Sharon's profileJust Ginger And MePhotosBlogListsMore  |  Tools Help |
|
|
October 14 Weird week in NFL landIn the Raider nation there has been much gnashing of teeth and rending of (silver and black) garments. The sorry results of Al Davis and his meglomaniacal meddling was in full and miserable display on Sunday as my beloved Raiders had their collective asses carved up by New Orleans: a humiliating 34-3 loss. It wasn't that the Saints were that good; the Raiders just didn't seem to put any effort at all into the game. Only rookies Darren McFadden and JaMarcus Russell (OK, technically not a rookie, but this was only his 6th career start) seemed to be doing more than putting in a token appearance. And Russell was struggling terribly: he was using a three-step drop that just was NOT working at all and ended up with an interception, a fumble and mostly being chased down by the Saints' defense. And THAT, sports fans, is what happens when you switch head coaches midway through the season. Add to that, all the demoralizing nastiness being traded between Davis and Lane Kiffin. And the fact that interim coach Tom Cable (the offensive line coach????) seems to be clueless. What we have here is a formula that insures that not only is this season a complete bust, but that now my poor Raiders are back at square one after 2 solid seasons of slow but steady improvements. Yes, the win/loss record wasn't so great, but at least they were in the game and many losses were by a touchdown or less. That is the sign of a team getting ready to turn the corner and start winning But now.....well, I have no idea what will happen. I suspect that the Silver and Black will be circling the drain until that old poop Davis finally releases his (literal) death-grip on the team. Because as long as he continues to insist on playing alpha dog at the expense of the organization, I just don't see how things can get better.
Anyway, back to some of the news of the weird. And sports fans, it was weird. But if you liked seeing the underdogs pull off one of those "any given Sunday" things, then hey, this was the week for you. How about the winless Rams beating the Redskins? Or Houston squeaking by Miami? Or Carolina being shredded by Tampa Bay? Or (hee hee!) Denver losing to Jacksonville? Or how about the Cardinals taking the Cowboys into overtime and winning, for the first time in NFL history, with a blocked punt leading to a touchdown. Oh and it appears Tony Romo is going to be out for at least 4 weeks with a broken finger. That should change the power rankings up a bit. And here's my favorite: the mighty and (until last night) undefeated New York Giants falling to a very energized Cleveland Browns. And the Giants didn't just lose: they got bitch-slapped 35-14. Eli Manning was intercepted three times. They allowed a 2 point conversion after a Browns touchdown. The Browns' punter never got on the field: they converted ALL of their third downs. The Giants looked like a high school team. Come on, admit it: we never saw THAT coming.
And I have to admit to myself a certain fondness for the Browns (sorry Kellie!) because, not only do those guys NEVER just roll over and die in spite of not having a truly winning team in decades, they have some of the most devoted fans in the NFL. Those dudes come out in all weather and wear dog masks and bark at the opposing team. Gotta love it. Last night one of the commentators ( I forget who) compared the "Dog Pound" to "what the Raiders have" (i.e. the Black Hole), but was reminded by a fellow commentator (again I forget which) that " NOBODY has what the Raiders have". Amen to that. But still, one thing my beloved Raiders have in common with the Browns (at least up until recently) was that you can beat the Browns, but you will never defeat them. AND they will hurt you big time in the process. Tough SOBs, they are. So, kudos to Cleveland the Giant-killers. And with that, your Raider Reporter is over and out. February 03 Well who woulda thunk it: part IIWell sports fans, it seems that there IS a football god after all and he HATES the Patriots. And has a seriously twisted sense of humor as well. He let the evil Patriots go all the way to the Super Bowl and then snatched their "perfect season" away at the last moment. HAR! HAR! I, for one, am ecstatic. Let's face it, I've never forgiven those SOBs for the infamous "It WAS a fumble" when they met my beloved Raiders in the 2001 plyoffs. Besides, I've have always had a thing for rooting for the underdog and nobody was more underdog than the Giants: Las Vegas had them down by 12 points and now Sin City has lost its collective ass on the little team that could. The Giants turned out to be "giant killers".
All in all it was a good game. I don't say a GREAT game because the first three quarters were a defensive snooze-fest. Each team scored on their opening drive and that's where it stayed....and stayed.....Ah, but what a fourth quarter, folks! Finally the Giants get a touchdown and its Pats 7 Giants 10. And then New England gets one. Now it's 14-10 Pats. So with only about 1:40 left in the game, Eli Manning takes his team 80 yards and after so many failed attempts, FINALLY connects with Plexico Burress and scores what would be the game winner. It's now 17-14 Giants and there's only 30 seconds left for Brady to pull out a miracle. NOT!!! He goes three and out and probably the biggest upset in Super Bowl history is in the record books.
Actually, a lot of mistakes were made on both sides. Brady never really got his rhythm going and was sacked and knocked down many, many times. Manning got lucky and was only intercepted once, which, unlike in week 17, did not lead to a Patriots score. It could have been much worse; he took a lot of chances. The real kudos go to the defenses of both teams with the slight edge going to the Giants. I never saw the Pats go three and out so many times or Brady so frustrated. In the end, I think the whole "search for perfection" hoo-ha got to them. They just looked tired. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be on the long, long, plane trip back to Boston with those sad buggers, let me tell you. Usually, no one remembers the Super Bowl losers but in this case I suspect the "not QUITE perfect season" will live long in the memories of NFL fans.
A couple of weeks ago I grudgingly admitted that the Patriots would probably win and that the Giants had about a snowflake's chance in Hell to win. Well, I hope Satan and the damned are enjoying their snowball fight. But as I also pointed out, this is football and miracles do happen. So does this mean the Raiders have a chance at the playoffs next year? I should say "are you KIDDING??" but then I see those snowflakes dancing in Hades and think, well, you just never know......
