Random Thoughts, Vol 2

• You can't follow Rob Zombie's "Feel so Numb" with "The Real Thing" by Faith No More. That's just wrong. Of course, this is coming from the guy who often follows "Megalomaniac" with "Shiny Happy People," but that's not the point.
  
  
• Something that I never thought I'd hear my wife say: "There's your vest. There's your tutu. Now, pick them up or you don't get a story."
• Note: the above statement was not made to me.
• Honest.
  
• Every offensive lineman should have a name like "Nick Mangold" or at least "D'Brickashaw Feguson." It would just make sense.
• I really enjoy "Heroes." It just seems to get a little bit more interesting every week.
• Can't say the same thing about "Lost" however. If it doesn't improve after coming back from hiatus, we might be done with it.
• Now, read the the last two points using Marlon Brando's voice from The Godfather. Makes them sound so much cooler.
• Schenectady, New York! Hello!
• It's a bad sign when it's only 2007 and I'm already dreading the deluge of presidential political ads.
• My wife and I just had a date in which we spent none of our own money. This made the cheesecake taste all the sweeter.
• With the NFL draft about two months away, I can't point to any particular position on the Vikings and say it was the hugest need for the team. The biggest need for the entire team seems to be between the ears.
• My two year-old just got glasses. Life just keeps getting more interesting.
  
• Current podcasts: Geek Muse, MacBreak Weekly, Fanboy Radio, wordballoon.
  

Read more

Ask Pluckytown

I am pleased to announce a new feature that we are introducing here at Pluckytown:

Cue 2001: A Space Oddysey musical theme...

Cue deep announcer voice...

Ask Pluckytown

Ok, so that was a tad bit anti-climatic, but it nevertheless is something that we are at least mildly excited about.

AP (which stands for Ask Pluckytown, if you haven't been paying attention) will be a feature where you, the reader, can submit questions or column ideas to the authors and contributors at Pluckytown.

It's simple. Just come up with a question, like:

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

or

Who do you think will be the top five RBI producers at catcher in the National League Central?

or

What would have been the resulting changes in history if Archduke Franz Ferdinand had not been assassinated prior to World War I?

or

Do you have that $20 you owe me?

Any of those qualify for AP.

The second step towards successfully completing an AP query is to send the question that you have come up with to us via e-mail. The address you may use is pluckytown@gmail.com. Please use as the subject line: Ask Pluckytown. That's all we ask of you...it's really not that much.

Alright...now the rest is up to you. Enjoy!

Read more

Music and Lyrics

I really enjoy going on dates with my wife. After nearly seven years of marriage and three kids, we need to take opportunities the present themselves (in the form of grandparents arriving on the doorstep) to get out on our own and remember the fact that we actually are husband and wife before father and mother. So, we took the restaurant gift certificate that was hard-won in a Christmas gift exchange game and the movie tickets that were a prize for a Super Bowl party and went out on our own. We had been planning on seeing Pursuit of Happiness because I really wanted to see Will Smith work a Rubik's cube, but since it had already been out for quite a while, it left the theater for which we won the tickets the day were were going to watch a movie. C'est la vie. The decision was made to go see the romantic comedy Music and Lyrics. I'm the type of person that really enjoys watching movies of nearly any genre. I'm not big on pure romantic films, but I enjoy a good love story woven into the plot. I'm not big on musicals, but I enjoy a good dance fight as much as the next guy. As far as comedies, I'm pretty much always in the mood for a good laugh. So, I was fine with seeing Music and Lyrics, and here's my review.

Music and Lyrics stars Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant along with his infamous world's smallest nipples. That's the best line in this piece. I'm sorry. Grant plays a washed-up '80s pop music star who has been getting by in life on his former fame by playing such highly-prestigious venues such as Knotts Berry Farm and the Illinois State Fair while his former writing partner, who handled the lyrics while Grant did the music, went on to sell millions of albums, make movies and be knighted by the queen. Really. It's like the an '80s version of the Beatles if, instead of dying, John Lennon went on to be a complete has-been and Paul McCartney had become Tom Hanks along with being, well, Paul McCartney. Or should that be Sir Paul McCartney?

Barrymore is a flighty young lady with some skeletons in the closet and a penchant for killing house plants. She does pretty well with the plastic ones, however. Grant is frantically trying to come up with a song for a Christina Aguilera-like pop princess to revive his career. Or, at least, make a couple of quick bucks out of the deal. Since he only works with the music part of things, he needs a lyricist. Enter Drew Barrymore's character. She's done some writing in the past (poetry and the like, no music), but a bad experience has really shaken her confidence. In short: They need each other. Everybody now. Awwww.

