My co-workers can't figure out why I'm pro-Vikings in this weekend's NFC Championship game. I think that there are two reasons for their befuddlement. The first, and probably most obvious, is that they absolutely ripped apart my beloved Cowboys just a few days ago. You're supposed to be upset at the team that just trounced you for at least some sort of reasonable cooling off period (during the season that can usually last about a week... until you get a win, or you shift your ire to the next team that beat's yours, but it gets tougher when it's the loss that ends your season. Apparently in that case many believe that you must hate the team that knocked you out throughout the entire offseason). That reason doesn't apply to me I guess for a few reasons. First, every football fan understands that the likelihood of their team winning the Super Bowl in any given year is actually pretty slim. With 5 Lombardis, the Cowboys have won more (or as many) Super Bowls as any other team except Pittsburgh (6). The goal this season was to win a playoff game, which happened a week and a half ago in high-flying fashion with a rout of the despised Eagles. Obviously, the way the team had played of late created quite a bit of optimism in fans like me. They certainly seemed poised to go on and beat the Vikings and then the Saints and then whomever they faced in South Florida's Super Bowl. But the playoff win will have to do. Now I have a whole offseason to be optimistic about how good they'll be next year!
The other reason I'm in the Minnesota corner is because they're one of my favorite teams too! I love the Cowboys. I like the Broncos and cheer for them whenever they're not playing the Cowboys. I like the Vikings and cheer for them whenever they're not playing the Cowboys (in the event of a Vikings-Broncos matchup, I'd probably support the Broncos outwardly to my Denver friends, classmates, and co-workers, but I'd secretly be hoping for a Vikings victory). I also like Brett Favre. I know that he's waffled his way in and out of retirement (multiple times) and many think he weasled his way out of Green Bay, and last summer into Minnesota, but none of that really bothers me. He's a good guy who LOVES to play the game. If more 25-year olds played like they were little kids in the back yard again, maybe I wouldn't have to admire Favre so much for doing it himself at 40. There are plenty of other players on the Vikes to enjoy too (Jared Allen and Sidney Rice come to mind).
Those who don't understand my purple and gold loyalty this weekend also point to the Saints as the "sentimental favorite," and say that anyone who doesn't really have a horse in the race should be cheering for Drew Brees, the Saints, and the city of New Orleans because of what a Super Bowl would mean to the hurricane-devastated city. While I understand that sentiment, I find myself asking how many years post-Katrina we're expected to hope for a Saints Super Bowl? It's been, what, 4 years? I'm not trying to minimize the suffering of the people of the city or anything. I hope we're all still doing everything we can to care for the displaced families, and to help rebuild New Orleans and everything, but if it gets to be 2015 and the Saints still haven't won a Super Bowl, are they still the "sentimental favorite?" What about 2020? 2030? I guess I just think it could be argued that Brett Favre's story can be as sentimental as the Saints'.
Anywho... just my thinking.
(And in case you're wondering, I'd LOVE to see a Manning-Favre Super Bowl, and that's what I'll be cheering for.)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Africa
There's an episode of the BBC series Planet Earth in which a pride of lions takes down and eats a young elephant. Lions don't ordinarily attack elephants, but these lions were especially hungry. You'd think that an elephant might be able to hold his own against lions, but as soon as the hunt begins every viewer knows that it's just a matter of time before the ferocity and relentlessness of the lions expose how completely outmatched the elephant is. With fighting not an option, the elephant can only hope to run away... but he stands no chance.
That's what I felt like I was watching in yesterday's Cowboys-Vikings game.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Playoff report
For the third time this season, and the second time in 7 days, the Cowboys absolutely OWNED the Philadelphia Eagles to earn the team's first playoff victory since the 1996 season.
Saturday's game made me think that Jason Garrett really does have something of a clue. His offensive game plan was basically flawless. With an offense as multi-faceted as his is, the key seems to be MIX IT UP! And that's what he did. Felix Jones got the bulk of the carries, and he finished the game with close to 150 yards (averaging somewhere around TEN yards per rush -- not normal, but quite good). Tony Romo continued to look like an unflappable veteran, avoiding pressure from the Eagles' blitzing schemes (which came quite frequently). Roy Williams was even sighted a few times.
The defense was more of the same: smothering. McNabb was pressured all night long. I don't think he took too many sacks, but he was forced out of the pocket, forced into an intentional grounding call, and pretty much just didn't look like some elite playoff veteran quarterback.
Next comes the Minnesota Vikings. I must tread lightly here, because I have readers and family members who are Vikings fans. Fortunately for the family, we're all good-natured about football, and we like it when both the Vikes AND Cowboys do well... so I really think we'll all still be speaking to one another after this week's game.
All I'm going to say about Sunday's game is... it's a better matchup for the Cowboys than for the Vikings, in my opinion. Also, Minnesota's two offensive tackles are going to have their hands full trying to protect their (admittedly fantastic) 40-year old less-mobile-than-McNabb quarterback against the likes of DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer; two of the most bloodthirsty defenders in the league over the last month. Brett Favre just might wake up sorer on Monday morning than he ever has.
I'd continue (and I might over the rest of the week), but I fear my youngest brother would physically attack me if I didn't post something soon.
