You got to lose to know how to win - Steven Tyler
Figured it would be a good quote to lead with for several reasons, not sure if the less or more obvious of which is the American Idol that featured the singer as a judge moments after the NFC championship game ended.
I'm not really sure how much I buy into the quote. I do think it helps a little to be experienced to know what it takes to become a better team and win a championship.
On the other hand, the fact that there were 10 different NFC teams in a row to win the NFC Championship shows that sometimes experience couldn't have meant a whole lot. The Rams didn't need it back in 2000; Giants didn't need it in 2008. I'm sure there's some examples where experience may have meant something.
You can't tell me experience won the game for the Giants this time around. I don't think them being in this position 4 years ago helped them out at all now. Although I don't think it hurt them.
The Killers
Alex Smith did revert somewhat back to the old version of himself - prime example on why he should not receive more than a year extension. He one-hopped too many throws and highlighted one of the Niners' many problems this year - third down conversions. The Niners' 1-of-13 on third down is what killed them.
The Kyle Williams' fumbles were terrible, particularly the last one, which caused me to fall face first onto the floor and bury my head like a groundhog. In fact, the shadow afterwards that I saw signified that we would have 6 more hours of spring this month immediately.
However, I can't get mad at him for too long- as shocking as that is to hear. Ted Ginn Jr.'s injury could be the biggest injury that affected the playoffs west of the Chicago Lakefront. Williams was put in a tough spot as a backup and showed you how special your special teams need to be to win (or at least not lose) a game.
It would have been easier for me to deal with if Eli did what he did against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. At least I would have felt that the Giants earned the win more.
I really wish that the refs didn't blow the whistle on the Bradshaw fumble in the 4th, instead ruling forward progress. I don't care what Mike Perrara (I'm not in the mood to spell check, pretty sure this spelling is wrong, screw him) said - 95% of the time, that is called a fumble.
With that not called, we have to move on. No excuses. Just venting on something that would normally be called a fumble.
The Niners had their chances to win and didn't capitalize. The Giants made more plays and took advantage of both huge mistakes that Kyle Williams made.
Mr. Brightside
(Music fans - hope you like the sub-headers I created here. If not, well, shit.)
On the bright side, there's no way in the world you could have convinced me before the season started that my team would be playing in the overtime of the NFC Championship game, on the brink of the franchise's 6th Super Bowl.
All (not some) of the credit goes to the coach-of-the-year Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh took an arguably underachieving squad from 2010 who finished 6-10 with Mike "The Mooner" Singletary as coach into an overachieving squad that could have very easily been one of the two teams to play February football.
With Harbaugh firmly entrenched as the coach for the next couple years, I believe that the Niners will remain competitive and be a threat to make the playoffs every year. I do think the NFC West is an improving division, so winning it will be more of a challenge in future years than it may have appeared this year.
Next year, we have the NFC North, AFC East & the Saints and Giants on our schedule in addition to the normal division schedule. Things change year to year, so it's hard to say if this will be a difficult schedule.
I think it will. I see a 9-7, 10-6 year if we have Alex Smith starting again, which may be good enough to squeeze out the NFC West again, but more likely as a 3 or 4 seed this time around.
I hope Kaepernick is given the chance to compete for the starting spot next year. I also hope we are able to snag a go-to wide receiver either in free agency or some kind of draft-day trade - Crabtree is not the answer.
No Excuses
I am not one of those people who will sit there and blame the refs for the loss. Most fans of most teams who lose in spots like this (close game in OT) will like to highlight some BS calls that go against their team. Not this guy.
The Giants earned the win. Eli is a tough QB who has nothing left to prove on whether he is an elite QB (he is).
A guy who set the QB record for road wins in the playoffs cannot be a slouch. Sure, you need good people around you, but you also need to have an incredible amount of talent to put your team in that position.
Winning on the road in the NFL is tough, no matter where you go. I'm not convinced this team would have beat the Saints in the NFC Championship with the home advantage the Saints have, but the Niners' comeback win took that away from the Saints.
I wish the Giants the best of luck in two weeks - they are going to need it.
I see the line is around New England -4 with an over/under at about 55.5. Both of those seem too high on initial read, and I heavily lean on a more defensive battle - kinda like the ones the teams played in their wins today. A field goal could be the difference in this game as it has in all of the other Patriots' Super Bowls after Super Bowl XX.
Last Train Out
This is officially my last NFL blog of 2011-12 w/ having a horse in the race.
Thank you to my friends who rooted for the Niners from afar - showed great class as your team's hopes went down either with the injury of Jay Cutler or one too many blown 4th quarter leads (damn Bears/Cowboys). I know I am missing a few teams from my friend's rooting interests, but you get the point.
One game remains - unfortunately San Fran will not be represented.
Made up my mind, gonna make a new start...Going to California with an aching...in my heart.
Thanks for that lyric Zeppelin...and thanks for this season Niners.
Let's do what we can to make it happen next year.
It's important to keep perspective as a sports fan and realize that sports are a fantastic distraction in our lives yet at the same time can seem like the only thing in our lives.
I still got a great girlfriend, great family and great friends.
Remember that the next time your team fails you. Perspective.
1/23/2012
1/20/2012
Goals/Bucket List Re-analyzed
A nice and easy blog - gonna look at my goals through the first 20 days of the year
Updated bucket list
Thanks for reading once again.
- 100+ blogs - this will be blog 10 in the 20th day of the year. While I don't think I'll be able to keep with a blog every other day pace, it looks like I will be more consistent than last year in posting blogs. Keep with the feedback and I'll keep with the writing.