Before I mention any other opinions on the movie, let me say this: I liked it. It was a cute movie with many good moments and good laughs. The casting was fantastic from top to bottom. Yes, the plot was predictable, but what romantic comedy has a plot that isn't predictable? I don't think it's a gigantic spoiler to say that they end up falling in love. That's the way these movies work. Now for the problems. Any time that you can leave a movie and talk about things you noticed in the editing, it's probably not the best job of editing ever. There were quite a few times in which the shot would switch from Barrymore to Grant and back again that I would notice what was being said didn't match up with how the face was moving. Once or twice having that happen is forgivable, but multiple times in the same scene is, quite frankly, sloppy. At the same time, there were two very noticeable long takes in which the actors are going back and forth, going through their scene with the director never cutting. That's either showing a lot of faith in your actors, or a lack of faith in your editors. At this point, I'm willing to say that it was probably a combination of the two. Barrymore is passably-likable in her role and puts in a generally-solid performance. No Oscar nominations will come out of this movie for her, but she did a good job. Hugh Grant plays the Hugh Grant character to perfection. He rarely goes beyond that role of the likable, witty Englishman (see also, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually, et. al.), but there's nothing wrong with knowing what you do well and sticking with it. He's never going to be mentioned in the same breath as DeNiro, Hanks and Farrel (sorry, had to throw that one in there), but he's a good actor. Even if his nipples are very distracting. The movie could very easily have been rated PG if they would have (A) toned down on the pop princess's dancing a bit and (B) increased the fabric in her wardrobe slightly. At one point, she was wearing what I can only describe as a "full-body thong." There was no noticeable swearing, no nudity and only two instances of intimacy. One when they start kissing, fall to the floor and then we cut to the next morning and the other with their legs sticking out from under the piano.

All things considered, it was a good movie that made me laugh, and Anne liked it too. It's a great movie to which you can take a date.

I give it a three out of five very tiny nipples.

Read more

The Soundtrack of My Life

While puzzling over what to write for this week's piece, I though of something a surrealist friend of mine once told me: "Fish stapler pants jumping gnizzle paltz."

With those words of wisdom still in the back of my head, I came up with the idea for putting together the soundtrack of my life. Below you will find songs that at different stages in my life were important for different reasons. They are not necessarily my favorite songs of all time, but they are songs that I have memories of, or perhaps were somewhat important during different developmental stages that I have gone through in my 26+ years. I have also narrowed it to 17 songs and a hidden track, because that's your typical CD size.

Here's how they would appear, in order, on the back of the CD:

1. Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - This is the first song I remember liking independantly as a child, and it's a better song than the following two to lead out a soundtrack. It's also a tribute to 80s New Wave music, which as a genre is very underrated, and undeservedly gets attacked by those who don't know anything about the music or time period. There were a few other songs from this period I really like, but didn't make the cut, most notably Dexys Midnight Runners (Come On Eileen), and Murray Head (One Night in Bangkok).

2. Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place On Earth - This is one of those songs that would not qualify as a favorite, but nevertheless, it is a song that when I hear it, I know most of the lyrics. It also is the first music video I remember remembering. Every time I hear it now, it takes me back to a daycare I went to in Grand Forks, ND, sitting in the living room, watching MTV, before MTV was unwatchable.

3. Oak Ridge Boys - Elvira - Basically closing out the period of my early childhood, Elvira is the first song I remember singing. It's also a tribute to my country music roots, which is mostly a period that I've deleted from my memory. Elvira still remains enjoyable to me, however, and as a young child, I liked the song so much, I remember my grandparents taking me to see the Oak Ridge Boys in concert, which is also the first concert I remember going to.

4. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody - Even though BR was released in 1975, five years before my birth, it gains a special place in my heart, first by being my favorite song of all time, and second by the scene(s) devoted to it in Wayne's World in 1992. An absolutely spectacular sequence of film, in my humble opinion. It is also one of the few songs that I can sing start-to-finish without the help of the music. And, on top of that, it provided Kamp and myself with many an entertaining car ride during our teenage years.

5. Ace of Base - The Sign - During a period of time when I was dealing with my first girlfriend, and subsequent break-up, my cousin introduced me to the Euro-Pop group Ace of Base. They still remain one of my guilty pleasures in life, and at various times, I have owned at least three of their albums. For further reference, if you like, check out their great cover of Cruel Summer.

