What about Take 5?

I admit my last Take 5 performance was abysmal. What can I say I am human? So, in order to regain my zen-like frame of mind I joined the Patriots and took a bye-week. I didn't use my time off to study game film or disect playcalling trends, rather I made my first ever trip to the state of Florida.

Thats right...until this past weekend I had never been to Florida. A virtual rite of passage in modern America, a trip to Florida is something that millions of Americans make every year. Disneyworld, Busch Gardens, The Keys...these only existed in brochures and television ads. As far as I was concerned Florida was just a place we sent our old people to die and our kids so they would shut the fuck up for at least a couple of months about Disney world. After a three day visit I'm not so sure that isn't true.

But anyway, the warm water and hot sun have left me recharged, and ready to tackle another week of picks (week 5 has all the makings of a total crapshoot so it'll be interesting). I will say this, I won't be hurrying back to "the panhandle" anytime soon. The place leaves you with a constant moistness in your underarms and a certain "gaminess" all too reminiscient of an intense shuttleboard game. I'm not a fan of this. But it was a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of New England.



Moving along.


Some of our loyal readers may have noticed that The Babcock Report has ceased to exist. I think it would be decent of me to offer an explanation. While I enjoyed writing the quasi regular column the name always kind of bothered me. In fact, the column originated during the release of "The Mitchell Report", hence the (possibly) clever name. But I couldn't escape this creeping thought in the back of my mind that reminded me that contemporary American society already had The Colbert Report (I am completely indifferent on this, in fact Ive never watched it), as well as other "Reports" including, but not limited to, the ArchDruid Report. So I simply started leaving the title out of my posts. I just wanted to get that off my chest.

As far as the picks go for next week I guarantee that Take 5 will be back in full effect and that inspired by LaRocques suggestions over the past couple of weeks I will also include a few College teasers. I am now a huge fan of the 3 team tease, and you will be too.

Rock and Roll.




Also, on Friday I acquired tickets to the Celtics opening night and Neil Young and Wilco within one 15 minute period, making it the greatest multiple ticket acquisition in the history of my life. Sick.

'Skins

A part of me will always resent Dan Snyder for the way he's run the Redskins since he bought the team in 1998. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say that I have serious issues with an owner who is a cross between George Steinbrenner and Jerry Jones.

Over the past few years, my festering hatred for the owner spilled over to the Redskins. Somehow Synder, through almost ten years of complete idiocy, mismanagement, and raised prices, has poisoned my love for the 'Skins. Gone are the fond memories of Darrel Green, RFK stadium, and those epic Philly beat downs of the 1990s.

But yesterday's win reminded me why I love the Redskins so much and why I can momentarily forget that Dan Snyder owns the Redskins. The Cowboys-Redskins rivalry, for anyone even vaguely familiar with the NFL, is the league's best rivalry. And yesterday's game was unbelievably awesome even if you hated both teams. Let's consider some facts about this game:

- The Redskins just beat the best team in the NFL, on the road, with a rookie coach. The rookie coach was also calling plays, a task he's never done before this season. Yes, Coach Zorn is an early favorite for Coach of the Year. And yes, we will move up in the power rankings because of this victory. I'm beginning to like the Jim Zorn era here in DC; very auspicious start.

- Assuming they don't meet again in the playoffs, this was the last Cowboys-Redskins match-up in Dallas stadium. I can't think of a better way to close down a stadium.

- The Eagles lost last night, the Cowboys beat the Eagles, and now we might face the Eagles next week without Brian Westbrook. Assuming we beat the Eagles, we'll have a shot at first place in the NFC East. That is, unless the Giants keep on winning.

- This was Coach Zorn's first road win and first win against Dallas. According to Fox, you have to go all the way back to 1971 to find a Redskins' head coach who beat the Cowboys on his first try. That includes George Allen and Joe Gibbs...decent company, I would say.

- The Redskins didn't sneak a victory past Dallas. They shutdown Owens for a half, shutdown Marion Barber, and managed to keep a lid on Jason Witten. On offense, despite poor pass protection, the Redskins moved the ball with consistency and found a way to convert in the red zone. (Red zone conversion and consistent ball movement were offensive features nonexistent under Gibbs 2.0) If we maintain this type of momentum, I see at least 9 wins in our future, if not more.

- My new favorite player, Chris Horton, had another amazing game. Horton is a rookie from UCLA and he went to De La Salle High School in New Orleans. He's already been the NFC's Defensive Player of the Week and thanks to his huge interception yesterday, the Redskins kept a lid on the Cowboys' offense down the stretch. I see a bright future for this guy. (And what's amazing is that Horton doesn't even start on the Redskins secondary. That should tell you a lot about our depth right now, assuming Springs stays healthy)

In summary, the win was an excellent moment for Coach Zorn and an excellent moment for a franchise embroiled in the Snyder quagmire. I know it's just Week 5, but if we beat the Eagles next week and the Giants lose, then the OFFICIAL Redskins bandwagon might have to make an appearance.

Arbitrary Devin Hester College Highlights

2minutes48seconds.

Revisiting Johnny Damon's Move to New York

I wrote the following when Johnny Damon signed with the New York Yankees:

“I’ve fallen love with Boston. Hopefully I’ll be here for a long time.” - Johnny Damon. In light of Damon’s defection to the hated Yankees let’s look at nine positive aspects of the decision.

9. Damon is a very good player. He’s not a superstar. Don’t be confused. He may have built himself up into one, but he’s not.

8. Bernie Williams’ steep decline began around age 32. Damon is 32.

7. Red Sox Nation can clear some of the dead weight off of the bandwagon. Johnny Damon fans, you know who you are. And yes, most of you don’t have a y chromosome.

6. At least it’s not Nomar. I’ve come to grips with his decline as a player and his exile from Boston. But Nomar in Yankee pinstripes would reduce me to wandering around aimlessly, speaking like Keanu Reeves.

5. We can blame Larry Lucchino. Why? Why not? Touché.

4. Sox fans can now openly lament the insidious presence of Human Growth Hormone in Major League Baseball without secretly worrying that Damon will get busted.

3. Sox fans can now openly mock Damon’s intelligence or lack thereof. Have you ever caught a Damon interview?

2. Sox fans can now openly mock Damon’s throwing ability.

1. Damon can cut his hair, shave his beard, and discuss the merits of selling one’s soul with Jason Giambi.*

In hindsight I don't really understand #5. #6 makes no sense if you are not in your mid to late 20s. #4 was both unnecessary and unfounded. #s 3-1 probably fall into the unnecessary category as well and point to a certain amount of bitterness I was harboring at the time. #7 was obliterated by the arrival Jacoby Ellsbury and another championship. And it's unclear why I did not openly worry about Damon's body breaking down.

Ultimately I'm okay with the fact that the Sox did not want to give Damon $52 million over 4 years, even if he did finish 15th in the 2006 MVP race. As as side note, I did not realize they kept track of that many. Nor did I realize Troy Glaus tied for 30th. Troy Glaus?

