Let it be said, I didn't plan on doing a glog this evening, let alone a fantasy glog but this evening may very well merit one. For those that haven't heard, and really who visiting this page hasn't heard of my fantasy teams by now, I am in two fantasy football leagues. One is in yahoo and it is a freebie league, it costs nothing and you win nothing, save for the pride of knowing you beat 11 other people from all parts of creation. Yahoo also keeps a fantasy sports profile and awards "trophies" for 1st, second and third place finishes in their different fantasy sports. Mind you, nothing you receive in the mail, just a mention on your fantasy sports profile. 4 teams make the playoffs in that league and as of this writing, I would qualify as the #1 seed in the playoffs. The second league I am in is of more of a financial interest, it involves 10 teams from my local watering hole and 6 teams make the playoffs as opposed to 4. We are getting to the point in the season where playoff spots are being clinched, 2 have been clinched so far, 4 remain. Any team that reaches 7 wins will definitely qualify for the playoffs, based on how the season has gone so far. That being said, I am playing someone, who like myself, has a 6-5 record, which means that the winner of the contest in guaranteed a playoff spot.
As I type this, which is prior to the Patriots/Eagles Sunday night football game, I trail in the contest 124-121. Usually I would be happy if I score 100 points, but given the significance of the contest, I will not be happy with scoring 121 and losing this particular week. With one week left in our regular season, it would force me to win next week, or get a ton of help to make the playoffs. That being said, while I trail by 3 points, my opponent has played all 11 of his players, I have played 8. I still have my kicker (Stephen Gostkowski), a wide receiver (Wes Welker) and a running back (Willie Parker) yet to play, two of those guys will be playing in the Sunday night game (kicker, wide receiver) and my running back goes on Monday night. Chances are that I will get the three points with three guys left, yet I am still nervous, so I figured the best way to deal with nerves is to glog the game instead and stick in fantasy updates where needed.
While Al Michaels and John Madden blather away with pregame nothingness, allow me to say a belated Happy Thanksgiving to all and many thanks for the well wishes sent my way and special kudos to Carol who sent a card as well. I hope everyone had a good holiday, for me it was just another work day, but that's okay, if I didn't like my job I would bitch and moan about working, but since I do, everyday is very much like a day off for me. I will say this though, since starting the second job, I have felt my brain come back a little bit. Call it mental laziness, but when I was only working one job and getting sleep (maybe too much sleep), it just seemed I was a step slow come radio time. Now that I am back to getting less sleep and working more often, my acuity seems to have returned as well. I haven't been reading as much, at least book wise, though part of that is due to the books I have been tackling. I finished "The Lion in the White House" a biography on Theodore Roosevelt and am now working on "Summits: Six Meetings that Shaped the 20th Century". It is very good but very detailed so it has been a slow read.
Philadelphia will start with the football and tonight's contest is officially underway. Since both of my guys play for New England, I will. not pay as much attention to the Eagles unless something big happens.
Back to the book, I am on the 4th of the 6 summits covered.
Break, New England intercepts a pass on the third play of the game and runs it back for a touchdown. Credit Asanti Samuel with the pick and the score and with the extra point its New England 7 Philadelphia 0. fantasy update is now 124-122 with me getting credit for the extra point.
Let's try the book thing again during the commercial break, the first three summits were Chamberlain/Hitler, Churchill/Roosevelt/Stalin, and Kennedy/Kruschev and I just stared the fourth which is Nixon/Brezhnev. The details and the behinds the scenes stuff of the summits is quite fascinating for a sort of political junkie like myself.
Back to football, the Eagles have possession of the football again and a pass by AJ Feeley (Donovan McNabb is out with an injury) gets the first first down of the game. A few plays later and the Eagles have another first down and have crossed midfield. Mind you, I don't care who wins per se, I just want the fantasy points, so if the Eagles are going to score, I would rather they do it quickly so Wes Welker can get on the field. Being a fantasy geek means you root for some of the oddest combinations. Last week for instance, while I live in Pittsburgh, I had to root for a bad game from ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh quarterback, because it would help me. I have always argues that unlike most Pittsburghers who bleed black and gold (the team colors), my loyalty is determined on fantasy draft day and I root for the 25 guys that make my roster.
