Football Cat

Here's a scene from tonight's Cowboys-Giants game, guest starring our cat, Tomas:

Stacy Memes: It's Been A While

It's been a very, very long time since I last shared my wife's adorable antics.

Here's some highlights from the last week:

On Wearing a Pittsburgh Penguins Jersey to a Dallas Stars Home Game

 

 

On the Recent Texas Transitional Weather

 

 



Heroic Faith

Two constants in my childhood through my adult years have been church and a fascination with comic book superheros.  I honestly never viewed the two as having anything in common.  However, in recent years, I've gained an appreciation for both the real life lessons embedded in comic books as well as the immeasurable strength of character the Christian faith can develop.  This past Sunday, I sat through an amazing sermon (which was really a commentary on the greatest sermon of all time), and it reminded me of one of the most iconic superheroes of all time.  Combined, I think there is a great image of what we can all strive to be.

An Unlikely Hero

When I was a kid, I always thought it would be cool to have superpowers.  As a result, my favorite superheros were always the ones with over-the-top powers: flying, shooting laser beams, breathing fire, etc.  While I always respected Captain America as a classic superhero, he never ranked anywhere near one of my favorites.  His powers came across as a little vanilla compared to the Spidermans and X-Mens of the Marvel Comic Universe. 

When Marvel unveiled their cinematic strategy building up to Avengers, my desire to see Captain America was based more on it being the last piece of the bigger movie puzzle.  I was really skeptical that they could make the hammy World War II propaganda appealing to a 21st-century audience.  But I went to see it.  More interestingly, it happened to be my second date with the girl I ended up marrying 2 years later.  It was a fun date and a surprisingly fun movie.  What made it work for not only that movie but also as a set-up for Avengers was how much they focused on building the character of Cap.  He wasn't the strongest or toughest candidate for the super soldier formula, but his heart proved that he could handle being gifted with off-the-charts strength speed and agility.  

When we saw Avengers  a few months later, I asked my wife (still girlfriend at the time) who her favorite was, she said it was Captain America.  When asked why, she said he reminded her of me (cue studio audience "aawwww").  As much as I'd like to think she was noticing how much I had been working out, she was talking about how she viewed my character.  While I am far from perfect, it got me thinking that there's more to being super than just physical ability.  

Blessed Are...

At Stonebriar Community Church, Chuck Swindoll is currently leading us through the book of Matthew, and we just recently hit the Sermon on the Mount.  This past Sunday was the beatitudes:

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted. 
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

-Matthew 5:3-12

Pastor Chuck did an excellent job contrasting the world's value system to heavenly values.  On the surface, these aren't qualities most people would equate with power.  In a world where we're encouraged to look out for ourselves and use any means possible to get ahead, the beatitudes don't fit in well.  We're taught that nice guys finish last.

If you look closely at the meaning of these qualities, though, you begin to see a great deal of inner fortitude:  "Poor in Spirit" = being big enough to recognize our weakness;  "Those who mourn" = caring immensely; "Gentle" = strength under control; "Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness" = desire to grow; "Merciful" = a heart moved for someone in need; "Pure in Heart" = genuine; "Peacemakers" = creating light rather than heat; "Persecuted for Righteousness' Sake" = the more we act like Christ, the more the world will be against us.  
(The Gospel of Matthew, Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. - 3/1/15)

The sermon hit me hard.  It was a sobering reminder of the tall order laid out in that passage.  Being a Christ-follower means having strength to do what's right even under the most challenging circumstances.  It means being super...

No, you move....

Some people think Captain America is corny because he embodies an imperfect America in a seemingly perfect way.  His ideals can come across as too unrealistic.  But Captain America (at least 1960s-present) isn't supposed to represent what America is.  Rather, he is a symbol of what the country should strive to be.  Likewise, the imperfect Christian is striving to model a perfect Savior.

Sunday's sermon reminded me of an iconic quote from Cap.  During a 2006 Marvel cross-over series called the "Civil War," Cap was at odds with other superheros because he took a stand against a controversial government policy aimed at "super humans."  In Amazing Spiderman #537, he explains his stance:

"Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world — 'No, you move.'"

The more I thought about the beatitudes, and the more I thought about this quote, I realized there was still an opportunity to fulfill my childhood daydreams of being a superhero.  Not because I can model Captain America (although, if Avengers  gave us any clues to his faith, Cap's definitely Christian).  It's because I can model Christ, the ultimate superhero.