So this bring to a conclusion your Raider Reporter's commentary for the 2007-2008 season. I always have such a sad feeling when I get to this point...such a long time until fall....and lord knows what I'll blog about for the next six months. So until then, sports fans, your Raider Reporter is over and out. January 21 Well, who woulda thunk it?As per usual, my football predictions were mostly all wet. For one, there will indeed be a Manning in the Super Bowl, (oh dear, sorry about that, Kellie!) but surprise! it's going to be baby brother Eli, not Peyton. Alas, my brother's beloved Colts were simply too banged up and it finanlly caught up with them. A close game, but in the end it was the Chargers who went on to the showdown with the evil Patriots in Foxboro. Which might have been interesting, since San Diego has been spoiling for a rematch since last year and The F*****d Up Field Goal and the ensuing victory boogie by Ellis Hobbes on the Chargers' logo in the middle of the field. Poor sportsmanship to say the least! But again, alas! The upshot was that although Brady got knocked down a lot and even intercepted in the end zone, San Diego just couldn't close the deal: they settled for field goals while the Pats got touchdowns. And in this case three of a kind beats four of a kind: Patriots 21 Chargers 12.
The Green Bay/Giants game turned out to be the playoffs at their best; a total nail-biter. And when you hear about the frozen tundra at Lambeau, they aren't kidding. Although it wasn't snowing like last week, it was clear and therefor colder: 1 degree F and -23 with the wind chill. Good lord almighty, and people wonder how I can put up with 110 degrees in the summers here! Ha! it beats the living hell out of having icicles hanging off your body parts, that's how! I was getting frostbite just watching those poor bastards trying to play in that brutal polar blast. And weather was indeed a factor. Lots of missed catches and dropped balls and balls squirting out across the field when a guy went down. Suprisingly, both teams did mostly passing, although those kind of conditions usually favor a running game. Still, it all came down to field goals. And with a couple of muffed ones by the Giants' rookie kicker Tynes, at the end of regulation they were tied up at 20/20. And that's when Favre made his biggest mistake: he was intercepted, the Giants got the ball and this time when it really counted, Tynes made a 40-some yard FG and sent his team on to the Super Bowl.
As much as I love to cheer for underdogs, I was truly sorry to see Favre and The Pack lose. And they so very rarely do at home when the weather is that bloody cold. Favre had a glorious season and a trip to the Super Bowl would have capped that off nicely, especially since it's becoming unlikely that there will be another chance for him. The guy is a true class act and one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.
So, we have a Patriots/Giants matchup in two weeks. This could prove to be interesting, and if it's a replay of the Week 17 game it will be a humdinger. Let's not forget that the Giants were up on the Pats 12 points at halftime; the most ANYONE has been up on them all season. If not for some unfortunate interceptions of Eli Manning, we might not be hearing this tedious "perfect season" blather. And in the playoffs Eli hasn't been intercepted......Hmmmm, we might just have ourselves a FOOTBALL GAME. And in my not-so-humble opinion, that would be just the right sort of poetic just for those smug Patriots: to go all the way to The Big Enchilada (hey, it's going to be here in AZ, after all!) and THEN blow it. Will it actually happen? The odds say hell no. But then again, no one watching Eli Manning get intercepted 5 times (and a fumble as well) would have ever thought the Giants would be going to the Super Bowl. Or even make the playoffs, for that matter. Yet, here they are. And besides, I don't think any team should have a perfect season. Ok the '72 Dolphins, yadda yadda. But they had fewer games in a season then and fewer teams in the NFL and in those days there was no free agency. What there was was a handful of very good teams and a whole bunch of crappy ones. Parity? Not hardly. So comparing their record to anything done today is comparing apples to oranges. That of course makes the Patriots accomplisments all the more amazing (she admitted grudingly), but going all the way undefeated is, well, t'ain't natural. It's just wrong somehow. Besides we will have to hear about the Perfect Pats for the next 30 or 40 years because it will be a fluke not soon repeated. And that will make those bastards even more insufferable. I can just them all old men of 80-something yammering on and bloody ON about the'08 Pats (rather the way the '72 Dolphins do now) and how damn wonderful they all were. I shudder to think! But let's face it, that's probably exactly what will happen. They are going to win, dammit. But still, this is football folks, and miracles do happen. I, for one, will be rooting for that miracle. So, weird as it sounds in my own ears: GO GIANTS! January 11 The PlayoffsWell here it is, Playoff time again. It's hard to believe the whole season is almost over already. Damn, that was fast four months! But then again, at my age time tends to slide along like a skier on a black diamond downhill. Blink and you miss it. Anyway! Wild Card Weekend was anything but. Quite predictable, really. I was sorry Kellie's Steelers couldn't pull off the upset against Jacksonville; but WOW! What a game! And I was a bit surprised when Seattle beat Washington, but hey, it's the NFC: who cares, right? It's not like either one of them have a chance in the Super Bowl, even if they get there, which is highly unlikely. My bet would be on Green Bay. I saw how Dallas had a meltdown when they lost to the Eagles, with T.O. sulking and Romo with major focus issues. Favre is a wiley veteran who will keep his cool and control the clock and ultimately the game. But can The Pack handle the best of the AFC? I tend to doubt it.
