Every Team Has Sore Losers

I saw this a few days after the Super Bowl, but watched it and moved along. Then I was reminded of it by a friend, and figured that I would post it up. Basically, it's a New England Pats' fan that claims the refs jobbed his team of a Super Bowl win and a perfect season by mismanaging the clock in the final 2 minutes of the game.

I can see the point that he's trying to make, and if I were in his shoes, rooting for a team that dominated all season only to fail in the biggest game, I would be looking for excuses as well. However, if this were such a huge issue I think that Bill Belichick and his staff would have caught it while it was occuring, and they would have raised hell. Seriously, they got a first down during the game by having the officials review a punt to see if the Giants had 12 men on the field(they did). This clock issue happened at the most crucial point in the game, and I didn't see anyone on the Patriots team, players or staff, calling it to the attention of the officials. Oh well, he can cry into his Sam Adams all he wants, but it won't erase the "1" from the loss column.

Were the Patriots Robbed of a Super Bowl Win? This conspiracy theorist`s video proves that the referees gave the Giants extra time on the clock. He makes a point.

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Respect Edition

Since it's Friday, and the end of the workweek for most people, we think that you should be provided with a post that takes the edge off so to speak. Because it's going to be random and hopefully humorous, that means that it won't always be sports related. It will also pop up at any time on Friday.

Been busy, oh so busy. Hence the lack of quality posting today. Don't worry, I'll make up for it eventually. After all, bloggers are like Sisyphus in the sense that we keep writing the posts day in and day out. Anyway, this edition of "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" is based around "giving props" to the New York Giants. In case you've been sleeping under a rock instead of pushing it uphill, the Giants beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and ended their perfect season. It was fucking unbelievable, and from now on if you ever see a member of that team out in public please offer to buy them a drink. They deserve it.



Haha Tom, you were right, you didn't score 17 points.



Happy Friday!

Super Bowl Wars: A New York Hope(Cont'd)

When we last left Eli Manwalker he was heading out to chase down one of this new droids, R2G2, that had gone on the hunt for his owner, Obi-Wan Coughlin.
The trio encounter some Fanpeople and an Oaktown Raider, but are rescued by Obi-Wan Coughlin.

Eli: What happened?

Obi-Wan: Just relax. You tried to do too much again, and almost fucked everything up. You know forcing things and whatnot.

Eli: Tom? Tom Coughlin? I am sure glad to see you!



Obi-Wan: What are you doing here son? I can't believe that you've made it this far.

Eli: Well, this droid seems to be looking for his owner, and he thinks that he belongs to you.

Obi-Wan: Well, we better hurry back to my place before we're accosted again.


Obi-Wan Coughlin, Eli Manwalker and the two droids head back to Coughlin's place. It's a dark room with a desk, an archaic film projecter, a blackboard and a whip. Obi-Wan proceeds to tell Eli about his father.

Obi-Wan: He was the best star-qb in the galaxy. I understand that you've become a pretty good qb yourself. Which reminds me that I have something for you. Here, this is for your.

Obi-Wan Coughlin hands Eli Manwalker a leather wrapped device with some laces on it

Eli: What is it?

Obi-Wan: It's your father's pigskinsaber. He was very skilled with it. You use it to take out your opponents.

Eli: How did my father die?

Obi-Wan: He was killed by a young Jedny. One who had been seduced by the darkside of The Force.

R2G2 lets out some beeps which draws Obi-Wan's attention.

Obi-Wan: Alright little fella, let's see if we can figure out what you are.

Eli: Earlier he played this message...

Obi-wan: It appears that I've found it.

R2G2 projects the same image of the '72 Dolphins from before, but this time the message is much longer.

'72 Dolphins: Coach Coughlin, weeks ago you almost ended the reign of the Empire. You were so close, yet fell just short. Now it is up to you again to defeat the Empire, and keep our records intact. Help us Obi-Wan Coughlin you're our only hope.

Obi-Wan: You muct learn the ways of the Force if you're to accompany me to Glendale.

Eli: Glendale?!? I'm not going to Glendale! I've got Double Stuf Oreos to consume!

Obi-Wan: Do what you feel is right, Eli.

Obi-Wan, Eli, C3PK and R2G2 head out after Eli discovers that his uncle Archie has been killed by Foxborough Troops. They arrive at the spaceport to look for a pilot.


