The 78th Annual NFL Draft

This time last year I was getting the itinerary to fly on Dan Snyder’s private jet and attend the NFL draft live in Radio City Music Hall. (One of the coolest experiences of my life!) This year the NFL draft wont be as exciting watching from my couch and waiting until Friday for the 51^st pick for the Redskins to be on the clock.

The mock drafts have the Skins filling the safety position first. Even with salary caps the one thing Redskins fans can always count on is never knowing what Snyder will pull out of his bag of tricks. So until Snyder’s magic show begins, I’ll be rooting for the VOLS.

The University of Tennessee has several prospects that defined a season full of making great plays and a season full of dropping routine passes. Untimely, WR Cordarrell Patterson will be a first rounder (or he is projected to be) and the VOLS should see other alum drafted as well.

The controversy over Cordarrelle Patterson is that he only spent one year of playing at the college level for the University of Tennessee under Dooley’s debacle of a program. The lack of having a real coach or even a full SEC college football experience has left CP’s raw talent still untapped making him a risk and steepens the margin for being a draft hit or miss. Personally, I hope CP turns out to be a stud (just as long as he doesn’t end up in a Eagles jersey). He is an electric player to watch. He’s still a kid, he needs a solid foundation to mature and ripen, but when and if that happens- he’ll have a winning career in the NFL.

OT Dallas Thomas is projected to be a second rounder along with wide receiver Justin Hunter. WR Zach Rogers is also expected to have his name called.

The one player I was excited to announce that he was forgoing his senior year of eligibility was QB Tyler Bray. Don’t get me wrong, the kid has a cannon and he can hit his targets. But he’s not a mobile QB and with the new hire of Butch Jones’s spread offence it was a win for both Bray and UT. The issue with Bray is that he is a gun-slinging gambler with no protection plan. He called his own shots in the huddle and while he made great plays, he couldn’t win in the SEC and VOLS fans will always remember that he never beat Florida. Great players preform at crunch time and Bray gambled more than he played smart. With the right mentor and someone to beat the cocky-ness out of him, he might be more humble and learn to play with his head and his arm. Bray doesn’t have the Brett Favre charm to pull off being so cocky. The smartest sentence Bray has ever said was acknowledging during Gruden’s QB camp was that Tennessee football was a religion in Tennessee and I’ll support anyone who worships the same sports gods as I do.

I was in Atlanta last weekend and happened to be at the same bar/restaurant as Georgia OLB and first round draft prospect, Jarvis Jones. The server told me he didn’t drink so I sent him a Shirley Temple. To my surprise, he found my joke as funny as I did and even posed for a picture with a VOLS fan. He’s in the SEC family so naturally I respect him and I’m rooting for the coolest dawg I know to hear his name called on Thursday night.

But where will Manti To’e fall into the draft? AJ McCarron’s girlfriend had more airtime during the National Championship game than Notre Dame had possession of the ball. To’s individual performance was a reflection of being exposed by the SEC. To’e was invited to attend the draft, but he declined. I guess he wanted to stay at home and watch the draft with his girlfriend…

Plan B

Louisville vs Michigan; Kevin Ware vs. the Fab Five- so many reasons to watch the NCAA National Championship game.

Even if your bracket is busted, the story lines leading up the NCAA Championship game made it a game worth watching. And what a game it was. This was definitely one of the best National Championship games I’ve ever seen.   

The Fab Five just can’t let go of that famous timeout that continues to haunt Chris Webber. ESPN Films story of the Fab Five was a great insight, history and understanding of how they changed the game. But the one element missing was Webber himself. Fab Five member Jalen Rose pleaded to get Webber in Atlanta with the rest of the crew to support the efforts to “free the fab five”, break the curse, and win a National Championship. As the starting line for up Michigan was being announced, in walked Webber. I wasn’t ready to see him in a UM hat rooting to break the curse- I personally love to hear Jalen Rose rant every year about Michigan winning the Championship. As he stood tall, clapping I knew this was going to be a battle.

But this game was all about Plan B.: Mr. Cool Hand Luke Hancock. Maybe he was playing the game as a backup for injured Ware, but he was playing to win in front of his ill father who made the trip from Roanoke, VA to see him be crowned as the Most Outstanding Player. As Louisville was down by 12 points in the first half Pitino sent in Hancock. He made two free throws and then boom, boom, boooom, BOOM! Four straight 3-pointers and 14 straight for Louisville on a 16-3 run gave the Cardinals a one-point lead. This wasn’t the first time the Cardinals came back from double digits to win in Atlanta. As Louisville’s best scorer, Russ Smith went 3-16 in the final and an ugly 9-33 in the Final Four, Pitino knew how to play his Cards right. Hancock ended the game with the team high 22-points and will be a legend in Louisville. Siva shined with 18 points and had enough energy to play another 40 minutes. Behanan also put 15 points on the board for the Cardinals.

