tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-774218518549486752024-03-14T00:28:08.951-05:00Odds and Endzonesa blog for Packer-related and not-so-Packer-related thoughtsTwo Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-66875779920216580272018-02-05T18:57:00.004-06:002018-02-05T19:05:33.021-06:00Super Bowl Lil'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The New England Patriots lost!!!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even if no one cares about the Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl Lil’ was a very entertaining game. The teams combined for 1,151 yards, 74 points, and one punt, and averaged over eight yards a play!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">HAH! You can imagine my schadenfreude when Tom Brady dropped that pass … little did I know!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I thought for <span style="color: #14171a; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sure</span><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the Eagles’ missed extra point and failed two-point conversion would come back to haunt them. It would have been just so … Patrioty of Tom Brady to lead some improbable, last-second comeback and win because the Eagles screwed up a PAT. Luckily, the Patriots themselves missed a PAT of their own, and Philadelphia’s little rookie kicker came back to make a HUGE, pressure-laden, 46-yard field goal with a minute left in the game to extend Philly’s lead to eight. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The playcalling by head coach Doug Pederson and the Eagles was impressively aggressive all game. But how about that fourth-and-goal conversion that led to the Nick Foles’ touchdown </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">reception</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> right before the half? </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I mean, going for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal is pretty gutsy, but to <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22326781/inside-philly-special-gutsiest-play-calling-super-bowl-history-doug-pederson-philadelphia-eagles" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dial up a trick play</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, too? And to dial up the same trick play that your opponents’ five-time Super Bowl champion quarterback just messed up?? I mean….</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How cool for undrafted tight end Trey Burton to have a Super Bowl touchdown throw on his resume! Foles also is now the only player to have both a passing and receiving touchdown in the Super Bowl. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And for you Patriots fans crying about the refs missing a <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2018/2/4/16972192/nick-foles-touchdown-illegal-formation" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">supposed illegal formation</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> call on the Nick Foles’ touchdown reception, sorry, no. Alshon Jeffery checks with the official when he lines up to get the okay. Deal with it.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I do feel for the Patriots (well, not really, but I’m sorta trying) in that they played very, very well and still lost. They had more yards, more average yards per play, more first downs, fewer penalties, the same number of turnovers, no punts, and were 50% on third- and fourth-down conversions. But it’s still way more fun to watch a team win its first-ever Super Bowl than to watch the nefarious New Englanders win yet another.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nick Foles really did win me over. I did not have any faith in him going into the postseason, but he was crazy impressive as far as not ever appearing to get rattled or caring that no one thought Philadelphia had a chance after Wentz went down. Plus, he’s had <a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/266947/nick-foles-crazy-journey-from-near-retirement-to-nfc-title-game" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">an interesting road</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> from having one of the best seasons with Philadelphia, then getting traded, then being released, then thinking about retirement, before making his way back to Philadelphia. And he seems very sweet and got all</span><a href="http://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/video/nick-foles-gets-emotional-talking-about-his-daughter" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> choked up about talking about his wife and daughter</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> earlier in the week. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also, I really appreciate a starting quarterback showing up to Super Bowl Media Day like this: </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Compare to:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If I were a thin-skinned Eagles fan and prone to paranoia about being underrated, this <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/Barnwellx180205/2017-nfl-playoffs-how-philadelphia-eagles-beat-new-england-patriots-super-bowl-lii" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">article from Bill Barnwell</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> would tick me off! Barnwell drools over the Patriots’ amazing game, citing stat after stat as “the best ever,” then spends a portion of the article tacitly acknowledging that the Eagles played well, but Foles sure got a lot of help from his receivers and the system, but also Pederson shouldn’t get too much credit. Barnwell also finds time to backhandedly suggest that Zach Ertz’s touchdown (where he was </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">clearly </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a runner) should have been called an incomplete catch, and to point out that the Eagles were lucky to even be in the Super Bowl because they squeaked out a tight win in the divisional round. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Eagles should be used to it, though. The #1 seed in the NFC was an underdog in every one of their postseason games. I guess that’s fair considering they were playing their backup QB. As happy as I am for Foles, I feel so sad for Carson Wentz! I hope he comes back as good as before. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m happy for Foles winning the MVP, but I would have given it to Brandon Graham. Late in the fourth. The Eagles with a fragile five-point lead. Tom Brady with 2:16, a timeout and the two-minute warning, and 67 yards to go to his sixth ring. His offensive line has kept him clean all game. Brady takes the snap, drops back, spots his running back open along the sideline, steps up, and….</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, do I feel a <i>little</i> bad for Tom Brady? No. Not at all. I was trying to explain to my sister why he’s so vastly unlikable, when my mom jumped in and pointed out that Tom Brady is the male version of Gwyneth Paltrow. <span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Exactly</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And a note to media: telling stories in which people refer to Tom Brady as “Tommy” does not make him any more likable. Everyone still finds him, his hair, his diet, his weird way of talking, and his outerwear choices insufferable.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Something weird was going on with Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler. Despite being a starter, he did not play a single defensive snap in the Super Bowl (and only one snap on special teams). The Patriots’ coaches say it was simply an issue of matchups and not disciplinary, but that’s a guy who played <a href="https://twitter.com/smartfootball/status/960504457917321217" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">98% of regular season snaps</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and then suddenly is riding the bench in the Super Bowl?? It must have been a decision made on short notice -- Butler could be seen crying before the game, and his backup said starting “</span><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2018/02/04/patriots-sit-malcolm-butler-out-super-bowl/22g5qODbmuxr9BFCfENjML/story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wasn’t the plan</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.” Butler was obviously bitterly disappointed, and said after the game that he “could have changed the game,” and that the Patriots “gave up” on him.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hey, I found a single, solitary reason to like JT. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I said I would watch the Pro Bowl, but it turns out that I didn’t even know when it was on, so I missed it, and I’m not sorry. The highlight appears to have been Drew Brees’ kids getting into fights on the sideline.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Normally I think it’s weird how much men pay attention to athletes' shoes, but in the case of Delanie Walker’s <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/957701542903271424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fblog%2Fnflnation%2Fpost%2F_%2Fid%2F267779%2Fthe-scene-at-the-pro-bowl-from-the-cleats-to-the-big-plays-and-more" style="white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">custom Pro Bowl cleats</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, I’ll allow for a lot of fascination. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sooo the Washington Redskins <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article197508249.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">traded</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for a 34-year-old Alex Smith who was going to be leaving Kansas City in the offseason anyway, and gave up a third-round draft pick and their best up-and-coming defender? And then promptly signed Smith to a four-year deal with $71 million guaranteed? Okay. Kinda </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22315705/washington-redskins-consider-placing-franchise-tag-kirk-cousins" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">feel for Kirk Cousins</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who couldn’t manage to pry a long-term deal out of them the last couple of seasons.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t want to end on a down-note, but it just struck me that we’ve probably truly seen the last Jay Cutler interception and the last Jay Cutler sack. This year was just a small bonus, a short reprieve that we all enjoyed immensely. We'll always have Jay Cutler in the Wildcat:</span></li>
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Cutler really selling his role in the Wildcat at the bottom of the screen <a href="https://t.co/WgHxXvxlHL">pic.twitter.com/WgHxXvxlHL</a></div>
— Mike Tunison (@xmasape) <a href="https://twitter.com/xmasape/status/914486718815928320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And the most disinterested introductory press conference ever:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One more time, everybody; say it with me: Jay! Cutler! Sucks!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">See you and Aaron Rodgers’ shiny, strong, healthy collarbone next season!! </span></li>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-11200679382745745442018-01-22T22:26:00.002-06:002018-01-22T22:33:02.026-06:00The Uber-Lame Conference Championship Round that No One Cares About<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Uggggghhhhh everything about this weekend was terrible! </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The awful, stupid, annoying, obnoxious New England Patriots are going to Super Bowl for the eighth time in Tom Brady’s 16 seasons as a starter. A 50% Super Bowl rate?? Come on.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Jacksonville Jaguars jumped out to an early and were up by 10 when New England came storming back. As always, the Patriots’ got a little <a href="https://twitter.com/OurStateCSU/status/955215619909193729" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">help from the officials</span></a> (she said bitterly). </span>Tell me more about how an offensive play can give a forearm to the head of the defender and it’s defensive pass interference.</li>
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This coverage was so dominant that they basically threw a pity flag for Cooks. Crushed off the field <a href="https://t.co/SC3PbW3hco">pic.twitter.com/SC3PbW3hco</a></div>
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) <a href="https://twitter.com/PFF_Sam/status/955188757753421824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite what Patriot fans and lazy sportswriters thinks, no human person “counted out” the Patriots after the first half. No one. Everyone knew they'd make it competitive. Don't try to play the “nobody believed in us” card while simultaneously crowing about all your records. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I haven’t watched the Jaguars much this season, but every time I have, Myles Jack is doing something amazing. This strip/fumble recovery is incredible -- all in one smooth move. (I was </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">so</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> mad that Jacksonville didn’t score any points off this play.) </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And when I say they didn’t score any points off of this, I mean that they ended up punting on their following drive. I’m not even addressing the fact that Jack doesn’t appear to have been <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/01/22/jaguars-myles-jack-fumble-return-afc-championship" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">touched after recovering the fumble</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and had a clear path to the endzone, but the refs blew the play dead.</span></span></li>
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Good thing Telvin Smith (#50) wasn’t at all held on that game winning play by the Patriots....<br />
Only 1 penalty called on them all game. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JAXvsNE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JAXvsNE</a> <a href="https://t.co/ybNHNmwUOl">pic.twitter.com/ybNHNmwUOl</a></div>
— Melina Myers (@melinasphotos) <a href="https://twitter.com/melinasphotos/status/955215389289582592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But ho-hum, whatever. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s painful for me to talk about the absolutely gorgeous defensive play that all but sealed the victory for New England. Corner Stephon Gilmore laid out (up?) to break up the Jaguars’ fourth-down prayer, but one can’t help but admire the beauty of the play.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, look, Tom Brady is concerned with <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22172802/tom-brady-new-england-patriots-was-worried-hand-injury" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">appearing arrogant</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. How cute. Brady said he wouldn’t complain about his hand pain during the game because he didn’t want to sound arrogant saying he was injured when he still had “a pretty good game.”</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bill Belichick, always so classy. Here’s him casually tossing aside his AFC Championship trophy. “Eh, another one of these dumb things?”</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One corollary annoyance every time the Patriots win are the annoying talking heads who trot out the tired “See? Experience matters!!!!” line as if Tom Brady’s success is predicated on his experience (ya know, the guy who went to the Super Bowl three of his first four years playing?). It's not experience; it's just stupid Tom Brady.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, normally people talking about commercials that play during big football games really annoys me, but this Taco Bell fake conspiracy action movie trailer is a pretty spot-on parody.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I cannot<i> believe</i> the Minnesota Vikings went 55 minutes without scoring in the booty-whipping they received from the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the season’s worst performance by far for one of the top defenses in the league. The gave up more points than they have all season; they gave up more yards than they have all season; and after setting a league record of holding opponents to a 25% third-down conversion rate (!) during the season, they allowed Philly to convert 71% of their third downs!! What happened??</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was seriously stunned at the 38-7 outcome. It got out of hand quick. Honestly, the most interesting part of the game after the first quarter was watching Carson Wentz on the sidelines (as above). His swagger might even compete with the <a href="https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--QgOOxs3W--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/198af2kcuq5fwgif.gif" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pete Carroll robber baron</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> strut because Wentz </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">actually had a real cane</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m positively despondent because I can’t have the insufferable, cheating New England Patriots win their 54th Super Bowl. I just can’t. And hey, crazy things have been happening this postseason, but I really can’t work up a lot of optimism. I don't want to have to trust in Nick Foles! He doesn't even look like a quarterback.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gah! He’s somehow even less convincing *in* uniform.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don't have anything against Philly except their fans, city, and team, but it's hard to feel anything for the Eagles this year. I guess I like <a href="https://twitter.com/GeoffMosherNFL/status/955286792755924992/video/1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zach Ertz</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and his </span><a href="https://twitter.com/sportingnews/status/955282304238223360" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">superstar US Women’s Soccer wife</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And I mean, I gueeeeess Foles being the starter in Philadelphia for three years, then getting traded, then coming back and leading them to the Super Bowl is mildly interesting. But that’s all I got for trying to force myself to care about the Eagles.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's a lot of emotions for the poor Vikings in the last seven days. And now they get to welcome the Eagles and Patriots to their city to watch them play the Super Bowl in their stadium. But hey, they’re the Vikings, so it’s still a little bit funny.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Remember our old pal James Jones? I always did like him.</span></li>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9M2vHpH6ti0/Wma1xtUBgEI/AAAAAAAAEEY/e6Vc2EjGDVkdu-XxOoVjHUV8nfGej5SzwCLcBGAs/s1600/JJ3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="615" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9M2vHpH6ti0/Wma1xtUBgEI/AAAAAAAAEEY/e6Vc2EjGDVkdu-XxOoVjHUV8nfGej5SzwCLcBGAs/s1600/JJ3.PNG" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">James was also <a href="https://twitter.com/nfl/status/954779775914074113" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">laying it down on Tony Romo</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, whom he picked as his “Comeback Player of the Year” because Tony went to the NFC Championship on Sunday for the first time in his career. Brutal.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Don’t worry, everybody, I’ll watch the dreadful Pro Bowl activities and NFL Honors show so you don’t have to.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This Super Bowl is going to be so lame. Do you know who would make it so much better?</span></li>
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<img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/09-September/temp170924-packers-bengals-2-siegle-004--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="266" width="400" /></div>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-82473957178475590682018-01-16T08:57:00.004-06:002018-01-16T09:07:40.268-06:00Divisional Round<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Atlanta Falcons, in the most predictable event of the season, underperformed when it mattered. They were terribly disappointing in their 15-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. You have Julio Jones, Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman, Mohamed Sanu, et al. -- how do you only score 10 points?!? </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In Atlanta’s defense, the Eagles seemed to have some mysterious force at work for them that turned sure interceptions into catches.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">WHY won't I learn? What is it about the Falcons that I can't accept? THEY'RE NOT PLAYOFF MATERIAL. Every year, I swear I won't fall for their regular season mirage, but I always do! </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This year is the last year I ever put any faith in Atlanta in the postseason. I'm done with them forever. For real this time. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I thought after their humiliation in the Super Bowl last year, the Falcons would be zeroed in on redemption, like when the San Antonio Spurs got their hearts broken in the 2013 NBA Finals and stewed on it all through 2014 to come back and dominate the rematch for the championship. But they didn't. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The field conditions in Philly looked absolutely dreadful. The poor Falcons were slipping all over the place.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you want to make an Atlanta fan cry, here's how close the Falcons were to winning the game on their last play. </span></li>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lzwcCIdyW_c/Wl13T5tx3lI/AAAAAAAAEDA/SNwFtLgpvaMLuO3J9i0yQeh1xAf7NHC9gCLcBGAs/s1600/Atl.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="614" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lzwcCIdyW_c/Wl13T5tx3lI/AAAAAAAAEDA/SNwFtLgpvaMLuO3J9i0yQeh1xAf7NHC9gCLcBGAs/s400/Atl.PNG" width="342" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Look, the New England Patriots were going to beat the Tennessee Titans. We all knew it. They didn't need help from the refs … but they got it anyway. Why is it that controversial calls always, always, always break in New England's favor? Here's an atrocious offensive pass interference on the Titans that forced them to punt, even though the Titans player is clearly within the five yards of the line of scrimmage where interference is allowed. New England scored on the following drive to take a 14-7 lead. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A few drives later, the Patriots false started on a 4th-and-5 punt. One official originally called it a false start, but another overruled him and called it defensive encroachment. Instead of punting, New England got a fresh set of downs and scored on the drive to increase their lead to 21-7.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And THEN, down 21-7, Tennessee has to go for it on fourth-and-1. The Titans had a terrible play call and were stopped, but should have been given an automatic first down for this face mask penalty. But no. Because Patriots.</span></li>
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
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The Patriots and the refs lead the Titans 21-7 at half. <a href="https://t.co/Z298Yho34b">pic.twitter.com/Z298Yho34b</a></div>
— Mike Ortiz Jr. (@OrtizDYST) <a href="https://twitter.com/OrtizDYST/status/952375059418615808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If those calls get called correctly, it might have been 14-10 or 14-14 at halftime instead of 21-7. New England probably would have still won, but it would have been nice (and actually entertaining) to see how that game would have played out. Harumph.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jacksonville coming out of Pittsburgh alive was the biggest surprise of the weekend. It sounds cliched, but it really does seem like this was a trap game for the Steelers, despite the Jaguars beating them 30-9 earlier in the season. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin, running back Le’Veon Bell, and safety Mike Mitchell all <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/jalen-ramsey-wondered-why-steelers-234019780.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">referenced their presumed rematch with New England</span></a> in the AFC Championship Game ... before they even made it there. Even Steelers offensive lineman David DeCastro called the pre-game talk <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2018/01/14/Steelers-talked-a-good-game-did-not-play-one-Jaguars-Mike-Tomlin-Ben-Roethlisberger-Le-Veon-Bell-Antonio-Brown-David-DeCastro-Blake-Bortles/stories/201801140212" target="_blank">"stupid" and "embarrassing."</a></span></span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="225" src="https://cdn-s3.si.com/s3fs-public/2017/08/17/leveon-bell-report-camp.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note to self: save the trash talking for your current opponent next time.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of these quarterbacks won the game, and it’s not the one with five touchdown passes.</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PTF8n32o1jw/Wl14BKjrN2I/AAAAAAAAEDM/A8FU7WxoJ4UT_ueKTUZG7I5v--CR3wxeQCLcBGAs/s1600/BR2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="452" height="52" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PTF8n32o1jw/Wl14BKjrN2I/AAAAAAAAEDM/A8FU7WxoJ4UT_ueKTUZG7I5v--CR3wxeQCLcBGAs/s400/BR2.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Myles Jack -- who is a linebacker!! -- had one of the prettiest interceptions I’ve seen in a while. Jacksonville's offense outside of Leonard Fournette is suspect, but their defense is formidable. </span></b></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite Jacksonville’s 21-0 early lead, the Steelers didn’t give up. They clawed their way back and put on a pretty spectacular performance outside of the first quarter. I hated the Pittsburgh call to go for it on 4th-and-5 early in the fourth quarter … until Antonio Brown caught this touchdown! What a throw! What a catch! </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were some inexplicable calls by the Steelers, especially going for the onside kick late in the game. WHY do you go for the onside when you have 2:18 left, two timeouts, and the two minute warning, and you’re only down by seven, and you’re facing a Blake Bortles-led offense?? On top of that, it was a pitiful attempt that only went about six yards. Terrible decision.</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is absolutely wild. Jacksonville defensive end Calais Campbell actually called the 45-42 final score last week!! </span></li>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Nobody saw a 45-42 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jaguars?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jaguars</a> win over the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Steelers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Steelers</a>. Nobody ... except Calais Campbell, who reminded me what he told me after last week’s game. This is so weird <a href="https://twitter.com/Campbell93?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Campbell93</a> <a href="https://t.co/QifCN5AuSc">pic.twitter.com/QifCN5AuSc</a></div>
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/952673568856399872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The announcers kept saying things like “Jacksonville not going away,” and “Jacksonville’s hanging around.” It’s kinda sad but also funny talking about a team that way when they led the entire game. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So Jacksonville was <i>very</i> affronted by the Steelers' Patriots talk and understandably so. After the game, the Jaguars were gloating and talking trash about Steelers and crowing about disrespect and so forth. And then....</span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ec_b3IUBozw/Wl14TmKNQUI/AAAAAAAAEDQ/mJHUbBSi2agnrRgTyY3PlX0ctl0uFFQIACLcBGAs/s1600/JR.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="621" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ec_b3IUBozw/Wl14TmKNQUI/AAAAAAAAEDQ/mJHUbBSi2agnrRgTyY3PlX0ctl0uFFQIACLcBGAs/s400/JR.PNG" width="352" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Maybe don't do what the Steelers <i>just</i> did to you</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">.</span></td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alright, so we’re going to have to cheer for the Jacksonville Jaguars against the New England Patriots next week. It could happen. Crazy things happen in this world. Anything’s possible. Any given Sunday. We just have to believe, no matter what all logic and experience tells us. Sigh. I guess I better climb aboard the Blake Bortles train.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yay. Let's go, Blake.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, so that Minnesota Vikings-New Orleans Saints game. Wow. And I thought Willie Snead <a href="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000906675/Saints-trick-play-comes-up-short-as-Snead-misses-Kamara-on-double-pass" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">missing a wide open Alvin Kamara</span></a> for a touchdown was going to be New Orleans' most heartbreaking moment of the game. But no.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.250%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/xv9an/mhqyuf" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What a crazy ending! With 25 seconds, one timeout, and down two points, it seemed like the Vikings would need a miracle just to get a chance at a long, last-second field goal. They got their miracle and ended up with a walk-off winning touchdown. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was kinda adorable watching the faces of all the Vikings. They’re all so conditioned to disappointment that none of them can quite believe that they actually won. Case Keenum and Stefon Diggs were so cute in the locker room: “Hey, I don’t know what happened!” “I don’t know what happened either!’</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
"I don't know what happened either!"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BringItHome?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BringItHome</a> <a href="https://t.co/KMoCKGJfz3">pic.twitter.com/KMoCKGJfz3</a></div>
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) <a href="https://twitter.com/Vikings/status/952717567898148866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As with all epic sports moments, you should listen to the <a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/01/stefon-diggs-marcus-williams-minnesota-vikings-new-orleans-saints-nfl-playoffs-game-winning-play-radio-call" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">local radio call</span></a>. To quantify how unlikely that ending was, MInnesota's win percentage with 10 seconds left was 2.6%!</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love how Vikings teammate Jarius Wright, in all the mayhem,<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22102295" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">thought to go get the winning game ball</span></a> </span>for Diggs.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I feel just terrible for Marcus Williams, the rookie safety whose whiffed tackle gave Minnesota the game, but the Saints wouldn’t have even been in the game at the end without Williams’ third-quarter interception. Luckily most people are being nice to him, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">like <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottWalker6/status/953031494980775936" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">two little girls who wrote him letters</span></a> and went to the Saints' facility the next day to drop them off.</span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_tXHvcerOZE/Wl140C9zHdI/AAAAAAAAEDc/YktEXernuyMpVeQSTdGWl0YyF92RRLp9QCLcBGAs/s1600/NO.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="581" height="345" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_tXHvcerOZE/Wl140C9zHdI/AAAAAAAAEDc/YktEXernuyMpVeQSTdGWl0YyF92RRLp9QCLcBGAs/s400/NO.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the fans who greeted the Saints at the <br />
airport in the middle of the night.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">According to the Saints’ punter, it sounds like Drew Brees <a href="https://twitter.com/thomasmorstead/status/952965791724470272" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">flew several of his teammates' families</span></a> up to Minnesota so they could be at the game, which is super cool of him.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JcuZFckyj5Y/Wl1490qTI6I/AAAAAAAAEDg/0USHn54HNpYMbbYTHgc53kgEfTnji1WlwCLcBGAs/s1600/DB.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="997" height="261" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JcuZFckyj5Y/Wl1490qTI6I/AAAAAAAAEDg/0USHn54HNpYMbbYTHgc53kgEfTnji1WlwCLcBGAs/s400/DB.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Flew" like paid for their flights, I'm assuming. I don't think<br />
he actually piloted them all himself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After his firing, my old-man crush Chuck Pagano took out a full-page ad in the local paper</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22096806/former-indianapolis-colts-coach-chuck-pagano-thanks-fans-newspaper-ad" target="_blank">thanking Indianapolis fans</a></span> for his six years there. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just a little reminder for Dallas Cowboys fans. I wouldn’t want them feeling left out this weekend.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Joe Buck looks <a href="https://fansided.com/2018/01/14/joe-buck-hair-twitter-reaction/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">more ridiculous</span></a> each week. Why is he bleaching his hair like a 1990s boy band member?</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTiDomLU0AAmrsi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just embrace it, dude, and go all grey.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Vikings will play the Philadelphia Eagles, and the two quarterbacks are former teammates with an odd history.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--JNDWLAFEaU/Wl17av3cnqI/AAAAAAAAED0/Qf1UZ1RyM-gm62dAnBkHUzfT6U5s0gbXwCLcBGAs/s1600/NFC%2BChamp.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="620" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--JNDWLAFEaU/Wl17av3cnqI/AAAAAAAAED0/Qf1UZ1RyM-gm62dAnBkHUzfT6U5s0gbXwCLcBGAs/s400/NFC%2BChamp.PNG" width="392" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, like all good Americans, I will be cheering for anyone but New England to win it all. Any of the other three teams would be A-okay by me. As far as my preference, I hate to say it, and I feel terribly guilty feeling this way, but … I think I like the Vikings the best. Ugh not only are they a despised division foe, but they’re also the team that took out poor Aaron Rodgers this season. I should hate them extra hard this year.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><img alt="The Force Awakens Traitor GIF by Star Wars" height="168" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/xTiIzuqnBznAiMPvws/giphy.gif" width="400" /></span></div>
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<br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once my Packers are back in their rightful place atop the NFC North, however, I’ll go back to despising the Vikings, I promise. </span></li>
</ul>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-53366077751429051142018-01-08T21:48:00.000-06:002018-01-08T22:05:22.031-06:00Wild Card Round<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for aaron rodgers" height="290" src="https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimedotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2015%2F11%2Faaron-rodgers-denounces-anti-islamic-remark.jpg&w=700&q=85" width="400" /></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ll dispense with my bitter grumblings about the Green Bay Packers not being in the playoffs, but just assume my attitude throughout this and all future 2017 playoffs posts.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If I was only going to watch one half of the a Kansas City Chiefs-Tennessee Titans game, I wish I would have chosen the second half. I turned it off at halftime, when the Chiefs held a 21-3 lead. But…</span></li>
</ul>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/omnisport/0/22/smith-alex-reid-andy-051717-getty-ftr_wuak19ob0wcw1kp0v2bewld1l.jpg?t=419440700&w=960&quality=70" height="225" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I will say that Chiefs fans have very good reason to be angry at the refs. It was a <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/controversial-officiating-mars-titans-chiefs-game-andy-reid-doesnt-want-to-talk-about-it/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">terribly officiated game</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and several big, game-changing calls went against Kansas City. Chief (heh) among the head-scratchers: the Chiefs sacked Titans’ quarterback Marcus Mariota while he was standing in the pocket, </span><a href="https://streamable.com/tgwe7" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">forced a fumble, and recovered</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -- but the refs blew the play dead because of “forward progress.” Huh??</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<img alt="Confused The Lion King GIF" height="224" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/zkSFsZpQMZuG4/giphy.gif" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, in the fourth quarter, the Titans were down 21-16 when they scored a touchdown, making it 21-22, and they went for two. The Chiefs again sacked Mariota, forced the fumble, recovered the ball, and returned it for their own two-point score!! Except that the refs CALLED <a href="https://www.clippituser.tv/c/xyvmrb" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">THE EXACT SAME THING</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, saying that Mariota’s “forward progress” was stopped. Oh, and like the previous call, it’s not reviewable (though far, far less egregious). So instead of 23-22 Chiefs, the game ended at 22-21 Titans. In both instances, the refs blowing the whistle too early took two legitimate fumbles away from the Chiefs. Normally with bad calls you say you don’t really know how the game would have turned out if if they had been called correctly, etc., but I think it’s pretty fair to say that the Chiefs definitely would have won if both -- or even one! -- of these calls have been correct. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Normally, I’d rub it in because the Chiefs are such an easy target, but I do actually feel bad for them because they got robbed, so I won’t. </span></li>
</ul>
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<img alt="Andy Luck GIF" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/KwOkABxGmOwlq/giphy.gif" /></div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I doubt Marcus Peters was feeling this way toward the refs by the end of the game.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="und">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FootballisFamily?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FootballisFamily</a> <a href="https://t.co/SLlLNDRsFb">pic.twitter.com/SLlLNDRsFb</a></div>
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) <a href="https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/949784691380383744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kansas City deserves some of the blame in that they gave Kareem Hunt, the league’s leading rusher on the season, only five carries the entire second half!!</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh well! One of the weirdest and coolest highlights from Tennessee’s comeback was Mariota’s touchdown throw to … himself. How weird is that?! (Interesting rule detail that I didn’t know before: the passer's <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/for-petes-sake/article193380959.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">"entire body"</span></a> has to be past the line of scrimmage for it to be an illegal forward pass, which is why Mariota's pass to himself counted.)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.250%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/nufxh/nkrdek" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With starting running back DeMarco Murray out with a knee injury, Titans’ backup Derek Henry did more than okay -- he rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown!</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Atlanta Falcons dispatched the young whippersnapper Los Angeles Rams 26-13. Julio Jones was just six yards shy of having a triple-digit receiving day. Did you know that his name is not Julio?? His name is actually Quintorris Lopez Jones. Huh. He’s a very good receiver, as you can see here when he catches Todd Gurley.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.094%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/89ntg/pvenaj" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Rams’ head coach Sean McVay once <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-sean-mcvay-atlanta-20180105-story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">beat out Calvin Freakin’ Johnson</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for the Georgia State Player of the Year. (He has the good grace to be embarrassed about it.) </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Atlanta running back Devonta Freeman really wanted this touchdown, but his offensive lineman Alex Mack wanted it more, and he made sure Freeman got in.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.285%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/21qun/kgzrgh" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<br /></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(I’m going to say something stupid: I think the Falcons are going to win the Super Bowl. Because I never learn.)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was really happy for the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars making the playoffs, but not so much when I had to watch a game that featured both of them. Jacksonville knocked out Buffalo 10-3, and the game wasn’t as interesting as the score makes it sound. </span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img height="320" src="https://i.giphy.com/media/OujS6Ni1ijOV2/giphy.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">I think I deserve credit for working a second <i>Gone with the Wind</i> gif<br />
into a football blog in the same season.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br />
<br /></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles had more rushing yards (88) than passing yards (87)!! IN A PLAYOFF GAME. </span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img height="218" src="https://elitedynastyblog.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/blake-bortles.jpg?w=570&h=312&crop=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">But, hey, he's making $19 million next year, so I guess the joke's on us.<br />
Or, more accurately, on the Jaguars.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also, have we discussed that there ain’t no way in hell this guy is 25 years old?</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><img src="https://www.famousbirthdays.com/faces/bortles-blake-image.jpg" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Listening to Tony Romo trying to be nice while watching Tyrod Taylor and Blake Bortles quarterbacking was probably the most entertaining part of the game. </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The single, lone highlight of the game came on Aaron Colvin’s interception. What concentration!</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.250%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/gl7gc/fnojfr" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I <span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> wanted the Cinderella story for the Bills, but maybe they can try again in another 17 years. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The New Orleans Saints won, but I am so wildly impressive with the Carolina Panthers’ defense holding them to just 41 yards rushing! (Sure, sure, the 376 passing yards by Drew Brees sorta offsets that, but still… they held a team that has Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram to 1.9 yards a carry.)</span></b></li>
</ul>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why wasn’t the late Carolina interception reviewed?? Aren’t all turnovers reviewed? Wasn’t that a big thing a few years ago when they said all scores and turnovers would be reviewed? I thought it was incomplete. The Saints, up 31-26, decided to go for it on 4th-and-2, and Drew Brees threw an interception. It would have been better for the Panthers if they had <i>not</i> intercepted, because it set them back about 16 yards from where they would have been if the Saints had turned the ball over on downs. BUT it looked to me like the Carolina player might not have had possession on the interception (it was ruled an interception and then a fumble), but who knows because <a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/01/nfl-playoffs-saints-panthers-referees-intentional-grounding" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">they didn't review it</span></a>!! No one know what the hell a catch is anymore, but the refs are definitely sure that's an interception?</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.250%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/8s4cf/ktkala" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The refs didn’t improve on the Panthers’ final drive, calling a controversial intentional grounding penalty when Cam Newton <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2018/1/7/16860412/3-mistakes-2-minutes-panthers-saints-cam-newton-devin-funchess-intentional-grounding" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">may or may not have been outside the pocket</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The call meant a 10-second runoff AND a loss of downs. Ouch. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am very bummed that Carolina’s exit means that I won’t get to watch dreamy Luke Kuechly until next season. I don’t know, Luke, maybe with your newfound free time we could, like, hang out or something?</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img height="293" src="https://i.giphy.com/media/dBNUTVNFyxb4A/giphy.webp" width="400" /></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #14171a; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not a great week for the NFL fans who have weak stomachs when it comes to watching men’s brains get churned into mush. Travis Kelce, Tyrod Taylor, and Cam Newton all took big, big hits (none dirty) that had them stumbling unawares on national television. Mercifully, neither Kelce nor Taylor was allowed back in the game. (Though Taylor’s injury came on the last Bills drive of the game, so who knows if they would have tried to get him back in.) Newton, however, <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21997149/carolina-panthers-facing-questions-quick-return-qb-cam-newton" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">conveniently "cleared"</span></a> the concussion protocol before the Panthers' next drive. Despite what the announcers tried to say, that wasn't an eye injury. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.250%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/lbpjg/ialatz" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Seattle recently was fined $100,000 for violating the concussion protocol. Cam Newton came back in, threw a touchdown, and brought the Panthers to within five seconds of winning a playoff game -- I’m sure Carolina would be more than happy to pay $100k for a postseason victory. You want teams to take care of their players, but the Newton situation is a perfect example of why they don’t. They wouldn’t have had a chance at the win with Derek Anderson. </span></li>