To be cont'd...

The Only Guy That Nick Saban Helped While In Miami

For the most part, Nick Saban was not a good coach for the Miami Dolphins. He never got the offense headed in the right direction, and there were questionable personnel moves that took place under his watch. One of the most questionable being the pickup of defensive tackle Manuel Wright during the NFL's Supplemental Draft in 2005.

Wright received All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention honors during his sophomore season at USC, and probably could have matured into a talented DT. However, he was ruled academically ineligible for the '05 season, and decided to leave college early. Wright showed that he had some skills during his stint at USC, but he probably wasn't worth the Dolphins spending a 5th round pick in the '06 NFL Draft on him. However, that wouldn't be the oddest occurence involving Wright and the Dolphins.



On July 26, 2005, after being berated by Coach Saban, Wright was filmed walking off the practice field crying. The video instantly made the rounds on network TV and the Internet. It further cemented Saban's legacy as a no bullshit type of coach, and cast Wright as a whining rookie who wasn't ready for the NFL. He lasted the season with the Dolphins, but missed numerous training camp workouts while battling depression and asking the team to trade or release him. He went on to miss the entire 2006 season, and eventhough he said he wanted another shot with Miami after Saban's departure he had already decided his fate with his past actions. However, getting out of Miami was probably the best thing that ever happened to him.

The Dolphins released Wright in May of '07, and the Bills claimed him. Though, they only kept him for a week. He went on to be signed by the Giants, where he's played in six games and is headed to the Super Bowl. Yes, that's right. Manuel Wright has gone from crying on the practice field to playing in the biggest NFL game there is.

Honestly, without the Dolphins drafting him in the Supplemental Draft, or Nick Saban subjecting him to a very public verbal asskicking I doubt that he would have ended up in New York. So thank Nick Saban for where you are today Manuel Wright. The rest of us Miami fans are still cursing his name.

Tom Coughlin's Kicker Woes

Tom Coughlin's kicker almost cost his Giants a shot at the Super Bowl yesterday. However, it wasn't the first time that Coughlin's Giants have experienced some problems in that department.

Last year, they went into their matchup against the Chicago Bears with a 6-2 record, and as one of the best teams in the NFC up to that point. They were trailing the Bears by just four points when Coughlin decided to attempt a 52-yard field goal. That's when this happened...



The Giants ended up losing the game, and five of the next seven. They did make the playoffs, but were bounced in the first round by the Eagles.

Maybe that's why Coughlin's face was so red yesterday. He couldn't get the thought that his kicker was going to lose the game for him out of his head.

Could Super Bowl XLII Be The Battle Of The '04 Draft?

It's a matchup that most probably never thought of, and while there still is a ways to go before it becomes a reality, it is a possibility. Yes, what if the Giants and Chargers upset their opponents again, and they both get tickets to the Super Bowl?

Would Eli Manning concede that he may have been wrong about San Diego not being a good place to start his career?

Would Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding, players selected with the picks that the Giants traded to the Chargers, have a big impact in the game?

Would Manning and Rivers duel it out in Arizona, or would they crack under the immense pressure?

Personally, I would love to see a Manning vs. Rivers Super Bowl. As if the circus surrounding the game isn't big enough, this matchup would increase it many times over. Plus, we would get to hear Manning and Rivers doing their best to not put down their opponent while getting slammed with questions about that trade four years ago.

It would be a great storyline. Far better than the machine that is the New England Patriots just churning out another win, and grabbing another trophy for Belichick to wrap his sleeveless arms around.

Giants Fans Don't Care To See Two Unstoppable Forces Colliding

Anyone who has watched even just a few NFL games has probably seen that amazing Citizen Watch commercial. You know, the one with Eli Manning and the tagline "Unstoppable". Yeah, whoever came up with that is an advertising genius!

Well, this Saturday the "Unstoppable" Eli Manning faces the really unstoppable New England Patriots and their perfect 15-0 record. History could be made, and all that stands in the way of the Pats is "Unstoppable" Eli and his Giants. The game is even being played at The Meadowlands so the Giants have homefield advantage. Or do they?

The chance to watch the Giants try to mar the Patriots perfect season isn't drawing many Big Blue fans to the stadium this Saturday.

