Football Archive

This Super Bowl commercial means more than you think

By
Zuri
Published: February 17, 2010Tags:
This Super Bowl commercial means more than you think

I love it when cultural conversations arise out of seemingly meaningless drivel.

Exhibit A: This Dodge Charger commercial (see video at bottom), which aired initially during the Super Bowl two weeks ago, struck a chord with the Mark Morford, a renowned columnist on SFGate.com. (Not to mention the comments on YouTube … Seriously, what doesn’t set off the YouTube community!)

I’m a big fan of Morford. Not for his politics, but for his style. It’s brash, it’s futurist, and it’s clever and witty. All the things I try, at times, to be in my writing and yet fail so miserably to do. He’s got that kind of respect from me.

Now you know that context. But understand this as well: Everything he writes, does not make sense. Often times, he’s on a bigger rant than he himself can get under. And while his arguments are tasty, they’re not always healthy.

So when he said …

Do you know what that awful message is? Can you read the sign over the door?

It says: “When the going gets tough, the tough get totally bummed out and slump off to the basement to drink too much beer, watch ESPN and quietly resent every aspect of their lives, as they deeply wish, just once, they could drive a turbocharged Z06 Corvette flat-out for 10 minutes straight on an open road with no cops anywhere, laughing and screaming and crying all at the same time, straight off a cliff.”

Whaaaaa??

Naw dawg. Not even remotely.

What his response represents though is a deeper resentment that most sports fans don’t always recognize, but see quite often. It’s the angry girlfriend response.

What’s the angry girlfriend response? Simply put: It’s when she doesn’t want you to have fun by yourself, even though you clearly are and you have no intention of adding her to the mix. Instead of allowing the peace to last, she has to stop this. In her mind, it’s not right. How dare you! Fun cannot be achieved without her — ever. And because you thought you were going to dismiss this unknown fact, you will now suffer her wrath.

It’s always angry. It’s always immediate. It’s as if to check your self-identity.

That’s what Morford is doing. (It’s actually his job, which he usually does a good job performing.) But for Morford, and folks like him, it’s not so much knee jerk as not well thought out. To say, and I’m paraphrasing, that men are overly dependent on sports, being “manly”, drinking beer and escaping from day-to-day issues with recliners and man caves, is a misnomer. The truth is, everyone needs an escape. One in which we all can simply have peace of mind from our spouses, our jobs and any other stresses permeated throughout life. To sum this up as a male foible, is oversimplifying a deeper issue. And frankly, it’s irritating.

I enjoyed this commercial for two reasons. 1) The car is dope. You must be a nutjob not to think so. 2) When I first saw it, I understood its message immediately. And when you can relate, plus add a product to the message, you’ve got great marketing on your hands. I can appreciate that.

Now you tell me, what do you think of this commercial? Is it really that bad? Does it represent the worst of men? Society? Or, as I’m assuming, is it harmless?


Tim takes a Gatorade bath

By
Tim
Published: February 10, 2010Tags:
Tim takes a Gatorade bath

With the 3rd pick in the Super Bowl team draft, I took the New Orleans Saints. You better believe I slipped into a nice warm Gatorade bubble bath Sunday night. (Note to self: next time, bet money) Yeah, so I whiffed on the Titans when I made them my first pick. Big deal. I’m proud to say the Saints were the third overall pick and my second.

I also meant to pick the Colts, but forgot. Didn’t realize it until Zuri took them at No. 16. So really, I could’ve had both Super Bowl teams without having to risk wasting all that Gatorade.

The biggest thing the Saints did to put themselves over the top was allowing their defense to gamble. New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams knew they weren’t going to be the No. 1 defense, so why not let them take chances and go for turnovers? They made plays when they needed to be made, as shown by Tracy Porter’s interception returned for a touchdown to seal the Super Bowl. Second in the league in interceptions (26), tied for fourth in fumble recoveries (13), and they had a league-best eight touchdowns.