I'm thinking the Jags just might go all the way, IF and only if they can the correct the types of mistakes they made last weekend. There is no way and hell you can let the Patriots have all those unanswered points like they did against the Steelers and expect to win. That being said, I am definitely seeing New England slowing down and showing some vulnerability in the defense, and coming hard against Brady seems to be working too. And Jacksonville usually plays a truly brutal running game. Even if the Pats pull out a win, they might be too beat up when they face the Colts in the AFC playoffs. And yes, I think Indy will take the Chargers. Yes, I know they lost to them in regular season, but that was after playing a rough game against the Pats, and even then the Colts only lost because of a muffed field goal. The Colts have been fighting injuries all season, but their back-ups have really risen to the challenge and of course, they are rested while the Chargers played a hard game against Tennessee last weekend. It might make a difference.
Here's an admittedly unlikely scenario that would be interesting: a Giants/Colts Super Bowl with the Manning brothers facing off at QB. I don't think that's ever happened before, and probably won't this year, because although the Giants played brilliantly against both New England and again at Tampa Bay, I don't think they can take Dallas, although I wish they would. ANYTHING to make Owens shut up and go away for a few months. But hey, we all know my football predictions are iffy at best, so who knows? Anyway, I'm ready for some football overlaod this weekend. Here's to my brother Pat's Colts and to the one and only Brett Favre: GOOD LUCK! December 09 Oh woe is us!Damn, I hate it when I'm right. Let's face it, sports fans, I was NOT expecting that the Raiders would win against the incomparable Favre and the Pack in the frozen tundra of Lambeau. But niether was I expecting the mistake-ridden bitch-slap that this miserable excuse of a game was. Oh, where to begin? How about boo-coo penalties that erased several first downs? Or the McCown interception that ultimately led to a Packers TD? Or allowing a punt return for yet another one? And speaking of the punt return: where O where were the ninnies in the booth that didn't catch the fact the dude stepped out of bounds during said return?? Or Janikowski missing yet another field goal? (Not that it would have made a lick of difference) Or......? Oh whatever. The Raiders didn't just lose, they shot themselves in the foot. Thank all the football gods for a face-saving TD in the last seconds of the second quarter that saved them from being skunked. The final score: Green Bay 31 Raiders 7. Ouch.
And it looks (so far) as if the Steelers are not going to be able to stop the New England juggernaut. Sorry Kellie! Oh well, this too shall pass. But I am so not looking forward to next week when my beloved Raiders meet the Colts at home. In truth, I'm not expecting much better than this week. But still. It's football! Way better than NO football! Until later, your Raider Reporter is over and out. December 03 And there was much rejoicing......Oh sports fans and Black Hole dwelling denizens of The Raider Nation! I bear glad tidings of football joy. My beloved Raiders finally got not just one divisional win, but two in a row. Well, finally! First, a tight one against the Chiefs (in Arrowhead, no less!) and at last, at long last, a slap in the face to the Denver Donkeys. And this one was really no contest, Denver was never really in it. The Raiders started out on top and stayed there with only a minor hiccup when a McCown fumble led to a Denver TD. But he certainly made up for it, with three TDs passed in, and folks, it's been a long time since that happened. The final score: Raiders 34 Broncos 20. What I really liked was the way all the talking heads over at ESPN etc. had to eat some crow. No one, no one at all picked the Raiders to win, either against KC or Denver. HA HA! Showed you ninnies a thing or three. OK, so the Chiefs suck and Denver is wildly inconsistent and the Raiders are only 4-8. Who gives a damn? Not I, said She! I'll take my jollies when and where I can. And I choose to crow and do a happy dance.
Oh, and finally we get to see the much-anticipated debut of our expensive new QB, JaMarcus Russell. He launched a ballistic missile of a pass to Jerry Porter, which looked quite impressive. But then dropped a snap. OOPS! Oh well, he has to start somewhere I guess. He completed 4/7 for 56 yards. We shall see......but at least his high-dollar heinie isn't still sitting on the bench.
Anyway, I need to get in all the celebrating I can because the rest of the Raiders schedule is brutal: next week it's off to the frozen tundra to be shredded by Green Bay, then back home from some abuse by the Colts, and then off we go to Jacksonville for some mauling by the Jaguars, and then for a final humiliation at home courtesy of the Chargers. Man, does that bite or what? Four of the best teams in the NFL and the Raiders get them back to back. Oh, lucky us! Oh well, maybe it won't be too bad. And hey, as we have just learned from this lesson, the talking heads can get it wrong, and most important of all, don't count the Raiders out. At least not until last call and they're all on the barroom floor, ha ha! Until later, your Raider Reporter is over and out. November 15 Your Raider Reporter.......AWOL againOh dear, just shoot me! I find I have so very remiss in my duties as the Voice of the Raider Nation. But the nasty truth is that I just can't bear to write the same old so-near-yet-so-far junk week after week. Ever since my beloved Raiders came off their bye week flush with two actual victories in a row, they have, in a word, sucked. Yes, most of the games very very close, usually with a mere touchdown or less keeping them from victory, but still! A loss is a loss no matter how close. And so much of it can be attributed to dumbshit stuff like interceptions and other idiotic turnovers, penalties, missed field goals and the like. Even the defense, which was one of the few bright lights in last season's utter fiasco has been not up to snuff. Good lord, they couldn't stop a run by a bunch of geriatric nuns. Add to this a couple of losses by my second favorite team, the very beat up Colts, and well, I just haven't had much to write about unless I wanted to do nothing but whine and moan. And that gets old. As does trying to find something positive to say about my hapless Raiders. My brother insists they will put JaMarcus Russell in sometime this season, because after all the guy cost the Raiders a bloody fortune. But it won't make much of a difference, even if they do. Even if the dude has a golden arm, he's still a rookie and will make tons of rookie mistakes. Can you say "Eli Manning"? He may improve, as did Manning, or he may be the biggest bust since Ryan Leaf. But I think we will have to wait until next year to find out. In the mean time, I suppose we