This wasn’t the week to rain on Louisville Coach Pitino’s parade. The same day he was cutting down the nets he found out he would be a member of the Hall of Fame, became the first coach to win a National Championship with two schools, and his son was named the head coach at Minnesota.

Michigan was left feeling the blues as Webber is still settling his pay-to-play days from Michigan; Louisville used plan B to ri5e to the occasion and giving Kevin Ware the chance to cut down the nets was priceless.

Louisville girls play to the championship Tuesday night against UConn- and seriously, anybody but Geno! 

Play For Ware

With 6 minutes and 33 seconds left in the first half of Sundays Elite Eight game Louisville's Kevin Ware, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard broke his right tibia bone in two places trying to defend a shot by Duke's Tyler Thornton. 

His leg was quickly covered. But the reaction from the team was as raw and real as the bone popping out of Ware's shin. Teammates Smith, Blackshear, and Behanan all fell on the court in the sight of the gruesome injury and the devastation of seeing their teammate in pain. The Louisville bench players jumped back and covered their faces. Behanan and Coach Pitino both had to wipe away tears as Ware was laying down crying. Before Ware was carried off on a stretcher he told his teammates to "win the game". 

CBS only showed the injury in slow-motion twice then focused the reaction on his teammates and those on the court. Sean McManus, CBS Sports Chairman said the decision was due to the graphic nature of the footage. The injury wasn't mentioned during the halftime  show either. 

The image of Ware's bone sticking out of this leg that was not shown looked like a scene from a horror movie. Because of the open fracture, Ware had surgery immediately to avoid the risk of an infection. 

#PlayForWare starated trending on twitter and condolences were sent all over from the sports and entertainment world. Former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann may be the only other athlete to experience this kind of injury in the national spotlight. Theismann called Ware to let him know that he would be there for him, 'there are not a lot of us who have gone through this'. Theismann's career ended in 1985 after his injury. Theismann told Ware 'A year from now, you'll be the comeback player of the year' and Ware said 'I'm going to work for it'. Theismann said he'd be watching. We ALL will be watching and rooting for the comeback. 

The Cardinals led 21-17 when Ware went down. They came back after halftime with the mindset to win the game for Ware and they beat the Blue Devils 85-63. Behanan put on Ware's #5 jersey in the final seconds of the game in triumph, they won for Ware! 

Coach Pitino left the Midwest Regional Championship trophy with Ware in his hospital bed and if all goes as planned Ware will be back in Louisville in time to charter the team flight to his hometown, Atlanta, for the Final Four. 

I picked Louisville to win the NCAA Championship, but even those who didn't have Louisville in the center of their bracket are now rooting for Ware to hold up the NCAA Championship trophy on April 8th. 

Shaking My Head

9-1-1 Emergency! There has been a robbery on the Selection Show. The University of Tennessee has more top-50 RPI wins than Middle Tennessee State University and St. Mary’s combined and some how in all this madness the selection committee left UT out while MTSU and St. Mary’s both got in.

Maybe the selection committee drank too much green beer before they finalized the field of 68. Maybe they were rushing through the selections to make it to Saint Patty’s Day shenanigans. For whatever reason they felt MTSU was one of the best teams in college basketball, it clearly wasn’t the best reason. They even lost their conference tourney.

The selection committee said Tennessee didn’t beat anybody down the stretch.  Umm, do Florida, Missouri, and Kentucky by 30 mean anything? Apparently not.

“The ability to win on the road separated MTSU from other teams that didn’t get in” Mike Bobinski Committee Chair told CBS. MTSU lost to Florida on the road, lost to Akron on the road, lost to Arkansas State on the road, and they lost to FIU on the road.

In the next interview Bobinski will say that MTSU got in because they “travel well”.

Southern Miss, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama were all NCAA top 60 RPI teams and all four teams were left out.

If the Selection Committee would just come out and admit that they took every little team they could then I’d have a lot more respect for this bracket. What we did learn from this year is that it’s not about who you beat, but who you lost to. #SMH

Let the Cupcake scheduling begin in 2014!