As I type, the Eagles continue their march down field, they are now inside the New England 15 yard line with another first down. I just realized that by glogging this game, I can't smoke until halftime.
Holy crap,. Brian Westbrook scores from 1 yard out and this game is in fact tied 7-7 in the first quarter, which is surprising on a number of levels for those that follow football regularly. For those that don't, New England is undefeated this year and the closest anyone came to beating them was the Indianapolis Colts, who lost after having a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter, the rest of New England's games really haven't been that close. After 10 games, the Patriots have scored 411 points while allowing 157, so you can pretty much guess their games haven't been all that close.
New England takes over possession of the football for the first time this game, despite the game being 9 minutes old and the score tied. Two plays and New England has its first first down of the game. One play later and Tom Brady got drilled on a sack leaving the Patriots with 2nd and 17. Despite the yards, two plays later New England has another first down. A scramble by Brady on 2nd and 10 and he gets down to the Philadelphia 18 yard line with a first down. A pass on first down to Wes Welker for 9 yards, one point on the reception for me. On 2nd and 1, another pass to Kevin Faulk in the flat and it is first and goal from the 2. Time out New England and we are still tied 7-7 with the Patriots threatening. The fantasy game is now 124-123.
I should note that we can get negative points in this league, interceptions and fumbles are both worth -3 pts and a missed extra point is -1, so the total points for me can go down as well as up.
The first running play of the drive is a handoff to Heath Evans and he scores from 2 yards out, and the extra point makes it New England 14 Philadelphia 7, 1st quarter. The extra point means I am now tied in fantasy 124-124.
Philadelphia has the ball back and on first down a dump off to Brian Westbrook gets another first down for Philadelphia and I have to say, I have been less than impressed with New England's defense so far this evening. Other than the mistake on the first drive resulting in the interception, Philadelphia has been able to move the ball pretty well against New England. We have reached the end of the first quarter and the score remains NE 14 PHI 7.
Sorry about the abbreviations, but I got tired of typing out the names. I am good for numerable typos on any given day, no need to increase my odds any more than they already are.
Star of second quarter and PHI is in NE territory again with a first down. Feeley tries throwing deep on first down but the throw is out of bounds, no worries though and Westbrook runs for a first down on 2nd and 10. NE takes a timeout with 3rd and 7 and PH in NE territory, so far they have run 24 plays to NE's 10, so it isn't as though the Patriot defense has been able to get the Eagles off the field so far, the question is can the Eagles defense even slow down the Patriot offense, or will the two teams just trade punches all night long. In that type of matchup, I like New England's chances.
Back from the timeout and Feeley throw deep down the middle and it is caught for a touchdown, don't look now but it is 14-14 in the second quarter. Time for a sandwich break.
Okay, back with a turkey sandwich in tow. Before everyone gets all moany about turkey again, since I worked on Thanksgiving, my dinner consisted of two microwave burritos and mac and cheese, so I bought some sliced turkey today to eat at work, I am doing all niters again this week, which I failed to mention.
The Eagles attempt an onside kick and recover it, so they will take possession of the ball for a 4th time now, versus one possession for the Patriots.
Anyway, I grabbed some soup, sliced turkey, potato chips and pepsi to eat at the station so I would be a little bit fatter when the regular office folk see me in the morning.
The Patriots hold and the Eagles punt, the first punt by either team in the game so far. The score remains tied 14-14 and the fantasy score also remains tied 124-124.
Also while out shopping of food, I did the WalMart thing because I didn't have time to go all over the map shopping, I had planned on getting a DVD to watch tonight at work, at least before I came up with this clever glog idea, because they have a decent selection in the $5 bin, but instead I ended up buying a shirt for $7 and a pair of pants for $4 so for $11 I made an outfit. I retain my title as king of the bargain shoppers.