- 3000 Tweets & Gain 50 Followers (Go over 100) - I started the year with 1022 tweets and 58 followers; currently at 1222 and 75 (although some of these followers may disappear since they appear to be fake accounts). I'm at 10 tweets/day, so I'd beat my year goal by 2 months. The followers stat may be deceiving, but hopefully I'll continue to get some legit followers.
- Get a Mac Computer & Become Solid at Final Cut Pro again - working on this - the time of the year I get this depends on the Niners making the Super Bowl
- Listen to all 4500+ songs on my I-Pod at some point this year - I'm through 440 songs in 20 days (22 songs a day). At this pace, I'd finish my playlist in July. With how often I drive to and from the city these days, it's very possible I get this done before the summer ends.
- Learn to design a website - looks to be an end of year goal.
- Keep getting better/more knowledgeable about sports gambling - work in progress
Updated bucket list
Baseball Road Trip(Achieved)Watch the Final Game of a Sport (Achieved)Attending NFL Playoff Game (Achieved)- And what an achievement it was. Best. Game. Ever.Attend MLB Playoff Game (Achieved)- Yankees/Red Sox
- Duke/North Carolina (NCAAB)
- Packers/Bears (not achieved) - working on these. Would like to hit up at least one of these 3 by the end of the year.
- Big Ten football stadium outside of Illinois (likely Mich vs. OSU) (not achieved) - work in progress
- SEC football (LSU, Bama or Florida) (not achieved) - work in progress; doubt I'll get to this in 2012.
- The first weekend of March Madness...
- and the Super Bowl....in Vegas (not achieved) - goal is to get one of these achieved in 2013.
- The Super Bowl (not achieved) - this may be the surprise item that gets eliminated first. I got some great news from the boss about a bonus that could cover most of the costs for this. My dad/mom say I should use the money for student loans, but I've been responsible enough with money for so long, it's gonna happen if the Niners make it there. I've already talked myself into this.
Thanks for reading once again.
Final Four, NFL-Style
My favorite Sunday of the sports year is in sight, with the day becoming even more special because of the 49ers first appearance in the NFC Championship since 1998, when they lost to the Packers 23-10.
As my fellow Conference Championship watchers Nick Pazoles and Chris Williams have both said as well, this weekend is our favorite weekend of sports because it usually has two very competitive games featuring high quality teams. This stands to reason that you have to be really good to make it this far, but the NFL always seems to find itself locked into tight battles come their version of the Final Four.
In the last 4 years, the NFC Championship has featured competitive games in all 4 tilts, including a pair of overtime games. These 4 games were all decided by a touchdown or less. On the AFC side of things in that time span, the games have had slightly larger deficits but were no means blow outs.
AFC Championship
Baltimore +7 at New England - Fresh off of its first playoff win since the 2008 AFC title game, New England enters the playoffs on a 9 game win streak. Tom Brady has been his usual self in tearing apart opposing defenses. His 6 touchdown passes last week made quite the statement against the NFL's most polarizing player/team in the Denver Tebows. Meanwhile, on Baltimore's side of things, much of the talk this week has been about internal critiques of their QB Joe Flacco by future Canton member Ed Reed. While I think much of this talk leading up to games is garbage, no need for this small distraction.
I think this will be lower-scoring than what New England will be accustomed to, but they will still prevail. Baltimore covers, New England wins a tight one 24-20.
NFC Championship
NYG +2.5 at San Fran - When New England wraps up their game, much of the post-game talk on CBS and pre-game talk on Fox will be, "Is there going to be a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl?" My answer, if predictions have anything to say about them, is No.
If you've been watching or reading anything ESPN-related, you'd think the Giants would be the favorites. Not sure how much of this has to do with a well-perceived East-Coast bias that many people complain about, but it is quite noticeable how much the Giants are being talked up despite having lost to the Niners earlier this year and their inconsistency/lapses during the season - which saw them beat some of the NFL's best as road warriors (Patriots, Packers) while losing to inferior opponents like the Redskins (twice) & Seahawks.
I took a look at some highly public sites (ESPN, CBS Sports, Fox, Covers...to name a few) & one local prediction from each town's newspaper area and compiled 38 different analyst's picks for the NFC Championship game. A whopping 27 of 38 picked the Giants to win.
It's weird that a 14-3 team who just ended a 9-game winning streak of a well-regarded foe can feel like an underdog, but here the Niners are....again. I have no problem with this perception from the public that the Giants will come out victorious.
In fact, recent history shows that one of the road teams should win - 9 of this century's 12 Super Bowls have featured at least one team who won on the road in the Conference Championship weekend. If a road team is going to win this weekend, chances are it will be the Giants.
I'll go against this trend and say that the Niners win a battle that will be highly dictated on the play of their special teams. The Pro Bowl duo of Akers & Andy Lee will provide the Niners with the points/field position that they will need, as San Fran will ride to its sixth Super Bowl appearance.
Niners win 23-17 and advance to Indianapolis.
As crazy as it sounds, I may have a chance to go to Indy for the game (my ultimate Sports Bucket List item) - I'll get into that later. I'll really only consider it if the Niners win.
Enjoy the games everyone!
As my fellow Conference Championship watchers Nick Pazoles and Chris Williams have both said as well, this weekend is our favorite weekend of sports because it usually has two very competitive games featuring high quality teams. This stands to reason that you have to be really good to make it this far, but the NFL always seems to find itself locked into tight battles come their version of the Final Four.