are stuck with the very spotty performances of the Culpepper and McCown show. SIGH! Anyway, we're off to see the Vikings this Sunday. This should be interesting to which which team shows up: the Vikings that thrashed San Diego or the stumblebums that were humiliated by Green Bay. Maybe we will luck out this week. Until then, your Raider Reporter is over and out. October 28 A close one....againFolks, I'm just getting tired of saying the same old-same old over and over: two weeks in a row now with games the Raiders should have won. Yeah, I know, I skipped last week entirely. But I was so steamed after losing 10-12 against the Chiefs that I was afraid the words would smolder and smoke on the screen as I typed. This week I'm just burned out. And I had a very good feeling about this one against the Titans too. I have no idea why, and of course as it turned out my crystal football was a mite cloudy. Basically, what we had was another defensive battle a la week 7. And in a field goal game, he who can squeak in a touchdown wins, as was painfully clear today. The Raiders go into halftime with 3 of them, and never scored again. All it took was one by Tennessee to put them ahead for the first time in the game and then just keep up the good work of not letting the Raiders anywhere near the middle of the field and Janikowski's range. So we sink to 2-5. Well, I knew that this wasn't only going to be a turnaround season, not a breakthrough one, but still! It would be so nice to have one of those nail-biters go our way for a change. SIGH! Oh well, on to next week and the Texans. At least we're at home and Houston, after a rather impressive start to their season, seem to have faltered. Maybe NEXT week(She sighed hopefully). Anyway no one is going to care except for Oakland and Houston, since all anyone is going to be watching is the quote GAME OF THE CENTURY unquote: the undefeated Colts vs the equally undefeated Patriots. I heard today there hasn't ever been a game this late in the season between two undefeated teams. Well, next week SOMEONE has to go home unhappy and I certainly hope it's the New England Cheaters, uh,.... Patriots. Oh, and one more note: as for the Giants-Dull-fins game in London (of all places)........if they wanted drum up some interest in American football in Europe, they should have sent a better couple of teams than those guys. OK, the Giants are alright I suppose (although if they were in the AFC they would totally suck) but Miami??? I seriously doubt if there were any Brit converts to American football on this fine day. And so until next time (if it's actually worth it) your Raider Reporter is over and out. October 16 It was not to be.....Sigh! I guess the Football gods decided in their infinite wisdom that the Raiders are not to be allowed to win three games in a row. They haven't accomplished that particular feat since 2002. And that is sad, sports fans. Well, at least the Chargers didn't completely whomp all over them and that is something. It ended up 14-28, which isn't god-awful, but still! A Culpepper interception that led to a San Diego touchdown, and THAT right after the Raiders let LaDanian Tomlinson run all over them for a touchdown in the first few minutes of the game. And oh Lordy, the PENALTIES! They were killing us! In fact, that was the sorriest first quarter I've seen since, well, last year. Hell, the Raiders didn't even score at all until the end of the second quarter, and that a defensive touchdown due to a Rivers interception.
Still, it would have been manageble but other than one successful drive in the third quarter, the Raiders just couldn't get any steam built up. And they have never been able to handle LT. Ever. Hey, at least San Diego kicker missed that field goal or it would have been worse. All I can say is let's just move on to next week when we face KC at home. I think we have a chance there. KC has been on a bit of a roll, but I don't think they're THAT great and the fickle football gods owe us at least one win in our division, which the Raiders also haven't done in a few years.
BTW, have you noticed what a crappy year it's been for quarterbacks all over the NFL? Chicago and Cleveland booted or benched their starters. Leinert out for the season, Warner banged up, Delhomme out for the season and Carr injured so Carolina hired Vinnie Testaverde for a year. Holy shit, that dude is almost as old as I am. I must admit he looked pretty good when Carolina beat AZ on Sunday. Who knew? Now Trent Green is considering retiring because of a major concussion. Very bad QB mojo goin' round. Anyway, your Raider Reporter is over and out until next week. October 01 One for the roadSports fans, can I get a WOO-HOO and an AMEN? The Raiders have a streak going and for once it's not a losing one. Two in a row is a very small streak to be sure, but still! A win is always a good thing. And when it's a win on the road, which my beloved Raiders haven't managed to do since November of 2005, it's cause for a major happy dance as far as I'm concerned. Granted, Miami sucks this year. And heaven knows they can't defend against the run: Even after LaMont Jordan was hurt and left the game (GULP!) Justin Fargas was able to step up and rack up 179 yards, which was enough to make him the top rusher for this week in the NFL. And Culpepper was on fire, no doubt eager to give the old middle finger salute to the team that so unceremoniously dumped him. He even ran in three touchdowns himself, as well as glaring at the Miami bench and pointing to his knee and in general mocking those poor sorry sad-asses. Damn, I almost hate to see the Raiders go into their bye week. Yes, it's good to go in with a win, but I would like to see if they can keep the momentum going. And they play their next game at San Diego, which, although having some major woes this year, still has some formidable talent and are due a win. I doubt if the Raiders will pull that one off, but hey, you NEVER know.......... Which leads me into some general comments about the weird upset week this was around the league. I like to check the "talking heads" and their picks for the week, and boy were they ALL wrong this week. Other than a few lopsided and predictable games (Colts slapping Denver around, Dallas thrashing the hapless Rams) and a couple of close ones (Bills over the Jets, Green Bay over Minnesota), the rest were total upsets. Almost NOBODY picked the Raiders over the Dull-fins (O ye of little faith!) and absolutely no one predicted KC would spank San Diego. Not to mention Cleveland ("Hey , we have an offense!") beating Baltimore, Tampa Bay taking Carolina, Atlanta over Houston, Detroit over Chicago, the Giants slapping Philadelphia (how the mighty have fallen!) and of all bloody things : Arizona handing Pittsburgh their first loss (WTF???). So I guess this ended up being one of those "any given Sunday" weekends. Now if only the Silver and Black could pull it off again in two weeks......Until then, your Raider Reporter is over and out.
