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This past Sunday I was at the Bills – Patriots game, so I was not able to watch the Saints game. The game in Buffalo was absolutely amazing, but since the Patriots are Daki’s team, I’m going to allow him to cover the game and retell the story of how Tom Brady got embarrassed by Chan Gailey’s Bills.
Like I said, I missed the Saints game so I won’t be able to report on New Orleans this week. I’ve scavenged NFL.com for the highlights, but I don’t feel that makes my opinion on the game any more relevant than anyone else’s. So instead, I will list the 5 things I’m most looking forward to for this coming week of football.
Jerseys – While I was in Buffalo, they kept showing highlights of games that were playing around the league. I noticed that a few teams wore their classic jerseys and didn’t think much of it. However, at halftime, the broadcasters spent a solid 5 minutes discussing which teams have the best classic jerseys and why the league should allow teams to wear their classics whenever they feel like it. One broadcaster was particularly in love with the Saints throwback, which in my opinion looked absolutely disgusting. I’m excited to see which teams will rock their throwbacks this week and for the remainder of the NFL season. It’s always fun to get a glimpse at some of the awful uniforms these NFL teams used to wear (Except the powder blue chargers. They really should just make that their permanent jersey for home and away games.)
Eli “Haters gonna hate” Manning – One thing that boggles my mind in sports is how some players manage to get undervalued and blamed, no matter what they do. Eli Manning is a prime example of a player that has done literally everything asked of him, and still gets hated on for no real reason. When he was drafted first overall, people thought that was a waste of a pick. When he lead his team to a Superbowl and beat the undefeated Patriots, people said any QB could have done it with his defense. Some people like to pretend they know something about football and bring up points like, “He’s crap! Last year he led the league in picks.” If you watched any of the Giants games, you’ll know that half of those picks were tipped balls and passes that receivers swatted to the defensive backs. Well last week, Manning absolutely torched the Eagles defense with 4 TDs, no INTs, and almost 300 yards. I’m excited to see how he’s going to respond this week against Arizona, and if this will finally be the year that Eli gets the respect he deserves.
Darren McFadden vs New England’s Defense – McFadden and Felix Jones split the carries in the Arkansas Razorbacks backfield. They were drafted the same year, Darren going to Oakland and Felix going to Dallas…who really won? Through the first 3 weeks of the season, Darren McFadden is the leading rusher in the NFL while Felix Jones is average at best for the struggling Cowboys. No one has been able to stop McFadden this season and it doesn’t look like this week will be any different. The Patriots will be visiting the Raiders this week and their run D has looked shaky at best. Fred Jackson took a serious toll on the Pat’s D last week and I doubt they will have an answer for Oakland’s rushing attack this week. Why don’t they just stack the box and negate the rush attack? Well, Jason Campbell has been blessed with a random rookie receiver, Denarius Moore. For a fifth round pick-up, this kid can BALL! Looks like another tough week for New England, and another big week for Darren McFadden.
Showdown of the week: Jets vs Ravens – Both teams are 2-1, but in my head, they both have something to prove. I’m not really sure why, but it seems like both teams are just not playing to their full potential and they really need to get back to what they do best: talking shit and backing it up. This is definitely the most enticing match-up of Week 4 and is sure to be a good defensive showing. Even though the defenses have been dismal this season, you know this game is gonna be packed with huge hits and at least a couple scuffles. Joe Flacco, like Eli Manning, is another player that doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Last week he had a huge game with almost 400 yards and 3 TDs, and compared to Jets QB Mark Sanchez, he looks like a field general. The difference in the game will be the Ravens offence, which can actually play consistently and will manage to outscore the Jets in a close, defensively dominated game. If I had to guess a score I’d say Ravens win 21-17.
Why is Chad breaking my heart?! – Chad Ochocinco has been my favourite player for years and is the reason I got into football. No matter what you say, the man loves the game and simply wants to win. However, since he’s become a Patriot, he hasn’t really been playing like it. Week 3 at Buffalo, he was given the chance he’s been waiting for and earned the role of starting WR. His statline was terrible, but he did create defensive mismatches which allowed Gronkowski and Welker to get 1 on 1 coverage at least a handful of times. When the game was on the line, the Pats ran a perfect play against the Bills’ zone coverage and Chad executed his corner route to perfection. Tom Brady spotted him and lobbed the ball perfectly in the endzone for a would-be game-tying TD, only to have Chad drop the pass. There was really no excuse to not catch the ball, and that play single handedly made the statement that Ochocinco is simply not understanding the Patriot offense. I think he deserves another chance, but at the rate he’s going, I don’t know how much longer Chad will be in New England. PLEASE get it together Chad!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Survivor Episode 3 - A Running Diary
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Upon further review, doing two episodes every two weeks makes no sense, because ultimately you as the reader wont care about a post that is a week late. Anyways, for episode 3 of Survivor's 23rd season I decided to do a running diary.
0:00 Start of the show, a nice montage of last weeks episode with Probst doing the voice-over as usual. Yawn.
0:02 Christine starts us off with this gem: "I think they weren't ready for someone who actually wanted to play the game" Yup, because people who 'play' the game are always voted out first, go home already. Back at Coach's camp, Makayila questions Brandon's morals, that confession at tribal will probably ruin him in the long run.
0:04 Tree-mail calls for two players from each tribe to go to redemption island and see the first person get eliminated, at this point there really is no benefit to going and watching inferior players face off. As the game progresses going to these will be crucial (as we saw last year).
0:05 Probst uses the word anymosity! Christine bitches about coach again. One thing that's really bothered me so far: everyone has found Semhar attractive... are the standards really this low on the show? There are much better-looking girls this season. Aaaaaaand Semhar blesses us with an un-important (but pretty impressive) poem before the challenge begins.
0:06 The challenge: hold a pole (and keep adding to it every few minutes) and on top of the pole you are balancing a totem. As usual, Jeff keeps giving the players a play by play, I really do not think I could compete with someone constantly commenting on my performance. Both women are up to three poles.
0:10 Much to coach's disappointment Christine wins, and Semhar cries and feels her tribe 'abandoned' her. Thanks for coming out, arguably one of the worst survivor players of all time. Will not miss her.
0:11 One vastly under-rated aspect of this show is the music, it is always good. Christine also says "I know Ill win" At least she is confident.
0:12 We get to hear Brandon talk about feeling bad and moping then he reveals to everyone that he is Russel's nephew (I had episode 5 in the office pool). Right away Makyila (who is a ligerine football player, I feel you should know this stuff) does not trust him. Coach says that this confession is a big mistake, so by my count, Brandon is up to 2 of those right now.
0:15 Over at the Savai tribe, Papa Bear laments the lack of close relations he has made, this is good type of thinking, but he ultimately may be doomed. His focus is on the challenges, and attempting to stay in the game as long as possible; he reasons that he is 3rd in line to go. I like when players let us in on stuff like this, I learn things I'll probably need when I compete on the show (never).
0:17 Makaiyla confronts Brandon! She wants to know 'whats up'. How does Brandon respond? He calls the whole tribe over and calls her out saying "you have no alliance". Then he says "Keep me out of the drama". WOOOOW
0:17 Still taking this in
Upon further review, doing two episodes every two weeks makes no sense, because ultimately you as the reader wont care about a post that is a week late. Anyways, for episode 3 of Survivor's 23rd season I decided to do a running diary.
0:00 Start of the show, a nice montage of last weeks episode with Probst doing the voice-over as usual. Yawn.
0:02 Christine starts us off with this gem: "I think they weren't ready for someone who actually wanted to play the game" Yup, because people who 'play' the game are always voted out first, go home already. Back at Coach's camp, Makayila questions Brandon's morals, that confession at tribal will probably ruin him in the long run.
0:04 Tree-mail calls for two players from each tribe to go to redemption island and see the first person get eliminated, at this point there really is no benefit to going and watching inferior players face off. As the game progresses going to these will be crucial (as we saw last year).
0:05 Probst uses the word anymosity! Christine bitches about coach again. One thing that's really bothered me so far: everyone has found Semhar attractive... are the standards really this low on the show? There are much better-looking girls this season. Aaaaaaand Semhar blesses us with an un-important (but pretty impressive) poem before the challenge begins.
0:06 The challenge: hold a pole (and keep adding to it every few minutes) and on top of the pole you are balancing a totem. As usual, Jeff keeps giving the players a play by play, I really do not think I could compete with someone constantly commenting on my performance. Both women are up to three poles.
0:10 Much to coach's disappointment Christine wins, and Semhar cries and feels her tribe 'abandoned' her. Thanks for coming out, arguably one of the worst survivor players of all time. Will not miss her.
0:11 One vastly under-rated aspect of this show is the music, it is always good. Christine also says "I know Ill win" At least she is confident.
0:12 We get to hear Brandon talk about feeling bad and moping then he reveals to everyone that he is Russel's nephew (I had episode 5 in the office pool). Right away Makyila (who is a ligerine football player, I feel you should know this stuff) does not trust him. Coach says that this confession is a big mistake, so by my count, Brandon is up to 2 of those right now.
0:15 Over at the Savai tribe, Papa Bear laments the lack of close relations he has made, this is good type of thinking, but he ultimately may be doomed. His focus is on the challenges, and attempting to stay in the game as long as possible; he reasons that he is 3rd in line to go. I like when players let us in on stuff like this, I learn things I'll probably need when I compete on the show (never).