But back to Damon. I was intrigued by this old Buster Olney column about the deal. Given the fortunes of the two franchises over the last few seasons it's hard to say that not re-signing Damon was a "colossal mistake", as Olney argued at the time. Of course that's a lot easier to say in 2008 than it was in 2005. More importantly, the move does speak to an issue with Boston's front office. Make no mistake Boston has made a number of excellent moves. David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and Jon Lester are the first of many that come to mind. At the same time the positives of letting Damon walk were overshadowed by the decisions that followed - trading away Kelly Shopach for Coco Crisp (catcher position has to be a cause for concern moving forward) and the outrageous contracts extended to Julio Lugo and J.D. Drew. The latter speaks to something Manny Ramirez danced around at the time of his exit. Manny was the latest Sox star to leave disgruntled. Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, and Pedro Martinez were the previous. Even lesser players such as Derek Lowe. Granted all of those guys had their issues. But I can see how the hometown guys would get upset about the organization highlighting their flaws while giving big money to flawed outsiders. Along those lines I'm interested to see how management handles negotiations with Boston's young core - Lester, Pedroia, Jonathan Pabelbon, Ellsbury if he can consistently get on base, etc. - in the years to come. And to be honest I'm a little concerned.

* Giambi's mustache went a long way in restoring some of the respect I used to have for him. If he signs with the A's next year and returns to his old ways (minus the roids) after taking a great deal of money from the Yankees while not winning a championship, I'll have to revisit the matter further.

Sick Live Nirvana

USC vs. Oregon State and Other Thoughts

After a somewhat promising start at the ROOMOFZEN I disappeared off the face of the map for a while. And though I’ve been attempting to jump back into the mix I’ve had trouble with 2 aspects:

1. A serious case of writer’s block.

2. I just don’t watch as much football – college or NFL – as the regular contributors. Yes, I watch the Patriots. But beyond that I feel like a fish out of water.

So to get back in the swing of things I'm going with a bunch of random observations instead of a coherent post.

- I’ve read a lot of different arguments and viewpoints about the 2008 New England Patriots. All I’ll say is this: it’s important for New England fans to keep watching no matter what happens from this point forward. I’d hate to see us associated with other famous bandwagon collapses. The post Jordan Bulls ban base comes to mind.

- Recently I started exercising again, mainly because 4 years after the end of my football career it did not make a lot of sense to walk around weighing like an offensive lineman. Now I’m not as well versed as Babcock and LaRocque when it comes to music. In fact my knowledge and views of the subject are amateur at best, embarrassing at worst. Still I feel confident saying that James Brown is awesome. He can definitely kick start a workout. Thankfully Jim Brown went by “Jim” and not “James”. That would have made an incredibly difficult debate over who was the alpha James Brown. Granted I would have gone with the ridiculous running back/lacrosse player. But the “Hardest Working Man in Show Business” deserves your respect. And yes I realize he's dead. I'm less clear on whether or not this is actually him:

- We’re closing in on two months since the Manny Ramirez trade and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the Manny Ramirez era. This Curt Schilling stuff didn’t help. Granted Schilling is a loud mouth and a non-factor at this point. But that doesn’t mean I can discount everything he says. More importantly Terry Francona, of all people, took some thinly veiled shots at Ramirez following the deal. Does Francona ever do that? Ultimately I can deal with the disagreements with ownership, the jogging on the base paths, and the lax defense. But the phantom injury claims might just be too much.

- The coverage of sports is so overwhelming that I’ve completely given up on watching sports on TV, outside of the games themselves. When pregame shows, post game shows, SportsCenter, etc. actually made me start to dislike sports a bit, I had to step away from the ledge. Remember when Baseball Tonight was one of the best shows on television, SportsCenter was about highlights, instead of talking heads and human interest stories, and in general networks seemed to understand the less is more concept a bit? Thankfully blogs and podcasts are filling the void. And of course the following happened.

- I’ll preface this by saying I don’t like USC. So that’s out there. Meanwhile, I stayed up late to watch the Trojans play Oregon State and was rewarded big time. The Beavers took it to a team that is loaded with talent and USC came off as a bunch of front runners. Jacquizz Rodgers ran 37 times for 186 yards, was thrown around stonewalled at points, and refused to back down. Factor in the Beavers TD at the end of the half and the late Trojan rally and it was an instant classic. One final point. Heading into the game I didn’t know anything about the Beavers, outside of the fact that Penn State thrashed them. I assumed they’d have to play with a spread offense and try to outscore the Trojans. Not the case. Oregon State used some trick plays and ran plenty of screens. But the offensive line fired off the line and played smash mouth football. Just an awesome, awesome game.

Foil in the Oven: Week 4 Picks

I was 11-5 last week (but, in my defense, I couldn't have seen that Miami win coming and I conceded one game by predicting a tie).


Tennessee over Minnesota: It’s hard to have the type of success that people expected the Vikings to have without a balanced offensive attack. Remember, this isn’t just a team that runs a lot. This is a team that CANNOT THROW THE BALL. All you have to do to beat the Vikings is keep their ground game at bay. Tennessee can do that.


Denver over Kansas City: Where do you even start with this game? So far this season, the Chiefs have scored a combined total of 32 points. The Broncos have scored more points than that in each of their three games. The Broncos have looked good against stiff competition, knocking off San Diego and New Orleans in the past two weeks (and completely dismantling the Raiders in week 1). Meanwhile, the Chiefs made the Raiders and Falcons look like playoff contenders. Jay Cutler may still be a long way away from becoming the next John Elway, but he’s certainly becoming a household name in 2008. The Broncos currently rank second in the NFL in total offense, which is 26 spots ahead of the Chiefs. The last line I saw had Denver giving 9.5 in this one. Lay it down! They will cover. This is not a trap game. It’s a division game, and the Broncos will not take any matchup lightly as long as they can feel San Diego breathing down their necks.


San Francisco over New Orleans: I love the Niners. I’ve picked them every week, and they’ve made me look good most of the time. I’m taking them again here. The Saints are banged up badly. Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey, Randall Gay, Scott Fujita…this is not good. Jamar Nesbit’s suspension could not have come at a worse time. The Niners seem to have everything clicking right now. I think that they are for real (remember....I’m talking NFC West so “for real” means “surprisingly, not below average”). People will pay more attention after this week.


Cardinals over Jets: This is a tough pick for me to make. The Cards are traveling across the country and playing at 1 o’clock EST. That, on its own, could do them in. But, I can’t ignore the fact that I like the Cards on paper. The Jets have been turning the ball over a lot, and Arizona has the firepower to make them pay.


Green Bay over Tampa Bay: Green Bay’s passing attack gives them the edge here.

Carolina over Atlanta: Don’t be tricked into respecting the Falcons. You can respect the fact that they are not a complete fucking mess like last year. But, they are a year or two away from where they need to be to win this game.


Jacksonville over Houston: I expected much more from the Texans than what they have shown. Matt Schaub is looking much less like the answer to their troubles, and they just seem to lack whatever it was they had last season that made them so intriguing.


Cleveland over Cincinnati: How does Marvin Lewis still have a job? Really, can we think about this? This has been the most consistently disappointing team on AND off the field for too long for him to keep his job. I am 100% sure that this team is never going to accomplish anything with the core that they have now. Sure, there is a lot of talent. And, I think that all of these guys are capable of reaching great heights on their own in different environments. But, as currently constructed, this team is going nowhere.


San Diego over Oakland: I won’t waste my breath explaining this pick: the Bolts always beat up on the silver and black. Instead, I’d like to talk a little bit about the Lane Kiffin situation.....