Make A Statemen

It’s almost here. It’s almost time for the selection committee to pick the best 68 teams that define college basketball. It’s a day where your bracket selections can measure your manhood. It’s a day where your pride will be inflated or it’s your nightmare of not being asked to the big dance. Teams will rise and most teams will fall short in your bracket dreams, but first your team has to make the field of 68.

Joe Lunardi and his bracketology madness have created more havoc than VCU defense in the world of college basketball for teams and the fans. According to Lunardi here are the last four teams in and the last four teams out.

Last four in: La Salle, Boise State, Kentucky, and Virginia

First four out: Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Baylor

The Atlantic 10 should have two lines taken on the bracket without much consideration.

Both VCU 24-7 (12-4) and Butler 24-7 (11-5) have had there claws in each match up, even if Butler turned into puppy chow against Shaka’s ‘Havoc’ defense in Richmond. (Side note VCU lost to Missouri.) With stronger teams in the Atlantic 10, my fingers are crossed the selection committee pops the bubble for La Salle 21-8 (11-5) and recognizes that 16 of their 21 wins were against teams ranked outside of the RPI top 100.

Boise State 21-9 (MWC 9-7)-  we’re not playing on the blue field anymore. Who knew Boise State even had a basketball team and with four locks from the Mountain West Conference the bracket doesn’t need a fifth addition from MWC.

Kentucky 12-6 (21-10) this was not the same team without Freshman Nerlens Noel and the wildcats struggled to finish the last eight games with a 4-4 record and all four losses of those were lost on the road. Every team has suffered injury, but not all teams have been able to win with players off the bench. Just because your name is “Kentucky” that doesn’t mean you should be given a seed. Coach Calipari thinks he is a Prince and that he is the chosen one of college basketball. I can’t be the only one who hopes he gets the royal treatment in the NIT.

Virginia is an ACC bubble team for me. They have three losses to the CAA (GMU, Delaware, and ODU) and losing four of their last seven games makes me wonder if they have just ran out of gas. Then again, Joe Harris’s 36 points against Duke was pretty impressive.

Mr. Lunardi, how is the University of Tennessee on the first four out? Tennessee 19-11 (SEC 11-7) the same SEC record as Missouri who according to Lunardi’s science is a lock for the tourney, but they have losses to Kentucky, Florida, and Tennessee. 

The VOLS are peaking a the right time and they beat Missouri their last home game of the regular season along with Wichita Sate, Florida, and spanked Kentucky by a solid 30 points. The VOLS finished 4-4 against top 50 teams, 9-9 against the top 100 teams. Strength of schedule, the quality of wins, and the duel threat of Jordan McRae and Jarnell Stokes gives UT a resume that is bracket worthy.

The selection committee should take a tip from the world of fashion; ORANGE is in this season make a statement! #GoBigOrange!

Let’s Go CRAE

One of the best feeling as a University of Tennessee sports fan is beating Florida. And the Rocky Top Rowdies in Thompson-Boling Arena were going Craaaae for Jordan McRae and his 27 points to beat the No. 8 Gators in a game that could determine the Volunteers faith on Selection Sunday.

Where did this UT team come from? This isn’t the same UT team that only won three games in January. Maybe you can blame the slow start on the over exposure to turtle spray (opposite of deer antler spray) that was cleaned out of the football office when Dooley got the boot. One thing is for sure is that the VOLS are living and playing basketball like Good Ole Rocky Top! Now on a six game winning streak, the VOLS have taken down two top 25 teams (crushed No. 25 Kentucky) and have won three on the road.

And the streaks continue: Tennessee is 13-5 in the past 18 basketball games against Florida and the Gators head coach, Billy Donovan is gator bait when it comes to Tennessee head coach Cuonzo Martin having lost his third straight game to Martin’s VOLS. Talk about Chomp Chomp!

Florida fans try to use the “we didn’t have our top 3-point shooter and their most effective freshman, Michael Frazier II in the game.” I guess any excuse they come up with is better than trying to justify “jorts” being cool. You didn’t have Frazier for one game. Tennessee hasn’t had their best player Jeronne Maymon all season!

There’s no question that the key to the winning streak has been Tennessee’s defensive game. Big Man on Campus, Jarnell Stokes had 14 rebounds and dominated the boards against Florida. At one point Stokes went for the rebound against four Gators and Stokes ended up with the ball. They double teamed him all night to hold his scoring to only eight points, but that left Jordan McRae wide open to rack up 27 points. Tennessee out-rebounded Florida 41-31 and held the Gators to their lowest scoring game of the season.

