9
Jan
2011
VIDEO: Rex Ryan’s post-game speech after defeating Indianapolis
As we all know by now, the Jets outlasted the Colts in yesterday’s AFC Wild Card game, winning 17-14 on Nick Folk’s last-second field goal. New York was helped along by Jim Caldwell’s inexplicable timeout with :29 remaining that allowed the Jets to get into better position for the game-winning 32-yard FG try.
Afterward, Rex Ryan was his usual ebullient self in the Jets locker room, and shared his excitement over finally defeating their arch nemesis Peyton Manning and the Colts. And since everyone (ourselves included) seems to loves them some Rex, we thought we’d share it with you:
Unfortunately, the Jets will meet the Patriots in the next round of the playoffs, so this celebration will likely be short-lived.
30
Nov
2010
NFL Week 13 Power Rankings (featuring the “Berserker Number”)
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Does anyone want to play the Bills right now? (Source: BuffaloNews.com)
Note: For the teams from 32-17, I’ve tagged them with my BERSERKER NUMBER (B#). Ranging from 1 to 100, it rates a team’s ability to cause havoc for teams attempting a playoff run. Young, developing squads just beginning to show power (but stuck with losing records) are helped, in my rankings, by a high B#.
For the teams from 16-1, I’ve added my DESTINY SCORE (DS). Again, 1 to 100. Here, I’m attempting to weed out teams resembling, for instance, the 1988 Chicago Bears. Teams with towering regular season records that (we all know) will not get to — back to — the Super Bowl. Teams, well, missing something special.
My (totally subjective, imperfect) Week 13 Power Rankings:
32 Carolina Panthers (1-10) (B#4)
31 Arizona Cardinals (3-8) (B#8)
30 Cincinnati Bengals (2-9) (B#14)
29 San Francisco 49ers (4-7) (B#22)
28 Denver Broncos (3-8) (B#33)
27 Detroit Lions (2-9) (B#28)
26 Buffalo Bills (2-9) (B#68)
25 Dallas Cowboys (3-8) (B#41)
24 Minnesota Vikings (4-7) (B#42)
23 Oakland Raiders (5-6) (B#52)
22 Washington Redskins (5-6) (B#43)
21 Seattle Seahawks (5-6) (B#54)
20 Cleveland Browns (4-7) (B#73)
29
Nov
2010
Peyton throws FOUR interceptions? Surely You Can’t Be Serious
I am serious. And don't call me Shirley. (Image via KissingSuzyKolber)
The San Diego Chargers took it to the Colts 36-14 last night, winning their fourth straight game and handing Indianapolis their worst home loss of the Manning era. The Chargers defense was the star of the show, picking off Peyton Manning FOUR times, including two that were returned for scores. After starting the year at 2-5, the Chargers have rebounded in a big way, and are serving notice to the rest of the AFC that they’re a force to be reckoned with coming down the stretch.
The very un-Peyton like performance was caused by the consistent pressure San Diego put on the normally unflappable QB all night long. In fact, during the game, Cris Collinsworth showed a series of highlights that saw Manning flinching before contact was even made by a defender (watch here). It was only the third time in his career that Manning has thrown 4 interceptions in a game, and he has now thrown 7 interceptions in the last two games, making it the worst stretch of his 13-year career. Could we finally be seeing that Peyton is actually human, or is this (more likely) just an aberration?
In case you missed it, the headline for this article is a tribute to one of the greatest comedic actors of our time, Leslie Nielsen, who passed away yesterday at the age of 84. His roles in Airplane and the Naked Gun series will never be forgotten … and to keep this somewhat sports related, we leave you Nielsen’s classic performance as an umpire in the Naked Gun:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
19
Nov
2010
Li’l Peyton warns Li’l Eli of scary green monsters (cartoon)
This comes to us courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles, who posted it as the splash intro video on their home page today. Apparently this is the Eagles’ weekly attempt to taunt their upcoming opponent … who in this case are the New York Giants.
