles and Giants with issues, Washington could be in contention for the division all year and hopefully a playoff spot.

Colts 38, Giants 14 – Indy decided to run the ball for the first time in three years, and by the time the GMen realized they didn’t need eight defensive backs the game was over. Watching Freeney and Mathis coming across the edge after Eli reminded me of playing Madden ’02 back in the day. Big sigh of relief for the season, but now its Schuab vs Peyton for the division.

Merlins 52, Holdbacks 43 – After another solid performance from Manning in addition to two one-yard Portis touchdowns I was able to build up a nice lead going into the Monday night game. Luckily the Saints D held off Drew Brees for a nine point victory. Now I’m in first place all by myself in the division after being in dead last a season ago.

Mountain Goats 45, Lions 42 – Luckily it was an off week for both teams, and I eeked out a three point victory. Not a good sign that my leading scorer was my kicker. Now I’m one of three teams at 2-0 left.

Wahoos 144, Stallions 126 – I scored the most points of any team this week, even though Chris Johnson only scored two points. Meanwhile the Stallions scored the second most points of the week and lost, sucks to be them. The only benefit of Schaub beating the Skins was 29 points for this team.

Week 3:

Browns @ Ravens – Uhhhh….Good Luck

Cavs vs VMI Keydets – The Cavaliers are facing their second D-2 school this season, which means this game does not even count towards bowl eligibility. With any luck the UVa team that soundly beat Richmond shows up, instead of the one that lost to William and Mary last season. It should be a rout on a nice fall day to give backups and injured starters like Dowling some much needed playing time, but you never know. With FSU, GT, and UNC coming up, everything should fine tuned and ready to go.

Redskins @ Rams – Rookie QB making his third start against McNabb and the strong Washington D, the Skins better win. Hopefully its not a repeat of last years 9-7 squeaker.

Colts @ Broncos- A lot more interesting matchup than the other two. Two 1-1 teams. Champ Bailey vs Reggie Wayne. Hopefully week 2 Indy shows up, not week 1.

Merlins vs Harriers – The brother rivalry continues. I face off against Nate for at least the 30^th time, but for one of the earliest times in the season. He’s 0-2 and is a six point underdog. Speaking of brothers, its Eli vs Peyton as well. Cute.

Mountain Goats vs Chopperlicious - Against another team that has Eli. Sure hope Erryn does not find out how much I’ll be rooting against the Giants this weekend.

Wahoos vs Team Turk – 2-0 vs 2-0, I better keep up the team of the week performances to stay undefeated this week.

Football Week 1 Recap/Week 2 Preview

It was a rough start for my real teams, but a perfect beginning to my fantasy teams.

Browns 14, Bucs 17 – New QB, new GM, same results. After a solid preseason, Jake Delhomme threw a critical pick to Ronde Barber (Go Hoos!), pretty much costing the game. Of course Peyton Hillis fumbled as well, so hopefully he’ll stop stealing carries from Harrison. Usually Peyton and Harrison would be a winning combination. If Cleveland can’t beat a low level team like Tampa, it might be another long season.

Cavaliers 14, Trojans 17 – Hmm, same score, different outlook. UVa looked like the better team in California, but a couple costly mistakes and terrible calls from the refs prevented the Wahoos from a big upset. The Cavs outgained Southern Cal, with more first downs and less penalties. I almost went to the game instead of getting season tickets, but after this performance I’m encouraged to see Payne, Dowling, and the others battle the ACC this fall.

Redskins 13, Cowboys 7 – We all know the two plays that comprised the whole outcome of the game, but the rest of the game was actually a snoozefest. The crowd sounded the loudest I’ve ever heard Fedex Field on tv, and the defense looked great, which is encouraging. But McNabb and Portis need to get it going in order to make a playoff push, and watching Haynesworth flop around for about $1 million a play was getting annoying. At least “he” won’t be shown at football games anymore.

Colts 24, Texans 34 – 17^th time’s a charm for Houston? Of course Sanders and A Gonzalez getting hurt once again sucks, but what’s the point of going 10-0 all the time if Indy don’t win when it counts in the playoffs anyway.

Syracuse Merlins 47, Raleigh Recession 41 – Despite only getting 6 points from my three runningbacks I labored over starting, I pulled out a 6 point victory to start the season. Of course Peyton led the scoring, like always, with 20 points, and a TD from Jennings helps. There was a little bit of a scare from Gates on Monday night and I was close to losing if Calvin Johnson’s catch was ruled complete.

Evil Mountain Goats 81, End Zone Sleeperz 50 – Eventhough my top two picks (S Jackson and D Williams) got me 5 points, star of the week Foster’s 27, Giants D’s 15, and Welker’s 14 point return from injury were more than enough.

