Well Shadow, I hope you enjoy your Ravens' playoff berth. Feel free to send gift baskets to JaMarcus Russell. A ticket out of town, for example... The Saints are going to choke in the playoffs- I will be shocked if they don't, and I won't be surprised if the Colts do the same. Nice job making sure you've no meaningful games for over a month, and treating them like they are meaningless Canada is skating to what looks like a relatively easy win over the Swiss, who shocked Russia last night. Barring a collapse of Saints proportions, they'll be in the gold medal game against the winner of Sweden vs. USA.
The US won 5-2 over Sweden, led by future Toronto Maple Leafs star Jerry D'Amigo's two goals. D'Amigo has looked better than Kadri this tournament and Kadri's played well. Considering he was picked in the 6th round, D'Amigo is proving to be a steal. Though I'd rather the Raiders ended the season on a winning note, I'm glad Baltimore made it- of the teams in contention, the only team I wanted to make it more was Houston. It's unfortunate the Jets were basically handed their last two wins, but they went out there and won and have the chance next weekend to prove they deserve it. I am delighted the the Donkeys and Steelers both failed to make it, especially Denver. To start 6-0 and miss the playoffs is a truly special accomplishment, but one I knew they could achieve. I'm loving the reign of Coach McDaniels, and look forward to him running some more star players out of town this off-season
Exact same thing with me, except I love any team who beats the Vikings. It's just a natural instinct to hate your rival team. You can't escape it--it's in the blood. Besides, I just really despise the Patriots. I've never met any one of the players on the team, but they seem to have a "holier-than-thou" attitude about them that I find really annoying. It's awesome when people cut them down to size.
(I do feel bad for Farve because Wisconsin seems to hate him so much now, but I suppose that's another conversation. ) Yeah, I dont think the Pats are in our division --they're NFC, right?-- but I think Colts fans mostly hate them because Brady is a very good QB... when he was named QB of the decade a great many of us were having sh!t-fits. It very obviously should have been Manning. (I might be biased, but it's the truth anyway.) At least, that's a good party of why I hate them. I suppose their holier-than-thou attitude doesnt impress me either. And... well, on the field I'll watch Brady and Bellichick scream and scream and scream at their players whenever they drop a pass or dont get the yards, and they just do not look like fun people to be around at least during game-time. I've always felt particularly lucky to be able to cheer on a team with very reserved QBs and head coaches. It makes rooting for them more fun, in my opinion. When we won to the Pats back in November, partly okayokay --mostly due to Bellichick's horrible 4th-and-2 call, the next day everyone was talking about "The Bill Bellichick Moment." A couple of the hardcore fans still bring it up whenever they feel particularly spiteful, and so do a lot of the NFL talk shows. It makes me happy. All the same, I do feel bad for Wes Welker (arguably the Patriots' best receiver). I saw him tear a few of his knee ligaments on television yesterday and felt my own knee jerk a little bit. God that looked soooooo painful. I wonder if there are any Pats fans on the site. Hope we're not scaring you away...
Thanks, I will enjoy it. Congrats on the Broncos not making the playoffs. I'm sure that made you happy. Though they have to be one of the first teams to start 6-0 and not make the playoffs. All they had to do was win four of the final ten games, less than half, to have gotten in. Instead, they only win two of the final ten games. Even the Browns and Raiders did better during that time than the Broncos.
The best part is that they missed the playoffs, yet still have a relatively high draft pick. And it looks like McDaniels is going to drive another star player out of Denver I think most of the forum's football fans are rooting for Baltimore this week. They've played New England well both of the last two years, so hopefully this time they can seal the deal. Also, for hockey fans tomorrow night is the gold medal game in the World Junior Hockey Championships, between the USA (led by future Toronto Maple Leafs star Jerry D'Amigo) and Canada (led by future Toronto Maple Leafs star Nazem Kadri). Both of their last two games were fantastic, and this should be even better. I'm not sure what the television coverage is like outside of Canada, but online streams should be available on TSN's website (TSN.ca), and I believe the International Ice Hockey Federation also has streams. The game starts at 7:30 eastern time.