</ul>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t really have any feelings on Jon Gruden’s 10-year, $100 million coaching contract with the Raiders. I will say no other announcer would ever pull up a highlight clip on his cell phone and then hold the phone up to the camera, though, so I can appreciate his flair.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.250%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/xzppa/vdlayk" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My other thought is that, with Gruden gone, who could we get to take his place on the Monday Night Football broadcast????</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FfOmT4rfqks/WlQoYiex5mI/AAAAAAAAECg/pfvjVR79EgEoFW3i3fbYA8xYQkV_wznIQCLcBGAs/s1600/PSQ.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="619" height="125" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FfOmT4rfqks/WlQoYiex5mI/AAAAAAAAECg/pfvjVR79EgEoFW3i3fbYA8xYQkV_wznIQCLcBGAs/s400/PSQ.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are <a href="http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-press-release/article-1/Packers-name-Brian-Gutekunst-GM-promote-Russ-Ball/a01f5c83-530e-4d23-b689-420e2fad7fe8" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so many changes</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> going on with the Green Bay Packers, and I don’t know if I can handle it!! I like stability!! Ted Thompson has moved to an advising role, and they’ve promoted Director of Player Personnel Brian Gutekunst to GM and promoted Russ Ball to Executive Vice President/Director of Football Operations. We still need a DC though!</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Packers lost Senior Personnel Executive Alonzo Highsmith to the Cleveland Browns, where he’ll reunite with former Green Bay scouting director John Dorsey. Highsmith enjoys a respected reputation with both players and other NFL executives. He was viewed as one of the possible options to replace Ted Thompson as GM, but Highsmith <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21946516/alonzo-highsmith-join-cleveland-browns-vice-president-football-operations" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">apparently didn’t think that was likely</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, saying of Cleveland: “It feels good to go somewhere that you feel like you're trusted.”</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><img alt="Uh Oh Oops GIF" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/80TEu4wOBdPLG/giphy.gif" /></span></div>
<br />
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are a lot of shake-ups going on around the league. The Chicago Bears have <a href="http://bearswire.usatoday.com/2018/01/08/report-bears-expected-to-name-matt-nagy-new-head-coach/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hired the man </span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">behind that smoking Alex Smith offense in Kansas City, and the Detroit Lions beat out other teams to </span><a href="http://bearswire.usatoday.com/2018/01/07/lions-expected-to-hire-patriots-defensive-coordinator-matt-patricia-as-head-coach/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hire the defensive coordinator</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of a team known for having a dreadful defense. Thank God for the NFC North!</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8 new playoff teams usually would mean 'wow, there’s a lot of parity in the league!' But really it means, 'wow, a lot of stars got injured this year.'</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here's every team's </span><a href="https://twitter.com/McDonaldA12/status/949038942636204032" style="white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">playoff chances</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"> through the season. Hmm, what happened after Week 5 for the Packers??</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2aF9k3JaNso/WlQqSyswsTI/AAAAAAAAECk/oHfOkNmzEHgSlxQv73X7iRSnGqezqg2JACLcBGAs/s1600/Pack.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="507" height="220" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2aF9k3JaNso/WlQqSyswsTI/AAAAAAAAECk/oHfOkNmzEHgSlxQv73X7iRSnGqezqg2JACLcBGAs/s400/Pack.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This year, it’s Super Bowl LII, but I think we should call it Super Bowl Lil’ and see if it catches on. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I still haven’t decided which team to lend my considerable support to this postseason. Let’s roll through the remaining options:</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Minnesota Vikings </span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">FOR: The Super Bowl is being held in their hometown, which is pretty neat; they’re really, really talented. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AGAINST: It’s the Vikes, so lol obvs no.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Atlanta Falcons </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">FOR: I love Julio Jones; I like Matt Ryan, despite his weird ostrich neck; they’ve never won anything; people keeping on being mean to them about last year.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AGAINST: Are you kidding me? After what the way they choked last year? Hell no!</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Philadelphia Eagles</span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">FOR: Carson Wentz seems really great.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AGAINST: Carson Wentz will not be involved.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Tennessee Titans</span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">FOR: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you <span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">see</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Marcus Mariota’s adorable apology to the media because he was in a bad mood after losing?? Tennessee is a cool state, I imagine; Titans haven’t had anything nice happen to them in a while.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">AGAINST: They’re obviously going to lose at the first opportunity when the refs aren’t constantly screwing over their opponent.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Pittsburgh Steelers</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">FOR: My grandfather’s favorite team; Antonio Brown is really good; I’m becoming a JuJu Smith-Schuster fan; Le’Veon Bell is good; I trust them in playoff games.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AGAINST: I’ve always hated their colors -- who thought yellow and black would look good? The AFC North just kinda bothers me; I still haven’t quite gotten over the Ben Roethlisberger-being-a-rapist thing.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Jacksonville Jaguars</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">FOR: Aww, so happy for them! Glad they’re not a joke anymore; their defense is <span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">very </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">good and fun to watch; the half-matte helmets are cool and should become a thing.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AGAINST: They are still a joke with Bortles; Jalen Ramsey is as obnoxious as he is talented; their offense is honestly painful to watch.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">New Orleans Saints</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">FOR: Alvin Kamara + Mark Ingram.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AGAINST: I think the whole come-back-from-a-devastating-hurricane-to-win-the-Super-Bowl-and-everybody-loves-Drew-Brees Cinderella plot story has kind of played out; head coach Sean Payton seems like a real jerk. </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">New England Patriots</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">FOR: GTFO</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AGAINST: Literally every reason that exists in the universe.</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If we were to have a Super Bowl of Looking Good in Tuxedos, there would be a three-way tie.</span></li>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-16706721942522046802018-01-02T09:01:00.004-06:002018-01-02T09:03:56.363-06:00I Never Did Quite Make it to Acceptance<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://prod.images.lions.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/LIONS/assets/images/imported/DET/photos/clubimages/2017/12-December/tempDX2_0217--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="266" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If the Green Bay Packers had intentionally been losing in order to secure a better draft pick, I could have accepted the season. The part I’m having a problem with is that they’ve actually been <span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">trying</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to win. The Packers ended up with their first losing season since 2008 and were swept by the Detroit Lions for the first time in more than a quarter-century. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 35-11 game was not as close as the score indicates. A three-score game implies that the Packers had a remote chance of victory.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are a lot of frustrating players on the roster. Brett Hundley will have a beautiful throw (usually dropped by a receiver), and then follow it up with a ghastly interception or foolish fumble. Jamaal Williams is a good runner; not great at catching the ball. Trevor Davis is speedy returner, who makes absolutely terrible decisions every time -- if he reversed every single one of his decisions, he’d be pretty good</span>. </li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Green Bay Packers Football GIF by Fanatics" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/l3vRaJ7XK16kmqbEk/giphy.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Trevor Davis' face when he's 10 yards deep in the endzone and the coverage<br />
team is on top of him. "This would be a good time to make a run for it!"</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Honestly, no other team would ever keep Richard Rodgers on its roster. Who is our tight end coach? Why can none of our tight ends block?? </span></li>
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This is pathetic from Richard Rodgers. He has Harrison Smith by 30+ pounds and gets demolished to let Smith blow up the play. A TE blocking a safety shouldn't be a power mismatch for the offense. You see this <a href="https://twitter.com/BenFennell_NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BenFennell_NFL</a>?? <a href="https://t.co/aKzhzDHll8">pic.twitter.com/aKzhzDHll8</a></div>
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) <a href="https://twitter.com/Peter_Bukowski/status/946058499582291969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Good news for Jason Spriggs! The backup offensive lineman left last week’s game with what looked to be a very serious knee injury. Fortunately, he avoided an ACL tear. He did dislocate his kneecap (ow), which is a significant injury, but far better than an ACL injury. (I’m not sure this is good news for the <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Packers</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, however…)</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When a former offensive lineman is calling the game, you get an unusual amount of love for offensive line play. On Sunday, announcer Mark Schlereth couldn’t get enough of Green Bay left tackle David Bakhtiari, calling him the best pass protector in the league (rightly so) and saying he “dispensed justice all season long.”</span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/a7e6875271bebeb2829462d851c915f8f5c33cbe/c=62-0-2937-2162&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/2017/09/06/WIGroup/PackersNews/636403245600987013-10-GB-PACKERS-PRACTICE-JM-8204.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Put that on your resume.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m convinced that the Packers always overestimate their offensive talent because it’s going up against the Packers defense in practice, which would make anyone look like the Patriots. “Brett Hundley looks amazing in practice!!!”</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Defensive coordinator Dom Capers is out in Green Bay -- along with the defensive line and inside linebackers coaches -- much to the delight of fans who have been calling for Capers’ head for ages. I can’t say I’m sorry -- in the last two seasons, the Packers defense has been <a href="https://scout.com/nfl/packers/Article/Report-Patterns-of-Negativity-Could-Cost-Green-Bay-Packers-Defensive-Coordinator-Dom-Capers-112974781" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">30th in opponent completion percentage and 31st in quarterback rating</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I don’t think Capers has had a lot to work with, in the secondary especially, but the results have under him have been unacceptable. </span></span></li>
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This is a Dom Capers special. Seven guys in coverage. Two WRs on the route. Somehow BOTH of them are open and an entire back end is covering literally no one. Is 1 PM too early to start drinking?? <a href="https://t.co/QZPW4F088e">pic.twitter.com/QZPW4F088e</a></div>
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) <a href="https://twitter.com/Peter_Bukowski/status/946079842017120257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Enough with the “<a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/43051/jordy-nelson-no-longer-packers-best-perimeter-player-faces-uncertain-time" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jordy Nelson is no good anymore</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” hot takes. He obviously lost a step after tearing his ACL, but he still found a way to lead the league in touchdowns the next year. It’s not really fair to take his Brett Hundley-driven statistics as the measure of his play. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nelson, for his part, is very realistic and self-aware. He knows he’s not the same player he was before his knee injury, and he knows that there probably isn’t enough money to go around for him, Randall Cobb, and Davante Adams (who just signed a four-year, $58 million extension). <a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/sports/football/professional/packers-after-big-individual-dropoff-from-jordy-nelson-unsure-but/article_4fc6b01d-2731-5240-a8ab-baa5b44b1af3.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He understands that his role is changing</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as Adams becomes the number-one receiver. Said Nelson, “I have no problem with it. I’m happy for Davante. He’s put a lot of work in and grown so much ... I was in that same situation six years ago or whatever with Greg (Jennings) and Donald (Driver). So I’m not mad at all. I’m happy for him, I’m happy with the way he’s developed, I’m happy with the way he’s grown as a football player, as a person, everything.” You don’t hear a lot of professional athletes talk like that.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Green Bay Packers Football Post GIF" height="189" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/eRFnvAE5yZ55u/giphy.gif" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because Jordy's not like other athletes. </td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love how much <a href="http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-player-feature/article-1/Return-to-Green-Bay-has-been-special-for-Davon-House/4d0a6f71-a074-48a6-bf56-4ad18f715f61" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Davon House loves Green Bay</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. House had an injury-plagued season and is again facing free agency. When asked if he wishes he hadn’t played through some of those injuries, he responded, “Why not? Last year during this time, I was wishing I could be back here. Now that I’m here, I’m glad I played.” </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<img height="230" src="https://i2.wp.com/snotapwi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Davon-House.jpg?resize=638%2C368&ssl=1" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I really don't care about James Harrison <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21893214/multiple-pittsburgh-steelers-blast-james-harrison-forcing-exit" style="white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">signing with the Patriots</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> after being cut by the Steelers, but you just </span><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;">know</i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> New England and Pittsburgh are going to meet in the playoffs and there will be some BS, last-minute play by Harrison that will end up winning the game or some nonsense like that. Because it's the Patriots, and that's how it always works. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<li><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Twitter must think I like football players whose initialed first names end in J.</span></b></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="265" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ktYE_wXvWFce7nlfG31rngM7Tc7s1fV-M0EKb3eCq7lhTdJcQWvFhSFlDUKyMRM2dTC9jpkSm2ejL_lIu4v2vY7HYyIPwOg-_xMgAArOOd2iRY-LUFryRacWByFl6fjeWj9GL3kv" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="291" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do I talk about JJ Watt too much??</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Someone on Twitter threw out the idea that if a football player wins you your league, you should donate to one of their causes. With Todd Gurley’s last couple of weeks winning a lot of his owners their leagues, several of them did <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21906533/todd-gurley-los-angeles-rams-stoked-fantasy-winners-charitable-contributions" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">contribute to Shriners Hospital for Children</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in thanskgiving for Gurley’s blowing up the box score. Pretty cool! </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<li><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Philadelphia's punter forgot to take his warmup pants off.</span></b></li>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Boss.<a href="https://t.co/Bwsxg4LK4S">pic.twitter.com/Bwsxg4LK4S</a></div>
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewBrandt/status/947562826033491969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That was the highlight of the Eagles-Cowboys game. No, really.</span></li>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YU7ffCBOBRc/Wkua1dpcqrI/AAAAAAAAECM/M3AgfD_ngfoWgiKSMLIs4dHuPUPvLl7pQCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="611" height="373" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YU7ffCBOBRc/Wkua1dpcqrI/AAAAAAAAECM/M3AgfD_ngfoWgiKSMLIs4dHuPUPvLl7pQCLcBGAs/s400/Capture.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been in a giving mood. Defensive tackle Sealver Siliga was eating with friends late on Christmas Eve at an Applebee’s. Before paying, he asked the manager how many employees were still at the restaurant, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-tampa-bay-bucs-player-applebees-tip-christmas-eve-2017-12" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">left a $1,000 tip</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to be divided equally among all 10 employees there. Then, the offensive line -- apparently</span><a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/tampa-bay-buccaneers/post/_/id/19850/bucs-offensive-line-nixes-gift-exchange-treats-staffers-to-bonuses" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> sick of getting crappy presents from each other</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -- decided that instead of exchanging gifts, they’d pool their money and give it to the training, equipment, and cafeteria staff as Christmas bonuses. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I worry so much about Andrew Luck. It is <span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">NEVER</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a good sign when a player goes to Europe for treatments. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Someone should probably get the New York Giants locker room under control. Three defensive backs have been suspended this year, <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000899172/article/giants-suspend-cb-eli-apple-for-final-game-of-season" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">most recently first-round pick Eli Apple</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who apparently </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MikeGarafolo/status/946135800525279232" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">refused to take reps with the scout team</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Meanwhile, Apple’s veteran teammate is publicly </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21886809/new-york-giants-landon-collins-calls-teammate-eli-apple-cancer" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">calling him a “cancer.</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” Not a good look, guys. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn’t think the Cleveland Browns had a chance to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, but then the Steelers decided to rest all their starters and there was a glimmer of hope left!! Cleveland kept within striking distance the whole game and were down 28-24 when they got the ball back with 4:30 left. They picked up some big yards and ended up facing 3rd-and-6 at the Pittsburgh 31-yard line at the two-minute warning. They pick up four yards on the next play. It’s 4th-and-2, everything on the line. DeShone Kizer takes the snap, the Steelers pressure, looks like Kizer’s going to be sacked -- but wait! He escapes! He slides left, has a man opens he throws and --</span></li>
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Fitting end to the Browns season <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LOLBROWNS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LOLBROWNS</a> <a href="https://t.co/bAI5iHDzMf">pic.twitter.com/bAI5iHDzMf</a></div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=77421851854948675" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=77421851854948675" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=77421851854948675" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=77421851854948675" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>— gifdsports (@gifdsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/gifdsports/status/947573664412848129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, the poor Browns. What’s to be done about them? They were <span style="color: #14171a; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so</span><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> close to getting their first and only win of the season. How epic would it have been if they won their last game to avoid the ignominy of 0-16? And the poor receiver was inconsolable, as you can imagine. Here’s Kizer trying to comfort him.</span></span></li>
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<img height="224" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dQO0ySq2W-sGTo6me1AfymGcsq8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9955477/Screen_Shot_2017_12_31_at_3.05.56_PM__1_.png" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was uncomfortable having to depend on the Atlanta Falcons in order to bounce the evil Seattle Seahawks -- that’s never a position you want to be in. Fortunately, Atlanta handled the Panthers 22-10, which automatically knocked the Seahawks out of contention. It wasn’t necessary, but it was still a lot of fun to watch Seattle also lose to the Cardinals on a missed last-second field goal. Muahhahaha! This was the real celebration on new year's eve.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The most fun story of the day was the Buffalo Bills. They beat the Miami Dolphins, but needed the already-eliminated Cincinnati Bengals to beat the Baltimore Ravens, who were playing for a spot in the playoffs. Here’s the Buffalo locker room watching the end of the Bengals-Ravens game:</span></li>
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The Bills' locker room erupted when the Bengals scored to send them to the playoffs. (via <a href="https://twitter.com/buffalobills?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@buffalobills</a>) <a href="https://t.co/i4jhuVnJMI">pic.twitter.com/i4jhuVnJMI</a></div>
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/947863360527327232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Buffalo hadn’t made the playoffs in 17 years, the longest active drought in the league (yes, even the Browns have been to the playoffs more recently than the Bills). The Bills are thanking the Bengals by <a href="https://twitter.com/buffalobills/status/947647838741237760" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sending them buffalo wings</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and Bills fans have been </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21934928/buffalo-bills-fans-thank-andy-dalton-donations-charity" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">donating to Andy Dalton’s charity</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’ll have to trudge through the postseason without the Packers, which is a real downer. I feel <a href="http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Cobb-details-missed-opportunities-against-Lions/b5fdf2a4-59dc-4238-9791-d91c99222ad9" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as sad as Randall Cobb</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in his post-game interview. My solace comes from the fact that the Cowboys and Seahawks also are sitting on their couches. I’m now taking applications for which team to cheer for. I’m open to any team except for the Kansas City Chiefs, because they’re too boring, and the New England Patriots, for obvious reasons. </span></span></li>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-79422858409675870002017-12-26T10:31:00.004-06:002017-12-26T11:21:10.506-06:00Another Shutout<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<img height="266" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/388SSnYAX5AZfPd91z0bRADR7ZI=/0x0:4155x2663/1200x800/filters:focal(2378x860:3042x1524)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58098151/usa_today_10496568.0.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the second time this season, the Green Bay Packers were shut out at Lambeau Field, this time against the Minnesota Vikings. Ouch. That’s pretty embarrassing.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I thought Brett Hundley played much better than his putrid stat line -- 17-of-40 for 130 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions -- but he wasn’t getting help from anyone. They were without Davante Adams, who sat out the game with a concussion, and then lost Jordy Nelson (oh no!!!) to a shoulder injury and Aaron Jones to a knee injury during the game. Beyond the injuries, the Packers receivers kept on dropping great passes from Brett!! There had to be at least five or six big passes that hit the receivers in the hands that they just couldn’t hold on to. Poor Brett.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s hard to tell if Green Bay was just being cautious with injuries since the game was meaningless, but it felt like some sort of apocalyptic story where there’s only a few survivors left. (Though the scrappy bands of misfits in those stories usually have better outcomes than the Packers did on Saturday.) In addition to Adams, guard Jahri Evans, Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, and Damarious Randall were all inactive coming in. During the game, they lost not only Nelson and Jones, but also backup right tackle Jason Spriggs to a very serious knee injury (could cost him all of next year) and tight end Richard Rodgers. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Randall Cobb was pretty sad after the game, saying he “never felt more defeated, more embarrassed about a performance.”</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, Randall, you're not a loser! You're great!</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At one point in the game, left tackle David Bakhtiari allowed zero pressures on 20 passes against Everson Griffen, who’s pretty darn good. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apparently some teams in the league are trying to say that the Packers did not follow IR protocol with Aaron Rodgers and should now be <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21863467/teams-complain-nfl-green-bay-packers-violated-ir-rule-think-aaron-rodgers-released" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">forced to release Rodgers</span></a>. LOL okay.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What do I have to do to make McCarthy stop trying to use Cobb in the backfield? It’s a nice idea and all, but have they </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">ever</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> gained positive yardage on that? (Hint: no.)</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When Antonio Brown went down last week, he had more receiving yards than four teams’ receiving corps!</span></li>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kSs7PLRQgqs/WkJyx2gL_DI/AAAAAAAAEBw/WRfwUyzp5Z8pupNJfTrbLvL4mo3lXElNgCLcBGAs/s1600/AB.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="687" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kSs7PLRQgqs/WkJyx2gL_DI/AAAAAAAAEBw/WRfwUyzp5Z8pupNJfTrbLvL4mo3lXElNgCLcBGAs/s400/AB.PNG" width="328" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m sick of Tom Brady just being the go-to MVP leader when no one else is having a particularly marvelous season. Yes, I understand that Brady is in contention for being the best ever, but he and the Patriots are two last-minute mistakes away (Texans, Bucs) and two bullpoop calls away (Jets, Steelers) from being 8-7 instead of 12-3. Maybe it’s time for a non-QB MVP, eh?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A couple of weeks ago, after getting creamed by the Jaguars, Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was asked if he thought Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles had improved, and responded, “He’s trash.” (Rude!) Jacksonville fans took up a campaign to order trash cans online and send them to Clowney. In the spirit of the season, Clowney filled up the trash cans with toys and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/12/22/texans-jadeveon-clowney-uses-trash-cans-from-jaguars-fans-to-spread-holiday-cheer/?utm_term=.de6de1c92109" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">donated them</span></a> to a local shelter. </span></span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/files/2017/12/DRrh4BSXkAA5X5J.jpg&w=1484" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Touch<span style="color: #14171a; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">é</span></span> to everyone in<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">volved.</span></td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jimmy Garoppolo seems to be working out alright for the San Francisco 49ers. After winning just one of their first 11 games, they are now 4-0 with Jimmy at the helm. Before he came, they averaged 17 points per game; in the last four, they’re averaging 27.5 (that average is helped a lot by the 44 they hung on the Jaguars on Sunday).</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">People are understandably up in arms about the latest “what exactly is a catch” debate following an overturned Buffalo Bills touchdown in New England. (A controversial decision by the officials benefited the Patriots?? How strange.) The rule has survived a lot of offseason Competition Committee meetings, but it’s hard to see it at not being at least tweaked this year. The refs actually called the play correctly (a touchdown), but the review from New York overruled it, despite zero “clear and obvious” evidence to overturn. (I think it probably wasn’t a touchdown, but that was the call on the field and it should have stood.)</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are three Watt brothers in the NFL. They all went to Wisconsin, JJ plays for the Texans, TJ for the Steelers, and Derek for the Chargers. Their mom found a way to support them all with one very creative jersey.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Normally, the network pregame shows are just a bunch of incoherent buffoonery and 60-year-old men guffawing at things that even a five-year-old wouldn’t find funny, but the Fox referee parody of the famous <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7u6bMBlCXw" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Love Actually </i>scene</span></a> was hilarious!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(You can’t see it in that clip because it cuts away, but normally when it goes back to the guys in the studio, they're loyally guffawing over whatever sketch, but this time it was dead silent because none of them understood the reference, and Curt Menefee had to explain that it was a reference to a wildly popular romantic comedy</span>.)</li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Dallas Cowboys lost and were knocked out of playoff contention, which normally I would enjoy, except for 1) the loss was to the Seattle Seahawks and kept them in the playoff hunt; and 2) I was really hoping the Cowboys fans would spend another week reciting to themselves all the scenarios in which they could make the playoffs and would have their hopes dashed in a heartbreaking play in the final moments of Week 17. Alas, you can’t have everything. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s bizarre to win a game that keeps you in contention, with everything riding on the next week, and then go up to the losing coach in full view of cameras and tell him to <a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21868903/earl-thomas-urges-dallas-cowboys-come-get-seattle-seahawks-kick-curb" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">"come get me"</span></a> whenever you are a free agent. That's what Seattle safety Earl Thomas did. After the game, he confirmed that he was asking for Dallas to sign him when the time came, but he tried to spin it as 'I really want to be in Seattle, but whenever I'm not...' which did not make things better. This is weird, but if I were a teammate or coach, it would irritate me that he's not thinking about next week. Your playoff lives are in the balance! Why are you thinking about joining other teams when you are still trying to make the playoffs with your current one?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A blocked extra point returned for a two-point conversion!!! I LOVE that play!! The high five at the end is the cherry on top.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In case you hadn’t realized, the Cleveland Browns are <i>so </i>bad. They went into Sunday's game against the 4-10 Chicago Bears knowing that this was their last shot for a victory in the 2017 season. The Bears are terrible -- and the Browns didn't even compete! They lost 20-3. You couldn't even manage a touchdown in what is essentially your Super Bowl?</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, DeShone, the dream of 1-15 is now a distant memory.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why are the Detroit Lions so bad? They seem like they have so much talent, but they’ve again missed the playoffs and are 8-7. That record doesn’t sound terrible, but only one of the eight wins came against a team that is currently over .500. Their other wins were against: Arizona, New York Giants, Green Bay, Cleveland, Chicago (twice), and Tampa Bay. Why aren’t they better?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I get really mad at teams who put up poor performances when their seasons are on the line. The Lions were playing against the Bengals, whose season is long over and who were down several players to injury, too. When one team is trying to make the playoffs and the other team has nothing to play for, how do you not at least make it close? Nine penalties, Detroit?? Don’t you care? Don’t you care, Jim Caldwell?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The New Orleans Saints were playing bitter division rival Atlanta Falcons. How bitter, you ask? Bitter enough that they had the halftime performers spell out 28-3 on the field</span>. </li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Jaguars had a bit of an ugly scene on the sideline when two of their defensive players got it a fight. The real hero of this clip is the Gatorade dude. How does he stay so calm??</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You guys, I think I found it -- the worst officiating of the season. Apparently there’s a new rule designed to speed up kickoffs that says kickoffs can begin as soon as a play clock starts. (Play clock or "a" clock, I'm not sure, but the announcers talk about it in the second link below.) So the Tennessee Titans ran onto the field while the Los Angeles Rams were still milling about, kicked an onside kick, and recovered it. The referees threw a penalty flag. Then they said actually, there was no penalty, but there was a timeout called by the Rams before the kick. The Rams head coach was like, “Uhhh, I didn’t call a timeout, but…” So the refs came back on the field and said actually there was no timeout, but the ball had not been put "in play." <a href="https://streamable.com/jl6mo" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Here's</span></a> the actual onside kick. And <span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://streamable.com/ngumr" target="_blank">here's the refs obviously trying to explain away their bumbling errors</a>.</span> </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eww, the Houston Texans finished with 51 passing yards in their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The silver lining is that some of those yards came on this eye-popping DeAndre Hopkins catch. (Yes, there’s some offensive pass interference there; don’t care.)</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">One team has </span><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2750473-matt-millers-scouting-notebook-in-a-year-of-qbs-saquon-barkley-is-a-unicorn" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">25% of the ejections</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> this year. Guess which one. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We all want Seattle to miss the playoffs, but for that to happen, the wildly inconsistent Atlanta Falcons have to beat the Carolina Panthers next week. Carolina has already clinched a berth, but they’ll be playing for home-field advantage. Ugh, I hate having to depend on Atlanta. In the AFC, it’s the Tennessee Titans, California Chargers, and Buffalo Bills fighting for the two Wild Card spots. It all comes down to next week!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Merry Christmas!!</span></li>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-33081659389404072572017-12-18T23:36:00.003-06:002017-12-18T23:36:39.589-06:00So Much for the Playoffs<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/12-December/temp171217-packers-panthers-3-siegle-27--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="266" width="400" /></span></div>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a rough comeback for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay’s 31-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers. I would have been totally fine with the Packers losing, but did they have to cut the Panther’s lead to one score with three minutes left and then recover the onside kick before losing the game? That seemed unnecessarily cruel to fans.</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a wonder that Green Bay was even in it at the end, considering how their defense played, plus having four turnovers on the game. The Panthers had six first downs on the opening drive, during which Christian McCaffrey faced little-to-no resistance from the Packers defense.</span></span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Don't know when exactly in the game this picture was taken, but I know</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">that there's about a 0% chance that HaHa Clinton-Dix made the tackle.</span></td></tr>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were some offensive highlights, however, including this beautiful cutback by Green Eyes to get into the endzone.</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite the three interceptions, Rodgers looked pretty darn good, and it was a bittersweet reminder of what having a good quarterback feels like. </span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s a weird and ominous photo of Aaron Rodgers in the dark that fits my mood. </span></span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">This is from the actual game day photos on the Packers website...</span></td></tr>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What was that crap from Thomas Davis taking out Davante Adams following a Green Bay interception?? Davis is generally well respected and liked in the league, and he has offered an apology, but also said he wasn’t trying to hurt Adams. One might be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, except for the fact of his arms. Look at where his arms are on that hit. They are at his side -- he’s not trying to tackle him; he’s headbutting him. </span></span></li>
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<div style="font-weight: normal; height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.25%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/49zu3/gepme" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Davis was suspended for two games (could be reduced to one on appeal), but how was he not ejected from the game? His dirty and illegal hit knocked Adams out of the game, which had huge repercussions on the outcome -- Geronimo Allison isn’t in the game on that last possession with Adams healthy, and if Allison doesn’t fumble the ball, Packers still have a chance at forcing overtime. Who’s to say what would have happened, of course, but it seems grossly unfair that Davis gets to stay in the game and contribute for his team while the Packers are stuck with Geronimo Allison because of him. </span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the second time this season that an opponent has taken a dangerous, dangerous shot at Adams’ head. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No one can blame him for </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21805822/davante-adams-tweets-thomas-davis-was-head-hunting-blindside-hit-led-green-bay-packers-wide-receiver-concussion" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">being angry about it</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Having two concussions in a season is a big concern; the Packers should shut him down along with Rodgers. </span></span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, Jason Spriggs is back to being terrible. The right tackle allowed two sacks on Rodgers on a crucial fourth-down drive, including a fourth-down sack that gave Carolina the ball back. </span></span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">"Oops."</span></td></tr>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If Panther’ receiver Devin Funchess wants to grow his personal brand, he should have his own motto: “Bunches of Fun-chess.”</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Welp, the Green Bay Packers will not be in the playoffs for the first time in nine years. It’s going to be a very strange postseason without the Green and Gold. It’s very painful for me, as you can imagine, but it’s for the best. Now we can shut down Aaron Rodgers and just concentrate on our draft picks. </span></span></li>
