I See You James Allard

On Friday night I had an interesting conversation with a friend/Chargers fan. He told me rather smugly that he'd be an available shoulder to cry on after Sunday afternoon's game between the Jets and the Chargers. He then went on to list all the reasons why the Jets would lose.

Phillip Rivers is evidently the greatest thing since Dan Fouts.
Vincent Jackson was going to make Revis look silly.
Tomlinson/Sproles were going to run all over the Jets Defense.
Sanchez wasn't going to throw anything but interceptions all afternoon.

All the things the pundits on ESPN/Fox/Random sports outlets were saying. I was kind of hoping for originality, but I guess when they all watch the same shows, they all form the same opinions right?

Me? I said what I've learned to say since Santa Claus-well got into the picture-"we'll see." And we saw. We saw the Jets hold the Chargers to their lowest point total all season, Rivers held to 1 touchdown and two interceptions. We saw Ladainian Tomlinson held to 24 yards on 12 carries, and Darren Sproles held to 33 yards on 3 carries. We saw Vincent Jackson make some great catches, including one that lead to a touchdown, but be held relatively in check.

Here's what else we saw...

The Jets, while held scoreless in the first half, came out and ran. Then they ran some more, including a 52 yard touchdown run by my new favorite rookie-Shonn Greene, Sanchez connect with Dustin Keller for a touchdown, and Jay Feely actually make his 43 yard FG attempt.

I can't write this without touching on the ineptitude of the kicker, Nate Kaeding, who in addition to making this year's Pro Bowl had missed only three field goal attempts all season. He missed three yesterday, within and outside of 40 yards. He has failed in the playoffs before, missing 40 yard attempt against the Jets in '05, and a 54 yard attempt against the Patriots in '06. A point I brought up during the conversation that was quickly dismissed. Oh well.

The way young Mr. Allard was talking, this game was supposed to end somewhere on the order of 55-10. So yeah, we all know what happened, and I find it very interesting that I haven't gotten a response to any of my offers for a shoulder to cry on. I mean really-I'm just trying to be a pal here. He offered me his right?

And now the Jets are going to the AFC Championship, to play the team that made all of this possible. No matter what happens in that game, this playoff run has turned out to be more than I ever could have asked for considering how the regular season went. So yeah, I see you JJ, and I'll see you again-next year. Jokes.

Terita Murphy

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Ray Lewis- NFL All Pro And... Blogger????

Ravens LB was just selected to the 2009 All-Pro Team, it's his 7th time being honored for his hard work on the football field. But in addition to being a great teammate and All-Pro linebacker, Lewis has taken on a new title- celebrity blogger.

Lewis started a new blog with Global Grind, the popular site that celebrities tend to express their thoughts and views through blogging. In his inaugural blog post, Ray states the following:



Click here to view Ray's actual page.

Welcome to the blogging world Ray!

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2009 is a wrap! On to the next one!

Yes, I have been avoiding this site. My Bears, my Bears, my Bears.
*le sigh* I have been dreading writing this blog. This is simply the
poorest overall performance the Bears have put out in recent history.
We had some highs but we had more lows…since we didn't even make the
playoffs, I'm putting in my 2 cents on our season...

How do we respond to a 7-9 season? BY FIRING EVERYBODY! Lol! Well,
that is EXCEPT for Lovie. Admittedly, I was really nervous about his
coaching job. Jay Cutty has thrown 26 interceptions in the year (a
record setting poor performance) but hey, it could have still cost
Coach Smith his job. Coaches have been fired for far less.
Traditionally, I’ve liked him as a coach (and he seems like a very
likeable gent). But this year I saw him make questionable challenges
resulting in wasted time outs and wasted opportunities. Really? If
I’m being honest? I wouldn't mind seeing Coach Cowher take the helm.

Am I still glad Orton’s out? Yup! He was exposed for who he really
is after those first 6 wins in Denver. He’s not good enough. And Jay
Cutler? I take back everything I said about being excited about him.
WE STILL NEED A QUARTERBACK!