September 25 Well, Finally!Sorry sports fans, but I've had a bit more trouble logging into my space again. SIGH! If I didn't have so much time and really good stuff invested here I would move to Blogspot. Anyway! WOO-HOO!! The long dry spell has ended, praise be all the gods of football! Never mind it was a close thing and the Raiders blew a big lead and it was only against the Browns: Just Win, Baby! And in the Raider Nation there is much rejoicing, probably causing the parole violations of untold myriads of outlaw bikers. But hey, after losing eleven straight games I do think some celebration is in order.
But don't break out the champagne just yet. Even though they won, in some ways it was the weakest of the three games they've played so far. They started out gangbusters in the first half, completely dominating, and then damn near threw it away in the second. I don't suppose McCown's bad foot and the ensuing quarterback shuffle between him and Culpepper helped much. Not to mention a growing number of dumb-ass penalties for false start etc, which displays a need for more discipline in the line. And let's not EVEN talk about allowing the Browns a run-back touchdown. OUCH! There are are problems in Special Teams Land, to be sure. Hey, a run back for US would be nice for a change!
That being said, it was good to see Janikowski make all four field goals this time, because this game came down to who was going to have the last field goal laugh, so to speak. In a moment of supreme irony, my beloved Raiders pulled the same little nasty on Cleveland that was pulled on them last week by Denver: the timeout called a split second before the Browns gaming winning field goal. And it worked here too. The next attempt was blocked and the rest, as they, say was history. Raiders win 26-24.
Next week we have a chance to win one on the road for the first time in what, two years? But although Miami is a nothing team this year, the Raiders have struggled against them in recent years ( But I still remember the playoff game in 2000 [I think] when we skunked them 28-0. Damn! I miss Rich Gannon!). And what do you want to bet those cursed Miami Dull-Fins will probably make my boys wear their black jerseys just to watch them sweat. Whole place is a damn swamp, if you ask me! Anyway, we will see and hope for the best. Until then, your Raider Reporter is over and out. September 17 Raiders Report: Week 2Oh so close and yet so far! The Raiders came within a frog hair of beating archenemy Denver, sports fans, and IN Denver, no less. All in all, it was a weird wild game with (once again) a totally lame first half and then the wild comeback in the second. Now if only they could actually score in the FIRST half for a change, they wouldn't need the comeback thing and they actually might WIN. Wow, what a concept! The game hinged on two pieces of luck, one very good, and the second, very very bad. In the first, Denver made an incredibly stupid penalty which cost them a touchdown and then the Raiders held them to a field goal attempt which Denver's kicker screwed up, which is very uncharacteristic for Jason Elam. Whew! So far so good. So good in fact that the game went into overtime and the Raiders promptly got in field goal range. So everything rests on their left-footed lunk of a kicker, Sabastian Janikowski. A 52 yard attempt.....AND IT'S GOOD!!! And in the Raider Nation there was much rejoicing. BUT WAIT! And here comes that second piece of luck and it was very bad indeed for my beloved Raiders: Denver managed to call a timeout just before the kick. A classic ice-the-kicker tactic. And it worked dammit! Janikowski's second kick went wild and so Denver got the ball and when Elam kicked at 38 yards it was good and that was the end of that. It may have been a loss, but it was Denver that came off looking kind of lame. I mean, this was their second week that they barely squeaked by and they should have had that home field advantage thing working for them.
Anyway, there was still a lot of good stuff the Raiders pulled off: like recovering an onside kick and a successful two point conversion and an overall very strong second half. But I gotta say it: they need to dump Janikowski. The guy has a powerful leg but not nearly enough accuracy. He has been very inconsistant for the past several seasons, and being one of the highest paid kickers in the NFL, well folks, that's just not acceptable. Time to give him the boot, so to speak.
As for my predictions: mostly all wet. I mean, Cleveland in a shoot out with Cincinnati and WINNING? Who knew? I underestimated Houston again and overestimated Seattle. Oh well, maybe I'll just stick with Raiders recaps. And so on to next week when the Raiders face off against the Browns at home. I don't even want to TRY and predict this one. I have a feeling it's gonna be a crazy one. So until next week, your Raider Reporter is over and out. September 15 Sharon's Crystal FootballBefore I get into my promised predictions, let's just go over some of the latest updates in the football universe: 1) JaMarcus Russell FINALLY signed a six year 60+ MILLION dollar contract with the Raiders. This is a rookie, folks. We have no clue how well he will do in the NFL. For that amount of scratch, he better bloody well be the next Peyton Manning, AND walk on water at least. And of course he won't even start until next year, so his ass is going to be doing expensive bench warming this season. We will see. 2) So the Patriots got caught cheating. I'm shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you! Yeah, right. Not only filming the defense to get hand signals, but it looks as if they may have been spying on radio frequencies to listen in on play calls too. And this was against a team they were already stomping all over. Was it worth it, you idiots? I just wonder how long they have been up to these sorts of shenanigans; rather makes you wonder about their so-called dynasty and whether they truly earned those three Super Bowl rings, doesn't it? 3) The injuries from last week were horrendous. The worst of course was Buffalo's Kevin Everett's god-awful spinal damage. Thank heavens he received prompt state of the art treatment and his prognosis is looking better and better. It looks as though he will walk again and make a substantial if not 100% recovery. Goddess bless you, Kevin! And this is addition to Eli Manning's separated shoulder and Steve McNair's annual soft tissue injury. OUCH! So let's move on to my week 