In the last 4 years, the NFC Championship has featured competitive games in all 4 tilts, including a pair of overtime games. These 4 games were all decided by a touchdown or less. On the AFC side of things in that time span, the games have had slightly larger deficits but were no means blow outs.
AFC Championship
Baltimore +7 at New England - Fresh off of its first playoff win since the 2008 AFC title game, New England enters the playoffs on a 9 game win streak. Tom Brady has been his usual self in tearing apart opposing defenses. His 6 touchdown passes last week made quite the statement against the NFL's most polarizing player/team in the Denver Tebows. Meanwhile, on Baltimore's side of things, much of the talk this week has been about internal critiques of their QB Joe Flacco by future Canton member Ed Reed. While I think much of this talk leading up to games is garbage, no need for this small distraction.
I think this will be lower-scoring than what New England will be accustomed to, but they will still prevail. Baltimore covers, New England wins a tight one 24-20.
NFC Championship
NYG +2.5 at San Fran - When New England wraps up their game, much of the post-game talk on CBS and pre-game talk on Fox will be, "Is there going to be a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl?" My answer, if predictions have anything to say about them, is No.
If you've been watching or reading anything ESPN-related, you'd think the Giants would be the favorites. Not sure how much of this has to do with a well-perceived East-Coast bias that many people complain about, but it is quite noticeable how much the Giants are being talked up despite having lost to the Niners earlier this year and their inconsistency/lapses during the season - which saw them beat some of the NFL's best as road warriors (Patriots, Packers) while losing to inferior opponents like the Redskins (twice) & Seahawks.
I took a look at some highly public sites (ESPN, CBS Sports, Fox, Covers...to name a few) & one local prediction from each town's newspaper area and compiled 38 different analyst's picks for the NFC Championship game. A whopping 27 of 38 picked the Giants to win.
It's weird that a 14-3 team who just ended a 9-game winning streak of a well-regarded foe can feel like an underdog, but here the Niners are....again. I have no problem with this perception from the public that the Giants will come out victorious.
In fact, recent history shows that one of the road teams should win - 9 of this century's 12 Super Bowls have featured at least one team who won on the road in the Conference Championship weekend. If a road team is going to win this weekend, chances are it will be the Giants.
I'll go against this trend and say that the Niners win a battle that will be highly dictated on the play of their special teams. The Pro Bowl duo of Akers & Andy Lee will provide the Niners with the points/field position that they will need, as San Fran will ride to its sixth Super Bowl appearance.
Niners win 23-17 and advance to Indianapolis.
As crazy as it sounds, I may have a chance to go to Indy for the game (my ultimate Sports Bucket List item) - I'll get into that later. I'll really only consider it if the Niners win.
Enjoy the games everyone!
1/19/2012
Dropping the SOPA: My 24-Hour Experience w/ Political Matters
The topic of politics produces many different reactions with many people I know - apathetic and anger are the most common feelings towards the subject.
Which is why it was unusual to see so many people posting their opposition to a bill yesterday (known as SOPA) that would severely cripple the Internet by giving the government the power to shut down sites that possess copyrighted material.
While I don't have exact numbers on how the online protests, led by Google and a self-blackout by Wikipedia, actually worked, what I do know is that a bill about to be voted on by Congress actually got the attention of the general public. A main reason for this is that it directly impacts just about everyone who relies on the Internet for personal, business & informational purposes.
This popularity of protesting a bill may be done in vain, but it brings up an important thought: how can the American public get this interested in more political matters?
They're crooks, liars & can't be trusted...
They're all the same--all scumbags...
Why vote for the lesser of two evils?
These above statements will keep many people away from voting. Honestly, most of these thoughts have kept me from voting.
Don't get me wrong, I have my political views. Everything I read about most candidates does not fit my views, so I'm never inspired to vote for anyone. This apathy is prevalent with many people I know, and it could be one of the reasons why the political system is broken. If the citizens aren't going to give a crap about who is in office, then those who are actually voted in aren't going to give a crap about what they do in office since many of the people they "represent" choose to ignore or generalize everything the politician does as crooked.
My attempt at "getting involved"
With this SOPA thing, I decided to sign a few online petitions and also emailed a few representatives, including both US Senators of Illinois.
One of them actually replied back this afternoon:
Dear Mr. Bolek:
Thank you for contacting me about the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), S. 968,and its House of Representatives companion, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). I appreciate your input and want to let you know my view on this important issue.
I stand with those who stand for freedom in opposing PIPA in its current form. Freedom of speech is an inalienable right granted to each and every American, and the Internet has become the primary tool with which we utilize this right. The Internet empowers Americans to learn, create, innovate, and express their views. While we should protect American intellectual property, consumer safety and human rights,we should do so in a manner that specifically targets criminal activity. The extreme measures taken in PIPA not only stifle First Amendment rights but also hamper innovation on the Internet.
S.968, as currently written, allows for abuse of our Constitutional rights, giving the Attorney General sweeping powers to block domain names of websites they deem "dedicated to infringing activities".Under current law, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires service providers to block access toonly infringing material, but S. 968 would block access to entire websites that may carry a page containing infringing material generated by a third-party user. In my view, this is an unacceptable violation of our First Amendment rights. I also worry this type of censorship will be used as a model for foreign repressive regimes to censor the web within their own countries.
S.968 also places too great a burden on small Internet startups, as the bill would provide a private right of action to copyright owners. Since the bill would force the takedown of an entire site, not just the specific infringing page, it would hold user-generated websites liable for any content posted. This fear of liability and resulting uncertainty will cripple innovation on the Internet, one of our greatest economic engines.
