The National Football League season began last night in Denver with a 49-27 Broncos demolition of the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens. Peyton Manning threw seven touchdown passes, the first player since the great Joe Kapp, who I passed one time on a sunny weekend Berkeley sidewalk while he ate an ice cream cone, did it in September of 1969.
I was late getting home, having to run a few errands after work. I missed the lightning-storm delay. I watched the second quarter and some of the third before shutting off the TV, which I don't think I had turned on -- maybe once -- since the Super Bowl.
I was impressed by the Broncos TE Julius Thomas. I noted the freshness of Ray Rice's legs. The Ravens miss Ed Reed and Dennis Pitta. Dallas Clark's drop of a sure TD pass from Joe Flacco was big.
So another NFL season begins. A lot of commercials on the menu for the next five-plus months. I am conflicted. I couldn't stop thinking about the war machine being amped up as I watched the Bronco cheerleaders and listened to the play-by-play delivered by one-percenters Al Michaels and Chris Collingsworth.
Showing posts with label Joe Flacco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Flacco. Show all posts
Friday, September 6, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Super Bowl Recap
Yesterday, I'm sure as many did, I cleaned the cave and purified the shrine and prepared a repast, from a funky chicken sesame noodles recipe gleaned from the Internet for the Packers-Steelers Super Bowl two years ago and still attached to the refrigerator door by magnetic clip. I ironed shirts watching the pregame show.
Life moves on. The power outage at the beginning of the third quarter was nice, a break in the Ravens steamrollering. We all got to observe the reportorial skills of Steve Tasker and Solomon Wilcots. When play resumed Kaepernick was the Kaepernick we've come to expect -- strong of arm, fleet of foot and capable of making the right decision quickly.
The 49ers clawed their way back into the game, but in the end they were defenseless against the Flacco-to-Boldin connection; that, and I was not enamored with Greg Roman's play selection at the goal line with the game at stake (even if Crabtree was held).
The Ravens were the better team yesterday, and they deserve the Lombardy Trophy. Allahu Akbar.
Now it's a return to life without the NFL and blissful weekends free of televisual distraction. Hopefully, with two days to read instead of one, I can, in this fiftieth anniversary year of the Kennedy assassination, finally finish the "Mollenhoff Project" that I began three years ago this winter.
Life moves on. The power outage at the beginning of the third quarter was nice, a break in the Ravens steamrollering. We all got to observe the reportorial skills of Steve Tasker and Solomon Wilcots. When play resumed Kaepernick was the Kaepernick we've come to expect -- strong of arm, fleet of foot and capable of making the right decision quickly.
The 49ers clawed their way back into the game, but in the end they were defenseless against the Flacco-to-Boldin connection; that, and I was not enamored with Greg Roman's play selection at the goal line with the game at stake (even if Crabtree was held).
The Ravens were the better team yesterday, and they deserve the Lombardy Trophy. Allahu Akbar.
Now it's a return to life without the NFL and blissful weekends free of televisual distraction. Hopefully, with two days to read instead of one, I can, in this fiftieth anniversary year of the Kennedy assassination, finally finish the "Mollenhoff Project" that I began three years ago this winter.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Flacco on Fire
Flacco is smoking the 49ers secondary. Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell is calling a great game; Baltimore is consistently making good yards on first down and then converting on third down. Kaepernick needs to step it up; he's double clutching and looking out of sorts.
Down by 15 at the half, San Francisco is not out of it yet; but one more score by Baltimore and the 49ers, barring a complete turnaround by their quarterback, are finished.
Down by 15 at the half, San Francisco is not out of it yet; but one more score by Baltimore and the 49ers, barring a complete turnaround by their quarterback, are finished.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Ravens Stomp Pats: Super Bowl Should be Good
An unexpected gift this weekend is the 21-0 shellacking the Ravens administered to the Patriots in the second half. Flacco was clearly the better quarterback. Brady, who I think looked old and tired at points this year, was lousy. The Baltimore defense outhit the Patriots all night long. The fumble-causing hit by Bernard Pollard on Stevan Ridley "won the game," as a mic on the field picked up John Harbaugh telling his strong safety.
Now we can look forward in two weeks to an excellent Super Bowl. Allahu Akbar. The Doomsday scenario of Atlanta vs. New England has been averted. Thank you Brothers Harbaugh! Thank you Colin Kaepernick and Joe Flacco! Thank you Frank Gore, LaMichael James, Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce! Thank you Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis!
Now we can look forward in two weeks to an excellent Super Bowl. Allahu Akbar. The Doomsday scenario of Atlanta vs. New England has been averted. Thank you Brothers Harbaugh! Thank you Colin Kaepernick and Joe Flacco! Thank you Frank Gore, LaMichael James, Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce! Thank you Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Divisional Playoff Game Picks
There are only two new-breed quarterbacks left -- Wilson & Kaepernick; one hybrid -- Aaron Rodgers, a guy who can run like a young Joe Montana but whose arm is stronger; and the rest are all the classic white-privilege stand-tall-in-the-pocket American war machine hegemons -- Brady, Manning, Flacco, Ryan and on a good day Schaub.
Here are my picks for this weekend. First game of the weekend on Saturday is Baltimore against Denver. Denver is a good team. A rejuvenated Manning is part of that success but I think a lot of the Broncos first seed is due to their defense. Smart money is on Denver at home. But I'm a Ravens fan. So I'm going with Baltimore.
The Saturday night game is a real humdinger. Packers-49ers. I think San Fran wins this because of an Aldon Smith pass rush that is going to harry Aaron Rodgers all Candlestick night long. Kaepernick will play well.