From Fox Sports: Things are looking pretty great for GB right now. In Fox Sports' NFL Power Rankings, Green Bay comes in 5th, with Minnesota in 4th, Saints in 3rd, Chargers in 2nd, and the Colts in the #1 spot.
Does anyone here follow Wrestling (WWE)? I'm not sure it's even a sport (XD) but recently I've seen it for the first time in years. A friend told me a favorite wrestler by the name Brett Hart was returning so I figured I'd watch. It was still campy and ridiculous at times, but it was a pleasant surprise to see Brett again.
Yeah, I follow the WWE. It does get a little campy at times, but it still is usually pretty good. It was awesome to see Bret Hart and HBK in the ring together, even if they didn't wrestle. Though I'm a little suprised they didn't have the Hart Dynasty over on Raw for that show. Agreen, I'd love to see Brandon Marshall leave Denver and come to Baltimore. The Ravens have good, but inconsistant recievers (well ofcourse Mason isn't inconsistant but the rest are). It'd be awesome for Flacco to get a reciever like that.
Patriots remind me of the Dallas Cowboys in their better years. They always came across like their %^$# don't stink! Hope somebody rains on the Patriot parade!
No matter where Brett plays, I still love him. I've watched him play my entire life, so it's inescapable. However, I love Aaron Rodgers more. He's amazing--he moved out of Brett's shadow very quickly! Only QB to ever have back-to-back 4,000 yd passing season. Made it to the playoffs and Pro Bowl in his 2nd year as a starter. I am incredibly impressed and very proud, to say the least. I always think that Dallas and New England come across as "holier-than-thou" and way too uppity. I'll be glad when they get stomped out of the playoffs.
It's probably normal for the current dynasty to have a bit of a holier than thou attitude and for people to hate them. For instance, I'm sure back in the eighties, a lot of people hated the 49ers.
Yes it was quite entertaining to see HBK and Brett chat, though I guess I was expecting something more dramatic. Still, I liked it. I'm not sure having the Hart family over would have been a good idea, since the family aren't all very supportive of Brett/WWE/wrestling. I'll be interested to know what happened next though, especially considering the end of the show.
In truth, some people actually DO hate him now, but most of the people in Wisconsin still love him. It's more just hating him a little because he's on the rival team and not hating him as a player or a person. Many of us still adore the guy--it's hard not to, I'll admit. In some cases, like on FOX Sports and The Sporting News, I saw that Manning was voted the #1 QB of the decade, and Brady 2nd. I do like the Colts better than the Pats--they seem to have a very down-to-earth, cheery attitude. Plus, if you've ever seen Peyton on SNL, he seems like one of the nicest guys ever. Brady just seems to think he's god's gift to the NFL. Uhh, NO. There are many QBs who are more gifted. Plus, some of the greatest QBs of all time only have one ring as of yet, i.e., #4 and #18.
Actually, over on Smackdown, there's a team called the Hart Dynasty. It has Bret's nephew (which is also the British Bulldog's son) DH Smith, Bret's niece (also the daughter of Jim the Anvil Neidhart) Natalya Neidhart and Tyson Kidd, the last person trained in the Hart family dungeon. If nothing else it would have been interesting to have them sorta chase off Vince and then help up Bret at the end of the show.
Whoa, obviously it's been a while since I've watched Wrestling since I wasn't even aware of that. That's pretty cool, but I'm guessing they're holding out on it so they can use it as a part of a story arc involving Brett, Vince and even possibly HBK. If they're wise about it they can really have a good angle that works up everyone's profile.
I don't follow pro wrestling, but I am a fan of MMA. We used to have a thread for it, but it's kind of fallen by the wayside, so I guess this is the place to post about it. Obviously the fight I'm most looking forward to this year is Shogun vs. Machida II. Given that Shogun clearly won the first fight, he should get to come in second and carry the belt Hopefully this time, he'll leave it out of the hands of the incompetent judges. As for the Patriots, I hate them for one simple reason: the snow job. I will always hate them for being the benefactors of that robbery. And Manning is a better quarterback than Brady- to the surprise of no one, when his o-line isn't dominant and giving him ten seconds to throw, Brady isn't nearly as effective. Someone, I believe NaCl, mentioned the NCAA national championship game before, and I agree, I think Alabama takes it. I wasn't that impressed by Texas. edit: Leafs are in Florida tonight. The Florida Panthers are pretty bad, so the Leafs better win. edit2: And already down 2-0. Team flat and unprepared? No way! I sincerely hope it's not going to take giving the Bruins Taylor Hall for Burke to get Wilson out of here, he's somehow worse than Paul Maurice. At least it's only a half hour until the World Juniors final.