New England starts their second possession of the game with an incomplete pass and a short pass to Randy Moss for 7 brings up 3rd and 3. Brady finds Moss on 3rd down and the drive continues. The Patriots continue to throw the ball on this drive, 6 minutes into the second quarter and they have only run the ball once, on the 2 yard TD run in the first quarter. Check that, I forgot about Brady's scramble when no one was open, that counts as a run technically, though it wasn't a called running play.
While I have been babbling, NE is on 3rd and goal at the PHI 10 yard line. A 5 yard pass to Welker brings up 4th and goal on the 5. The field goal attempt is up and good and the Patriots now lead 17-14 second quarter. For the record, the catch is worth a point and the field goal is worth three, so I now lead in fantasy 128-124. That 4th point is clutch because it means I have to fumble twice now to lose my lead. Mind you, those that were around at the beginning of the season remember (actually I doubt you remember, it was a stupid little thing tucked inside my blog) that we changed the fantasy rules this year to include one point per reception. It was a rule I wasn't in favor of, I felt it awarded guys for doing what they should do as opposed to doing something after possessing the football. That being said, Welker's 2 catches loom large right now, even though his 14 yards are worth nothing (you need 15 to register a point) so instead of 0 points which I would have had last year, I have 2 his year.
While I was rambling, PHI has the ball again and they are already passed midfield and inside the NE 40 yard line. Two plays later and Feeley finds the tight end matt Schobel, who records his first catch of the game and it is 1st and 10 at the NE 18 yard line. On third and 10 from the 18 Feeley finds Greg Lewis for a second TD pass and catch this half and I can't believe I am glogging this, but Philly leads New England 21-17 in the second quarter.
I made a mistake earlier, they are crediting Welker with 15 yards receiving, so he has gotten me an additional point, it is 129-124.
New England has the ball back after the Philly TD and a little over 3 minutes left in the half, or as I call it, the cigarette break.
The Patriots have 3rd and 6 on this drive, an incomplete pass and a dump to Kevin Faulk for 4 yards and we are at the two minute warning. During the commercial break, they just had a commercial with Nicole Viadasova (not sure of the spelling there) and I have to ask if she wasn't shown in the commercial playing tennis, would anyone know who she actually was? I don't follow women's tennis religiously by any means, but I knew the name just because she looks hot in a tennis skirt, but that isn't going to make me by a watch (she was on a Citizen's commercial).
NE coverts on 3rd and 6 on a pass to Welker, more points for me. 1st and 10 and another 7 yard pass to Welker. Welker is the consummate garbage point guy in points per reception rules. He has 68 catches going into tonight's game, that is 68 free points that I wouldn't have had last year. A defensive penalty on PHI and that is doubly bad because it will stop the clock for NE, thereby preserving their last timeout and giving NE a first down. Brady finds Randy Moss for 8 yards on 1st down and New England is inside the PHI 30 yard line. Three plays later and Tom Brady finds Jabar Gaffney, the #4 receiver of the Patriots, for a touchdown pass and NE has reclaimed the lead 24-21 with less than 10 seconds in the half.
The Eagles just run one play and run out the clock, content to go to the lockerroom down just three points, in what is a surprisingly close game, 24-21. As for the last drive from a fantasy perspective, I am building a little cushion now, leading 132-124.
Smoke break, feel free to mingle amongst yourselves, I will be back shortly.
Okay, I'm back. I should note that Friday saw the erection (enter Beavis and Butthead with the "He said erection" commentary) of the radio station Christmas tree, which also meant the unravelling of the Christmas extension cord to light the tree. Seems that if the tree is plugged into the wrong outlet, it shorts out the microwave or vice versa, I can never keep the two straight, I just know that the building is wired in such a way that the tree can't be plugged into the nearest available outlet or like the Monopoly card, if the circuit is being used, expect 10x the normal problems that would accrue with the lighting of the tree.
New England gets the ball to start the second half. I should note that despite there being 6 games left for New England (including the current game), New England has in fact clinched a playoff spot this weekend with Buffalo's loss to Jacksonville. They will clinch the division title with a win tonight.