I am also concerned about the bill's provisions that would undermine the security of the entire Internet.Network engineers and cyber security experts warn the technical implementation of the Domain Name System blocking requirement cannot function with the new security protocols, also known as DNSSEC, currently being implemented across the worldwide web.
While I support the underlying goals of the bill to crack down on online intellectual property theft, I believe PIPA in its current form is unacceptable. It will have widespread unintended consequences that will stifle freedom of speech and Internet innovation across the globe. This bill places far too much regulation on the Internet and will impact more than just those foreign "rogue" websites for which it is intended. I cannot support a bill that recklessly tampers with the Internet and our inalienable rights as citizens of a free nation.
Thank you for taking the time to contact me on this issue. Please feel free to contact me at (312) 886-3506 or online at http://kirk.senate.gov if you have any questions or concerns before Congress or the federal government. It is an honor to serve you in the Senate.
Very truly yours,
Mark Kirk
U.S. Senate
This letter was refreshing to read on several levels: (1) the senator actually responded (I don't know if this is common or not); (2) he supports the people who hate PIPA/SOPA "in its current form"; (3) based on a letter my friend Jason received from the same senator on the matter last month, Kirk's stance on it then (more pro-PIPA/SOPA) versus now shows that pressure applied by citzens to its representatives can actually change a person's stance on matters.
(Note - part 3 here, I don't consider it "flip-flopping" - people change their minds in the face of other people's thoughts on matters more than we'd like to believe)
The question remains - will I become more politically active or at least try educating myself better on politicians and their views?
In any regard, if I do, I don't see myself aligning with one party like many people do. I won't get into what I'd look for in an ideal politician based on my views - no one needs to know the specifics.
I do think that we'd benefit as a society if we all became a little more involved politically. Let's hope we do it soon before America turns into as oppressive of a country as some where education and information become stifled by massive censorship and state-controlled media.
If we do, perhaps (and I say this with some delusion) Big Brother will listen instead of just its normal watching.
Which is why it was unusual to see so many people posting their opposition to a bill yesterday (known as SOPA) that would severely cripple the Internet by giving the government the power to shut down sites that possess copyrighted material.
While I don't have exact numbers on how the online protests, led by Google and a self-blackout by Wikipedia, actually worked, what I do know is that a bill about to be voted on by Congress actually got the attention of the general public. A main reason for this is that it directly impacts just about everyone who relies on the Internet for personal, business & informational purposes.
This popularity of protesting a bill may be done in vain, but it brings up an important thought: how can the American public get this interested in more political matters?
They're crooks, liars & can't be trusted...
They're all the same--all scumbags...
Why vote for the lesser of two evils?
These above statements will keep many people away from voting. Honestly, most of these thoughts have kept me from voting.
Don't get me wrong, I have my political views. Everything I read about most candidates does not fit my views, so I'm never inspired to vote for anyone. This apathy is prevalent with many people I know, and it could be one of the reasons why the political system is broken. If the citizens aren't going to give a crap about who is in office, then those who are actually voted in aren't going to give a crap about what they do in office since many of the people they "represent" choose to ignore or generalize everything the politician does as crooked.
My attempt at "getting involved"
With this SOPA thing, I decided to sign a few online petitions and also emailed a few representatives, including both US Senators of Illinois.
One of them actually replied back this afternoon:
Dear Mr. Bolek:
Thank you for contacting me about the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), S. 968,and its House of Representatives companion, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). I appreciate your input and want to let you know my view on this important issue.
I stand with those who stand for freedom in opposing PIPA in its current form. Freedom of speech is an inalienable right granted to each and every American, and the Internet has become the primary tool with which we utilize this right. The Internet empowers Americans to learn, create, innovate, and express their views. While we should protect American intellectual property, consumer safety and human rights,we should do so in a manner that specifically targets criminal activity. The extreme measures taken in PIPA not only stifle First Amendment rights but also hamper innovation on the Internet.
S.968, as currently written, allows for abuse of our Constitutional rights, giving the Attorney General sweeping powers to block domain names of websites they deem "dedicated to infringing activities".Under current law, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires service providers to block access toonly infringing material, but S. 968 would block access to entire websites that may carry a page containing infringing material generated by a third-party user. In my view, this is an unacceptable violation of our First Amendment rights. I also worry this type of censorship will be used as a model for foreign repressive regimes to censor the web within their own countries.
S.968 also places too great a burden on small Internet startups, as the bill would provide a private right of action to copyright owners. Since the bill would force the takedown of an entire site, not just the specific infringing page, it would hold user-generated websites liable for any content posted. This fear of liability and resulting uncertainty will cripple innovation on the Internet, one of our greatest economic engines.
I am also concerned about the bill's provisions that would undermine the security of the entire Internet.Network engineers and cyber security experts warn the technical implementation of the Domain Name System blocking requirement cannot function with the new security protocols, also known as DNSSEC, currently being implemented across the worldwide web.
While I support the underlying goals of the bill to crack down on online intellectual property theft, I believe PIPA in its current form is unacceptable. It will have widespread unintended consequences that will stifle freedom of speech and Internet innovation across the globe. This bill places far too much regulation on the Internet and will impact more than just those foreign "rogue" websites for which it is intended. I cannot support a bill that recklessly tampers with the Internet and our inalienable rights as citizens of a free nation.