I think that, given the circumstances, Kiffin has done a great job. Last year was really just a throwaway year. But, I love what I see in this team right now. Granted, they will most likely be 3-1 after this week. But, you have to like that they went on the road to Buffalo and almost pulled that game out. They have a legitimate core of young and talented skill players. The future is bright if these goods are handled properly (highly unlikely). But, this team is so young on offense. Al Davis has to understand this, and he has to understand that these guys need time to develop. That’s more important than any single game this season. On top of that, Al Davis seems particularly upset about the team’s defense. But, he’s ready to make the defensive coordinator the new head coach. That makes no sense. And, while I will grant that the Broncos torched Oakland’s defense (along with every other defense that they have faced), this unit held Kansas City to 6 points and didn’t look bad on the road against the Bills.


Buffalo over St. Louis: How many times can we possibly see Trent Green being carted off the field with a season-ending injury? Why is he still playing? And why for the Rams?




Dallas over Washington: People all over the country have been talking about how strong the NFC East is. I love it. I cannot get enough of reading about how sick the division is. The high level of competitiveness makes everything so much more exciting. Adding to that excitement is the fact that all four of these teams have long and storied rivalries with each other. There is perhaps no more storied rivalry in the division than the one between the Cowboys and Redskins. Dallas will win. I’m sure of that. And, I’m willing to admit that as good as the whole NFC East is, the Cowboys are a step above the rest this season. Take a look at their wins: on the road at Cleveland, home against Philly, and the Packers in Lambeau Field. The game against Philly was close, but there has not been a single second of action this regular season when the Cowboys have not appeared to be in total control. I expect the Cowboys to win, but I’m hoping that the Redskins can elevate their level of play and give us another classic NFC East heavyweight battle.


Philadelphia over Chicago: I can’t get behind this Bears team. As good as that defense is, they couldn’t knock off the Bucs last week, and now it seems as if people around the nation may have put a little too much stock in the week 1 victory over Indianapolis. Philadelphia will put pressure on Kyle Orton. He will throw interceptions. The Eagles will capitalize.


Baltimore over Pittsburgh: This should be an exciting game to watch, but I don’t expect a lot of scoring. Give the under some thought here. Pittsburgh has a nice arsenal of skill players, but they can’t protect Ben Roethlisberger. The Ravens defense will get to him early and often, and this will create the field position their offense needs to pull it out.


College Pick of the Week:

Mississippi State +24 to LSU. Mississippi State only lost 3-2 to Auburn two weeks ago. Then LSU had to come back to beat Auburn. This line just seems to big for me. My advice: throw them into a teaser with South Florida (-9.5 to NC State) and Wisconsin (-6.5 to Michigan).

Oh Hell yeah

Nirvana- Where Did You Sleep Last Night

Jeff Buckley - Eternal Life

I woke up to this song on the drive to work today...rock and roll.

NFL Action

Some hard-hitting questions and comments from this weekend's games (which were awesome by the way):

- When was the last time you saw a QB throw 67 passes? Seriously?

- It's already Week 4 and we've seen over three OT games or games decided in the last 3 minutes (see the Giants, Chargers, or Eagles). Sick.

- How nasty is Joey Porter? After calling out the entire Patriots organization, he "shows up" and has 4 sacks. This type of bravado could have easily backfired, but he came through and had an awesome game. If there's ever a reason to get Direc-TV's Sunday Ticket, this is it. I'm actually still shocked about that game, now that I think about it.

- Along the same lines, how long did it take for Bill Parcells to transform the worst team in the NFL to a team which beat the former world-champs? Apparently three weeks and an off-season. Like Midas, everything Parcells touches turns to gold. If only Snyder wasn't the Redskins owner, we would have had a shot at this guy in the off-season. Parcells, like Cowher I presume, would never play for Danny-boy and now the Dolphins have him.

- How much longer will it be until Randy Moss pulls a Joe Gibbs and retires unexpectedly to manage his racing team? I'll give it three more Patriots losses. Over or under anyone? (Like I said to Babcock two weeks ago, welcome to mediocrity Patriots fans. There's always room for more!)

- The Redskins are progressing nicely under Jim Zorn. Like every other fan in the DC area, I had (and still have) my doubts about Jim Zorn. But after three weeks, I am beginning to like what I see here:

1. A classy guy at head-coach. Always nice, pleasant, and optimistic during press briefings.

2. A guy who has quickly developed chemistry and play-calling abilities for Jason Campbell. I was listening to ESPN the other day and they had Campbell on talking about Zorn. One of the things Jason said was, "Zorn and I talk a lot about how he wants to run plays which I'm comfortable with all the time." I like that. It means Zorn and his QB are communicating well, developing a relationship and now paying dividends faster than we ever thought possible.

- The Eagles are a lot better than anyone could have predicted at this point. Yes, the pick-up of Samuels helped a lot on defense. Now the Eagles are getting turnovers and exploiting them for points. But don't tell me you thought that the Eagles passing game would be anywhere close to decent. Jackson and Basket are playing out of their minds and of course Westbrook is making everyone focus on the running game. But honestly, who could have imagined the Eagles beating the crap out of the Steelers like they did yesterday? With that type of linebacking corps?

- The Rams look just pathetic, and like Chris Mortenson said on ESPN.com, they will never be good until the franchise is sold. But what potential owner would buy the team if he had to keep in St. Louis? Apparently that's the deal. And when you could move to LA where a stadium could easily be built, that just makes the Ram's predicament even more difficult. I actually feel bad for Linehan and Jackson, but then again they're still getting paid regardless of what happens this year.

- Imagine, for a minute, you are Lane Kiffen. You are showing up to work in the morning not knowing whether or not you have a job. Sucks, right? And imagine having your wife or kids tell you that ESPN is reporting that, "by the end of the day, Kiffen will be out of a job." And then have it not happen. Thanks, ESPN!

- 2008 may be the year where the NFC equals the AFC in dominance (but doesn't surpass it quite yet). In other words, I would take the Eagles, Boys, and Giants over pretty much any team in the AFC right now. And while the AFC probably has better teams and talent across the board, the top of the pecking order in the NFC is still the best in football. And this, to me, means that the NFC is now equal to the AFC. Just a thought.

- The Browns need to chill the f-out and continue starting Derek Anderson. Crennell knows Anderson is good, but he should resist the temptation to start Brady Quinn because the second Marshall starts playing well and the o-line starts pass-protecting, Anderson will start playing well again. Quinn is still young and like Rodgers on Green Bay, he can wait his turn to start next year or the year after.

- Did anyone see Ray Lewis' hit yesterday? God I love that guy.

Farmaid 2008

The Essence of Rock and Roll

This past Saturday I had the privilege of attending Farmaid 2008...for those of you who didn't get the chance to enjoy an entire day dedicated to sick tunes and the preservation of American Family farms all I can say is "you blew it".

Some people down wind were skeptical of our operation...

First off, preparations had been in the works for weeks leading up to the fateful day. Coolers had been located, chicken had been marinated in the perfect blend of spices, and leftover beers were horded like cheese by hungry rodents in winter. I gathered all of my Neil Young albums together and kept them in high rotation just to keep my mind sharp and my senses alert. I recollected on Willie Nelson's cameo appearance in "Half Baked", and on the last Dave Mathews Band concert I had attended in High School, where really all there was to recollect was that a girl puked on my leg and I had taken a shit in the woods.