New England tried a running play to start the second half, it didn't go all that well and an incomplete pass later and it is 3rd and 14. Tom Brady is sacked on third down and they will have to punt back to Philadelphia, meaning the Eagles will get the ball back with a chance to once again take the lead.
For those that didn't notice, I did take some time today to get some more of my old blogs transferred over to the new page. feel free to ignore them, after all it is stuff that is over a year old now, just don't ignore this one. Just kidding, you can ignore this one too if you must, and after you see how long it is, you might opt for that course of action.
PHI takes over on their own 44 yard line. 3 plays net about 5 yards and the Eagles will be forced to punt back to the Patriots, and a good kick will pin the Patriots back on their own 10 yard line, where they will have their second possession of the second half, holding on to a 24-21 lead.
The second possession of the second half starts off a little better for the Patriots, they get a first down as Brady scrambles on a 3rd and 3 to just get past the marker, keeping the drive alive and saving punting from the endzone. Another 3rd down conversion, this on a pass to Wes Welker and we may be seeing the beginnings of a drive. Laurence Maroney has been carrying the ball a little on this drive, which is of note since he wasn't even on the field in the first half, which would lead one to assume he was still banged up from last week, when he left with a foot injury, but here he is running the ball with some success in the second half. Third and 12 and a bubble screen pass to Welker picks up a lot of yards and Welker gets the ball all the way down to the 4 yard line.
Well, there is an injury timeout, which means I will kick off my shoes and socks. I know, it isn't something that one would normally do at work, but after having shoes on for the last 14 hours, my toes need some freedom.
First down and a touchdown pass to Randy Moss is called back due to offensive pass interference, pushing the Patriots back to the 14 yard line with a first and goal. Unlike the first half, when the Eagles ran the majority of the plays, so far the Eagles have had three plays this quarter to 17 for the Patriots. The Eagles hold on the drive forcing New England to try a field goal, which they miss keeping the score at 24-21. That has to be disappointing, driving from their own 10 al the way to the eagles 5 yard line and coming away with no points. The miss is disappointing to me, as it would have been three more fantasy points. Instead, I lead 139-124 and I am feeling very comfortable right now about my playoff spot. I like that, I don't have top sweat my lineup the last week of the regular season, I can just play guys and let whatever happens, happen.
The Eagles start their second possession of the second half, and they half to be happy with still being down only 3 points and very much in this contest. Mind you the Las Vegas bookies had this game with NE being somewhere around a 24 point favorite. What a point spread usually shows is the number it takes to get the betting even on both sides of the equation, so to get people to bet Philadelphia, the odd makers were giving 24 points, that is how uncompetitive it was viewed that this game would be. Instead, it has been very competitive and makes me happy that I actually glogged the game, as opposed to last week, when the Patriots were also the Sunday night game, and they beat Buffalo on national tv by a 56-10 count, making the game painful to watch, even for people that like football.
While I have been on another of my tangents, the Eagles have drove down to the NE 26 yard line with a 1st down. This is definitely within range of a field goal to tie, but I don't think they are playing for a tie right now, as they hit for another first down on a Feeley pass to Kevin Curtis at the NE 14 yard line. Two plays later and the Eagles face a 3rd and 4 from the 8 yard line and the Eagles will take a time out to talk things over. Can't say as I blame them, this is a pretty important play call, they have a shot at either the lead, a first down at the 4 yard line or worst case scenario, a field goal to tie. While they talk things over, feel free to read some musings by other people on my contact list.
AJ Feeley hits Reggie Brown in the end zone and really don't look now, but the Eagles, point spread aside, are leading this game outright, 28-24 in the third quarter.
The Patriots take over after the kickoff on their own 33 yard line, and 3 plays net only 7 yards but a flag is on the field and it is an offside call on the Eagles which is good for 5 yards and for the time being, the Patriots have new life with a gift first down. The third quarter has come to a close, just 15 minutes of football left and the Eagles lead the Patriots 28-24. I now lead in fantasy 141-124.