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<img alt="Trying Not To Cry After The Final Rose GIF by The Bachelorette" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/3owypg8ChtMN4aJKyk/giphy.gif" /></div>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s Randall in a tux to soften the blow.</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Antonio Brown became the first receiver in history with five consecutive 100-catch seasons, on Sunday, but suffered a serious leg injury. His partially torn calf muscle sounds extremely painful, but experts whose calf muscles are currently intact assure us that he’ll be back for the postseason, no biggie. </span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How adorable is Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota? Here he is opening up his weekly media availability by apologizing to reporters for being short with them after last week’s game. </span></span></li>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en" style="font-weight: normal;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/Titans?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Titans</a> QB Marcus Mariota apologize to the media for being short with us after the game on Sunday <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/titanon2?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#titanon2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WKRN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WKRN</a> <a href="https://t.co/srz50v9V8E">pic.twitter.com/srz50v9V8E</a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">— Cal Baxter (@CalBaxter) <a href="https://twitter.com/CalBaxter/status/941114747583283200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2017</a></span></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was curious and had to look up just exactly what this </span><a href="http://www.titansonline.com/video/videos/Marcus-Mariota-I-Have-to-Play-Better/5a8f20bd-8d1e-476d-887a-225aa7290222" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“rude and inappropriate” interview</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> looked like. He was curt and said “pissed,” which is apparently what drew his mother’s ire.</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater played in a game for the first time in almost two calendar years. It was pretty cool to see how happy his teammates and the fans were to see him on the field. (It was also pretty funny and anti-climactic when he threw an interception on his first pass.) </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Welcome back, <a href="https://twitter.com/teddyb_h2o?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@teddyb_h2o</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SKOL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SKOL</a> <a href="https://t.co/SJQQuybmhk">pic.twitter.com/SJQQuybmhk</a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/942494686492557312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2017</a></span></blockquote>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last week, New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple was inactive for the game and ran afoul of league rules by tweeting from the bench. Okay, fine, that’s not smart, but it’s not egregious … until he </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2017/12/10/eli-apple-celebrates-giants-getting-torched/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">retweeted a highlight of the Dallas Cowboys</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Rod Smith (Apple’s college teammate) scoring the touchdown that sealed the Cowboys’ victory over the Giants. Why would you do that???</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That Pittsburgh-New England game ending was the biggest pile of horse manure I’ve ever seen. Don’t tell me Jesse James didn’t score. </span><span style="font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">The common take on this is that, while the rule is terrible, it was the right call, but I’m not convinced. THE BALL IS ALLOWED TO MOVE! The ball is allowed to move when it hits the ground as long as the receiver maintains control. The ball definitely moves, but I’m not sold James lost control and I certainly don’t think it was “clear and obvious” enough to overturn. </span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I should step up and be honest that I’m the reason that Pittsburgh touchdown was overturned. I jinxed the Steelers. I was watching their incredible last-minute comeback, and I started typing up my notes, revelling in the despised Patriots second consecutive loss, laughing joyously to myself at the thought of the faces of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and Rob Gronkowski. I shouldn’t have started celebrating until the clock was at zero. I should have known that the officials will do whatever is necessary to assist the Patriots to victory.</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Note to angry Twitter trolls: check your spelling first.</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I will actually somewhat defend the “process of the catch” rule. I think it can and should be tweaked (see option #1 here), but I also think people don’t necessarily understand the repercussions of just saying two-feet-plus-possession is a catch. My concern with that approach is that it’s going to highly, highly incentivize hitting a receiver as hard as is physically possible in order to force a fumble. How, for example, would you square that approach with the defenseless receiver possession? If a receiver goes up in the air for a catch, for example, what is the defense supposed to do? (Kind of how it is now, but the “process of the catch” at least gives the defender a tiny window to defend the catch.) I think changing the rule would lead to a lot more dangerous hits and injuries.</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One rule that NO ONE can possible defend is the weird fumble-out-of-the-endzone-and-apparently-that’s-a-turnover rule. That's what cost the Oakland Raiders the game against the Dallas Cowboys. The rule doesn’t make sense and no one likes it or understands it. The idea is to penalize the fumble so players can’t just lunge for the endzone without having to protect the ball (a team shouldn’t ever </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">benefit</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> from fumbling the ball, but the punishment is way out of proportion to the crime. As many people have proposed, instead of turning the ball over, it should be something like a 15-yard penalty (and the down would be lost), which is a significant penalty for fumbling, but not so outrageous as taking the ball away from the offense. (Even this fix I have a problem with. If the ball hits the pylon, why isn’t that a touchdown, play over??)</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Blake Bortles jokes just write themselves.</span></span></li>
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<blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" data-id="a/8L44H" lang="en" style="font-weight: normal;">
<a href="https://imgur.com/8L44H"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pl</span>ayoffs, lets go!</span></a></blockquote>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s untamed beast Ndamukong Suh jumping offsides and instead of stopping because it's a dead ball, plowing right on and punching Tyrod Taylor in the head.</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The California Chargers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 30-13. What did I tell you about believing in the Chargers??</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What in tarnation was going on with the Dallas Cowboys’ first-down measurement against the Oakland Raiders?? 4th-and-inches, Dak Prescott dove for the first down and he was really, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">really</span><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> close. The refs brought out the chains for measurement and even then, it was tough to tell. So ref Gene Steratore took out an index card to see if it could fit in between the ball and the chain. It did … and he signaled for first down.</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But, but, but -- there was obviously space there…? I don’t get it at all. Gene, can you explain?</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jason Garrett took the words right outta my mouth.</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(I actually think </span><a href="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000895006/Referee-uses-index-card-to-determine-if-Cowboys-reached-first-down-marker" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dak got the first</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the spot they gave him was a tiny bit short.)</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m actually very happy for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. They used to be a joke and now they’ve put together a very formidable team (at least a very formidable defense). </span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With the Cleveland Browns at 0-14, do we cheer for them to get a pity win? Or for the accomplishment of 0-16? If anyone could lose to them, it’s the Chicago Bears, so next Sunday’s their last chance. (They play the Steelers in Week 17, and that ain’t happening.) While I can appreciate the beauty and symmetry of 0-16, I really would like the Browns to have something positive happen to them this year. And I would like it to come at the expense of the Bears.</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rams running back Todd Gurley had three touchdowns … in the first half. They came against the Seattle Seahawks, which makes Gurley something of a national hero. Where shall we put the statue of him?</span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ooooh, drama in the Seahawks’ locker room! Safety Earl Thomas, who is out for the season, commented on teammate Bobby Wagner’s play on Sunday. Wagner was playing through a hamstring injury that was obviously hobbling him. When asked about the mounting injuries, Thomas commended Wagner’s toughness, but said he didn’t think Wagner should have been playing because he was so limited. Wagner then tweeted (and deleted): “E keep my name out yo mouth. Stop being jealous of other people success. I still hope you keep balling bro.” </span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Man, every team needs a little of what the Philadelphia Eagle special teams has. On Sunday against the Giants, Philly blocked a field goal, an extra point, </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a punt!! </span></span></li>
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<li style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that the Packers are out, I’m going to have to find some way to survive the rest of the season and the playoffs.</span></span></li>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-38683804116089386532017-12-11T22:10:00.004-06:002017-12-12T07:27:48.921-06:00We TRIED to Lose to Cleveland, but Just Couldn't<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Argghh! Winning games is stupid! Yes, Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback to ever play the game, but he is just one man! Even IF Rodgers is cleared to play next week and stays healthy for the rest of the season, there’s only so much he can do to carry a team that needed overtime to beat a team that was 1-30 coming into the game. One win in the last 31 games, and the Packers barely squeaked out the victory. Rodgers can’t tackle or defend for the defense. He can’t make the special teams better on coverage. If we need OT to beat the lowly Buccaneers and lowliest Browns, Rodgers isn’t going to be able to take us to the Super Bowl single-handedly. Why risk his health?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After scoring on the opening drive, the Packers gained 29 yards THE ENTIRE REST OF THE FIRST HALF OF A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL GAME.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To win against the Browns, Green Bay needed decisions like this from Cleveland’s DeShone Kizer:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And defense like this:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since the Packers seem determined to end up with a middling record and a middling draft pick, I can only pray that the tests on Rodgers’ collarbone indicate that he needs more time. I’m counting on those x-rays and scans!!</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ugh they're getting Aaron's hopes up!</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To fully understand how depressing Cleveland is, read this Bleacher Report article on the Browns’ never-ending QB carousel, aptly titled, “</span><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2747907-last-stop-to-nowhere-the-browns-infamous-qb-jersey-has-a-tale-to-tell" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last Stop to Nowhere.</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alright, alright, fine, grumble, grumble, I’ll stop. Now for the fun part: the (literal) walkoff win.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Davante Adams has had some really incredible plays this season, especially in supporting Brett Hundley. One touchdown to get them to overtime and another to win the game. The one at the end of regulation I especially liked because I love when teams are in an obvious spike-to-stop-the-clock situation, but run a play anyway. The previous play was originally ruled a touchdown, but was overturned on review as just short of the goal line. Since it was under two minutes and the Packers were out of timeouts, that required a 10-second runoff, and with a new set of downs, it seemed likely that the Pack was going to spike the ball, but ran this play instead. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Things were going my way when Trevor Davis struck. He has the speed, and Packers fans have been anxiously waiting for him to get things going more consistently, so (in spite of everything) it was fun to see him break off a 65-yard return with the game on the line. </span></li>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I always love hearing the “Go Pack Go” chants on the road. Listen to how <i>loud</i> the crowd is for Davis’ return!</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jamaal Williams had 118 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. He’s been pretty solid as a receiver, as well as a strong rusher. </span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="208" src="https://i.imgur.com/J0phIP1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make no apologies, Jamaal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Packers rarely, rarely engage in trickery, so it was a shock to see a fake punt on the opening drive! (Again, you shouldn’t need trick plays to beat the Browns, but whatever.) The Cleveland coach at the end seems to be cheering the Packers player on. I guess he was impressed, too.</span> </li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/aydou/vwwj" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Davon House came into the game with a serious shoulder injury and left with a more serious-looking back injury. I hope he’s okay!</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want you all to know how much I love Brett Hundley and how much I want him to do well -- I really do!! But he is not a good quarterback. His reads are slow; he stares down receivers; he doesn’t manage the pocket well (why won’t he ever step up in the pocket??); breaks the pocket too quickly; and, since he can’t throw on the run, his breaking the pocket just results in him running to the right sideline and throwing it away before he gets sacked, but still taking the hit.</span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="224" src="https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/r/2017/12/04/5c8dadf2-da72-4dce-9597-33d0694533f8/thumbnail/770x433/f7bf3337ff5cf180109a40b474bbbd41/brett-hundley-packers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like him too much to give up on him, but he's going to need<br />
to develop a little faster if he wants to stick around in the NFL. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Poor, poor Eagles. In the same game where they clinched their division, they lost the quarterback who got them there. On Sunday, Carson Wentz set the Eagles’ franchise record for most passing touchdowns in a season with 33 (and with three games remaining in the season), but tore his ACL in the third quarter. This not only ends his season, but could likely take a chunk out of his next season, too. I’m no Philly fan, but Wentz is hard not to like and this totally stinks.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Eagles-Rams game was apparently the first matchup from the top-two scoring offenses since 1970 or something. It did not disappoint. The teams combined for 78 points, five lead changes, and some fun highlights. My favorite of the game was this Alshon Jeffery fourth-down touchdown catch. </span></li>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aww, the Giants fans missed their Eli (why, I don’t know), and gave him a <a href="http://a.video.nfl.com/films/vodzilla/118099/Eli_Manning_gets_a_standing_ovation_befo-rrThSCzm-20171210_10244915_5000k.mp4" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">standing ovation</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on his first snap. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="238" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hMy5hK7lNBQ_4GUUiNZ9pxgYfXlxqj-LJ6akhRLPcdz699acROwz9StFUfgGKnqUN9F5ssJ1iQB9siYRaaA-F-I01I4w4AAAgmm7asxAG9C_v16P2cIYVQ0HJy4c3dxXkkr0lvjx" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="381" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Fantastic</i> job by whoever's in charge up putting up those stat graphics.</td></tr>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ummm Jay Cutler looked like Tom Brady and Tom Brady looked like Jay Cutler on Monday night. Cutler completed 66% of his passes for three touchdowns and no interceptions in Miami's 27-20 win over New England. Brady had one touchdown and two interceptions, and the Patriots were held without a third down conversion (0-for-11!) all night.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts played in an absolute blizzard. I just adore snow games, so we’re going to have a lot of clips from a game no one would care about otherwise, like this punt. Snow days must be fun for punters. (One thing I am very stuck on is <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">how</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the ref not wearing gloves??)</span></span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/11hat/mzwunv" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s the octogenarian kicker Adam Vinatieri missing a 33-yard field goal in the snow, which is important because…</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/rbcfe/ybfxxi" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...when Indianapolis scored with 1:16 left in the game, they elected to try for the two-point conversion and the win, surely in part because of the difficulties of kicking in the snow and Vinatieri’s earlier miss. They got the conversion -- but it was called back for offensive pass interference on the Colts. Because of the penalty, they had to kick the extra point from 43 yards. Out came Vinatieri again and:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Greatest extra point ever!!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The California Chargers have won their last four while averaging 33 points a game. They even have a good chance at winning the AFC West with the Kansas City Chiefs flailing and the Oakland Raiders below .500. And yet, it doesn’t matter. Because one thing I know that is even more true than the axiom that one should never believe in the Atlanta Falcons is that one should never, ever believe in the Chargers. They <span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">always</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> will let you down. Always.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week in The NFL Cares About Its Players, we have Houston QB Tom Savage concussed on the field after hitting his head on the ground and showing textbook symptoms that could <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/whats-excuse-failure-spot-concussion-texans-qb-tom-savage-000751954.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">only be from a concussion</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Good news, though! Turns out he was </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">totally</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> fine -- I mean, who hasn’t had the odd in-game seizure here and there?? -- and returned to the game just minutes later! He was pulled for good a drive later, but what’s the point of the NFL crowing about having </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/261317/how-is-the-nfl-concussion-protocol-supposed-to-work" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">independent neurologists</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on each game if they’re missing what everyone else watching on TV can clearly see?</span></span></li>
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This is "fencing response" which is when the arms are frozen in a certain position following a concussion, yet Tom Savage was put right back in the game. Disgusting. <a href="https://t.co/L2nH0dS4gt">pic.twitter.com/L2nH0dS4gt</a></div>
— Brody Logan (@BrodyLogan) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrodyLogan/status/940000373397446657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can’t say enough how much I hate the dirty, filthy, petty, execrable, ill-intentioned, opprobrious, sore-losing, unscrupulous, base, dishonorable, reprehensible Seattle Seahawks. Like clockwork, as soon as Jacksonville sealed the game, the Seahawks started taking cheap shots. Here’s Michael Bennett rolling into a Jaguars’ player’s knees -- and this is while Jacksonville is in victory formation.</span></li>
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Here's the video of Bennett diving into the centers legs. <a href="https://t.co/Hmx0gSew9S">pic.twitter.com/Hmx0gSew9S</a></div>
— The 617 Report (@617Report) <a href="https://twitter.com/617Report/status/940021220120190976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bennett got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and the Seahawks' Sheldon Richardson threw a punch and was ejected. On the next play -- another kneeldown from Jacksonville -- coach Pete Carroll received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and Quinton Jefferson was ejected. Seriously, what is wrong with the Seahawks?? What sort of tough guys <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronNagler/status/940053347008049157" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">habitually try to injure opponents</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as soon as they realize the game is lost?</span></span></li>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Things actually got worse off the field. As <span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jefferson was exiting the field after his ejection, a fan threw something at him (this was not the first time in the game that Jacksonville fans threw things at the Seahawks, which is a horrible thing to do, even to the Seahawks), and Jefferson tried to charge the stands.</span></span></li>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Seahawks' Quinton Jefferson tries to go into the stands after a fan throws something at him. <a href="https://t.co/ToFhVP6eYn">pic.twitter.com/ToFhVP6eYn</a></div>
— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) <a href="https://twitter.com/JordanHeckFF/status/940021752691920897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s kinda cute how Dallas Cowboys fans still think they’re going to make the playoffs. I keep hearing things like, “Once we get Zeke back….!!” and “We can definitely win out with Zeke…” Lolz. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The results of Aaron Rodgers’ scan are imminent, but I’m bracing myself. That guy is the best at everything he does; he probably is the best at healing too. =( Let’s summon up the strength to root for one more loss next week at Carolina.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If they win next week, I'll give up my campaign<br />
and go back to cheering for them.</td></tr>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-38318170352610886552017-12-04T21:03:00.002-06:002017-12-05T07:30:00.984-06:00 I Wish Green Bay Had Lost<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/12-December/temp171203-packers-buccaneers-6-siegle-093--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="263" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Look, I don't approve of tanking, and I really don't like cheering for tanking, but sometimes it must be done. The Green Bay Packers are not making the playoffs. That’s hard for me to write, but it’s the truth. The Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, and the Atlanta Falcons are currently jockeying for two Wild Card spots. The Packers are not better than two of those teams.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And even if the other teams all choked and Green Bay somehow managed to make the playoffs, so what? Do you think we’re going anywhere with our defense? There’s no saying that Aaron Rodgers will be able to come back this season -- he won’t get x-rays for at least another week. But even if he did, is it worth risking his health for this team?? No.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/12-December/temp171203-packers-buccaneers-3-siegle-24--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="284" width="400" /></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What makes it worse is that we play the Cleveland Browns next week. I don’t know if we could lose to them if we tried. (Though it’d be a nice early Christmas present to Cleveland to save them from a winless season.) Facing Tampa and Cleveland in back-to-back weeks as Aaron Rodgers is coming back to practice has been poor timing, as it’s whipped Green Bay fans into a frenzy of unrealistic fantasies. Really, all it is doing is costing us a better draft pick. We need that draft pick!!</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another reason I wish the Packers had lost Sunday’s game is that we super did not deserve to win that game. We were terrible. Green Bay had four three-and-outs on offense -- against a team that is 32nd in the league in third-down defense. Tampa Bay had 25 (!) first downs to Green Bay’s 16. Tampa Bay converted nine third downs to Green Bay’s five. Tampa Bay had 230 passing yards to Green Bay’s 77. Seventy-seven yards passing in an NFL game!</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for brett hundley" src="http://image.nola.com/home/nola-media/width620/img/saints_impact/photo/brett-hundley-298390efc95b6b26.jpg" height="258" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I say this as someone who loves Brett!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<ul>
<li><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, now that I’ve said my piece, we can focus on the more fun aspects of the game, like Dean Lowry’s fumble recovery and touchdown! Defensive lineman scoring is always fun! It’s adorable to see how excited their teammates are for them, too.</span></b></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kyle Fackrell had a non-blocked punt blocked punt. He got a piece of the punt, but the ball still made it to the line of scrimmage, which means it does not go into the box score as a block. Even without the stat, it was awesome!</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/bstg9/zlsybu" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The defense played well (sorta), and were able to get some pressure on Jameis Winston in a season where the Packers have struggled to generate any pass rush. Green Bay hit home on seven sacks, including 2.5 from Clay Matthews! They also recorded 13 QB hits, six tackles for loss, and a turnover. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jamaal Williams had another </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">great game. While I worry about his long-term durability, it’s nice to have a running back </span><a href="http://a.video.nfl.com/films/vodzilla/114905/Jamaal_Williams_with_a_Rushing_Touchdown-rzIwUBD0-20171203_110413849_5000k.mp4" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">who can contribute </span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">113 yards a game. He’s been great to have, especially to support Brett Hundley.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Kid has got some attitude <a href="https://t.co/ZOXQllXhkA">pic.twitter.com/ZOXQllXhkA</a></div>
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronNagler/status/937471087897726976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</ul>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The best part of the game was Aaron Jones. Jones missed the previous two games with a sprained MCL. He was active for the game, but wasn’t expected to play much and, in fact, didn’t play for all of regulation. He had precisely one carry, and it was a 20-yard run for the game-winning, walk-off touchdown. (Note the beautiful block by Jordy.)</span></li>
</ul>
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<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.250%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/3su96/iozhyf" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s Jones rocking a “</span><a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/260172/aaron-jones-earns-rehab-chain-joins-jamaal-williams-in-all-rookie-run-game" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rehab Chain”</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> after the game. (Jones is just </span><a href="http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Jones_says_that_Williams_wore_em_down/88a53868-60da-47ea-852d-1a0ee3d2175e" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so</span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> adorable</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">!)</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rg5Qe-hZxqWuAEuKx3ldT2vC6-XHBZEHaC-MFICfgQpiFVbqQGXOnG1fa6KYh1BPptuioom6v0hFgl83wdT2SjSKwHvHMW2fKZb1mB8mq5UwmIQ5KtPvqEM_wNMN9nFnqgLVC0ee" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="354" /></span></div>
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<li style="font-weight: 400; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So former Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings announced our game. Huh. Interesting. Okay. Jennings had this to say about Jordy Nelson early in the game: “He never got the adjustment, the play call, so he didn’t really know what to do there.” DON’T YOU <i>DARE</i> CALL OUT JORDY, YOU HAS-BEEN TRAITOR!!!</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ugh. My own personal animosity toward that nobody announcer aside, he and his announcing partner were not good. They made a number of mistakes, including saying Aaron Jones was inactive and that Ty Montgomery was “out for the game,” when Montgomery’s on IR. I also liked it when Jennings talked about how Davante Adams is so good that he reminds him of himself. </span></li>
</span></ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline;">I liked it when his partner talked about how Adams had said that there were no “divas” in the receiver room in Green Bay. Hmm, maybe Adams isn’t so much </span><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1731426-how-greg-jennings-tarnished-his-packers-legacy-and-became-the-nfls-newest-diva" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline;">like Jennings</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline;"> as Jennings thinks!</span></span></li>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Um, the Oakland Raiders might want to take their running back Jalen Richard off of returns. He fumbled THREE returns on Sunday, but fortunately for his job security, his team recovered each. </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rob “Yo Soy Fiesta” Gronkowski was in less than a party mood when he intentionally tried to hurt an opposing player. Buffalo Bills corner Tre’Davius White had been guarding Gronkowski, uh, quite closely, but no flag was thrown. When White, pulling and pushing, intercepted a pass intended for Gronk, Gronk responded by diving on White, who was faced down and out of bounds, well after the play. (White was evaluated for a concussion after the hit.) Gronk apologized after the game, but it was a day late and a dollar short, and the league suspended him anyway. La fiesta ha terminado.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So is Case Keenum … really, really good? Against the Atlanta Falcons, the Minnesota quarterback went 25-for-30, including 18-for-18 in second half!! It was the 10th victory for the stupid Vikings. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tarik Cohen’s return was really bad, then worse, then better, then OMG!!! That’s a 127-yard punt return for 61 yards.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara has more games averaging more than five yards rushing per carry than Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco has games averaging more than five yards per pass! Pee-yew!</span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="250" src="https://sports.cbsimg.net/images/blogs/joe-flacco-texans-headache.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the season, Kamara is averaging 7 yards/carry, while Joe is<br />
averaging 5.5 yards/pass.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gosh, Denver is so bad. What happened? Not having a quarterback will hurt your chances, sure, but what happened to their once-dominant defense? You can’t allow a Jay Cutler-led team to put up 35 points on you! After losing the the Miami Dolphins, the Broncos are now 3-9 and have lost eight straight. Ick. </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So Eli Manning got benched prior to Sunday’s game, and -- could it be?? -- I actually felt a little bad for him. It’s not as bad as it sounds. The Giants’ season is long gone, so it makes sense to shut down your starting quarterback. But many thought the move might signal that Manning has played his last game for New York. The salt in the wound is that the Giants are not playing their rookie quarterback -- which would be an understandable move to see what they have in him -- but are starting backup Geno Smith. If the rookie isn’t ready to start, why not keep playing Eli? What’s the point of moving to your second-string quarterback right now? </span></li>
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<img alt="Eli Manning GIF" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/WPmG1Dp6Agr7y/giphy.gif" /></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eli’s benching </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/sportsnation/story/_/id/21600194/nfl-community-reacts-news-new-york-giants-qb-eli-manning-benching?sf174639547=1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">did not go over well</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in the sports world. Nor did it stop the Giants’ free fall; they lost the Raiders. If it makes Manning feel better, his coach and GM are now out of jobs, as both were fired Monday</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Eli Manning GIF" height="400" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/YejqfqGPGzwsg/giphy.gif" width="360" /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, and now it’s reported that Eli will start next week. So the whole purpose of the last week appears to have been ruining Eli’s 210-consecutive-game starting streak. </span></li>
</ul>
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<img alt="Eli Manning GIF" height="225" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/bOik1FjY9QqRi/giphy.gif" width="400" /></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wait -- that Giants’ rookie quarterback is named David Webb … isn’t that Jason Bourne’s real name?!? (Ohh it’s </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Davis</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Webb. That’s okay, I’m still going to refer to him as Jason Bourne from now on.) </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” campaign is just another PR attempt to make us forget all the horrible things they do and represent … but I gotta say it’s working. I’ve really enjoyed reading about all the athletes’ different charitable work. So many of them have very moving personal connections to their causes. </span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="266" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DQIgAehW4AA8Sro.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Packers' corner Damarious Randall, who has dealt with a stutter for <br />
most of his life, was supporting an organization that support kids <br />
who stutter and helps them build confidence. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith tore his Achilles and is out for the season, which is sad. Coincidentally, his injury came the same week that the league announced a </span><a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/937681882875092992" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">four-game suspension</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for him for using PEDs. Am I the only one who thinks it’s unfair that he gets to serve his suspension while injured, when he couldn’t be playing anyway? This isn’t a big deal, but I’m just super vindictive and into punishment, so it bothers me!</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve watched this clip many, many times and still have no idea of what is happening or why.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/devj6/bzvsmg" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></b>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kickers don’t really get a lot of love in the league. They’re sorta tangential to their teams; no one really considers them athletes; when they make their kicks, people say they were just doing their jobs; when they miss kicks, everyone hates them; and if they struggle, teams don’t hesitate to bring in free agents. So it must feel really, really good to be in the limelight (the good kind) while single-footedly defeating your old team, as Robbie Gould did on Sunday. After playing for the Chicago Bears for 11 years, Gould, now with the San Francisco 49ers, went 5-for-5 on field goals, including the game-winner, to defeat the Bears 15-14. </span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nfl/players/full/9354.png&w=350&h=254" height="290" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Revenge of the nerd.</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want so much for Josh Gordon to do well. After something like five league suspensions (almost all for substance abuse), </span><a href="https://www.gq.com/story/josh-gordon-nfl-2017-interview" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the electric receiver is back</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. He estimates that he drank or used drugs before every professional game he played, but is hopefully getting his life back together. Everyone's rooting for him, not just as a player but as a person. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marcus Peters was displeased with the referees’ call on a play and decided to express his feelings by </span><a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/marcus-peters-throws-officials-flag-stands-walks-off-field-come-back-213327951.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">throwing the penalty flag into the stands</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I love how the ref stares him down and slowly tosses his hat to penalize Peters for unsportsmanlike conduct.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This one wasn't chucked by Marcus Peters, but watch out for flying flags!</span></li>
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Alex Mack got destroyed by a flag<a href="https://t.co/0VEa7FkhwX">pic.twitter.com/0VEa7FkhwX</a></div>
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLRT/status/937408973476630538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers can't play like grown-ups and keep <a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/260461/steelers-bengals-this-can-no-longer-be-afc-north-football" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">trying to kill each other</span></a>, maybe we need to put them in timeout and cancel their games for a year or two.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tiptoe catches are always cool, but this one is particularly impressive.</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/dh0ev/xhpzvu" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alvin Kamara is </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Saints/status/937435443880009728" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">too much fun</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Also, he’s super athletic and can pretty much fly. Look how little effort it takes for him to get into the stands! Gotta admit, that's higher than the endzone wall at Lambeau.</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/TemptingTerribleHuia" style="left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While I will personally be (gulp) cheering for the Packers to lose every single one of their remaining games, here is a cheat sheet for if you’re still holding out hope that they make the playoffs.</span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Here is the <a href="https://twitter.com/packers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@packers</a> most viable path to the playoffs. <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronNagler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AaronNagler</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/cheeseheadtv?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cheeseheadtv</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coreybehnke?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coreybehnke</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonjwilde?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jasonjwilde</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PGPackersNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PGPackersNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zwxjj5vQg9">pic.twitter.com/Zwxjj5vQg9</a></div>
— Tom McLaughlin (@talltomAZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/talltomAZ/status/937691741146120192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want so badly for you guys to be reunited ... but I don't.</td></tr>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-26893091520688884702017-11-27T21:21:00.001-06:002017-11-27T21:27:29.090-06:00And I Was So Close to Acceptance<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/11-November/temp171126-packers-steelers-2-siegle-142--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="266" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The truth is that I was totally ready for acceptance. I accepted that the Green Bay Packers were going to be slaughtered by Pittsburgh Steelers. I had come to terms with it. Because, really, at this point, there is not a single advantage to the Green Bay Packers winning another game this season. Every victory would only lower their draft pick. BUT THEN they had to go and put on the showing they did on Sunday night. To take one of the best teams in the league and go down to the wire! AND THEN LOSE! What are you doing to me?? They’re making me regress in my grieving process!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were so many good things happening in the game! Brett Hundley completed 65% of his passes for three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 134.3 passer rating. The defense forced three turnovers. That gorgeous last touchdown drive, including the ice-cold fourth-down conversion. Oh, the pain!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let’s talk about running back Jamaal Williams. With 39 seconds left, tie game, on second down, Williams picked up three yards, and then ran out of bounds, thus stopping the clock so that Pittsburgh didn’t have to take a timeout. When the Packers punted a couple of plays later, the Steelers had 17 seconds and two timeouts to work with, and they made it work. Jamaaaaal!</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I can’t lay the blame all on Jamaal. First of all, he contributed 135 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and he played great (almost) all game long. Plus, it’s not his fault that the Packers went three-and-out on that last drive when a single first down would have taken them to overtime. Hundley didn’t have time to tell Williams not to run out of bounds. On the previous play, the nefarious TJ Watt delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit on Hundley that went uncalled. The Packers should have been given 15 yards and a first down, but whatever. Because of the hit, coach Mike McCarthy was asking Hundley if he was alright and good-to-go. </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/42358/packers-say-helmet-to-helmet-hit-on-brett-hundley-ruined-last-drive" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This delayed the communication of the playcall</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and Green Bay had to hurry to the line, without Hundley being able to tell Williams to stay in bounds. I don’t know if the Packers would have survived overtime, but it would have been nice to have at least had the opportunity</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe one day Brett will get these calls. </td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All of this is moot anyway because of Antonio Frickin’ Brown. Can’t really do much about this nonsense.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/1b9am/jjgbjr" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's just run-of-the-mill stuff for this dude.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then the Steelers’ nobody kicker who missed an extra point decides to kick the longest field goal made at the hardest stadium for field goals. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Packers certainly looked improved, and I’m very happy for Brett. Buuut, do we </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">want</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the Packers to improve at this point?? I hate to say it, but isn’t the answer …. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">no</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">?</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Heartbreaking end to the Lions-Vikings game. Minnesota was up 30-23 when Detroit threw an interception on their own 16-yard line, effectively ending the game. Minnesota ran out the clock with a few run plays before attempting a 17-yard field goal …. which was BLOCKED and returned for a TOUCHDOWN!! OMG tie game, going to overtime!!!!!!!!!! Except … there was a penalty on the Lions on the return. Vikings keep the ball and kneel it out. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Latavius Murray is the tallest running back I’ve ever seen! He’s 6’3”!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Cleveland Browns, at 0-11, are the first team to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. So much for a run-the-table comeback.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Atlanta’s Mohamed Sanu is a very good receiver (as the Packers secondary can attest), but he’s also a very good quarterback, too. His career passer rating is perfect: 158.3.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was planning to sit down and watch the Eagles this week to see what all the hype is about. Philly looked amazing, but the problem is that it's hard to tell anything against the hapless Chicago Bears. They lost to the Packers, after all. At halftime, the Eagles were up 24-0 and Chicago had ZERO first downs! </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Carolina Panthers running back (#28) is very dedicated selling the fake on Cam Newton’s keeper. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stupid #98 cost the New York Jets a chance at a comeback. (It’s a former Packer!!) New York cut the lead to five with five minutes left. Carolina was trying to running the ball to play out the clock, forcing the Jets to use all their timeouts. New York’s defense did its job, stopping the Panthers on first and second downs, leading to 3rd-and-11, which resulted in an incompletion … but #98 couldn't help himself and hit Cam Newton late. Instead of punting, Carolina got a fresh set of downs and were able to kick a field goal with 21 seconds left to seal the game. SHAME!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t even know who Mr. Jones on the Buffalo Bills is, but he’s got some serious anti-gravity moves! </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Great game between Jacksonville and Arizona! Who would have thought that Blake Bortles vs. Blaine Gabbert would be so much fun?? It was boring 10-16 game in the second half with a stretch of six straight punts when things got exciting. Jacksonville returned a fumble for a touchdown to go up 17-16. Arizona responded on the next drive, and completed a two-point conversion. A 68-yard punt return set up Jacksonville’s touchdown on the next drive to tie everything up at 24 halfway through the fourth quarter. The teams traded interceptions on successive drives. Arizona went three-and-out, and then Jacksonville did the same. BUT, as so often happens, Jacksonville’s coach, with less than a minute left, foolishly decided to throw the ball on that drive. (Why do coaches always do this??) The incompletion stopped the clock, and when the Jaguars failed to convert on third down the next play, the Cardinals got the ball back with just 16 seconds left. It was enough time for a couple surprisingly impressive throws to put the Cardinals in field goal range, including the gorgeous catch from DJ Foster (see below). Then the ancient Phil Dawson pulled his creaky bones onto the field to kick a career-long, game-winning field goal. </span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