Thank you for taking the time to contact me on this issue. Please feel free to contact me at (312) 886-3506 or online at http://kirk.senate.gov if you have any questions or concerns before Congress or the federal government. It is an honor to serve you in the Senate.
Very truly yours,
Mark Kirk
U.S. Senate
This letter was refreshing to read on several levels: (1) the senator actually responded (I don't know if this is common or not); (2) he supports the people who hate PIPA/SOPA "in its current form"; (3) based on a letter my friend Jason received from the same senator on the matter last month, Kirk's stance on it then (more pro-PIPA/SOPA) versus now shows that pressure applied by citzens to its representatives can actually change a person's stance on matters.
(Note - part 3 here, I don't consider it "flip-flopping" - people change their minds in the face of other people's thoughts on matters more than we'd like to believe)
The question remains - will I become more politically active or at least try educating myself better on politicians and their views?
In any regard, if I do, I don't see myself aligning with one party like many people do. I won't get into what I'd look for in an ideal politician based on my views - no one needs to know the specifics.
I do think that we'd benefit as a society if we all became a little more involved politically. Let's hope we do it soon before America turns into as oppressive of a country as some where education and information become stifled by massive censorship and state-controlled media.
If we do, perhaps (and I say this with some delusion) Big Brother will listen instead of just its normal watching.
1/18/2012
Brass Baughs: How the Niners Coach Defied Conservative Nature of NFL to Win Saturday
Did you happen to catch the rare occurence at the end of that Saints/49ers game?
No, I'm not talking about the 4 lead changes in the last 3 minutes (a playoff first).
I'm also not talking about Alex Smith's squad besting a team led by the NFL-record holder of passing yards in a season.
I'm talking about Jim Harbaugh. Specifically, the pair of brass balls that he possessed at the end of the game to go for the touchdown.
Sure, it doesn't seem like much of a risk to the average person, especially with a timeout left in the team's pocket with 14 seconds left. However, with how much conservatism we are used to seeing in the NFL on a weekly basis, the chance of a ball getting picked off or turned over would be in the minds of many coaches. Many coaches within that range (14 yard line, down 3) would play it safe and kick the field goal to force overtime.
If Alex Smith throws a pick, analysts would pick apart why Harbaugh would call for such a risky play when overtime is well within reach with a short field goal and a Pro-Bowl kicker. Nevermind that the Niners have the least number of turnovers in the league this year. A play that goes against the ultra-conservative nature of the NFL would get Harbaugh lambasted if it backfires.
You may remember John Madden suggesting to Tom Brady & the Patriots to take a knee and play for overtime on their last drive in their upset against the Rams in 2002. With this line of thinking, Madden represents the crowd of people who suggest playing it safe versus going for the winner while it is in your control and risking the chance of loss.
There are several problems with this conservative line of thinking that make the Harbaugh-types seem rational:
As any Niners fan remembers from that game, Favre got the ball back with plenty of time and found Greg Lewis in the back of the endzone much to the delight of the Metrodome crowd. Moments from being 3-0, Singletary didn't learn that the best way to win a game is when the ball is in your hands. On third and long, when a team can win a game with just one first down, a run is conceding control of winning the game. Especially against a hall-of-fame quarterback.
Take the opposite scenario: a few years back, the Patriots were holding onto a lead against the Colts and had a fourth and one in their own territory. I emphasize "holding onto" since the Colts had stormed back from a three-score deficit. About 30-31 coaches at that time would have punted the ball and taken their chances with stopping Peyton Manning one time with less than two minutes to spare.
However, Bellichick decided that he didn't want to take his chances with his defense against Peyton and instead went for it. Needless to say, they didn't convert; Peyton led the Colts on a short drive for a TD and Bellichick was raped in the press for going for it.
They failed to mention that a conversion would have sealed a Patriots victory. Also failed to mention that Peyton Manning is the other team's QB and was as automatic as they came at that time.
The "by-the-book" nature that many media & football personnel make moves like that (getting 1 yard to seal a win) seem absurd and yet allows guys like Singletary off the hook for running it three times with the ultimate intention of getting the team to burn three timeouts only to punt.
Let's give Harbaugh his credit for going for the win.
He showed that having a pair of brass ones is the best way to play.
No, I'm not talking about the 4 lead changes in the last 3 minutes (a playoff first).
I'm also not talking about Alex Smith's squad besting a team led by the NFL-record holder of passing yards in a season.
I'm talking about Jim Harbaugh. Specifically, the pair of brass balls that he possessed at the end of the game to go for the touchdown.
Sure, it doesn't seem like much of a risk to the average person, especially with a timeout left in the team's pocket with 14 seconds left. However, with how much conservatism we are used to seeing in the NFL on a weekly basis, the chance of a ball getting picked off or turned over would be in the minds of many coaches. Many coaches within that range (14 yard line, down 3) would play it safe and kick the field goal to force overtime.
If Alex Smith throws a pick, analysts would pick apart why Harbaugh would call for such a risky play when overtime is well within reach with a short field goal and a Pro-Bowl kicker. Nevermind that the Niners have the least number of turnovers in the league this year. A play that goes against the ultra-conservative nature of the NFL would get Harbaugh lambasted if it backfires.
You may remember John Madden suggesting to Tom Brady & the Patriots to take a knee and play for overtime on their last drive in their upset against the Rams in 2002. With this line of thinking, Madden represents the crowd of people who suggest playing it safe versus going for the winner while it is in your control and risking the chance of loss.
