Monday, November 11, 2013

Monday NFL recap week 10

This year it is all about the food. My Steelers buddy and I plan a meal at half-time and we each have items to bring to share. Which made me late to the game yesterday running around trying to find the dessert I wanted to bring. I listened to the radio where I was told the Steelers were marching quite nicely down the field with a running game. As I let myself into his house Ben threw an interception. Scott laughed and I fixed my appetizer and we sat on our places on the couch chowing down and planning on making the most of it.  Then a funny thing happened. The Steelers started playing football, decent football, and suddenly we had a game and boy, did our halftime meal taste delicious!

Steelers:
  • Trade talk - Gotta start with this because we heard enough about it during the game. The NFL Network reported that Ben Roethlisberger was frustrated at the direction the Steelers were going in ((Translation: I hate Todd Haley with a passion) and had asked about a trade in the off season.  Ben, of course denied the rumor. His agent claims Ben wants to retire in the black and gold. And the Rooneys said whoop-de-do we haven't looked, nor do we plan to trade. Hmmm...gonna keep an eye on this one. 
  • Running Game - Welcome back. The Steelers have figured out that the offensive line can't protect Big Ben so they played a game heavy on the run. For once in two years it worked. Welcome to Pittsburgh Le'Veon Bell. 
  • Defense - Perhaps knowing that their beloved coordinator Dick LaBeau might be forced to retire got them moving and motivated. I don't know, but it was nice to see them not making as many mistakes and getting some sacks and licks. It wasn't perfect, got to work on those missed tackles, but it was a start. 
  • Air touchdowns - When Ben threw into the end zone to Cotchery for the first touchdown I couldn't believe that it was his 13th of the season. Seems like Shaun Suisham has been our point guy for so long. I prefer the seven points over the three. 
Others:  I think I'm a football seer, albeit one that doesn't listen to herself enough to win the football pool, but a seer nevertheless. I said yesterday that this was the week for the Jags to win, thought the Ravens would pull this one out, and had Carolina beating the 49ers. Too bad I changed it all when it came down to putting it in the computer and on paper. 
  • Carolina/San Fran - So I was little off here on who would pull this game off. The Panthers defensive won this game. They sacked (6times), tackled, and intercepted their way into the win column. 
  • Jacksonville - So, no longer winless with a win yesterday against the Titans with the Jaguars defense holding off a comeback. Hello, Tamap Bay, can you do it too? 
  • Overtime - The Ravens led and then they didn't and the game went into overtime on a Hail Mary pass that the Ravens helped into the Bengals hands. But the Bengals shot their wad on that one, got cocky, didn't take the field goal, and lost the game. What an odd division we have going on now. 
  • Crazy catches in the end zone  - How about Seahawks Golden Tate's one handed catch in the corner of the end zone with a defender on him like a fur coat? Kept his feet, all three of them, down in the grass for the score. We just happened to catch it while on a commercial from our game. Whoop. But then there were more with Texans Andre Johnson catching one in the left corner, and our own Jerricho Cotchery catching one in his left corner. 
  • Colts - Wow, what the @$&? happened here? Let's recap. Home game for the Colts. first possession series the Rams knock the ball out of Luck's hands, recover, and score. 7-0. Then the Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin rushed through the Colts defense 51 yards for a score. 14-0. Then Austin pretended he would let the Colts down the punt near the two yard line, but instead flicked the ball out of the air, and ran straight down the sideline 98 yards for the touchdown. 21-0.  What fun. Let's do some more. So Austin then caught a 57 yard down the other sideline for another touchdown. 28-0 at halftime. So now everyone is expecting Andrew Luck to come running out of the tunnel at halftime to turn the game around like he did last week and has previously. Uh...no. Austin then catches a pass, his second of the entire game, and runs 81 yards for his third touchdown. 35-0.  So now comes Andrew Luck? Uh...no. Instead here came the Rams defense. Why should the offensive have all the fun? Luck in the red zone lobs a pass to the corner of the end zone for an easy score, but instead Trumaine Johnson dives to the left to intercept the ball. Still 35-0. And since that was so easy the Rams did it again, intercepting mid field, and then again in the end zone. While Luck tried and tried, he passed for over 300 yards, he was sacked three times and picked off three times, and then he showed his frustration on the sidelines by crumbling a water cup and throwing it. Reggie Wayne's return can't happen soon enough. 
  • Saints - 625 yards in offensive yesterday. This is what teams should be doing after a loss from the previous week. Get mad after getting embarrassed and then go out and kick butt. Didn't hurt either that the team you slaughtered use to be the team your defensive coordinator use to coach. 
  • Peyton Manning - He went down with 1:44 left on the clock in the closing minutes of the Broncos 28-20 win over the San Diego Chargers in a late, low hit to the legs. His lower right leg will be in an MRI machine first thing this morning, although knowing Manning he probably has one at home. Just when I'm trying to salvage the season with excitement by cheering for Manning, he goes down. WTH. I hope Trent Dilfer is right and that this will only send Manning to extra work on rehabbing his leg and not keep him off the field. Manning himself seemed loose in his press conference, trying hard to avoid allowing his annoyance show at low hits, and being funny with his quips. Bet Kansas City is keeping their fingers crossed, but in a different way then I'm crossing mine. 
  • Groin injuries - This injury had players dropping out like flies from quarterbacks to wide receivers. Stretch that out boys! 
  • Incognito Ingerview - A Fox exclusive with Jay Glazer interviewing the "bully" of the Miamo Dolphins who supposedly ran off teammate Jonathan Martin. He came across in looks, manner, and speaking as a rational, what is going on here, good guy. Only I didn't buy it. His first lie was calling Martin a friend. You don't leave voice mail messages on your friend's phone calling him derogatory names and threatening to kill him and slap his mother. Friend? Joke? Sick is more like it. Then he brought up how the guys in the locker room haven't said anything bad about him and how Martin himself claimed he didn't release anything naming Incognito. Yet it is out there. If it didn't come from Martin then gee, my guess is that someone in the locker room must have thrown you under the bus. This guy really believes he is innocent and that guys will be guys in the world of football and in the locker room. That to me is scary. 

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