We dealt with a lot of injuries to key players this year, such as
Devin Hester. And next season (yup, I’m already on to the next one),
The Lac is back baby! The team DEFINITELY missed him. And since
we’ve tricked off our first AND second round draft picks to Denver and
Tampa Bay I’m just at a loss right now. Oh well, I still love my
Bears! Here's to a better season in 2010!

@iBleeze on Twitter

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The End - Eagles Out of the Playoffs

Sigh. I can’t begin to explain how it felt to watch the final game of the season for the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s bad enough that I was already beginning to go through pre-withdrawal symptoms knowing that football season is coming to an end. I start to get that sickly feeling of panic every January. But to have my team that had so much promise heading into the final weeks of play be plucked from the playoff nest by none other than the same team that plucked over us last week was more than a poor sensitive girl’s heart could take.

You see, the Eagles are MY team. They are the only team to ever welcome me into the locker room. (But I promise you I didn’t look down, I kept it professional.) They are a team with so much rich and vibrant history, so much fandemonium, and so much promise, but not enough to make it to another round. After all in January it’s one and done when the clock winds down and you don’t have the most points.
I was all decked out in my terrycloth Donovan McNabb NFL gear dress. Thank God I could still fit into it! I had my matching Eagles green fur scarf and leather gloves on complete with black tights and black Uggs as I headed out to do my Saturday morning errands. I was greeted by a few other fans that were geared out in their Bird attire enjoying the essence of victory in the air on this cold sunlit day. There were high fives everywhere I went. I celebrated with the bag boy at the supermarket. I chanted the fight song with the guy behind the counter at the dry cleaner. I laughed with the people buying the green icing covered doughnuts at Dunkin who were getting ready for the game. All the traffic lights were green and even the ATM at the bank had the proud Eagles emblem staring down at all those seeking green eagle laden bills from the machine. We were all ready! Just not ready for a loss.

It seemed that things would turn out differently at the start of the game. McNabb came out of the tunnel full of energy. There was a sense of pride filling our feathers. The playing field seemed level as a pass from Mike Vick to Jeremy Maclin was our first score in five quarters of play against the Cowboys. Then in the strangest twists of fate, an interception by Philly’s Sean Jones was red flagged and reviewed and overturned in the Cowboys favor. THE END.

We never recovered. We were penalized for over 100 yards. And that excludes being penalized for playing so poorly. That’s the worst penalty of all, the one that forces you to hang up your cleats and call it a year. I sat and wondered why this was so difficult? Why did we pass, and pass, and pass and keep passing when it clearly wasn’t working. It was almost like a case of nerves got to us and we were just plain freaked out by the stage and the microscope that was on us. Regardless, the outcome is the outcome and it isn’t one that we wanted.

I know that right here I should insert the paragraph that gives Dallas their props. But I just can’t do it. Sorry. And our final, final score for the 2009 season, 34-14.
Funny thing is I had felt so good about this game. I signed up for the NFL Playoff Fantasy Challenge. I used Philadelphia’s defense, Desean Jackson, Brent Celek, and David Akers because I believed and I believed hard! I scored miserably, just like they did.

But don’t get me wrong, I still love my TEAM more than ever and we’ll just have to do it next year. Before the sweat could dry on the players’ foreheads the Philly press was serving fried Eagle for dinner. Not me. You love them when they’re up and you love them when they’re down. If there are changes that need to be made, so be it. But the turncoat type of talk isn’t going to get us any closer to a Superbowl victory than if we pat our guys on the back and say, “Next year guys.” And yes, I do realize that we’ve been saying that for decades.

It will be interesting to see how things work out in the City of Brotherly love for next season. In the meantime, I will cherish the last few games of the season and contemplate another Superbowl birthday weekend in Miami like I had in 2007, except with no rain and a lot less champagne. (Ouch.) For now, my McNabb dress and jersey will go into storage and I believe that they will still be relevant next season.
It’s been a fun ride chickies. And although it won’t be at an Eagles game, I’ll see you on the sideline.
Tito, hand me a tissue please.

Helen “Love My Eagles” Little

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Ravens Run Their Way Past The Patriots

Happy, Happy... Joy, Joy!! Most of you remember that as the stupid song on the Ren and Stimpy Show. But to me, that's the perfect explanation of how I'm feeling today. I witnessed history in the making this weekend, and it felt good to be on the winning side of it for once.