There are several problems with this conservative line of thinking that make the Harbaugh-types seem rational:
- This assumes you can control your fate better when delaying the outcome of the game. Who is to say how the coin with flip in overtime? Even with the new rules, if the team who gets the ball scores the TD right away, the game is over. You don't think the Saints could score on the initial possession of OT easier than most?
- Sports are about winning, not avoiding loss. Unfortunately, too many guys will be uber-conservative and take the chance of losing through that route rather than risking blowing a lead or a chance of tying a game.
As any Niners fan remembers from that game, Favre got the ball back with plenty of time and found Greg Lewis in the back of the endzone much to the delight of the Metrodome crowd. Moments from being 3-0, Singletary didn't learn that the best way to win a game is when the ball is in your hands. On third and long, when a team can win a game with just one first down, a run is conceding control of winning the game. Especially against a hall-of-fame quarterback.
Take the opposite scenario: a few years back, the Patriots were holding onto a lead against the Colts and had a fourth and one in their own territory. I emphasize "holding onto" since the Colts had stormed back from a three-score deficit. About 30-31 coaches at that time would have punted the ball and taken their chances with stopping Peyton Manning one time with less than two minutes to spare.
However, Bellichick decided that he didn't want to take his chances with his defense against Peyton and instead went for it. Needless to say, they didn't convert; Peyton led the Colts on a short drive for a TD and Bellichick was raped in the press for going for it.
They failed to mention that a conversion would have sealed a Patriots victory. Also failed to mention that Peyton Manning is the other team's QB and was as automatic as they came at that time.
The "by-the-book" nature that many media & football personnel make moves like that (getting 1 yard to seal a win) seem absurd and yet allows guys like Singletary off the hook for running it three times with the ultimate intention of getting the team to burn three timeouts only to punt.
Let's give Harbaugh his credit for going for the win.
He showed that having a pair of brass ones is the best way to play.
1/16/2012
The Game of My Life
Oh when the Saints....go marching out.....
In the same endzone Terrell Owens caught The Catch II about 13 years ago, Vernon Davis secured an Alex Smith touchdown pass with 9 seconds left that brought Candlestick Park off its hinges in Saturday's 36-32 win over the Saints. Coupled with the Packers loss yesterday, the Niners get a chance to create another playoff miracle at home.
The Niners' last three playoff games at home have produced Instant Classics:
Niners 36, Saints 32 (1/14/2012) - Any football fan who watched this one got treated to the game of the week (possibly the year). Despite Drew Brees' 400 million passing yards, our own QB (which I was reluctant to call him to start the year to say the least) created his own page in 49ers playoff miracles. I'm not quite sure how I can ever go to a better game than this in my lifetime - and this is not hyperbole talking.
Here's the best catch I've ever seen made in my life. I will get teary-eyed watching on highlight shows for the next decades to come: Vernon Davis catch
Oh when the Saints go marching out...
Niners 39, Giants 38 (1/5/2003) - I remember watching this game in the basement with some of my friends. When the score reached 38-14 in the third quarter, I was having my doubts. But a spirited comeback led by Jeff Garcia (331 passing yards, 3 touchdowns) helped give the Niners one of the biggest comebacks in NFL playoff history (next to the Frank Reich/Buffalo Bills comeback). The game ended with a botched field goal snap leading to a duck of a pass that seemed to be airborne for several minutes. I panicked seeing a flag down by the area where a Giants player was pushed down, but the penalty was called on the Giants.
The next week, we lost to the eventual SB champion Buccaneers.
Niners 30, Packers 27 (1/3/1999) - This is when The Catch II happened, but we got lucky on that last drive when a Jerry Rice catch wasn't ruled a fumble on the field. Still, the game, like the two mentioned above, featured a 4th quarter comeback. Out of the three, it also featured the best QB matchup in Favre vs. Young.
Like Saturday's game, it had the opponent score a go-ahead TD with less than two minutes left. Also eerily similar (as mentioned before) was the spot of the field that the Niners played hauled in the winning score, with similar jarring hits that the receivers (1999 - TO, 2012 - Vernon Davis) absorbed while holding onto the ball. The comeback against the Giants featured a touchdown with a minute left as well - I don't know how we keep getting in these close home playoff games spread apart, but we do. While the Saints game, we didn't need to score a TD with less than 10 seconds left, in these other games we did.
Here's TO's catch...another chill-inducer: TO catch
Oh how would I love to be in that stadium, when the Saints go marching out!
Internal debate resides within me on whether I will go to this next game. If I do go, I'm likely staring at buying a solo ticket since most of my friends cannot afford this expenditure, the g/f is going to Puerto Rico this week, and I doubt my friend Matt will want to go again. I'd also be looking for a way to make this a Sunday morning flight, cab it right to stadium and then possibly come back the same night.
Realistically, I'll be watching it with loyal B-Bo Knows readers Chris Williams and Nick Pazoles. I'm giving myself a Tuesday night deadline on buying these tickets. I need a break from San Fran to assess it rationally and financially.
Now finally....time to get some sleep. A work week awaits me. I'm sure I'll have a Niners preview cooked up later in the week.
Where ever I watch Sunday's game against the Giants, I will wear my Niner heart on my sleeve, rooting on my team that keeps adding to its playoff lore and hopefully has a few more victories left in the tank.
In the same endzone Terrell Owens caught The Catch II about 13 years ago, Vernon Davis secured an Alex Smith touchdown pass with 9 seconds left that brought Candlestick Park off its hinges in Saturday's 36-32 win over the Saints. Coupled with the Packers loss yesterday, the Niners get a chance to create another playoff miracle at home.