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Patriot legend, DJ Foster helped put the Cardinals in FG range for the game winner! 😤😤 <a href="https://t.co/qug1CV2yjA">pic.twitter.com/qug1CV2yjA</a></div>
— '03 Kliff Kingsbury (@fearthe_beard11) <a href="https://twitter.com/fearthe_beard11/status/934945684666458112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Invite the Philadelphia Eagles to your wedding. </span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/32t4r/axxisa" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I’ve mentioned, I like the team celebrations that have been happening this year with the relaxed celebration rules. You get more a lot more fun/silly/creative stuff than you do the stupid taunting and crotch-grabbing of individual celebrations that make old codgers like me grumble about the kids these days. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Julio Jones has had three 250-yard receiving games in his career!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No other receiver has every had more than one 250-yard game. </span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/ml2ru/zdsmyu" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's been a tough season, but watching the Dallas Cowboys implode has been a huge comfort in this trying time. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<ul><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Surely, the Cowboys defense was a comfort to Philip Rivers, as well. Rivers completed 82% of his passes for 434 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, no sacks, and a 149.1 passer rating against Dallas. </span></li>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="http://cbssports.com/images/blogs/rivers-face-jerry-preseason.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goodness gracious, there was yet another brawl this week, featuring </span><a href="http://oddsandendzones.blogspot.com/2017/01/nfc-north-champions-again.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">old friends</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Aqib Talib and Michael Crabtree. Both are loudmouth idiots, but Talib is a frequent offender as a dirty player so I’m going to blame mostly him. He couldn’t help himself from snatching Crabtree’s chain -- </span><a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/935295736991936512" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">again</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Both were rightly ejected, and then suspended for two games. Two games seems harsh, but considering the history between these two, it’s probably best to encourage them to use restraint in future meetings. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next week, the Packers face the 4-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and I'm so torn over whether I want them to win or not! I hate having to cheer for losses! I feel like a traitor. Maybe I can cheer for Jordy and Brett and all my faves to have good games, but for them to lose on a bad call or fluke play or something. An unhappy compromise, but it's the best I can do. </span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for jordy nelson" src="http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/sporting_news/9e/31/jordy-nelson-ftr_1radhip3izpae11qafcq96l5yg.jpg?t=549399094&w=960&quality=70" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a picture of Jordy so we can all end on a happier note.</td></tr>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-31006682326561340502017-11-20T20:43:00.002-06:002017-11-20T20:44:57.659-06:00Depression<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for brett hundley" src="http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/omnisport/78/4d/brett-hundley-110717-usnews-getty-ftr_16dytiampt61a1i6rmjpjt5ocv.jpg?t=-1800443969" height="225" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last week's win delayed the process a bit, but Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens was a pretty perfect representation of depression. The feeling of hopelessness. The sluggishness. The knowing that, even if the Green Bay Packers did manage to score or get a turnover or something, it wouldn’t really matter.</span> </li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.blackandgoldreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/CutlerStands.gif" height="196" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't find a Packers gif to adequately represent the situation, but there<br />
were <i>plenty</i> of Jay Cutler gifs, and I couldn't resist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is only by the grace of Joe Flacco that the Green Bay Packers weren’t defeated 40-0. The Packers defense only gave up 219 yards and still got killed! The offense, um, let’s charitably say </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">struggled</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Five turnovers (and should have been more). Six sacks. Zero points. Oof. </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Frustrated Clint Eastwood GIF" height="380" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/cQtlhD48EG0SY/giphy.gif" width="400" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, so I’ll be honest: not Brett Hundley’s best game. There were a lot of bad decisions and very ugly throws. There were the three interceptions. And the fumble. There was the 13.6 QBR. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The lurking depression really set in early on, then increased when Clay Matthews left with an injury. Then Kenny Clark left with an injury. Then backup right tackle Justin McCray left with an injury.</span></li>
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<img alt="Lonely Legally Blonde GIF" height="359" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/Dqyziru9dtHaw/giphy.gif" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I literally don’t have anything else to say about the game. There aren’t any offensive highlights because Green Bay DIDN’T SCORE ANY POINTS. </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s Richard Rodgers smiling his aggravating smile that literally never leaves his face ever.</span></li>
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<img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/11-November/temp171119-packers-ravens-1-siegle-18--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="266" width="400" /></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m sad about the Packers losing, but I’m irked by the announcers talking about the Ravens and Joe Flacco as if they played well. They gained fewer yards than the team with zero points! They would have been humiliated by any other team that didn’t turn the ball over five times! </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Poor Devante Mays. The Green Bay rookie running back got his first three NFL carries today … and fumbled two of them. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Packers fans, don’t say careless things like, “It can’t be any worse,” because I saw this picture and thought our third-string quarterback was a ball boy.</span></li>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xAuP00EiJl4/WhNtGW3qExI/AAAAAAAAEAc/xiv3pgsy3vcIqFedb9_NGWnYcmSTy2CwQCLcBGAs/s1600/JC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="960" height="273" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xAuP00EiJl4/WhNtGW3qExI/AAAAAAAAEAc/xiv3pgsy3vcIqFedb9_NGWnYcmSTy2CwQCLcBGAs/s400/JC.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hold up -- they put the jerseys on the pads before the players put the pads on?? I’m not sure how I feel about that. I feel deceived somehow.</span></li>
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<img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/11-November/temp171119-throwbacks-locker-bobber-30--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="267" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Antonio Brown helmet catch. Difficult and cool on its own, but to move the ball, one-handed, from your helmet to your body without losing control of it and protecting it in time before you hit the ground so you don’t lose it in “the process of the catch” must take a crazy amount of skill and body control. Utter madness!</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/5618r/tgjrdy" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">NFL wide receivers are getting too good! What used to be circus catches are now run-of-the-mill receptions. There were so many crazy catches in the Monday Night game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks, I couldn't even choose one to highlight. </span></li>
</ul>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jay Cutler had three interceptions in the first half before leaving the game with a concussion in the second half. Man, I wish he were still in the NFC North. </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Miami Dolphins Football GIF by NFL" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/26u4kGj1XFfiMRGJq/giphy.gif" /></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was an awkward week for the Buffalo Bills. The team benched starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor after two consecutive losses, which was a head-scratcher because he hasn’t been terrible, the team was 5-4, and the playoffs were still in reach. (That last part might have been the problem.) Rookie Nate Peterman took over on Sunday and … threw three interceptions in the first </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">quarter</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which is the same number of interceptions Taylor has had all season. He added two more in the second quarter and was finally pulled for Taylor at halftime. I don’t want to pile on the poor rookie who was put in a bad and unfair position, but he had six completions and five interceptions!! 45% of his completions were to the California Chargers defense! The good news is that the Bills seem to be under leadership: coach Sean McDermott stated that </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21475402/buffalo-bills-qb-nathan-peterman-throws-5-ints-first-half-vs-los-angeles-chargers" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he didn’t regret playing Peterman</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and that he would “evaluate” before naming a starter for next week. </span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="266" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3WGMps2fdx2tTCssqWsu_HZid6g=/0x0:4752x3168/1200x800/filters:focal(2009x945:2769x1705)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56147689/829632030.1502421617.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decisions like this might have something to do with Sunday's stat line.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I just said that I didn’t want to kick Peterman while he was down, but </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2017/11/19/10-depressing-stats-from-nathan-petermans-historically-bad-first-start/107858624/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">some of his numbers are truly incredible</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, such as the fact that on his dropbacks, he averaged -8.79 yards. He averaged almost </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">negative</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 10 yards when he dropped back!!</span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Peterman’s negative 8.79 yards per dropback is an insane figure <a href="https://t.co/GJZ3udHBBo">https://t.co/GJZ3udHBBo</a></div>
— Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/smartfootball/status/932417287533064192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ll never cheer outright for a team quarterbacked by Eli Manning, but it was fun to see the 1-8 Giants knock off the (yawn) 6-4 Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Eli Manning Dance GIF" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/3o6EhUb6dROA3QXmj6/giphy.gif" /><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that the Chiefs have dropped four of their last five games, can we all stop pretending that they’re a threat? It’s not that I don’t love Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill, but Alex Smith is still Alex Smith and let’s not forget it.</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh, man, Chicago Bears kicker Connor Barth really choked on Sunday. It’s a lot of pressure to line up for a 46-yard, potentially game-tying field goal with only three seconds left on the clock. There’s probably even more pressure when your counterpart on the other team has just kicked a 52-yarder, against the wind, to take the lead, as the Detroit Lions’ Matt Prater did. Not only did Barth lose the game by missing the kick, </span><a href="http://a.video.nfl.com/films/2016/NFL_COM/show/NFLCOM/REG/11/171119_bp_det_Chi_missed_GT_FG_1063359_3200k.mp4" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">it wasn’t even close</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. (And yes, he was cut the next day.) Normally this sort of heartbreak would bring me joy, but as the Bears have no chance to win the division (but probably still a better chance than Green Bay), I am forced to cheer not-against them in division games. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The LA Rams scored on their opening drive … and then never again. The score was actually 7-7 going into the fourth, but the Minnesota Vikings turned up the heat and ended up winning 24-7. Minnesota receiver Adam Thielen trails only Antonio Brown in receiving yards this season, and racked up another 123 on Sunday.</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wait, when did New Orleans become good again? After three straight seasons going 7-9 and missing the playoffs, the Saints are now 8-2 and atop the NFC South. They’ve got a tough schedule coming up, so we’ll see if they’re for real. </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">New Orleans scored 18 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game on the way to an overtime win against the Washington Redskins. Voodoo magic like this helped:</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/3vdgn/wvphdo" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">New Orleans running back Mark Ingram has eight touchdowns in his last five games. </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whew, Bengals corner Dre Kirkpatrick is very, very, </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">very</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> lucky that the Denver Broncos did not recover his fumble. Kirkpatrick intercepted the ball in the endzone, ran 100 yards, and then inexplicably fumbled the ball just outside the goal line. No one touched him or anything! Unfortunate that he ran 100 yards and somehow did not score a touchdown, but fortunately he recovered his own fumble and Cincinnati scored a few plays later.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/ubnq9/doslww" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tom Brady had fun in Mexico. It helped that the Oakland Raiders didn’t really bother to show up in the 33-8 Patriots victory.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="padding-bottom: 57%; position: relative;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/MisguidedJointAfricanelephant" style="left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There’s a wide receiver named Jeremy Sprinkle, and I’m jealous that he doesn’t play for Green Bay. </span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img src="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nfl/players/full/2980073.png&w=350&h=254" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">I'm jealous because of his name, not because he's<br />
good. I have no idea if he's any good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is fear the next step in grieving? Because I’m very scared of the 8-2 Steelers next week. They’re going to humiliate us in prime time and then do fun and creative celebrations. They are going to have a field day with our defense. And our offense. Our special teams, too. </span></li>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-76586366670151045242017-11-13T21:31:00.003-06:002017-11-13T21:37:02.079-06:00Finally, a Victory!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/11-November/temp171112-packers-bears-1-siegle-48--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="315" width="400" /></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whew! A win! Congratulations to Brett Hundley on his first NFL victory as a starter!! It was especially nice coming against the Chicago Bears. Hundley started slow, but by the fourth quarter, he was making quick, decisive throws, including this beauty to Davante Adams for the touchdown. Gorgeous. </span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/2nhhi/fmecpn" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">More bad news on the injury front. Starting rookie running back Aaron Jones sprained his MCL on the first drive and will be out 3-6 weeks. Before halftime, running back Ty Montgomery suffered a rib injury (what? A running back playing with multiple broken ribs is a bad idea??), leaving rookie Jamaal Williams as the only available running back. Williams looked good, but we’re going to need some help in the backfield. Hundley also tweaked his hamstring, so that could limit the running game even further. </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How cute is Brett??</span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
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What a time to be Alive 🤙🏾<br />
Great team win today! <a href="https://t.co/RAofKZzFjx">pic.twitter.com/RAofKZzFjx</a></div>
— Brett A. Hundley Jr (@bretthundley7) <a href="https://twitter.com/bretthundley7/status/929835025071296514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Packers definitely had some help from the Bears. Chicago committed eight turnovers (not including the ones that were declined) that cost them 78 yards. Thank you. Also, thank you to Bears coach John Fox for challenging that Bears runner Benny Cunningham had stepped out of bounds just short of the goal line. He actually won the challenge -- Cunningham did not step out of bounds -- but the replay showed that Cunningham had lost control of the ball before it hit the pylon, and a fumble in the endzone is a touchback, so instead of the Bears being 1st-and-goal on the one-yard line, the Packers got the ball at the 20. Hugely important play that helped shaped the game.</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/IdleGlaringAmericanlobster" style="left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The defense stepped up big. They held Chicago to 4-of-14 on third downs and sacked Mitchell Trubisky five times, with Nick Perry accounting for three of them!</span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.superiortelegram.com/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_620/public/field/image/2017-11-12T213415Z_1_MTZEDBCBQL3NY_RTRFIPP_800_FOOTBALL-NFL-CHI-GB.JPG?itok=y2PxgrkF" height="225" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not quite sure who was responsible for this one...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jordy’s such a </span><a href="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/11-November/temp171112-packers-bears-2-siegle-79--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">great blocker</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Look at him freeing up Ty Montgomery on his first-quarter touchdown run.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/td1on/hhvlgc" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Davante Adams has been big this year and deserves his props, which I haven’t always given him.</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lA2jgfLjjwk/WgpfIzkGd-I/AAAAAAAAEAA/3p7JEpumSqEbRJAApZR-bJFmIkPpSjj1gCLcBGAs/s1600/DA1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="923" height="151" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lA2jgfLjjwk/WgpfIzkGd-I/AAAAAAAAEAA/3p7JEpumSqEbRJAApZR-bJFmIkPpSjj1gCLcBGAs/s400/DA1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Field goal unit needs to get its act together. They missed </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>another</i> kick this week when the holder dropped the snap -- or maybe it was a bad snap, I'm not sure.</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I’m less inclined to pin the blame on Mason Crosby than I am the long snapper and/or punter/holder. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/11-November/temp171112-packers-bears-1-siegle-55--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="266" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, the punter just looks guilty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hey, thanks for your contribution to the team, Martellus Bennett! Glad we signed you instead of another tight end who knew how to catch passes. Don’t let the door hit you </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21342712/green-bay-packers-cut-te-martellus-bennett-failure-disclose-physical-condition-designation" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">on the way out</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Let’s recap: after Aaron Rodgers went down and the chances of the Packers winning the Super Bowl shrank rapidly, Bennett announced on Instagram that he would be retiring at the end of the season, no explanation. Then, for the first time in the season, he showed up with on the injury report with a shoulder injury and missed last week’s game against the Detroit Lions. The Packers cut him this week with a “failure to disclose physical condition” designation, which is an indication that they want their money back from this charlatan. Bennett then took to Instagram again and wrote a long screed </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2017/11/10/martellus-bennett-slams-packers-handling-injury-instagram/853284001/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">calling out the Packers’ medical staff</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and Dr. Pat McKenzie for knowing that he had a serious shoulder injury and pressuring him to play when he needed shoulder surgery.</span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Black Unicorn Seriously GIF by Martellus Bennett" height="225" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/xUOrwid8gXfmqe5qO4/giphy.gif" width="400" /></span></div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It took about five minutes for current and former Green Bay players -- from Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson to Jermichael Finley and many others -- to </span><a href="http://packerswire.usatoday.com/2017/11/10/current-and-former-packers-defend-dr-pat-mckenzie-on-social-media/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">come to Dr. McKenzie’s defense</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on social media. McKenzie and the Packers staff are known in the league for being extremely conservative with player injuries. What kind of jackass impugns a man’s professional reputation to the media when he knows that man can’t defend himself? Presumably, McKenzie isn’t allowed to discuss the details of Bennett’s injury situation, so he couldn’t dispute Bennett’s account, which is why it was nice that so many players defended the Pack’s medical staff.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="216" src="https://i.giphy.com/media/rkXNems5uxExG/giphy.webp" width="400" /></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Bennett wasn’t done being a @$$h*!e. When Bennett was cut, because he’s a veteran, teams have an opportunity to claim him on waivers. Bennett and his agent </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MarkDanielsPJ/status/929939338649001984" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">told teams not to claim him</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> because he was going to have surgery and retire. That is, until his former team, the New England Patriots, came calling. Suddenly, Marty’s shoulder was feeling a </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lot</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> better -- so much so that he played for the Patriots on Sunday night! What a miraculous recovery. I hope the league will seriously investigate Bennett telling teams he was getting surgery in order to avoid being claimed by a bad team. (When veterans are released, teams have the opportunity to claim them based on the team’s record, with the worst teams getting the first opportunity and the better teams at the end of the line.) That seems seriously shady to lie like that. Here’s what Mr. Rogers thinks of Martellus Bennett:</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Mr Rodgers GIF - Mr Rodgers GIFs" height="221" src="https://media1.tenor.com/images/542260eaf9b7864e10d5c830f500d29d/tenor.gif?itemid=5181006" width="400" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On Friday, wide receiver Maurice Harris was on the Washington Redskins’ practice squad. On Sunday he made this catch for his first career touchdown. Wowza.</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/jzrfe/bkyxut" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s our weekly video of Vontaze Burfict doing something dirty. He was </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21389147/vontaze-burfict-cincinnati-bengals-ejected-first-career" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ejected from Sunday’s game</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> against Tennessee (somehow the first ejection of his career!) for making contact with an official when he swiped away the ref’s arm. The cause for the ejection seemed rather minor, but I don’t really care because here he is stepping on a Titans’ player’s arm right before the ejection. Jerk.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Here's a great angle of the <a href="https://twitter.com/King55Tez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@King55Tez</a> ejection. You make the call. <a href="https://twitter.com/Local12?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Local12</a> <a href="https://t.co/jHnvhWEKp6">pic.twitter.com/jHnvhWEKp6</a></div>
— Jed DeMuesy (@Local12Jed) <a href="https://twitter.com/Local12Jed/status/929828664178610177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The team celebrations have been a lot of fun this year, and some of the best have come from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ receiving corps. On Sunday, </span><a href="https://www.clippituser.tv/c/xyeelk" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">they re-enacted last week’s WWE-style fight</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> between Cincinnati’s AJ Green and Jacksonville’s Jalen Ramsey. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The CFL is getting in on the fun, too.</span></li>
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I'm telling you people, turn the CFL game on ASAP. <a href="https://t.co/GjQeg1a5Sf">pic.twitter.com/GjQeg1a5Sf</a></div>
— Josh S. (@joshellman) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshellman/status/929776103891394572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater did not play, but was active </span><a href="https://www.clippituser.tv/c/nwdlvw" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for the first game</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> since January 2016 after suffering a devastating knee injury in training camp last year. Very happy for him, even if he is a Viking!</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">49ers wide receiver Marquise Godwin had an absolutely devastating Sunday. He wife went into premature labor and </span><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2743917-marquise-goodwin-shares-news-of-sons-death-due-to-pregnancy-complications" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">their little baby boy died</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Just a few hours later, Godwin scored a touchdown against the New York Giants in his team’s first win of the season and was obviously very emotional.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The New Orleans Saints put a beating on the formerly trendy Buffalo Bills, thanks in large part to running back Mark Ingram who had 131 yards and three touchdowns! </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I just became a huge Adrian Clayborn fan. The Atlanta Falcons defensive end recorded SIX sacks against the Dallas Cowboys in a 27-7 win! Hah! As much as the Cowboys missed finally-suspended running back Ezekiel Elliott, they missed left tackle Tyron Smith much more. His poor, poor backup was steamrolled by Clayborn the entire game. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night, but it was a costly win, as Richard Sherman ruptured his Achilles’ and is out for the season. I’m never happy to see anyone injured, so I’ll just stop there. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Cleveland Browns actually almost won a game against a good team! Alas, they still fell to the Detroit Lions 38-24. Kinda humiliating that the Browns scored more points against them then the Packers did. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love Luke Kuechly. I love Jay Cutler interceptions. Luke Kuechly intercepting Jay Cutler pretty much turns me into the heart eyes emoji. I still want Kuechly to retire, but he is <i>so good. </i>He was giving Miami fits all Monday night.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s not just me -- the Packers’ photographer is obviously obsessed with Randall Cobb. Every week, there are soooo many Green Eyes photos. And I can’t say I blame him. </span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ain't complaining.</td></tr>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-47887038103692745842017-11-06T23:08:00.005-06:002017-11-06T23:18:30.104-06:00What Are You Doing, McCarthy??<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<img height="266" src="https://purplejesus.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/mikemccarthy.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Look, the Green Bay Packers are probably not going to make the playoffs. At this point, why NOT just let Hundley chuck the ball downfield? Why play conservative? We're not going to win that way, so let's see what Hundley’s got. I'd rather drives end with an interception than with a punt. Come on!</span></li>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Image result for mike mccarthy" height="400" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/538797376929288192/nh9nOn5W.jpeg" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hundley, for his part, can't miss wide open Jordy Nelsons like this.</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s8N6QyD1vMM/WgE056YP4rI/AAAAAAAAD_c/O7cItxZRl9E0VAwO1jIuTLBSzUl6SAD4wCLcBGAs/s1600/BH.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="610" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s8N6QyD1vMM/WgE056YP4rI/AAAAAAAAD_c/O7cItxZRl9E0VAwO1jIuTLBSzUl6SAD4wCLcBGAs/s400/BH.JPG" width="388" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I might still be stuck on bargaining. What do I have to sacrifice for a pass rusher? Just name it. Maybe this whole season is what we have to sacrifice to get a decent pass rusher in the draft. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That was the most impressive field goal I have ever seen. No timeouts with 12 seconds left, they got the field goal unit on, lined up, and snapped the ball with one second left. Highlight of the game. Only highlight of the game. </span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/ovglt/oakvqs" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ben McAdoo, you need to get control of your team, yo. A few weeks after the New York Giants coach suspended cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for walking out of meeting, the Giants </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21240686/new-york-giants-suspend-janoris-jenkins-failing-return-bye-week" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">suspended cornerback Janoris Jenkins</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who failed to show up to practice the day after the team’s bye.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for ben mcadoo" height="224" src="https://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.14116050.1504742161!/httpImage/image.jpeg_gen/derivatives/landscape_768/image.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Though perhaps this man losing a locker room is not too surprising. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wouldn’t it be hilarious if Eli Manning was benched when he was </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21306253/eli-manning-risk-not-starting-new-york-giants-look-future" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one game away</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> from tying Peyton’s consecutive starts streak?? That’s a possibility after New York’s dreadful 1-7 start.</span></li>
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<img height="266" src="https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/manning.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The confusion of the Manning Face is catching. Check out #88’s face as he tries to decipher whatever it is that Eli is trying to call.</span> </li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/BleakCloudyJay" style="left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh no! Andrew Luck has been placed on IR for the remainder of the season. Luck has not played since having shoulder surgery in January, and I’m seriously worried for him. If he has to retire, maybe he can devote himself to his book club full time. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amazing shirt, Jay. </span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not even being sarcastic.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are few things more unreasonably enjoyable than a perfectly downed punt, which the Kansas City Chiefs punter executed perfectly and which #80 was about to down on the one-inch line … until his idiot teammate ran right into him and knocked the ball into the endzone! C’mon! </span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/pjple/bdwrxn" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So the Philadelphia Eagles are pretty good. Coming off a 7-9 season, they’re off to an impressive 8-1 start behind quarterback Carson Wentz. On Sunday, they hung up 51 points against the vaunted Denver Broncos defense.</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also scoring 51 points was the Los Angeles Rams! Their turnaround has been even more surprising than the Eagles. At 6-2, they’ve already surpassed their win total from last year (four). </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It felt like there were a lot of lopsided victories this week. Let’s hope this isn’t an emerging pattern for the league. Perhaps it’s because the league has become so quarterback-driven? Teams either have a QB or don't? Or is it because there's been so many big-name injuries this season?</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope the Cowboys’ stupid stadium with its stupid window designs costs them a game one day. </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everyone’s immediate reaction to the news of Houston Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson tearing his ACL in practice this week was “noooooooooooooooooooo!” Tough break for such a rising star and likable guy. The Texans sure missed him on Sunday. Here’s their current quarterback Tom Savage on the last play of the game, down six with 0:02 left:</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hey, but at least the Colts won! Yay!</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately the Cowboys defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, but there was this awesome first-half-ending Alex Smith checkdown-sorta-Hail-Mary that was all Tyreek Hill.</span></li>
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TYREEK HILL SCORES TO END THE HALF HAHAHA COWBOYS <a href="https://t.co/JVPDb0DRg6">pic.twitter.com/JVPDb0DRg6</a></div>
— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) <a href="https://twitter.com/mkmolnar/status/927307603578966018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Los Angeles Rams faced an improbable 3rd-and-33. They went for 52 yards and a score</span>.</li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/h7kew/guupug" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<ul>
<li style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Adrian Peterson, who was traded from New Orleans after a disappointing stint that saw little playing time, can’t complain about touches in Arizona -- he had 37 carries! That’s 20 more than the entire San Francisco team, whom the Cardinals defeated 20-10. I guess there’s a reason they call him All Day.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goodness gracious, there were a lot of bad tempers out there this Sunday. Cincinnati Bengals receiver AJ Green -- who’s known as a quiet and level-headed guy -- went berserk and put Jacksonville Jaguars corner Jalen Ramsey in a chokehold. Ramsey is known for being a big ol’ loudmouth trash-talker, and he’s as obnoxious as he is good, but I gotta say, he shouldn’t have been ejected along with Green. And Green wasn't suspended!! </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I love Green, but the league should have suspended him. You can’t have that going on in the middle of a game. </span></span></li>
</span></ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even worse was Mike Evans in Tampa Bay. Stupid Jameis Winston started it by poking a New Orleans Saints player, Marshon Lattimore. Lattimore shoved Winston and that should have been the end of it, but then Evans came flying in and tackled Lattimore, which was idiotic and dangerous. Somehow Evans wasn’t ejected!!! He was suspended, though. </span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/4fo9e/smblsu" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A fight also broke out in the Arizona Cardinals-San Francisco 49ers game, too, after the Niners took exception to a late hit on whoever the 49ers quarterback is. I don’t even think it was a late hit, but two Cardinals and a 49er were ejected by the end of the kerfuffle. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How would you feel if you were a quarterback and you were missing four of your offensive lineman? Probably about as brave as Kirk Cousins here</span>.</li>
</ul>
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Kirk sacrificed Rob Kelley to the football gods <a href="https://t.co/It59NVW1eW">pic.twitter.com/It59NVW1eW</a></div>
— Danny (@recordsANDradio) <a href="https://twitter.com/recordsANDradio/status/927317635989233669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But Kirk had some pretty amazing moments, too. The Redskins weren’t just missing their offensive lineman. They were also missing two tight ends (and lost another during the game) and a wide receiver, among others -- on the road, against the Seattle Seahawks. The Redskins held a tenuous 10-8 lead late in the fourth, but Seattle got the ball back with two-and-a-half minutes left in the game,drove 71 yards downfield in 48 seconds, and scored a touchdown to take the lead. Not to be outdone, the Redskins immediately responded with a four-play, 35 second, game-winning drive. Hah! Great game, eh, Pete? (There wasn't an interception on the play. This is just an old gif that I relish and use as often as I can.)</span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" data-id="n6vMfy7" lang="en">
<a href="https://imgur.com/n6vMfy7">Seattle's Heart Breaking</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js"></script>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Seahawks went for two because their kicker missed not one, not two, but THREE kicks in the first half. The Washington Redskins picked off the attempt and came surprisingly close to returning it for two points. Man, it would have been so cool if they had actually scored on this. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.250%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/rq9t9/xfozqp" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were a bunch of trades this week, just before the trade deadline that seemed really exciting, but now I’ve forgotten most of them. There are a few big and/or surprising ones that I do remember:</span></span></li>
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<ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 49ers traded for Patriots’ backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, which is good because I don’t even know the first name of San Fran’s current quarterback. I’m not going to look it up, either, because I doubt he’ll be in the league long enough to warrant space in my brain.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Miami Dolphins got rid of running back Jay Ajayi, trading him to the already smoking hot Philadelphia Eagles for a draft pick.</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Important sidenote: Ajayi’s real name is Oluwadamilola.</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Carolina Panthers sent top receiver Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo, presumably over concerns over his health?</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This headline isn’t clever or even a pun. (Granted, it’s Reddit.) It’s like when advertisers ad “-tastic” or “-azing” to words that make no sense. “It’s grape-licious!” Also, you didn’t even spell the first half of Garoppolo’s name correctly.</span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="269" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/EMFJ3PnE4tWD4jX5iVOw9aD6rfgF0pSJ3FzrlHBRGIc9zRo3C44FvrOs_QfzTVUpGhRDf1ZBMBWbyTK1MlXzIJXBmnpx2D_5Os_lrUugTt4K74keA4ZImKubavCzxsXAMN-Pd6je" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="331" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How is this any better than saying, "Jimmy Garoppolo Goes West"?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was also a very notable almost-trade. The Cleveland Browns were going back and forth with the Cincinnati Bengals over Cincinnati’s backup quarterback AJ McCarron. They didn’t come to an agreement until 3:55 pm EST, which is just five minutes before the trade deadline. The teams scrambled to sign and send their paperwork, which the Bengals did. The Browns did, too, only, </span><a href="https://articles.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2017/11/bengals_did_receive_email_from.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">they didn’t CC the NFL on the email</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, so the NFL did not receive all the paperwork by the deadline, so the trade didn’t happen. Man, the Browns are going to be the Browns forever. I feel like we, as a nation, should petition the league to allow the trade, just out of pity. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://www.highlighthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/browns.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><br />
<ul>
<li style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back to Garoppolo. Everyone seems eager to start penciling in victories for the 49ers for next year, but why don’t we wait to see how Jimmy does before we crown him the team’s savior? First of all, San Fran will have to sign him, as his contract expires at the end of this season. Second, do the names Ryan Mallett, Brian Hoyer, Matt Cassel mean anything to anyone?? </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whoa! Miami’s kicker not only kicked a perfect onside kick, but he recovered it too! I’m in awe.</span> </li>
</span></ul>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Kicker <a href="https://twitter.com/CParkey36?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CParkey36</a> recovers his own surprise onside kick in the 1st half! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OAKvsMIA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OAKvsMIA</a> <br />
<br />
Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SNF?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SNF</a> on NBC<a href="https://t.co/nAdfPkUgtI">pic.twitter.com/nAdfPkUgtI</a></div>
— TNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNFonNBC/status/927361201226608645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Awww! Lots of NFLers’ cute kids in Halloween costume!!</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32SngObn0mc/WgE49aQOnmI/AAAAAAAAD_o/OKd9jt82slAzs1iJJXd4Pd7GOFdWrtbDgCLcBGAs/s1600/DH.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="494" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32SngObn0mc/WgE49aQOnmI/AAAAAAAAD_o/OKd9jt82slAzs1iJJXd4Pd7GOFdWrtbDgCLcBGAs/s400/DH.JPG" width="335" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6wTlthziE08/WgE4-tphV5I/AAAAAAAAD_s/aT8O-V1-ctkIY7XVPUqdh3sVvr12-_m3ACLcBGAs/s1600/TD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="488" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6wTlthziE08/WgE4-tphV5I/AAAAAAAAD_s/aT8O-V1-ctkIY7XVPUqdh3sVvr12-_m3ACLcBGAs/s400/TD.JPG" width="333" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9fgV5HDwX6Q/WgE4_-ovLqI/AAAAAAAAD_w/Fcp8fBV6YUgDxycWDSjJVBPk-GawbJ4ugCLcBGAs/s1600/DB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="911" height="196" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9fgV5HDwX6Q/WgE4_-ovLqI/AAAAAAAAD_w/Fcp8fBV6YUgDxycWDSjJVBPk-GawbJ4ugCLcBGAs/s400/DB.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drew Brees' son wanted to go as his dad's teammate, Ted Ginn Jr., <br />
so he got his hair braided to match Ginn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And some cute NFLers in costumes. </span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba7--DfFFrA/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Happy Halloween from ya favorite wideouts!! #187 #ninjaturtles #bigbadwolf #doc</a></div>