The Ravens came in the ultimate underdogs. They were the Ravens, America's Bad Boys, playing against Brady and the Patriots- The NFL Darlings. The Patriots have never lost a playoff game in Foxboro during the Belichick era. The Ravens didn't impress many people with their win over the Oakland Raiders. Not many NFL "analysts" (and I use that term loosely) picked the Ravens. And why should they?? They were just happy to be in the dance, right?! Wrong. They belonged there, and yesterday they showed why, from start to finish.

On the very first play from scrimmage, Ray Rice AKA Rated R, ran 83 yards, through a big hole, and scored the game's first TD with 14:43 left in the 1st qtr. My eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. I knew from that moment, it was going to be a good day. Four plays later, LB Terrell Suggs sacked Tom Brady and stripped the ball, creating a fumble. The Ravens capitalized off of it with a 1 yard TD run by Le'Ron McClain later in the drive. 14-0 with 10:29 left in the opening qtr. Are you serious?! WOW!!!!

By the end of the 1st quarter, the Ravens were up 24-0. Don't get me wrong, that was the best 1st qtr I've seen in a playoff game (it's also the 2nd most points scored in the 1st qtr of a NFL playoff game). All the Ravens needed to do was keep pushing on the peddle and never let up, and this one was in the bag.

The Ravens defense yesterday was by FAR, the best defense that I have seen all season. I thought I was in a time warp and watching the 2008 defense, with Rex Ryan at the helm calling the plays. The Ravens were aggressive at the line of scrimmage, blitzing like they were out of their minds and covering their receivers like a blanket. The defense created 4 turnovers and the offense took advantage.

While Joe Flacco had a pretty bad day (4/10 34 yards, INT), he made key plays when needed. Flacco threw passes to Mason and Clayton to keep drives alive and eventually led to another score to put New England away for good. But Flacco didn't have to do anything; his running backs were on fire, running the ball for a total 234 yards. Joe needed the rest anyway. He was seen limping during pregame with a hip injury.

The best part of the game was when the Patriots fans cleared out of the stadium, after the Willis McGahee TD. With at least 10 mins left in the 4th qtr, Pats fans swarmed to the exit. The Ravens fans who made the trip to Foxboro trickled their way down to the Ravens sideline to congratulate their team, making Gillette Stadium look like M&T Bank North.

Head coach John Harbaugh ran up and down the sidelines, slapping fans hands, excited to see so many of the fans came to see the NFL Bad Boys dominant the NFL Darlings.

Next week, Indianapolis. This game won't be easy. The Colts have played near-perfect football all season. The Ravens have never beat the Colts in Indianapolis. And for the past few years, the Colts have owned the Ravens. But there is always a first for everything. The Ravens gave the Pats their first home playoff loss at Gillette. Now it's time to get their first win in Indy.

Go Ravens!

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So The Losing Playoff Streak Is Over

So the losing playoff streak is over…now what? Nothing that’s what. Once again the Cowboys have silenced the media, the haters and the naysayers. Romo has shown that he can navigate his team to victory in the post season. It took him 3 years, and honestly so what. Thirteen years of play off loses cannot rest of the shoulders of players and coaches who have been there ¼ of that time. We beat the Eagles fair and square. We beat them, outplayed them, and out coached them. I don’t know what “sting” Desean Jackson claims he had for us but apparently the Boys didn’t feel it. The Eagles are good, but not good enough. I was a bit paranoid about our redzone appearances that resulted in nothing. They made me have very painful flashbacks. Bottom line we did it. And a week from now we will have to do it again when we face King Brett, Percy, Jared, and Adrian.

How will we win this next game? Pressure on Brett, help AP do what he is good at; fumbling the ball and keep that damn Jared Allen AWAY from Tony Romo. We’ve come this far and we are this good. I don’t think this game will be a cake walk but there is no reason why we can’t make another tough stand.

I’m happy. I’m thrilled. I have a STAR on my chest and I’m sticking it out.