True Power

No one said the Christian walk is easy.  In fact, we're told over and over again in scripture that there will be trials (John 16:33).  We also live in a world where most circles do not make it easy to do what we know is right.  However, it's worth noting that each beatitude begins with "Blessed are." Obedience to Christ comes with an inner contentment unaffected by external circumstances.  These are promises made by the One who can't lie.  When we're living in light of those truths, the right thing becomes a little easier.  Not only that, before we know it, the right thing is what motivates us.

Thus, when challenges come, rather than being overwhelmed or simply giving up, we can view it as an opportunity to do something super, maybe even heroic.  When we're told that we're too soft, too nice, we can't help everybody, we're too idealistic, we should be more open-minded, more progressive, our convictions are too strong, truth is relative, or even that our beliefs are foolish - if we rest in the promises of the Savior, we can hold to our convictions and say, "No, you move."

One Year Later: The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

It's been over a month since my last blog post, over 4 months since my last non-football post, making this my first post of 2015.  Happy New Year!  Seriously, for the 5 people out there that regularly read my babbling - sorry, the Tuesday Morning QB experiment was fun, but absolutely fried my brain's ability to think about anything non-football in a creative manner.  Long story short, I needed a month to re-charge.

When I first launched this blog, I gave some teasers for 3 future posts, delivering on 2 of those.  I had yet to do the last one, which was going to be a rant on why Jimmy Fallon was a poor choice for The Tonight Show. With this week marking the 1-year anniversary of Fallon taking the reigns, I thought this would be an appropriate time to write on the subject.  That said, I'm glad I waited a year, because everybody seems to love Fallon, and I've even warmed up on the dude.  There are a lot of things he does right, and I think it's only fair to highlight those.  That said, looking at his career trajectory compared to those of his peers, I still contest that there were better fits in the pool of late show talent.  In the next few moments, I will try to find a balance between critiquing his resume and giving credit where it is due.

What If?

I like history.  While I can't always retain the incidents in the long term, I was always fascinated with accounts given in history class and even some extra-curricular readings I did.  As a sports fan, I would spend hours reading the backs of baseball, football, basketball, and hockey cards to get a grasp on the legends of the game.  In that same light, I've been to 3 hall of fames as well as Lake Placid, NY, home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.  Same goes for television. One of the neat things of being a broadcast/mass media major was getting to take courses in broadcast history.  You get the picture.

To understand my discontent with Jimmy Fallon as host of The Tonight Show, one needs to consider some of the history of late-night television.  The Tonight Show is the gold standard of late-night talk shows, a tradition that the legendary Johnny Carson spent decades establishing.  In the early 90s, Johnny was coming towards the end of his brilliant career, and the man seemingly waiting in the wings as his successor was the Late Night show's David Letterman.  You need to understand that the Letterman of the 80s is not the same Letterman of today.  Dave is admittedly past his prime, a key reason why he is hanging it up at The Late Show. David Letterman of the 80s and 90s, however, was funny.  And not just funny, he was a weird kind of funny, almost with an edge.  He was doing things no one (not even Carson) had thought to do on talk shows.  The choice seemed academic.  Unfortunately, politics infiltrated NBC, and Jay Leno came away as the host of the legendary show.  For a more thorough understanding of what happened at NBC, I would recommend either the book or HBO's adaptation of said book, The Late Shift.  In hindsight, Leno won the 11:30 time slot ratings in a head-to-head with Letterman, which is all that matters for the network. I would argue that much of that success had to do with the branding power of The Tonight Show.  As a raw comic and an interviewer, I'd take Letterman any day.  So what does poor Jimmy Fallon have to do with this?  Well, initially, nothing.  But, if NBC had made a choice based on talent instead of under-handed deals in the early 90s, we might not be having this conversation today, as Letterman, a much funnier talent in his prime than Fallon, would still be the host of The Tonight Show.

A few years ago, when Leno stepped down, another red-head Late Show host was dubbed the heir (and actually landed the gig this time), Conan O' Brian.  Like Letterman, O' Brian was another kind of weird and edgy, which in turn displayed his comedic genius.  O' Brian was a writer on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in it's best years, maybe not so coincidentally, when Fallon was not on SNL.  He was also a writer for The Simpsons in that show's prime.  While O' Brian started out strong, his ratings suffered among the older demographic. Then, in 2010, just like in the early 90s, Leno came in and usurped the spot.