0:17 Makaiyla confronts Brandon! She wants to know 'whats up'. How does Brandon respond? He calls the whole tribe over and calls her out saying "you have no alliance". Then he says "Keep me out of the drama". WOOOOW
0:17 Still taking this in
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
OutKast: Top 10 by the Top 2
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A few days ago my good friend and fellow colleague here at Millenium SnE sent me a text that made my heart skip a beat(no homo). Luka told me that I should be proud of him, for he was listening through some OutKast classics. [Quick sidenote: Luka claims to like all rap music, but realistically he has Eminem on such a high pedestal that no other rappers even compare. He also likes to disrespect OutKast because, in my opinion, they’re the best thing that ever happened to rap music.] I was totally shocked to hear this and didn’t really know how to respond. “That’s sick bro, what songs are you listening to?” I asked. He told me that he found some random guys “Top OutKast Song List” on google and was listening through them in order. 2 thoughts dawned upon me: Firstly, I was offended that he hadn’t asked me for MY list of OutKast’s best songs, and secondly, I realized that it would be really difficult yet extremely fun to actually take the time to put together such a list. Whether you’re into lyricism like me, or you like a rapper’s flow, OutKast has it all. It isn’t hard to see that with song titles like “Skew it on the Bar-B” and “Spaghetti Junction,” their creativity is simply unparalleled by any rap/hip-hop artist, EVER. So without wasting any more time talking about how great they are, let’s get to it! Luka, this is my Top 10 OutKast songs and the reason people should pay more respect to Andre 3000 and Big Boi list.
10. Jazzy Belle – An eerie beat that pretty much every rapper would fail at spitting on, Big Boi and Andre tear apart with clever word play and versatile flows. Jazzy Belle is a track about the rap game, depicted as a woman. It’s easy to get lost in the way they wrap the words around the spooky beat, but the meaning behind the song is still deep and very potent.
Best Line: “Talk bad about her n**** guaranteed to snap like bra / strap, sticking together like grandma and grandpa-pa”
9. Chonkyfire – One of the most sampled OutKast tracks, Chonyfire is just pure....well, fire. You start off listening to Andre and Big Boi going hard on the track, but half way through, the beat slows down so Big Boi can rip into all of the whack MCs in the game. Chonkyfire is so unusual and creative that you almost don’t understand what is going on, until Big Boi lets you know that the reason it’s so weird is to let the industry know that OutKast is the only group that can come up with songs like that.
Best Line: “Overcast, but on behalf of OutKast, I cordially / invite you to an emotion filled theatre / bring your umbrella cause young fella it gets no weirder”
8. Babylon – All I have to say about this is they sampled what sounds like a Celtic 12th Century Hymn...and still ate the track up.... Yeah.
Best Line: “While we ranting and raving bout gats / n**** they made dem gats / they got some shit that’ll blow out our back”
7. Da Art of Storytellin’ (Part 1) – It is pretty widely accepted that Slick Rick is one of the greatest story tellers and lyricists of all time. To pay tribute to his most famous album (Da Art of Storytellin’), OutKast immortalized the name by coming up with their own lyrically brilliant track. Telling a story of the Ghetto world around them, OutKast show that they too are on another level lyrically.
Best Line: “I asked her what she wanna be, she said ‘Alive’ / it made me think for a minute, I looked in her eyes / I could have died”
6. Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac) – One of my favourite OutKast beats, bar none. One of the best bragging tracks, Andre and Big Boi explain why they really are the truth. On only their second album, they showed with their insane flow that they really are Two of the Dopest Boyz in the game.
Best Line: “Yeah tight like nuts and bolts, sluts and hoes they get evicted / I’m dealing with queens in my castle, ain’t worth it to risk it”
A few days ago my good friend and fellow colleague here at Millenium SnE sent me a text that made my heart skip a beat(no homo). Luka told me that I should be proud of him, for he was listening through some OutKast classics. [Quick sidenote: Luka claims to like all rap music, but realistically he has Eminem on such a high pedestal that no other rappers even compare. He also likes to disrespect OutKast because, in my opinion, they’re the best thing that ever happened to rap music.] I was totally shocked to hear this and didn’t really know how to respond. “That’s sick bro, what songs are you listening to?” I asked. He told me that he found some random guys “Top OutKast Song List” on google and was listening through them in order. 2 thoughts dawned upon me: Firstly, I was offended that he hadn’t asked me for MY list of OutKast’s best songs, and secondly, I realized that it would be really difficult yet extremely fun to actually take the time to put together such a list. Whether you’re into lyricism like me, or you like a rapper’s flow, OutKast has it all. It isn’t hard to see that with song titles like “Skew it on the Bar-B” and “Spaghetti Junction,” their creativity is simply unparalleled by any rap/hip-hop artist, EVER. So without wasting any more time talking about how great they are, let’s get to it! Luka, this is my Top 10 OutKast songs and the reason people should pay more respect to Andre 3000 and Big Boi list.
10. Jazzy Belle – An eerie beat that pretty much every rapper would fail at spitting on, Big Boi and Andre tear apart with clever word play and versatile flows. Jazzy Belle is a track about the rap game, depicted as a woman. It’s easy to get lost in the way they wrap the words around the spooky beat, but the meaning behind the song is still deep and very potent.
Best Line: “Talk bad about her n**** guaranteed to snap like bra / strap, sticking together like grandma and grandpa-pa”
9. Chonkyfire – One of the most sampled OutKast tracks, Chonyfire is just pure....well, fire. You start off listening to Andre and Big Boi going hard on the track, but half way through, the beat slows down so Big Boi can rip into all of the whack MCs in the game. Chonkyfire is so unusual and creative that you almost don’t understand what is going on, until Big Boi lets you know that the reason it’s so weird is to let the industry know that OutKast is the only group that can come up with songs like that.
Best Line: “Overcast, but on behalf of OutKast, I cordially / invite you to an emotion filled theatre / bring your umbrella cause young fella it gets no weirder”
8. Babylon – All I have to say about this is they sampled what sounds like a Celtic 12th Century Hymn...and still ate the track up.... Yeah.
Best Line: “While we ranting and raving bout gats / n**** they made dem gats / they got some shit that’ll blow out our back”
7. Da Art of Storytellin’ (Part 1) – It is pretty widely accepted that Slick Rick is one of the greatest story tellers and lyricists of all time. To pay tribute to his most famous album (Da Art of Storytellin’), OutKast immortalized the name by coming up with their own lyrically brilliant track. Telling a story of the Ghetto world around them, OutKast show that they too are on another level lyrically.
Best Line: “I asked her what she wanna be, she said ‘Alive’ / it made me think for a minute, I looked in her eyes / I could have died”
6. Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac) – One of my favourite OutKast beats, bar none. One of the best bragging tracks, Andre and Big Boi explain why they really are the truth. On only their second album, they showed with their insane flow that they really are Two of the Dopest Boyz in the game.
Best Line: “Yeah tight like nuts and bolts, sluts and hoes they get evicted / I’m dealing with queens in my castle, ain’t worth it to risk it”
Week 3: Eagles
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Young and Kafka. A 1970's soft rock duo? No. A law firm ? No (maybe). A failed Fox sitcom about two completely opposite personalities living in a New York apartment? No. (actually this might happen, look for it next fall.) Sadly, this is the current quarterback situation for my Philadelphia Eagles coming off a home loss to division rival the New York Giants by a score of 29-16. Why you ask? Because for the second straight game Eagles star QB Michael Vick could not finish the game due to an injury. First it was the concussion scare in week 2 against the Falcons that forced Vick out and on Sunday afternoon a (late) hit by Chris Canty left Vick on the ground with what was diagnosed on Sunday as a broken hand. This diagnosis was later changed to only a bruised hand, something that I still don't fully understand. If there was even a doubt in the diagnosis, why give out a false one? Especially one so severe. Good job by the Philadelphia medical staff (this is like your university professor telling you that you failed an exam on Sunday and then calling you up on Monday saying you actually got a 70).
Vick inexplicably raised some eyebrows after the game with what was in my opinion (again I'm an Eagles fan so i will defend almost everything Eagles related. For example, Andy Reid fat? No Wayyy. he's just big-boned) a warranted criticism of the referees. Basically what he brought up was the fact that he gets knocked down on basically every play (in the first 3 weeks of the season Vick has been hit and hit often while staying in the pocket and the hits haven't always been on time) and doesn't get the same type of calls that other quarterbacks in the league get (see Brady, Tom). These comments caused several analysts, most notably Trent Dilfer to lash out at Vick for criticizing the referees. To these analysts I say settle down. The guy had just lost a game and had what he thought at the time to be a broken hand. It's normal to be frustrated at times like that. Grantland writer Chris Ryan has a good take on this.
Young and Kafka. A 1970's soft rock duo? No. A law firm ? No (maybe). A failed Fox sitcom about two completely opposite personalities living in a New York apartment? No. (actually this might happen, look for it next fall.) Sadly, this is the current quarterback situation for my Philadelphia Eagles coming off a home loss to division rival the New York Giants by a score of 29-16. Why you ask? Because for the second straight game Eagles star QB Michael Vick could not finish the game due to an injury. First it was the concussion scare in week 2 against the Falcons that forced Vick out and on Sunday afternoon a (late) hit by Chris Canty left Vick on the ground with what was diagnosed on Sunday as a broken hand. This diagnosis was later changed to only a bruised hand, something that I still don't fully understand. If there was even a doubt in the diagnosis, why give out a false one? Especially one so severe. Good job by the Philadelphia medical staff (this is like your university professor telling you that you failed an exam on Sunday and then calling you up on Monday saying you actually got a 70).