C’Ville Wahoos 123, Florida Grip 100 – Foster has no trouble making himself at home on this team as well, racking up 41 points, to go along with Chris Johnson’s 26 in a victory over the commissioner of this league.

Week 2:

Browns vs. Chiefs – Jerome Harrison is hoping for a repeat performance of his 286 yard game last year against KC, but the Chiefs looked good in their upset win over San Diego last week (already out of my survivor pool on that one). Jake Delhomme is dinged up, shocking, so Colt McCoy, err, Seneca Wallace might start. If we don’t win this one in our home opener it might be all downhill afterwards with this following schedule (Balt, Cincy, Atl, Pitt w/ Ben, Saints, Pats, Jets,…ugh)

Skins vs Texans – Hopefully Washington can improve on offense, and Landry and the D should contain Foster and a Houston squad overconfident from their huge upset.

Colts vs. Giants – The Manning Bowl on Sunday Night. I expect nothing less than an older brother beatdown and a much needed victory at home. Here are some commercials to get ready for the game, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Merlins vs Gate City Holdbacks – Unfortunately, all six of my RB’s scored between 3-1 points, so once again I have no idea who to start. Some tongue twisting WR’s on my bench played well last week, Massaquoi and Legedu Naanee, but I’m not starting them until they are consistent. I’m playing a non-divisional foe, who won last week, scoring two less points than me.

Mountain Goats vs East Dillon Lions – Facing off against Beau this week. Commish vs treasurer. If I win, does this mean I don’t have to pay dues? No changes in this lineup either, eventhough putting Floyd in for TO sounds tempting.

Wahoos vs. Thurozville Stallions – In a divisional battle against another 1-0 team already. Sweet

Where is UVa? Don’t worry, they won’t lose….since it’s a bye week.

Football is Back!

The NFL returns this weekend with many intriguing games, but with a full slate of good college football games on Saturday, this weekend is going to be epic. While every weekend in the fall is packed with football, this one feels different since UVA will be playing late on Saturday, allowing me to actually see the other NCAA games, and the Skins play at night freeing up the Sunday NFL schedule.

Saturday

2pm – Miami (OH) vs Eastern Michigan – ESPN3 – Hopefully my only cousin and his RedHawks can recover from their loss at the Swamp last week and beat the Eagles in their home opener.

3:30pm – Miami @ Ohio State – ESPN – This game probably will not be as good as their BCS title matchup eight years ago when the Hurricanes had what seemed like 15 NFL players and the Buckeyes were led Maurice Clarett, who had more arrests than NFL carries.

3:30pm – Michigan @ Notre Dame – NBC – I’m only watching to see how many players can get injured for the year and which team will be absurdly ranked in the top #5 after winning two games. Hopefully the fight songs only come out during field goals in a dreadful 6-3 game.

7pm – Penn State @ Alabama – ESPN – Old Man Joe Paterno and his Nittany Lions travel to defending champ Crimson Tide in a clash of two of the simplest jerseys/color schemes in college football.

10:30pm – UVA @ USC – Fox Sports/Comcast - The Wahoos did not embarrass themselves against a D-II school last week against Richmond unlike the previous two seasons, while the Trojans looked average last week, in a season full of sanctions. The Cavs should “Bring the Payne” (sorry, I had to) against a Southern Cal defense that allowed 588 yards and 31 first downs in their opener versus Hawaii. Hopefully the result will be closer than when Mark Sanchez came to Charlottesville on my 25th birthday two years ago.

Sunday

Since the Skins play at night, we get three NFL games shown locally. (Silly US Open preventing two double headers). Here is a cool map that shows which region gets which games each week.

1pm – Cincinnati @ New England – CBS - TO’s Bengal Debut vs Car Crash-Hippy Hair-Rich Boy Tom Brady

1pm – Carolina @ New York Giants - FOX – The post Delhomme era vs Bloody Faced Eli

4 pm – Green Bay @ Philadelphia - FOX – The post McNabb era Eagles vs 6 receiving TD’s for Greg Jennings

8pm – Dallas @ Washington – NBC – Way too many subplots in this one besides the obvious Cowboys vs Skins. Snyder vs Jones in a Papa Johns commercial, Big Fat Al vs Shanahan, McNabb vs aging, and Miles Austin’s new contract vs belief.

Monday

There are even two Monday Night games this week, doubling the fun.

7pm – Baltimore @ New York Jets – Ray Lewis and his Old Spice Commercial vs. Revis Island and Hard Knock’s Rex Ryan

10pm – San Diego @ Kansas City – Rookie RB superstar Ryan Mathews’s 6 rushing TDs vs. nobody on the Chiefs D

Where does that leave the Browns and Colts? Luckily we just got the Red Zone Channel, so I’ll be seeing all of Harrison’s 6 rushing tds and Peyton’s 6 passing TDs live. Sweet.