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A post shared by Davante Adams (@taeadams) on <time datetime="2017-11-01T03:20:03+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 31, 2017 at 8:20pm PDT</time></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Allow me a quick exegesis on the hashtag #187. It’s not only a combination of their jersey numbers -- 17, 18, and 87 -- but it’s also slang for murder (a reference to California police codes) because they kill defenses. So it’s sweet -- aww they’ve combined their numbers like how high school girls come up with a mismash nickname for their clique -- but it’s also gangsta, because they’re so badass.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jordy’s super lazy “doctor” costume just proves, yet again, that he is a man after my own heart. </span></li>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-40891779473627539852017-10-30T21:46:00.000-05:002017-10-31T06:48:28.482-05:00Yawn. Football Without the Packers Is Boring.<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bargaining would be much easier if I could convince myself that Aaron Rodgers had a chance of returning this season. The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-idSP5Ztaw" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">13 screws</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> he had put into his collarbone, however, really make that possibility rather slim. Still, there’s a chance, right? Some chance? <i>Any</i>? There has to be!</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How does this bargaining work? I have a very large family, all of them with perfectly useless collarbones sitting in them. Maybe ….?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Does Martavis Bryant have an agent, manager, friend -- anyone -- who can help him out as far as how to behave as a professional and how not to burn bridges? The promising wide receiver was <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000643984/article/martavis-bryant-suspended-minimum-one-season" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">suspended all of last season</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> due to multiple failed and missed drug tests. Earlier this month, it was reported that Bryant had requested a trade from the Steelers, but Bryant </span><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2739034-martavis-bryant-denies-rumors-of-steelers-trade-request-says-hes-good" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">denied the report</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. A week later, however, he was publicizing his frustration with his reduced role online, which included an exchange with a fan where Bryant said that rookie teammate JuJu Schuster-Smith is </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21128339/martavis-bryant-pittsburgh-steelers-misses-meetings-due-illness" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“no where near better than me,”</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and alluded to the fact that he </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">had</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> requested a trade. Then he called in “sick” to a meeting. The Steelers, obviously none too pleased with Bryant, demoted him to the practice squad, and the relationship appears to be over. When asked if he was confident Bryant could contribute to the team later in the season, head coach Mike Tomlin said, “</span><a href="http://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2017/10/30/mike-tomlin-asked-if-hes-confident-martavis-bryant-will-help-down-the-stretch-im-not/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m not</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.”</span></span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No more hugs for Martavis.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By the way, JuJu Schuster-Smith is a) very good so far, and b) ONLY 20 YEARS OLD! And he’s a team player, as seen here taking the lowly role of the bench in Le'Veon Bell’s bench-pressing celebration.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a very frustrating Sunday for me. Not only were the Green Bay Packers not playing, but there were a lot of games that got my hopes up, only to disappoint. The Seahawks-Texans, the Cowboys-Redskins, and the Patriots-Chargers games all started off well or stayed close, but the villains all won in the end. Just my luck.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So Russell Wilson had a pretty good Sunday, I guess. Seattle squeaked out a 41-38 win over Houston, and Wilson accounted for </span><a href="https://twitter.com/JaredStanger/status/924779521118752768" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all but three</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of Seattle’s 479 yards: 446 yards passing and 30 yards running. For rushing, the rest of his team managed three yards on 17 carries for a 0.18 yards-per-carry average, which translates to about six inches per carry. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The California Chargers might want to fix that patch of the field that’s apparently covered in ice. It’s make the Chargers look like Curly, Larry, and Moe. (Those are their names, right? I've never watched the Three Stooges.)</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can’t decide who is my favorite Houston Texans wide receiver. On the one hand, there’s DeAndre Hopkins, who’s a total stud, but on the other hand, there’s second-year man Will Fuller, who’s not only a Notre Dame boy (Go Irish!), but he missed the first three games of the season and is still leading the NFL in receiving touchdowns. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adding insult to injury: Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller dislocated his knee on a touchdown which was then overturned on replay, even though it was </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">clearly</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a completion in the endzone. I won’t show the video here because seeing Miller’s knee bending the opposite way than it’s supposed to is too gruesome, but trust me that it was a touchdown. Not only did Miller dislocate his knee, but he actually suffered arterial damage, as well, that required emergency surgery to </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21225073/zach-miller-chicago-bears-undergoes-emergency-surgery-effort-save-injured-leg" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">try to “save” his leg</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! The surgery apparently went well, but that’s just awful. Here’s hoping for a swift and successful recovery.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Things got just a little heated on Thursday night. Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso leveled a helmet-to-helmet hit on Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco as he slid after a short run. Flacco suffered a concussion and there was, predictably, a skirmish after the hit, with some people calling for Alonso’s suspension. You can see the clip for yourself below. It’s a tough hit that deserved to be flagged -- and I would have been okay with an ejection -- but it’s very hard to correctly predict when and at what angle a quarterback is going to slide. I think the league rightly did not suspend Alonso. Baltimore, however, levied its own punishment, scoring the next 27 points and shutting out Miami 40-0.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Also, guess what? Ndamukong Suh is </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="http://a.video.nfl.com/films/vodzilla/95681/Dolphins_draw_three_personal_foul_penalt-uONKZGVT-20171026_202823761_5000k.mp4" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">still an animal</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jay Cutler was out for the Dolphins with broken ribs. Since he’s down, now seems like a perfect time to kick him.<span id="docs-internal-guid-2c83155a-7037-7ee4-cf3f-f089f8f9a3e8" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/253203/qb-confidential-tom-brady-talks-trash-eli-manning-overrated-joe-flacco-living-off-super-bowl-win" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline;">ESPN polled</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">current players about QBs around the league. One of the questions was, “Who is the one QB you would NOT want as a teammate?” Jay beat out the runner-up by 36%.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Man, Julius Peppers is coming up on 38 years of life, and he’s still out there causing havoc. On Sunday, he forced his 49th career fumble and moved into fourth place on the all-time sacks list. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is it with former Packers players having great years?? Peppers is still playing well, and safety Micah Hyde, who signed with the Buffalo Bills in the offseason, is now leading the league in interceptions. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One thing that was promised on this blog and has been sorely lacking is the presence of cats. Thursday Night Football stepped up where O&E has failed.</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/277bt/kvnvwf" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shout-out to baltimoreravens.com for this fantastic dangling modifier. </span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KUTnYG5u1Co/Wffg2uuPQSI/AAAAAAAAD-8/w29FjylZXAYwfHzR3T4BK1llSSuLru0tQCLcBGAs/s1600/Cat%2BRavens.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="668" height="335" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KUTnYG5u1Co/Wffg2uuPQSI/AAAAAAAAD-8/w29FjylZXAYwfHzR3T4BK1llSSuLru0tQCLcBGAs/s400/Cat%2BRavens.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Backup New England Patriots’ quarterback and handsome devil Jimmy Garoppolo was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick. People are already building him up as San Fran’s savoir. Now, I like Garoppolo and hopes he does well, but let’s remember how the Patriots made Matt Cassel, Ryan Mallett, and Brian Hoyer look like stars. All these trades seem to end with Bill Belichick & Co. evilly laughing in some darkened boardroom as they count their draft picks. </span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ezekiel Elliott is back to being suspended (for now), as we all knew he would be. As I've said before, if players didn't want Roger Goodell to be judge, jury, and executioner, they shouldn't have signed the CBA.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kansas City beat Denver on Monday night, leaving them as the only team in their division with a winning record. I suppose that's impressive or something, but you all know how I feel about the Chiefs.</span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Travis Benjamin’s decision-making skills are the headline here, but let’s give props to the refs for the perfectly synchronized signalling of the safety. Like a mirror image.</span></span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/r7bmo/eniagw" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Philip Rivers should be credited for this strip. </span></li>
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Phillip Rivers bats the ball out of his own hand for a fumble <a href="https://t.co/In5pMxvlAT">pic.twitter.com/In5pMxvlAT</a></div>
— 🎃Josh🇦🇶 (@Janderson___22) <a href="https://twitter.com/Janderson___22/status/924709638511235072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">Hey, you guys remember Samkon Gado? He was a running back for the Packers quite briefly. Since leaving the NFL, he’s applied to medical school and is currently in residency as an Ear, Nose, Throat doctor. He is planning on using his skills to </span><a href="http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/former-rams-player-aims-for-mission-driven-career-in-medicine/article_f63cba62-8622-51da-910b-796530ad4fb3.amp.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline;">return to his native Nigeria to open a medical clinic</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">. Pretty neat career!</span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I still totally, 100% have faith in Brett Hundley, but I have been watching this gif on a loop for the last hour.</span></li>
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<img alt=" nfl green bay packers packers aaron rodgers GIF" height="218" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/P40UeIeaX5Bvy/giphy.gif" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I’m okay.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bring on the Lions and Monday Night Football!!</span></li>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-59941680728473222742017-10-23T21:21:00.002-05:002017-10-23T21:29:39.525-05:00Slouching Toward .500<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-9e8ebf51-4c0c-4227-7144-85f10b58b37e"><img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/10-October/temp171022-packers-saints-2-siegle-7--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="266" width="400" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next stage brings us to anger. I can do that.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have no heart to be angry at Brett Hundley, so I shall make Mike McCarthy the focus of my rage. McCarthy himself took the blame, saying, “Pin it on the head coach.” I’m on board with that. The fact of the matter is that the Green Bay Packers are going to need some sort of X factor to win without Aaron Rodgers. One of McCarthy’s biggest weaknesses has always been his lack of creativity. When is the last time a defense playing the Packers saw something they didn’t expect? Something they hadn’t seen before? Give Hundley some help and throw some wrinkles in. </span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="375" src="https://i.giphy.com/media/GJEp84bCozR3a/giphy.webp" width="400" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Personally, I’d be okay with turnovers if they came on some shots down the field. I’d rather take the risk and let Hundley loose a bit than give him a conservative vanilla game plan to work with. It may be that the Pack isn’t comfortable enough with Hundley to do so, but if that’s the case, what have you been doing with him the last three years?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My ire toward McCarthy is mostly in his failure to adjust in the second half. The offensive line did a great job protecting Hundley in the first half of the game, but the New Orleans Saints adjusted and were getting a lot of pressure on poor Brett in the second half. McCarthy, I think, is way too slow to deviate from his plan long after it’s become clear that the plan isn’t working. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m trying to give Hundley the benefit of the doubt here, but he’ll need to step up, too. 87 passing yards is not going to cut it, especially when your opponent is throwing for 331. The Green Bay defense took the ball away twice in the first quarter and the offense failed to score any points on those turnovers. They can’t miss on opportunities like that. Such a waste of this purty extend-stretch interception by Davon House.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/m5mus/dcppvz" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Saints were 8-of-15 on third downs, but it felt like more. The defense gave up a lot of big-yardage plays, especially in the second half.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Damarious Randall had another pick, which is great, but I’m still not super confident in him.</span></li>
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I’ve never seen an NFL defensive player more afraid of contact than Damarious Randall. <a href="https://t.co/89zxz78AFu">pic.twitter.com/89zxz78AFu</a></div>
— Bryce Derouin (@B_DEROUIN) <a href="https://twitter.com/B_DEROUIN/status/920048187183857670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Um, you guys, it's going to be really hard to win if all our defensive backs are afraid to make hits. HaHa Clinton-Dix's recurring unwillingness to make tackles have sparked rumors that he's been playing hurt all season. If so, you're not helping us out by playing like this, buddy.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/uy6qz/qqnrap" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The offensive line injuries extend even to their coach, James Campen, who suffered a knee injury on the sidelines last week at Minnesota.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite the horrible numbers -- 12/25, 87 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception -- I still like Hundley and still have faith in him. He had a fairly good pocket presence, made plays with his feet, and above all, I love his steady and confident demeanor. </span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brett did have a rushing touchdown (and his first real Lambeau Leap). Jordy helped out with a nice block.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Does Hundley not wear a mouthguard? What is he thinking??</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aaron Jones had another 100-yard rushing day. So there’s that. Kinda resent this long TD run on the first drive, though, as it got my hopes for the game up.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m avoiding confronting my conflicted feelings of cheering for a Green Bay quarterback named Brett. Not yet ready to talk about that.</span></li>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">♫ One is the loneliest number... ♫</span></li>
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Solo spin for <a href="https://twitter.com/JordyRNelson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JordyRNelson</a> 🏈🌪<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NOvsGB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NOvsGB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoPackGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoPackGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/eZ5uSmC8Vs">pic.twitter.com/eZ5uSmC8Vs</a></div>
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) <a href="https://twitter.com/packers/status/922143920452141057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Man, I feel like the Atlanta Falcons' psyche is broken. They look as if they have as little faith in themselves as I have in them.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My favorite part (and the only interesting part) of the New England-Atlanta game was the ambiance set by the fog. I kept expected Sam Spade to walk out in a trench coat. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All of the Chicago Bears touchdowns were scored by rookie cornerback Eddie Jackson. He returned a Carolina Panthers fumble 75 yards for a score and then returned an interception 76 yards for a score. So, to summarize, the Chicago offense had 153 yards and Eddie Jackson had 151 yards.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Considering he turned the ball over three times, I guess Cam Newton had good reason to attend his post-game presser incognito.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Carolina and Chicago were two of seven -- seven!! -- teams that failed to score an offensive touchdown this week. The Browns (obvs), Titans, Cardinals, Colts, and Broncos joined them in this stat of shame. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can understand how the Indianapolis Colts failed to score when you see that the Jacksonville Jaguars sacked quarterback Jacoby Brisset </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10 times</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Daaaaaang. It must be hard to score when you spend the entire game in the dirt. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please note: that is not the Jaguars’ first 10-sack game this season. They did the same thing against the Texans Week 1. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It doesn’t appear relief is on the horizon for the 2-5 Colts. Quarterback Andrew Luck, who had shoulder surgery back in January, had only recently started throwing again when Indianapolis had to </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21068176/andrew-luck-indianapolis-colts-shut-due-soreness-shoulder" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">shut him down</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> due to soreness in his shoulder. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wouldn’t be an NFL Sunday without Vontaze Burfict doing something dirty. Seriously, when will they just say “enough,” and kick him out of the league?? Here he is (#55, on the ground) kicking an opponent in the face.</span></li>
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
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Two plays in and Vontaze Burfict kicks Rosie Nix after a play. Then points at Nix for some reason. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Steelers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Steelers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bengals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bengals</a> <a href="https://t.co/lioNLDDMvX">pic.twitter.com/lioNLDDMvX</a></div>
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) <a href="https://twitter.com/JRown32/status/922198266854428672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">UGH things just are </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> going my way! It’s bad enough that I don’t get to watch Aaron Rodgers, but now Jay Cutler’s out with broken ribs, so he’ll be missing some time.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The California/Whatever Chargers had 69-yard punt that was downed at the one-inch line. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the subject of punts, look at this beautifully executed fake punt by the Pittsburgh Steelers. From the poker-faced pre-snap to the perfect snap by the long snapper to the pitch and catch to Mike Tomlin’s self-satisfaction, it’s exemplary all the way through.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/woi8z/zpvmzf" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Noooooooooo! There are very few things that every NFL can agree on, and one of them is Joe Thomas. The Cleveland Browns left tackle missed his first-ever plays in his 11-year career. That’s right, after 10,363 consecutive snaps, Thomas suffered torn tricep that ended his season. Hopefully he can bounce back quickly. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Dallas Cowboys’ kicker extraordinaire Dan Bailey suffered a pulled groin that sidelined him, forcing safety Jeff Heath to take over kicking duties. I love it when this happens (not injuries, but a random player having to take kicks) because I love the sportsmanship of “Yeah, I’ve never really done this before and it could go really wrong, but sure, I’ll try.” Here’s Heath’s impressive kickoff.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even better is Heath’s extra point attempt and his teammates’ excitement. (Listen with sound for both the kick hitting the upright and for the announcer's villainous laugh at the end.)</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Things are going great for the Browns. They started rookie DeShone Kizer at quarterback and went 0-5. Then they benched Kizer (‘cause it’s his fault his perennially bad team is still bad), played a man named Kevin Hogan for a game. Kevin wasn’t great, so now they’re back to Kizer. Sunday, Kizer kept throwing interceptions, so they benched him again, this time for the third-string quarterback, Cody Kessler. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Kansas City Chief Marcus Peters took a cheap shot on Oakland Raider QB Derek Carr (who has a fracture in his back, but is still playing) Oakland running back/professional Crazy Man Marshawn Lynch came sprinting off the sideline to jumped into the ensuing scrum. When an official tried to break up the melee, Lynch shoved the official and was obviously ejected from the game. A one-game suspension was handed down. BUT WAIT! The latest hot take is that Lynch shouldn’t be suspended because he was </span><a href="https://twitter.com/B_DEROUIN/status/920048187183857670" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">trying to break things up</span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> between his teammates and his bestie Peters!!! That’s great; he still shoved an official.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lynch and Peters are still all good, as evidenced by the fact that they </span><a href="https://twitter.com/chandaye/status/921244158324391936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=about%3Asrcdoc" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rode public transportation home together</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> after the game and that Peters will be testifying </span><a href="https://www.silverandblackpride.com/2017/10/22/16517708/chiefs-cb-marcus-peters-will-testify-in-support-of-raiders-rb-marshawn-lynch-for-suspension-appeal" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">on Lynch’s behalf</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> when Lynch appeals his suspension. (Still don’t care. Push a ref = suspension.)</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is no better ending to a game than winning on an untimed down, as the Raiders did on Thursday night, but that doesn’t capture how crazy it really was. With 23 seconds left in the game, Carr throws a 35-yard pass to Jared Cook that is called a touchdown. Replay shows that Cook was down just before the goal line though, so Oakland has the ball at the one-foot line with 0:07 left. Carr throws to Michael Crabtree for the touchdown!! …. but the touchdown is negated by Crabtree’s offensive pass interference. (I thought it was a good and obvious call.) So now we’re down to 0:03, 11 yards to go. Carr throws to Cook, goes off his hands, incomplete … but Kansas City is called for holding. The clock’s run out at this point, but the penalty means an untimed down from the 5-yard line. Carr hits Cordarrelle Patterson in the back of the endzone, but Patterson comes down out of bounds ... but </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">another </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">defensive hold! Another untimed down! This time Carr hits Crabtree in the front corner of the endzone for a touchdown, no penalties. Raiders win 31-30! Wow.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m quite pleased with each and every Ezekiel Elliott suspension injunction because they’re just going to keep delaying it and delaying it and by the time the suspension inevitably goes into effect, it’ll be the playoffs. Fantastic!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mitchell Trubisky is the heir-apparent to the Manning Face. We won’t have Mannings in the league forever, so it’s reassuring to see a young guy in line to take on that mantle. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Didn’t Jimmy Graham used to be the most fearsome pass-catcher in the NFL? No more.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Packers have a bye next week, so we can all hope that they get healthy and figure out some things before they host the Detroit Lions on Monday night.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m not holding out hope the Aaron Rodgers can return this season -- I’d rather the Packers err on the far, far side of caution with him -- but at least he’s on the road to recovery.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get well, Aaron!</td></tr>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-68085229484801570312017-10-16T22:24:00.000-05:002017-10-17T17:59:39.711-05:00It’s Not the End of the World!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/10-October/temp171015-packers-vikings-1-siegle-75--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="266" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s okay. It’s okay! Really, it’s okay! We’re going to be okay. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> totally okay. Things are going to be alright. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="CBC funny comedy thank you cbc GIF" height="400" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/l4FGA3FKL079mfdu0/giphy.gif" width="400" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, granted, when the Green Bay Packers finished the game against the Minnesota Vikings, they barely had enough players to field a team. That’s not good, certainly, but that doesn’t mean the season is over or that everything has been for naught or that we’re losing one more year in the career of the greatest quarterback to play the game. No, no, this season can be saved! </span></li>
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<img alt=" season 2 homer simpson bart simpson marge simpson episode 10 GIF" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/3orifbq99OBIRdzQzu/giphy.gif" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have faith in Brett Hundley. He had a rough time of it in Sunday’s loss, though. He was thrown into the fire against a very good Minnesota defense all while his offensive line was disintegrating right before him. A man named Ulrick John was Hundley’s right tackle by the end of the game, for heaven’s sake! So I’m not going to despair over Hundley because he had difficulty on Sunday. I think Brett seems really sweet and nice and I want him to do well. I beeeeelieeeeeve!</span></li>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did you even know that the Packers had a player named Ulrick John? Of course you didn’t. Just like you didn’t know they had a player named Lenzy Pipkins, who also played for them Sunday. Ol’ Lenzy is a defensive back who had to play after everyone else got injured. Before he, of course, got injured himself. </span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C_BKBzSXsAEdbTd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="356" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's Lenzy signing his official Packers contract. This could <br />
have been two days ago or two years ago. How would I know? <br />
I didn't even learn of his existence until Sunday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So the Pack came in down Morgan Burnett, Kevin King, and Davon House, all in the secondary. The good news was that their starting left and right tackles were playing in their first game together. Huzzah! Didn’t last long, of course. Bakhtiari went down. Bulaga went down. Taylor went down. Ty Montgomery was injured (wait, you mean playing a running back two weeks after he broke multiple ribs might not have been a good idea??). Quinten Rollins went out (for the season). Linebacker Blake Martinez, who’s been having a great season, went out, but returned. And Lenzy, too, of course. It was just a bloodbath out there. </span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/l1J9LOQQb7Nr7KyNW/giphy.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Packers training room on Sunday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hmm one thing the Packers might want to consider is firing their entire strength and conditioning staff and trainers and anyone at all related to ensuring the health of their players because they cannot be very good at their job. Injuries are typically bad luck, but when it happens eight years in a row, maybe something needs to change. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thanks, JMike. Super helpful. This is why no one likes you.</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-INvyTlhopEw/WeVb_dBEl5I/AAAAAAAAD-o/y8M7RK4okpghaXSA4l7cAyS0CVmM0IdrwCLcBGAs/s1600/JF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="629" height="171" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-INvyTlhopEw/WeVb_dBEl5I/AAAAAAAAD-o/y8M7RK4okpghaXSA4l7cAyS0CVmM0IdrwCLcBGAs/s400/JF.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, it turns out that Aaron Rodgers will be having surgery on his collarbone, meaning he won’t be coming back this season. But it’s still okay!</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt=" smile crazy kristen stewart reblog follow GIF" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/EdledocNFDjXO/giphy.gif" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Martellus Bennett is bad at catching. </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Packers promoted QB Joe Callahan from the practice squad to backup my boy Hundley.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/e392c46e0831279fdfc07311634ccaf243e6539e/c=0-0-2246-1689&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/2017/08/06/WIGroup/PackersNews/636375762284077024-GPG-PackersFamilyNight-080517-ABW898.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture does not give me a lot of confidence that Joe knows <br />
how to hold, much less throw, a football.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Um, I totally disagree with this headline from Packers.com. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> feels sorry for them! The loss of Rodgers alone elicits universal sympathy, but when people find out that they don’t have any offensive linemen or defensive backs? They definitely feel pity because we are pitiful. At the moment, at least. (I’m still positive! It’s still going to be OKAY!!!)</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aww Aaron Jones just keeps getting cuter and cuter! He has a </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/41422/packers-rookie-running-back-aaron-jones-still-figuring-out-being-apart-from-twin-brother-alvin" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">twin brother</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> he’s besties with. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think Anthony Barr should have been called for a late hit on Aaron Rodgers, but it wasn’t egregious enough that it was a terrible no-call. Player-to-player, though, Barr had plenty of time to pull up and not doing so was low class. But that’s how Barr rolls. Here he is (#55), after the play, headbutting a player who was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago with a head/neck injury. Barr later left the game with a concussion, which I believe came from God smiting him for being a jerk.</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/f7ds3/shuphp" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Green Bay had so many penalties! They lost 92 yards on eight penalties. They just need to clean those up and that’ll go a long way in improving everything, right? Right?</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wow! Check out this crazy</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Pierre Garcon catch! The defender tips it, Garcon manages somehow to catch it and get his knee down in-bounds. </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/554di/txtxyr" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Man, can you imagine how little confidence the Atlanta Falcons must have in themselves? If you’re a Falcons fan, how big a lead do you need to feel comfortable? 40 points? 50 points? We know 25 points is not the answer, and on Sunday, we learned that 17 is not the answer either. Atlanta was up 17-0 over the Miami Dolphins at halftime. In the second half, the Jay Cutler-led Dolphins scored 20 points to Atlanta’s zero. The game effectively ended with Matt Ryan's sixth interception of the season. The reigning MVP had seven interceptions all of last year.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.giphy.com/media/3ov9k3jljoxma17yso/giphy.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watch out! You never know what could happen if Jay Culter starts to care!<br />
(No, seriously, none of knows what would happen in that situation.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I was railing against the Detroit Lions for not pulling a hobbled Matthew Stafford from the game when they were down 45-10 to the New Orleans Saints halfway through the third quarter. Being the Lions, however, they actually came back and got within seven points! Then Stafford threw a pick-six, and the Saints won 52-38. Must suck to waste all that comeback.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a wild game. The Saints defense had an unusually good day against the Lions. (Well, before allowing them to come back from five touchdowns down, I mean.) They had 12 batted passes and forced five turnovers. New Orleans had SIX non-offensive touchdowns. Six!</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The oddest stat, however, might be that three of the Saints’ defensive touchdowns had a grand total of two return yards: a forced fumble recovered in the endzone, a pick-six at the two-yard line, and a pick-six in the endzone that dashed Detroit’s hopes of victory. If that's not weird enough, here's another one of the Lions' turnovers -- I've never seen this happen before:</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/w7yzt/bhcmec" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were a lot of weird games this week. Thirty seconds into the Jacksonville Jaguars-Los Angeles Rams game, the score was 7-7. After combining for 31 points in the first quarter, the two teams scored only six points the entire second half. Here's how the game started:</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/k1oyf/fkxbgb" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there was the Chicago Bears-Baltimore Ravens game, in which Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky attempted just 16 passes, while Joe Flacco attempted 41. Trubisky was only involved in one of Chicago’s three touchdowns in their 27-24 overtime win: one touchdown was a pick-six and the other was thrown by running back Tarik Cohen. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’ll put this in the No One Saw It Coming file: the previously 0-5 New York Giants beat the 3-1 Denver Broncos. Denver is not the team against which I would have guessed the Giants would break their losing streak.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Giants’ defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul notched a sack against the Broncos and celebrated with a dance that a kid with cancer had taught him.</span></li>
</ul>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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JPP did the dance Hayden taught him Friday!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/gardenofdreams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gardenofdreams</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MSGNetworks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MSGNetworks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nyknicks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nyknicks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Giants?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Giants</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/UDWJPP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UDWJPP</a> <a href="https://t.co/KIDPpuxtb6">pic.twitter.com/KIDPpuxtb6</a></div>
— Jill Martin (@JillMartin) <a href="https://twitter.com/JillMartin/status/919733771301281792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">62.5% of Texans’ wideout Will Fuller’s receptions this year have been touchdowns. He missed the first few games due to injury, and in the three he has played in, he has eight receptions and five touchdowns.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hey, look -- Tramon! Long-time readers of O&E will know how much I loved Tramon Williams when he was on the Packers. Glad to see him doing well.</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/181mq/tkfdjh" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Welcome back, Adrian Peterson! After a stymied stint in New Orleans, Peterson was traded to the Arizona Cardinals. Here he is on his very first drive with the Cardinals.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/FarflungGlitteringFritillarybutterfly" style="left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Deshaun Watson is pretty awesome and seems cool and sweet, so I guess we’re just letting the mustache pass without comment? Okay.</span></li>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ahh, some things just feel so familiar, like an old shoe or the refs cheating to help the Patriots win. In the fourth quarter, the New York Jets </span><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2017/10/15/16478892/jets-patriots-austin-seferian-jenkins-td-referees" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">scored a touchdown</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (see below). The officials reviewed the score and found that the Jets player had briefly lost control of the ball (true), regained possession (true), and now has to do the whole “complete the process of the catch thing” (okay, fine). The ref then had the nerve to say the player bobbled the ball again (uh, says </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Mr. Ref! Where??) and never recovered before going out of bounds. Fumbling the ball out of bounds means that the team just gets the ball where the fumble occurred …</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> except</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> when it happens in the endzone. In that case, it’s a touchback and the other team gets it at the 20-yard line. So not only did the Jets have that score taken away, they also had the ball taken away from them! Keep in mind that the play was already ruled a touchdown, so you need obvious evidence to overturn it. The no-shame-having official said after the game: “It was a pretty quick determination. It was pretty obvious.”</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/rho75/oohvqx" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline;">The Patriots should be 1-5. It sucks that there is no justice in the world and they are 4-2, but the small solace is that, deep in their hearts, New England fans all know that they are a 1-5 team right now. </span></li>
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<li>I understand the defender carrying Taylor Gabriel for the first three or four yards. Why he continues to fireman-carry him for another 10, I do not know, but Gabriel didn’t seem to mind. </li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/QuarterlySneakyFinch" style="left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s a weirdly interesting article on how much it takes to </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/29391/feeding-an-nfl-team-for-a-week-get-700-pounds-of-chicken-for-starters" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">feed a football team</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> each week. The 56 pounds of strawberries per day was the most surprising.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I dearly love Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly. I plan on marrying him someday, but he really needs to retire. On Thursday night, Kuechly suffered his third concussion in the last three years. The first concussion in 2015 was serious enough to sideline him for three games. Last season, he missed six games with a </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-players-believe-luke-kuechly-concussion-consider-retirement-2016-12" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">scary concussion</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that ended his season. Please, </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">please</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> retire, Luke! I want him to be able to remember our children’s names in 20 years! </span></span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Protect your beautiful brain!</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I kinda feel that if you have a back fracture, you should probably miss more than just one game, but the Oakland Raiders </span><a href="http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/profootballdoc/sd-sp-david-carr-back-transverse-process-fracture-1002-story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">apparently feel differently</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> about their starting quarterback because Derek Carr played in the Oakland’s loss to the </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">San Diego</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Los Angeles Chargers.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Antonio Brown. He’s good. </span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/n96wk/ysscwl" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #14171a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #14171a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></span>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #14171a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline;">Some Negative Nellies out there have suggested that the Packers won't do well without Rodgers just because they don’t have a run game or a good defense to support their passing game which will now be lucky to be a hollow shell of what it was, but I’m optimistic! They can do this! </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">Let’s go, Brett!</span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Green Bay will need players to step up<span style="font-size: 11pt;">.</span></span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/10-October/temp171015-packers-vikings-2-siegle-9--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="266" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We need manly men like Jordy to be leaders.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m not </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>at all</i></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> worried about my Packers, but just out of sheer idle curiosity, I wonder how well Aaron Rodgers can throw left-handed. I bet he’s still pretty good.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I said, it’s going to be okay. It’s going to be better than okay! Brett Hundley can step up, the line can get healthy, Rodgers might be able to recover from surgery miraculously quickly and come back before the end of the season like last time -- these things could happen! And it’s all going to be okay.</span></li>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-4618314445900315242017-10-10T07:14:00.002-05:002017-10-10T07:34:38.050-05:00“A Little Too Much Time”: Part Deux<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/10-October/temp171008-packers-arrive-stadium-1-bobber-4--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="293" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When the Green Bay Packers got the ball back with 1:13 left after the Dallas Cowboys had gone ahead 31-28, all I could hear in my head was Aaron Rodgers post-game quote from the last time he stomped on the hearts of the Cowboys faithful. Back in January, he was asked what he was thinking when Green Bay got the ball back with 0:35 in the Divisional Playoff game, and Rodgers responded</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My only regret regarding this game is that it fell on the day before a holiday, so I didn’t get to gloat in front of all my coworkers while the wound was still fresh. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The game got off to a bit of a bumpy start, with the refs gifting the Cowboys four points on a dismal unnecessary roughness call in the endzone that gave Dallas a new set of downs on the two-yard line on their opening touchdown.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Plus the Packers missed not one, but two extra points! Listen, I don’t want to call out long snapper Taybor Pepper because he’s young, hasn’t played much, and his name is Taybor Pepper, so his life is probably hard enough as it is… but COME ON, DUDE. You literally have one job. All’s well that ends well (for now), as there were no more missed kicks after the first two.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The wide receiver besties busted out yet another coordinated celebration, which feels strange to see with the Green Bay Packers. On Sunday, they were an Olympic bobsled team.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/SoftBlandAlpaca" style="left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Um five times weirder than the actual sight of the celebration is this tidbit:</span></li>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gifm-i3MX_s/WdwJ2O3K6iI/AAAAAAAAD-M/QjooDdiaU4InAF0c2sAJz7VsAtXeDbqWwCLcBGAs/s1600/bobsled.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="624" height="163" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gifm-i3MX_s/WdwJ2O3K6iI/AAAAAAAAD-M/QjooDdiaU4InAF0c2sAJz7VsAtXeDbqWwCLcBGAs/s400/bobsled.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rookie Aaron Jones had a very, very nice game, gaining 125 yards on 19 carries, with a touchdown. It’s so exciting and refreshing to see a running threat in the Green and Gold! (Also, he seems totally </span><a href="http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Aaron-Jones-1-on-1-Talks-first-100-yd-game-/05a722d8-46ec-4932-965e-801d62bb6c83" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sweet</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/RB-Jones-I-can-do-things-better/fce1df78-84bd-44ba-bd67-9cb7abb706da?campaign=sf120515917_TW_C-Content-GB_CT-Locker%20Room%20Video-GB_sf120515917&sf120515917=1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">adorable</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.)</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Martellus Bennett has been something of a disappointment thus far, but he had a couple of big-time catches, including a </span><a href="https://twitter.com/packers/status/917148117216063489" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">33-yarder</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and a huge first down on the game-winning drive. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want to take a moment to say a big thank-you to Jason Garrett, Dak Prescott, and the Dallas Cowboys for not running the ball -- and the clock -- on second down prior to the Packers’ game-winning drive. Thanks to you, Green Bay didn’t not have to use their final timeout on defense, and they got the ball back plus-35 seconds or so. I raise my glass to you. </span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sure, I was jumping up and down and screaming and pacing the floor and what-not during that final drive, but 1:13 with Aaron Rodgers and a timeout? Come on. We all knew what was </span><a href="https://streamable.com/efcx8" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">going to happen</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were a lot of ups and downs during the game: Dallas jumping out to a 21-6 lead in the first half; Damarious Randall’s pick-six at just the right moment (and his stupid unsportsmanlike penalty); Green Bay’s successfully challenging of Dallas’ third-down “conversion” and forcing a 4th-and-one, then appearing to stop Ezekiel Elliott on 4th-and-one, only to have replay show that he got the first down -- so many emotions!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is it with teams not covering Jordy? He leads the league in touchdowns (despite missing a game) -- he’s an #EndzoneNinja and defenses keep on seeming to forget about him!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Speaking of, winning the game was great and all, but WHERE WAS JORDY ON THE FINAL DRIVE??? Attempting a game-winning drive without your go-to receiver is nerve-wracking. And after the game, even in the midst of my excitement, I was so worried! Here’s everything I could find on the sitch:</span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="173" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bBYu25-fg2jNpong5BftlE1-7_RnyY7KA4jGAgwHVAjY0tNzOZJ5RSPaQ1VybAiMLup3AmoBrqDWRYxDP6Uf3Jy88ztyoyKI0slDUIuwC2bQhV3QEZRtZShLEjLL8Dh4wHGfbKrc" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is remarkably unhelpful. What was it? A concussion? What happened?<br />
