RomoCop

Current Mood: hesitant

This is pretty much all football.

Some of this is a bit late because of the holidays, but hopefully that will mean I'm extra concise. Let's go!

Purdue lost to rival Indiana University 27-24. Don't let the score fool you, we got our asses kicked. It was embarrassing, and they took home the Old Oaken Bucket. Not only are they eligible for the first time in 14 years, it also really hurt our chances of getting into a decent bowl ourselves by losing. Purdue really has developed a reputation for not beating quality teams, and I can only hope that this upcoming year - QB Painter's senior year - will be his best by far, since we lost a good number of talented seniors (like Dorien Bryant). Speculation has already started on what bowl (if any) Purdue will play in, and we will know soon after the final games have finished. And finally, in a move that felt like my Bengals, Purdue's fourth best WR Selwyn Lymon was kicked off the team because of arrests and DUIs.

Can't really believe OSU lost to Illinois, but I'm glad they beat Michigan 14-3. If the right teams win and lose this weekend, OSU could still play in the championship game, but I doubt that will happen. In other news, Boise State lost only its second game to Hawaii, 39-27 for the WAC championship.

And finally, for those of you who don't understand the BCS formula, here's some help. And for those who hate it, here's a playoff picture you might get behind.

The NFL continues to chug along, and this weekend will be the 13th week of 17 (it seems like they have just flown by!). I am super excited, but let's take it one team at a time.

The Patriots beat the Bills 56-10, no surprise there. They almost lost to the Eagles this week, however. Tom Brady drove them to a comeback 31-28 win from behind in the closing minutes to put them at 11-0. I don't know what's most surprising- that the Eagles had their backup QB in (since Donovan McNabb is not healthy consistently), or that Tom Brady had a very normal average game. I almost made a bet with mom that they will go 16-0, but I didn't have the guts to commit. I guess that means I think they'll still lose, though probably not this Monday vs. the Ravens (4-7) or later in a big match up vs. the Steelers the next week (see: loss to the horrible Jets and an almost loss to the still-winless Dolphins).

Speaking of the Dolphins, I'm kinda curious to see if they can go 0-16. I kinda want that to happen just for the record, since I'm not really big on that team. Which do you think will happen first - Dolphins win or Patriots lose?

There are now 33 teams in the NFL. Gone are the New Orleans Saints, in their place are what I have dubbed "Good Saints" and "Bad Saints". Bad Saints lost 23-10 to the Texans. Good Saints crushed division rival Panthers 31-6. Both Saints teams are 5-6, 2 games behind 7-4 division rivals Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom they play this weekend. Which team will show up? I think GS will win and bring them to a within realistic shot of the playoffs, and BS will start a slide away from which they cannot recover. The time for action is now, Good Brees! Show us the Good Saints.

The Browns have won 4 of their last 5 for 2nd in the AFC North (I'm just as shocked as you), and the Ravens have lost 5 in a row, a franchise record. Browns may lose QB Derek Anderson at the end of the season, which may put them back to losers with Brady Quinn...and I would be happy with that.

After a near loss (13-10) to the Chiefs and a solid 31-13 Thanksgiving win over the Falcons, the banged-up 9-2 Colts now have to hold off their only serious division contender, the Jaguars this weekend. I am rooting for the 8-3 Jags. I also hope that the Patriots suffer a series of injuries like the Colts and let another team take the top spot for a bit.

The so-so Seahawks beat the Bears 30-23 and then barely scraped out a 24-19 win vs. the suddenly healthy and tenacious Rams. They are now 7-4 facing the 5-6 Eagles next.

Random thoughts. Um...I still really think Devin Hester is amazing. Kurt Warner (Arizona QB) threw for 484 yards last week, whaaat? I like Eli Manning even less than Peyton. I like watching football on Thanksgiving now, which is an odd change. Kevin Everett is doing much better (great), but Redskins safety Sean Taylor died from a gunshot wound unrelated to football (one of several negatives in the NFL this year).

After hurting Adrian Peterson, the Green Bay Packers tore up WR Steve Smith of the Panthers and won 31-17 two weeks ago. Then, on a classic Thanksgiving day game, they whomped division rival the Lions 37-26. The Lions are on the ropes anyway (3L streak), but the Packers suffered several injuries that may hurt them in the short term.

This is SUPER IMPORTANT, because this Thursday they will play the Dallas Cowboys. Jenny and I are going to watch the game at Buffalo Wild Wings because it's only broadcast on the NFL network. The Cowboys won against division Redskins 28-23, then on Thanksgiving beat the Jets on the road 34-3. Now both teams are 10-1 and this game represents the best of the NFC (sort of like the Colts/Patriots game earlier). I think it will be a fantastic game, and I really won't be upset no matter who wins. It should determine playoff home-field advantage, and I love both QBs (similar gunslinger styles). Both teams are about to wrap up their respective divisions for playoffs. I'm excited to go watch at a sports bar, I'm excited to watch with my girlfriend who is probably a bigger football fan than I am, and I'm excited that both teams are doing really well. Woo! I hope Favre doesn't retire for several more years, and when he does, he becomes Tony Romo's mentor.

Lastly, my Bengals. After a disappointing 35-27 loss to the Cardinals, the Bengals turned things around against Vince Young (why is everybody so gay for this dude?) and the Titans the next week. They won solidly 35-6 and Chad Johnson returned to old form - 12 catches with 3 TDs and a camera commandeering celebration. They crawl to 4-7, tied for last in the AFC North with the Ravens. Still, they are playing this Sunday night against the 8-3 Steelers, which means I actually get to watch them. With the Packers/Cowboys game on this week and then Bengals/Steelers, I win twice.

Finally (concise entry my ass), fantasy football. Further proof that this is D&D for jocks. Our league has six teams, so everybody gets to the playoffs. The records as they are, however, means that the seeding is pretty much set, and I'll probably win the first round and lose the next. Bill and Cooper will play for the title. *sigh* I've dropped McNabb because of all his injuries, relying solely on Matt Hasselbeck (not my ideal situation). I've lost two in a row, and when my best players have outstanding days, the other team's best players have incredible days. It's really frustrating, but I already want to draft a new team for next year and do better. I also hope to play in a league that's more enthusiastic, and more equal, as it were. I'm now 5-7 in fourth place, projected to lose this final week (before playoffs) against Cooper no matter who I start.