My point is, if weren't for Jay Leno, we might not even be talking about Fallon as host of The Tonight Show today.  Oddly enough, Fallon occupied the Late Night slot after Letterman and O' Brian, and in my opinion, he was a distant 3rd place in terms of comedic performance on that show.  While I'd take him over Leno (more on that later), he's clearly not on the same level as some of his contemporaries. Which leads me to...

"Live from New York, It's Saturday Night!"

Another milestone to be celebrated this week is the 40th anniversary of SNL.  As mentioned before, Fallon was not a cast member in what I would consider it's best years, being the early to late 90s.  He came in on the tail end of that era, and ironically, left at the point where I found the show almost un-watchable. Now, most of what I'm saying can be argued as subjective.  In a Today Show interview, SNL producer Lorn Michaels said most people consider the era in which they were in high school as the best era.  There may be some truth to that, but I would also consider skits from the late 70s (when I wasn't even born) better that skits from the early 2000's (late high school, early college).  But let's take this a step further.  I believe that if you were to poll viewers familiar with the whole span of SNL to rank their top 40 cast members, Fallon probably makes that list.  Is he top 10 though?  I don't think anyone would agree with that.  Top 25?  I think only a slim margin casts him that vote.  In other words, Fallon had funny moments, but I don't think he really produced anything on that show that would stand the test of time.  "But what about when the did skits with Justin Timberlake?  Those are classic!"  They are, but there's an interesting wrinkle that I'll address letter.

Of the SNL hall of fame members (I don't think there's an actual hall, just metaphor for the best cast members), many of them went on to have brilliant TV or movie careers.  Some, on the other hand, fall had seen their best days on SNL (see Tim Meadows, Chris Kattan, et. al.).  So where does Fallon stand?  Quick, without looking at IMDB, name a Jimmy Fallon movie?  Stumped, right?  If you guessed Fever Pitch, I'm betting you're a big Drew Barrymore fan. I've seen it, and I'd rate it OK.  Even then, Fallon's character does not take over the screen, something good SNL alumni do in movies.  It also doesn't help that he played opposite Barrymore, best known for her romantic comedies with Adam Sandler, who, you guessed it, is a much funnier SNL alum.  

Am I comparing apples and oranges.  Yes, but it's still important.  On the one hand, it's really hard to compare talk show host to comedy movie and TV star.  But when you look at the relative talent between his peers, comparing Jimmy Fallon to the likes of Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, Will Farrell, and many others is like comparing a bruised apple to a barrel of fresh, juicy oranges.  And this guy was the best we could do for The Tonight Show.

Report Card

Everything you've read up to this point is a reflection of how I felt before Fallon started his tenure on The Tonight Show.  While I still contest that all of the above is valid and worth considering when evaluating the talk show show host, I also think it's fair to say he hasn't done a bad job up to this point.  For starters, his ratings are great, and as already mentioned, that's what counts for the networks - it is a business after all.  But here are a few things I've grown to appreciate after one year:

1.  He's not Jay Leno.  I couldn't stand Leno.  For my money, his monologue was his only real strength.  His sketches were really just an extension of that monologue, and his interview style wasn't all that interesting.  I know a lot of people liked him, but I won't miss him on TV anytime soon.
2. The Roots.  Fallon's band is a real asset, and he uses them well.  I must admit, every time I've seen a clip of them in the green room with his musical guest playing one of their hits with toy instruments, it makes me chuckle.
3. He's clean.  As much as I like Letterman and O' Brian, they have their crass moments that I could do without.  Fallon, from what I've seen, strays away from the off-color stuff and keeps it fun.  It's kind of a throwback to Carson's era when comedians could be funny without being dirty.  I respect that.
4. He's salt to his guests.  This one might need some explaining.  As mentioned above, Fallon had some memorable SNL moments with JT.  I also mentioned what he does with The Roots and his musical guests.  I've caught a couple lip-sync battles with his guests and had a good laugh.  What's the common denominator here?  Fallon's funniest moments are always with a guest.  I already established above that based on his own work, I don't find him funny.  But put him with someone else, and he finds ways to get the funny out of them.  That may sound like a dig, but I really mean it as a compliment.  The man is a talk show host, meaning he's supposed to highlight and celebrate his guests.  Fallon has found creative ways to incorporate his guests in such a way that not even his predecessors have done. Salt brings out the best taste in foods.  Fallon brings out the funny in his guests.

The Verdict

It's still really hard to justify his credentials for the show compared to other available candidates and the success of his peers at that time - almost as if we were lowering the standard for what's funny.  I don't think Jimmy Fallon will ever be top of mind when I think funniest people in show business.  I also don't think I'll ever sit down at 10:30 CT and flip over to The Tonight Show just for the sake of watching The Tonight Show.  

