10
Jan
2010
VIDEO: Ray Rice Runs Patriots Out of Playoffs
Ray Rice is a bad man (Photo: ESPN.com, AP/Elise Amendolaia)
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the New England Patriots 33-14 today in Foxboro, handing Belichick and Brady an early exit from the playoffs. As the highlights below show, RB Ray Rice led the charge for Baltimore, with an 83-yard TD run on the first play from scrimmage, finishing with 159 Yards and 2 TDs on the day. The Patriots were really never in the game.
RICE HIGHLIGHTS AFTER THE JUMP
19
Nov
2009
The Adventures of Luke SkyWelker & Han Brady
The guys over at Global Sports Fraternity have really outdone themselves with one. Check out this awesome animated short, which chronicles a battle between the evil Jets Empire and the Patriot Rebellion. Guess who plays Jabba the Hut?
(Ed. note: just try to ignore the fact that the Patriots are clearly more of an evil empire than the Jets in this scenario … I know it’s hard, but try to suspend your disbelief for a moment and enjoy):
16
Nov
2009
Did Belichick make the right call?
It's okay Bill. The numbers have your back. (Image: Detroit4lyfe.com)
The sports world has collectively been piling on Bill Belichick for his decision to go for it on 4th & 2 from his own 28-yard line with a 6-point lead and 2:08 to go in last night’s Patriots/Colts clash. (the result of that play can be viewed here)
The Colts, of course, went on to score a game-winning TD and escape with a 35-34 victory. And since that moment, armchair coaches everywhere have been celebrating the failure of the dark lord Belichick, and second-guessing his decision not to punt the ball and let his defense make a stop.
But did Belichick, in fact, make the right call? Well, the nerds over at AdvancedNFLStats.com conducted a statistical breakdown of the situation – based on the success/failure rates of both the 4th & 2 conversion and likelihood of the opponent scoring a TD from the 28-yd line with that much time left on the clock.
And guess what? The statistical analysis backs up Belichick’s decision to go for it, and by a decent margin! And guess what else? Belichick has built a dynasty in New England by making exactly those types of gutsy calls. So while most of us would play it safe in that situation, there’s a reason Belichick is the best head coach in the game today, and I wouldn’t expect him to change any time soon.
15
Nov
2009
NFL WEEK TEN LIVE GAME BLOG: THE BRADY VS. MANNING EDITION
Love 'em or hate 'em, this is still the best quarterback duel in the National Football League. (Sources: Al Tielemans/SI)
For the past half-decade, it’s been the NFL’s best, if not only, great quarterback showdown. Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. For two teams that don’t play in the same division, these guys have an uncanny knack for meeting annually at a critical juncture. Brady, of course, is the quintessential NFL quarterback, exuding confidence under pressure, a “team-first” attitude, and a will of steel. He’s got the looks, the super-model wife, and a handful of Super Bowl rings. He’s been lavished with riches beyond belief, and yet he remains likable.
Manning, meanwhile, has always been a perfect fit for Indianapolis, a throwback signal caller who’s been an absolute rock for a franchise that drifted for decades before his arrival. With a richer bloodline than any quarterback in our lifetime (even his little brother’s beaten Brady), he’s answered some of his sharpest critics (who wondered if he’d ever win a Super Bowl) and is currently enjoying one of his finest seasons to date. While he’s over-exposed and marketed idiotically — he and Eli come across a little dim in their countless ad campaigns — there’s no denying his achievements on the field.
The most-heated NFL rivalries almost always involve the game’s best quarterbacks. The Cowboys-Niners matchups featured the likes of Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, and Steve Young in the prime of their careers. The Niners and Giants pitted Montana vs. Phil Simms. When the Browns and Broncos met in three AFC Championships, it only happened because Bernie Kosar and John Elway led those teams.
Remember those great Giants-Redskins matchups between Dave Brown and Heath Shuler? Me neither.
This is a quarterback’s league. Always has been, always will be. Even if the Brady-Manning pregame hype is a bit tedious, it has produced some fascinating games. In a league where there are fewer and fewer powerhouse teams amid increased parody, we long for a true clash of the titans, and this may be as good as it gets in 2009.
We’ll be commenting on the games all day, and look forward to chatting with you. Click the comments section to join us for Week 10 in the National Football League.
9
Nov
2009
Reminder: Randy Moss is still incredible
Patriots WR Randy Moss seems to be flying under the radar so far this season. Despite the fact that he’s currently 5th in the NFL in receiving yards, Moss has been relatively quiet in 2009, with other receivers (Ochocinco, Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald) getting most of the ink.
Yesterday Moss reminded us that he’s still one of the most dominant players in the league, with a 6-catch, 147-yd, 1-TD performance in the Patriots win over the Dolphins. And in case you missed it, early in the game, he made this freakish one-handed catch:
19
Sep
2009
Kerry Rhodes and Rodney Harrison: One, Two, Three, Four, I declare Twitter War!