Sunday morning it's the Seahawks-Falcons. Can Wilson & Lynch do it again? I hope so. I think it's going to be a tough game though. I think if we can get some pressure on Matt Ryan early and our defense doesn't capitulate in the fourth quarter we'll win. Seattle in a nailbiter.
Last game of the weekend is Texans-Patriots. New England is a big favorite. My head says most likely the Patriots will key on Arian Foster and shut him down and win easily. My heart says that Arian Foster will perform heroically. I can't pick the Patriots. I'm going with my heart.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Stellar Rookie QBs
Sunday morning of NFL Week 13 one of the things that stands out is all the amazing rookie quaterback play. Since I began following the NFL in 1975 I can't think of a season when as many first-year QBs not only started but won. I haven't read any of the coverage on this; what I'm saying is uninformed by the literature and dependent solely on my weekly devotional to the televisual.
The two marquee names are Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck. I was able to watch closely the Redskins-Cowboys game on Thanksgiving. I had seen RG3 in the opener in New Orleans. And while he was impressive, I was focused more on the poor play of the Saints. But in Dallas RG3 amazed me. The heart and soul of his team, he ran his Shanahanian offense with proficiency; he made great throws, ran the option well and took some brutal hits. I am true believer.
I've yet to see an Andrew Luck game. But from what I can tell of the highlight reels, he plays with intensity and can throw the long bomb with accuracy. Most importantly, he has the Colts winning after last season's Manning-less meltdown.
Next up I would place the west coast rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson. As a Seahawks fan I'm a student of Russell Wilson's play. I was a skeptic at first. In the opening games of the season it seemed as if he couldn't see down the field to throw the bomb. I pined for Tarvaris Jackson who stood tall in the pocket and threw long. But then Wilson made huge throws to beat Green Bay and New England and I became a true believer. He is consistently excellent. A little jittery now and again, he always has Seahawks in contention.
The last two, Miami's Ryan Tannehill and Cleveland's Brandon Weeden, are big, strong, classic-type quarterbacks who in a normal year would be getting a lot more attention. I've seen Weeden a couple of times. And despite the tendency to throw interceptions, he is impressive for a rookie. To me he looks just as good as Sam Bradford or Mark Sanchez. Last week I watched Tannehill beat the Seahawks with his arm.
So what's going on? There has been a trend in recent years of rookie QBs leading their teams to the playoffs. Think Roethlisberger, Flacco, Ryan, Sanchez, Dalton. The easy answer is that the college game, which I don't follow, is becoming more "professional." Reading a story, "The Hard Life of an N.F.L. Long Shot," in last week's New York Times Magazine I came across this: "I always heard that rookies are overwhelmed at first by the speed of the game at the pro level. But everyone I asked about this had the same response. 'It’s not the speed,' the third-year linebacker Robert James told me. 'It only seems like the game is a lot faster because you’re always trying to figure out what you’re doing and where you’re supposed to be. Once I began to learn the defenses, the game slowed down for me.' "
If this is true and success in the pro game is more mental than physical then the growing number of superlative rookie quarterbacks is proof that we are as a society getting smarter. If the election in November was a national referendum on public ignorance and enlightenment won, then the rise of RG3 and Russell Wilson is another victory for fiat lux!
The two marquee names are Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck. I was able to watch closely the Redskins-Cowboys game on Thanksgiving. I had seen RG3 in the opener in New Orleans. And while he was impressive, I was focused more on the poor play of the Saints. But in Dallas RG3 amazed me. The heart and soul of his team, he ran his Shanahanian offense with proficiency; he made great throws, ran the option well and took some brutal hits. I am true believer.
I've yet to see an Andrew Luck game. But from what I can tell of the highlight reels, he plays with intensity and can throw the long bomb with accuracy. Most importantly, he has the Colts winning after last season's Manning-less meltdown.
Next up I would place the west coast rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson. As a Seahawks fan I'm a student of Russell Wilson's play. I was a skeptic at first. In the opening games of the season it seemed as if he couldn't see down the field to throw the bomb. I pined for Tarvaris Jackson who stood tall in the pocket and threw long. But then Wilson made huge throws to beat Green Bay and New England and I became a true believer. He is consistently excellent. A little jittery now and again, he always has Seahawks in contention.
The last two, Miami's Ryan Tannehill and Cleveland's Brandon Weeden, are big, strong, classic-type quarterbacks who in a normal year would be getting a lot more attention. I've seen Weeden a couple of times. And despite the tendency to throw interceptions, he is impressive for a rookie. To me he looks just as good as Sam Bradford or Mark Sanchez. Last week I watched Tannehill beat the Seahawks with his arm.
So what's going on? There has been a trend in recent years of rookie QBs leading their teams to the playoffs. Think Roethlisberger, Flacco, Ryan, Sanchez, Dalton. The easy answer is that the college game, which I don't follow, is becoming more "professional." Reading a story, "The Hard Life of an N.F.L. Long Shot," in last week's New York Times Magazine I came across this: "I always heard that rookies are overwhelmed at first by the speed of the game at the pro level. But everyone I asked about this had the same response. 'It’s not the speed,' the third-year linebacker Robert James told me. 'It only seems like the game is a lot faster because you’re always trying to figure out what you’re doing and where you’re supposed to be. Once I began to learn the defenses, the game slowed down for me.' "
If this is true and success in the pro game is more mental than physical then the growing number of superlative rookie quarterbacks is proof that we are as a society getting smarter. If the election in November was a national referendum on public ignorance and enlightenment won, then the rise of RG3 and Russell Wilson is another victory for fiat lux!
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