That said, I will tune in if he has a guest I'm interested in.  I'll probably continue to watch the sketches that go viral online the next day (I almost forgot to mention, I got a kick out of the Full House and Saved by the Bell re-enactments he did with the respective original casts).  He's got a brand that will stand the test of time.  I may not always like it, but I can respect it.

Tuesday Morning QB, Week 17

Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.

 The Grand Finale

This is it folks, my mad experiment with a weekly football post has come to an end!  The Full Court Press will return to the variety pack of subjects you all know and love (or at least know).  It's been fun writing regularly on a subject I'm passionate about, but a it's been a beating as well in trying to keep up with my self-imposed Tuesday morning deadline.  This week's edition of the Tuesday Morning QB will be a preview of the post-season, as I gaze into my crystal ball to predict the outcome of the playoffs, let's take a look:

Wild Card

Panthers vs. Cardinals: Before Carson Palmer went down (and even Drew Stanton, to an extent) this was the best team in football.  The Panthers, on the other hand, were the least-weakest team in the weakest division in football.  Expect an ugly game with a low score as Arizona's defense should be good enough to keep Carolina from kicking the most field goals of the two teams.

Steelers vs. Ravens: Saturday's night cap will be almost as ugly in a rubber match between division foes.  The Steelers are playing better ball late in the year, and I'm a Steelers fan, so I'm calling for Pittsburgh to stay alive for at least one more week.

Bengals vs. Colts:  I'm honestly shocked the Bengals managed to squeak into the playoffs.  Indianapolis has disappointed at times throughout the year, but they have a much stronger resume.  The Colts blanked the Bengals when these teams met in week 7, and while I wouldn't expect another shut-out, I also wouldn't expect Cincinnati to have learned their lesson.

Cowboys vs. Lions: While I wouldn't expect Dallas to step-up in the playoffs, I also didn't expect them to have a perfect December, or an 8-game winning streak en route to a plus-.500 season.  Since Ndamukong Suh won't be around to step on Tony Romo's back, expect the 'Boys to cruise to the next round.

Divisional Round (hypothetical match-ups)

Steelers vs. Bronocs: On paper, this is a game the Broncos should win handily.  But momentum is everything in the playoffs, and in this case, the advantage goes to Pittsburgh.  Look for an upset in Denver.

Patriots vs. Colts: One week after duplicating a win in one regular season match-up, the Colts will turn around and repeat a loss in another.  The Patriots have been playing far too well to lose to an inconsistent dome team at home.

Packers vs. Cowboys: The Cowboys revival season stops in Lambeau.  There's simply no way this team is strong enough to beat Aaron Rodgers at home in January.

Seahawks vs. Cardinals: They say it's hard to beat the same team 3 times in one season.  True as that may be, it's a heck of a lot easier to do that when said team has more QB's on IR than the active roster.  The 'Hawks will get to defend their NCF crown at home.

Conference Championships (even more hypothetical match-ups)

Patriots vs. Steelers: This hurts, as I love my Steelers, but absolutely hate the Pats.  However, Pittsburgh is 0 for their last 2 in AFC Championship showdowns with New England.  As much as I'd love for that streak to end, it ain't happening.

Seahawks vs. Packers: This game will prove just how meaningless the regular season opener is, a game that was dominated by the Seahwaks this season.  I know the Seahawks are playing like defending Super Bowl champions, but Aaron Rodgers has been playing like an MVP since that Thursday night game that seems like forever ago.  The Packers will punch a ticket to Arizona.

Super Bowl (it's probably OK to stop reading at this point, or at least stop taking this seriously)

Patriots vs. Packers: In yet another regular season re-match, look for a memorable showdown between two elite quarterbacks in Rodgers and Tom Brady.  The Packers won narrowly in a game in which they had home-field advantage, but I don't think the neutral field will hurt them this time around.  While speculation of a New England demise after a week 4 blowout to the Chiefs might have been a little overblown and premature, I think there was an ounce of truth in there that the Pats aren't as potent as they once were.  Aaron Rodgers cements his place as the best QB in football, and Brady hopefully joins Peyton Manning in the "can't win the big one" dog house (come on, 0 for his last 3 in a "what have you done for me lately league?").

Questions, comments, smart remarks? Log in to your Gmail account and leave feedback below. For last week's Tuesday Morning QB, click here.

Tuesday Morning QB, Week 16

Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.