Saturday's game made me think that Jason Garrett really does have something of a clue. His offensive game plan was basically flawless. With an offense as multi-faceted as his is, the key seems to be MIX IT UP! And that's what he did. Felix Jones got the bulk of the carries, and he finished the game with close to 150 yards (averaging somewhere around TEN yards per rush -- not normal, but quite good). Tony Romo continued to look like an unflappable veteran, avoiding pressure from the Eagles' blitzing schemes (which came quite frequently). Roy Williams was even sighted a few times.
The defense was more of the same: smothering. McNabb was pressured all night long. I don't think he took too many sacks, but he was forced out of the pocket, forced into an intentional grounding call, and pretty much just didn't look like some elite playoff veteran quarterback.
Next comes the Minnesota Vikings. I must tread lightly here, because I have readers and family members who are Vikings fans. Fortunately for the family, we're all good-natured about football, and we like it when both the Vikes AND Cowboys do well... so I really think we'll all still be speaking to one another after this week's game.
All I'm going to say about Sunday's game is... it's a better matchup for the Cowboys than for the Vikings, in my opinion. Also, Minnesota's two offensive tackles are going to have their hands full trying to protect their (admittedly fantastic) 40-year old less-mobile-than-McNabb quarterback against the likes of DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer; two of the most bloodthirsty defenders in the league over the last month. Brett Favre just might wake up sorer on Monday morning than he ever has.
I'd continue (and I might over the rest of the week), but I fear my youngest brother would physically attack me if I didn't post something soon.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The weekly Jake report
I'll try my hardest not to recount all the statistics from today's SHELLACKING of the Philadelphia Eagles (oh, how sweet it is). Suffice it to say, Dallas played well in just about every aspect of the game, and took an absolute pounding to what was, before today, the hottest team in the NFC. Back-to-back shutouts from the Dallas D? Perhaps Wade Philips DOES have a clue?
It's going to be a difficult task to try and beat the Eagles for the third time this season when they square off on Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium in the wildcard round of the playoffs, but if there's been a Cowboys team in the last decade that appeared poised to do it, it's this year's team. The defense has been absolutely stellar in recent games. The offense is as good as it's been all season. Miles Austin is, in a word, amazing. Tony Romo has been on fire since Thanksgiving. He's thrown two interceptions (one in each of his last two games), and neither of them were turned into points by the other team.
[Sidenote: In the end, an interception is an interception that rightfully goes against the quarterback, even when it's not his fault. Although that's true, often the nature of the interceptions can tell you a lot about the state of your team/offense/quarterback. The two that Romo has thrown since December began were both fluky, and not really his fault. The first one bounced off the hands of receiver Roy Williams (when a quarterback hits his receiver in the hands and suffers an INT as a result, how do you fault him?). The second, in todays' game against the Eagles, came when Eagles' defensive back Asante Samuel batted a thrown ball and then came down with it. Again, these shouldn't be minimized too much. BUT, the nature of these interceptions illustrate that the poor decision-making of Romo's past is (at least temporarily) long gone. These weren't INTs of immaturity, forced throws, or bad decisions. They were flukes. K, all done with my sidenote.]
In other FUN news, the Giants looked terrible and got absolutely spanked.
So, if Dallas beats Philadelphia for the third time this season and makes it through the wildcard round, they will then head to Minnesota to take on Brett Favre and the Vikings. I hope my family still likes each other after that (potential) matchup is over (those in my family who aren't primarily Cowboys fans are primarily Vikings fans). It'd be fun.
It's going to be a difficult task to try and beat the Eagles for the third time this season when they square off on Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium in the wildcard round of the playoffs, but if there's been a Cowboys team in the last decade that appeared poised to do it, it's this year's team. The defense has been absolutely stellar in recent games. The offense is as good as it's been all season. Miles Austin is, in a word, amazing. Tony Romo has been on fire since Thanksgiving. He's thrown two interceptions (one in each of his last two games), and neither of them were turned into points by the other team.
[Sidenote: In the end, an interception is an interception that rightfully goes against the quarterback, even when it's not his fault. Although that's true, often the nature of the interceptions can tell you a lot about the state of your team/offense/quarterback. The two that Romo has thrown since December began were both fluky, and not really his fault. The first one bounced off the hands of receiver Roy Williams (when a quarterback hits his receiver in the hands and suffers an INT as a result, how do you fault him?). The second, in todays' game against the Eagles, came when Eagles' defensive back Asante Samuel batted a thrown ball and then came down with it. Again, these shouldn't be minimized too much. BUT, the nature of these interceptions illustrate that the poor decision-making of Romo's past is (at least temporarily) long gone. These weren't INTs of immaturity, forced throws, or bad decisions. They were flukes. K, all done with my sidenote.]
In other FUN news, the Giants looked terrible and got absolutely spanked.
So, if Dallas beats Philadelphia for the third time this season and makes it through the wildcard round, they will then head to Minnesota to take on Brett Favre and the Vikings. I hope my family still likes each other after that (potential) matchup is over (those in my family who aren't primarily Cowboys fans are primarily Vikings fans). It'd be fun.
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