We arrived at the concert in a roundabout way that probably took an hour or two longer than necessary. I cannot stress this enough...always leave adequate time to drive around aimlessly when planning to attend an all day festival of music. Also, you should be prepared to rock out to Pantera at any given moment. This was essential. There were no rookies among us so we arrived safe and sound at the parking lot and promptly set up shop.



The grilling and chilling went into effect early and often. We absorbed the sun and the good vibes and made our way into the concert just in time to catch the end of Kenny Chesney's set (note, this was no accident, I understand that Chesney has a huge following and sure I think his stuff has a time and a place but we weren't there to hook up with high school girls. Seriously, I swear to god.)


Dave Mathews and Tim Reynolds were the first to go on stage once we arrived and they absolutely kicked ass. As I mentioned, I did not have the fondest of memories from my Dave Mathews Band experience 9 years ago. I had been expecting the entire band to be there but the acoustic pairing of Reynolds and Dave proved to be one of the highlights of the night. You couldn't help but be in awe of the sheer musicianship of these two guys. They even played some of the old DMB tunes that have been making high school girls wet for years, and satisfied LaRocque who intermittently burst out yelling "Play Jimi Thing" throughout the set.

And Then...

I've never met Bob Costas, nor do I want to.

Some rules of Rock and Roll:

1) Do not under any circumstances allow Bob Costas to give your intro before a performance.

2) See #1

The only thing more disappointing than having Costas take the stage at a rock show was the way he built up John Mellencamp who went out and returned the favor by not kicking ass at all. That is as nice as I can put it. I can't say that I have ever been a huge fan of Mellencamp's. His cover of Van Morrison's "Wild Night" is about as good as it gets for me when it comes to his stuff. Granted, he had a tough act to follow because Mathews and Reynolds had the place rocking, but his set was very blahhhhh. I looked over at LaRocque at one point and he said to me "Im bobbing my head right now but this isn't good." So true. I dont think many people were into the set, and just as he said, it was as though all the fans in the crowd were nodding their heads, not to encourage his playing but instead willing him on towards the finish.





The man I was there to see was Neil Young, plain and simple. He could have played for three hours and that would have been fine with me. He started his set off with "Love and Only Love" from 'Ragged Glory', an amazing album, and continued with rockers "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere", and "Powderfinger" (I never expected to hear this one, so badass). Then came the obligatory Neil Young message song "Mother Earth", with Neil going solo on an organ. All I can say is that even as an enormous fan of Neil's it could have been worse. (Read: the Greendale Album) He then pulled out the acoustic for "Unknown Legend", and "Old Man", before returning to the electric to rock out "Get Back To The Country" and the performance of the night, his cover of the Beatles "A Day in the Life".



I guess Neil had been performing the song on tour in Europe this year...it was a remarkable cover and a very unexpected one at that. By the end of the song Neil had rid his guitar of all its strings and had propped it against his amp like the corpse of a slain enemy. Distortion hung in the air amid the screams of the crazed crowd and I knew then that I had been fortunate enough to drink from the Goblet Of Rock on this night. We had all been fully quenched.



Willie came on to close the show and sounded as good as ever. I don't know how he does it. As you can probably tell, I was there for Neil, but it was a pleasure to see Willie play even late in the night rushed against the dreaded 11 o'clock Comcast center curfew. All I can think of is how much weed and how many hot babes that old guy must have have in his lifetime. Keep rocking old man.


Overall the day was awesome. Great friends, great tunes, great cause. I got a sunburn and a headache and all of the blood in my body was pooled into my feet from standing all day and night on that god forsaken hill they call "the lawn". Lord knows people pissed on that hill, and lord knows that other people unknowingly sat in it. That is rock and roll I suppose, at least as far as I am concerned. If I forgot anything important it is because I am too thoroughly rocked out at the moment.

Neil Young, Still the Ultimate Badass

Great show last night. I'm sure we'll have more on it later. For now I just wanted to say that Neil Young played an amazing set that included Love and Only Love, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Powderfinger (amazing), Unkown Legend, Old Man, and he closed with the sickest cover ever of A Day In The Life (by The Beatles obviously).

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds also put on a sick performance, but Neil topped everybody as expected. There are no videos on the internet yet, but here is a video of his Day in The Life cover from June:



Go Giants.

Take 5 week 3

Its that time again...time to talk yourself into gambling your hard earned money, or money you don't have, or money that should be going to pay the rent or those pesky credit card bills. It is...the weekend. SICK.

I was 3-5 last week which leaves me at 70% for the season. I was probably a little too high on Atlanta and Pittsburgh's lack of offensive production was a little bit shocking...but oh well, life goes on. Here's the picks:

Buffalo -9.5 vs Oakland:

I'm not ready to jump off the bandwagon yet, and the Raider's seem more fucked up than ever...rumors that the coach is going to be fired the third week into the season are never good, especially when the team sucks ass in the first place. A touchdown and a field goal? Not a problem.

Chicago -3 vs Tampa Bay

This pick is solely based on the fact that I happened upon the following picture online a few moments ago.

Dallas -3 vs Green Bay

Aaron Rodgers gets his first taste of losing as a starter...still looks like a brilliant move for the packers though.

Jacksonville +6 vs Indianapolis

The Jaguars avenge their loss to the Bills by beating up a Colts team that seems lost on the field...Indy looks like a team a month away from playing good football.

***Upset of the Week***

Carolina +3.5 vs Minnesota

Starting Quarterback benched after two games? Steve Smith returning from a suspension? The planets have aligned, it is a lock.

If you're feeling nervous throw any combination of these teams into a tease and you'll be golden...Make those bookies sweat.

Week 3 Picks

I was 12-3 with NFL picks in Week 2 (Texans and Ravens did not play).

Here's what I expect in Week 3:


Atlanta ties Kansas City: No matter how hard they try, it will be impossible for both of these teams to lose. But, that doesn’t mean that there has to be a winner.

Buffalo over Oakland: I’ve said that I really like Oakland, and I think that they are going to keep improving steadily as the year continues. I’d actually be picking them if this game were being played in the Black Hole. But, because it isn’t, I’m taking the Bills.

Tampa Bay over Chicago: Tampa can do the same things that Chicago does on defense and special teams, and they’re stronger on offense. I like the Bucs here.

Carolina over Minnesota: Steve Smith’s return will give the 2-0 Panthers a boost. The benching of Tavaris Jackson will create turmoil for a team reeling from not being able to put away Indy last week. The Vikings look like big time pretenders right now. For some reason it seems like everyone assumed that because Adrian Peterson is good, the Vikings would automatically be good. Peterson played great last week, but this team has a lot of holes. In a quarterback happy league, this team concerns me.

New England over Miami: I’d like to turn back the clock on Sunday and watch a classic shootout between Drew Bledsoe and Dan Marino. I’ll settle for Matt Cassel and Chad Pennington, but only because I already know there is a 0% chance of a different game being shown.

Giants over Bengals: I’m literally never going to pick the Bengals to win once this season. Not even if they play the Rams (which I don’t think they do). World champs win big here.

Houston over Tennessee: Despite their horrid week 1 performance, I think that Houston is a more solid all-around team than Tennessee. Big game for Andre Johnson here.

