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View from My Barstool On Sunday, I can be found at one place and one place alone: at the local sports bar watching the National Football League. This new column will showcase my thoughts and views of some happenings in the NFL, and hopefully provide a nice alternative to what the talking heads on TV are saying. Pull up a stool, relax and don’t forget to bring your opinion because anything can happen on any given Sunday. While cold beer and hot chicken wings are on my menu for Sunday, every other morning I only have Football for Breakfast. The first round is on me. First Round If you pay attention to the mainstream sports media, then you have already made plans to take your kids to the park, go on a date with your special friend or otherwise occupy yourself next Sunday because week 8 of the NFL season does not exist. The hype machine has switched on for the week 9 match up between the Colts and the Patriots. If you believe the media, then these are the only two teams in the entire NFL. Make no mistake about it, in all likelihood both teams will walk in undefeated. Both teams are too good to fall prey to trap games in week 8. This game and the inevitable rematch in the AFC Championship are the biggest games of the season for both franchises. The Super Bowl is an after thought; this game is for bragging rights. The Patriots have already played big games against the Chargers, the Bengals, and the Cowboys. In comparison, the Colts are untested, except in the case of the Titans, who I picked in the offseason to be a threat in the AFC South. Peyton Manning and company need a win over New England to prove that they can play at the Patriots’ level. Second Round Quarterback has become even more of a premium position in the NFL with injuries plaguing Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner in Arizona, Jake Delhomme and David Carr in Carolina not to mention the revolving door in Atlanta since the Vick scandal threw their season into upheaval. The Cards signed Tim Rattay, the Panthers signed Vinny Testaverde, and Byron Leftwich finally found a home with the Falcons. Now even Leftwich is in trouble after last Sunday. Matt Schaub with the Texans and Vince Young in Tennessee may both be injured, and after Monday Night Football, Matt Garrard of the Jaguars is out for the foreseeable future. Jack Del Rio mentioned after Monday’s game against the Colts that they would start looking for a veteran quarterback and recently signed Todd Bouman. During all of these transactions, one thought kept popping into my head: I wonder what Drew Bledsoe is doing right now? I did a little Google investigating and found that David Moore of the Dallas Morning News got Bledsoe to share some of his thoughts on the match up of both of the teams that benched him for young talented upstarts (see full article). Not surprising, Bledsoe was classy as ever, heaping loads of praise upon both Tom Brady and Tony Romo, and referring to the team that drafted him as a “machine right now.” Bledsoe also commented that some teams have attempted to contact him during the last few weeks but has refused all of the offers stating that he is keeping busy and satisfied running his Flying B vineyard in Washington State and coaching his sons’ flag football team, the Patriots. Third Round Speaking of the Duel in Dallas, I went to Texas Stadium for that game. I was genuinely surprised by the number of Patriots fans in attendance, and apparently I wasn’t the only one who took notice. Cowboy’s wide out Patrick Crayton remarked to a group of Dallas area reporters, “Another thing I hated, how many bandwagon Patriots fans did you see in the stadium (Sunday)? Where did that come from? There is no such thing as a Patriots’ fan in Dallas, Texas. Where does that come from? Stuff like that just (ticks) me off, that’s total disrespect. . . . When I’m driving the other day and I’m seeing all these Tom Brady and Randy Moss jerseys, where do those Patriot fans come from in Dallas, Texas?” I spoke to several groups of Patriots’ fans before and after the game in the Cowboy Corral and the fact of the matter is that New England travels extremely well. All of the folks I met flew in from the Boston area. One group of Foxboro ticket season holders call themselves the ‘P-10 Patriot Nuts’ and travel extensively to games. Another group wears colonial-style tri-corner hats similar to the throwback Pat Patriot logo. That group picks one road game a year to attend and chose to fly down to Dallas this time. Someone needs to explain to Crayton the atmosphere of a true sports city like Boston, and these rabid fans are willing to fork over obscene amounts of money to follow their favorite club. Fourth Round The Bills want to play a regular season game in Toronto, the Seahawks and Patriots almost played a preseason game in China, there is talk of a regular season game in Mexico City, and Sunday the Dolphins play the Giants in London. Is this wise? First of all, it is difficult enough for a middle-class American to scrape up enough cash to attend a home game of their favorite team. I try to get to a game once a season, and each time feels almost like a holiday to me, like a special Christmas gift I give only to myself. Now we are moving games to other countries, making it even more difficult for the everyday fan to see their favorite match-ups. What concerns me the most about the game in London is the fact that it is an American sport featuring American players in a city that has had more than its fair share of terrorism activity. I know that London is good at keeping people safe, but it strikes me that this game could be an attractive target for those who hate America. Upsets of the Week Every week I am going to make some picks that conventional wisdom would consider to be ill-advised. I am sure that some weeks I will be wrong, but sometimes you need to go with your gut. Detroit at Chicago: Lions beat the Bears. This is a game within the NFC North division and Kitna is capable of pulling off a win. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: Cincy wins at home. The Steelers are playing well, and rumored to be able to compete with both the Pats and Colts. Inside the division, however, I like Palmer and Johnson, hungry to climb from the bottom of the AFC North. Jacksonville at Tampa Bay: Originally my pick was the Jags until Garrard went down Monday. Now my choice is Jeff Garcia all the way. The latest word is that David Carr may start against the Colts. When he was with the Texans he squeaked out a late season win in 2006. As I mentioned, the Colts are far too disciplined to look past the Panthers to the Patriots, but nonetheless, I will follow this game closely. Come Sunday, the yardage may vary, but until then, this is my view from my barstool. Email Feedback, Comments, Hate Mail to c.d.stuck@gmail.com.Tell a Friend About Us | Add Us As a Friend on MySpace | Submit Us to Del.icio.us Email Comments, Tips, Stories, Link to DiG@FootballforBreakfast.com. © Copyright 2007 Typing Monkeys. All rights reserved. |
VIEW FROM MY BARSTOOL ARCHIVES FOURTH AND LONG ARCHIVES |