Chelsia

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Are You ****ing Kidding Me? Eagles Lay a Big Round Egg in Dallas

I’m almost speechless. It’s rare that I have nothing to say but that’s what happens when you loose such a big game by scoring NO points. A shut out shut up this garrulous gridiron girl. I return from a tropical paradise to fifteen degrees and a wind chill that equaled our score from Sunday's game just to be able to see the all important game between the Eagles and the Cowboys. So much was riding on this one including the NFC Championship title, a one-week bye in the playoffs as well as a higher playoff seed. But most important, it was against Dallas and this rivalry rivals most when it comes to teams that aren’t particularly fond of each other.

Basically we sucked. It was like watching a bunch of players with group amnesia that forgot who they were and definitely forgot how to play a game that they were quite good at. All of the sudden we were a different team making different plays instead of being who we've been over the last six games. With a final score of 24-0 all I could say is “What the devil?”

Dallas came read to play. The Eagles didn’t. Our defense made efforts. Their offense was effective. On the other hand, our offense just couldn’t get it together…at all. We had opportunities. But there were lots of dropped ball, some missed snaps, fumbles, and sacks. And we kept trying the things that weren’t working. Dallas’ defense was determined. Our offensive effort was undermined. Maybe our first visit to Jerry's House was too overwhelming; heck I don't know. All I know is we go back there again next week.

Hey! But you can’t keep a good Bird down! Never. With our loss Dallas won the division and got home field advantage. The playoffs start next week and we travel back to the Lone Star state to play in the shiny new Dallas dome again. But this is the game that really counts. It’s “win or go home” time. The Cowboys beat us twice this season and they beat us bad. So it time to show these guys we’re not gonna take it!

Yes, I still think this is our year. We will be back with a vengence and a victory. I'm a true believer in that.

So fellow Eagle's fans, keep your beaks held high and spread your wings and fly. And I'll see you on the sideline.

Welcome to the playoff season!

Helen "Love My Eagles" Little

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The WORST

Regretfully, as we examine the BEST, we must also at least consider the WORST.

As a native Washingtonian, who bleeds burgundy and gold, the WORST part of 2009 was without a doubt the Washington Redskins. We had one of our WORST seasons in recent history, ending the season with a pitiful 4 wins and 12 loses. The coaches were frustrated; the players were disheartened and the fans were disgruntled. There were so many lows:

• We had a relatively light season, and still we lost to teams we should have easily beaten and we couldn't seal the deal in tough games we almost won
• We lost every game to our NFC East division rivals
• We were stricken with injuries from the beginning of the season to the very end
• We couldn't protect our QB, and we watched him eat dirt game after game
• We paid a lot of money for players who had lost their love for the game or who were past their athletic prime
• We fielded rumors of firings from the season's onset, which were distractions for coaches, the team and fans

The bright side of this disastrous season is we've hit rock bottom, there is nowhere for us to go but up. So while 2010 may not be our BEST season, it certainly won't be our WORST.

It can't be...it just can't be.

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Just Win Baby- The Ravens Edition

I'm well aware that the famous moniker I used for my blog title is sole property of the Oakland Raiders and Al Davis. But I'm stealing it today. Sue me. It fits. Just Win Baby! And the Ravens did just that, win and they are in, against the Raiders, no less.

The Ravens went to the Black Hole knowing what was ahead of them. The Raiders have played the party crasher role the entire season, beating the likes of the Eagles, Steelers, Bengals and Broncos. Three out of the 4 teams could have used that win to either make the playoffs (Steelers, Broncos), or seal their division title (Eagles). The Raiders came into Sundays game with the similar game plan- to knock the Ravens out of playoff contention.

Charlie Frye was the starting QB for the Raiders. I've seen Frye before. Frye was a starting QB for the Cleveland Browns before he was traded to Seattle a few years ago. So I wasn't scared of him, really. It's Charlie Frye for crying out loud. But I was wrong, Frye came in and the Raiders offense had a great game plan. Spread the Ravens out and throw quick passes in between the zone. Frye went 18/25 for 180 yards and a TD before half time. This wasn't the Charlie Frye I remembered...... My palms were sweating and the anxiety kicked in.

Then the unthinkable happened. Frye got hurt right before halftime and never returned. Here comes JaMarcus Russell. The Raiders #1 overall pick, turned #3 QB. Russell showed some early success against the Ravens but eventually let the pressure get to him. He was a part of 2 turnovers. One was an interception and the other a fumble.