2 score predictions. Now, I'm no Vegas odds maker. I'm just guessing mostly and I'm quite prepared to be all wet on at least a few. Maybe more than a few, har har! But for what it's worth, here goes: Atlanta 6 Jacksonville 27 / Buffalo 17 Pittsburgh 31 / Cincinnati 38 Cleveland 10 / Green Bay 17 NYG 10 / Houston 20 Carolina 28 / Indianapolis 31 Tennessee 24 / New Orleans 21 Tampa Bay 13 / San Francisco 13 St Louis 17 / Dallas 27 Miami 14/ Minnesota 24 Detroit 17 / Seattle 27 Arizona 13 / Kansas City 10 Chicago 31 / NYJ 12 Baltimore 24 / Oakland 17 Denver 21 / San Diego 28 New England 17 / Washington 23 Philadelphia 13 So there you have it. Notice (sadly) I am picking Denver over Oakland. I do love those Raiders, but I am a realist. But that doesn't mean I can't hope for an upset! Anyway, over and out until my usual Raiders Report and may the Dark Force be with my beloved Silver and Black. GO RAIDERS! September 10 They're Baaaaaaack!Well sports fans, not only did I finally manage to get Windows Live Writer to work for me (before I couldn't even get past setup: I kept getting weird "unable to communicate with server " errors) it is finally the opening Sunday of my beloved NFL. Of course, we already saw the actual first game on Thursday, which was kind of boring in the 2nd half because the Colts absolutely slaughtered the hapless Saints. The poor buggers never scored once after halftime. Perhaps the Colts will be able to escape the post super Bowl downward spiral curse which seems to be the fate of just about every team except maybe the Patriots, whom I can't stand because, folks, IT WAS A FUMBLE!! And yes, The Raider Nation will never forget . Never. Which brings me back to my favorite subject: my beloved Oakland Raiders. And no, I'm not expecting miracles yet, at least not this year. They will probably win 4 or 5 games this season. Which will be a major improvement over last year's unmitigated disaster. And oh please, dear lord, at least ONE from their division; that would be nice. I am, however somewhat disturbed to see that JaMarcus Russell is still deadlocked over his contract. I'm not sure if that crazy old Al Davis is just being a tightwad or Russell is being a diva, but the upshot is that Russell will not be starting. This does not bode well. I don't have a lot of confidence in McCown and although Culpepper has lots of talent, he has been injured a lot and hasn't played much in two years. Ok, here I am Monday morning quarterbacking again. Yesterday's 21-36 loss to Detroit was a both a big disappointment and somewhat encouraging at the same time. On one hand, seeing the Raiders just fall apart in the last quarter was all too familiar. Add to that one blocked and two missed field goals (OK, one was a 57 yard attempt and the other 46, but still!) and two fumbles that led to Detroit touchdowns, (the last one sealing their fate) and a not much of a rushing game. But on the other hand, McCown had over 300 yards passing, thanks to a much improved offensive line and good protection. And a after a wretched first half at which the Raiders were trailing 17-0, they came back strong and managed to lead 21-20 at the beginning of the 4th quarter. But that's when they decided to shoot themselves in the foot and allow Detroit another field goal and two more TDs, (although they did prevent a 2 point conversion). And this is where those muffed field goals really hurt the Silver and Black. Assuming successful field goals and if they hadn't fumbled the last time, there would have been a tie game and who knows what overtime would have brought. But alas, it was not to be! Overall, I see hope for this year's team. I see much improvement (Hey! remember that stinker of an opening game last year when the Raiders got skunked??) and with a few adjustments (maybe a new kicker, much as I have a soft spot for that big lunk Janikowski) I think some wins are definitely happening. Although next week the Raiders have to go and face Denver; typically a team that has given them problems even in the good years. BUT! Denver barely got by Buffalo yesterday and so who knows? And this leads me to my next point: your Raider Reporter's predictions. On Saturday, just for giggles, I went through the week's games and wrote down some final scores. Some I was pretty close : I said Panthers 24 Rams 17 (Actual: 27-13), some I was right but the scores were off: I said Steelers 31 Browns 20 ( Actual: 34-7) OOPS! Forgot about that brand new QB Quinn! And some were just plain wrong: I said KC 28 Houston 10 (Actual Houston 20 KC 3) Well, who knew?? Anyway, some time this week I'm going to sit down with my crystal ball and take a stab at week 2's scores. We will see how I do. Until then, your Raider Reporter is over and out.
August 12 The most wonderful time of the year.....Well sports fans, the wait is finally over! Football (American football if you want to be picky) has returned in all its glory. OK, it's just preseason, but still! Football! A very good thing! And so it came to pass that one of our local stations broadcast the Raiders-Cardinals preseason game. Of course I had to listen to a couple of local yokel sports reporters shill for the local loser Cardinals, but still! RAIDERS ON TV! GOOD! Lets not forget now that my poor Raiders won only 2 games last year. Yep, that's 2-14. And one of those games was against the AZ Cardinals. So no surprise that once again, my beloved Raiders were victorious. OK so I'm scratching here. It's only preseason and it doesn't count. After all the Raiders won 4 out of 5 preseason games last year and we all know what an unmitigated disaster THAT was. BUT I DON'T CARE. My team is in a rebuilding mode and I'm not expecting miracles right away. So when I find something to cheer over, am I going to made a big deal over it? You bet yer arse I am! Woo-Hoo!
That being said, I'm am not encouraged by the continuing haggle that has kept JaMarcus Russell from signing his contract. That boy has missed nearly all of training camp and now the first preseason game. This does not bode well. And the odd thing was, of Culpepper, Walter and McCown, it was Walter that was looking the best. Culpepper can still pitch those long ones, but he can't move anymore. Major knee surgery can do that to you. McCown still seems to crack under pressure. It was Walter's two long drives that put up a pair of TDs. I still have hope for that boy, but I suspect he will have to wait for his star to shine and it won't be with the Raiders.