Washington over Arizona: It seems like Arizona is much more talented than Washington. But, by virtue of their divisions, I think the Skins might be better than you think and the Cardinals might be worse. For example, Kurt Warner’s numbers are great right now and he is a great fantasy starter, but where is this team REALLY going? Plus, the games in Washington. I like the skins.

San Francisco over Detroit: This is my third straight week picking the Niners. When I picked them in Week 1, I said "the Niners are better than you think, but they still suck, if that makes sense." I still believe that, and that will be enough to beat the Lions. Much like TO, Issac Bruce does not age.

Seattle over St. Louis: I had to think about this one. It might be close.

Denver over New Orleans: I was wrong about Denver. That they won last week due to referee errors and faulty replay equipment is irrelevant when projecting this week’s game. The Chargers COULD NOT STOP the Broncos’ offense.

Philadelphia over Pittsburgh: This is going to be a great game. The Eagles look very good right now, and DeSean Jackson as a deep threat is going to make Brian Westbrook even more dangerous.

Indy over Jaxonville: The Jags always give Indy trouble, but I like the Colts here. There was a definite moment last week when the Colts offense suddenly clicking.

Baltimore over Cleveland: Where is Brady Quinn?

Dallas over Green Bay: Despite my intense hatred for the Cowboys, it’s hard to not get excited watching Marion the Barbarian running the ball. I fear him.

San Diego over the Jets: The Chargers have played well this season, and I don’t expect that they’ll continue losing in the final seconds of games. Darren Sproules showed that he is a real threat, and the carries he gets now will make that offense even more dangerous once Tomlinson is back to full health. Also, I firmly believe that the Chargers could bring Natrone Means out of retirement, start him at tailback, and still win this game.

College Pick of the Week: Texas Tech (11) over Umass: I’m not exactly going out on a limb here. But, I just wanted to take a minute to highlight the state of Massachusetts. Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a UCONN fan, but I always like to see the Minutemen succeed as well. I went to my first UMASS game over Labor Day Weekend and really enjoyed the experience. Aside from enjoying the largest kielbasa I have ever seen, I found the atmosphere at the game to be great. You can even stand right next to the field and take in the action close up. I doubt this is an option at Texas Tech.

I’m sure there will be no moneyline here. But, this game is in Texas so I’d say you’re probably safe taking the points.

If you want real college picks, here they are:

Take the points on all four of these:

Florida State -4.5 over Wake
Miami -3 over Texas A&M
Florida -7.5 over Tennessee
Mississippi State +8 over Georgia Tech

Go with the spread, sit back, and enjoy. Babcock and I will be at Farmaid.

2-0

This is what I'm talking about. I couldn't have enjoyed the Patriots win over the Jets any more. The defense looked great. Cassell managed the game well and guys stepped up to make plays when it counted. Two plays stand out to me:

1) Adalius Thomas sacks Favre AND Leon Washington who was attempting to block for Favre. I think we can all admit that Thomas is a fucking animal.

2)To seal the game with under two minutes remaining Wes Welker takes a screen pass on third and 3 and carries three Jets defenders with him for the first down. Game over. This team isn't playing like a team that just lost its chance at a championship.

Here are some pictures from Sunday's action to help refresh in your minds the continued domination of New England over the Jets.

Welcome to the AFC East, Bitch.

Lamont looked great running through Jets Defenders.

I SEE INTO THE FUTURE:

1) One cause for concern, and I hate to say it, is Randy Moss. Moss was held to two catches Sunday and Cassell underthrew him on what should have been an easy touchdown. Now, granted Moss still had a play on the ball and should have caught it, but he had 7 yards on the nearest defender with no one between him and the end zone and he had to come back about 10 yards to the ball. You could tell that Moss was frustrated, and perhaps rightly so. But it got me to thinking...how many 2 catch games is it going to be before a potential "give me the damn ball" crisis is upon us? I hope it doesnt happen, I really dont want to think that things could go sour with Moss who has been a model teammate since coming to New England. They showed a shot of Moss on the sideline towards the end of the game and I swear it looked like he was going to cry. Maybe it was just sweat in his eyes. The bottom line is that he wants to be a part of this teams success and I think with Brady going down he really wants an opportunity to be a playmaker and to carry the load. I just got a little nervous, that's all.

2) If Matt Cassell continues to play efficient, effective football throughout the season I'm willing to bet that he'll be dealt for draft picks in a heartbeat this offseason. You can almost hear Pioli chuckling down in Foxboro as Cassell's stock skyrockets beyond anything ever possibly imagined.

You Fool!

The Fumble......I mean......the Incomplete Pass

Here is the play, that was originally ruled a fumble, that was overturned on Saturday night. I wrote about this call yesterday , and I still think it was the worst instant replay moment I have ever seen. Keep the field position in mind. Wisconsin should have had this in field goal range.

Drive-By Truckers - 'Never Gonna Change'

730pm on November 9th at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, MA. As with all badass concerts...Roomofzen will be there.


Stay tuned for reaction to all of yesterday's NFL action.

Changes Are In Order

If you know me, then you know that I wish nothing but misfortune for the San Diego Chargers. Despite this, I couldn't help but root for the Bolts at the end of their epic matchup with the Broncos yesterday. It's not because I want the Chargers to make me look good for picking them to be in the Super Bowl (I'd like nothing more than to be wrong about that). It's that they really deserved to win, and I can't imagine how much it would such to watch my own team lose that way (and this was week 2. Imagine if it were a playoff game!)

There were two moments in this game that I have serious problems with.

1) Chris Chambers makes a catch, his elbow hits the field, and then Champ Bailey strips the ball from him. The play is called a fumble. Denver ends up scoring on a 1 yard Michael Pittman run. TV replays clearly show that Chambers was down. San Diego challenges the play, but the replay equipment malfunctions. The turnover stands.

2) With time ticking away in the fourth quarter, and San Diego leading by 7, Jay Cutler fumbles, but the call on the field is an incomplete pass and the whistle is blown by the official. A San Diego player picks the ball up and is forced out of bounds. San Diego challenges the call of an incomplete pass, believing that Cutler fumbled. After reviewing the play, it is announced that Cutler did indeed fumble. However, because the official had blown the whistle when the ball hit the ground, it was a dead ball and the Broncos would keep it. Denver would score a TD and a two point conversion to win.

Now, to be fair, San Diego should have stopped Denver from scoring the TD and the two point conversion. They had a hard time stopping the Broncos aerial attack all day.

BUT, the NFL needs to look in to this game and make some changes for next season. First of all, there needs to be a way to review plays if the field equipment craps out. Maybe there should be a central headquarters where a phone call can be made and someone who is qualified can make the determination (I think baseball does something like this). You can't have instant replay if teams aren't always going to be able to challenge! Chambers was down, and if the replay equipment had worked, Denver would have 7 fewer points.

Second, the rule surrounding incomplete passes and fumbles needs to be altered for a situation like yesterday. "the defense forced a fumble, but since I thought it was an incomplete pass and blew the whistle, the offense keeps the ball" doesn't work. Norv Turner was furious after the game, and I don't blame him. I was pissed and I don't even like his team. The whole point of replay is to fix mistakes by the officials so that they can't decide the game. The way it's set up right now, the mistake was acknowledged but not fixed.