On a day when the Ravens could get anything going on offense, the savior of the day came from an unlikely hero- RB Willis McGahee. McGahee had 16 carries for 167 yards and accounted for all 3 of the Ravens scores. The highlight of the day was McGahee's "slap my b*tch up" move he put on Hiram Eugene for a 77 yard TD run. By far the best stiff arm TD I've seen thus far in the 2009 season (okay, AP has had a few, but let me show Willis some love)



Along with the good play from undrafted rookie LB Dannelle Ellerbe (INT, recovered fumble), the Ravens came out with a victory and a playoff berth for the 2nd time in as many years. Was it pretty?! No. Did the Ravens have "style points" with their victory? Of course not. But do they ever?? Ray Lewis said it the best when he told reporters,

"In my 14 years, I've never had a pretty road to the playoffs. It's always been a grind, but there's no better thing than having that grind and getting to advance. I like where we're positioned right now, and I like all the adversity we've gone through. I just like seeing this team fight."

Truer words have never been spoken.

Just Win Baby!!!! The Ravens did just that. Next up: New England!

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We're In!

With help last week from Santa Claus-well, the Steelers and the Dolphins, the Jets started the week in position to win their way into the playoffs.

Many expected the Jets to come out on top last night, but few expected it to be a 37-0 show. Some highlights:

Cotchery running in a Sanchez pass for a 6 yard TD.

Brad Smith on a direct "wildcat" snap running the ball for 57 yards, on his way to a 92 yard finish with one touchdown.

Dwight Lowery intercepting Carson Palmer and bringing the ball from mid field to the 15 yard line with seconds remaining in the half. The field goal after it put the Jets up 27-0 at halftime.

Wayne Chrebet at the halftime ceremony. Sorry. Love him.

The Bengals were held to 72 yards of total offense and only five first downs.
There was a marked lack of activity on Revis island between Chad Ochocinco and Darrelle Revis. Of course, the slip that turned into an injury may have played a part in this, but before he was pulled, he had exactly zero catches.

The Jets played a great game when they had to win. It was certainly a confidence builder, and they will be walking in to Cincinnati with their heads held high, having won seven of their last eight contests, and holding 15-7 advantage against them all time.

I left my inner Pessimistic Polly in 2009, so I'm excited to see what happens next week. The pundits have the Jets losing, but they're almost always wrong.

Wild Card weekend ahead. I cannot wait!

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Dallas Cowboys Lasso the Eagles 24-0

Time has not been on my side here lately but there is nothing but a power outage that can keep me from writing this season ending entry.

How Bout Dem Cowboys!

My team has had every negative stat thrown in their face since the loss to Green Bay. Romo cant, Marion cant, is Miles the answer? Where is the secondary, Defense doesn’t have as many big plays/sacks, etc etc etc. At one point I had begun to believe all of the negativity.

However…in the last few weeks we have proven ourselves to be America’s Team and God’s favorite. Tony Romo has been seemingly flawless this season ending. Demarcus is Demarcus. He gets the job done, ask anyone who has been the recipient of one of his hits. I was worried about the lack of big plays early enough to make a difference. In the matchup with New Orleans who pretty much came in with an unofficial win, we made big plays early enough in the game and continued playing well so that they couldn’t do their normal “come back from a 28 point deficit to win” thing. How about that Mike Jenkins? Wow.

Overall, everyone stepped up and we are clicking on all cylinders at the right time. Not only did we clinch a playoff spot last week, but this week went on to do what I only heard Skip Bayless say we could do; Clinch the Division.

So next week we see the Eagles again, at home. We have an opportunity to clear the script that reads “The Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since the 90’s”. We have an opportunity to win our first playoff game in years in our brand new stadium.

How will we do all this? Keep playing them the way we played them today. Capitalize off turnovers. Score in the Red zone. No miscues (Mr. Williams). Pressure on Donovan and Cover that damn Desean Jackson!

I am very proud today to be a fan of the NFC East Champion Dallas Cowboys. We are still America’s Team.

Chelsia

www.twitter.com/FoxxyBagLady

Avid Cowboys Enthusiast

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