Let's see.....the Raiders seem to have working on tackling over the summer, and a good thing, too. Last year those guys were so bad at stopping the run a bunch of Girl Scouts could have gotten away from them. They could still tighten up their offensive line's QB protection, but again, I see at least some improvement over last year. And oh yes, the new Raiders head coach, Lane Kiffin, looks like a BABY! At 32 he's the youngest in the NFL. But that may be a good thing as well. The Raiders have done well with young coaches. Both John Madden and John Gruden at the time the youngest in the NFL, and they brought the Raiders to glory.....or at least to the Super Bowl. Anyway, I think it's time the pendulum started swinging back the other way. I think the darkest days are now behind my beloved Raiders and the long road to the Super Bowl has begun. A very long and bumpy road, but as long as that maniac Al Davis gives Wonder Boy Kiffin a real chance and dosen't get too impatient, I think a winning team is in the making. And with that, your Raider Reporter is over and out. April 30 A few thoughts on the Raiders' draftYour Raider Reporter has been languishing lo these many months with not much to say, and what little could be said was mostly bad. Sports fans, the 2006 season was a huge sucking pit of misery for my beloved Raiders. Lets not forget the reason they had first pick was because they were in dead last place, for the first time since 1962. Hell, that was even before Al Davis, which is like saying before The Flood. But they did seem to use their picks well, and perhaps in a few years the Raiders will again be the mighty force they once were. Most of the football Talking Heads seemed to agree that the Raiders ended up big winners in this year's draft, and I tend agree, with a few reservations.
Picking JaMarcus Russell was pretty much a no-brainer. Lord knows they needed a quarterback, and Russell is big and strong and mobile. But some weird little "spidey sense" keeps telling me they should have gone for Brady Quinn, who, astonishingly, languished until the 4th or 5th round. The hottest draft picks oh-so-often end up a total bust. Can you say: Ryan Leaf? We will see.
The trade with Detroit for Josh McCown (and with Mike Willaims seemly tossed in as an afterthought) tells me they don't plan to start Russell right off. They will use McCown to hold down the fort until Russell gets some experience under his belt. Actually, McCown has a fair amount of talent, but he was sooooooo abused by the AZ Cardinals. He was rivlled for throwing the ball away all the time, but the offensive line of the Cards sucked as bad as the Raiders, and the poor bastard didn't have a chance. In all, I think he will be a competent place-holder until the mythical Raiders Quarterback of the Future (if that beastie does really exist!) steps onstage. Oh lordy, do I still miss Rich Gannon!
And oh yes, oh yes! Say bye-bye to Randy Moss. The Patriots are welcome to that slacker. His talent is no longer worth his snotty attitude. And if Jerry Porter and the rest of the Offense Mutineers don't get with the program, then give them the boot too.
Ok, so here's the skinny: the Raiders defense is young and formidible. Lane Kiffn seems to be making good choices to retool the offense. Aquiring Dominick Rhodes, dumping Moss, getting some fresh blood running backs and wide recievers: all are moves in the right direction. I wish they would do something about their weakness in the offense linemen, though. Robert Gallery is a big disappointment in particular. He keeps jumping offsides, and he's just not fast enough to protect the QB from getting sacked. I sort of miss the old days when the offensive linemen were the size of rhinos and Gannon had all the time in the world to pick apart the other guys' defense. But that won't cut it anymore, I guess......But still! A more disciplined line, better tackles, that's what the Raiders need every bit as much as a suprstar quarterback. So with that, sprts fans, your Raider Reporter is over and out until fall. Damn, I miss football!
February 04 How 'bout them Colts??Well, sports fans, it was bound to happen sooner or later and now after 36 years the Colts have won the Super Bowl 29-17 against the Bears. Their first Super Bowl appearance since moving to Indianapolis, as a matter of fact. As Super Bowls go, it was fair to middling. After a slow start by the Colts, including a runback touch down on the first play of the game (OUCH!), and a first quarter that was a fumble-fest for both teams ( the relentless rain downpour probably was a major factor in that), a missed field goal and a muffed point after kick, it was pretty obvious how things were going to turn out. The Bears, particularly their hapless quarterback Grossman, were completely out-classed. They could not stop the Colts running game whatsoever. Addai and Rhodes kept running all over them. It's hard to believe Addai is rookie; he is shaping up to be the next LaDanian Tomlinson. Rmemember, you heard it here first folks. The time of possession was sooooo lopsided as well. The Colts kept chewing up the field with runs and short passes, and burned up the clock as well. After they took control at the end of the second quarter, they never looked back. Not that there weren't plenty of Colts mistakes: fumbles, a couple of intercetions and lots of dropped balls. It's just the Bears made more of them and at more critical times. So Manning gets his ring and Super Bowl 2007 goes into history, and the NFC curse continues yet another year.
As for the much-anticipated commercials: YAAAAAAWN! Major bore, folks. A couple of Budweiser commercials that were sorta cute, particularly the faux Dalmation dog and the crabs worshiping the beer cooler ( you'd have to have seen it to get it), but all in all, pretty ho-hum. Certainly not worth the ungodly amount of money a 30 second spot cost. What, 2-point-something million smackers? Not hardly!
The halftime show? Ok, I guess. Prince has never been one of my favorite performers, and the weird scarf he had tied around his hair Aunt Jemima style qualified as a "wardrobe malfunction" in my humble opinion, har har! The fireworks and lazar stuff was cool though.