I’ve never seen any of their cartoons before, but this one’s actually not bad. Not as funny as the Bang Cartoons, but not bad … I laughed at loud at the way Eli talks:
The Eagles defense picked off Peyton twice and sacked him three times in their meeting two weeks ago, but if I’m the Giants this week, I’m probably more scared of Michael Vick than I am of the Eagles D. This game could be an offensive shootout.
But again, this is an official Eagles cartoon. Is this really what they’re spending their time on in Philly these days? Does this even qualify as trash talk? It’s more cute than anything. Certainly not going to get the Giants locker room any more fired up than they already are.
9
Nov
2010
NFL doesn’t fine Coleman for Collie hit; continue to make up rules as they go along
(AP Photo via NYTimes.com)
In a shocking move, the NFL has elected not to fine Eagles S Kurt Coleman for this hit that knocked Colts WR Austin Collie out of the game on Sunday.
The decision is surprising mainly because it is the correct one. And in their zealous quest to eliminate helmet-to-helmet hits from the game, the league has seemingly preferred blind justice over common sense when levying punishment (see the ludicrous fine given to Myron Pryor for the completely legal hit that injured Brett Favre). So it appeared that Coleman was a prime candidate for an example-making suspension to really drive their message home.
But today, the league issued a statement explaining they would not discipline Coleman at all:
“Because the helmet-to-helmet contact was a result of Collie being driven toward Coleman by Mikell’s legal hit, there will be no fine for this action”
So it seems that Goodell and his cohorts really are just making this all up as they go along. Just when you thought they were going to fine and suspend anyone who dared make contact with the head or neck area of an opponent, they go and do something completely out of character and make a decision that reeks of logic and a greater understanding of the nature of the game … well, at least at the beginning.
7
Nov
2010
VIDEO: Austin Collie gets knocked out by helmet-to-helmet hit
(Photo: Matt Detrich / The Star)
Another scary moment today in Philadelphia, when Colts WR Austin Collie was knocked unconscious by S Kurt Coleman during the 2nd quarter of the Eagles 26-24 win. After the play, Collie lay motionless on the turf for several minutes before being immobilized and carted off the field. According to initial reports, Collie suffered a concussion, but after the game he was “alert, sitting up and has movement’’.
Once again, it was a bang-bang play, and Collie looked to be making a move with the ball before he was hit by both Coleman and S Quintin Mikell. Mikell was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver, but on the replays you can see that he delivers a shoulder-to-shoulder hit as Coleman comes in from the other direction. As the target moves, Colman’s helmet strikes Collie’s cleanly, and you can see that Collie is out before he hits the ground:
The play will undoubtedly be scrutinized by the NFL, and is sure to re-ignite the discussion about violent hits in the game. But from where we sit, it looks like a clean play by the Colts defenders, with a very unfortunate result.
Whether you agree with it or not, this is the “new NFL”, and this is exactly the type of helmet-to-helmet collision the league is trying to remove from the game. So regardless of his intention on the play, Coleman can expect a call from Mr. Goodell with at least a fine – if not a suspension – as punishment. And you can almost certainly expect Goodell to make an example of Coleman here … especially since he’s not a big-name player for the league.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKGET5-mUNo
12
Oct
2010
Hit Of The Week: Antoine Bethea levels Jamaal Charles (VIDEO)
(Photo: Matt Detrich / The Star)
We’ve started a new tradition every week here at ReadAndReact by bringing you the Hit of the Week! We’ll find the most brutal tackle (or block) from each weekend of NFL games, and present it for your viewing pleasure.
Today’s HOTW comes from the Colts’ 19-9 win over the previously undefeated Chiefs. This game ended up being a defensive showdown, and in the 2nd quarter Safety Antoine Bethea set the tone for the Colts D with this vicious hit on Jamaal Charles. Watch as Bethea delivers a perfect textbook tackle on Charles, causing a fumble which Indy recovered:
20
Sep
2010
Brandon Jacobs will ask Giants to be traded; apologizes for helmet toss
Brandon Jacobs somehow managed to lose the Manning Bowl by himself (Image via KissingSuzyKolber)
In the aftermath of last night’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the New York Giants are dealing with a cloud of controversy surrounding RB Brandon Jacobs.