With updates below.
Per Ohm Youngmisu of the New York Daily News, mouthy Jets safety Kerry Rhodes has ripped former Patriot Rodney Harrison via Twitter.
Screenshots from the Twitter pages of Schefter, Rhodes, and Harrison.
From Youngmisu’s story: “The former Patriots safety ripped Rhodes Friday for his comments to the Daily News earlier this week about wanting to “embarrass” the Patriots and hit Tom Brady often. Harrison also questioned the Jets safety’s toughness.
“I respect Kerry Rhodes as a playmaker but he’s not a tough guy,” Harrison, now an NBC analyst, said on Michael Kay’s radio show on ESPN-1050 Friday. “OK, I’ve seen him turn down tackles many a time. As far as him talking about them wanting to embarrass us, I can understand that. But let’s stay a little humble. Because when you start talking like that you really set yourself up to put all the pressure (on the Jets).”
On his verified Twitter account, Rhodes tweeted, “I’m detecting a lil jealousy from (Harrison) he must wish he was playing 2morrow. My talent outweighs his ask belichick.”
“You just beat Houston,” Harrison said in an amazed tone on the radio. “You beat Houston. Now all of a sudden, Mark Sanchez is Joe Namath and Rex Ryan is Buddy Ryan. He’s the best coach ever.”
Before the season began, the brash Ryan said he was not going to bow down to the Patriots and kiss Bill Belichick’s Super Bowl rings, which only intensified one of the NFL’s best rivalries.
Then this week Rhodes said that the Jets will try to rattle Brady and “hit him more than six times. I promise you that,” referring to the number of times the Bills knocked Brady around on Monday night. While Rhodes made it clear that the Jets won’t play dirty, he did say it is human nature for Brady to be thinking about his surgically repaired left knee. “If somebody is around his leg, or he feels pressure below, he’s not going to step into his throw,” Rhodes said.
* * *
UPDATE from TheDarkHorse: Looks like Rhodes and Harrison have been chatting via Twitter subsequent to this report from the NY Daily News. And getting ESPN’s Adam Schefter into the mix, too.
RHODES TO HARRISON:
I’m detecting a lil jealousy from @rodneyh37 he must wish he was playing 2morrow. My talent outweighs his ask belichick.
HARRISON TO RHODES:
@kerryrhodes Kerry, you talk big for someone who has yet to even win in the playoffs you think you will ever accomplish what i accomplished?
RHODES TO HARRISON:
@Rodneyh37 r u playing sunday? i respect ur game but u crossed line. and i never talk smack u started it. i kno u respect my game! Tweet it!
HARRISON TO RHODES:
@kerryrhodes I definitely respect your game on the field Kerry, but i didn’t appropriate what you said about the Patriots its disrespectful.
ADAM SCHEFTER to his Twitter followers:
Me? I’m guessing Belichick prefers a Pro-Bowl safety with championship rings rather than a Pro-Bowl-less one who tweets about himself.
RHODES TO ADAM SCHEFTER:
@Adam_Schefter yo man get it right he tweet me first about this i dont trash talk but i defend myself! so u get it right!
RHODES TO HARRISON:
@Rodneyh37 u being someone who played the game knows the media runs it i said we are gonna try to embarrass them! lol u should respect that
HARRISON TO RHODES:
@kerryrhodes And even though i respect your game, you do have flaws and i have seen you pass on tackles and not always been physical.
RHODES TO HARRISON:
@Rodneyh37 and i told u i respect ur game and u have flaws 2 lol. and so does ed reed! thats a given.
HARRISON TO RHODES:
@kerryrhodes The talk about Brady’s knees and promising to hit him more than 6 times is what hit a nerve did you ever come back from a surgery like that? no wonder you have no idea what kind of impact your words have for certain players who went through rehab.
RHODES TO HARRISON:
@Rodneyh37 see and thats my point i never ever said anything about hitting his knees! lol r u serious you know i dont play that way!
18
Sep
2009
Friday Phone Call Between Tom Brady and Kyle Orton
Kyle Orton: Hey Tom, it’s me, Kyle. You mind if I ask a few questions?
Tom Brady: No problem, but I don’t have much time. Me and Gisele are headed out to Lake Como to hang out with Matt, Brad and George.
KO: You’re going to Lake Como? You have a game on Sunday!
TB: I’m Tom Brady, I can do anything.
KO: Um, well, I was wondering… Josh McDaniels, he keeps wanting me to hit the open man?
TB: Well…
KO: I mean what the hell, right?
TB: I, uh… that seems reasonable.
KO: You know how difficult that is?