Don't be sacked by shingles!

I wish that were a joke, but instead, it's a line from the PSA below:

Yep, that's something that actually airs on TV.  The YouTube video is dated from September, but I saw it for the first time during this past Sunday Night Football, not once, but twice!

As a Steelers fan, I always get a kick out of Terry Bradshaw appearances playing up to his quirky charm.  But this straight-up weirded me out.  I know shingles is a serious thing.  I've talked to people who've had shingles, and they don't wish it on their worst enemy.  That said, Terry Bradshaw describing his red blisters made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.  If you want me to take the threat of shingles seriously, you're going to have to do better than "If you had chicken pox... mm hmm... we all remember chicken pox... well that shingles virus is already inside of you... and it ain't pretty when it comes out!"

To be fair, at least Terry is being honest with me about the risk of shingles, which is more than I can say about Full House and it's chicken pox episode, in which Uncle Jessie claimed he had the chicken pox as a kid, only to get it again from Stephanie.  Meanwhile, Joey used the logic that since he never had chicken pox, he was magically immune, thus it was reasonable for him to be around Stephanie.  If they wanted to be real with us, we should have seen them both writhing in pain from boils instead of putting together this cute little jingle (cut to the 1:38 mark):

Impish or Admirable?

This is a recap of teams that are either looking good, or need help. This is not a playoff projection. I call it impish or admirable.

Impish - Indianapolis Colts.  .What do you get when you take an AFC team that's won enough games to clinch a soft division, but all their losses are against elite teams, put them in a situation where their playoff rank doesn't improve with a win nor decline with a loss, and match them against a team that can clinch a division title after 5 years of being the poster-children for mediocrity?  A 42-7 mollywhomping.

 Impish - Baltimore Ravens.  Unlike the aforementioned DColts, Baltimore had something to play for, but apparently didn't get the memo.  Joe Flacco had 50 pass attempts, but less than 200 passing yards?  When the Ravens finally came to life, Arian Foster had to remind them what the score was.

Admirable - Miami Dolphins.  This team won't make the playoffs, but they won the game on a blocked punt safety, and that's pretty freakin' awesome!  Good on you Dolphins, good on you!

 Admirable - San Diego Chargers.  I'm a little disappointed that I went to bed at half-time.  But I'm tremendously happy they didn't let San Francisco run away with a blow-out win.  They're clinging to the last playoff spot in the AFC, and if they get in, Phillip Rivers is not a QB anyone wants to face in the first round.

Fantasy Watch

Unless you do Draft Kings or are in a weird fantasy league that counts week 17, your fantasy season is likely over.  Mine ended 3 weeks ago, so I'm going to take a few moments to re-cap the litany of teams I had this season.  There's no reason for you to care about this, so I won't be offended if you stop reading now.

Still there?

Awesome, let's do this!

Flutie Flakes, RoughRiders Reality League (ESPN): 8-5, lost first round of the playoffs.  This was the league I cared about the most, as it's the only one I paid to join.  It's also the first time I did an auction draft (for those of you not familiar, every participant has to be at the draft in person, and starting with a fictitious $200, you bid on all the players).  I was pretty happy with my strategy, as I set a draft board with a budget, got everyone on my board, and still had $4 left (although, apparently you're not supposed to do that).  The best bargain was Andrew luck, as I got him for about $30 (again, if you're not familiar, 1st-2nd round talent usually goes for $40-$50).  The steal of the draft was Steve Smith, as he was my last pick at $4, and nobody bid against me (which is why I had $4, I didn't think he'd go without a fight).  I was pleased with the balance of talent throughout the season, and the highlight was having the best record and most points scored after week 10.  Unfortunately, tight end was my weak link, as Vernon Davis forgot how to play football.  The team faltered the last 3 weeks of the regular season, falling to the 5th seed, losing the opening round game by a point gained on a meaningless 30 yard toss to Roddy White in garbage time of the Green Bay-Atlanta Monday night game.  Sigh.

Tears of a Clowney, Wait for it....... (Yahoo!): 8-6, missed playoffs.  Another draft first - I stepped into the 21st century and did the entire draft (standard snake format) on my phone.  I thought I did well, but Yahoo! was ridiculously harsh in it's draft evaluation (yes, I got offended by a computer).  Peyton Manning was my most productive pick - unfortunately, he decided to become human after his 509th career TD pass.  Running back was an area of inconsistency, as Giovanni Bernard and Reggie Bush couldn't stay healthy.  Denard Robinson was the steal of free-agency, getting me double digit points 3 weeks in a row after being acquired, and I was able to plug him into the RB, WR and Flex spots.  I'm not sure what the commissioner was thinking, but we only had 4 playoff spots, so our regular season ended when most other leagues were starting their playoffs.  I controlled my own destiny holding the 4th and final playoff spot going into week 14, but I lost the finale and the playoff spot.  I can't say I'm not at least a little irritated at the playoff format, as I would have made it in any other league.