Vick inexplicably raised some eyebrows after the game with what was in my opinion (again I'm an Eagles fan so i will defend almost everything Eagles related. For example, Andy Reid fat? No Wayyy. he's just big-boned) a warranted criticism of the referees. Basically what he brought up was the fact that he gets knocked down on basically every play (in the first 3 weeks of the season Vick has been hit and hit often while staying in the pocket and the hits haven't always been on time) and doesn't get the same type of calls that other quarterbacks in the league get (see Brady, Tom). These comments caused several analysts, most notably Trent Dilfer to lash out at Vick for criticizing the referees. To these analysts I say settle down. The guy had just lost a game and had what he thought at the time to be a broken hand. It's normal to be frustrated at times like that. Grantland writer Chris Ryan has a good take on this.
Monday, September 26, 2011
The X-Factor: A Running Diary
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Quick explanation as to why I wrote this: on Wednesday night I was feeling especially lazy (might have had something to do with the animal physiology readings I wanted to delay for as long as possible) and decided to check out X-Factor, the new show brought to North America by Simon Cowell. I was a fan of Simon’s from American Idol and wanted to see why he left the biggest show on television. But mostly it was to delay school work. The following are my thoughts on the premiere episode as they were written on Wednesday night (other than a few spelling/grammar changes that were necessary). I added a few updated thoughts that came to me throughout the week in bold. All times are Eastern Standard Time.
· 8:02 PM
o We open with a shot of 3 trucks in an isolated dessert. So far it looks like the beginning of a Michael Bay movie and not a singing competition.
o We meet host Steve Jones, basically a less feminine Ryan Seacrest with a British accent.
· 8:04
o We are in L.A.
o The prize is a 5 million dollar recording deal that the voiceover explains is something unheard of in today’s music industry. I don’t have insider info into this business so I’ll take his word for it.
o The auditions will be held in front a large crowd of people instead of just the three judges. I like this; it can help sway the judges and should be beneficial to really young and really old contestants. No one wants to be the douche that boos the 75 yr old grandma. After watching the second episode, it has become clear that winning the crowd is basically half the fight. Even if you’re a great singer but the crowd dislikes you, odds are you won’t be getting through.
o Next we meet the judges
o Simon Cowell. We all know his story, British judge who is brutally honest in his critique of the contestants. Also wears the lowest cut shirts out of any human being I’ve seen.
o La Reid. The former head of Def Jam records. He has a legitimate background in music and looks like a tougher Randy Jackson.
o Cheryl Cole. British pop star who gets replaced by Nicole Scherzinger (had to google her last name) because test audiences couldn’t understand her accent. She used to be married to Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole before he cheated on her, proving Ashley Cole is stupid.
o Paula Abdul. Much like Simon she is old news. The voiceover says that she’s worked with the best people in music? Really? I can’t think of one.
· 8:09
o First contestant is Rachel, a 13 year old.
§ Singing mercy by Duffy, needs the money to move into a bigger house. Enjoy the kid contestants for some reason
§ Crowd gives her a semi-standing O, girl can sing.
§ Paula loves her but she loves anything so not the best endorsement.
§ Cheryl Cole loves her I think? Hard to tell because of the accent
§ La Reid does too
§ Simon says she’s proving the lack of the age limit right.
§ Goes through to the next round
§ One thing I don’t like about these types of auditions is we get the shot of the family celebrating with some sappy sad music in the background. We get it, they love each other. I don’t need a generic piano melody to remind me of this.
· 8:16
o How long does it take to think of those insanely random milk commercials? My guess is 8 seconds.
· 8:19
o And we’re back with some weird interaction between Paula and Simon
o Terrell carter (a contestant) wearing a shirt that shows somehow more chest than Simon.
§ Sounds like a 70’s r&b singer
§ Good stuff
§ Gets 4 yes’ (it took me a while how to type this, don’t care if it’s not grammatically correct. This is a running diary of the X-Factor, not a university paper)
· 8:21
o Two more young contestants get all yes’ from the judges
· 8:22
o And we get our first contestant that makes you wonder if the producers pay some of them
o Symiz is his name I think
§ Has the same hair as Cheryl cole
§ Takes off his coat to reveal a fishnet shirt..
§ Pulls off some James brown/Prince moves which the crowd loves
· Cut to Simon regretting he left American Idol
· Love the shots of his family/friends loving the performance
o A Steve Jones sighting to remind us he is the host
§ He gets three yes’, La Reid is the only one to say no.
§ So far it’s basically old school American idol which was the most watched show on TV so I think this will work
· 8:27
o Moneyball commercial, can’t wait to watch this. I saw it on Friday night and loved it. Great story and great performances from the entire cast. Brad Pitt should get some Oscar buzz for his portrayal of Billy Beane. Not saying he should win but a nomination is warranted.
· 8:30
Breaking Bad Season 4 Episode 11: "Crawl Space" Review
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Okay, lets all take a deep breath. Exhale. Wow.
No matter what happens in these last two episodes, the fourth season of Breaking Bad is the show's best season hands down. We could talk about how Skyler's decision to tell Ted that it was her who gave him the money backfired in a big way. I have to admit, the scene of Skyler demanding that Ted pay off the IRS was actually very enjoyable, Anna Gunn even acted well enough to show us that she was not through with Ted as she walked out the door, brilliant stuff. Her method to get him to pay? Not the best, I would have just forged that check and been done with it but that's me. Now for all we know Ted is now dead and you know that there will be an investigation and you know that Skyler will be investigated. Whether the police will look at the shady accounting or the sending of thugs to Ted's house to sign that check remains to be seen. We can talk about Gus's sheer coldness and planning ability, or his stupidity. He is brilliant in his planning; he set up an emergency site where he, Mike, or Jesse could receive instant (well, almost) treatment for any wounds they could have picked up when obliterating the cartel. He is ice cold when he tells Hector (old man with the bell) about how he killed all of the big players in the cartel, colder still when he informs him that the last of his family is left, and even colder when he presents Jesse to him as the guy who helped Gus do it all. Despite what I just said about the guy, for the first time in the series I am calling him stupid. All he had to do was 'fire' or pay Walt off, guarantee his safety and he would be leading a much less stressful life right now. But we need to have a fifth season, so he had to make a big show to Walt, taking him to the desert just to tell him to stay away from Jesse? Of course Walt figured out that Jesse was still loyal to him and not to Gus and of course Gus (normally calm and collected, even when he finished the cartel off in Mexico) had to snap; threatening to kill Walt's entire family AND telling Walt that he planned to kill Hank!? After many years of being careful, Gustavo Fring has finally made a mistake, a really big mistake (I will discuss this towards the end of the review).
Okay, lets all take a deep breath. Exhale. Wow.
No matter what happens in these last two episodes, the fourth season of Breaking Bad is the show's best season hands down. We could talk about how Skyler's decision to tell Ted that it was her who gave him the money backfired in a big way. I have to admit, the scene of Skyler demanding that Ted pay off the IRS was actually very enjoyable, Anna Gunn even acted well enough to show us that she was not through with Ted as she walked out the door, brilliant stuff. Her method to get him to pay? Not the best, I would have just forged that check and been done with it but that's me. Now for all we know Ted is now dead and you know that there will be an investigation and you know that Skyler will be investigated. Whether the police will look at the shady accounting or the sending of thugs to Ted's house to sign that check remains to be seen. We can talk about Gus's sheer coldness and planning ability, or his stupidity. He is brilliant in his planning; he set up an emergency site where he, Mike, or Jesse could receive instant (well, almost) treatment for any wounds they could have picked up when obliterating the cartel. He is ice cold when he tells Hector (old man with the bell) about how he killed all of the big players in the cartel, colder still when he informs him that the last of his family is left, and even colder when he presents Jesse to him as the guy who helped Gus do it all. Despite what I just said about the guy, for the first time in the series I am calling him stupid. All he had to do was 'fire' or pay Walt off, guarantee his safety and he would be leading a much less stressful life right now. But we need to have a fifth season, so he had to make a big show to Walt, taking him to the desert just to tell him to stay away from Jesse? Of course Walt figured out that Jesse was still loyal to him and not to Gus and of course Gus (normally calm and collected, even when he finished the cartel off in Mexico) had to snap; threatening to kill Walt's entire family AND telling Walt that he planned to kill Hank!? After many years of being careful, Gustavo Fring has finally made a mistake, a really big mistake (I will discuss this towards the end of the review).
Sunday, September 25, 2011
The Patriots Report: Week 3
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Frustrating.
