Quarterback Mark Sanchez looked good as the starter for the Eagles last night in Philadelphia's win over the Panthers. I wonder how much longer Sanchez' good play will last, however.
Probably a while, so long as he stays with a good team in a good atmosphere. It's pretty clear the Jets weren't supportive (hey, they're the Jets - what do you expect?). I'm more worried about the Panthers' offensive line. They just can't protect Cam Newton. Poor guy got sacked nine (NINE!) times! And the Panthers have no running game. A lot of that's on the O-line.
Palmer's injury is surely going to hurt them badly. Hopefully Stanton can get that same Kurt Warner magic going on.
Many times in this thread I've expressed my concern or anger towards my two beloved teams, the Leafs and Raiders. I am now pleased to report the anger is gone, there is no need to worry. For the Leafs, when you watch a team stuck in that sports netherworld, the limbo between playoff participant and rebuilding bottom feeder for 10+ years, find a way to get blown out by a sub-AHL roster like the Buffalo Sabres, the only thing left is to embrace the comedy. There is no hope, all that's left is to embrace the absurdity of the hockey world's wealthiest team spending amongst the most in the league on a team that could find a way to lose with regularity were it relegated to the ECHL. I wish I could say the same for the Raiders, but tonight, sitting on the edge of the cold Abyss that is one full calender year without a win, I can only admit in horror I literally do not remember their last win. I actually don't know what it feels like to celebrate a Raiders win anymore, and I truly believe it will be next Fall or Winter at the earliest before I will have a chance to experience it again. But still, as my signature so beautifully puts it, I come back, week after week, hoping for some grim slender morsel of joy, subsisting on the occasional touchdown or very (VERY) rare defensive stop. The great hockey blogger Down Goes Brown once wrote that we watch sports even when it hurts, because with the pain of every loss, the heartbreak of every blown lead or helpless misery of every failed comeback, the hope persists- writ on the face of the victor, we can see the promise of joy one day to come. In that sense, all I have is hope, and a final, nagging sort of happiness: it has to get better. It can't possibly get worse. Once you've gone a year without winning, what more can sports fandom possible throw at you?
Congratulations Oakland Raiders on your 16th straight loss, and elimination from post-season contention with 6 weeks left! Maybe you'll win more games in LA next year. At the very least, it won't actually be possible for you to lose more! The only thing keeping me warm in the cold, cold Abyss of 367+ days without a Raiders win is the beautiful Denver loss to our future stadium-mate the Rams today. Hope Peyton can keep up the good work next week, and the rest of the season!
Last night the Patriots blew away a good Indy Colts team, 42-20. In the first half, Tom Brady made some uncharacteristic bad throws. He threw two interceptions. And one of those picks was a throw that you'd expect out of an inexperienced quarterback, not from a guy like Tom Brady! However, the Pats won anyway in impressive fashion.
I'm just enjoying the ride this season is right now. No mentions of the big game from me, not yet. One game at a time is all I'm thinking about.
Tears of joy (in case it's not clear, the Raiders won!!!!) Also the Leafs did too, but that's fools gold.
I just found out that the Oakland Raiders won their first game of the year, beating the Chiefs 24-20 last night. I was hoping that the Raiders would go 0-16 this year. But that won't happen, obviously. I would never wish a winless season for any NFL team - except the Raiders. Oh, well. For me the bright side is that they'll still have a terrible record at the end of this season.
I'd say I hope your team goes a year without a win so you'd know what it feels like... but no. It's an emptiness I wouldn't wish on even the Broncos.
The Patriots just defeated the Detroit Lions 34-9 in Foxboro. Pats running back Jonas Gray didn't play at all after last week's fine performance by him.
Sports quote of the year: Asked if there were times he felt bad for Savannah State as the Cardinals' lead ballooned into the 50s and 60s, Pitino acknowledged he stopped worrying about how to win early in the game and started devising ways not to win by too much. "I don't like to see any team struggle like that. I really don't," Pitino began. Then he quipped, "I mean, we played four white guys and an Egyptian. We tried everything."
Over the last few weeks the Leafs have looked disturbingly like a professional hockey team. Needless to say, disaster is imminent. Tomorrow should be fun- my dad cheers for the 49ers, and so I will have a very (very) rare chance for bragging rights. Or they could just do what they did last week and lose 52-0. They're going to lose 52-0
As for the Raiders, their latest triumph was anything but ugly. Easily the best game of the season. The Leafs run of success continues. Momentum builds. In February, millions of Torontonian hearts will break again.
The Pats were the inferior team in their game against the Packers a couple of weeks ago. But last week, the Pats were the better team against a good Charger team. So the Patriots rebounded.
I was going to post this in the Not Happy thread but thought it would be better here, though I am not happy. Thirty-five of thirty-nine college football bowl games, including the semis and the national championship game, will air on ESPN, leaving those of us who don't have cable or satellite service out of luck. #ncaacankissmyass
Kobe has finally surpassed Jordan on the career scoring list. He's #3 now behind Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Can't say I'm a huge Kobe fan, but that's a huge accomplishment.
The Pats kicked the butts of the Dolphins last week. And now the Patriots are the AFC East Champs again for the sixth straight year, which must really annoy fans of the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets.