From each win the VOLS get better and stronger. They are peaking at the perfect time of the season and if they could make free throws, then they could be a dark horse in this year’s bracket. Call me a biased UT fan, or just call me a college basketball fan watching ranked teams go down every week. It’s really anybody’s bracket to win right now and the way the VOLS are playing- they want everyone to be scared of ROCKY TOP!

Shake It Up (said in your best Scott Ferrall voice)

Six more Top 25 teams went down two weeks ago, including two of the top 5. The Number one spot has changed 6 straight weeks making it the second-longest streak since the first rankings started in 1949. Top 25 teams lost to unranked teams 36 times from January 17^th to February 6^th, the most in at least 17 years of men’s college basketball.

With the Madness already in full affect on Saturday as college basketball was still shocked that Tennessee crushed Kentucky by 30 points. Yes the Wildcats were without Nerlens Noel, but going down by 30 points to a 13-10 (6-6 SEC) UT team is called being exposed. It was a great win for the VOLS!

Later Saturday night Duke lost to Maryland by 2 points in a much needed win for MD and this could be the last time the Blue Devils play in the Comcast Center as the Terrapins move to the Big 10 in 2014.

It was a fun game, but it’s wasn’t a pretty game. The Dukies played 4 games in 10 days with two on the road and taking on UNC at home was clearly exhausting. You could tell it wasn’t the same Duke team and they were playing a sloppy and scrappy Maryland team at home. Duke’s lack of energy kept it a close game, but Mason Plumlee was held to four points and fouling out (he scored 18 points against UNC). With three seconds left in the game and an 81-81 score, Duke’s Quinn Cook fouls Maryland’s Seth Allen and he made both foul shots for the win. Call me crazy, but that was not a foul on Cook. The game should have gone to OT.

But where Maryland really won the game was in the student section! Now this was my fourth Duke-MD game in the Comcast Center and I can assure you that UMD students still fear the classroom for their lack of creativity for “chants”. Each year I think they are going to come up with something, anything- besides “sucks” and the F bomb. But give them some music and they put on a good show. The new You Tube flash mob craze is the “Harlem Shake” and the students did not disappoint.

What is the Harlem Shake?

For the uninitiated, it consists of users uploading videos to YouTube that last about thirty seconds in length and feature the opening of electronic music producer Baauer’s song “Harlem Shake.” The videos begin with the song’s sample of a man giving a shrieking siren call of “Con los terroristas!”—Columbian Spanish for “with the terrorists”—followed by one person, usually in a ridiculous mask or helmet, dancing to the song alone as the beat builds. He or she is surrounded by others who are stationary, blissfully unaware of the dancer. When the directive, Then do the Harlem shake is uttered about 15 seconds in, the bass drops and the video metastasizes into pure chaos—the entire coterie engaging in paroxysms of dance for the next 15 seconds in outrageous outfits, and wielding bizarre props. -The Daily Beast

(See links below)

Duke-Maryland game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rX-sJffB4Y

Maryland students were not the only ones making YouTube videos of the Harlem Shake.

Former UT Vol and current Milwaukee Bucks player, Tobias Harris made an appearance at the UT vs. Kentucky game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbLReWwXwt4

Other good ones ODU Baseball team and UGA Men’s Swim & Dive team

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnaabjP14Rw 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkNrSpqUr-E

Beating Duke may have been a game changer for the Terrapins shot at getting asked to the dance in March, but their dance moves can only take them to You Tube. Then again, with this year of madness already taking over in February is proving that no one really knows how the brackets will play out so until March- Shake it up!

PS. I still do not understand why UMD students “riot” when they beat Duke. One future scholar of America was quoted for justifying why setting a trashcan on fire was better than setting a couch on fire. “It gives us something to burn and we have a bad reputation of burning couches; this way we can burn something and do it basically to celebrate”. 

Super-Baugh

Jim and John Harbaugh

For the first time two brothers were coaching against each other in the Super Bowl. For the first time a set of parents went into the game already knowing that their son would be World Champions. Jack and Jackie Harbaugh also went into the game knowing that their son would lose. Proud parents, absolutely! But watching Jim hurt from a loss cast a shadow on celebrating the joys of victory with John.

Jacoby Jones returned a 108 yarder in the second-half kickoff to make it a 28-6 game. It wasn’t looking like the SuperBaugh football fans were expecting. Then the ghost of New Orleans made an appearance and a power outage delayed the game for 34 minutes and gave the 49er’s the surge to battle for the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. But it was John and his Ravens who held Jim and the 49er’s to a 34-31 victory.