That is the word I would use to describe the Patriots' loss to the Bills. Tom Brady inevitably regressed towards the mean after throwing only one pick in four-hundred and forty five throws (read that again) he threw four against the Bills. His short streak of 400+ yard games also ended. If I told you that this would happen before the game, then asked you to predict the scoreline, what would you have said? 20-0 Buffalo? 30-0? Nope, a 3 point loss coming on a last-second field-goal from the Patriots' 5 after a very uncharacteristic mistake from Bill Belichick. The general reactions I have seen so far over twitter and facebook ranged from ridiculous (bashing or hating on Brady) to insane (Bills=Superbowl bound), with a few sane ones (the Bills might be a good team) thrown in. Lets just get the excuses out of the way first. Out of Brady's 4 picks, only one was a truly bad throw, one was the result of Ochocinco getting lazy in his route-running, one hit the receiver in both hands before popping up, and one took a wicked deflection off of a line-mans helmet. Channeling the wise words of Golden State coach Mark Jackson, I say this to Brady: "Tom YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT". Brady still tossed 4 Touchdowns and got excellent contributions from Wes Welker and TE Gronkowski (at one point, these 3 lead all fantasy score boards in this order). Despite playing one of the worst games of his career, and letting Fred Jackson torch them with the run the Patriots should feel pretty good about losing by only 3, I think if they played 9 times out of 10 the Patriots would have hung 50 on them and won all the games, today was the 1. If we know anything about the Patriots and Tom Brady, they will bounce back.
It started off very promising with the Patriots defense forcing early turnovers and the Patriots capitalizing on all of them to jump out to a 21 point lead. But the second half of this game was a disaster by all accounts. Fitzpatrick looked like Joe Montana, constantly tearing the Patriots secondary apart (they need to figure out their corner-back situation quickly). Fred Jackson showed why he was the best running back through 2 weeks of NFL action and the Bills defense did something rarely seen; they rattled the Patriot offense. Add a little bit of luck (Jackson ruled down at the one with 1:45 remaining instead of being given the touchdown, allowing the Bills to get the 'last shot' essentially) and there you go. It really felt like a Madden game gone so wrong you wanted to whip your controller at the TV. We even saw Bill Belichick legitimately fuck up (on twitter I said he did his best Andy Reid impression) by calling a seemingly useless time-out that ensured that Tom Brady would not be on the field for a desperation drive to win it. It is safe to say that there is a lot of room for improvement for this patriots team. Not to be forgotten is Buffalo, all credit must go to the Bills who seem to have finally turned things around and as of me writing this, the Jets are down 14 to the raiders meaning that Buffalo will lead the AFC east after today. The Bills are now going to be noticed and could be 4-0 (they play the Bengals next week) playing host to the Eagles in week 5.
As for the Patriots there really isn't much more to say. Their defense clearly has room to improve and now fans should start getting concerned. There has not been one team that's stood out over the first 3 weeks, and it remains to be seen whether an elite defensive team can emerge to be taken seriously as a contender because picking the 'best' team right now seems impossible. The Patriots better figure something out soon however, check out their next few games: at Oakland, home to the Cowboys and Jets, BYE week, at Pittsburgh, Giants, at Jets. This stretch of games should tell us whether this is just an explosive offensive team that puts up big numbers, or an explosive offensive team that is capable of contending for the Superbowl. Anything over 5-1 in their next 6 weeks will point to the latter.
Frustrating.
That is the word I would use to describe the Patriots' loss to the Bills. Tom Brady inevitably regressed towards the mean after throwing only one pick in four-hundred and forty five throws (read that again) he threw four against the Bills. His short streak of 400+ yard games also ended. If I told you that this would happen before the game, then asked you to predict the scoreline, what would you have said? 20-0 Buffalo? 30-0? Nope, a 3 point loss coming on a last-second field-goal from the Patriots' 5 after a very uncharacteristic mistake from Bill Belichick. The general reactions I have seen so far over twitter and facebook ranged from ridiculous (bashing or hating on Brady) to insane (Bills=Superbowl bound), with a few sane ones (the Bills might be a good team) thrown in. Lets just get the excuses out of the way first. Out of Brady's 4 picks, only one was a truly bad throw, one was the result of Ochocinco getting lazy in his route-running, one hit the receiver in both hands before popping up, and one took a wicked deflection off of a line-mans helmet. Channeling the wise words of Golden State coach Mark Jackson, I say this to Brady: "Tom YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT". Brady still tossed 4 Touchdowns and got excellent contributions from Wes Welker and TE Gronkowski (at one point, these 3 lead all fantasy score boards in this order). Despite playing one of the worst games of his career, and letting Fred Jackson torch them with the run the Patriots should feel pretty good about losing by only 3, I think if they played 9 times out of 10 the Patriots would have hung 50 on them and won all the games, today was the 1. If we know anything about the Patriots and Tom Brady, they will bounce back.
It started off very promising with the Patriots defense forcing early turnovers and the Patriots capitalizing on all of them to jump out to a 21 point lead. But the second half of this game was a disaster by all accounts. Fitzpatrick looked like Joe Montana, constantly tearing the Patriots secondary apart (they need to figure out their corner-back situation quickly). Fred Jackson showed why he was the best running back through 2 weeks of NFL action and the Bills defense did something rarely seen; they rattled the Patriot offense. Add a little bit of luck (Jackson ruled down at the one with 1:45 remaining instead of being given the touchdown, allowing the Bills to get the 'last shot' essentially) and there you go. It really felt like a Madden game gone so wrong you wanted to whip your controller at the TV. We even saw Bill Belichick legitimately fuck up (on twitter I said he did his best Andy Reid impression) by calling a seemingly useless time-out that ensured that Tom Brady would not be on the field for a desperation drive to win it. It is safe to say that there is a lot of room for improvement for this patriots team. Not to be forgotten is Buffalo, all credit must go to the Bills who seem to have finally turned things around and as of me writing this, the Jets are down 14 to the raiders meaning that Buffalo will lead the AFC east after today. The Bills are now going to be noticed and could be 4-0 (they play the Bengals next week) playing host to the Eagles in week 5.
As for the Patriots there really isn't much more to say. Their defense clearly has room to improve and now fans should start getting concerned. There has not been one team that's stood out over the first 3 weeks, and it remains to be seen whether an elite defensive team can emerge to be taken seriously as a contender because picking the 'best' team right now seems impossible. The Patriots better figure something out soon however, check out their next few games: at Oakland, home to the Cowboys and Jets, BYE week, at Pittsburgh, Giants, at Jets. This stretch of games should tell us whether this is just an explosive offensive team that puts up big numbers, or an explosive offensive team that is capable of contending for the Superbowl. Anything over 5-1 in their next 6 weeks will point to the latter.
NFL Week 3 picks
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Here are my picks for the week 3 games, guaranteed results or your money back!
Sunday:
New England Patriots (-7.5) at Buffalo Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars at Carolina Panthers (-3.5)
San Francisco 49'ers at Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5)
Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns (-2.5)
Detroit Lions (-3.0) at Minnesota Vikings
Denver Broncos at Tennessee Titans (-6.5)
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (-7.5)
Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints (-4.0)
Baltimore Ravens (-4.0) at St. Louis Rams
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers (-14.5)
New York Jets (-3.0) at Oakland Raiders
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.0)
Arizona Cardinals (-3.5) at Seattle Seahawks
Green Bay Packers (-3.5) at Chicago Bears
Pittsburgh Steelers (-10.0) at Indianapolis Colts
Monday: No line due to the Tony Romo Injury, I'm taking the Cowboys anyways.
The Picks:
Patriots
Panthers
49ers
Browns
Lions
Titans
Eagles
Saints
Ravens
Chargers
Jets
Falcons
Cardinals
Packers
Steelers
cowboys
Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 17-5
Note: All pushes will be counted as wins, because you do not lose your bet with a push.
Sunday:
New England Patriots (-7.5) at Buffalo Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars at Carolina Panthers (-3.5)
San Francisco 49'ers at Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5)
Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns (-2.5)
Detroit Lions (-3.0) at Minnesota Vikings
Denver Broncos at Tennessee Titans (-6.5)
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (-7.5)
Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints (-4.0)
Baltimore Ravens (-4.0) at St. Louis Rams
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers (-14.5)
New York Jets (-3.0) at Oakland Raiders
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.0)
Arizona Cardinals (-3.5) at Seattle Seahawks
Green Bay Packers (-3.5) at Chicago Bears
Pittsburgh Steelers (-10.0) at Indianapolis Colts
Monday: No line due to the Tony Romo Injury, I'm taking the Cowboys anyways.
The Picks:
Patriots
Panthers
49ers
Browns
Lions
Titans
Eagles
Saints
Ravens
Chargers
Jets
Falcons
Cardinals
Packers
Steelers
cowboys
Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 17-5
Note: All pushes will be counted as wins, because you do not lose your bet with a push.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Thoughts on Week 2
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Back on track baby! The Saints played great, not much else can be said about that. Instead of writing about them this week, I’ve decided that I’m going to share some things I noticed about week 2 in the NFL.
First off, what the hell is going on with Cam Newton!? He became the 6th ever player to record back-to-back 400 yard passing games….in his first 2 starts! I didn’t have a chance to watch the game so yesterday I watched some highlights on him and their first 2 games. Newton makes Brett Favre look like a conservative panzy. This is the truest gunslinger I have ever seen and if it were up to him, they’d be throwing on every single play. Also, Steve Smith has returned from the depths of hell and is currently the league leader in receiving yards. On a side note, Cam Newton and Steve Smith win the award for QB-QR tandem that look like the true thugs.
