Chilly and The Diva - The Reprise

I was starting to get a little nervous, like I would have to apologize for being wrong. Brett Favre was about to make me eat crow and than I was saved by my favorite, least favorite coach Brad Childress. Don't get me wrong, Chilly is an excellent Offensive Coordinator, but like Chuck Weis, Romeo Crennel, Gregg Williams, Ray Rhodes, Buddy Ryan, he was a better Coordinator than head coach.

I see this all of the time and it almost always rings true, coaches lose games, more than they win them. Case in Point, Chilly during the NFC Championship game. New Orleans and Minnesota were taking turns giving the game away to each other. It was definitely going to be, whomever had the ball last would win kind of a game. And late in the fourth quarter, while the game was tied, the Vikings got into field goal range. Ryan Longwell was well within his range and the way the game was going, Chilly shouldn't take any chances.

With about a minute left in the game, Vikings run a play for no yards and than second down doing the same. It was obvious, they weren't trying to move the ball. So why call a time out with 19 seconds left on third down? Why not let the clock tick down to 10, call a time out, trot the FG Unit on the field and kick the game winner than? I said to my wife, the Vikings are making a huge mistake and sure enough, I was right. After the time out, too many men in the huddle, 5 yard penalty, Vikings out of field goal range? Perhaps. And than the Diva does what the Diva does best, try to do too much - on the next play, he throws an interception.

Saints win the toss in OT, march down the field and kick the game winning field goal to propel them into Super Bowl XLIV in Miami.

So here is what we learned this season, The Diva will waffle on retiring, he will return after training camp and lead his team to an impressive 12-4 record. He'll get his Head Coach a big money extension and the result will be the same, watching the Super Bowl at home like the rest of us.

Championship Weekend (and some baseball stuff)

So this is the weekend to determine who will play in Super Bowl XLIV. Two very intriguing games.

First, the upstart, upset minded Jets against the Powerful Colts. In Week 14, the Jets beat the Colts, when Coach Caldwell benched Peyton Manning and other starters. Here's the ironic thing, if the Jets were to win this game, Caldwell will look like a goat, because if he let Manning finish and if the Colts won, they would have knocked the Jets out. Now, back to the game. No one has given the Jets a legit shot at winning 1 playoff game, let alone 3, I am as guilty as the others. I just can't see how other teams (Bengals & Chargers) didn't take advantage of a Rookie QB by showing him different looks, instead they let the Jets dictate the pace. This week, that changes. Peyton Manning will strike early and often and force the Jets to win by Air. I don't see Sanchez doing that. Prediction: Colts 44 - Jets 17.

The NFC game will be interesting in that The Diva has been leading the team with his arm. Adrian Peterson has been contained most of the post season. He is due for a huge game. The Saints have been tearing teams apart, Drew Brees has looked all-world and his receivers have been holding their end up. The Super Dome will be rocking, but the key to this game is, who will be able to run the ball. We know both teams have the fire power to score, but can either team hold the ball and eat up some clock when need be? It pains me to say this, but I see the Diva doing it. Prediction: Vikings 38 - Saints 24.

Finally, I am a little bewildered by my beloved Philadelphia Phillies. They let Cliff Lee go for three minor league players, instead of bringing Lee back and having a Halladay, Hamels and Lee - 1,2,3 punch. The Phils claimed they wouldn't be able to sign Lee long term. And these minor leaguer will help replenish their farm system. My question is, if you shelled out $25 Million for 3 years on Joe Blanton, why not throw it all in and try to win with Lee this year? Who knows, it sounded to me, Lee wanted to finish his career with the Phillies and might have taken a hometown discount. I like Joe Blanton a lot, I think he is a solid pitcher, but let's face it, he is not a Cliff Lee. I trust the Phillies Brain Trust, they got players who put us in the last 2 World Series and winning 1 of them. Maybe the knew what they are doing? Only time will tell.

It's Frickin Cold Down Here

I moved to South Florida to be away from the cold, now I have to deal with 30 degree weather. This sucks, I am running out of warm clothing to wear, I turned the heat on in my house for the first time since moving in 5 years ago (mostly because I have a three month old who has the coldest room in the house.) I will never complain when it's 95 degrees and humid, but I will be the first to complain when the temps drop below 55. My skin is dry and cracking and I am miserable. I guess it could be worse, it could be snowing and sleeting?

Year in Review

So this is my blog and this is my forum to say what I want to say. Someone once told me it's a great idea to write your thoughts down, even if no one reads them.

2009 started off great. I really thought it was going to be my year. It turned out to be the most stressful year of my life and I am quite surprised I didn't have a breakdown. I gave up on the notion Sheri and I were going to have a baby the conventional way and I accepted the fact it was going to cost us A LOT of money to get pregnant, but I kept my eye on the end result, a beautiful baby (or two.) It was a very rocky pregnancy, but it happened and there were times I thought it might end, it didn't. Sheri and I have been blessed with the most beautiful little girl in the world, Sofia Drew. She is everything I could have ever imagined a baby could be and more. My daughter loves me and I am not just saying that, she looks at me with her big blue eyes and I can see how much she adores me. Of course, the feeling is quite mutual. No matter how crappy things are, I hold her and it all seems to go away. I think I was put on this planet to be a father.

The rest of my year was pretty stressful and instead of blogging about details, I thought I would sum it up like this - I believe in fate and karma. I believe in things happening for a reason and we may not know why something happens, there is some cosmic reason things happen. I can only control certain things around me and I try to do what's best for my family. I keep expectations down and hope up. I believe in God, but have my doubts about religion. I believe we are given choices and most people chose to do the wrong thing. I believe in putting yourself in situations where you have the most control. And I believe in myself, because if I can't do it, it probably won't get done.

Over 500

I finished this year 63-61 picking NFL games, it's not that hard, any fool can do it. This is why I hate those TV prognosticators, they get paid a lot of money and any average Joe can pick games as well as they did. Sure, they will research and come up with trends and etc., but look how much time I saved and still finished over 500.

I will have more to say later on, but I just wanted to post my results

Week 17

Ok, coming into the last weekend, I am over 500 - 60-58. This week is tough because half the teams will be benching their starters. SO here are my picks

1. Steelers 1.5 favs @ Dolphins

2. Falcons 2.5 favs @ Bucs

3. Eagles 2.5 dogs @ Cowboys

4. Cardinals 3.5 favs against Packers

5. Ravens 10.5 favs @ Raiders

6. Upset Chiefs 12.5 dogs @ Broncos

Happy New Years!!!