Cowher Power, Backyard Football 11 (Yahoo!): 5-8, lost first round of the playoffs.  I had to autodraft on this one, as I couldn't make the scheduled draft.  I was sure to rank as many players as the there were draft slots, and I was pleasantly surprised at the results.  Running backs: Marshawn Lynch, Matt Forte, Alfred Morris and Darren Sproles.  I had the coin toss decision at QB between Tom Brady and Tony Romo.  Not only are these picks I would have made if present, I actually think I would have done worse if I was in there making decisions.  Then, another first - I lost the first 7 games of the season.  I started 0-7.  Believe me, I was trying.  I just made all the wrong guesses, as I had the difference in points on my bench in 6 of those losses.  But then, a miracle - I won 4 of the last 5 and grabbed the last playoff spot!  I even changed the team name to Bad News Bears, because it was just like the movie. But then, the momentum deflated and I lost round one.  

Questions, comments, smart remarks? Log in to your Gmail account and leave feedback below. For last week's Tuesday Morning QB, click here.

Tuesday Morning QB, Week 15

Tuesday Morning QB is weekly feature on The Full Court Press, reacting to the past week’s happenings in NFL Football.

Johnny (College) Football

Don't act so surprised.  I told you this was going to happen.  Johnny Football's coronation into the NFL was an utter disaster.  And perhaps even more dismayed about this than the Dawg Pound and Aggie Nation combined are the national media.  Talking heads at all the major sports networks have been salivating for weeks about the possibility of Manziel starting, and when he was finally announced the starter for this past week's game, they could not contain their excitement.  Just look at how the TV coverage map changed in light of the news.  Even after the embarrassing defeat, I think some outlets were in denial.  I flipped over to Fox Sports 1 after Cincinnati's 30-0 victory over the Browns, and look what I found on the scrolling score/stat line:

I'm sure they meant to type 2 Int., but maybe they were hoping we wouldn't notice that it was mathematically impossible to throw 2 TD's and finish with 0 points.

Impish or Admirable?

This is a recap of teams that are either looking good, or need help. This is not a playoff projection. I call it impish or admirable.

 

Impish - Philadelphia Eagles.  I think it's safe to say there weren't any Eagles fans offering Mark Sanchez their cheese fries at Pat's/Geno's after Sunday's disappointing loss to the Dallas Cowboys.  Philadelphia is fighting for a playoff spot, and they have lost to 4 teams that are currently in the playoffs.  A loss to the Giants or hapless Washington would be disastrous.




 

Admirable - Dallas Cowboys.  Sticking with the Sunday night game, this week's admirable goes to the Cowboys, simply because of this:

 

 

Fantasy Watch

A look at players worth having on your fantasy football roster, who needs to be cut, and who has deceptive stats.

Like - Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints QB.  While many fantasy owners have been disappointed with his overall output, Breees put up big numbers on Monday to help propel the Saints into first place in the underwhelming NFC South.  Able to control their own destiny, I wouldn't bet against the Saints in the next two weeks, so expect another big game this weekend.  

Dislike - Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis WR.  While showing some flashes of brilliance this season, Reggie has not been the same WR this season after returning from a knee injury and is now reportedly considering retirement after this season.  The numbers have been pedestrian over the last few weeks, so if you're sorting out your WR3 or flex spot for championship weekend, feel free to take Wayne out of the mix.
 

Pyrite - Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals QB.  Don't do it.  I know he's had 2 strong outings in a row, but if you're still alive, you're playing for either 1st or 3rd place this week, so you need to stick with the guys who got you there.  I had Dalton on my bench 2 weeks ago with Andrew Luck starting (which has been the case all year).  Dalton scored 5 more points than Luck, and I lost by 1.  Do I regret that decision?  No.  Hindsight is always 20/20, and on any other week, Luck would have been the academic choice.  If you have a QB that's been struggling as of late, such as Manning or Rodgers, just remember - those guys have hiccups, but always get bounce back.  Dalton needs to win in the next 2 weeks, and he has a knack for choking on the big stage.

 

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