I wrote yesterday about the awful replay moment from the Fresno State/Wisconsin game. At the time, I thought that was as bad as it gets. I had no idea. This was far worse because it actually cost San Diego a win.

Please don't dismiss these issues. The Chargers should have won that game. Imagine if it were your team...in a playoff game.

College Football

This weekend’s college football prompted a lot of questions:

How many times do you see a college football score at 3-2?

How many times do you see a top-ranked team utterly dominate another top-five team in front of so many people? That game was a total blow-out.

How many times do you see what’s supposed to the second best team in the country almost lose to a Spurrier team which lost to Vanderbilt?

How many times do you see a quarterback throw for 7 touchdowns and have his team score almost 70 points?

How many times do you see an obese coach get his ACL torn on the sideline in a gruesome fashion replayed over and over again on Sports Center?

All I can say is thank god summer is over. Now we have football. And now we don’t have to watch the Olympics or some other dog and pony show foisted onto us by NBC. If you’re not watching Fringe, catching episodes of the Wire or Ultimate Fighting, you can now watch college or NFL action which completely owns the rest of TV.

Whack Officials.

Earlier this week, when I read about Wisconsin Head Coach Bret Bielema taking issue with WAC officials working last night's game against Fresno State, I thought he was being ridiculous. Now, I've never paid attention to the ebb and flow of how officiating crews are designated, but it seemed to me that Bielema's request to have Big Ten officials working the game was absurd (particularly to me, since I hate the Big Ten). If Bielema believed that WAC officials would be biased, how could he possibly expect Fresno to agree to have Big Ten officials that might be biased the other way? If he simply felt that WAC officials were incompetent and unfit to officiate a game between two top 25 teams, which I think is more the reason why he did this, then he is clearly knocking the WAC. Inherent in the statement is the belief that the Big Ten is vastly superior to the WAC (CERTAIN PEOPLE, like me, might have something to say about that). Why would Fresno agree to that? These mid-major teams already have to fight so hard for respect, why would they possibly agree to this just to make the oafy Badger coach happy?

Either way, this wasn't happening........

Just to be clear, I don't think that Bielema was in the right with his request. Because of this, I wish that Devon Wylie's fumble in the third quarter had not been overturned. This was one of the worst calls that I have ever seen, and it totally validated Bielema's request. I can understand making a bad call at full speed, but this was an incredibly poor call ON A REVIEW.

I've looked on youtube for the video, and I can't find it. But, if you were asleep when this went down, you just have to trust me.

Devon Wylie clearly caught the ball, made a football move, and then lost it while he was still upright. When Pat Hill threw the replay flag, I immediately said out loud "that's a desperate move. Why would he waste a timeout right now? He should save it for the fourth quarter." The announcers echoed my sentiments, saying "well, he's going to lose a timeout here." The call was easy. Not only was there not conclusive evidence to overturn the fumble call, but there was conclusive evidence to affirm that Wylie had indeed fumbled. I was shocked when the call was overturned. For the first time in my life, I actually felt like a college football game was fixed.

As I've said, I can forgive any official for blowing a call at full speed. They're human, but I cannot overlook making such a bad call on a replay. The whole purpose of instant replay is to serve as a safeguard against human error. I've seen questionable overturns before, but this was the first time when I know that the overturn was flat our wrong. Should these officials keep their jobs? I really don't know....

In the end, no harm was done. Fresno State went right down the field and scored after that call, but, Wisconsin still won and covered.

However, a loss on Saturday would have almost certainly cost the Badgers a shot to play for the national championship. Although it goes against my anti-Big Ten bias, I really think that this is a team that is good enough to make it there. I think they're better than Ohio State, and they have been one of the few top tier teams that has impressed me each week. Last night was not a game that should have been a blow out. They were playing in California, at 9:30 PM their local time, against another top 25 team. That call, which took the ball from them in field goal range, could have ruined their season.

Again, I have nothing against the WAC. Fresno, Boise State, Louisiana Tech, Nevada...I have nothing but respect for these programs. I don't believe for a second that WAC officials take their jobs less seriously or are less skilled than Big Ten officials. But, this was horrible, and I'm very happy that it didn't change the outcome of last night's game.

Go Giants.




If you missed them, here are my NFL picks for today .

What to watch besides football: Fringe

Thanks to the writer’s strike, Hollywood has been unable to give us new shows or continue existing shows like 24 which provide us with countless hours of entertainment. This paucity of shows really sucks. Instead we’re resigned to Seinfeld reruns or Ultimate Fighting to keep us satisfied during the work week.

But now we have Fringe, Fox’s new show from the producer of Lost, which really kicks a lot of ass. You can watch a rerun of the pilot episode on Sunday night and watch the second episode Tuesday night at 9:00.

Fringe is one of those shows that will appeal to you if you like 24, the X-Files, Terminator 2, or even Lost. In other words, if you have a pulse, you will like this show.

The show is relevant because we’re fighting two wars overseas while the specter of 9/11 still haunts our psyche. The show plays off our fears of terrorism and more insidiously, our fear of big government conspiracies within the military-industrial complex.

Similar to Lost, the show builds up a mystery which needs to be solved in order to understand the actions of the characters. Without ruining anything, the main character stumbles out of bed and learns that a foreign flight has been afflicted with a nasty disease that kills everyone onboard. After doing some detective work, the heroine finds out that the disease has ties to a mega-defense contractor which did ‘Fringe science: during the 80s. "Fringe science" means human experiments for the Department of Defense, telepathy applications in battle, cybernetic limbs for soldiers, and other creepy things you learn about in Terminator Two.

All I can say about that is, “Awesome.”

The premise of the show is that while some forces in government can be good, other forces can be bad when they’re teamed up with big business. Fringe sketches grey lines among the forces of government and it always leaves you thinking about the current state of affairs. Not only does the show present us with a battle between big business and justice, but it also gives us a battle between good and evil within government. And to figure out who is good or who is bad, you have to watch the full season.

(Since the creator of the show is the creator of Lost, you obviously expect a plot-line which keep you guessing: Why is all this stuff going on? Who is really the bad guy? From where does all the evil come from in the end?)

The cast of characters is excellent – it has the Lieutenant from the Wire (the black guy who is awesome), a really hot chick, and a crazy scientist who figures out to read people’s minds. The bad guys are a mega-corporation which is doing some pretty kick-ass research into stuff like cybernetics and plagues. Again, all I can say is “awesome.”

The overarching theme is that technology and science are combining in new ways to push the limits of what we think is possible. And of all this research is being done in the name of "keeping us safe" or "fighting the war on terror." This type of thinking insinuates that machines through science are becoming, or could become, more powerful than man. And this scares the shit of me, just like the corporation in Terminator 2.

(And frankly think about what's going on right now: we have a huge increase in military spending, we're fighting two wars, and these massive companies are doing a lot of work "to keep us safe." The show plays of these types of fears without a doubt)

Ok, obviously I’ve seen Terminator Two a few too many times, and yes, I will admit that’s probably one of my favorite movies of all time. But if you like this type of stuff, you like T1 and T2, and maybe you were a fan of the X-Files…this show is for you.

Watch it!

Lou's Pep Talks

These really get me fired up on a Saturday morning:

"Take 5" Week 2...