Many New York Giants fans are hawking their tickets to the game to New England Patriots fans who want to see quarterback Tom Brady and his teammates go for a 16-0 record in their final regular-season game.

Internet auction sites that allow customers to buy and sell sports tickets have seen a surge in ticket sales for the game by Giants fans, The Star-Ledger of Newark reported Tuesday.

And these are probably the same fans that will be sitting at a bar on Saturday night screaming at the TV for Coach Coughlin to play the starters so they can beat the Pats. Yeah, way to go dickwads. Honestly, this is probably bigger than any game the Giants have played all season unless they miraculously make it to the Super Bowl, and a number of fans won't be there to cheer their team on. Hopefully Coach Coughlin gets a list of their addresses, and pays each one of them a special visit.

Can The G-Men Beat The Pats?

Tomorrow night we may witness an amazing feat. Something that I personally thought would probably never happen again. An NFL team may finish the regular season undefeated. If the Pats pull it off they'll be the first team to do it in 35 years. Many people probably aren't giving the Giants much of a chance to win because they already have their playoff spot locked up, and New England has already beat better overall teams. However, I think the Giants have a great shot at winning, and I'll tell you why.

First, Tom Coughlin has always struck me as kind of a dick. Seriously, watching him coach in Jacksonville I always got the sense that he was a hardass coach who enjoyed nothing more than whooping someone's ass. Player, opponent, it didn't matter. He always seemed to be motivated by showing everyone around that he was in charge, and that he could beat you every time. Knocking off the Pats and Bill Belichick seems like the perfect situation for him to draw maximum motivation from and use it to challenge his team. Plus, he has to know that this team isn't exactly Super Bowl caliber. Ending the Pats perfect run is much more memorable than a first round playoff loss.

Second, pressure. In the two closest games of the season the Patriots timing was hindered by defensive pressure. Both the Colts and the Ravens brought blitzes throughout the game, and forced Tom Brady into making very quick reads. He is more than capable of completing the quick throw, but over the course of the game it can throw off the timing just enough so that the passes aren't as crisp and the receivers drop balls. Against Baltimore, Brady was able to complete just 47% of his passes which was way below his season average of 68%. The Giants defense has limited quarterbacks to a completion percentage of just 57%. They've also racked up the most sacks, 52, in the NFL, and allow just under 200 passing yards per game. They have a number of defensive linemen that can bring constant pressure, as well as linebackers that are speedy enough to come on blitzes and cover short pass routes.

Third, overall defense and a strong rushing attack. The Giants aren't going to win if this game turns into a shootout. They just don't have the offensive weapons to keep up with the Patriots. However, they do have the number #4 ranked rushing offense that averages 137 yards per game. In their two closest games the Pats gave up 119 yards and 166 yards rushing. If the Giants can slow down the game and play it at a pace that they're comfortable with they have a good shot at grabbing the win. On the season, the Patriots have been held under 28 points just three times. Two of those times were the Colts and Ravens games. The Giants defense allows an average of just 20.9 points per game, and if they can keep the Pats in that 20-24 range they'll improve their chances of winning.

So there you have it. Just a few reasons why I think the Giants have a good shot at ending the Patriots' perfect season. Of course, cases could be made for the other 15 teams that New England beat, and being a Dolphins' fan I'm sure that some of it is wishful thinking. However, the Giants defense is good enough to slow down New England a bit and give them the opportunity to win.

Who In The NFL Doesn't Like Osi Umenyiora?

This weekend we get the compelling matchup of the New York Giants facing the Miami Dolphins. Were the game not being played in London, England I probably wouldn't care all that much, and I'm a Dolphins fan.

As part of the festivities, a 26-foot tall animatronic version of Dolphins' defensive end Jason Taylor has been put together in London's Trafalgar Square. While JT is one of the more recognizable players in the NFL, choosing him is a bit odd considering that Giants' defensive end Osi Umenyiora was born in London and lived there for seven years.

It seems even more odd now considering that the Giants are currently one of the hottest teams in the NFC, if not the NFL, and the Dolphins are struggling to not go 0-16. Though, I'm sure the decision to use Taylor was made many months ago.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear Umenyiora mention it after he sacks Cleo Lemon a hundred times on Sunday, however.

And yes, that's Christian Slater standing in front of the JT statue with the mayor of London.