The Niners' last three playoff games at home have produced Instant Classics:
Niners 36, Saints 32 (1/14/2012) - Any football fan who watched this one got treated to the game of the week (possibly the year). Despite Drew Brees' 400 million passing yards, our own QB (which I was reluctant to call him to start the year to say the least) created his own page in 49ers playoff miracles. I'm not quite sure how I can ever go to a better game than this in my lifetime - and this is not hyperbole talking.
Here's the best catch I've ever seen made in my life. I will get teary-eyed watching on highlight shows for the next decades to come: Vernon Davis catch
Oh when the Saints go marching out...
Niners 39, Giants 38 (1/5/2003) - I remember watching this game in the basement with some of my friends. When the score reached 38-14 in the third quarter, I was having my doubts. But a spirited comeback led by Jeff Garcia (331 passing yards, 3 touchdowns) helped give the Niners one of the biggest comebacks in NFL playoff history (next to the Frank Reich/Buffalo Bills comeback). The game ended with a botched field goal snap leading to a duck of a pass that seemed to be airborne for several minutes. I panicked seeing a flag down by the area where a Giants player was pushed down, but the penalty was called on the Giants.
The next week, we lost to the eventual SB champion Buccaneers.
Niners 30, Packers 27 (1/3/1999) - This is when The Catch II happened, but we got lucky on that last drive when a Jerry Rice catch wasn't ruled a fumble on the field. Still, the game, like the two mentioned above, featured a 4th quarter comeback. Out of the three, it also featured the best QB matchup in Favre vs. Young.
Like Saturday's game, it had the opponent score a go-ahead TD with less than two minutes left. Also eerily similar (as mentioned before) was the spot of the field that the Niners played hauled in the winning score, with similar jarring hits that the receivers (1999 - TO, 2012 - Vernon Davis) absorbed while holding onto the ball. The comeback against the Giants featured a touchdown with a minute left as well - I don't know how we keep getting in these close home playoff games spread apart, but we do. While the Saints game, we didn't need to score a TD with less than 10 seconds left, in these other games we did.
Here's TO's catch...another chill-inducer: TO catch
Oh how would I love to be in that stadium, when the Saints go marching out!
Internal debate resides within me on whether I will go to this next game. If I do go, I'm likely staring at buying a solo ticket since most of my friends cannot afford this expenditure, the g/f is going to Puerto Rico this week, and I doubt my friend Matt will want to go again. I'd also be looking for a way to make this a Sunday morning flight, cab it right to stadium and then possibly come back the same night.
Realistically, I'll be watching it with loyal B-Bo Knows readers Chris Williams and Nick Pazoles. I'm giving myself a Tuesday night deadline on buying these tickets. I need a break from San Fran to assess it rationally and financially.
Now finally....time to get some sleep. A work week awaits me. I'm sure I'll have a Niners preview cooked up later in the week.
Where ever I watch Sunday's game against the Giants, I will wear my Niner heart on my sleeve, rooting on my team that keeps adding to its playoff lore and hopefully has a few more victories left in the tank.
1/11/2012
B-Bo's Bucket List: The Sports Version
Watching the Saints get the cover in the last 4-5 minutes of the game left me with a taste of football in my mouth. Immediately after the game ended, Jen and I had just left her apartment Saturday night to head to the Loop for a birthday get-together.
It was as I walked out of the apartment that I decided that watching football on TV this month wasn't enough. I had to go to a playoff game!
New Orleans' victory ensured them of a Saturday afternoon matchup at Candlestick Park against San Francisco - my favorite squad. A month earlier, me and Jen discussed going to a game together but didn't know what weekend it would be since they hadn't clinched a week off at that point. Jen's job of working at a salon forces her to have set appointments a month ahead of time, so this plan of us going was put on the scrap heap.
Between realizing that we couldn't go together and that moment Saturday night, I hadn't thought much about going to San Fran. I figured that if me and Jen weren't going, I wouldn't go, especially since none of my friends that I hang out with consistently are Niners fans.
With a simple Facebook status posted, I found out that lacking a Niner fan background did not matter to some of my friends. My friend (we'll call him Kudes) instantly texted me and was on board with the idea. Tickets for the game and flights were bought and a nice hotel was reserved for a three-night stay. Another friend (we'll call him Tom) showed interest but after the purchases were made.
(Check out our seats - Section 28 (Upper Reserved), Row 1)
Another friend (ok, Wolf is his name and we'll call him that) said that he would have loved to go as well, whether it was his team or not. All of this interest got me thinking...what would I put on my sports bucket list of sports events or experiences that I would like to see at some point in my life?
In the spirit of the new year, I'll name '12 different sports events/experiences (in no particular order) that I'd love to do (some I've done, some I haven't)
I have many years to achieve these items on the Bucket List. Let's hope I can get this list whittled down sooner rather than later.
It was as I walked out of the apartment that I decided that watching football on TV this month wasn't enough. I had to go to a playoff game!
New Orleans' victory ensured them of a Saturday afternoon matchup at Candlestick Park against San Francisco - my favorite squad. A month earlier, me and Jen discussed going to a game together but didn't know what weekend it would be since they hadn't clinched a week off at that point. Jen's job of working at a salon forces her to have set appointments a month ahead of time, so this plan of us going was put on the scrap heap.
Between realizing that we couldn't go together and that moment Saturday night, I hadn't thought much about going to San Fran. I figured that if me and Jen weren't going, I wouldn't go, especially since none of my friends that I hang out with consistently are Niners fans.