As the brothers met at midfield surrounded by media as purple and yellow confetti started pouring from the superdome, it may have been the hardest walk for both brothers. John told his younger brother that he loved him. Jim said “congratulations.” A family that is as competitive as the Harbaugh’s isn’t expected to take a loss well, even if it means your family still wins.

Super Bowl 47 is a bitter sweet moment for the Harbaugh family. It was also an emotional day for one of Jim’s sons, Jay. Jay worked for his uncle John and the Ravens as a support staffer. His employer and his family were celebrating in the locker room and down the hall his father was grieving a devastating loss.  

Winning a Super Bowl demands non-stop appearances for media, players and all those suits invested into the team. Even if John and Jim wanted to have more a private moment it wasn’t going to happen while the cameras were still rolling. It may take days even weeks, but when the time is right Jim will look back and be proud of his big brother John.

Time may never fully heal the wounds of a Super Bowl loss for Jim Harbaugh, but like John said in a post-game interview there is “no greater coach in the NFL than Jim Harbaugh.” There will be more Super Bowls appearance for the Harbaughs; maybe even a rematch, but Jim will not leave the game without a collection of Championship rings of his own.

The Tackle of the Year

LeBron James tackles a Miami Heat fan after he made a one handed hook shot form half court to win $75,000.

It was just another home game for the Miami Heat on Friday as they played the Detroit Pistons. But for Michael Drysch, a 50 year old computer technician from Illinois, it is a day he will never forget.

Drysch was randomly selected from a drawing to take the half court shot by the LeBron James Family Foundation. Before taking center court during a time out in the fourth quarter, a friend told Drysch to “put some spin on the ball”. Drysch got more than spin, he got nothing but net. American Airlines Arena went nuts watching the shot of the night! But it was really the tackle of the year that left fans jumping up and down.

LeBron James left the team huddle and leaped on to Drysch in excitement. LBJ’s was cheesing from ear to ear as if he just hit the game winner of the NBA finals. How can there be any LBJ haters out there after watching his excitement? This was a raw emotion, a pure reaction, and the true colors of one of the greatest players to play the game.

It’s amazing to witness the difference a ring can make. LBJ is finally enjoying playing the game without the pressure to prove he’s not just another millionaire taking his talents to South Beach. When was the last time you saw an A list athlete get THAT excited for a fan?

Years from now Michael Drysch won’t remember what he spent the $75,000 on, but he will never forget being tackled on center court by LBJ. The tackle wasn’t just a memory for Drysch, but a great moment for the NBA and one of the best celebrations by a professional athlete.

#Catfish

Here’s what I understand in the short story:

There was a four year internet relationship with Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te’o and Lennay Kekua. While “Lennay” and Manti never physically met in person, Manti told his father they had met in fear of people thinking he was a weirdo. (It was a little white lie at the time that anyone in his shoes would have told.) During their relationship “Lennay” was in a car accident and then died from leukemia. Ironically, “Lennay” died the same day as Manti’s grandmother, on September 12, 2012. The two losses for the Notre Dame Heisman frontrunner became a story the media widely reported and the heartbreak story was a script college football fans were buying into.

On December 6^th Manti received a phone call from “Lennay” saying she was still alive. Confused, Manti thought someone was trying to prank him and hung up saying the “Lennay” he knew died September 12^th. He continued to speak of “Lennay” in interviews. He then told his parents when he was home in Hawaii on Christmas day about the phone call from “Lennay”. Notre Dame was informed on December 26^th 2012.

On January 7^th Notre Dame played Alabama in the BCS National Championship game.

On January 16^th Deadspin.com published the #Hoax

On January 24^th Manti does his first on camera interview with Katie Couric.

My conclusion:

Notre Dame should really invest in better team doctors and counseling.

Let’s be honest. With the number of social media sites and the ability to connect to millions of strangers is easily just a click away. At some point I’m pretty confident that anyone on the World Wide Web will be contacted by a “stranger”. Sometimes it’s a scam, sometimes it’s a pick up line and sometimes it’s just to chat. Sure you can make friends online, but I can’t ever imagine a normal person having a committed boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with some that you have never met in person or even seen live online. (With webcams, facetime, skype, and the list goes on you can see others live without being able to touch them.)

I really think he was the victim.

He physically heard a feminine voice on other end of the phone for years. There are phone records and voice mails to confirm. No guy spends that much time on the phone to add texture to a hoax. Manti’s family had also talked to “Lennay” on the phone and they never questioned the relationship. They all believed she was real. “Lennay” is a real person that matches the photos that Manti had, but the voice pretending to be the picture and behind the phone calls was Ronaiah Tulasosopo, Manti thought Ronaiah was “Lennay’s” cousin.

