Showing posts with label Super Bowl XLII. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Bowl XLII. Show all posts

Friday, February 08, 2008

Poor Loser

ESPN.com writer Bill Simmons, an outspoken Patriots fan, wrote this in his Super Bowl wrap-up column:

Much like the Patriots, I choked heading into the weekend: Somehow, I forgot to pack my good-luck Wes Welker jersey and headed to Sunday's game without any Pats gear. Originally intent on buying a Pats hat at the game, once I saw all the jerseys in the stands and in my section, I made the executive decision to fine myself $85 dollars (the price of a white No. 81 Moss jersey at one of those merchandise booths). You can currently find that jersey sitting at the bottom of the garbage can in my hotel room. I might take it home and burn it. I haven't decided yet.


His decision was to put the jersey on eBay. To attempt to thwart prank bidders Simmons said the winning bidder should make a donation in the amount of the top bid to the Jimmy Fund and when the winner shows Simmons the online receipt from the Jimmy Fund, he'll send the jersey. The auction still has another week and the bidding is already above $900, leading me to believe there are some fradulent bids in there.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Everyone Knows David Tyree's Name Now

The New York Giants' thrilling win over the New England Patriots was the most-watched Super Bowl ever, with 97.5 million viewers.
The game beat the previous Super Bowl record of 94.08 million, set when Dallas defeated Pittsburgh in 1996. More people watched Sunday's game than all but one TV show in American history, the "M-A-S-H" finale in 1983, which was seen by 106 million viewers.
The game was a dream for Fox, two high profile teams, one trying to make history, and a close game that was within 4 points the whole way.
An exciting finish made sure that no one went home from their Super Bowl party early.

Chase's First Super Bowl

Chase got an awesome shirt for his first Super Bowl, a very memorable one although one that can be used against me when Papa Poop tries to go against my wishes and turn Chase into a Giants fan.

Chase loves football

Reason Why I Love Mrs. Poop #415,770

Because she bought me a big cookie for the big game.

that design is all icing, 100% edible

Super Bowl Ads

Budweiser's Rocky Horse
This one had everything, cute animals, cool music, a movie homage and a fist (hoof? paw?) bump



Diet Pepsi Max What is Love?
Mrs. Poop was giggling throughout this one which earns it extra points in my book. Great use of an old gimmick that was gone long enough that we missed it. Plus plenty of stars, LL, Missy Elliot, Joe Buck and the dynamite drop in from Chris Kattan.



Coca-Cola Underdog vs. Stewie
Mrs. Poop loves Underdog so she was probably pissed to see him slumming with Stewie, but it was nice to see Charlie Brown get something good for once. Good grief!



FedEx Pigeons
The nonchalant way the guy says "let's switch to FedEx" at the end just kills me.



Gatorade Drinking Dog
It goes without saying why I love this ad



Victoria's Secret Adriana Lima
The message of this ad is that you should have sex. A sentiment I can agree with.

Super Bowl XLII is Poop

Congratulations to the New York Giants and all their fans.
The Giants played a great game and executed the game plan I laid out for them to an even greater degree than what I expected them to be able to do against the Patriots.

The Giants sacked Tom Brady 5 times, harrassed him with pressure several more times but the biggest benefit of their pressure was how it disrupted the Patriots' bread and butter, the screen passes.

The Patriots are so good at executing screen passes they can take a lot of chances on first and second down knowing they can convert. Also those conversions buy them three more chances to kill you with a big play.

One time Strahan broke up a screen pass by getting into the backfield and raising his arms. A couple other times the Giants swarmed the ball carrier. The key to the Giants victory was the pressure they got with their front four and the fact that they did it without sacrificing coverage.

The Giants defense's constant pressure on Brady was the difference

That to me was the key to the game, but there were some other big plays (in rough chronological order):

Ahmad Bradshaw stealing that fumbled handoff from Pierre Woods. That probably saved at least 3 points.

Another play by Bradshaw though may have cost the Giants 3 points. His blatant illegal bat cost the Giants ten yards and pushed them out of field goal range. What struck me about that play though was the fact that neither Joe Buck nor Troy Aikman knew the rule. I knew immediately that it was illegal to do that.

The first time I ever saw Bill Belichick make an obvious game management error was the dubious decision to go for it on 4th and 13 from the 31. I believe hubris was at work because his explanation was that he didn't want to try a field goal because he didn't want to give up the field position. 8 yards, really?
Remember the stories from the Patriots first Super Bowl win when Rams assistants were reportedly telling Mike Martz to run but he refused because he wanted to win his way? I think that happened here. Belichick didn't want to win 13-10, he wanted to blow them out. 4th and 13 is a terrible gamble. His choices should have been field goal or punt.

No matter how many words are written about this game none of it will do justice to just how great Eli Manning was. In football the game sometimes comes down to a couple plays, and those couple plays come down to a couple inches, and every pass Manning had to have, he squeezed it in there by a couple inches. I'm talking here about the David Tyree touchdown but also the pass to Kevin Boss which was thrown to allow the run after catch.

David Tyree's touchdown catch portended greater things to come for the Syracuse alum

What about when the Giants got the ball back after that. Amani Toomer had like 5 seconds to roll over for the first down and he just laid there.