Okay, start of the 4th quarter and NE has a 3rd and 6 and it is another pass to Welker good for a first down. That is now 9 catches for 107 yards for my fantasy wide receiver, the scary thing is, he is my worst receiver this week, as I also played Greg Jennings from Green Bay (5 catches, 60 yards, 2 TDs - 21 pts) and Chad Johnson (12 catches, 103 yards, 3 TDs - 36 pts). While I was blabbing the NE drive stalls and the Eagles will take over leading the game still 28-24. The sad thing is, while this is going on there are a bunch of aging guys in Miami (the 72 Dolphins) with their hands on their johnsons just hoping that New England loses so they can remain the only team to go unbeaten in an NFL season. They have made it a tradition to crack champagne once the last undefeated team falls every year. If my life ever comes down to living off of a past glory of 35 years previous, just put a bullet in my skull, because it means I have done nothing with my life since.
The Eagles manage a first down on the drive but then the possession peters out and the Eagles are forced to punt. After a commercial break, the game is back with Ne having the ball on their own 33 yard line. A quick pass to Donte Stallworth results in a first down and another play, another first down, a 12 pass to Kevin Faulk. The Patriots are past midfield and it is now three straight plays for first downs, this time 14 yards to Welker, and my fantasy team cheers a little more. A quick screen top Stallworth nets only 2 yards and for the first time this drive, the Patriots have a second down.
The end of creative thought continues, I just saw a commercial for American Gladiators because we don't have enough crappy television shows out there now, we have to resurrect old bad shows now.
The Patriots have a third and 9 and it is another pass to Wes Welker for a first down. The Patriots are down to the PHI 14 yard line and the missed field goal earlier is looming large, because the Patriots need a TD now to take the lead, even though they are in field goal range. Hey don't look now, but Welker has another first down grab, I am liking my chances very much now, the question is can I get the high score of the week. Not that that means much on a weekly basis, but at the end of the regular season, the top three scoring teams also get money, so points are important, even if I am most likely going to win. Again, while that was taking place, Laurence Maroney scored on a TD run and with the extra point (which I also get) the Patriots have retaken the lead 31-28. Fantasy wise it is now 149-124 and I can almost certainly stop with the updates fantasy wise, I would need to fumble quite a few times to blow this lead.
Another commercial break, which is good because I need to rant about something. I tend to be pretty middle of the road regarding Walmart, I don't think they are as evil as some people do, but I recognize they aren't perfect either. That being said, I do find their current radio campaign a little tasteless, even for the secular Christmas type like myself, in which they basically say that buy shopping at WalMart you can save money which means more Christmas for everyone. Don't get me wrong, I like shopping during the holiday season, but I don't measure it on dollars spent or gifts bought or received. I'd rather just enjoy the company of family and friends and last I checked WalMart doesn't sell that.
Okay, the Eagles have a 3rd and 3 and they covert on a pass to LJ Smith so while I have been talking about commercials the game has been taking place. The clock is ticking, there is about 5 and half minutes remaining and the Eagles have another first down, this time at the NE 48 yard line. Here come the Eagles, another pass, to Kevin Curtis gets a first down again. Two plays later and AJ Feeley makes his second mistake of the game and it is probably a killer, as he finds Asanti Samuel again, the problem being that Samuel plays for the other team.
New England has the ball and they will look to run some clock here and two plays gets 9 yards but a false start makes what would have been 3rd and 1 into a 3rd and 6. That being said, Brady again finds Jabar Gaffney for a first down, probably the first time since the second quarter Gaffney has seen the football. The conversion was big because the Eagles have used two of their three timeouts and while the two minute warning will stop the clock once, even if the Eagles get a stop here, they will have very little time left when they get the ball back.
The Eagles do hold but there is just 31 seconds left to try to mount something here. The punt and return waste 12 of those second and the Eagles have just 19 second to try to get into field goal range to tie this contest. Well that didn't take long, one pass play results in Feeley's third interception of the game and that is all she wrote, the Patriots take a knee and the game is over with the Patriots winning 31-28. And on the fantasy front, I now lead 150-124, so unless Willie parker fumbles the ball 9 times tomorrow night, my lead is pretty safe. Okay, you can go back to your normal lives now, I will do the spell check and post this disaster.