Oakland is making the playoffs. They’ve started off the season 1-1 and their loss is to the Bills, but I’m certain they’re going to get it together and somehow squeak into the postseason. Darren McFadden is, in my opinion, the biggest ground threat in the NFL at the moment. I’m not saying he’s better than Peterson, but between the way the Vikings are playing and their coaches are coaching, AP simply cannot excel this season. I’ve also always had faith in Jason Campbell. He might make some bad throws, but in general, he’s a fairly conservative QB that keeps his mistakes to a minimum, and that’s becoming increasingly rare in the NFL nowadays. The only thing holding them back, like most teams at the moment, is their defense. They have the necessary pieces in place to be able to calm the game down, but in the first 2 weeks they’ve slipped up on too many crucial plays. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but I think if they can tighten up on D and keep their league-leading penalties to a minimum, we’ll be watching the silver and black in January.
Tom “Terrific.” I still don’t buy into the Patriots and Brady’s heroics, and I can’t wait for them to play a complete team. Week 1, they played the Dolphins, didn’t even blow them out, and managed to make Chad Henne look like a viable option at QB. Week 2 they played a much tougher game against Rivers and the Chargers and managed to pull off a 35-21 win. This might appear to be an easy win, but realistically, San Diego beat themselves. The Chargers turned the ball over 3 times within the New England 30 yard line. That’s 3 prime opportunities to put up at least 3 points on the board completely wasted. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the Patriots are an average team, but they have not played at the elite level that people are claiming, and there’s no way they can be proclaimed the league’s best team.
Some quick points: Julio Jones is going to elevate Atlanta and has the potential to be the best receiver in the league for many years to come. Philly’s play selection is absolutely retarded(how many reverses do you plan on running this season?) and Maclin should get beat for dropping that 4th and 3 pass. Drew Brees is unbelievable at leading his team; he’s by far the best QB in the league in my mind. If Buffalo doesn’t start losing soon I’m going to start believing that we’re really living in the matrix. Seattle is absolutely dreadful; I think the University of Oklahoma would beat them 7 times out of 10. I hate betting against a point-spread. Washington, Denver, and Dallas all had the opportunities to go for touchdown but settled for narrow victories, effectively ruining 3 of my picks.
That’s it for Week 2. This week I’m actually going to Buffalo to watch the Bills vs Patriots game so hopefully I have some good stories to write about. See yuh!
Survivor: South Pacific, The First 2 Episodes
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I've been a fan of this show for a long time and getting the chance to finally talk about the show in an analytically capacity is something I am really excited to do. This wont be a review, more like my thoughts about the game and how its playing out. For this it makes more sense to do these in sets of 2, hence the lack of an article last week. Anyways, enjoy!
Episode 1
And We are in the South Pacific! I really like the fact that the show's producers are running with 2 gimmicks that proved amazing last season: Redemption Island and bringing back 2 players from before. Redemption Island because it allows players to take more risks knowing that they can redeem themselves and the previous players add very interesting wrinkles. Last Season Bahston Rahb (Say it in the Boston accent with me) submitted the best overall season in Survivor history, he tore through the game like he was Shaq in his prime and the rest of the participants were Shawn Bradley trying to guard him. How did he do it? He used what he learned in his previous outings, combined it with the 'Russel' strategy (finding the good looking girls, allying with them and running show, this strategy is the best by far and everyone has tried to replicate it, only Boston Rob managed to do so successfully) and used his charm to control the game. Clearly the game has evolved since season 1 and these days it is all about the strategy, if you slip up at any point you lose. I could go on about what makes this show great but it will probably be better if I just throw in tidbits with my thoughts here and there. Without further ado lets get to the breakdown of the first episode.
We began with the usual sequence of the survivors getting to the beach, awkwardly talking to each other and sizing everyone up. But what is this? Russel's nephew is on the show? Well then. Brandon, who's job description reads: Russel Hantz's nephew is vowing to not be like his uncle and to his credit, he seems sincere so I guess we just have to wait and see how he plays it. Also our 2 returning players: Coach the Dragon Slayer who plays with honor and integrity (if you watch game of thrones you know how that played out for Ned) not the best combination to win this game. Our second player: Ozzy, a challenge super-star. Usually tribes ride guys like him to the merge then cut him off for being too much of a threat (I hate this but that is the game). Other interesting castaways that stood out in this sequence were as follows:
-The cattle farmer- somehow I did not catch his name throughout the episode, but apparently he trained for this through running and working out. This is a nice example of how the game has evolved. Going into it you know what is coming somewhat and you can prepare, I feel that people in the earlier seasons did not think that far ahead.
-John Cochran- This guy had me very excited, he is a Harvard Law student (a HUGE nerd) and he has a love of the game that is mind boggling. He claims that he knows so much that he could win off of his Survivor knowledge, I would be lying if I said that I did not get a serious 'Moneyball' vibe from him.
-Christine- She's a teacher and she also took a direct shot at both Coach and Ozzy, calling them 'temporary players' she went on to look for the hidden immunity idol as soon as she got to camp. Last season someone tried this and was voted off first... I guess not everyone learns, I think Coach will knock her out of the game the first chance he gets.
Episode 1
And We are in the South Pacific! I really like the fact that the show's producers are running with 2 gimmicks that proved amazing last season: Redemption Island and bringing back 2 players from before. Redemption Island because it allows players to take more risks knowing that they can redeem themselves and the previous players add very interesting wrinkles. Last Season Bahston Rahb (Say it in the Boston accent with me) submitted the best overall season in Survivor history, he tore through the game like he was Shaq in his prime and the rest of the participants were Shawn Bradley trying to guard him. How did he do it? He used what he learned in his previous outings, combined it with the 'Russel' strategy (finding the good looking girls, allying with them and running show, this strategy is the best by far and everyone has tried to replicate it, only Boston Rob managed to do so successfully) and used his charm to control the game. Clearly the game has evolved since season 1 and these days it is all about the strategy, if you slip up at any point you lose. I could go on about what makes this show great but it will probably be better if I just throw in tidbits with my thoughts here and there. Without further ado lets get to the breakdown of the first episode.
We began with the usual sequence of the survivors getting to the beach, awkwardly talking to each other and sizing everyone up. But what is this? Russel's nephew is on the show? Well then. Brandon, who's job description reads: Russel Hantz's nephew is vowing to not be like his uncle and to his credit, he seems sincere so I guess we just have to wait and see how he plays it. Also our 2 returning players: Coach the Dragon Slayer who plays with honor and integrity (if you watch game of thrones you know how that played out for Ned) not the best combination to win this game. Our second player: Ozzy, a challenge super-star. Usually tribes ride guys like him to the merge then cut him off for being too much of a threat (I hate this but that is the game). Other interesting castaways that stood out in this sequence were as follows:
-The cattle farmer- somehow I did not catch his name throughout the episode, but apparently he trained for this through running and working out. This is a nice example of how the game has evolved. Going into it you know what is coming somewhat and you can prepare, I feel that people in the earlier seasons did not think that far ahead.
-John Cochran- This guy had me very excited, he is a Harvard Law student (a HUGE nerd) and he has a love of the game that is mind boggling. He claims that he knows so much that he could win off of his Survivor knowledge, I would be lying if I said that I did not get a serious 'Moneyball' vibe from him.
-Christine- She's a teacher and she also took a direct shot at both Coach and Ozzy, calling them 'temporary players' she went on to look for the hidden immunity idol as soon as she got to camp. Last season someone tried this and was voted off first... I guess not everyone learns, I think Coach will knock her out of the game the first chance he gets.
Week 2: Eagles
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Why am I posting this early Thursday morning? A full 3 days after the game itself? The same reason i ripped off my retro Reggie White jersey in frustration sometime Sunday night after the Philadelphia Eagles blew a practically won road game against the Atlanta Falcons 35-31 (might have something to do with the fact that my work ethic has been Eddy Curry-like this week). Having to remember aspects of this game was about as appealing as apologizing to Floyd Mayweather (It was a sucker punch. Definitely legal and arguably deserved but still a sucker punch). I haven't watched an Eagles game in a while where so many things go wrong at inopportune times giving the opponent a chance to stay in the game. A prime example of this was the fumble the Eagles had right before the half on the Atlanta four yard line that was returned for 64 yards and led to a Falcons touchdown. A 14-point swing on a play where the offensive line for the Eagles seemingly forgot to block one of the Falcons' defenders.
The second half did not start off better as Vick did his patented "I'm getting blitzed so instead of throwing the ball out of bounds I'll just throw it into an area with a 2% chance of a completion" that led to another Falcons TD on the next possession giving them a 21-10 lead. Even at this point my optimism was high as I felt that we had played a better game then them to that point. I ended up being right as Philly scored two touchdowns on their two next possessions taking a 24-21 lead. During this stretch Asante Samuel had a terrific interception and the defense looked great (every time a ball is thrown in the direction of Asomugha, I don't expect the other team to make a play. It's a great feeling). As we were marching down the field into Atlanta territory for our third straight drive, Vick got hit and somehow happened to collide into Todd Herremans' (his own lineman) shoulder with his head sidelining him for the rest of the game with a concussion. It was at this point that Mike Kafka got inserted into the game causing all Eagles fans including myself to think "who the fuck is Mike Kafka?"(here are some other thoughts that all Philly fans had during the game: Can someone tell Tony Gonzalez it's not fucking 2004 anymore?, Dunta Robinson is a fucking (insert any swear word you like), Is Reid trying to set the record for most end around/reverse plays that don't work in one game? Do we even have linebackers?).