With a simple Facebook status posted, I found out that lacking a Niner fan background did not matter to some of my friends. My friend (we'll call him Kudes) instantly texted me and was on board with the idea. Tickets for the game and flights were bought and a nice hotel was reserved for a three-night stay. Another friend (we'll call him Tom) showed interest but after the purchases were made.
(Check out our seats - Section 28 (Upper Reserved), Row 1)
Another friend (ok, Wolf is his name and we'll call him that) said that he would have loved to go as well, whether it was his team or not. All of this interest got me thinking...what would I put on my sports bucket list of sports events or experiences that I would like to see at some point in my life?
In the spirit of the new year, I'll name '12 different sports events/experiences (in no particular order) that I'd love to do (some I've done, some I haven't)
Baseball Road Trip(Achieved)- Fitting enough, this man we call "Kudes" was part of this original trip of sporting awesomeness in my life. Along with the Luzzman, we visited 12 different baseball stadiums in a 12-day span. This includes five stadiums that have since closed and a city that lost its baseball team (au revoir Expos). This once-in-a-lifetime trip is remembered more for the travels to and from places rather than the games themselves (life motto: process of traveling to destination oftentimes > destination itself).Watch the Final Game of a Sport (Achieved)- Luzzman won the right to buy tickets to the 2010 Final Four in Indianapolis (Sounds silly I know). The hometown Butler Bulldogs came within a halfcourt heave away from winning the title against Duke. It was amazing seeing a close game to close the season of a sport. I did miss Easter with the family but we did enjoy a nice Easter dinner with my friend Phil and his wife who live in Indy.- Attending NFL Playoff Game (Will Be Achieved) - As noted, this will be achieved Saturday. Our seats are in the first row of the upper deck. We will be playing the role of tourists on Friday. The only thing in question now is the flight leaving on time. Normally I don't care about snow, especially working from home. However, any delay will annoy me slightly. Nevertheless, a little snow won't ruin my mindset as I get ready to watch one of the NFL's best defenses play against one of the NFL's best offenses.
Attend MLB Playoff Game (Achieved)- After seeing a dud of a game in the 2000 playoff season, which was the start of the White Sox getting swept by the Mariners, I had higher expectations going to the 2005 ALCS opener against the Angels, who were on little sleep after long flights from NY to Cali and back to Chicago and were starting John Lackey on short rest. Needless to say, the Sox lost. Luckily, I can tell the story of going to the White Sox's only postseason loss that year for the rest of my life.- Yankees/Red Sox
- Duke/North Carolina (NCAAB)
- Packers/Bears (not achieved) - I lumped all of these things together. All of these games are at or near the top of their respective sports' best rivalries and I have yet to see any of them. Obviously the latter is the most likely based on geography. I think I can get out to a game of the other two at some point. For all of these games, it doesn't even matter what venue I see them at - seeing as though I'm not a fan of any of these teams. I'd probably lean going to NY to see the new stadium but Duke/NC can be seen anywhere...someday....someday.
- Big Ten football stadium outside of Illinois (likely Mich vs. OSU) (not achieved) - I'd like to see a good college football rivalry game, so odds are the Mich vs. OSU game would be the best one to go to geographically. If Wisconsin and Mighigan State continue to stay strong, I wouldn't mind to go to either of their stadiums to see a good matchup
- SEC football (LSU, Bama or Florida) (not achieved) - The nation's best college football has been in the southeast for the first part of the 21st century, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I'm not sure if I'm ready to handle the craziness of this type of atmosphere, but I figure to blend in after about a beverage or ten and I can grow a wicked mullet.
- The first weekend of March Madness...
- and the Super Bowl....in Vegas (not achieved) - Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've been to Vegas a half-dozen times. In fact, the first time I went was about four years ago around this time, in which I lost my first 4-5 bets placed (including some NFL playoff bets). However, there's something about the merging of certain times of year and Vegas that seem like a perfect marriage (see: peanut butter & jelly; rice a roni & applesauce; David Lee Roth and Van Halen). With March Madness, there are 32 games in the first 2 full days of the tournament and would go from 9am till about 10-11pm Pacific time in the four days.
On the other Spectrum, the Super Bowl is one game, but it is THE GAME. It is by far the most bet-on game of the year (legally and illegally) and lately has featured some amazing matchups. Any sports fan who likes the reaction of fans as a game swings one way or another needs to go to a sports book when a point spread is on the line. It's a great site to see the agony of defeat on dozens of peoples faces at once (one of those faces is usually mine) contrasting the joy seen in the gentlemen who won thousands on games. I must go to Vegas for these events at some point. At the same time, I must be prepared to lose a ton of money - The Super Bowl (not achieved) - I put this near the bottom since I consider it the least likely of events to attend. This is all due to cost. I'd pretty much have to win tickets to the Super Bowl or get an awesome 30th birthday gift to go to the 2013 game (cough, hint). Actually, I wouldn't expect anyone to fork over money for that. This year's Super Bowl's cheapest seats on Stub Hub are going for $2200 apiece. These Super Bowl tickets are not going to get any cheaper.
On the other hand, going to the Super Bowl site and just hanging out is always an option. I may consider going to the Indy area if the Niners somehow make it there. I know a couple of friends of mine that made the trip to Miami 5 years back just to watch the Bears against the Colts at a local bar and had a good time. I'd likely do this with the lady if she agreed to go - don't think I'd do this solo.
I have many years to achieve these items on the Bucket List. Let's hope I can get this list whittled down sooner rather than later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)