What makes it all worth-while is making Zuri look like an absolute fool. This is a guy who picked the Eagles, Panthers, Redskins and even the Raiders. Embarrassing. Meanwhile I’m grabbing teams like the Saints, Jets, Chargers, Cowboys and the rest of the varsity teams. I’m 1-0 in this meaningless competition and it’s one of the highlights of my life.

The ‘I told you so’ post died with 4 minutes to go

By
Zuri
Published: February 7, 2010Tags: , , , , ,
The ‘I told you so’ post died with 4 minutes to go

The New Orleans Saints' Tracy Porter returns an interception for a touchdown. It was the deal breaker.

Man, it sucks to be wrong. But I’m glad I am.

There’s no way I should take a loss well after my last post, but I think I can accept this one. The New Orleans Saints were galvanized by the soul of their city (no laughing matter) for a 31-17 win in the Super Bowl. It showed when they came out in the second half, immediately puncturing the placidity of the game with a successful onside kick. (Surely an instant addition to the best plays in Super Bowl history.)

The scrum in that pile was some of the most inspiring stuff I’ve seen in a long time, with players grappling and fighting with one another for almost five minutes. Five minutes.

Five minutes.

Tracy Porter’s interception on Peyton Manning’s go-to play (a three-step drop and slant pattern to one of three receivers) was the obvious deal breaker. But it was the constant poise of quarterback Drew Brees — an accurate 32-of-39 for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the game — that paced an almost methodic New Orleans team. He was much better than I could have ever expected. (A whopping 114 quarterback rating.)

And it was because of his long passes to Marques Colston, two-point conversion to Lance Moore and dump offs to Jeremy Shockey and company, that the Saints were able to keep the Colts and Manning off the field long enough to stunt Indianapolis’ fast start.

I’m just glad the Saints won in this fashion. Because it was suspenseful. It was inspired. It was a culmination of an amazing season and an even more amazing Cinderella story for the city of New Orleans. Prospects of a Saints win were doubtful all the way up until Shockey scored that touchdown. It was pretty much a guarantee that the Colts were going to beat the spread (-6).

Everything unraveled on that onside kick. That Saints recovery meant everything to the team — its first break of the game. And it kept Manning off the field long enough for Brees and company to finally put six on the board the old fashioned way.

Amazing.

And yes, I’m glad to be wrong about the outcome.

Not drinking the Saints kool-aide (or daiquiri)

By
Zuri
Published: February 6, 2010Tags: , , , , , , ,
Not drinking the Saints kool-aide (or daiquiri)

Somehow, you knew this was coming.

You had to. Otherwise, you’re just some fair-weather reader and you’ll be naturally disgusted one way or the other with my reasoning.

Boo hoo.

The New Orleans Saints are not going to win the Super Bowl. Sorry dad, mom, grandma, granddad, and everyone else in the family who is pinning their hopes on some Miami miracle. It ain’t happening. (Or, as I almost titled this post, “Who dat say they gonna beat dem Colts?” Thank God for sanity … and a journalism instructor that drilled into my mind the wisdom to shun abnormally overused clichès.)

Indianapolis Colts (-6) over New Orleans Saints

Chalk it up to the tale of two defenses. One is sketchy beyond measure, while the other (while healthy) is manageable and decidedly the game changer. All week you’ve been inundated with talks of Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Reggie Bush, Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney. Of all of those amazing names, and much more unnamed, only Freeney will ultimately shift the makeup of this game and alter its outcome simply by his presence.

Because out of the five names, we know exactly what four of them will do. And yes, they will all have amazing games, as we’ve grown accustomed to. But it’s Freeney (not Wayne) who we worry will play in any decent shape.

There’s a reason for all of the Freeney hype you’ve read in the last two weeks.

When Brees is pushed to the limit — I’m talking about hurried, hit and sacked — like all good quarterbacks, he steps up to the plate. Taking a closer peek at the numbers reveals. In what should be a heralded offensive line, Brees has gone through the entirety of the 2009-10 season being sacked only 20 times, which was seventh best in the NFL among 32 qualifying quarterbacks. (Based on games played and passes attempted. Also, his counterpart, Manning, was ranked second behind only Vince “I played half a season” Young.) Coupled with a great arm, amazing accuracy and above solid wide receivers, he’s exploded this season, completing 70 percent of his passes and throwing 34 touchdowns to only 11 interceptions. His quarterback rating is off the chart, so to speak (109.6).

But in games where No. 9 took on two or more sacks, the Saints’ margin of victory (11.27) increased to (14.4). That’s right, increased.

What does this say? Or, more precisely, what doesn’t it say? When Drew Brees has time to think, he doesn’t make quick decisions, getting rid of the ball and therefore putting more points on the board for the Saints.

What else does it say? That if I’m right, and Freeney (13.5 sacks) is less than 100 percent (wondering if he’ll take one of those shots in the rear) than the state of Indiana wants him to be, the Colts will lack the pass rush they think is necessary. In a confused, round about way, this will work to the Colts’ advantage. Brees will over-think things, tossing into the wild. (This is, as I would presume, the one game where you don’t want your players to think too much.) And make no mistake about it, Freeney is someone you have to think about, account for and put in the gameplan. He’ll keep Brees’ mind off of any sort of awkward throws he would concoct in his own right. But without him, the question mark on Brees’ game will only bolden without the pressure.

We’re talking mind games here people.

And let me tell you something else, that Manning fella is pretty good about not letting anyone get into his head — for any reason. Plus, every time I’ve bet against Manning I’ve lost. So I won’t suggest to you such an idiotic expenditure of your precious coin without toying with some other concocted reasoning. I know, it sucks. But so does NASCAR. Wait, whaaaa?

A turnover special, referees put Saints in Super Bowl

By
Zuri
Published: January 25, 2010Tags: , , , ,
A turnover special, referees put Saints in Super Bowl

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints, beneficiaries of six fumbles (three lost) and two interceptions as well as two questionable calls by the referees in overtime, giving the “Who Dat” nation a superb 31-28 overtime victory against the bumbling Minnesota Vikings.

Somewhere in Louisiana, kicker Garrett Hartley is getting laid.

Hartley’s 40-yard game-winning field goal came on the heels of a questionable catch by Robert Meachem (trapped on the ground) and a phantom pass interference penalty on the Vikings’ Ben Leber (barely touched him). Both plays put the Saints in just enough distance for the second-year player to nail the field goal comfortably.

But don’t think these minuscule observations are reason to believe the Saints won — or rather the Vikings lost. The game’s result is a product of all four quarters. And in this case, five. The Vikings played like crap, losing the turnover battle which proved to be the team’s downfall.

All week long, critics remarked that if the New York Jets had beaten the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, it would’ve been ironic because it was the Colts who could’ve knocked the Jets out of the playoffs before they even got started. Well that didn’t happen. But as the Vikings and Saints game wore on, casual observers could note how many times the Vikings could’ve put the Saints away (twice) if they had not turned the ball over. Their mistakes came back to bite them.

Adrian Peterson, a fantasy treasure, accelerated his abnormal fumbling adding two on the day (nine on the season) and Brett Favre ended his third consecutive season (with three different teams) on an interception. Two of those games were in the NFC championship.

While the Vikings might have lost this game, the Saints certainly played their part. The combination of Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas at running back, carried New Orleans throughout the game. And despite only 69 yards rushing between them, and only one touchdown, they each came up with huge plays to give the Saints new life and capitalize on Minnesota’s mistakes. Thomas’ 4th-and-inches run proved pivotal and Bush’s 5-yard screen pass for a touchdown in the fourth quarter was a key turning point.

A couple of storylines that will most definitely appear after this game:

  • What will Brett Favre do next? — I’m soooo glad we don’t have to go through two weeks of Favre stories. But I’m sad that now we’ll be subjected to six to seven months of Favre watch.

  • New Orleans is playing in its first ever Super Bowl — With all that New Orleans has been through, this positive is long overdue.

  • Peyton Manning vs. Drew Brees — The inevitable great quarterback matchup. I’ll likely dissect this one here.

  • Peyton Manning vs. Archie Manning’s legacy team — Ain’t nothing like a good ol’ family story about how Peyton will be facing the team of his father.

Is there something I’m forgetting?

The fallacy of picking the New York Jets

By
Zuri
Published: January 24, 2010Tags: , ,
The fallacy of picking the New York Jets

Trey Wingo put it accurately in the midst of the the New York Jets crumbling to the Indianapolis Colts: The Colts attempted to win 14 games, and they won 14 games.

Good point Wingo.

Now with an AFC championship in tow, the Colts are headed to the Super Bowl on the heels of demolishing the hottest team in the NFL, 30-17. I should’ve been looking at all the signs of a bad pick on my part.

  • I found myself becoming fond of the Jets’ team personality – It’s never a good sign when you’re picking a game and the reasons are influenced by how loose one team is over the the other.

  • The deficiency of the Jets’ offensive play-calling was astounding — As I noted to my roommate, the Jets were showing their cards too soon. All of their trick plays, a wildcat fake screen pass and a some new misdirection runs, were all run in the second quarter. Subsequently, the Jets scored all 17 of their points in that period. I should’ve taken into account how the Jets would respond in later quarters, regardless of an 8 1/2 point spread.

  • Peyton Manning — I used to tell people, never bet against Peyton Manning. He’s a killer quarterback and he’s a lock in most situations. But even I was skeptical with the spread.

This was one of those games that went according to script for the Colts. The Jets made their run, but were unable to sustain an offense that is junior varsity in comparison. While Mark Sanchez was crisp (17-of-30 for 257 yards and two touchdowns), there was no rabbit getting pulled out of the hat when the team fell behind. Remember, the onus of the Jets was to live up to their defensive hype and shut down the league’s most valuable player and his many weapons. While one receiver was taken out of the game (Reggie Wayne had three catches for 55 yards), two others blew up. Pierre Garcon had 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown while Austin Collie had seven catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. All on the one side of the field cornerback Darrelle Revis was not playing.

Apparently, the Jets didn’t understand that they needed to adjust to give their other corner, Lito Sheppard, more help.

NFL championship picks: Bandwagon silly

By
Zuri
Published: January 24, 2010Tags: , , , ,
NFL championship picks: Bandwagon silly

Whoa is me for jumping on the bandwagon this week, but I must. Like any rabid fan of the game, I’m getting caught up in the hoopla of personalities and stardom.

This weekend is gonna be off the hook.

Here’s my picks:

Jets (+8 1/2) over the COLTS
The Jets game will be shocking — again — because the two team’s on the field will be so dynamically different than ever before. On one end, the Colts will pass first and run second. On the other, the Jets will run first, run second, and think about passing third. It’s the tale of the defenses that will push these teams forward. The Colts and Jets both have amazing defenses with exceptional position players. But the advantage is obviously tilted in the Jets’ favor (ranked first in overall yardage allowed versus the Colts defense which is ranked 18th). It’s no big secret that Mark Sanchez will be focused on game management rather than winning with his arm. Every down of this game will be interesting. It’s why I think it’ll be my favorite of the two.

SAINTS (-4) over the Vikings
I guess it’s my New Orleans roots (my mom and dad both have ties to the area, while my grandma continues to be a fan of her hometown team). Part of me wants New Orleans to explode. The other part wants to see Brett Favre fail shamelessly. No doubt, the Vikings’ quarterback is the key to this matchup. If NO can get in the face of the 40-year-old runnerup MVP, the Saints will march their way to the Super Bowl. For what is usually a shoddy run defense from the Saints (21st overall), onlookers won’t have to worry about that for this game. Brad Childress has shown time and time again that he will forget the rushing game with his man crush on Favre. Not so similarly, the Vikings rush defense is second overall. The Saints will have to, at one point, depend on Drew Brees’ arm. I’ll take that chance with the home field advantage.

Last week: 1-3
Playoffs: 2-5 (didn’t pick Pats-Ravens in the wildcard)

Simple question: Which game will be better?

By
Zuri
Published: January 22, 2010Tags: , , , , ,
Simple question: Which game will be better?

We’re loaded with stars this Sunday, with the NFC and AFC championships occurring.

Slated to play (as if you didn’t know) is Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings against Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and the New Orleans Saints for the NFC.

For the AFC, Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets take on Peyton Manning and the supposed-to-be-spotless Indianapolis Colts.

Mind you, this isn’t a “who do you think will win?” question. This is a, “which game will be better?”

I’m leaning on the Jets-Colts game because they are both so dynamically different, it will be interesting to watch both teams on both sides of the ball. What do you think?



NFL playoff picks: Sunday’s barn burners

By
Zuri
Published: January 17, 2010Tags:
NFL playoff picks: Sunday’s barn burners

Yesterday’s Ravens-Colts game was an abomination. Nothing went according to logic. The Ravens’ 20-3 loss to the Colts wasn’t even in a fighting chance of the spread (+3). So today, we’re going to go opposites. Yup, that’s how we roll when we’re in a rut. (A 50-50 rut, mind you.)

Sunday

Cowboys (+3) over the VIKINGS
I’m confident that Tony Romo’s head will explode at one point or another. It’s just a matter of time before he falls off his lofty perch of excellence. Add to the fact that Brett Favre has completed 17 weeks of Godly quarterback-dom, shrugging off his usual December/January slump with nine touchdowns and four interception in his last five games. For the first time since 1991, Favre has finished with single digit interceptions (7). (And if you’re wondering, that was when he was with the Falcons in which he played only two games.) What’s key for the Cowboys is the pass rush. Every game the Vikings have lost, Favre has been sacked at least three times. The Cowboys have a unique personnel that can get the job done.

CHARGERS (-8) over the Jets
Everybody’s talking about the Super Bolts. I hate this team. And you know what, I think the Jets are hot enough right now to top them. But let’s be clear, if Mark Sanchez has to throw more than 15 times in this game to win, chances of a Jets parade drop to 10-15 percent. With the No. 1 defense, the No. 1 corner back and a stable of good running backs, the onus is on San Diego to do something amazing. And of course, the onus is on Sanchez not to screw the Jets over.

Yesterday: 1-1
NFL playoffs: 2-3 (didn’t pick Ravens-Patriots)

NFL Playoff picks: Saturday’s Divisional bomb busters

By
Zuri
Published: January 16, 2010Tags:
NFL Playoff picks: Saturday’s Divisional bomb busters

Last week’s picks were pretty crappy on my part. I went 1-2 (didn’t pick in the Patriots-Ravens game) and was overall pretty surprised by the fact that Aaron Rodgers and the Pack gave up 51 points.

My bad.

Anyways, here are my picks for the divisional playoffs. But first, take a dose of whiskey and do the rain dance. These playoffs are finicky.

Saturday

SAINTS (-7) over Cardinals

Maybe I’ve been watching a little too much NFL network, or maybe not enough, but the hype is that Nawlins can’t stop anybody who runs the ball. And if you haven’t noticed, the Cardinals have two really good running backs in Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower. But if you’ve been watching the NFC West closely as I have (for I don’t know … all of my life), the Cardinals are a pass first team. Runs are only ran to set up the pass. This is not rocket science. No matter how good the backs are — and these two are really good — the Cardinals will divert back to their passing ways. That’s right in Nawlins’ ball park. And with an explosive offense to match that of the Cards, we may be looking at another Arizona shootout.

Ravens (+7) over COLTS

I do not trust any team that rests its players. Not a one of them. Now the rumblings about this didn’t go unheard in Jim Caldwell’s locker room. He saw what happened to Indy a couple years back, where they had gone 14-2, resting its players in the final two weeks, and eventually losing in the divisional round of the playoffs. He’s afraid of a repeat performance. So this year, they decided to go back to spring training style practice in the month-long layoff to give his players a game-like atmosphere. Problem is, you can’t duplicate what the Ravens will bring in a game defensively. They’re just too amazing in all the right spots. And they’re healthy, which should also concern Indy fans. Lastly, they’re getting hot at the right time. The win over the Patriots was huge. And momentum is on their side. This game will be close. A field goal could win it on either side.

Check back tomorrow for Sunday’s picks.

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