And then there's that last drive. The one where Eli earned his legacy. Unlike some quarterbacks (Dilfer, Roethlisberger) who win their rings by not fucking it up, Manning led his team on perhaps the best 2 minute drill in Super Bowl history. the pass to Tyree was so epic it deserves its own post. But there were many other great passes on that drive, including the last two to Smith and Burress. What an incredible performance by Eli Manning.

Eli Manning is happy to be out of the shadow of his older brother
Eli Manning tightly grips the Lombardi trophy, but no one can ever take it away from him

Four the past four years conversation in New York has been split on Eli Manning. There were Eli bashers and Eli supporters. Now there are only Giants fans and idiots.

David Tyree Uses His Head

Super Bowl XLII was definitely one for the ages and the key play from that game, the one that will always be remembered is the incredible circus catch by David Tyree on 3rd and 5 with 1:15 left.
Not only did the play gain 32 yards, it got the Giants a new set of downs and required two great individual efforts to make it happen.
First Eli Manning escaped the grasp of two Patriots defenders to buy himself some time. But I've seen quarterbacks do that before.
I can never remember seeing a wide receiver jump for a ball, and when his left hand was grabbed by the defender, use his helmet to secure the ball, then grab it again and reestablish possession, without the ball ever hitting the ground.
That is most definitely one that no one who saw it will soon forget.





Friday, February 01, 2008

This Year's Eugene Robinson Award Goes To...

The Arizona Department of Public Safety confirmed that an officer stopped the vehicle of reserve defensive end Adrian Awasom at 3 a.m. Friday.
Blood test results aren't yet available, Sgt. Tim Mason said, but Awasom was cited on suspicion of driving under the influence and extreme DUI and was released. The threshold for extreme DUI — a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 or above — is more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.
Awasom is on the team's injured reserve list. He was placed there Sept. 18 with a fractured back.
Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said the team was aware of the situation but would not confirm any details.
Awasom was sent home by the team, Hanlon said.

Super Bowl Prediction

I'd need a miracle to cash in my pool this year...wait actually, no I wouldn't need a miracle. I am tied for 10th place with 52 points. The top 8 are paid. There are 3 people with 55, they are tied for 4th. Then three people are tied for for 7th with 54. Then I am tied with four others. Basically I need to get the game right, and nail the point total to have any chance because if you get the game right you get two points, get it wrong and you lose one, so it's possible to close a 3 point gap.

New York Giants +12 New England Patriots
I've been picking the Patriots all season and they've covered only once in their last 8 games. I expect that trend to keep up and the Giants to cover this huge spread.

I am also picking the Giants to win the game. It's a little bit of a hunch, a little bit of a nod to destiny and a little bit of wishful thinking for Papa Poop and Master Bates. But most of my decision is based on the fact that the Patriots defense has been awful lately. They are old and they can't stop anyone.

I think the Giants can run the ball effectively and limit the number of possessions. I think Giants defense can get pressure on Brady without bringing extra guys and taking them out of coverage. One key turnover, or one key stop on 3rd down can give the Giants the edge in this game.

New York Giants 27 New England Patriots 23
MVP: Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora
Note: It's too easy to pick a QB so I went out on a limb.

Feel free to post in the comments your predicted final score as well as an MVP choice who does not play quarterback.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Homers

Mets Super Bowl Predictions:

David Wright: The Giants because they will put pressure on Brady
Moises Alou: The Giants because they have the better team
Howard Johnson: The Giants because they beat the Buccaneers
Ruben Gotay: The Giants because they have a pretty good team
Carlos Delgado: The Giants but he's not a concierge

Super Bowl Media Day

It's a highlight of Super Bowl week as any media member with a credential (thousands this year) can walk around the field and interview players on both teams. Normally the stodgy old sportswriters who want to ask important questions (like the ones about Tom Brady's boot) get overrun by riduclous sideshows like kids, psychics, puppets and of course, hot chicks.
There seem to have been more hot chicks stealing glances at this year's Media Day than ever before.
So what follows this post is a pictorial tribute to 5 of the finest hos Super Bowl Media Day had to offer. Hispanic hotties, Ines Sainz and Ines Gomez-Mont were joined by Marisol Gonzalez. There was former American Idol Kellie Pickler (who isn't really hot and doesn't fit with these others, but I like her and thought people would like to see her) and finally, the smokingest hottiest hottie of all, Maria Menounos.
As always, all praise for this post goes to Allah, but if Allah leaves any praise left over, it should go to SCZA. He's been doing great work from Arizona and many of the following pictures are taken directly from the Nation.

Super Bowl Media Day Hottie: Maria Menounos

The hottest chick by far at Super Bowl Media Day was Access Hollywood's Maria Menounos. I could write a sonnet about how much I love Menounos, actually I have, and I hope she never finds that notebook. She is definitely one of the 10, nay 5, hottest women in the world. What makes her even hotter is that she knows she's hot and that she doesn't have to dress like a whore to get attention, especially not on media day. And the fact that she wore a Tom Brady jersey made her look attainable (even though she's not), making her even hotter.