First off, during the third quarter of the game, Jacobs became a center of attention after his helmet somehow ended up ten rows deep in the Indianapolis stands (image above). Now this morning, reports suggest that Jacobs is meeting with Giants management today to ask to be traded. Possibly so he can go to Indy to be reunited with that raven-haired beauty who nearly got hit by his helmet.
This could signal quite a fall for the short-tempered Jacobs, who started the last 3 seasons at starting RB for the Giants, but was relegated to the back-up slot behind Ahmad Bradshaw for last night’s game. His performance (4 carries, 8 yards), along with a poor decision to try and bounce a run to the outside, resulted in a shouting match with coach Tom Coughlin on the sidelines. Afterward, Jacobs tried to throw his helmet toward the wall behind the visitors’ bench … he missed and it ended up sailing into the stands. Afterward, Jacobs apologized:
“I was a little mad, but to be honest with you, it was a mistake,” Jacobs said. “It got caught onto the sticky leather of my gloves.
“I did not mean to do that and everybody who knows me knows I did not mean to do something like that. The whole world could fall down on me and I wouldn’t have done anything like that. I apologize to Indy, first of all, and their fans, our organization. It’s just something that happened that shouldn’t have happened.”
Regardless of the helmet issue, Jacobs is clearly unhappy with his diminishing role in New York. But he can complain all he wants, because it’s not likely that Jacobs – who is in the second year of a new 4-year contract – is going anywhere soon. That contract is scheduled to pay Jacobs $4.65 million in 2011 and $4.9 million in 2012, so the Giants will have a hard time finding teams willing to take that on. Jacobs should worry more about running north-south and using that big body of his to drive a pile … if he does that, the rest will take care of itself.
More of this, Brandon ... and less of the helmet tossing
VIDEO OF JACOBS HELMET IN THE STANDS AFTER THE JUMP
19
Sep
2010
Live Game Blog: Manning Bowl II – Colts vs Giants
The Manning Bowl resumes tonight in Indianapolis (minus Cooper)
It’s been a great Sunday of football so far, but the most hyped match-up the NFL this weekend is tonight’s Manning Bowl II (aka the Colts vs Giants), in which the brothers Manning will square off for the second time as pros. The first time – in 2006 – Peyton got the better of Eli and the Giants with a 26-21 win. This time around, Eli has a lot more experience to go with the best receiving corps he’s ever had.
Aside from the QBs, the Colts are trying to bounce back from a beating at the hands of the Houston Texans in Week 1, but will do so without their best defensive player, Bob Sanders, who may be lost for the season. The Giants will look to create pressure and turnovers on defense, with a unit that looks re-energized under new DC Perry Fewell. If they can’t get to Peyton and force him to hurry, this could be a high-scoring affair.
Believe it or not, there are 20 other players involved in tonight's game. We couldn't find any pictures of those guys.
We’re going to be following tonight’s Colts/Giants game using our new CoverItLive chat interface feature (below) … if you’re watching the game and are bored, join us in making fun of the Manning brothers, cringing at Cris Collinsworth, and calling for the heads of the horrible NFL refs. No big whoop.
JOIN IN THE CHAT AFTER THE JUMP
Read the rest of this entry »
19
Sep
2010
VIDEO: Manning Bowl II – “That’s My Brother” DJ Porter Remix
Tonight’s Colts/Giants game finds the first family of football under the spotlight once again, as Peyton and Eli Manning face off in Manning Bowl II. And for all the fanfare that these guys get in the press, there might not be a more disliked pair of brothers in all of sports. People just love to tear these guys down at every chance they get … unless they’re on your team, that is.
Our man DJ Steve Porter (of Press Hop fame) gives the Manning brothers the auto-tune treatment in his brand new video, “That’s My Brother”:
