View My Seats

At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

Photo Credit for Header: Alex Foucre-Stimes

Captain’s Choice: NFL Week 17 Rankings

by

This week, we are trying out a new format for our NFL rankings post.  We are starting something called Captain’s Choice where VMS and a guest take turns ranking the top ten teams in the NFL. We hope this will turn into a regular feature, even after the NFL season ends.  For the inaugural Captain’s Choice I have enlisted the help of….my Dad.  Now, a few things you should know about him before we start. First off, he grew up in Baltimore and was heartbroken when the Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1983.  He has since adopted the Patriots as his favorite NFL team.  Secondly, he fully supports the comments made by Ed Rendell and will tell you that American’s have been getting “soft” for decades.  I’m not sure how this will affect his rankings but it will definitely come up somewhere.

view courtesy of @justinlesko

1. New England Patriots (13-2) VMS: I can’t understand how Brandon Meriweather made the Pro Bowl.  Nobody bypasses the interception for the 15 yard unecessary roughness penalty like #31.

2. New Orleans Saints (11-4) Dad: I like the championship pedigree plus the potential for a Drew Brees/Tom Brady Superbowl.

3. Baltimore Ravens (11-4) VMS: Call it a hangover from 2009-10 but I give the Ravens the best chance this year of coming into Foxboro and beating the Patriots in the playoffs.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4) Dad: Experience plus Polamalu make the Steelers a tough out come January. Of even greater concern, what’s the latest on the New Year’s Day weather for the Winter Classic at Heinz Field?

5. Atlanta Falcons (12-3) VMS: I was not impressed with the Falcons on Monday night.  Matt Ryan seemed to miss a lot of open receivers and their offense could not capitalize on a few New Orleans mistakes.

6. Green Bay Packers (9-6) Dad: Love their quarterback and think they will be the most difficult wild card team to knock out of the playoffs.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (10-5) VMS: Maybe Ed Rendell was right, the Chinese probably would have played through Game 3 of the 1989 World Series as well.

8. Chicago Bears (11-4) Dad: Their defense is good and they have the wild card of all wild cards in Devin Hester.  Special teams wins championships.

9. Kansas City Chiefs (10-5) VMS: I’m looking forward to watching this team play during Wild Card weekend. Double Dwayne Bowe damn near saved my fantasy season.

10. New York Jets (10-5) Dad: When things are right their defense is pretty good.  They have a world class receiver in Santonio Holmes and a potentially serviceable quarterback in Mark Sanchez.

Honorable Mention: Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers, and New York Giants.

Thanks to my Dad for helping me out with the first ever Captain’s Choice post.  Let us know if you want to be a future captain and, as always, share your views.

Tom Coughlin Brings Back Not So Fond Memories of Middle School Football Practices

by

I have now watched the DeSean Jackson game winning punt return against the Giants at least 10 times and each time it gets more amazing, inexplicable.  My two favorite parts: 1) At the start of the return when Jackson fumbles the ball causing the Giants to overrun their coverage. 2) As Jackson breaks free and passes the 20 yards line, the camera picks up Tom Coughlin on the side line throwing his play sheet to the ground and making a bee line for Giants punter Matt Dodge, who made the mistake of kicking to DJack in the first place.  When Coach Coughlin does finally reach Dodge, he undresses his rookie punter with a verbal barrage that can only be described as “humbling”.

Anyone who has played competitive sports knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a coach’s tirade.  The worst moments are when you know you made a mistake and the coach is still there to remind you what a big mistake it was.  If you watch the DeSean Jackson punt return carefully, you can see Dodge narrowly miss a shoestring tackle, followed by him falling to the ground with his head in his hands.  By punting to Jackson, he knew instantly what he had done and what was waiting for him on the sidelines.  I’m not sure if Dodge is at all prepared for the proper public smearing he now faces as the New York papers will no doubt have their creative way with this Giants epic collapse.

In other Week 15 news, the Patriots beat the Aaron Rodgers-less Packers 31-27.  Green Bay dominated  time of possession and the young New England defense was the epitome of bend but don’t break. Pats are in good shape for the top seed in the AFC but their mercurial defense still makes me very nervous.

What stood out for you on this very exciting day of football? Share your views.

Monday Night Football: Dollar Signs Abound

by

Those dollar signs are for Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick, the starting QB’s in last night’s Monday Night Football game where Vick’s Eagles destroyed McNabb’s Redskins by a final score of 59-28. Before the game, it was announced that McNabb had just signed a new contract extension with the Redskins which could guarantee him $78 million over 5 years.  It has since been reported that Washington may only be on the hook for $3.75 million this season and could cut ties with their franchise quarterback as early as the end of the 2010 campaign.

Vick, on the other hand, has put himself in position to make a ton of money this off-season.  If he continues playing at his current level, 6 total touchdowns last night alone, he will become the most highly coveted free agent.  But why would the Eagles let him go?  Are they really committed to QB in waiting Kevin Kolb?  Why not sign Vick and trade Kolb to a team in need of a young, potentially productive, quarterback?  If Vick doesn’t resign with Philadelphia, could he ink with Washington and replace McNabb for the second time in his career?  Share your views.