What I question:

What I don’t understand is how a good looking guy, a rock star football player, and the BMOC (Big Man On Campus) doesn’t have a line of girls trying to get a Hawaiian Lei. Couric asked him about his sexual orientation and he didn’t hesitate to say “far from it, faaaarrrrrr from it”. I’ll believe him when at least two girls tell TMZ that they know about his Samoan roots. Until then, something some thing smells fishy… Playing for the other team is highly shunned in the Mormon religion and a Catholic school is the best place to cover up a sexual scandal… just saying…

Scam for the Heisman?

What annoyed me about the Katie Couric interview was that she continued to use the Heisman card. The Heisman is awarded to the most outstanding college football player, not to the most gullible story in college football. Notre Dame went undefeated; Te’o’s performance on the field during the regular season got him invited to the trophy presentation, not this story.  

The NFL Draft:

Maybe it was just a cover up to draw less attention on the SEC beat down that Notre Dame took in the National Championship game against Alabama. Clearly his performance during the National Championship game was an illustration that his mind was somewhere else. A player who averages 8.4 tackles a game, had seven interceptions and only one missed tackle all season recorded zero sacks, zero interceptions, missed two tackles in the first half and the misses continued throughout the game.

A 14-42 embarrassment was a reminder to all of college football that you have to “Play Like an (SEC) Champion Today” to win a National Championship. That game will hurt his draft stock more than #Catfish.

A Playoff Classic

The sports gods have spoken: they want Ray Lewis to keep playing football.

Most players would take the league fines, avoid post-game interviews, and just be ready to leave the stadium after suffering a season ending loss, but not Peyton Manning. After his media responsibility he waited an hour and a half after the game to personally congratulate Ray Lewis on the Ravens victory. The moment was captured by an image that looks so simple, but the image is truly a special moment for the NFL and all of sports.

The image of Peyton and Ray standing in the Ravens locker room is symbol of sportsmanship, friendship, respect, a class act, and a heart felt moment by two future hall of fame members.

It’s not easy to win on the road as the underdog and when you’re playing Peyton Manning in 13-degree temperatures it’s even more difficult to win.

The first quarter set the tone for an exciting gridiron matchup that would go back and forth until the time clock expired. Ray lead the Ravens with 17 tackles and Peyton was 38 seconds away from winning the game and ending the playing career of Ray Lewis. But the game changed when Ravens cornerback Corey Graham intercepted Peyton’s pass on Denver’s 45 yard line. Five plays and a gain of 16 yards set Justin Tucker up to kick three points down the middle and give Ray and the Ravens a 38-35 victory in two overtimes.

This game will be remembered by football fans and be a part of history for both franchisees. It was a cold game in a hostile environment full of fans cheers and then holding their breath. Peyton and the Broncos ended the game disappointed while Ray and the Ravens cried tears of joy as they celebrated one of the most important games the Baltimore Ravens have ever won.

Baltimore’s best play all season was releasing kicker Billy Cundiff (remember last year when he missed the 32-yarder to tie AFC Championship game against the Patriots last year?)

Ray Lewis is a special gift to the NFL. There are a lot of guys who prepare, train, and play hard for Sunday, but there’s no other player in the league who plays with the passion that Ray Lewis bleeds. After 17 seasons in the NFL, the end of his playing career is close to an end for Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens. As a fan of football I’m rooting for Ray to take revenge on the Patriots and win the AFC Championship and then one last win in the Super Bowl to end his playing career like the champion he is.

I’m hoping for a Harbaugh (Ravens) vs. Harbough (49er’s) Super Bowl. And with Ray Lewis on the field for the Ravens and Billy Cundiff now kicking for San Fran, all my faith is in the Ray-vens!

Third Times (not) a Charm...

The last post season home game for the Washington Redskins was in 1999 for a Wild Card Playoff (beat Detroit 27-13). The only other post season action for the Redskins have both been Wild Card Playoffs games against Seattle in 2005 (lost 20-10) and in 2007 (lost 35-14). Third times a charm right…

At most Redskin home games the stadium is full of at least 30-45% visiting fans in attendance. (This is based on my observation, not actual numbers.) It was amazing to see 99% of fans all layered in burgundy and gold on Sunday against Seattle. I only saw two Seahawks fans during tailgate time! This would explain why my ears are still ringing! I’ve never heard FedEx field that loud, that excited, and that shocked.

The Redskins came out strong and FedEx was electric. The energy from the team and fans seemed like déjà vu from shaking RFK Stadium.