Kafka ended up doing a great job as a replacement and the Eagles ended up scoring off a LaSean McCoy run. This is the point where I feared for the worst because it had not been a good sports day up to this point (Earlier in the day, Chelsea had lost to Man U 3-1 after outplaying them for 90 minutes, the game featured Fernando Torres missing a scoring chance that Professor X would have put away.) and I wasn't feeling lucky. The Falcons started running a no-huddle offense and scored two touchdowns on a defense that wasn't able to get its 3 fantastic cornerbacks on the field (Rodgers-Cromartie got practically no playing time this game) at the same time because of the formation Atlanta was calling plays from. They started using their tight ends more once they realized the Eagles' linebackers are average at best. Even with all of this Philadelphia was on the Atlanta 21 with 2 minutes left when Jeremy Maclin (who up to that point had played a very good game) dropped a pass on 4th and 3.
Tough defeat for Philadelphia and next week won't get any easier when they take on the Giants at home. With Michael Vick I think this would be an easy win over New York since their defense is banged up past recognition. With Kafka it will not be an easy game and a team that could have easily started 3-0 might end next Sunday at 1-2. Not the best week for Philadelphia Eagles fans but we still have 15 weeks to go.
Until next time,
Luka Milanovic
@Luka_M91 on twitter
Why am I posting this early Thursday morning? A full 3 days after the game itself? The same reason i ripped off my retro Reggie White jersey in frustration sometime Sunday night after the Philadelphia Eagles blew a practically won road game against the Atlanta Falcons 35-31 (might have something to do with the fact that my work ethic has been Eddy Curry-like this week). Having to remember aspects of this game was about as appealing as apologizing to Floyd Mayweather (It was a sucker punch. Definitely legal and arguably deserved but still a sucker punch). I haven't watched an Eagles game in a while where so many things go wrong at inopportune times giving the opponent a chance to stay in the game. A prime example of this was the fumble the Eagles had right before the half on the Atlanta four yard line that was returned for 64 yards and led to a Falcons touchdown. A 14-point swing on a play where the offensive line for the Eagles seemingly forgot to block one of the Falcons' defenders.
The second half did not start off better as Vick did his patented "I'm getting blitzed so instead of throwing the ball out of bounds I'll just throw it into an area with a 2% chance of a completion" that led to another Falcons TD on the next possession giving them a 21-10 lead. Even at this point my optimism was high as I felt that we had played a better game then them to that point. I ended up being right as Philly scored two touchdowns on their two next possessions taking a 24-21 lead. During this stretch Asante Samuel had a terrific interception and the defense looked great (every time a ball is thrown in the direction of Asomugha, I don't expect the other team to make a play. It's a great feeling). As we were marching down the field into Atlanta territory for our third straight drive, Vick got hit and somehow happened to collide into Todd Herremans' (his own lineman) shoulder with his head sidelining him for the rest of the game with a concussion. It was at this point that Mike Kafka got inserted into the game causing all Eagles fans including myself to think "who the fuck is Mike Kafka?"(here are some other thoughts that all Philly fans had during the game: Can someone tell Tony Gonzalez it's not fucking 2004 anymore?, Dunta Robinson is a fucking (insert any swear word you like), Is Reid trying to set the record for most end around/reverse plays that don't work in one game? Do we even have linebackers?).
Kafka ended up doing a great job as a replacement and the Eagles ended up scoring off a LaSean McCoy run. This is the point where I feared for the worst because it had not been a good sports day up to this point (Earlier in the day, Chelsea had lost to Man U 3-1 after outplaying them for 90 minutes, the game featured Fernando Torres missing a scoring chance that Professor X would have put away.) and I wasn't feeling lucky. The Falcons started running a no-huddle offense and scored two touchdowns on a defense that wasn't able to get its 3 fantastic cornerbacks on the field (Rodgers-Cromartie got practically no playing time this game) at the same time because of the formation Atlanta was calling plays from. They started using their tight ends more once they realized the Eagles' linebackers are average at best. Even with all of this Philadelphia was on the Atlanta 21 with 2 minutes left when Jeremy Maclin (who up to that point had played a very good game) dropped a pass on 4th and 3.
Tough defeat for Philadelphia and next week won't get any easier when they take on the Giants at home. With Michael Vick I think this would be an easy win over New York since their defense is banged up past recognition. With Kafka it will not be an easy game and a team that could have easily started 3-0 might end next Sunday at 1-2. Not the best week for Philadelphia Eagles fans but we still have 15 weeks to go.
Until next time,
Luka Milanovic
@Luka_M91 on twitter
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Breaking Bad Season 4 Episode 10: "Sauld" Review
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As always, this review will contain spoilers you have been warned
So much for Breaking Bad falling off. After what many fans would agree was a very slow start, season 4 has blossommed into arguably Breaking Bad's best season to date. Before we get carried away, we do have 3 more episodes, but its hard to believe that they will not be as good as the ones we are lucky to be watching now. While you can't blame anyone for getting excited about the last scene, the reality is that the entire episode was incredible, from start to finish. Before we get to the big finale, the other aspects of the episode should be discussed. Firstly, Skylar is probably guilty of the worst mistake in the show so far (yes the worst) I still can't believe that she told Ted that it was her who sent him the money to bail him out of the trouble with the IRS. How does the ONE person who has been the most careful and logical about covering up Walt's 'job' slip up so badly? If she felt bad for Ted, that is still no excuse, Im sure anyone would have let the IRS have him after seeing how greedy he actually is. Not only is he greedy, he completely ignores Skylar at first and even kicks her out of the office, only one episode after she bailed his ass out! In my opinion, a greedy scumbag like this will want more and could easily start blackmailing Skylar, if that happens it could be the thing that finally ends (and we all know its ending somehow) Walter's run. Enough about Ted and Skylar, I agree with Jovan's statement he had when we discussed this episode, this is what he said: "In all honesty, they never should have brought him back" Well said, we move on.
It took 3 seasons and 10 episodes but at last Walter White admitted he was wrong. It seems that Jesse's final words from the previous episode really hit Walter hard and for the first time in a long time he was human again. It really did feel weird feeling sorry for him after all he has done but the acting performance Bryan Cranston put on was nothing short of incredible. He not only gave an incredibly authentic "I made a mistake" line while crying, he had a monologue that could rival Mike's 'half measures' one. I actually felt like the actors were father and son and could'nt beleive how into the scene I was, well done guys seriously. The line that really stood out for me was Walt Jr's, when he said he did'nt mind seeing Walter like this, but he hated the monster he was from the time he got diagnosed. What a wake-up call for Walter, I mean just wow. Okay, now that I respected this episode with the minor scenes (if we can even call them that) let's discuss the main ones.
Jesse, Gus, and Mike (how entertaining are they as a trio by the way?) travel to Mexico to meet with Don Eladio, you may remember him as the guy who ruthlessly had Gus's original partner killed. After having Jesse show Eladio's cooks how its done, Eladio is so thrilled he decides to throw a party, opening it with everyone taking a shot of some liquor Gus was kind enough to provide. Now, I do realize Eladio made Gus drink it first, but how stupid do you have to be? Every single person I spoke to also though it was poisoned right away, but I digress. Before the meeting we saw Gus taking some pills, which I think its safe to say were some anti-poison meds. During the party, Gus excuses himself and promptly forces himself to start throwing up (I don't know how effective this method is, but James Bond did it in Casino Royal too, so We'll go with it). Outside, where the party is happening, people start dropping like flies. The whole scene is shot beautifly and is only ruined by the fact that we kind of knew what was coming, but that is my only gripe with this sequence. Once everyone is dead, our (heroes?) characters start making their escape, where Mike is shot and saved again by Jesse. So now Jesse has to drive a wounded Mike and a very ill Gus out of Mexico... Did I mention we still have 3 episodes left? I can not wait.
Overall rating for this episode: 10 I debated between 9.9 and 10 due to the predictabillity of the last scene, but the other aspects of this episode more than made up for it.
So much for Breaking Bad falling off. After what many fans would agree was a very slow start, season 4 has blossommed into arguably Breaking Bad's best season to date. Before we get carried away, we do have 3 more episodes, but its hard to believe that they will not be as good as the ones we are lucky to be watching now. While you can't blame anyone for getting excited about the last scene, the reality is that the entire episode was incredible, from start to finish. Before we get to the big finale, the other aspects of the episode should be discussed. Firstly, Skylar is probably guilty of the worst mistake in the show so far (yes the worst) I still can't believe that she told Ted that it was her who sent him the money to bail him out of the trouble with the IRS. How does the ONE person who has been the most careful and logical about covering up Walt's 'job' slip up so badly? If she felt bad for Ted, that is still no excuse, Im sure anyone would have let the IRS have him after seeing how greedy he actually is. Not only is he greedy, he completely ignores Skylar at first and even kicks her out of the office, only one episode after she bailed his ass out! In my opinion, a greedy scumbag like this will want more and could easily start blackmailing Skylar, if that happens it could be the thing that finally ends (and we all know its ending somehow) Walter's run. Enough about Ted and Skylar, I agree with Jovan's statement he had when we discussed this episode, this is what he said: "In all honesty, they never should have brought him back" Well said, we move on.