When did it happen? How did it happen? Who's "we"?</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m a little worried about HaHa Clinton-Dix. He seems really … bad thus far this season. (Also, why does he always wear long sleeves, even when it’s really hot out?) (I’m not suggesting the two are related, by the way. Just two discrete observations.)</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope Dallas running back Ryan Switzer remembered to get his mom to sign his permission slip so he could play in the game Sunday.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="209" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cmgverticals/image/upload/c_crop,g_north_west,h_989,w_1884,x_0,y_270/c_fill,h_628,q_80,w_1200/e_sharpen,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto/v1507049170/Ryan-Switzer-Dallas-Cowboys-Christian-Petersen-Getty-Images_wrfptd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aren't there child labor laws?</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jeff Janis returned one kick on Sunday for for 17 yards, bringing Green Bay’s season total for returns -- for both kicks and punts -- to a grand total of … 17 yards.</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Pack got one of their offensive tackles back Sunday, but were still down their starting left tackle, as well as their (now former) starting running back. They also lost cornerback Kevin King to a concussion and Morgan Burnett to a hamstring injury. Hopefully they’ll all heal up soon! For right now, all that matter is we beat the Cowboys!</span></li>
</ul>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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LET'S GO! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBvsDAL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GBvsDAL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoPackGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoPackGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/8mBJJJ1PKM">pic.twitter.com/8mBJJJ1PKM</a></div>
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) <a href="https://twitter.com/packers/status/917156226521321473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I feel like I can’t really complain about Packers injuries when the 0-5 New York Giants lost </span><span style="color: #14171a; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">four</span><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> receivers on Sunday, two for long-term, including star wideout Odell Beckham Jr, who broke his ankle. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On top of that, my beloved JJ Watt suffered a bone break in his knee (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibial_plateau_fracture" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here’s a pic of where the tibial plateau is</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), which sounds just horrible. It’s even sadder when it comes after a 2016 season in which Watt played just three games, and an injury-filled 2015, as well. The Texans also lost linebacker (and current holder of the Best Name for a Defender title) Whitney Mercilus for the year to a torn pectoral muscle. Here’s hoping both come back stronger next year!</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<img height="275" src="https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_960w/2010-2019/Wires/Images/2017-10-09/AP/Chiefs_Texans_Football_75419-4cb67.jpg&w=1484" width="400" /></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a real barn-burner up in Chicago on Monday night. Here's how the first half between the Bears and the Minnesota Vikings went: punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, safety, punt, punt, punt, punt, fumble, field goal, punt. Yep, totally worth </span><span id="docs-internal-guid-bd7ba564-0410-7722-d79e-5eb7e540fa70"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=1-20973444" style="text-decoration-line: none;">jeopardizing Sam Bradford’s safety</a></span></span>.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think the stat tracker in the Carolina Panthers’ win over the Detroit Lions wasn’t paying attention or something. He noted 11 penalties against the Panthers, but it felt like double that. And it somehow showed Stafford only being sacked 6 times, but it felt like 16. </span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/77e0042b8b9d9a02f4eac470e616809d9124ead5/c=0-327-1941-2268&r=x408&c=405x405/local/-/media/2017/10/08/DetroitNews/B99584297Z.1_20171008181727_000_G671MG006.1-0.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here you can see his hand injury gushing.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m glad the Lions lost, but I was really impressed with Stafford leading a near-comeback all while barely being able to walk. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What’s the etiquette when you’re an offensive lineman and your man beats you and sacks your quarterback and then you have to help him up? I’ve always wondered. Do you mumble an apology? Do you just keep your mouth shut because he’s probably pretty mad? Do you curse to show how angry you are at yourself?</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s a clip from Eli Manning’s Visa commercial to prove that the Manning Face never takes a play off, not even when playing a pick-up game with the local kids for Visa. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s never good to throw a red-zone interception, but it’s particularly bad to throw a red-zone interception in overtime when you’re eight yards from victory, as Jacoby Brissett did for Indianapolis. Luckily for the Colts, they were playing the San Francisco 49ers, who did absolutely nothing with the turnover, and the Colts were able to win on a field goal on their next possession. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not a good day for Ben Roethlisberger against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Pittsburgh Steeler threw zero touchdowns and FIVE interceptions, including two pick-sixes in the span of three minutes. Ouch.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FpWWEhYuFZU/WdwMdTbRFSI/AAAAAAAAD-Y/r1UwFiSFV08yttR57f1CfXv3amrROFpjQCLcBGAs/s1600/BR1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="721" height="98" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FpWWEhYuFZU/WdwMdTbRFSI/AAAAAAAAD-Y/r1UwFiSFV08yttR57f1CfXv3amrROFpjQCLcBGAs/s400/BR1.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Umm, yeah. Not exactly throwing himself on a sword...</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Jaguars are super trendy right now. Part of the reason they look so good is that last year, their turnover ratio last year was -16; this year, they’re +10 so far.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is so much better than any trash talking. This is Jacksonville running back Leonard Fournette beckoning, mid-run, the defender to come at him.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Argh! The New England Patriots should be 1-4! Thanks to chokes by the Houston Texans and now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Patriots are 3-2. On Thursday night, the Bucs missed not one, not two, but THREE field goals. And lost by five points. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Poor Kansas City Chiefs. There is nothing they can do to make me take them seriously. They're the last undefeated team and, through 5 games, Alex Smith has 11 TDs and 0 interceptions, but I'm still like:</span></li>
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<li style="color: #14171a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline;">The New York Jets are 3-2 and oddsmakers give them </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/20966597/winless-new-york-giants-now-same-super-bowl-odds-300-1-new-york-jets" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">the same chance</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline;"> to win the Super Bowl as the 0-5 New York Giants. That’s offensive. But also totally understandable. </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At first, when Jay Cutler threw an interception in Sunday’s game, I thought the Miami Dolphins fans were calling for backup quarterback Matt Moore when they started chanting, “We want Moore! We want Moore.” But on second thought, perhaps they were saying, “We want </span><span style="color: #14171a; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">more</span><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,” with “Jay Cutler” being the implied completion of the chant. Hard to say. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Up next: the Vikings!</span></li>
</ul>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-53911791234843884122017-10-02T22:26:00.000-05:002017-10-02T22:28:02.747-05:00Even Without Cutler … the Bears Still Suck<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears game started just as well as one could imagine. The Packers started with the ball on offense and scored a touchdown on their first drive. Then, on the Chicago Bears’ very first snap of the game, Clay Matthews came charging through the line, forced the hapless Mike Glennon to fumble, and Green Bay recovered on the four-yard line. They scored three plays later. (Major props to Jake Ryan on recovering the ball. Great awareness. But does he fall while celebrating or is that part of his celebration??)</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/rkx0i/aijtbf" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s the series lead for Green Bay! They now lead 95-94-6 all-time versus Chicago. Hah! </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was especially fun that Matthews became the Packers’ all-time sack leader on that strip-sack, and against the rival Bears, too. Loooooove it! </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/rSGjMel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I smell Bear blood!"</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Packers did not play any offensive tackles playing on Thursday because they simply didn’t have any available. Bryan Bulaga and David Bakhtiari were out with injuries, and Kyle Murphy, Jason Spriggs, and Don Barclay are all on the IR. Guard Lane Taylor played left tackle for the first time in his life against the Bears and did a fantastic job!</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I totally agree with this fan. But I do have to say I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much I still enjoy watching the Bears get destroyed, even without Jay Cutler. I didn’t expect how gleeful I would be when the Pack went up 14-0 in the first six minutes.</span> </li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kWtBKFbN1T8/WdL7JqPXsOI/AAAAAAAAD9k/eXuN1iaW5bclQkdegsnpXV1ix3KSo6hRwCLcBGAs/s1600/Cutler1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="386" height="242" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kWtBKFbN1T8/WdL7JqPXsOI/AAAAAAAAD9k/eXuN1iaW5bclQkdegsnpXV1ix3KSo6hRwCLcBGAs/s320/Cutler1.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Davante Adams hit was scary. I </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hate</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> it when they bring out the backboard. Danny Trevathan has rightly been suspended two games for the dirty hit that sent Adams to the hospital. That kind of hit could easily end someone’s career. Adams was able to give the crowd a </span><a href="https://twitter.com/AaronNagler/status/913606730835218432" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">thumbs-up</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as he was wheeled off the field (I teared up, as I do every single time this happens in a football game) and tweeted Friday that he was back home. </span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R1_ieq_Ltg8/WdL7Ozoz_uI/AAAAAAAAD9o/MC9YmCwzXakEofw2Ov5u9Tpk4SKs7C9xgCLcBGAs/s1600/DA.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="618" height="190" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R1_ieq_Ltg8/WdL7Ozoz_uI/AAAAAAAAD9o/MC9YmCwzXakEofw2Ov5u9Tpk4SKs7C9xgCLcBGAs/s400/DA.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the hit, the teams started to tussle. While everyone was getting in each other’s face, Randall Cobb didn’t even care about the scrape, but was kneeling by Davante Both Cobb and Jordy both went to the hospital after the game to visit their friend.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awwwwww!</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a snap bounced off Glennon’s knees and resulted in one of Chicago’s four turnovers of the night, the Twitter account for Butterfinger candy bar decided to rib the Bears a bit. The Bears Twitter tried to sass back, not knowing that Butterfinger is <i>way </i>sassier than anyone ever expected.</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9322it6sXas/WdL7k7_XlfI/AAAAAAAAD9s/5f90GXahjJ8omj-vpBSiG5oJCdXr6_O4ACLcBGAs/s1600/Butterfinger.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="510" height="340" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9322it6sXas/WdL7k7_XlfI/AAAAAAAAD9s/5f90GXahjJ8omj-vpBSiG5oJCdXr6_O4ACLcBGAs/s400/Butterfinger.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was some drama on the sidelines. Cornerback Damarious Randall got benched after giving up a touchdown and then was </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/41125/mike-mccarthy-sticks-by-damarious-randall-after-kicking-him-off-sideline" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sent to the locker room</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, reportedly for arguing with a coach. Hmmm, you’re a little old for being sent to your (locker) room, D. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jordy Nelson scored four touchdowns in five days! *I* think that’s impressive, but apparently Chicago didn’t think he merited any coverage.</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/5mz8s/dwnkfb" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Someone needs to tell CBS that branded their announcers suit jackets make them look really cheap. Like when you start a new job and you’re handed the used uniform of the person who quit the day before.</span></li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/the_slatest/2017/09/11/tony_romo_correctly_predicts_numerous_nfl_plays/screen_shot_20170911_at_4.52.42_pm.png.CROP.promovar-mediumlarge.52.42_pm.png" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
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<ul>
<li style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The injuries somehow just keep on going. In addition to losing Adams, the Packers lost starting running back Ty Montgomery (ribs) and backup running back, rookie Jamaal Williams (knee). Last running back standing, rookie Aaron Jones stepped up and did pretty well running for 49 yards on 13 carries. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Considering the weather delay, the injury delays, and the massive score gap, the announcers had to find some things to talk about. Luckily, the downtime led to them playing a video of Chicago rookie running back Tarik Cohen catching two footballs while doing a backflip. Wow.</span></li>
</span></ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thursday Night Football reminds me of the generic brands in the cereal aisle, like “Fruity Circles,” “Wheatums,” and “Apple Smacks,” because it’s trying so hard to be Monday Night Football, but it’ll always be a half-hearted off-brand imitation. They have the hot girl singing an intro … but she’s not famous enough to be recognizable. They used to have a painful feature called, “Stop it, playa,” or something that wasn’t even trying not to be a ripoff of MNF’s super annoying “C’mon, man.” Just accept TNF for what it is -- a money grab by the NFL for their network that no one particularly likes, but they’ll watch if their team is playing. </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What a great week! Both the Cowboys and the Patriots lost. Let’s start with New England first. I saw the Carolina Panthers up 30-16 at the start of the fourth quarter, but I didn’t bother getting excited because I made that mistake last week with the Texans, and they blew it. Sure enough, New England came back to tie the game 30-30 with just over three minutes left in the game. The Panthers got the ball back and steadily gain yards up the field and running the clock until they faced a 48-yard field with 0:04 left. Graham Gano FOR THE WIN!! That makes the Patriots 2-2, Tom.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt=" tom brady GIF" height="400" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/udaiVd85S9Py/giphy.gif" width="340" /> </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, even better was the Dallas Cowboys-Los Angeles Rams game. Dallas led for the majority of the game until the third quarter, but by the early fourth quarter, the Rams were holding on to a 32-24 lead. Dallas came back and scored a touchdown, and had to go for two. Tie game! Oh, wait, there was a holding call that nullified the conversion and on the second attempt, Terrance Williams dropped the ball in the endzone. (This was a very, very important play in the game, and yet this is the only highlight I could find. Doesn’t really show how bad Williams’ drop was.)</span></li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/aw90m/ilunuc" style="height: 100%; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But Terrance wasn’t done quite yet. The Rams scored a field after Dallas’ failed two-point attempt, so the score was 35-30, and it was touchdown or bust for the Cowboys. Williams again chose bust, dropping what would have been a first-down pass. They did eventually get a first down, but were stopped a few plays later on fourth down, ending the game as cheers errupted across America.</span></li>
</ul>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Final drive of the game. Terrance Williams drop on 2nd down. Sigh. <a href="https://t.co/SNu22n9gEO">pic.twitter.com/SNu22n9gEO</a></div>
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) <a href="https://twitter.com/Marcus_Mosher/status/914840963427848192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If this NFL thing doesn’t work out for Jeff Heath (#38, the white dude making the first “attempt” at tackling Todd Gurley on this play, around the 30-yard line), he can always start a career as an </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_mrQ1YZT-c" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">infomercial actor</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. He seems like a natural. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson gave his first-ever NFL paycheck to three cafeteria workers at the Texans’ complex who had lost their homes in Hurricane Harvey. That is very cool.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last week, we mocked Joe Flacco for only having 28 passing yards, but it turns out it was </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">even worse</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> than that. My brother pointed out that 30 of Joe Flacco’s passing yards were after the catch. 28 passing yards … 30 after the catch. His average pass was caught </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">behind</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the line of scrimmage, and his longest completion was </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">three </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">yards. I’m … I’m stunned. I don’t know what to say.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="225" src="https://sites.jmu.edu/sportspr/files/2016/11/flacco_gb2_576.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If Joe had come out and just done this on every play, it <br />
actually would have been more beneficial to the team.</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">WHERE IS THAT MERCY RULE?? The Texans hung 57 points on the poor little Tennessee Titans. And the Texans aren’t even that good! </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wonder if Cris Collinsworth’s feelings are hurt by being thrown over for Tony Romo as most beloved color commenter. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cole Beasley looks like a hobbit, and I have an intense, instinctive reaction against him every time I see him.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="206" src="https://s3media.247sports.com/Uploads/Assets/429/603/6_3603429.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grrr! Doesn't that face just make you angry??</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The New York Giants are 0-4.</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another 0-4 team is the Los Angeles Chargers. Unlike the glee I feel at the Giant’s record, I actually feel bad for the Chargers. They’re perpetual disappointments, and they were forced to move to LA, even though they didn’t want LA and LA didn’t -- and doesn’t -- want them. They can’t fill the smallest stadium in the league, and the fans that do come are f</span><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2017/10/1/16392942/eagles-chargers-stubhub-center-crowd-fans" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">or the opponents</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I can understand why Philip Rivers is so mad. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Rivers mad 😬 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chargers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chargers</a> <a href="https://t.co/ihoOEVxORj">pic.twitter.com/ihoOEVxORj</a></div>
— Jim Russell (@JimRussellSD) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimRussellSD/status/914612493489651712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Buffalo Bills beat the Atlanta Falcons to take the AFC North division lead! The upset is less surprising when you consider that the Falcons lost their top receivers Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu during the game. Man, if the Packers had gotten to play the Falcons sans Jones and Sanu, Atlanta probably would have only put up 300 yards on them.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carl Lawson of the Bengals (you remember, the guy who spent Week 3 in the Green Bay backfield?) doesn’t wear a mouthguard. Why, I can’t even begin to guess, but it caught up to him Sunday when he </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20887001/cincinnati-bengals-carl-lawson-loses-teeth-win-cleveland-browns" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lost two teeth</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> during a tackle. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was hoping the Seattle Seahawks-Indianapolis Colts game could end after the first quarter so we could see a 3-2 final score. Didn’t quite work out that way as Seattle went on to score 43 more points for a 46-18 win. The crazy thing is that Indianapolis was leading 15-10 at halftime! Poor Colts were probably really excited in the locker room, thinking that they were finally not going to embarrass themselves on national television, in prime time, too.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was this kind of day for Matty Ice. Even when he wasn’t at quarterback, he struggled. The more I watch this, the funnier it gets. Matt Ryan’s earnest effort; his tripping on nothing for no reason; the Wildcat quarterback’s “what the hell?” hand gesture; Ryan giving him that thumbs-ups -- I can’t stop watching this!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let’s compare. Above was Matt Ryan on a Wildcat play. Below is Jay Cutler, at the bottom of the screen, on a Wildcat play. On the one hand, I find this absolutely freaking hilarious. On the other hand, if I were his coach, I would fine Cutler for this! That attitude and lack of effort from any player, much less the quarterback, is unacceptable!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Seattle left tackle Rees Odhiambo reported having trouble breathing during the Sunday night game. He was taken the the hospital and diagnosed with a “bruised heart.” That sounds so painful … and profound. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Speaking of painful injuries, Oakland QB Derek Carr suffered a “minor” fracture after taking a knee to the back, and is out “2-4 weeks.” I don’t know, but that seems like it should take more than a couple of weeks to heal. But hey, Tony Romo did that a bunch of times and it worked out for him, right?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know we’re all supposed to love Travis Kelce -- he’s crazy! He’s hilarious! No filter! Having so much fun out there! -- but really he is a sophomoric dude-bro jerk whose constant unsportsmanlike penalties hurt his team. Grow up! (And stay off my lawn!)</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next up for the Packers: the Dallas Cowboys. In the words of Bart Scott:</span></li>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-19148512014989901332017-09-25T22:45:00.001-05:002017-09-25T23:05:16.279-05:00Overtime Overdrive<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whew! That was a little close. Luckily when you have Aaron Rodgers as your quarterback, being down 14 points at halftime is NBD.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a rocky start. The Cincinnati Bengals were the subject of much talk, having been unable to score a single touchdown in their first two games. Playing the Green Packers defense (when they’re down Mike Daniels, Nick Perry, et al.) is often a cure for whatever ails your offense, however, and the Bengals scored on their opening drive.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then there was a total statistical unicorn when Aaron Rodgers threw a pick-six, which he’s only ever done one other time in his entire career.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But after halftime, Green Bay buckled down. The first play of the third quarter was a 51-yard pass to Lance Kendricks on a drive that ended in a Jordy Nelson touchdown.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then there were a bunch of punts and field goals and missed field goals. And THEN, the Packers defense managed to hold on a third-and-one and forced Cincy to kick a field goal that extended the Bengals' lead to 24-17 with three-and-a-half minutes left in regulation. Green Bay marched up the field and wound up with a first-and-goal at the three, and then this gorgeous touchdown to Nelson tied it up! That pass is incredible. One inch off or one-tenth of a second late, and the DB is able to knock it down.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He’s a blurry still from the above video that shows how teeny tiny the window was for Rodgers to get the ball to Jordy before the defender could get there. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish I were like those quirky tech nerds on crime shows who can take any raw footage, <br />
no matter the source, and "enhance" it to perfect clarity with a few loud keystrokes</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">OVERTIME! Green Bay’s defense did not play particularly well, but they came out with a vengeance in overtime and made a statement, forcing a quick three-and-out to put the ball back where it belongs: in Aaron Rodgers’ hands. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After two incomplete passes, things were a little worrisome, and Green Bay faced third-and-10 from their own 21. And then the Bengals’ Michael Johnson jumped offsides, and we all knew the game was over right there.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A Geronimo Allison’s 72-yard catch and a Mason Crosby field goal later and the game was over. Crosby celebrated by catching a reverse Lambeau Leap from his son. </span></li>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/reverselambeauleap?src=hash">#reverselambeauleap</a> special moment with my son! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoPackGo?src=hash">#GoPackGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/mjEuclDCYI">pic.twitter.com/mjEuclDCYI</a></div>
— Mason Crosby (@crosbykicks2) <a href="https://twitter.com/crosbykicks2/status/912310507390021633">September 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nice game for Packers rookie safety Josh Jones -- two sacks and 12 tackles -- but he needs to work a little more on situational awareness. For example, wait until your team is not trailing by 14 points to go stomping around and flexing your muscles after making a tackle. Just a thought.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You know what would be nice? If Martellus Bennett stopped dropping passes. Also, gaining more than 64 yards rushing as a team.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Praising Tony Romo’s skills as a commenter is as “in” as criticizing his fourth-quarter play was a couple of years ago. He is good, but he needs to talk lower and slower. Romo has so much knowledge to share that he tries to fit everything he sees into his commentary on every play, which means he has to talk fast and say, “Look!” a lot. His speedy commentary makes stresses me out. (But you’re doing great at a very tough job, Tony!)</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am biased against Romo, though. Not because he played for Cowboys or anything like that, but because he bumped Phil Simms out of the booth. And with no Phil Simms, there’s no @philsimmsquotes. And for that, I cannot forgive Romo.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When Bengals LB Carl Lawson is inducted into the Hall of Fame, he should have Kyle Murphy give his introduction. The linebacker effortlessly blew by Murphy to land 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hits on Rodgers. </span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murphy is not their starter and that's not his natural position and<br />he was <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">trying and it's a tough job and I should be nicer to him. </span><br />
But still.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Andy Dalton tried to get the cool kid haircut, but he’s still a spritely-looking redhead with impish freckles, so it doesn’t really work. No matter his haircut, he’ll always look like a five-year-old hero of a kids’ book.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He probably has a trouble-making yet adorable dog named Skip or something,<br />
too. And they get into all sorts of scrapes and misadventures together.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ha Ha Clinton-Dix signed this kid’s jersey, “Be respectful 2 teachers & family.”</span> </li>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/haha_cd6">@haha_cd6</a> you made this kids WEEKEND! Every time you saw him you acknowledged him. Thank you for being a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/classact?src=hash">#classact</a> and role model. <a href="https://t.co/gy76d4ErVw">pic.twitter.com/gy76d4ErVw</a></div>
— Matt (@MatthewQB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MatthewQB/status/912118752946397184">September 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh boy! I can’t wait for Thursday night when we get to watch two teams who played overtime games in record heat try to compete on 3.5 days of rest! Especially great for the Packers, who barely have enough healthy bodies to field a team. And a big shout-out to the NFL for shortening overtime from 15 minutes to 10 minutes out of concern for “player safety.” I mean, sure, it didn’t help either the Packers or the Bears in overtime, but it lets us fans know that the league really cares about its players. *UPDATE: Kyle Murphy was injured in Sunday’s game, apparently. So that’s the Packers top </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">five</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> offensive tackles who are injured. Wonderful. Should be a great game.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I keep on forgetting to cheer against the Miami Dolphins! Good news: Jay Cutler lost to the New York Jets 20-6, threw as many touchdowns as interceptions (one), and was sacked three times.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I fear losing Jay to retirement after this season, so I don't want to waste any opportunities. Here’s another.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ugh the Houston Texans had the New England Patriots beat before screwing it up! With under a minute left, New England faced a 3rd-and-18 from midfield. Then Houston gave up back-to-back receptions of 27 and 25 yards that allowed New England to score and take a three-point lead. With 0:23 left on the clock, Houston tried to mount a last-minute drive. On the first play, they gained 21 yards. Great job! And then … then … they took 10 seconds to call a timeout before stopping the clock with three seconds left, meaning they only had enough time for a Hail Mary, instead of being able to gain some yardage and maybe try for a field goal to force overtime. WHY did coach Bill O’Brien not call a timeout??? In a situation like that, the timeout should come from the sideline, not from the field, and not from your rookie quarterback who’s trying to communicate the plan to his teammates. O’Brien </span><a href="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/09/24/bill-obrien-on-failure-to-call-timeout-in-waning-seconds-i-screwed-that-up/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gallantly fell on the sword</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, saying, “Anything that happened negative in that game is on me. I’m the coach.” Well, yeah, that and the fact that it was your actual fault. Man, do you know how amazing it would be for the Patriots to be 1-2 right now? YOU RUINED EVERYTHING, BILL!</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">HAHAHA even when the Bears do something right, they screw it up. After blocking a field goal, Chicago recovered the ball and returned it the other way. The genius Bears player thought it was a good idea to stop running at the 10-yard line and walk into the endzo</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ne. Except he didn't quite make it. A Steeler caught up and stripped the ball at the one-inch line</span>. HA! Chicago actually still got points out of it because the Steelers knocked the ball out of the endzone. The half can’t end on a defensive penalty, so Chicago was given an untimed down at the one-yard line, which they also screwed up by false-starting (lol). They ended up kicking a field goal. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Former Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy opened up about the </span><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/19/lions-giants-nfl-week-2-monday-night-football-eli-manning-ben-mcadoo?utm_campaign=themmqb&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">abuse he takes on social media</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for his weight. Eddie is sweet and I like him and people should stop being mean!</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The trendy Oakland Raiders could not surpass 100 yards either rushing or passing against the Washington Redskins, who outgained Oakland 472-128 in total yards. Eww.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I gotta feel a little bad for Von Miller. The Denver defensive linebacker spent much of Sunday's game engaged in </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20807230/von-miller-late-penalty-allowed-buffalo-bills-extend-their-lead-denver-broncos" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">jovial trash talking</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with Bills’ quarterback Tyrod Taylor. In the fourth quarter, the Broncos stopped the Bills on third down. Miller scored a hit on Taylor and then held out his hand to help him off the ground, but at the last second pulled his hand away. Unfortunately for him, the ref flagged him for taunting, and the Bills got a new set of downs. (Actually kind of a big deal since the Bills went on to milk the clock and score a field goal to extend their lead to 10, the final margin of victory.) Taylor clearly didn’t take Miller’s “taunt” personally. When asked if he was laughing because of Miller’s joke or because Miller got flagged for it, Taylor said, “Both. Both, for sure.”</span></li>
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Von Miller got penalized for this. <a href="https://t.co/IRXW5HrPhI">pic.twitter.com/IRXW5HrPhI</a></div>
— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) <a href="https://twitter.com/JordanHeckFF/status/912042289542856704">September 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Colts running back Frank Gore passed the 3,000 carries mark on Sunday. You gotta be pretty darn tough to survive 3,000 rushes and still be playing. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Minnesota Vikings beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even without starting quarterback Sam Bradford. Backup Case Keenum was more than adequate, completing 25 of 33 passes for 369 yards and three touchdowns. After the game, Vikes receiver Stefon Diggs said of Keenum, “I’ve got 100% faith in Case, or anybody they put back there … No matter who's back there, we've got faith in them and we're going to make it work. We have no choice.” Yeah, that very specifically <i>not</i> a declaration of support for the guy who got you two touchdowns.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Case Keenum had more passing yards on Sunday than Joe Flacco has had this season. Flacco somehow, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">somehow</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> managed to throw only 28 yards in this week's game. Granted, he was pulled in the fourth quarter of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 44-7 beatdown of the Ravens in London, but 28 yards in three quarters is still putrid.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also, Baltimore did not cross midfield until the third quarter.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Philadelphia Eagles won in dramatic last-second fashion, with their rookie kicker booting a 61-yarder (!) as time expired to keep the New York Giants winless.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aww and they carried him off on their shoulders like at the ending of a movie. </td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rough start to the season for Eli Manning. Maybe his </span><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/19/lions-giants-nfl-week-2-monday-night-football-eli-manning-ben-mcadoo?utm_campaign=themmqb&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">coach will find another way to blame him</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for the entirety of the team stinking. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Indy won a game! Indy won a game! (It was against Cleveland.) But they still won a game!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To put Indianapolis’ victory in perspective, here’s a quote from Browns’ left tackle Joe Thomas.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m not in the habit of feeling sympathy for Golden Tate nor any Detroit Lion, but I can understand why the Lions might have been a little upset over the ending of their game against the Atlanta Falcons. Down four points with under 20 seconds to go, Tate caught a short pass just on the goal line with about eight seconds left. The refs signaled for a touchdown. Scoring plays, of course, are automatically reviewed, which stopped the clock. After review, the refs came out and were like, ‘Oops, we made the wrong call. Overturned. Also, because we miscalled the play, there’s no time left, and the game is over. Good night and drive safe.’ Turns out Tate did </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">score a touchdown, but was actually shy by a few inches. And because the clock should not have been stopped, that meant a 10-second runoff. The Lions were miffed because </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Lions/status/912074133219012608" style="text-decoration-line: none;">10 seconds is enough time to spike the ball</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and it wasn’t their fault the clock stopped. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> it was already third down, so the Lions couldn’t have spiked the ball without ending the game, even if they had the opportunity to do so. Soooo the refs were actually right, but they would have done the same thing if it had been first down, so the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rules</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> deserve to be protested, even if the application in this instance resulted in the correct outcome. #sorrynotsorry Detroit.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even Matt Ryan of the now 3-0 Atlanta Falcons was couldn’t quite believe what had just happened.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why don’t they open Sunday Night Football with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth together in the booth? Why do they always have just Michaels before Collinsworth comes careering in from the side? It always makes me think of when I was a kid and my siblings and I would rocket each other around the room in a wheelie office chair. </span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Richard Sherman got called for </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">three </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">penalties </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">on the same play</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">!!!! The loudmouth cornerback committed pass interference which led to an interception, held an opponent during his teammate's return of the interception, and was unsportsmanlike when he screamed at the ref and chased him down after he was flagged. He later leveled a </span><a href="http://video.nfl.com/films/vodzilla/81402/Titans_and_Seahawks_scuffle_after_Richar-S233kD22-20170924_142551817_5000k.mp4" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">blatant late hit </span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">on Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota -- because he is a dirty, dirty player -- and should have been ejected (two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties = ejection). But Richard Sherman, of course, </span><a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/seahawks-richard-sherman-just-wanted-an-explanation-on-the-interference-call-thats-all/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">doesn’t think he should have been called</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for any of the penalties. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The San Francisco 49ers did not score any touchdowns in the first two weeks, but managed to score </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">five</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on Thursday night. Great job, guys! Unfortunately, their kicker missed an extra point and they lost to the Los Angeles Rams. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t actually feel </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">too</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> bad for the Niners, though. They allowed the Rams to score in the first 15 seconds of the game … and the Rams didn’t even start the game with the ball. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even though the Arizona Cardinals failed to beat the hated Dallas Cowboys, there were some nice highlights for the Birds. Carson Palmer, who has had a shaky start to the season, had some absolute <span style="color: blue; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://video.nfl.com/films/vodzilla/81914/Larry_Fitzgerald_with_a_Receiving_Yard_v-yiqJuncg-20170925_193751141_5000k.mp4" target="_blank">gorgeous</a> <a href="http://video.nfl.com/films/vodzilla/81915/Carson_Palmer_with_a_Touchdown_vs_Dallas-SsDskcf9-20170925_193947371_5000k.mp4" target="_blank">throws</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">. Also, Larry Fitzgerald. </span>My favorite Fitz play was when he went up, grabbed what was going to be an interception from the defender, somehow hung on, pleaded his case to a ref who had already called it a catch, then helped the defender up.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking forward to rooting on my depleted, exhausted Packers in the middle of the work week!</span></li>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-20707311287377175632017-09-19T06:55:00.000-05:002017-09-19T06:55:09.497-05:00At Least Aaron Rodgers Survived<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When it was announced shortly before kickoff that neither the Green Bay Packers starting left tackle nor their starting right tackle would be playing against the Atlanta Falcons, the goal of the game shifted to just hoping Aaron Rodgers survived. He did. He’s been sacked seven times in the last two weeks, but he’s alive. So there’s that. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The same cannot be said for the rest of the team. Already down two starting tackles, the Packers almost immediately lost star defensive lineman Mike Daniels (hamstring). Then Jordy Nelson (quad). Then safety Kentrell Brice (groin). Then Randall Cobb (shoulder). Then cornerback Davon House (quad).</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Given that the line was a patchwork quilt, I’m trying to be nice, but 10 penalties really didn’t help the cause.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One play wouldn’t have changed how badly the Falcons were beating the Packers, but the alleged “pick” on Martellus Bennett really screwed the Packers over. The call negated a 36-yard gain by Cobb and backed the Packers up against their own goal line. Two plays later, Rodgers was intercepted and Atlanta scored almost immediately. Bennett claimed that it wasn’t a pick play and the defender ran into him, but regardless, the play happened within one yard of the line of scrimmage, where picks are legal. I’m glad </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/green-bay-packers/post/_/id/40843/pick-plays-rub-packers-the-wrong-way-in-loss-to-falcons" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m not the only one</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> who doesn’t understand the pick play rules, though. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Look! A Green Bay highlight! Enjoy the beautiful touchdown to Davante Adams because that’s just about all the happy there was to be had.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sunday night witnessed the 300th touchdown pass of Aaron Rodgers’ career. Rodgers is just the 11th player to reach the milestone and did it in fewer games (144) than anyone. Congrats, A-A-Ron!</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">As we touched on last week, Rodgers has only thrown one pick-six in his career. Brett Favre threw three pick-sixes … in a game. And a playoff game no less! (He actually threw </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">six</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"> interceptions that game.)</span></span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sunday’s game wasn’t great, it’s true, but I’m coming around to a brighter outlook. As Rodgers said in his post-game press conference, the Falcons got 14 points off of Green Bay’s uncharacteristic turnovers and they ended up winning by 11 points. Taking into consideration the injuries, the game wasn’t as terrible as it felt. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Obviously not football, but the Miami Marlins were </span><a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/09/milwaukee-brewers-miami-marlins-hurricane-irma-flair-hugs-players-moved-game-mlb-classy" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">forced to play</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> their home games against the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee because of the hurricane. The Brewers did their best to make Miller Park feel like home for the Marlins by adding “Florida decorations” of palm trees, fish, and flamingos. </span></span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aww, good ol' Milwaukee.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Rq1wYKYTUY/WcBzx3q6iAI/AAAAAAAAD7c/B-Q6iKCB2iQqsbJXOpMq5mBqVlGQWfvyQCLcBGAs/s1600/Brewers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Green Bay wide receiver Trevor Davis’ <a href="https://twitter.com/Trevor9Davis/status/908846192758546432" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">twins</span></a> are the CUTEST!</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img height="400" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJzexXeXkAAaLE_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">And they have little jerseys that say "Double" and Trouble"!</span></td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we touched on last week, Rodgers has only thrown one pick-six in his career. Brett Favre threw three pick-sixes … in one game. And a playoff game no less! (He actually threw </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">six</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> interceptions that game.)</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though it was a sad Sunday, there were some redeeming factors: the Chicago Bears got stomped, the Minnesota Vikings got stomped, and the Dallas Cowboys really got stomped. </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That did cheer me up a little. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jay Cutler won his debut with the Miami Dolphins, unfortunately, but we still got to see him make this dismal throw to end the first half. </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU9Ke3uFP8w" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Same ol’ Jay</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jay Cutler with the legit worst hail mary I've ever seen. 😂 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIAvsLAC?src=hash">#MIAvsLAC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JayCutler?src=hash">#JayCutler</a> <a href="https://t.co/lmiRSgeyc5">pic.twitter.com/lmiRSgeyc5</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Jon Martin (@JonWritesStuff) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonWritesStuff/status/909529169419259904">September 17, 2017</a></span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And who needs Cutler in the Windy City when they’ve got Mike Glennon? Glennon threw for one touchdown and two interceptions, and fumbled the ball away, too, in Chicago’s 29-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It almost seems unfair to rejoice over each and every Eli Manning sack when his offensive line is as bad as it is. Oh well!</span></li>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_8i3oJ4OSM/WcCI3Kye88I/AAAAAAAAD8Q/hsrsmBc8nTos_qyX3uXipqTvL5b9ZZcOgCLcBGAs/s1600/EM.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="454" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_8i3oJ4OSM/WcCI3Kye88I/AAAAAAAAD8Q/hsrsmBc8nTos_qyX3uXipqTvL5b9ZZcOgCLcBGAs/s400/EM.JPG" width="327" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Miami's victory came on the </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">San Diego</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Los Angeles Chargers’ missed last-minute field goal. Someone on the Chargers’ stadium crew, however, didn’t realize that the kick was no good and set off the celebratory fireworks in a situation that sadly seemed very fitting to the </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">San Diego</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Los Angeles team in general.</span></span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Qr__UsXO44/WcB02tFfrwI/AAAAAAAAD7o/bzP1RzIyi6ADdD1VHonouuOfKaLPbT4ewCLcBGAs/s1600/PR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="480" height="270" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Qr__UsXO44/WcB02tFfrwI/AAAAAAAAD7o/bzP1RzIyi6ADdD1VHonouuOfKaLPbT4ewCLcBGAs/s400/PR.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">"Los Angeles Chargers" sounds stupid, so I'll probably</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">just keep calling them San Diego.</span></td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I literally can’t imagine how much it must hurt to </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20741098/paul-richardson-seattle-seahawks-catches-winning-td-earlier-breaking-finger" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">catch a touchdown with a broken finger</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which is what Seattle’s Paul Richardson did. The game-winning touchdown, no less. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A nice heads-up play by Philadelphia’s Zach Ertz, not missing a beat on this deflected pass.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dak Prescott threw two interceptions in the Dallas Cowboys' 42-17 loss to the Denver Broncos, one of which was </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">returned 103 yards for a touchdown. </span></span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">Ezekiel Elliott had a pretty rough game, too. </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Eight </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">total yards on nine carries. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, and this great highlight of him doing nothing while a defender near him intercepts the ball and runs it back. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ezekiel Elliott has decided to accept his suspension from Cowboys effective immediately after this interception <a href="https://t.co/fCYOk6XoBD">pic.twitter.com/fCYOk6XoBD</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Mr. Beastly (@inbeastitrust) <a href="https://twitter.com/inbeastitrust/status/909574131951243265">September 18, 2017</a></span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Said Denver defender Derek Wolfe, “The idea was to make Prescott beat us because we knew he couldn’t.” Daaaaaaaaang!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Todd Gurley is quite athletic. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas played his 10,000 </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">consecutive</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> snap on Sunday. I can’t get over that! Consecutive game streaks are cool and all, but consecutive snaps are crazy. He never, ever needed even a single play off!</span></span></li>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kkZgZqrfI5g/WcB5gqhGyoI/AAAAAAAAD70/g1AXyLq7K4E87WtuTN6zdYbaEsAP0GyTgCLcBGAs/s1600/JT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="494" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kkZgZqrfI5g/WcB5gqhGyoI/AAAAAAAAD70/g1AXyLq7K4E87WtuTN6zdYbaEsAP0GyTgCLcBGAs/s1600/JT.JPG" /></span></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking of streaks, an interesting one was snapped out in LA. Miami Dolphins linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who just joined the team after a decade with the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to not show up to the game, apparently because </span><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2017/9/17/16322424/lawrence-timmons-miami-dolphins-linebacker-awol-hotel" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">something had “angered” him</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, though it’s not clear that the issue was football-related. Since Miami didn’t play last week due to the hurricane, this was Miami’s first game of the season, and would have been Timmons’ 102nd consecutive game. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last week everyone was cheersing the Jacksonville Jaguars for their resounding victory over the Houston Texans. This week, the Texans managed a win over the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jaguars lost to the Tennessee Titans 37-16. Houston’s victory came on newly-appointed starting quarterback Deshaun Watson’s 22nd birthday, and I’ll give him props for knowing how to dress to impress for your first NFL start.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So Eddie Lacy was a </span><a href="http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/09/seattle_seahawks_keep_eddie_la.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">healthy scratch</span></a><span style="color: #14171a; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in Seattle. He had a unimpressive debut last week, but that’s on his miserable o-line, not him. It sounds like the Seahawks just had a lot of running backs available, but that makes you wonder why they went out and signed a running back in free agency then.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m not criticizing Antonio Brown, but I find this video hilarious. I’ve watched it a dozen times at least. Brown walks up to the kid who’s holding out a football, ignores the football, grabs the unprepared kid and pulls him in for an unexpected hug, knocks his cap off, gives a thumbs up to the cameras, and walks away all in about three seconds. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Home opener ✅<br />Football ✅<br />Hug from <a href="https://twitter.com/AB84">@AB84</a> ✅<br /><br />Pretty good start to the day. <a href="https://t.co/FpOsjTfVZE">pic.twitter.com/FpOsjTfVZE</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) <a href="https://twitter.com/steelers/status/909443044696629250">September 17, 2017</a></span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Helpful, Coach Zimmer.</span></li>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xY0NqK4AMXY/WcB778-Hx-I/AAAAAAAAD8A/Xwzps1lfnl8L_KGjOQgqqKC1kJxxZpThgCLcBGAs/s1600/MZ.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="498" height="236" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xY0NqK4AMXY/WcB778-Hx-I/AAAAAAAAD8A/Xwzps1lfnl8L_KGjOQgqqKC1kJxxZpThgCLcBGAs/s400/MZ.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t scored a touchdown yet this season. Let’s hope they don’t start next week against Green Bay. They look </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">really</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> bad, but I’m also always wary of playing down-and-out teams. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It sounds like most of the Packers injuries are not too serious. I’m just going to stare at this picture of Green Eyes for a little while and hope his shoulder (and Jordy’s quad and Daniels’ hammy and House’s quad and Brice’s groin and Bryan Bulaga’s ankle and David Bakhtiari’s hammy) all heal up sooner rather than later.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">*Adoring heart-eyes emoji*</span></td></tr>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-26832859216901600352017-09-11T22:25:00.000-05:002017-09-11T22:38:44.415-05:00Double Win for Green Bay!<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/09-September/temp170910-packers-seahawks-1-siegle-39--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="281" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not only did the Green Bay Packers win, but the Seattle Seahawks lost. That’s what we call a win-win, folks.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mike Daniels caught a lot of attention last season for his play, and he showed why Sunday. Seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, and a loooong afternoon for Russell Wilson. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Great game by the Green Bay defense as a whole. They didn’t allow any touchdowns, and until the last 30 seconds of the second quarter, the Seahawks managed only one first down. </span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I feel like this photo totally captures each defender's personality.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even when Aaron Rodgers throws a pick-six, he doesn’t. That’s how good he is. A penalty brought back what would have only been the <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">second pick-six of his career</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The Packers defense held after the interception and didn’t allow Seattle any points off the turnover. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jordy Nelson joined James Lofton, Sterling Sharpe, and Donald Driver as the only Green Bay Packers with 500 career receptions. Woo hoo!! </span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picking up right where he left off.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t want to wish ill on anyone, but part of me hopes Michael Bennett suffers a shoulder injury for wearing those idiotic shoulder pads.</span></li>
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<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/55dcd0199dd7cc11008b5e06-480/michael-bennett.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Green Bay really needs Bryan Bulaga back. Kyle Murphy started at right tackle in Bulaga’s stead. It’s a tough matchup to face the Seattle defense in your first start, and Murphy wasn’t disastrous, but he struggled with the pressure. Rodgers and the offense couldn’t get into a rhythm facing near-constant pressure, and Mike McCarthy refuses to help his struggling linemen, so it’ll be this way until Bulaga gets back. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What’s the point of signing two tight ends in the offseason if you don’t make use of them? Keeping back either Martellus Bennett or Lance Kendricks to help block would be a fantastic and super useful employment of those players.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="289" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/RkCWdMk8srABun4Vy6PG-94fWXJMxjhFCfSQ8yZz9avDP0e0dXlXiOK8grgPjcJ6gtRuweU4_96aBokzrU6FEY4W3LIXWpI4vwhtQ2FfCvdoUBftO_7wl75J21U4_hLv2FjMUB69" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Speaking of tight ends, it’s terribly exciting to have a real one! (All offense intended to Richard Rodgers.) Here’s how a tight end is supposed to block, Richard: (Bennett is #80):</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And how sick is this pass from Rodgers to Bennett? Talk about threading the needle. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ty Montgomery has more false alarms than anyone in terms of injuries. He’ll get up limping and look like he might need to be carted off, and then he’ll reappear in the game two minutes later, completely fine. No judgment, though. I literally Google, “how can you tell if your toe is broken” every time I stub my toe.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">White Lightning with a throwback touchdown! Ahh no matter how many times I see the exact same play, it never gets old. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check out how speedily the Packers go from the huddle to formation to snap when they see Seattle trying to substitute on the play that led to Nelson’s touchdown. Machine-like efficiency!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I thought Randall Cobb had a nice, solid first game, leading the team with nine receptions for 85 yards. Green Eyes has struggled with injuries the last couple of seasons, so I hope he stays healthy this year! </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Look! Old friend and recently retired James Jones surprised his former teammates before the game!</span></li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/09-September/temp170910-packers-seahawks-1-siegle-54--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="400" width="382" /></b>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A little Sideline Ninja <a href="http://video.nfl.com/films/vodzilla/77043/Jordy_Nelson_pulls_in_diving_catch_from_-3siQcmib-20170910_133959519_5000k.mp4" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">ninja-ing on the sideline</span></a>. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, I agree that Jeremy Lane should not have been ejected. Yes, I agree that the block in the back that negated the touchdown off of Rodgers’ interception was a bad call. And yes, I agree that pass interference should have been called against the Packers defending Jimmy Graham in the endzone. But that’s not what happened, so. </span></li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/audrey-deal.gif" /></div>
</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bad news is the offense struggled. Their two touchdowns came on a turnover that gave them the ball near the goal line and on a free play. Good news is that they won’t face many defenses as tough as Seattle.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Good news is that the Packers defense played really well -- no touchdowns allowed! Bad news is that the Seahawks offensive line might be really bad. </span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="246" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJacGNBUQAANU9Z.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Generally not a good sign when your offensive line is in hot pursuit of their men.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Good news is that the Packers controlled the ball for twice as long as the Seahawks did. Bad news is if you have the ball for 40 minutes, you should probably score more than 17 points. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Andy D</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">alton had four touchdowns, five sacks, no touchdowns and a 0.7 QBR.</span></li>
</ul>
<br /><ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since t</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he Cleveland Browns returned to the league in 1999 (apparently they were “</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Browns#Inactivity_.281996.E2.80.9399.29" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">deactivated</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” for a few years?), the quarterback with the most wins in Cleveland is … Ben Roethlisberger.</span></li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="400" src="https://images.fantasypros.com/images/nfl/players/250x250/9039.jpg" width="400" /></div>
</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 2015, the Chicago Bears took wide receiver Kevin White as the #7 draft pick. By the start of his fourth season in 2018, he will likely have played in five games total. He missed his entire rookie season with a shin injury, played only four games his sophomore season before breaking his fibula, and now he broke his collarbone in the very first game of the 2017 season. There’s injury-prone, and then there’s Kevin White. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ve covered how much I love the Andrew Luck Book Club, but I can’t help myself. Did you know the quarterback </span><a href="http://www.nfl.com/labs/sidelines/andrew-luck/andrew-luck.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">picks all the books</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> himself??</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="232" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6aHdrA6Li-pYzyJkvC4Sm8bG0GI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6384909/luck_venn_diagram.0.png" width="400" /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you’re a rookie running back who fumbles the first time your team gives you the ball, you best do something to make up for it pretty quick. Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt did just that, recovering from his oopsie to have 148 yards running, 133 yards receiving, and three touchdowns in the opener over the New England Patriots. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Much maligned (by me) Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith became the first passer to throw for 300 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions against the Bill Belichick-led Patriots. (Still doesn’t change my mind about him.) The 42 points the Chiefs scored were also the most points allowed under Belichick.</span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.giphy.com/media/26gJyhYbxYREkYlNK/giphy.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Bay fans wondering what it's like to have only given up 42 points once.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remember how I said people always overreact after the first few games? ESPN said the Kansas City Chiefs were the frontrunner to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl literally six hours into the season. Now, God willing, the New England Patriots will never win another game again, but why don’t we give the team that has won 7 Super Bowls in the last 5 years more than </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> game before we leave them for dead?</span></li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="103" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/c1rfxzepu255-SjdfModRsS-NsFdnjBobWu1mk5LC2UalR1v1O9Fr4vkkhzvhhdGezR_7ce8DxoVMhJdn0Z6evuhsI_fCnzhFk2vbzZ6YCzAlMWtVH6jIZsZdt58V0WAo1bMEt0S" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="608" /></span></div>
</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goodness gracious look at this stiff arm Jamie White lays on the defender! The poor Chief’s feet even make a little swoop in the turf.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 54.711%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/em5m1/nsmgup" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
</div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here you go again, Houston Texans fans. Starting quarterback Tom Savage (who?) was benched for rookie QB Deshaun Watson in the first game, despite the “Tom Savage is our quarterback” mantra of the preseason. It took all of one half of one football game for the quarterback carousel to start spinning. It’s a bad sign when you long for the stability of Brock Osweiler. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">TJ Watt looks ready to continue the family tradition. JJ’s little brother had an outstanding debut for the Pittsburgh Steelers with two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. Some nice highlights for his first NFL game.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for tj watt" height="225" src="https://cbspittsburgh.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/tj-watt-steelers-headquarters.jpg?w=1024" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm officially at an age where it is inappropriate to comment on a<br />
22-year-old's looks. (But he's cute like his brother.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The luster of Chicago Bears losses is certainly dulled by the absence of Jay Cutler, but I still really, really enjoyed watching their last-minute drive against the Atlanta Falcons fail. Chicago was down 23-17 with 21 seconds left when they got a first down at the Atlanta 5-yard line and stopped the clock. They had four chances to gain 5 yards. </span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First down: dropped in the endzone (with an </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">itty bitty </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hold on the defense). </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Second down: running back Jordan Howard DROPS a pass at the 1-inch line that would have won the game for the Bears. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Third down: incomplete pass to the tight end. </span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.250%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/3gtaa/qxkoin" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
</div>
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<ul><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fourth down: Mike Glennon (who?) takes the snap, looks right … looks left … scrambles left … SACK! Hahahaha! Falcons win!</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.250%; position: relative; width: 100%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/3gtaa/xsnfvm" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My poor Scott Tolzien! Starting in the place of the still-injured Andrew Luck, Tolzien’s very first pass of the game was a pick-six. And later in the 46-9 loss, he threw </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">another</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> pick-six, thereby doubling in a single game the number of pick-sixes Aaron Rodgers has in his career. #DeactivateTolzien :( </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="265" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/facU483XPCrC0/giphy.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday was even sadder than the time none of his college<br />teammates would give him a high five.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The league should create a mercy rule for teams like the Colts. They didn’t even manage a single third-down conversion. They only had one drive of more than five plays (and it resulted in a punt)!</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Really rough call on the Washington Redskins’ fumble late in the fourth that cost them the game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Replays showed pretty clearly that Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins’ arm was moving forward when the pass was stuffed by an Eagles defender and the Eagles recovered the “fumble” and ran it in for a touchdown. </span></li>
</ul>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Don’t know how you call this a fumble but alright <a href="https://t.co/JxTD6RPPxX">pic.twitter.com/JxTD6RPPxX</a></div>
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteBlackburn/status/906971291089031169">September 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A football game that starts at 10:15pm EST? On a Monday? Are you insane, NFL? We’re not all 19-year-old college students! I have nothing to say about this game because I was obviously and sensibly in bed.</span></li>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Cowboys-Giants game was a snoozer, but at least we got a good helping of Manning Face. Considering the way the Giants played, I think we can look forward to much more of this during the season.</span></li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="225" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJaVEOpV4AAWGn7.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s unfortunate that he plays for the Dallas Cowboys, but I am </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u>so</u></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> happy for Jaylon Smith, who made his NFL debut on Sunday night. He was a huge star at Notre Dame before annihilating his knee in a useless bowl game his senior year. The Cowboys drafted him last season, knowing he would not be ready to play until 2017 and not know if/when he would be ready. On Sunday, he started and made seven tackles and forced a fumble. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For those of you upset with Roger Goodell and the league for the Ezekiel Elliott trial and more, spare me your bellyaching. The players’ union should have read the fine print in the CBA where it says Roger can do pretty much whatever wants for pretty much any reason he wants. They were too busy celebrating the end of two-a-days to pay attention to the things that mattered.</span></li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/6b/6b6e79fe1fce1bc7d67b5127f7dc2e185f19b36b077c9ce0c53379e0b0805b7b.jpg" height="400" width="241" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was only one game against a very bad team, but the Jacksonville Jaguars had some darn impressive stats in their 29-7 win over the Houston Texans. They sacked Houston quarterbacks </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10 times</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> while allowing no sacks on Blake Bortles against a tough defensive line; they shut out Houston in the first half; and they forced four turnovers while committing none themselves. I hope this is finally the year where things start looking up for Jacksonville. They’ve been patiently building the team for the last few years, and it’d be nice for them not to be terrible. </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs lit up the Saints in the Vikings 29-19 win. Diggs finished with seven catches, 93 yards, and two touchdowns. Perhaps he got a little magic from his custom cleats, which celebrated Randy Moss' induction into the Vikings' Ring of Honor and memorialized Moss' "disgusting act" of pretending to moon Green Bay Packers fans once upon a time. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Miami-Tampa Bay game got cancelled because of a hurricane. How strange and super convenient that Miami and Tampa Bay have the same bye, at which point they’ll play their rescheduled game. Also, it really sucks for them that they both have to play 16 straight weeks without a bye -- and one of Miami’s games is in London! Obviously neither of them are making the playoffs, so they should play their meaningless makeup game during the Wild Card weekend. </span><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/11/nfl-week-1-hurricane-irma-buccaneers-dolphins-jaguars-florida" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MMQB</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> broke down the crazy challenging schedule that Miami faces.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good luck with that. </td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next week, the Packers play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. Maybe we can get back a little of the pride we left on their field in the NFC championship.</span></li>
</ul>
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<img alt="Image result for green bay packers" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eeWADxJ86-vI2yCmoV-5oN3hlNF36_qhOBWecuGBaF0E4_zlLqLfw-6ux2ZXVKLI7w=w170" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/oddsandendzones" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">@oddsandendzones</span></a>!</span></li>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-67834266671833423512017-09-04T21:16:00.001-05:002017-09-04T21:19:12.673-05:00Offseason<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let’s shake off the filth and slime from last year’s Super Bowl and turn to a new season!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had an entire blog post written titled “An Ode to Jay,” but I’m not even mad that I did all that work for nothing. JAY CUTLER IS BACK, ladies and gentlemen!</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And as apathetic as ever!</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jay may have retired, but it was clear <a href="http://www.totalprosports.com/2017/08/07/social-media-hilariously-roasts-jay-cutler-at-miami-dolphins-press-conference-tweets/#2" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">during his introductory press conference</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that he hadn’t lost a step in his sullenness-meets-disinterest media game.</span></span></li>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-agxFpkgd2EI/Wa4EvZ5f8VI/AAAAAAAAD6o/gQgxLR2maHQeD7aZAaLIhrRcIo5ilK1pgCLcBGAs/s1600/JC%2BMiami.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-agxFpkgd2EI/Wa4EvZ5f8VI/AAAAAAAAD6o/gQgxLR2maHQeD7aZAaLIhrRcIo5ilK1pgCLcBGAs/s400/JC%2BMiami.PNG" width="348" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We all have to pray mightily that Green Bay left tackle David Bakhtiari doesn't get injured, because his backup </span><a href="http://packerswire.usatoday.com/2017/08/21/whats-wrong-with-packers-ot-jason-spriggs/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is awful</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. If Jason Spriggs is forced into playing time, Aaron Rodgers might die, and the Packers could be in serious trouble.</span></li>
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Brutal <a href="https://t.co/cUyTEl78yy">pic.twitter.com/cUyTEl78yy</a></div>
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronNagler/status/899274411135709184">August 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Very, very serious trouble. </span></li>
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Gross <a href="https://t.co/hwjEXrh9nO">pic.twitter.com/hwjEXrh9nO</a></div>
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronNagler/status/901641717534871552">August 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The wonderful thing about having Rodgers as your quarterback is that the Super Bowl is always in reach. That said, there are certainly some concerns this year. Defensively, I think Green Bay will be stronger in the secondary, but once again, we’ll have</span><a href="https://www.totalpackers.com/2017/08/no-one-faith-jayrone-elliott-kyler-fackrell/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> next to nothing </span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in the way of linebackers. [Ed:<i> I wrote this before they signed Ahmad Brooks. Not sure how much he'll help.</i>] Besides Mike Daniels, I’m not sure how strong the defensive line is. The running game looks to be suspect, as usual. I’m not going to overreact to the first few games of the season, good or bad, but the offensive, for the millionth season is in a row, is going to have to carry the team. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Too bad about Micah Hyde. I don’t think he was amazing or anything, but I thought he was solid, versatile, and dependable. And nice. Sad to see him go. We’ll always have this interception against the Cowboys from last season’s playoff victory.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" src="https://streamable.com/s/qehr6/uowkir" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m so excited to have Davon House back! I’m not totally and completely sold on his talent, but it’s good to have veteran presence, and also, he just seems really sweet. And he love the Packers. Even when he went to Jacksonville, </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2017/05/25/davon-house-feels-at-home-back-in-green-bay-secondary/102161552/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he kept all his Packers gear</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and was always hoping he’d end up back here someday.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How many games do you think Tony Romo will last as a commenter before getting injured?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman tore his ACL in a preseason game and will miss the entire 2017 season. Even though he is a Patriot, I do feel bad for him. But not too bad, because I have limited sympathy for any man who wears sneakers with suits.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're not a 17-year-old at the Kids' Choice Awards.<br />
Wear a pair of adult shoes.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m beside myself over the <a href="https://www.si.com/tech-media/2017/04/19/phil-simms-joins-the-nfl-today-cbs-analyst" style="white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">demotion of Phil Simms</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> to pre-game analyst. What are we going to do without </span><a href="https://twitter.com/philsimmsquotes?lang=en" style="white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Phil Simm Quotes</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">??</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aaron Rodgers is about to become the 11th quarterback to throw for 300 touchdowns. That’s cool and all, but NBD for the best quarterback in the history of the game. The really cool part is </span><a href="http://packerswire.usatoday.com/2017/07/06/aaron-rodgers-will-make-an-impressive-piece-of-nfl-history-in-2017/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">how few interceptions</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> he’s thrown along the way. Rodgers, right now, has 72 career interceptions -- that’s </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">43 fewer interceptions</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> than the guy (Drew Brees) with the next fewest. The average number of interceptions for quarterbacks when they reach 300 TDs is 171! </span></li>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YM25hbWl0Kw/Wa4HJ9gC_QI/AAAAAAAAD60/KXDL1DArLUIe1T-4GRkWK2Cf25MwrbCSwCLcBGAs/s1600/AR%2BTD-INT.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="593" height="363" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YM25hbWl0Kw/Wa4HJ9gC_QI/AAAAAAAAD60/KXDL1DArLUIe1T-4GRkWK2Cf25MwrbCSwCLcBGAs/s400/AR%2BTD-INT.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m rooting for Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Bernard Reedy to make the roster ever since I read about his </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/tampa-bay-buccaneers/post/_/id/17068/nfl-players-11-per-hour-side-job-helping-those-who-cant-help-themselves" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">offseason job</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as a driver for the elderly and wheelchair-bound.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deangelo Williams, </span><a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000819601/article/deangelo-williams-cowboys-fans-are-super-annoying" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">truth teller</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Microsoft is apparently planning on deep-sixing the Paint application. What am I going to do without Microsoft Paint?!? This is the death knell for all the high-tech graphics you see on this blog. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cincinnati Bengals punter Kevin Huber couldn’t make something out of nothing when a defender burst through his protection, but he still made a really cool highlight (even if he was tackled a second after).</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Greg Jennings, once again, was </span><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/07/12/greg-jennings-mike-mccarthy-green-bay-packers-undisputed" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">talking trash </span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">about his former team. This time, he was laying the blame for the Packers lack of multiple Super Bowl wins at the feet of coach Mike McCarthy. "If we had a lead,” Jennings said, “our issue wasn't the defense, our issue was Mike McCarthy -- cause he would cuff us.” Jennings is only wrong in that the issue has usually been the defense </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> McCarthy. I think everyone would agree that if Bill Belichick were the Packers’ coach, Rodgers would have multiple rings. The question I have is would Rodgers have multiple rings if McCarthy were swapped out for an average NFL coach?</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My favorite quote from the offseason comes from </span><a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000819680/article/dak-prescott-were-the-cowboys-well-win-nfc-east" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dak Prescott</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: “We’re the Cowboys. We’re gonna win the NFC East.” </span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Jordy Nelson was talking about</span><a href="http://packerswire.usatoday.com/2017/08/26/packers-wr-jordy-nelson-wants-to-play-2-4-more-years/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> how much longer he envisions playing </span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">(two to four years), and added: “At some point, I have to get my family back to Kansas.” First of all, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">swoooon</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">. What other multimillionaire sports star is concerned about getting his family back to farm life? Second, doesn’t he sound like a superhero who came to rescue Green Bay or something and, once his work is done, he must return to his home planet?</span></span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="222" src="https://cdn-s3.si.com/s3fs-public/styles/marquee_large_2x/public/2014/12/05/jordy-nelson-si-cover-story-green-bay-packers.jpg?itok=fIa3P020" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He already has the cape.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm going to try to remember to tweet during the games, so follow me on Twitter! </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/oddsandendzones" style="text-decoration-line: none;">@oddsandendzones</a></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Go Pack Go!!!</span></li>
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Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-25764395012985982252017-02-07T21:43:00.002-06:002017-02-07T21:56:32.721-06:00Cheaters Always Prosper<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://stuffdudeslike.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/MAD-Magazine-Patriots-Cheaties.jpg" height="400" width="282" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So the cheating cheats from Cheatsville won again. How nice for them.</span></li>
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<img height="253" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGi1_CFQ0kdMMOUQ6pMV8OjQahlu8WBGyAJ5mlOeaEGbIZoRYV" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Atlanta Falcons. The Atlanta Falcons, man. They were up 28-3 late in the third quarter! They allowed three points the entire first half, then allowed 31 straight points to end the game!!! To them, I can only say:</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">No, no, I really do feel for Falcons fans. That must have hurt </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">a lot</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">. Seriously, it </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">finally</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> felt like your year! Nine years after taking Matt Ryan with the #3 pick in the draft, five years after trading away almost two drafts’ worth of picks for Julio Jones, after years of watching the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers make the playoffs, after years and years of being good but never really doing anything about it, you guys </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">finally</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> buckled down and took care of business. You marched through the season, steamrolling other teams to take your division. You earned your Wild Card bye. You dismissed the Seattle Seahawks without ceremony. You stomped on the Green Bay Packers. You made it, at last, to the Super Bowl. The entire country wanted you to win and had your back. You came out and knocked those reviled Patriots right in the mouth. You did this to their defense:</span></span></li>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Taylor Gabriel is out here embarrassing people. <a href="https://t.co/1pPs9fxxId">https://t.co/1pPs9fxxId</a> <a href="https://t.co/YES0TfW5Kq">pic.twitter.com/YES0TfW5Kq</a></div>