I’ve said it all season; anything can happen when RG3 is on the field. It was total domination by the Redskins in the first quarter leading the Seahawks 14-0. Seattle fans were throwing coffee beans at their TV’s and Wilson and Carroll almost peed in their pants- they were scared of the Washington Redskins. For the first quarter of the game the entire NFL was scared of the Washington Redskins. A Redskins fan a few rows back yelled “We’re about to the shock the world” and when the game ended, we were all in shock.

Griffin ran on the second scoring drive trying to throw to Garcon and he planted wrong and his knee buckled. He had his knee taped and said he was fine, but he never played with both legs for the rest of the game. Taking away RG3’s legs is a game changer and it definitely changed the rest of the game. 

In the fist quarter Washington had 129 yards and only 74 for the rest of the game. Griffin went 6 for 9 with 68 yards, and two TD’s in the first 15 minutes. He went 4 for 10 with 16 yards, and one interception for the rest of the game. Seattle then scored 24 unanswered points to beat the Redskins again; 14-24. Third time is not a charm.

We all questioned why Kirk Cousins was not warming up. It was obvious RG3 was hurt and running like a 40-year old man and not like the 22-year old super hero that he is. I understand that Griffin wants to be out there and he deserves to be out there, but Coach Shanahan- YOU ARE THE HEAD COACH, YOU MAKE THE DECISIONS! We ALL could see that Griffin was hurt and that hurt the chances of winning the game. Coach, I hope you and Kyle are both praying to the sports gods that this injury doesn’t hurt RG3’s and your future in the NFL. For an athlete with medical history of knee issues and the type of player he is, he’s making decisions to play the next play- the coach should make decisions to play for the future. (Especially when you have the best back up QB on your bench!) With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter Griffin’s knee buckled while trying to save a bad shotgun snap. He was in so much pain that he didn’t even try to recover the fumble. 

Maybe I’m partial to the knees because I’ve had three knee surgeries and my knees have never been the same. I avoided surgery and played through pain only to do more damage. I’m also convinced it’s the reason I didn’t get a second growth spurt.

Who knows what would have happened if KC1 would have entered the game early. But once he let go of the nerves in Cleveland he proved he can play. QB’s protect the ball, Coaches should protect their players.

I’m going to be honest and say I don’t know a lot about field maintenance or even know how to mow grass, but I do know that FedEx Field looked awful! There were so many divots it looked like Charles Barkley has been hitting golf balls before the National Anthem. I thought maybe they just ran out of paint they use make it look camera ready, but clearly they ran out of fertilizer and water and just added some dirt straight down the middle of the field. Horrible! I’m no expert, but that has to be a red flag when your franchise QB, the future of this team, and the only hope in Washington to get back to glory days that you would make sure YOUR field is game ready and safe. ComeOn Man!

Even though we’ve lost to Seattle in the last three post-season appearances this team and Redskins Nation has a lot to cheer about. NFC East Champions with a 10-6 season winning the last 7 in a row was a huge surprise to the NFL. Peter King and most of the ‘experts’ only picked the Redskins to win two games. As we go into the off season we will pray to sports gods that RG3 makes a full recovery and next year we’ll be ready for dessert.#HHTR

I Need to Vent

I apologize, but I need to vent. (Sorry to Steve Nance who heard the potty mouth version of this rant.)  

I was asked to play in a Fantasy Football league with a $50 buy-in. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’ve never bet more than $20 on anything. The league manager begged, I mean he beeeeggggggggged me to play. He was acting like the neighborhood cat; I couldn’t get rid of him so I said I would play. But I made it clear, don’t be mad when I beat you.

I’ve been playing in fantasy leagues year round for years. I’m lucky that my twin brother is a champion in most leagues he plays in and has taught me how to play like the boys. This was the first league I played in that was outside my normal circle of fantasy leagues.

League Go Hard or Go Home- with League Manager Captain Shady-

After the most unorganized live draft I couldn’t stop laughing. Who drafts a kicker in the 7^th round (Mason Crosby who has 87 total fantasy points this year)? I took Stephen Gostkowski with my second to last pick and he’s tied for first place with 144 points. One kid even picked the Lions defense in the 6^th round (who has a total of 54 fantasy points). I waited until the 10^th round and snagged up the Bears D who leads the league and earned my team 204 fantasy points.

And how was Adrian Peterson stilllll available in the 3^rd round? Talk about a steal All Day, All Day!

Have you ever played in a league that counted week 17? Teams with an automatic playoff will rest the superstar so it can hurt your team in the Championship.