The gold medal game lived up to the hype- it was exciting, dramatic and featured some truly unbelievable moments. The final result was the only flaw- US 6: Canada 5 in Overtime. Both teams got terrible goal-tending from their starters, but Jack Campbell- at 17, incredibly young for this tournament- was a difference maker for the US. D'Amigo was dominant again, putting up 3 points (1g, 2A) including an unusual but excellent play to set up what at the time appeared to be the game clincher, making the score 5-3 USA. He also robbed Kadri of an open net just before regulation. In two years, he will be a star on Toronto's first line with Kessel and Kadri. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't deeply disappointed with the result, especially as it denied Canada a record setting 6th straight gold, but the Americans were simply the better team. Luckily thanks to the magic of Burke and Wilson, Canada will get their revenge next month at the Olympics The Leafs came back and beat Florida, on the back of a strong performance from The Monster. Ron Wilson is still terrible and needs to be fired.
Yeah I saw most of the Canada vs. States game. Gosh it was incredibly tense. I was rooting for Canada, but the States fought a hard game, though Canada was strong enough to push it to Overtime.
So, does anybody have any bets on who the two Superbowl teams are? I've heard a Cowboys/Chargers SB bet so far this year, but not many more guesses. As of right now, I would say Dallas is looking pretty good, but Romo's never won a playoff game. The Chargers have my bet, but that could definitely change. Minnesota's looking scary, even though they've been on a bit of a losing streak as of late. However, I've watched Favre play my entire life, and I know he can turn it around. And of course, Green Bay's killer defense and awesome offense is looking pretty hot too. I--and the whole nation, it seems--is looking forward to a possible Vikings/Packers NFC Championship game. I think these two teams have a ton to bring to the table, especially since GB cleaned up their act by a ton. If anyone can finally shut down Minnesota, Green Bay is the safest bet I've got. I've heard it said that GB is going to be this year's suprise team in the playoffs. Hopefully that comes true. One of my favorite things about the NFL: A season that looks set in stone in the beginning (like this one) can completely change by the playoffs. You can never bet on anyone or anything. I love that about the sport of football.
I could see the Chargers making the Superbowl, but not win it. Baltimore is my pick though, because if they control themselves, I think they can beat anyone in the AFC, and I think the AFC champion will win it all. In the NFC, I'm sticking with Arizona. I'd thought Philadelphia would win the NFC, but I'm not quite so sure after their showing last week. And tonight, against the awful Philadelphia Flyers, the Leafs once again look completely lost, take 3 stupid penalties, and surrender a 2-0 lead in the first period. Once again, Ron Wilson doesn't have this team prepared. How does he still have a job?
In the AFC, I'd have to go with the Chargers, but after them my next picks would be the Colts and Ravens. In the NFC I'm sticking with the Saints. After a week off, I think they'll get things back on track. Cowboys would be my second pick. And if it does come down to the Chargers and Saints, I'd have to give the edge to the Chargers. Though just seeing a shootout between Brees and Rivers would be amazing.
I think you can make a case for the Chargers being the most talented team in the league, but I don't see them ever winning a championship with a millstone like Norv Turner as their head coach.
Colts, most definitely. They and the Chargers have got my vote, but in the playoffs, it may come down to Colts domination in the AFC. However, since San Diego has been quietly playing great football, this could be their week to jump out and wreak havoc on the playoffs. As for the Saints, I don't know quite yet. Momentum is a hard thing to turn on and off, and when you lose it, you start to lose that razor edge, that confidence. Will they be able to turn their momentum back on? I can bet so in the first round, but what about the second? Or what if they don't even make it past the first round? I'm not saying they won't, of course. I can bet they will win the first round. I'm just not sure overall of their momentum and confidence, and if they'll be able to eke out a win.