If you were scoring at home I was 4/5 last week with the NFL picks, missing only on the Patriots. I give the Gambling Gods credit, that was literally the only way that the Pats weren't going to cover. Fair enough. Adding insult to "The Injury", I neglected to follow my own advice on any of them. So, I'm going to do a few things from now on:

1)I'm calling this weekly series "Take 5" because I will only select 5 games each week. Why 5 games? I don't know. I guess 5 was all I could focus on last week so why strive for more? Seriously, we're talking about beating the spread here not training for a triathalon. Also, I enjoy the Dave Brubeck classic "Take 5", and hence, I have stolen its title. Booyah.

2)I will always include one delicious upset per week.

3)Probably...and I mean Probably...continue to not follow my own advice. But just remember that if I steer you to untold riches you owe it to all of us (mostly to yourself) to purchase a BonerSalad tshirt with your winnings.


Here we go...

****UPSET OF THE WEEK****
1) Buffalo (+5.5) at Jacksonville
Loyal readers will know I am sweating the Bills hard this season. Jacksonville's o-line is seriously banged up and monster DT John Henderson has been out of practice all week for unknown reasons. For Buffalo, Marcus Stroud leads a vastly improved Bills defense into battle against his former team and former coach Jack DelRio who doubted Stroud would ever be able to return to form following an ankle injury. Add to the mix the door for the AFC East title being left very very very slightly ajar by the Brady-less Patriots and you've got upset city!

2) Pittsburgh (-6) at Cleveland
Pittsburgh looked very strong last week...Cleveland looked, well, like Cleveland. You know what I mean.

3)Green Bay (-3) at Detroit
I have to think that last week was a huge momentum builder for Aaron Rodgers and the Pack. And we all know nothing helps a team continue to build momentum like a trip to Detroit. Man if those guys could only get some decent first round wide receivers...

4)Atlanta (+7) at Tampa Bay
Matt Ryan was efficient in his NFL debut and Michael Turner was NASTY (22 carries, 220 yds, 2 TD) and singlehandedly smoked my fantasy team. The Falcons piled up almost 480 yards of offense... a first week fluke? Maybe, but I don't think Tampa can slow them down. Maybe dogfighting was the best thing that ever happened to Atlanta.

5)New England (+1.5) at New York Jets
My wise associate Bobcat frequently reminds me to bet with my head and not with my heart. But this is the internet, its supposed to be crazy. I cannot honestly remember the last time the Patriots were underdogs which makes this one too tempting for me to pass up. Matt Cassell will be banging a supermodel by Tuesday of next week, and I'll still be religiously deleting my internet History and temporary internet files folder.

Vince Young

First of all, if you haven't read Babcock's post on Tom Brady, do yourself a favor and read it immediately. The man is pure genius.

Second of all, read Nick's post on Week 2 after you’ve read Babcock’s piece. All I can say is that we’re pretty damn lucky to have two NFL experts here at the RoomofZen. Where else can you find stuff like this on the internet?

This week I'd like to discuss Vince Young. If you follow the NFL, I'm sure you've read about his meltdown. In case you haven’t and your head is buried underground, you can read about it here:
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/09/09/agent-says-young-was-watching-football/

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080909/SPORTS01/80909043

http://deadspin.com/5047255/this-vince-young-melt-down-is-getting-uglierand-scary

http://deadspin.com/5047422/vince-youngs-got-a-gun-searching-for-answers-to-the-quarterbacks-bizarre-unraveling

Weird stuff, right? An NFL quarterback goes missing for two hours and his team calls the police. Young claims it’s not a big deal, but if a regular player goes off the radar for two hours, do you panic and start calling the cops? Not unless you know something is seriously wrong with the dude. The phrase “suicide watch” comes to mind, especially if he has a gun. From the AP:

“The mother of Titans quarterback Vince Young said he indicated he doesn't want to play football and is "hurting inside and out."

His mom, like any decent mom whose concerned about their son, goes onto say:

"What would you think, if you were tired of being ridiculed and persecuted and talked about and not being treated very well, what would you do? What kind of decision would you make?"

Apparently you start talking about quitting and giving up if you're Vince Young. And frankly there's nothing wrong with that if your head is not in the game. Just leave the team, free up the cap-space, and do your teammates a favor. Nobody wants a teammate like that, right?

But Vince Young is pretty darn good. And it's not like the guy is Ryan Leaf with expectations out of this planet. We know he can't pass too well, we know he has a hard time learning the offense, and we know he's a running-style QB like McNair or Vick. So big deal if he has a terrible opening game. I can cut him some slack. He did lead his team to the Playoffs and the guy does have a winning record. If I am a Titan's fan, all I care about is W's and Young is a proven winner. If he could pull a Ricky Williams and get his shit together, who wouldn't welcome back to the game? I would.

I started thinking about Vince Young last night and I actually feel sorry for this guy since I know he needs some psychological help. But then again he’s making millions of dollars and he’s playing a sport for a living. The guy has no excuse not to seek medical help. My sense is that his ego and self-pride is preventing him from doing so. (That and his agent is doing a terrible job advising the poor guy)

If you were Vince Young, wouldn’t you have an inflated ego, too? He’s won the National Championship, he’s was the 2006 Rookie of the Year, he’s been paid millions of dollars, and he was voted the 10th Best College Football Player…of all time. But those are just accolades. Look at what he’s actually said to the media:

"I never doubt myself. Never. If I doubt myself then I'm gonna be a bad quarterback”

“Asked if he's going to the playoffs, Young tells Pelley, "We working on it right now. I wanna say, you know, I'm not trying to predict it right now. But how we looking right now, we have a big shot at it."

"People have told you to calm down on your predictions, haven't they?" Pelley asks.

"No," Young says, laughing. "No?" Pelley asks.

Says Young, "Can't nobody tell me nothing."

On a scale of 1-10, with ten being the most cocky and borderline arrogant you can be as an NFL player, this type of attitude is an eleven. So of course this guy is fairly insecure and when the Titans lose and he's held responsible, there may be some issues.

(As an aside, pro athletes are notorious for not seeking help when they need it. Guys like Robinson on Raiders denied their problems and they only got worse. But then you have guys like the Eagles o-lineman who missed training camp due to depression. No one questioned his decision to seek help and now he’s back, ready to play. Why can’t Young do the same thing? No brainer, right? Just take some time off).

But for christ-sakes, dont have your mother go on the record defending you from media criticism. That shit just looks weak! Imagine the type of shit-talking Vince Young is going to hear if he ever comes back. It would take three Super Bowls in two seasons to stem the type of trash-talking I envision. And what defensive player in their right mind would hold back?

Just admit you're depressed, take some time off to clear your head, and come back to the league with gun's blazing. NFL fans, like most Americans, are forgiving and empathetic people. They understand that people suffer from mental breakdowns, especially when the spot-light is so intense. Maybe Young will eat some humble pie in the process and return to his prior form, sans the attitude.

And maybe his mom will stop making him look so bad.

Week 2 Preview

"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth.......

'Tis surprising to see how rapidly a panic will sometimes run through a country. All nations and ages have been subject to them. Britain has trembled like an ague at the report of a French fleet of flat-bottomed boats; and in the fourteenth [fifteenth] century the whole English army, after ravaging the kingdom of France, was driven back like men petrified with fear; and this brave exploit was performed by a few broken forces collected and headed by a woman, Joan of Arc. Would that heaven might inspire some Jersey maid to spirit up her countrymen, and save her fair fellow sufferers from ravage and ravishment! Yet panics, in some cases, have their uses; they produce as much good as hurt. Their duration is always short; the mind soon grows through them, and acquires a firmer habit than before. But their peculiar advantage is, that they are the touchstones of sincerity and hypocrisy, and bring things and men to light, which might otherwise have lain forever undiscovered."