The worst part is that now football season is over, and for the next 7 months I will be miserable jonesing for my beloved but sad-ass Raiders. SIGH! I suppose I'll just have to spend my Sundays cleaning house or something. So sports fans, your Raider Reporter is over and out until September.
January 27 How I Became A Football Fan First off, a few football notes aside: The Raiders have finally settled on a new head coach in the person of Lane Kiffin, formerly of the USC coaching staff. I'm getting a fairly good vibe from this choice so far, because what my beloved Raiders need is a young guy (the youngest in the NFL no less) with a modern look-ahead sort of outlook. Let's face it, I'm not expecting any miracles next season; the Raiders are still in a building mode and are mostly a very young team. BUT! I would like to see some improvement in the offense to match the really fine talent they have in the defense. Also: GET RID OF THE TOUBLE MAKERS!!! Give Porter and Moss the boot forthwith, as well as any of their cohorts who won't play well with others and do nothing but drag down the team. We don't need them or their dumb-ass drama queen attitudes. Can I get an AMEN??
OK, so here is the odd tale of how Sharon became a football junkie. I was not always the rabid Raiders fan you all know and love. Quite the opposite. I used to look down my nose at the apparant neanderthals who played the game and their equally moronic and beer-crazed fans. Watch football all Sunday long? Oh no, not I, said she. I would rather be staked over an anthill. And then a funny thing happened. I got a boyfriend who was a serious Raiders fan. Actually, the boyfriend part wasn't funny at all; in fact it turned out to be a train wreck of a relationship which was only slightly less wretched than my marriage, and that only because I had the sense to at least not marry this bum. But I digress. The upshot was that in my idiotic state of what at the time I believed was True Love, I found that I had two choices: I could become a football widow or get with the program and become a Raiders fan. As we all know now, I opted for the latter. And then the funny thing I mentioned happened: I started to, well, enjoy it. Who knew? My Mum was flabbergasted. I believe she almost staked her reputation as a Southern Belle that Boyfriend From Hell could never, never in a thousand years get me to not only watch football, but actually get into it in a big way. I think she lost her hoopskirt over that little bet. (Mum, I'm joking! Really!) But the truth is that I had ever so much fun. A perfect and reasonably socially acceptable way to yell and release stress and wear odd clothing. Let's face it, with Raiders fans it's Halloween for five months a year. Oooooo, all those spikes and black leather! "Come over to the Dark Side, heh heh!" I haven't worn so much black since my metal/Goth phase back lo those many years. But that, dear Readers, is a tale for another day. That is, if I ever go completely barking mad and/or ingest enough alcohol to actually blog about my, ahem! glory days. ANYWAY, so I put my trivia-trap of a brain to some of the finer points (and yes, there are fine points. Really) of strategy and stats and history. History, ye gods I love any kind of history, and I find I can rattle off all sorts football facts and trivia tidbits. I wish I had done this before my 30s; I might not be the dotty old maid who lives alone with her dog. I probably could have had oodles of men who would have traded a body part for a football-loving female. SIGH!
Oh well, probably all for the best. They could have been like He-Who-Shall-Remain-Nameless. I shudder to think! It matters not. It's all about The Game, right? Damn straight! Brothers and Sisters, can I get a HALLELUJAH? January 22 Woo-hoo for the playoffs!Well, it's still cold. My neat-o desktop weather gadget says 32 degrees as I type this, and it's almost 0900 and the sun is up and everything. And damp, too: we had fog the past few days in the AM. I did NOT sign on for this. I'm such a pansy about the cold now that if it gets below 45 degrees I'm ready to break out the parka and maybe wear it indoors, no less. OK, so call me a sissy if you will, but that won't change my feet feeling like ice blocks.
Anyway, now that I've quit whining for the nonce, how's about those NFL playoff games? I was rather sad to see New Orleans lose; not only am a I fan of the underdogs (Hey, I am a Raiders fan, after all: there isn't anyone more underdog than they are!) but a Colts/Saints Superbowl would have been cool on so many levels: Peyton Manning facing off against his Dad's old team, seeing the Saints in their first Superbowl ever, etc. But alas, I suppose I'll have to settle for the Colts heading off to The Big One for the first time in what, 30 some years? My brother is the Colts fan, so I've been rooting for his team, just to have something to root for this season. And let me tell ya, he has been doing a major happy dance. All those years the Colts sucked and finally now some joy. (Yes, Kellie, I KNOW you can't stand Manning......but fear not! The Steelers will arise again.)
And what a game that was! It was a cliff hanger and a nail biter (well, the second half was, anyway) clear up to the end. And what a come back: the Patriots led 21/6 at halftime and then some how managed to lose 34/38. And I've never seen so many linemen make touchdowns: 2 for the Colts ( when was the last time you saw a center score?) and one for the Pats. Anyway, it made for a very exciting if somewhat surreal game.
I just hope the Superbowl lives up to the build up. The Bears have the defence from hell, I admit, but the Colts have Peyton Manning and I'm not sure if the NFC Superbowl curse has run its course. Hey, it was 13 years for the AFC in the 80s and 90s.And I would like to see Manning get his ring: like him or not he is one of the greats of football. But whatever, I'm hoping for a good game, because I'm going to miss my football Sundays in a big way when it's all over.
So sports fans, see you all again in two weeks for mt Superbowl review. November 19 Raiders week 11That's it, sports fans: I've officially given up. We just lost to KC 13-17. Once again, no scores for Oakland in the second half. Once again, Oakland was leading until the end. And once again a dumb-ass interception killed their last minute hope for a win.I am so digusted. And until when and IF we have a game actually worth writing about, I'm not going to bother rehashing the same old shit. So your Raider Reporter is outta here.......maybe until next season. Sigh! |
|
|