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBNationGIF/status/828422737928544256">February 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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<li>.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">..You got the rare Brady pick-six.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//streamable.com/e/lca4d" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen=""></iframe><script async="" src="//v.streamablemedia.com/v1/embed.js"></script></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...You came out on fire and took </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a 25-point second-half lead</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And then -- you -- after all that -- you just -- I’m sorry! I can’t!</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I just want you all to know that it was way worse for me because I KNEW THIS WAS COMING! Before the game, I thought Atlanta was going to win, but with about one minute left in the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">first </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">half, with the Falcons up 21-0, I turned to my brother (he’s my witness!) in a panic and told him, “The Patriots are going to win!” He tried to soothe me, saying that Atlanta would score a bunch more points in the second half, but it was too late because </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I knew!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I could feel it! I could</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> feel</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the cliched articles being written. I could feel idiots across the country celebrating Brady “sticking it” to Roger Goodell. I could feel the “experience matters” tweets being prepared. I COULD FEEL IT AND THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO TO STOP IT.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even as I cheered this absolutely incredible Julio Jones catch, my heart was ill at ease.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//streamable.com/e/8ejsr" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen=""></iframe><script async="" src="//v.streamablemedia.com/v1/embed.js"></script></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because, sure enough, the Patriots had to one-up Julio.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//streamable.com/e/d6f4d" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen=""></iframe><script async="" src="//v.streamablemedia.com/v1/embed.js"></script></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s certainly blame enough to go around in Atlanta, but there were two </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HUGE</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> plays that really cost the Falcons, and both saw a failure in protection. On a third-and-1 in the fourth quarter, Ryan dropped back to pass (even though running back Devonta Freeman had been averaging </span><a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/about-those-falcons-play-calls/?ex_cid=story-twitter" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8.2 yards a carry</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) and Freeman (</span><a href="http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/more-sports/shanahan-and-freeman-disagree-over-missed-block-on-ryan-fumble-play/68560960/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">maybe?</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) failed to pick up a rushing Dont'a Hightower, who sacked Ryan and forced a killer fumble midway through the fourth. </span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="NFL football omg super bowl atlanta falcons" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/26gsfz9lzCME3j7lS/giphy.gif" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The second absolutely brutal play came with Atlanta up 28-20 with 3:50 left in regulation on the New England 23-yard line. Atlanta could have just kicked a field goal and all but sealed the game right there! Instead, after losing a yard on a first-down run, Ryan was sacked for a loss of 12 yards, pushing the Falcons to the edge of their kicker’s range. (Really? 50 yards is his limit? In a dome? Whatever.) A holding penalty on the next snap snuffed out the field goal hopes and Atlanta was forced to punt to New England.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="NFL football atlanta falcons falcons super bowl 51" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/l3q2X0okVTaiECj6M/giphy.gif" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m not sure who takes the blame there: the offensive line for allowing the sack? Matt Ryan for not throwing the ball away? The offensive coordinator for not just running the darn ball in a game where Atlanta had been gaining most of their offense on the ground?</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The last point is a huge issue the decision to pass got them sacked out of field goal range <i>and</i> the incompletions kept on stopping the clock. Not only did they come away with no points, but they </span><a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/about-those-falcons-play-calls/?ex_cid=story-twitter" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gifted New England the extra time</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> it so desperately needed!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That Atlanta found its early success running rather than throwing was actually the biggest surprise to me. (Since I could feel the bile of dread rising in my throat the entire game, the comeback wasn’t that much of a surprise.) The box score doesn’t really reflect this -- Atlanta and New England somehow both finished with 104 rushing yards??? -- but the Falcons were killing the Patriots in the run game the entire first half.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//streamable.com/e/g35bg" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen=""></iframe><script async="" src="//v.streamablemedia.com/v1/embed.js"></script></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I were a New England fan -- well, if I were, I’d kill myself, but for the purpose of this football discussion, I’m going to continue the sentence -- I would have been horribly upset with the time management in the entire second half. Down three scores, the Patriots were still huddling up and moseying to the line. Things ended up working out for them, but they very well could have cost themselves the victory with their completely unhurried approach for the entire third and much of the fourth quarters.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why is Matt Ryan’s face so gaunt? Doesn’t he get enough food?</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ugh this is all just so horrible! I’m so unhappy. The Patriots now have the most Super Bowl appearances. Tom Brady has the most Super Bowl wins among quarterbacks. Bill Belichick has the most Super Bowls for a coach. It’s all just so devastating. Because you know who are the only bigger ---------s than the New England Patriots players? Every single New England Patriots fan. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next year’s Super Bowl will be held in Minneapolis. The Vikings have a dome, so lucky for the fans during the actual game, but have any of the people who made this decision ever actually been in Minnesota in February? The high today is 13 degrees. Without the windchill.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This </span><a href="http://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/51-facts-and-notes-about-Super-Bowl-LI/2faf547d-5424-4da5-97cb-15d19578fc35/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">article </span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">features 51 facts about Super Bowl 51, and it numbers them all in Roman numerals, except for #50. Did they think we’d all get thrown by “L”? Or that we wouldn’t be able to piece it together from the 50 other context clues we had?</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">soooooo</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> sad about Teddy Bridgewater! The Minnesota Vikings’ QB blew out his knee in training camp this season, missing all of the 2016 season. Now, it’s being reported that he’s going to miss all of 2017 too, since the damage to his knee requires more than a year-and-a-half recovery period. Yes, of course, the Vikings are my mortal enemy, but how do you not feel bad for this kid? It would not be surprising for this injury to turn out to be career-ending, but I really, really hope that he’s able to come back in 2018 and play great. (Not too great, though. He is still a Viking.)</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Minnesota fans must be extra depressed since that means another season of Sam Bradford. Sam Bradford’s probably not too excited about it, either.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<i>Pleeaaassee!</i> Somebody help me! This isn't about<br />
the game anymore! I don't want to die!"</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Pro Bowl was played, reportedly, though who knows because no one watched it. The final score was 20-13 AFC, which is really, really low considering that no defense was played. On that note, since the players don’t play defense, which I totally understand in the Pro Bowl, they should make it two-hand touch or something so that the offensive players have to actually try.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Speaking of trying, one player in the Pro Bowl did try, and I absolutely love him for it. Kirk Cousins, who is a free agent looking for a big payday, threw a pass that was tipped and intercepted. The intecepter returned it a ways, then lateraled it to a teammate, who was headed for the endzone when my man Cousins chased him down and stripped the ball! Now, Cousins’ team did not recover the fumble and that was pretty much the end of the game, but STILL! How do you not appreciate that man’s effort?</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//streamable.com/e/2cdqg" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen=""></iframe><script async="" src="//v.streamablemedia.com/v1/embed.js"></script></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I watched the NFL Honors show so you didn’t have to. By far the best line of the night from host Keegan-Michael Key: “Dak and Zeke led the Dallas Cowboys to the NFC’s number one seed. And even though they’re both rookies, they looked like Cowboys veterans in the way they immediately lost in the playoffs.” Hahahahahahaha </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DYje57V_BY" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">it’s funny because it’s true</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Key also got a zing in on Green Bay: “The playoffs got really great ratings this year. For instance, the NFC Championship was watched by 46 million people -- </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the Packers’ secondary.”</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Can someone tell me why the BLEEP Jerral Jones was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Saying as, ya know, he never played in the NFL?</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe there'd be more room for guys like Terrell Owens if<br />
we didn't include people who weren't in the NFL.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The best part of the NFL Honors was Jordy Nelson winning Comeback Player of the Year</span>!!</li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Besides Packers winning, the other best part of these awards shows is getting to see Green Bay players all dressed up and looking dapper.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(I cropped out his fiancee.)</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some clever fans introduced us to Sideline Ninja’s non-superhero alter ego: Nerdy Jelson!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a roller coaster year for Green Bay. There were a lot of highs, but it eventually ended with disappointment. I feel good about 2017, though. It'll be our year! Till next season, Packers fans.</span></li>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-58251607924284931522017-01-23T21:11:00.000-06:002017-01-23T21:22:32.554-06:00It Ends with a Whimper <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So the Green Bay Packers lost to the Atlanta Falcons by 23 points in the NFC Championship … and it wasn’t even as close as the score suggests.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From the opening moments, the Atlanta Falcons had their way. The Packers defense wasn’t even a speed bump to them. The Falcons’ own drops were the best defense of the game. I’ll make this quick, like ripping off a bandaid: Atlanta had 493 yards, six touchdowns, and no turnovers. They only punted twice the entire game. Matt Ryan completed 71% of his passes (really? Because it felt like <span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">at least</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 96%) and finished with a passer rating of 139.4.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I feel bad for ripping our absolutely dreadful defense because they were such a ragtag bunch. They were pretty much already on their third-string before losing Micah Hyde, Kentrell Brice, and Jake Ryan. (Who was even in secondary for them with Hyde and Brice down?? They were already playing out of position because of injuries.) I don’t have the heart to condemn players who were just out-talented by the Falcons’ top-ranked offense. </span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, he dropped this interception.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The injuries hit the offensive line hard, too. The Packers lost Lane Taylor (knee), TJ Lang (foot), and Bryan Bulaga (concussion). In the final series, the Packers only had four offensive linemen, and nose tackle Letroy Guion had to come in and play right guard, with the other linemen telling him what to do as the play unfolded. So that was depressing.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Poor TJ Lang! The guard, who broke his foot earlier in the season, missed several weeks, came back, played great, and earned his first Pro Bowl honor, broke the same foot on Sunday. Fortunately it was not a more serious injury, considering that he’s now a free agent, but that's still a rough time to get hurt. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Green Bay defense was numbing to watch, but it’s not as if the offense did much with the few opportunities they had. Unfortunately, it’s tough to find a rhythm when you’re only on the field for 10 minutes in the entire first half. Seriously, the worst approach to playing the best offense in the league? Give them a two-to-one advantage in time of possession.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dropping passes also did not help.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Look, I certainly am not shocked by Atlanta winning. That seemed like a very likely outcome going in. But watching the Pack get shut out in the first half? It was all a horrible nightmare. I couldn't believe my eyes. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then giving myself a pep talk all during halftime, telling myself the Packers could turn this around, only to watch Green Bay start the second half with a three-and-out and then allow a 73-yard touchdown within the first 70 seconds:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And slowly accepting that was literally nothing Green Bay could do to stop the bleeding:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The problem with a team like the Falcons is just a couple of errors, and the dominoes start to fall -- fast. It became abundantly clear fairly early on that Atlanta was going to be scoring on every single possession. The hope was to get the ball in Aaron Rodgers’ hands as much as possible and try to limit the Falcons to field goals on at least a few of their drives. The wheels came off almost immediately, however: the Falcons scored on the opening possession, the Packers missed a field goal, the Falcons made a field goal, and the Packers fumbled just outside the redzone. Instead of 10-10, it was 10-0, and when the Falcons scored a touchdown on their next play, the floodgates were opened.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I really feel bad for all my Packers and I don’t want to kick anyone when he’s down and we win as a team, lose as a team, and all that, but if there’s one person who maybe I feel just the slightest bit tempted to heap blame upon, I’m looking at you, Rip. That fumble was killer. In so many ways. You just can’t do that in a conference championship, <a href="http://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/yukon-dynamic.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yukon</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">!</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The biggest surprise to me besides, ya know, getting blown out of the water, was Atlanta’s pass rush. Though they have some real playmakers -- including sack leader Vic Beasley Jr. -- the Packers’ offensive line has been so impressive in pass coverage, I really wasn’t worried. The Falcons got pressure on Rodgers all day long, though, while also keeping him in the pocket, which few other teams have been able to do.</span></li>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The saddest part is that such a beatdown ruins the magic feeling of the season. If it had been a close, heartbreaking loss, we could all find solace in the incredible effort of the team, how many injuries they fought through, how they won <span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eight straight games</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, how they started 4-6 and still ended up just one game from the Super Bowl. It was a crazy season with so many unbelievable plays and comebacks and wins! But alas, the ignominious exit mars that</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Atlanta’s head coach Dan Quinn must be part robot. He barely reacted to the Gatorade shower at all!</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td><img height="307" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C2z_5v2W8AA29ud.jpg:large" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">In his defense, he did slightly raise his eyebrows about 15 seconds after this.</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was only one small glimmer of joy this week and that was Jordy being an absolute beast and braving two broken ribs to play. He had six catches for 67 yards and a touchdown, but you can’t quantify his toughness.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He had to wear kevlar padding to protect his ribs, but that still didn't stop him from playing. </span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IpYSLIdWE6Q/WIa5PJLkZ7I/AAAAAAAAD5M/xnzMqTttJbEWuSgaOqFtjqfSefRKRna3wCLcB/s1600/Jordy%2BNelson%2B5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IpYSLIdWE6Q/WIa5PJLkZ7I/AAAAAAAAD5M/xnzMqTttJbEWuSgaOqFtjqfSefRKRna3wCLcB/s400/Jordy%2BNelson%2B5.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a man.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sigh. All in all, I’m handling things well.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a very impressive final four for the NFL.</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5cKJ5K0O74/WIa5-LMdveI/AAAAAAAAD5Q/B7oy0gj2NVc2uciWje5sSz1WqhL1p3Z1gCLcB/s1600/NFL%2Bplayoffs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5cKJ5K0O74/WIa5-LMdveI/AAAAAAAAD5Q/B7oy0gj2NVc2uciWje5sSz1WqhL1p3Z1gCLcB/s400/NFL%2Bplayoffs.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Seattle Seahawks corner Richard Sherman played the second half of the season with an MCL injury, which is impressive, but also confusing, because aren’t NFL teams required to list injuries on their weekly injury report? When asked why this information had not been announced, head coach Pete Carroll responded “I don’t know,” and “Honestly, I didn’t even realized we hadn’t revealed it.” (Hmm, which is it?) Anyway, I believe Pete. His shining character and forthrightness have certainly earned him the benefit of the doubt. I don’t think he’d do anything underhanded or illegal to gain an advantage over an opponent. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The poor Pittsburgh Steelers got run over by the New England Patriots. Their worst fears were realized when Le’Veon Bell left the game in the first quarter with a groin injury. From there, the game got out of hand quick and New England cruised to an easy 36-17 win.</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was cold during the game, what with it being January in New England and all, but luckily Tom Brady was able to keep warm on the sideline by sitting inside a tent. (This is not photoshopped.)</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="265" src="https://s.yimg.com/lo/api/res/1.2/cQ2DtpIAGVT5kcuTYSjMlA--/YXBwaWQ9eW15O3E9NzU7dz02NDA7c209MQ--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/TheWrap/Tom_Brady8217s_Big_A8211_Sideline-09ced5460b65f84793fdf9c0102b1937" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's obviously some cheating going on in there. He's get PED <br />
injections or deflating footballs or having the purified blood <br />
of small children put into him.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The playoffs have not been great entertainment for neutral fans. Aside from the Packers-Cowboys thriller and the Steelers-Chiefs game in the divisional round, all the playoff games have been decided by 13 points or more.</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t usually like to cheer for teams that crush all my dreams, but I am happy for Atlanta. I like Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, and Quinn's done a great job with the defense. They’ve been good for awhile, but never could get things to click on all cylinders before. Plus, the franchise has never won a Super Bowl. And the New England Patriots are the worst, so I’ll definitely be rooting for the Falcons. </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goodness, if the Falcons need any bulletin board materials to fire them up against all their doubters, they can just remind themselves that </span><a href="http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/18536871/there-were-more-super-bowl-bets-cleveland-browns-season-atlanta-falcons" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">more people bet money that the Cleveland Browns would win the Super Bowl</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> than people who thought Atlanta would win. That’s so insulting!</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The main thing we don’t want is those cheating cheats up in New England to cheat their way to another championship. We as a country are pretty divided right now after a contentious election season, but I think the one thing that can bring us all together again is root against the Patriots. Even if you’re on the fence about the cheating cheats, just imagine how awful all the Patriots fans squawking about Deflategate and Tom Brady in their monstrous accents for months will be if they win. </span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for patriots cheaters" height="376" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d6/0f/a0/d60fa04b57a3ea44b9b0d927a63e2a86.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who would you rather listen to <i>all</i> offseason: Patriots fans celebrating being<br />
cheating cheats? Or happy Falcons fans celebrating their first-ever Super Bowl win?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's tough to face the end of the Packers season, but at least we went farther than the Dallas Cowboys, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">and at least we ripped out their heart and stomped on it a few times. It means it wasn’t a totally wasted season.</span></li>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77421851854948675.post-88040747284234844342017-01-16T20:18:00.000-06:002017-01-16T20:37:40.263-06:00No Time to Gloat; On to Atlanta!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img src="http://prod.images.packers.clubs.nflcdn.com/image-web/NFL/CDA/data/deployed/prod/PACKERS/assets/images/imported/GB/photos/clubimages/2017/01-January/temp170115-packers-cowboys-3-siegle-137--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg?width=960&height=720" height="266" width="400" /></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Totally kidding. Of course there's time to gloat. That's what this entire post is going to be.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When asked what he was thinking when the Dallas Cowboys tied the game with 35 seconds left, Aaron Rodgers responded: “A little too much time on the clock.” Hahahahahahaha! Sorry, Cowboys, not this year!</span></li>
</ul>
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<img alt="green bay packers packers aaron rodgers clay matthews should be on barneys get psyched mix" height="219" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/vZtZBIgO6vhDy/giphy.gif" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AAAAAAHHHHHHH that was so stressful! And awesome! Any last-second Green Bay Packers victory in a playoff game is incredible, but it’s just so much sweeter that it came against the Cowboys</span>. </li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t even know where to start! Let’s start at the very end, with Mason Crosby nailing a 51-yarder for the victory. And just a few minutes after kicking a 56-yarder to take the lead. He actually had to kick the 51-yard field goal twice, as Dallas stupidly tried to ice him. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you don’t ice Mason Crosby. </span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="225" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v-eqlisQvZ4/maxresdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I play games on the field, not up here."</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s the kick set to “My Heart Will Go On.” Some funny people have realized that every sports moment sounds epic with this score in the background, and they’re right.</span></li>
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
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Condolences to the ever expanding Cowboys bandwagon. Packers bandwagon next week? (cc: <a href="https://twitter.com/TitanicHoops">@TitanicHoops</a>) <a href="https://t.co/qvrdoLKgKE">pic.twitter.com/qvrdoLKgKE</a></div>
— Jessie Karangu 🇰🇪 (@JMKTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/JMKTV/status/820809781430681600">January 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s backtrack to that 35-second mark. Dallas has just tied it up, the Packers have the ball and two timeouts. I had been horribly nervous and upset in the fourth quarter as the Packers squandered their lead (I knew the Dallas comeback was coming, and I knew the Packers defense wasn’t going to be able to do much about it), but the crazy thing when Aaron Rodgers is your quarterback is that situations like these seem eminently doable. I </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">knew</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> we weren’t going to overtime. It was nice to have overtime as a fallback, but I knew we weren’t going to overtime. Even after the first incompletion. Even after Rodgers was sacked with 23 seconds left. Even after another incompletion. Then, with the clock down to 12 (COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT), Rodgers takes the snap, almost immediately spins left out of the pocket, buys time, buys time, and then hits tight end Jared Cook on this insane throw and catch!! This is about when I lost my mind. (Look at Rodgers on the replay trying to will Cook into keeping his toes in.)</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cook has really been huge for the Packers. Having that big target really changes the way defenses have been covering the Packers, and it’s clear to see how Rodgers relies on him. On that last drive, every attempt was to Cook. Crazy what having an actual tight end can do, huh?</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></span>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that I’ve taken a veiled swipe at Richard Rodgers, I do have to give him props for his nice play on Green Bay’s first touchdown. On a free play, the ball actually went through the defender’s arms and Rodgers was still able to keep focus on it for the catch. Nice job.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://streamable.com/e/ffhhm" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen=""></iframe><script async="" defer="" src="https://v.embedcdn.com/embed.js"></script></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the thing that bothers me about R. Rodgers -- besides being super slow and klutzy and an embarrassingly bad blocker -- is that he always has a dopey grin on his face, even if he’s just messed up a huge play. He’s </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">always</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> smiling this odd dreamy smile. And I do mean always. Here he is on his touchdown reception:</span></span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D7B3djZQ0gY/WH08jrXSaKI/AAAAAAAAD4I/blfvYmLedmQnaQgmqS1JUK7ggD20GO22ACLcB/s1600/Richard%2BRodgers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D7B3djZQ0gY/WH08jrXSaKI/AAAAAAAAD4I/blfvYmLedmQnaQgmqS1JUK7ggD20GO22ACLcB/s400/Richard%2BRodgers.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, still smiling.</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Packers defense had a few rough spots -- and losing Morgan Burnett to a quad injury didn’t help (seriously, that’s bad news. We </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">need</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> him for Atlanta.) -- but they also had a bright spot or two. Defensive MVP of the game was clearly Micah Hyde, who had an early sack and a beautiful pass break-up in the first half. His best play, though, was this textbook read and interception off of Dak Prescott. He anticipated this so quickly that the ball’s almost </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">behind </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">him when he picks it off!</span></span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://streamable.com/e/qehr6" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen=""></iframe><script async="" defer="" src="https://v.embedcdn.com/embed.js"></script></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was fun to hear Hyde </span><a href="http://www.packers.com/media-center/videos/Hyde-worked-with-Gunter-on-key-interception/c9551b85-7afc-477a-8f9c-4f251fa0a9de" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">break down the play</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> afterwards. He knew what was coming pre-snap, but didn’t want to leave the corner, LaDarius Gunter, out to dry if the Cowboys ended up adjusting -- Gunter would have been left to cover two receivers by himself. Gunter, however, saw the same thing pre-snap and knew what Hyde was thinking. </span><a href="http://www.packersnews.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2017/01/15/micah-hydes-interception-rooted-film-study/96628442/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He told Hyde</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, “Go get it.” And Micah did. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I desperately missed my Jordy during the game, of course, but I was pleased to see his sideline prowess alive and well not only on Cook’s game-saving play, but with Green Eyes, too. (The </span><a href="http://video.nfl.com/films/2016/NFL_COM/in-game-highlight/NFLCOM/POST/2/170115_cmp_cobb25_735322_5000k.mp4" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">full highlight</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is even more impressive.)</span></li>
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Perfect. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToeDragSwag?src=hash">#ToeDragSwag</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoPackGo?src=hash">#GoPackGo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFLPlayoffs?src=hash">#NFLPlayoffs</a> <a href="https://t.co/jqaSH7OXxr">pic.twitter.com/jqaSH7OXxr</a></div>
— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/820775978536501250">January 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aaron Rodgers threw his first interception in 318 passes on Sunday (only 17 passes off the record!), which is just madness. Another way to look at it? Aaron Rodgers threw 24 touchdowns in between interceptions. That’s </span><a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/820782004618854400/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as many touchdown passes</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as Dak Prescott threw all season. And that's no knock on Dak; just perspective on how good Rodgers has been.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were some low-key MVPs I would like to recognize.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, Aaron Rodgers not fumbling on that sack with 18 seconds left. No idea how he hung on. </span></li>
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Lord, how did Rodgers not fumble that? <a href="https://t.co/5AOuXlZiIY">pic.twitter.com/5AOuXlZiIY</a></div>
— Scott Charlton (@Scott_Charlton) <a href="https://twitter.com/Scott_Charlton/status/820796924597010433">January 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Second, the sideline judge who overruled the head judge on the Cook catch.</span></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://streamable.com/e/d2rd1" style="height: 100%; position: absolute; width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
</ul>
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<ul><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, Jason Garrett/Dak Prescott for clocking the ball on a first down with 1:07 left, thereby wasting a down instead of using their timeout.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t like to kick a team when it’s down, but it’s the Dallas Cowboys we’re talking about, so you can sure bet I’m going to do it. The Cowboys played fantastic all season and should be credited for it. </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, it seems that they benefitted from playing a lot of really bad teams, too. Below are the final season offensive rankings for all the teams the Cowboys played (by points scored). Aside from the Packers (who were certainly not #4 at the time they played) and the Steelers, none of the teams Dallas played are even in the </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">top ten</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> offensively. Just saying.</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11-5 Giants – 26th (played twice, lost twice)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8-7-1 Redskins – 12th (played twice)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3-13 Bears – 28th</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2-14 Niners – 27th</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6-9-1 Bengals – 24th</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10-6 Packers – 4th</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7-9 Eagles -16th (played twice, lost once)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1-15 Browns – 31st</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11-5 Steelers – 10th</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8-8 Ravens – 21st </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8-8 Vikings – 23rd</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9-7 Buccaneers – 18th</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9-7 Lions – 20th </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Man, what a game. It’s hard not to celebrate too much and revel in the salty, salty tears of all of the Cowboys’ bandwaggoning fans, but the Packers still have a lot of work to do. GO PACK GO!</span></li>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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👍👍 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBvsDAL?src=hash">#GBvsDAL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoPackGo?src=hash">#GoPackGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/mSLCEQDGyM">pic.twitter.com/mSLCEQDGyM</a></div>
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) <a href="https://twitter.com/packers/status/820801443288535040">January 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This space was to be used to talk about the New England Patriots-Houston Texans game, but one team’s quarterback is Tom Brady and the other’s is Brock Osweiler. How do you think it went? </span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The new Los Angeles Chargers’ logo is awful. It looks like a Chinese symbol meets an italicized hashtag meets a broken fence meets a corporation called “4A.”</span></li>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for la chargers" height="400" src="https://cnet1.cbsistatic.com/img/fGS6j2aF_8yQSd9-rdO3RKPa9MA=/970x0/2017/01/12/abf88a50-2e74-4cea-b6a3-2305422ae074/la-chargers-logo-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They shall henceforth be known as the "4A Chargers." (At least to me.)</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some people noticed a slight resmblance between the 4A Chargers’ logo and the Los Angeles Dodgers' logo.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Image result for la chargers" src="http://media.nbclosangeles.com/images/652*367/chargers-dodgers.gif" height="225" width="400" /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And other pro teams couldn't help piling on. (The Chargers eventually "clarified" that <a href="http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/los-angeles-chargers-logo-meme-move-la-dodgers/i2oqzuuiu9zc1va2moexg6bpo" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">this isn't actually their new logo</span></a>. Okay, sure.)</span></li>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2s2vNPdRa0c/WH1BQTnCdLI/AAAAAAAAD4U/X8J0zZ46wGsgMaJXUihMEEsWeq0zKqGcgCLcB/s1600/LA%2BChargers.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2s2vNPdRa0c/WH1BQTnCdLI/AAAAAAAAD4U/X8J0zZ46wGsgMaJXUihMEEsWeq0zKqGcgCLcB/s320/LA%2BChargers.PNG" width="313" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--O3_HOygOck/WH1BRVHPH2I/AAAAAAAAD4Y/QaqNQpffoaQgK6DSq2x2ce9-4SLVKD75QCLcB/s1600/LA%2BChargers%2B1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--O3_HOygOck/WH1BRVHPH2I/AAAAAAAAD4Y/QaqNQpffoaQgK6DSq2x2ce9-4SLVKD75QCLcB/s320/LA%2BChargers%2B1.PNG" width="254" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve spoken up before for Troy Aikman and Joe Buck -- I really do not understand why so many people hate them! They are so much better than absolutely everyone except for the Sunday Night Football crew. The vitriol toward them is </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">especially </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">weird coming from Packers fan, tens of thousands of whom have </span><a href="http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2017/01/12/packers-fans-sign-petition-ban-cowboys-great-troy-aikman-joe-buck-calling-green-bay-games" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">signed a petition</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to get Aikman and Buck banned from calling Packers game. Fans apparently think that the two are biased when it comes to Green Bay, and they’re absolutely right, because Aikman and Buck don’t even try to hide how much they love the Packers. Have either of them said a bad word about Aaron Rodgers? I mean, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ever</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? Have they ever gone an entire game without congratulating Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy for their success? How often to they bring up the fans and the town and how unique the Green Bay team’s relationship with the community is? If other teams’ fans were signing that petition, that’d make sense, because they’re probably sick of hearing Aikman and Buck gush over the Packers. So bizarre.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I really hate Pete Carroll. His teams are full of @$$holes and loudmouths. They’re dirty, cheap players and sore losers. The </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">second </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the game gets out of hand for them, you can put money in the bank that they’re going to start taking cheapshots and trying to injure opponents. It’s one of their hallmarks, and given how consistent it is, I’ll lay the blame for that at the feet of the Robber Baron himself.</span></li>
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<img alt="war seattle seahawks 911 would pete" height="224" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/hNf7uOZGyrAxG/giphy.gif" width="400" /></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett chewing out a reporter after the game who had the nerve to suggest that the Seahawks defense didn't get as much pressure on Atlanta QB Matt Ryan -- who threw for over 300 yards -- as they were perhaps hoping to:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And here’s injured Seattle safety Earl Thomas going after a team they weren’t even playing:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Keep in mind that the Seattle Seahawks play in the same division as the 2-14 San Francisco 49ers and the 4-12 Los Angeles Rams. Next best after Seattle was the 7-8 Arizona Cardinals. So why don’t you just focus on healing up, Earl?</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite the close 18-16 score in the Pittsburgh Steelers-Kansas City Chiefs game, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Steelers really controlled nearly the entire game by controlling the clock. The Chiefs had a 4:54 drive in the third quarter (resulted in a punt) and a final drive of 7:06 (resulted in a touchdown). Other than that, the Chiefs averaged less than two minutes per drive. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">About that last touchdown. Down eight with 2:43 left in the game, the Chiefs scored and elected to go for the two-point attempt to tie the game. And they made it!! Buuuuuut, the play was called back by a hold on the left tackle. The re-attempt failed and that was your final score: 18-16 Pittsburgh.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As you might imagine, the Chiefs were not happy with the holding call. (I think it was the right call and no, I don’t think “a hold could be called on every play!” is a strong argument for not calling this one.) After the game, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce went off on the ref, saying the call was "horse$#!+, flat-out" and "ignorance." He said the ref "shouldn’t be able to wear a zebra jersey ever again. He shouldn’t even be able to work at $#^%ing Foot Locker.”</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple of things for Kelce: 1) That was a hold, so quit complaining about the ref and saying James Harrison just fell down. The issue is you don’t think a hold should be called in that important of a situation. That’s different than saying the ref made up the call. 2) “We try to play this game with integrity,” Kelce says. Hmm, yes, tell me more about your integrity, Travis.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I really don’t care about the Steelers or the Chiefs, and I do think the hold was a good call, but I also kinda feel like you don’t deserve to win if you can’t manage a single touchdown. I certainly don’t want to run down kickers after what Mason Crosby just did for my life, but all 18 of Pittsburgh’s points came off the leg of kicker Chris Boswell.</span></li>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">The NFL is all about player safety, you know. That’s why they have independent neurologists right on the field to examine players after big hits and evaluate them for concussions. It’s really great for the players, like Chris Conley, who was put back in the game </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">one play </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">after taking this hit:</span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know that the Kansas City Chiefs were the technical favorites in the game, but c’mon, who’s afraid of the Kansas City Chiefs? They could go 16-0, and no one would ever even pick them to go to the Super Bowl.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You know who I </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">used</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to feel that way about? The Atlanta Falcons. For so many years, I’d be really impressed with Matt Ryan and the Falcons, only to have them goose-egg in a huge game or miss the playoffs in a weak division. So somewhere about two or three seasons ago, I told myself I was going to stop falling for Atlanta’s hey-look-we’re-a-contender routine because I’d just seen it one too many times before. I genuinely have felt bad for their fans for a while because it must suck to have a super talented team that you have absolutely no faith in. Even earlier this season, as they got blazing hot once again, I had to remind myself not to forget that they always disappoint:</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But now? Maybe now’s the season they finally figure it out? With Matt Ryan as the MVP frontrunner and an offense that scores more points than any other team, they’re looking, well, scary, to a team like Green Bay, whose glaring weakness is their pass defense. Matt Ryan’s probably looking at our defense like:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not so fast, Matty Ice. This means your defense has to go up against Aaron Rodgers.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Atlanta may very well be the toughest matchup for Green Bay, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the game. Reasons #1-19 all rhyme with Taron Todgers, but our defense has also had some good moments throughout the year and have come up with big stops with games on the line. The Packers played the Falcons very, very close this year, losing a heartbreaker by one point, and the Packers are a much better team now than they were in Week 8. (The Falcons, for their part, didn’t have their #1 receiver for much of the game, but never mind that.) Green Bay’s best defense will probably be keeping their own offense on the field and keeping Ryan & Co. sidelined. It’ll be a tough game, but I BEEELIIIEEEVE!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And there’s a chance we get this guy back.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ARFb78pHSEg/WH1K4fjl_bI/AAAAAAAAD44/VxLTi3W86C8Yq_gdMdtON34C8cmpFziWgCLcB/s1600/Jordy%2BNelson%2B7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ARFb78pHSEg/WH1K4fjl_bI/AAAAAAAAD44/VxLTi3W86C8Yq_gdMdtON34C8cmpFziWgCLcB/s400/Jordy%2BNelson%2B7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*Swoon*</td></tr>
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<br />Two Young Women. One Obsession.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17137762286804750937noreply@blogger.com0