It took 3 seasons and 10 episodes but at last Walter White admitted he was wrong. It seems that Jesse's final words from the previous episode really hit Walter hard and for the first time in a long time he was human again. It really did feel weird feeling sorry for him after all he has done but the acting performance Bryan Cranston put on was nothing short of incredible. He not only gave an incredibly authentic "I made a mistake" line while crying, he had a monologue that could rival Mike's 'half measures' one. I actually felt like the actors were father and son and could'nt beleive how into the scene I was, well done guys seriously. The line that really stood out for me was Walt Jr's, when he said he did'nt mind seeing Walter like this, but he hated the monster he was from the time he got diagnosed. What a wake-up call for Walter, I mean just wow. Okay, now that I respected this episode with the minor scenes (if we can even call them that) let's discuss the main ones.
Jesse, Gus, and Mike (how entertaining are they as a trio by the way?) travel to Mexico to meet with Don Eladio, you may remember him as the guy who ruthlessly had Gus's original partner killed. After having Jesse show Eladio's cooks how its done, Eladio is so thrilled he decides to throw a party, opening it with everyone taking a shot of some liquor Gus was kind enough to provide. Now, I do realize Eladio made Gus drink it first, but how stupid do you have to be? Every single person I spoke to also though it was poisoned right away, but I digress. Before the meeting we saw Gus taking some pills, which I think its safe to say were some anti-poison meds. During the party, Gus excuses himself and promptly forces himself to start throwing up (I don't know how effective this method is, but James Bond did it in Casino Royal too, so We'll go with it). Outside, where the party is happening, people start dropping like flies. The whole scene is shot beautifly and is only ruined by the fact that we kind of knew what was coming, but that is my only gripe with this sequence. Once everyone is dead, our (heroes?) characters start making their escape, where Mike is shot and saved again by Jesse. So now Jesse has to drive a wounded Mike and a very ill Gus out of Mexico... Did I mention we still have 3 episodes left? I can not wait.
Overall rating for this episode: 10 I debated between 9.9 and 10 due to the predictabillity of the last scene, but the other aspects of this episode more than made up for it.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
The Patriots Report: Week 2
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With the Buffalo Bills completing a spectacular comeback against Oakland and the New York Jets dismantling the hapless Jaguars, the AFC East suddenly had two 2-0 teams; neither of which was the Patriots. This looks like it will be a very tough division to come out of this year so it was important for New England to win today and keep up with its division rivals. Needless to say, the Patriots played some excellent football for a second straight week and took care of business against the Chargers of San Diego by a margin of 35-21. This was the tenth straight regular season win for the Patriots, making Bill Belichick only the second coach ever (behind Don Schula) to have three separate streaks of ten or more wins over his career. The defense answered the call against the Chargers by forcing four turnovers and (for the second straight week) having a four-down goal-line stand. If last week's performance on D was a C+ this week is easily a B+. Twenty-one points is still a lot to give up to a team (this number has to be less by the time the Patriots reach the playoffs) even if that team is the explosive Chargers. The forced turnovers were a big positive and it was a much better overall performance. It will be interesting to see if the Defense can keep improving week to week, if they do watch out!
On the offensive side of the ball it was more of the same. Tom Brady is looking to start a new streak of accuracy and got off to a quick start (3 Touchdowns 0 Picks, 31/40 passing) for good measure he also threw for over 400 yards again. I know it is a little too early to talk about MVP awards, but if Brady can keep having games like this he should win it unanimously. Another bright spot for the offense (and trust me there are a lot) was the emergence of Ochocinco. Now, he did not have a spectacular game by any means but he did make catches which had an impact on the game (including a 30 yarder). I said this last week: If he is your worst player on offence you are golden and it applies again, once he gels with Brady more expect more catches and Touchdowns. His partner in crime Deion Branch once again showed his excellence, easily destroying the Chargers secondary for 8 catches and 129 yards. The Patriots two tight-ends (Gronkowski and Hernandez) caught all the touchdown passes that Brady threw this game and are emerging as a very potent duo. If they can keep playing at such a high level I really can not see how any team can stop New England, giving Brady five legitimate receivers is like playing Madden against a baby. Also, if New England can keep going on mammoth 99-yard drives immediately following a goal-line stand, it will make things much easier on their defense. One last note on the offense: They can run the ball too. BJGE (yes, I am too lazy to type out his full name) gutted out a solid game with an excellent 4.1yds/carry including the game-icing touchdown run. The key for the patriots going forward will be how they fare against their division rivals. They can not afford to fall back as it is shaping up to be a very tough race for home field advantage.
Next week we will get to see if the Bills are for real when the Patriots visit them in a big early season game. If the Bills win they will announce their arrival, if the Patriots win; they will be 3-0 with 2 division wins and 2 road games out of the way. It's not a must-win by any means necessary, but if I'm coach Bill Belichik, I would want to keep this momentum going.
I will be covering New England throughout the season, for more of My work follow me on Twitter @ Daki_4, and follow the other writers as well
With the Buffalo Bills completing a spectacular comeback against Oakland and the New York Jets dismantling the hapless Jaguars, the AFC East suddenly had two 2-0 teams; neither of which was the Patriots. This looks like it will be a very tough division to come out of this year so it was important for New England to win today and keep up with its division rivals. Needless to say, the Patriots played some excellent football for a second straight week and took care of business against the Chargers of San Diego by a margin of 35-21. This was the tenth straight regular season win for the Patriots, making Bill Belichick only the second coach ever (behind Don Schula) to have three separate streaks of ten or more wins over his career. The defense answered the call against the Chargers by forcing four turnovers and (for the second straight week) having a four-down goal-line stand. If last week's performance on D was a C+ this week is easily a B+. Twenty-one points is still a lot to give up to a team (this number has to be less by the time the Patriots reach the playoffs) even if that team is the explosive Chargers. The forced turnovers were a big positive and it was a much better overall performance. It will be interesting to see if the Defense can keep improving week to week, if they do watch out!
On the offensive side of the ball it was more of the same. Tom Brady is looking to start a new streak of accuracy and got off to a quick start (3 Touchdowns 0 Picks, 31/40 passing) for good measure he also threw for over 400 yards again. I know it is a little too early to talk about MVP awards, but if Brady can keep having games like this he should win it unanimously. Another bright spot for the offense (and trust me there are a lot) was the emergence of Ochocinco. Now, he did not have a spectacular game by any means but he did make catches which had an impact on the game (including a 30 yarder). I said this last week: If he is your worst player on offence you are golden and it applies again, once he gels with Brady more expect more catches and Touchdowns. His partner in crime Deion Branch once again showed his excellence, easily destroying the Chargers secondary for 8 catches and 129 yards. The Patriots two tight-ends (Gronkowski and Hernandez) caught all the touchdown passes that Brady threw this game and are emerging as a very potent duo. If they can keep playing at such a high level I really can not see how any team can stop New England, giving Brady five legitimate receivers is like playing Madden against a baby. Also, if New England can keep going on mammoth 99-yard drives immediately following a goal-line stand, it will make things much easier on their defense. One last note on the offense: They can run the ball too. BJGE (yes, I am too lazy to type out his full name) gutted out a solid game with an excellent 4.1yds/carry including the game-icing touchdown run. The key for the patriots going forward will be how they fare against their division rivals. They can not afford to fall back as it is shaping up to be a very tough race for home field advantage.
Next week we will get to see if the Bills are for real when the Patriots visit them in a big early season game. If the Bills win they will announce their arrival, if the Patriots win; they will be 3-0 with 2 division wins and 2 road games out of the way. It's not a must-win by any means necessary, but if I'm coach Bill Belichik, I would want to keep this momentum going.
I will be covering New England throughout the season, for more of My work follow me on Twitter @ Daki_4, and follow the other writers as well
NFL Week 2 Quick Picks
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Due to the lot of us being busy with school or work, and a brilliant review of Drive posted, this weeks picks will be quick.