Let’s be honest, he has a reputation of being shady and holds a grudge against me because I have schooled him week after week in a weekly NFL pick em game for the past two years.  

No one was surprised when he magically had the first round draft pick. A $50 buy-in with ten players = $350 for 1^st and $150 for 2^nd.  Somewhere along the way he created a 3^rd place for a $50 payout. I didn’t realize I was playing in an all-girl league. Third place gets a payout in a league of 10? Shut the front door! Just give everyone a trophy and tell them they won too. I guess I grew up playing ball where I learned to win or lose and you accept it. There was none of this let everyone win crap.

So now, this ‘made up’ addition makes the 1^st place payout $250 and 2^nd $150, but wait that’s still only $450….? I’m pretty good with numbers, but the average 2^nd grader can figure out there’s still $50 unaccounted for. He then decides the $50 is for the draft kit. Whaaaat? Those things are partially free and if you do purchase a draft kit (it’s a poster board and stickers) you might spend $25 at the most.

Worst league management ever! The funny thing about this league is that my team DaNuhNuh has been crushing it all season in first place and I’m playing in the Championship. I’m playing team Maclin On Your Girl, Yes Her (I hate the Eagles, but that’s hilarious Mr. Nance). He, like most of the other teams are pretty cool people. I’m just glad that we beat Captain Shady at his own game.

You can rig all the rules, you can change the rules, and you can even use your veto power to make sure others can’t beat you and you still get beat by a girl.

Naughty or Nice?

The entire year comes down to one list. There is one list that is created by the sports gods and Santa that decides the fate of your season; are you on the Naughty or Nice list? Being on the naughty list is season ending and being on the nice list keeps your post season dreams alive. Luckily, Santa and I are pretty close (I leave him the best cookies year after year- he loves me) so he shared the “List” with me. Here is the inside scoop to the most important list of the year. 

I was lucky enough to be invited to go to the NFL Draft in Radio City Music Hall when the Washington Redskins drafted the best Christmas present we could ask for; Robert Griffin III! He has proven he is the real deal and he knows how to put on a show. FedEx field goes NUTS when he runs out of the tunnel, steps on the field or just when he smiles on the jumbo-tron. RG3 is truly the hope and change we have been waiting for in Washington. Robert you are on the NICE List!

Redskin nation is so mesmerized by the talent and charisma of RG3 that the attention for the other life line on the field has been sidelined. Holy Kai! Kai Forbath is an undercover superhero. (Really, he is! Only superheroes can wear a size 7. 5 shoe on their kicking foot and a size 10.5 on the other foot.) This California golden-foot is not getting the attention he deserves. But then again, I’ve met Kai and he doesn’t have a Hollywood ego at all. He was so nice and humble to be playing in the NFL. I’ve read articles where the “Redskins took a chance on him”. Let’s be honest, when Billy Cundiff is your kicker- that’s called taking a risk. Picking up Kai was a steal!

(I’m not a fan of his favorite UCLA memory when he kicked the game winning FG in OT to beat my VOLS in 2008.) But I am a fan of winning games. In his 9 games with the Redskins he has scored 82 fantasy points for Washington. I know, his kickoffs stats are a little debatable, but Special Teams Coach Danny Smith has a strategy inside that wad of gum he’s always chomping on. Kai explained it to Dan Steinberg by saying: “We think our cover team does best when we’re not letting the other team know where we’re going with it.” Keep up the Cali-swag Kai; we are glad you are here! Kai- you are on the NICE List!

Alfred Morris, gosh I love this swinger! Redskin fans know his TD celebration is a home run swing. But what’s the story behind it? During spring OTAs he met some Little Leaguers who were staying at the same hotel for an All-Star tournament. He became a huge fan of these little ballers. He swam with them, he ate cupcakes with them (Morris LOVES cupcakes), he watched them play ball and he became a role model. Morris decided he would do a TD celebration for them the first time he got into the end-zone. He hit his first home-run against the Colts in the preseason (the imaginary baseball swing) and the Little Leaguers and their parents sent Morris messages thanking him for showing them some love. Morris was so touched by their excitement and he decided it would be his signature celebration all season. How can you not root for a guy who has a heart like that? Keep swinging in the end-zone buddy, keep swinging! Alfred, a lot of little kids wrote letters to Santa telling him that they want a football for Christmas so they can grow up to be a like you. Alfred, you are on the NICE List!

Santa’s Naughty List:

Philadelphia Eagles

New York Giants

Dallas Cowboys