--The Crisis, Thomas Paine, 1776






If you haven't yet read Babcock's piece on Tom Brady's injury , you should. Like Forrest Gump in Washington, DC, he said it all. I could go on and on about how this injury only seems appropriate after all the time that Bill Belichick has been so cavalier about his use of the injury report (and I do think it's funny that it happened the first week that Brady was off the report) or the year after we saw Belichick throw complete caution to the wind by leaving Brady on the field, with 25 and 30 point victories already in hand, to put an exclamation point on dominant victories. But, I won't. I've always thought that the Patriots were unfairly criticized for those actions, and I won't change my tune. Furthermore, despite what you may think, I'm not happy. The NFL needs its stars on the field, and Randy Moss needs Brady to get a ring. I don't mind seeing things shaken up, but I was not ready for this earthquake. Patriots fans haven't been the only ones affected by major injuries, but certainly this was the biggest blow to any team this season (and I can't imagine how it could be topped). I don't feel the need to delve any deeper into what Babcock said, but I will just leave Patriots fans with several thoughts to help them in this time (If you had Brady in fantasy, there is nothing that I can say to you):

1) This will be the most liberated you've felt in a long time. There is no pressure whatsoever for the rest of the season. 2) Bill Belichick would not have kept Matt Cassell for 4 years if he wasn't good. 3) Just try to remember that you don't even know these people. I'm sure there are fans out there who have been making themselves miserable ever since Sunday. Maybe a dad who has yelled at his children. Maybe somebody trying to get clean that fell off the horse. Maybe just somebody that has been tormenting themselves over a lost season. Well, stop fucking whining. You're team has won three rings in the last 5 years. Nobody gives a shit about your feelings. Furthermore, just try to keep in mind that these athletes live very different lives than we do, and they're probably finding ways to enjoy themselves despite these unfortunate circumstances. You should too.

I doubt Tom Brady is going to let depression get the best of him:





I think Osi will be ok too:








This news is not surprising in any way, except when you consider how long it took Shawne Merriman to realize that having two torn knee ligaments might impact his ability to play professional football. I've said all along that I thought his decision to play was foolish. He's so young, and I really think that it would be impossible for him to make it through all 17 games (plus the playoffs). On top of that, the damage that he could do trying to make it through could end his career prematurely. Now that he has made the right decision, I'll give the guy a little credit for giving it a go. He's not a doctor, and I'm sure I would feel like Superman as well if I were as athletic as him. He's up for free agency after 2009, so he was risking his financial future with this. It was incredibly stupid, but a small part of me respects this guy's dedication to the game.....a very small part of me is able to look past how unrealistic, shortsighted, and small-minded the decision was. And don't get me wrong, I still hate that fucking dance.




Anyways, here are the picks. I was 8-7 (didn't pick Thursday game) last week so there's lots of room to improve:

Green Bay over Detroit: It was very apparent to me this weekend that the Lions blow and the Packers don't. The Lions can't run, and Green Bay defends the pass very well. The Lions defense looked completely lost against Atlanta. Green Bay will pose a stiffer challenge.

Oakland over Kansas City: Who gives a shit. But really, I'm going to keep picking Oakland against bad teams. They'll be decent as soon as the pieces fall into place.

Giants over Rams: People say that we still don't really know how good the Giants are, and that's true to a certain extent, but this game falls outside the parameters of that statement. We know that they're better than the Rams.

Indy over Minnesota: The Colts shocked me on Sunday night. I had questions about whether or not they'd cover because of Manning's injury, but I certainly didn't think they'd lose. I like them over the Vikings, who looked like big time pretenders on Monday night.

New Orleans over Washington: Reggie Bush's performance on Sunday hasn't been played up as much as I thought it might. It would be great if he could wow us this season.

Carolina over Chicago: If the '08 Bears are anything like the '06 Bears, then it's hard for me to pick against them because there is always the potential for them to be totally anemic on offense but still magically put up 28 points via fluke 50 yard TD runs, interception returns, and big special teams plays. But, Carolina just beat San Diego without Steve Smith, and they just looked to good for me to pick against them.

Jacksonville over Buffalo: Only because they're at home.

San Francisco over Seattle: Apparently I see something in both the Raiders and 49ers that others aren't seeing. If they both get smashed this weekend, I'll be willing to admit that I might be seeing things that aren't there. I hate the NFC West.

Tampa Bay over Atlanta: Atlanta is not good. Garcia is out in this one, but I don't think it matters. Tampa has 9 quarterbacks. Plus, I'd take Griese over Ryan for one game in a heartbeat.

New England over the Jets: The Patriots hung on to beat the Chiefs despite the shock of their franchise player and starting quarterback going down for the season. The Jets barely hung on to beat the Miami Dolphins despite having everyone healthy and having upgraded significantly at quarterback. I don't care who's at quarterback, give me Belichick over the Mangina.

Arizona over Miami: Holy shit. Plenty of seats still available I'm sure.

Baltimore over Houston: If the Ravens can build some early momentum here, they have of a really great shot for a wild card spot.

San Diego over Denver: I still don't think that Denver is very good.

Pittsburgh over Cleveland: I hated everything I saw from Cleveland on Sunday. Pittsburgh has to be the clear favorite in the AFC now with Brady and Merriman gone.

Tennessee over Cincy: I may never pick the Bengals to win again. The Titans looked great on Sunday despite Vince Young's poor play. Kerry Collins is more than capable of handing off and taking a few shots downfield.

Dallas over Philly: The Eagles are good. There's no question about it. But, they'd need a healthy group of receivers to knock off Dallas. In fact, that's not even true because all their injured receivers suck too. They'd need at least one GOOD receiver to knock off Dallas. DeSean Jackson may be that good receiver later in the season. I don't think he's there yet.






COLLEGE PICK:

USC over Ohio State: I watched Ohio State play last weekend, and it wasn't pretty. They weren't just unimpressive. They sucked ass. Ohio outplayed them. Now, they may be one of those teams that play to the level of their opponent, but I just don't think they're capable of playing to the Trojans' level. I understand that the Buckeyes were in the national championship game last year, but USC was better than them (and were playing much better towards the end of the year). I understand that the Ohio State defense (particularly Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins) are highly touted. But USC's defense is better. I know that Chris Wells is back this week, but he's not 100 per cent and I don't think he's good enough to swing this game in Ohio State's favor.

All that being said, I don't know if the Trojans cover 10.5. I'd throw them in a ten-point teaser with Wisconsin and Georgia. You can't miss there.

*disclaimer: My anti-Big Ten bias may be clouding my judgement here. I have been anti-Big Ten since the fall of 2006. To refresh your memory, that was the year when Ohio State and Michigan fans spent the entire season whining about how they were the two best teams in the country and it was a shame that they wouldn't be playing each other in the national championship. I guaranteed that both would get crushed by their faster and far superior bowl opponents (Florida for Ohio State and USC for Michigan). That being said, I'm sure that Wisconsin should be favored by more than 2 over Fresno State.