The Match-ups
Sunday:
Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills (-3.0)
Pick: Bills
Green Bay Packers (-10.0) at Carolina Panthers
Pick: Packers
Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions (-7.5)
Pick: Lions
Cleveland Browns (-2.0) at Indianapolis Colts
Pick: Colts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings (-3.0)
Pick: Tampa
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints (-7.0)
Pick: Saints
Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets (-8.5)
Pick: Jets
Baltimore Ravens (-5.5) at Tennessee Titans
Pick: Ravens
Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins (-3.0)
Pick: Redskins
Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers (-14.0)
Pick: Steelers
Dallas Cowboys (-3.0) at San Francisco 49ers
Pick: 49ers
Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos (-3.5)
Pick: Broncos
San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots (-6.5)
Pick: Patriots
Houston Texans (-3.0) at Miami Dolphins
Pick: Texans
Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5) at Atlanta Falcons
Pick: Eagles
Monday Night Football:
St. Louis Rams at New York Giants (-6.0)
Pick: Rams
Last week I went 8-8 against the spread, so take these with a grain of salt
The Match-ups
Sunday:
Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills (-3.0)
Pick: Bills
Green Bay Packers (-10.0) at Carolina Panthers
Pick: Packers
Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions (-7.5)
Pick: Lions
Cleveland Browns (-2.0) at Indianapolis Colts
Pick: Colts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings (-3.0)
Pick: Tampa
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints (-7.0)
Pick: Saints
Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets (-8.5)
Pick: Jets
Baltimore Ravens (-5.5) at Tennessee Titans
Pick: Ravens
Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins (-3.0)
Pick: Redskins
Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers (-14.0)
Pick: Steelers
Dallas Cowboys (-3.0) at San Francisco 49ers
Pick: 49ers
Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos (-3.5)
Pick: Broncos
San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots (-6.5)
Pick: Patriots
Houston Texans (-3.0) at Miami Dolphins
Pick: Texans
Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5) at Atlanta Falcons
Pick: Eagles
Monday Night Football:
St. Louis Rams at New York Giants (-6.0)
Pick: Rams
Last week I went 8-8 against the spread, so take these with a grain of salt
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Drive Review
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The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is nearing its end for the year, and it’s a shame that I’ve yet again managed to miss seeing one of its films. One of the most anticipated films, Drive, has been receiving positive critiques since its first showing, and has Canadian actor Ryan Gosling in the driver seat. I’m thankful that its theatrical release is not too distant from its TIFF release because it’s a film that should not go unnoticed by the general public. The film is similar to the Quentin Tarantino-directed Death Proof, starring Kurt Russell. It takes some time for the action to begin, but once it begins, it really begins; don’t expect a simple shooting or getaway scene. If you can’t handle violent and gory scenes, don’t check out Death Proof or Drive. However, the difference in quality between the two films is like day and night. I’m not a huge Tarantino fan, who has typically directed lower budget films with a lot of dialogue. While Death Proof is literally just dialogue for the first hour or so, Drive has very little talking, and it focuses on the relationship between Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. Both of them are good actors, and you will stay entertained even while waiting for the action to being. Besides that, I actually consider Drive to be a good movie, while Death Proof to be relatively boring and lower in quality.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is nearing its end for the year, and it’s a shame that I’ve yet again managed to miss seeing one of its films. One of the most anticipated films, Drive, has been receiving positive critiques since its first showing, and has Canadian actor Ryan Gosling in the driver seat. I’m thankful that its theatrical release is not too distant from its TIFF release because it’s a film that should not go unnoticed by the general public. The film is similar to the Quentin Tarantino-directed Death Proof, starring Kurt Russell. It takes some time for the action to begin, but once it begins, it really begins; don’t expect a simple shooting or getaway scene. If you can’t handle violent and gory scenes, don’t check out Death Proof or Drive. However, the difference in quality between the two films is like day and night. I’m not a huge Tarantino fan, who has typically directed lower budget films with a lot of dialogue. While Death Proof is literally just dialogue for the first hour or so, Drive has very little talking, and it focuses on the relationship between Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. Both of them are good actors, and you will stay entertained even while waiting for the action to being. Besides that, I actually consider Drive to be a good movie, while Death Proof to be relatively boring and lower in quality.
In Drive, Ryan Gosling plays a stunt driver who works on the side as a driver for robbers; they go in, steal what they’re after, and he drives them to safety. After one job goes wrong, and this happens almost an hour into the film, he ends up being chased and hunted, and has to find a way out for himself. Gosling does not do very much talking in the film, and there are many silent scenes where the actors are simply exchanging looks. It works well, and it’s a nice change from the bigger Hollywood films that try to use dialogue to add humour and end up going overboard usually. Quieter films are fairly rare nowadays, and they usually end up receiving more acknowledgement form the Academy than the dialogue-filled films. One example is last year’s 127 Hours, which had James Franco stuck under a rock for over an hour. It was nominated for Best Picture, and I wouldn’t put it past the Academy to nominate Drive, as it should. The acting was good all over, from Gosling and Mulligan, to Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks. The latter three are veteran actors and you’d expect them to give good performances. As for Gosling and Mulligan, even with their limited talking in the film, there is evident chemistry between the two which only makes their scenes together more of a joy to watch.
Ryan Gosling is impressing in that he is able to almost completely transform his character from the beginning to the end of the movie. As you’ll see, he is nearly speechless in the majority of his scenes, but he goes from a calm speechless to a vicious and dangerous “not to be fucked with” speechless. He is the main reason to watch the film, aside from the direction, and delivers a worthy performance that should be noted by the Academy members.
The direction by Nicolas Winding Refn is terrific, with the murder scenes actually being visible, unlike in most other films. And Refn was also able to make the muted scenes entertaining to watch, which requires more than just good actors in those scenes. The soundtrack was from the 1980s, another nice change from the majority of the films being released today. There isn’t much I can say about the writing because of the limited dialogue in the film. I’m mainly impressed with the Refn’s directing, keeping the audience engaged and transitioning between certain scenes in an interesting way, and I hope he gets nominated for the Oscar he deserves.
I know that Drive is a great film because there aren’t many films I would pay to watch more than once. It has good actors, but it’s a lower budget and smaller film, close to an indie, with a good story, good performances and excellent direction, and there is no doubt that word-of-mouth will spread about how good Drive is. The only other films I’ve watched more than once have been blockbusters, so it’s nice to see a smaller film such as Drive joining that list. It’s not for everyone, especially those who can’t handle violent films, but it’s been some time since I’ve seen an Oscar-worthy film (and one that actually has a chance of winning – unlike Harry Potter, which still might not get nominated), and I can’t wait to see the other TIFF films I missed out on this year. Whether they’re as good as Drive, we shall find out soon enough.
Score: 9/10
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Week 1: Eagles
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1 down, 18 to go. For a game that started worse than Kobe Bryant's rap career (listen to it, i firmly believe he had to do it because he lost a game of poker to Rick Fox or something), it sure ended well with the Philadelphia Eagles starting their much anticipated season with a 31-13 road win against the St. Louis Rams. If you were to just look at the score of the game you would assume it was a blowout but it was closer than the score implies with it being only a 7 point game at half (17-10). In the second half of the game the Eagles depth, athleticism, and that they have Michael Vick as their QB proved too much for the Rams. The Rams were bit with the injury bug in this game as well with Stephen Jackson only having one carry (he scored a touchdown on it) before leaving with a quadriceps injury. Sam Bradford also left in the fourth after hitting his hand on an Eagles defensive lineman.
Even though the Eagles won by 18 against a Rams team that is favored to win the NFC West (not exactly the best division to say the least, but still) there were some issues that were evident in watching the game. One, the Eagles offensive line still needs a lot of work. If anyone else was under center for Philly, there would be a whole lot more sacks. Several times in the game, the pass protection was simply non-existent and Vick had to scramble and do Vick things. The one thing Vick didn't do well in Sunday's game was throw the ball accurately, he finished the game 14/32 on pass attempts with that number being even lower if he had to throw the ball outside of the pocket. Bottom line is the O-line has to offer better protection. We also learned that like last year, the Eagles are a team that can get run on. Stephen Jackson had one carry and scored, Cadillac Williams (a player I completely forgot about until he was mentioned during the broadcast) managed to get 91 yards on the Eagles run D. And finally, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson further showed that they're some of the best playmakers in the game today. Overall I am happy with the performance by my team. Vick and the offense looked explosive, Asomugha got thrown to maybe twice the entire game so he was doing what needed to be done. Up next: another road game against the Atlanta Falcons, a team that got embarrassed by the Chicago Bears in week 1. I'm expecting a high scoring affair in which the Eagles playmakers shine and we (I know I dont play for the team but fans are allowed to use "we" when describing their team no matter how stupid it sounds) start the season 2-0. Good start, looking forward to more games and when I look at the negatives, I just remember that it could be worse, I could be a Colts fan.
Luka Milanovic
@Luka_M91
1 down, 18 to go. For a game that started worse than Kobe Bryant's rap career (listen to it, i firmly believe he had to do it because he lost a game of poker to Rick Fox or something), it sure ended well with the Philadelphia Eagles starting their much anticipated season with a 31-13 road win against the St. Louis Rams. If you were to just look at the score of the game you would assume it was a blowout but it was closer than the score implies with it being only a 7 point game at half (17-10). In the second half of the game the Eagles depth, athleticism, and that they have Michael Vick as their QB proved too much for the Rams. The Rams were bit with the injury bug in this game as well with Stephen Jackson only having one carry (he scored a touchdown on it) before leaving with a quadriceps injury. Sam Bradford also left in the fourth after hitting his hand on an Eagles defensive lineman.
Even though the Eagles won by 18 against a Rams team that is favored to win the NFC West (not exactly the best division to say the least, but still) there were some issues that were evident in watching the game. One, the Eagles offensive line still needs a lot of work. If anyone else was under center for Philly, there would be a whole lot more sacks. Several times in the game, the pass protection was simply non-existent and Vick had to scramble and do Vick things. The one thing Vick didn't do well in Sunday's game was throw the ball accurately, he finished the game 14/32 on pass attempts with that number being even lower if he had to throw the ball outside of the pocket. Bottom line is the O-line has to offer better protection. We also learned that like last year, the Eagles are a team that can get run on. Stephen Jackson had one carry and scored, Cadillac Williams (a player I completely forgot about until he was mentioned during the broadcast) managed to get 91 yards on the Eagles run D. And finally, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson further showed that they're some of the best playmakers in the game today. Overall I am happy with the performance by my team. Vick and the offense looked explosive, Asomugha got thrown to maybe twice the entire game so he was doing what needed to be done. Up next: another road game against the Atlanta Falcons, a team that got embarrassed by the Chicago Bears in week 1. I'm expecting a high scoring affair in which the Eagles playmakers shine and we (I know I dont play for the team but fans are allowed to use "we" when describing their team no matter how stupid it sounds) start the season 2-0. Good start, looking forward to more games and when I look at the negatives, I just remember that it could be worse, I could be a Colts fan.
Luka Milanovic
@Luka_M91
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