Super Bowl Media Day Hottie: Kellie Pickler

Former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler with her new boobs was asking players presumably very stupid questions. Somehow she got Madison Hedgecock to try on a pair of red pumps.




Super Bowl Media Day Hottie: Marisol Gonzalez

Not to be outdone by their rival TV Azteca, Televisa enlisted the help of Miss Mexico Marisol Gonzalez and her hot pants to get some attention.




Super Bowl Media Day Hottie: Ines Gomez-Mont

Ines Gomez-Mont from TV Azteca arrived with a gimmick. She was going to wear a wedding dress and ask Tom Brady to marry her.








When Tom Brady rejected her she moved on to other players.









Super Bowl Media Day Hottie: Ines Sainz

Ines Sainz of TV Azteca first turned heads at last year's Super Bowl when she interviewed some of the Bears and Colts, and got a little carried away.






This year Ines was back again, but she became more of the center of attention this time than any of the players did.






She also caught the eye of T.O. as she was the only reporter he would talk to in the week before the Giants game.



Sainz is kind of a butter face, but she has a GREAT ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!












Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Super Bowl Prop Bets

From sportsbook.com:

Game Props:
Longest TD of the game: over/under 47.5 yards
Total sacks by both teams: over/under 4
Jersey number of first player to score a TD: over/under 43.5

Giants player props:
Eli Manning passing yards: over/under 229.5
Brandon Jacobs rushing yards: over/under 62.5
Plaxico Burress receiving yards: over/under 78.5
Amani Toomer receiving yards: over/under 52.5
Kevin Boss receiving yards: over/under 22.5
Michael Strahan tackles not including sacks: over/under 4.5

Patriots player props:
Tom Brady passing yards: over/under 300.5
Tom Brady distance of first TD pass: over/under 9.5 yards
Laurence Maroney rushing yards: over/under 85.5
Randy Moss receiving yards: over/under 90.5
Wes Welker receiving yards: over/under 75.5

Cross sport props:
Patriots points -0.5 Kobe Bryant points
Total Super Bowl points +12.5 Wisconsin points
Patriots net yards +0.5 Fairfield, Niagra, Loyola (Md.), Canisius, Manhattan and St. Peter's total points
Tom Brady passing yards -0.5 Wake Forest, NC State, UNC, Florida State total points
Randy Moss receptions even Tiger Woods birdies
Total Super Bowl sacks even Jaromir Jagr shots on goal (CORRECTED)

Super Bowl MVP:
Tom Brady 1-2
Randy Moss 7-1
Laurence Maroney 5-1
Wes Welker 8-1
Eli Manning 7-2
Brandon Jacobs 10-1
Plaxico Burress 8-1
Michael Strahan 50-1

Player to Score First TD:
Brandon Jacobs 10-1
Plaxico Burress 8-1
Amani Toomer 12-1
Madison Hedgecock 40-1
Randy Moss 4-1
Laurence Maroney 5-1
Wes Welker 6-1
Ben Watson 9-1
No TD scored in the game 200-1

Note: There are many, many more, I just picked some that I thought were interesting.

Not Man's Best Friend Today

Chris Gallagher had two Super Bowl tickets coming in the mail.
He requested that a courier leave the package under the doormat.
Instead they slipped the envelope under the front door.
Buddy, his 3-year-old black lab accepted delivery.
Buddy licked, mauled, chewed and swallowed portions of the tickets.
Buddy has also chewed sunglasses, shoes and footballs too.
When Gallagher walked in that night, Buddy zipped out the doggy door as Gallagher saw the remains emblazoned with the Vince Lombardi Trophy scattered across the living room floor.
"He's a troublemaker. But he looks at you with those big eyes and you can't be mad for long."
I know how that goes.
Luckily for Gallagher, and Buddy, the tickets can be replaced.

I'd Hate To Meet Him at the Bottom of a Pile

You know the hype of Super Bowl week has reached its crescendo when backup offensive linemen are interviewed, and the absurdity of their story takes the spotlight away from the absurdity of the story surrounding the game's star player.

Giants backup lineman Grey Ruegamer who went to Arizona State, told a local Arizona paper that he used to castrate lambs with his teeth.

“You grab the forelegs and pin them to the ground, and then you grab the back legs and throw them on their back, away you go. It’s the way the Basques do it.”
Ruegamer became a practitioner when a family friend, who is Basque, asked for extra help on her working sheep and cattle ranch outside Las Vegas, Nev., where Ruegamer grew up.
“I was hesitant. But it is what it is. She needed help. There was beer. Good times. It was worth it.
"You pull them out with your teeth, spit them in a bucket, next one.
“There was other work that had to get done, so we had to hurry with that and move onto the next thing. It’s just a little lamb. It’s not a big animal. I have pictures.
“The blood on your mustache is the worst part.”

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Obfuscating the Facts

If you're Tom Brady, how do you get millions of New York hating New Englanders to forget the fact that right after the AFC Championship game you left their city on the first plane and came to New York, home of the Giants, your Super Bowl opponent.
Easy, limp around on a fake cast.
It'll also take the focus on the fact that you're toting around a flowerpot full of pansies.