TB: Well…
KO: That’s just crazy!
TB: I think maybe I have to go; the butler has informed me the limo is here.
Gisele [in the background]: Tommy, should I even bring underwear?
KO: Okay, but seriously, he also wants me to watch video! Of the other team! Can you imagine? What is that? I would understand if he wanted me to watch like “Replacements” or something, but game film? What? That’s crazy!
TB: Well… I really have to go.
KO: Okay, I am gonna go drink a TON of beer! You know what I mean? Get NFD, National Football Drunk. You know what I’m saying?
TB: I actually don’t.
KO: I got a 30-pack of Coors, my man. I mean screw McDaniels! I’m going to get HAMMERED!!!!
TB: Bye now.
KO: X-Box, chips and beer! Gonna get lit!! Let’s go Broncos!!!
17
Sep
2009
Rex Ryan phone stalks Jets season ticket holders
Do you want this man calling you late at night?
If you’re a Jets season ticket holder, you’ve clearly had things pretty rough for a while. I mean, what with the whole 2nd-class team in the world’s largest sports market inferiority complex, and all. And every year, the Jets organization will do something to get the core fanbase fired up about their SB chances … only to shatter their hopes & dreams come December (Quick fact: the Jets haven’t advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs since 1982).
Well, this year is no different, Jets fans! With new head Coach Rex Ryan leading the way and 1st round draft pick Mark Sanchez in town, Gang Green is off to a blazing 1-0 start, and Jets nation is once again believing that this is their year. Ryan in particular has been stoking the flames, starting a war of words with every team in the AFC East, to cartoonish effect.
So, with the upcoming home clash against AFC East overlord New England Patriots, Ryan is putting out the call – literally – to Jets fans, asking them to bring the noise on Sunday. All season ticket holders received this this somewhat apathetic, fully self-deprecating voice mail from Ryan, in an attempt to fire up what he so eloquently refers to as the “13th or 14th man”:
I don’t know about you, but I could run through a brick wall right now!!! I mean, that got me CRAZED!
Seriously though, if you’re a Jets season ticket holder, I bet the idea of a phone call from the head coach of your favorite team sounds like a really cool thing, but what if this becomes a regular occurrence? What if the Jets tumble into a downward spiral after starting 1-4 (their next 3 games are against the Pats, Titans and Saints)? The NY media will turn on the Jets, and I can just envision drunken, mid-food binge, late night phone calls from Rex, ranting about how he’s not good enough to be an NFL head coach, and how dad was right all along.
J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!
16
Sep
2009
Bills Fans go “All The Right Moves” on Leodis McKelvin’s Lawn
Leodis McKelvin suffered a similar fate to Ampipe's Coach Nickerson
Buffalo Bills cornerback/returner Leodis McKelvin, who fumbled a late kickoff return that led directly to the Bills’ 25-24 loss to the Patriots on Monday night, had the front lawn of his home vandalized on Tuesday.
Police are investigating the matter, but this was apparently the job of Bills fans who were less than pleased with McKelvin’s decision to take the kickoff out of the end zone with under 2 minutes to go, and Buffalo ahead 24-19 (oh, and the Bills were also in onside kick return formation, so the hands team was on the field, and there was no one back to block). The resulting fumble allowed Tom Brady to hit Ben Watson for a game-winning TD.
It’s a situation that has Bills players concerned for their privacy & safety, as this played out just like a scene from the classic football flick, All The Right Moves. I can just visualize these drunken Bills fans descending on McKelvin’s lawn like Ampipe boosters trashing the house of Craig T. Nelson’s Coach Nickerson, after Djordjevich got flagged for a late pass interference call in the state HS playoffs.
I guess it still goes to show that folks from the Western NY & PA Great Lakes region take their football seriously!
AFTER THE JUMP, WATCH VIDEO FROM THE BILLS/PATRIOTS GAME, ALONG WITH THE TRAILER FOR “ALL THE RIGHT MOVES”
15
Sep
2009
In memorium: Dalton’s Week 1 NFL Highlights
In honor of the passing of Patrick Swayze, we wanted to pay tribute to one of our favorite film character’s of all time – Roadhouse’s bad ass “cooler” with a sensitive soul, Dalton.
So in that spirit, we bring you Dalton’s Week 1 NFL Plays of the Week:
"Pain Don't Hurt"
All you have to do is follow three simple rules.
One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected.
Brandon Stokeley’s miracle 87-yd tipped-ball TD reception:
Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Adrian Peterson’s 64-yd TD run against the Browns:
And three, be nice.
Tom Brady gives Suzy Kolber the ol’ brush off after Monday Night’s Patriots/Bills game:
Looks like Mr. Brady doesn’t know about the third rule. Fare the well, Dalton. Fare thee well.