6. Sophie B. Hawkins - As I Lay Me Down - For some reason or another, I became attached to this song, and it's still one of my favorite songs of all time. I remember seeing her on either Leno or Letterman, and then a few months later at a lake cabin, heard the song debut, and I've loved it ever since. It was briefly ruined for a time when a friend of mine told me that it sounds like some of the background singers are singing "I like tacos," but I've moved past that now, and have re-embraced the song.

7. Seal - Kiss From A Rose - Basically the same story as the song above, only it came to me in a different way. Kiss From A Rose is on the soundtrack to my favorite Batman movie, Batman Forever. I absolutely love that movie, but it is being pushed by Batman Begins. Jim Carrey was perfect as the Riddler, and Val Kilmer was underrated as Batman. "Kiss" is definitely in my top 5 favorite songs.

8. Guns N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle - Hearing this song gives me a near-uncontrollable urge to grab a basketball, start running circles around a gym, and then start shooting lay-ups. You see, this was the song, along with Thunderstruck by AC/DC, that my high school basketball team ran out to the most. And since I like this song more than Thunderstruck, it made the cut. And since I have the microphone, YOU WILL LISTEN TO EVERY WORD I HAVE TO SAY!!!!!

9. Collective Soul - The World I Know - Just an all-around terrific song, this also is to pay tribute to another era of music that I would like to recognize along with 80s New Wave: Mid-90's alternative and rock. There were some fantastic songs to come out of this period that just didn't make the cut, including, but not limited to: Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's, Just about anything by Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun, and a few others.

10. dc Talk - In the Light - I was surprised, as I was mulling over this list, to discover that there wasn't a lot of Christian music that really fits on my soundtrack. I have a long, extensive history of listening to Christian music, and I enjoy it, but nothing really makes the cut...well, except for this song, and one more. In the Light falls right behind Bohemian Rhapsody on my list of favorite songs, but it by far tops it in importance. The lyrics to this song really describe my faith to a T. It's uncanny.

11. Jars of Clay - Worlds Apart - Here we have the second and final Christian song on my list, and this takes me back to a summer of traveling around, teaching vacation Bible school, and counseling at Bible camps during the summer of 1999. Great memories, great song.

12. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony - I absolutely love this song. It's relaxing, and the music is excellent. It also was a prominent song during my senior year of high school, which is an important time to just about anyone.

13. The Wallflowers - One Headlight - Every time I hear this song, it takes me back to spring of 1997, to a band trip I took to Toronto my junior year of high school. Hearing the music takes me back through the streets of that city. If you haven't been to Toronto, I highly recommend it. And I'm not just fond of it because I got to meet Donny Osmond there.

14. Beck - The New Pollution - A tribute to one of my favorite artists ever. Also my favorite song of his. The beginning to this song is extremely catchy, and makes me smile every time I hear it.

15. Oasis - D'You Know What I Mean? - also a tribute to my favorite band from high school. I can listen to Oasis anytime. Just to share with you how much I like them, I even still like the song All Around the World, even though AT&T is trying to beat it to death. I'm just saying.

16. Coldplay - Clocks - Just a perfectly done song. It really doesn't lack anything except for maybe intelligible words to sing along with at certain points, but that is easily made up for by a most excellent piano part. This kind of pays homage to my maturing music tastes, as I have felt a shift from just listening to entertaining music to really enjoying high quality music. "Clocks" certainly qualifies in my mind.

17. Everything But the Girl - Missing - The last official song on the disc acknowledges a group that ushered me into a period of time where I was fascinated with electronic/dance/techno music. "Missing" also, for some reason, creates a resonating image of an overcast, dreary, European city that I've held onto since I heard the song. It's strange, because I've never been to Europe.

Bonus Hidden Track: Van McCoy - The Hustle - I have perpetually had this song stuck in my head for the last ten years or so. I used to hate it, but now I have embraced it as a tool for either getting it stuck in other people's heads, or getting other songs out of my head. Either way, I can't ignore it.

That's pretty much it. This list is always subject to change, but that's where I'm at right now. I'd like to take this time to acknowledge some others that were close, but didn't make the cut:

Anything by U2 - They should probably get a lifetime achievement award for being such a quality band, but no one song really stands out, so they didn't make the cut.

Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline, Shilo, Soolaimon, Song Sung Blue, & Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show - One of the only tapes that I was allowed to listen to when I would travel with my family as a child.

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun (see links above)

Smashing Pumpkins - 1979, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Tonight, Tonight - close but no cigar.

Newsboys - Elle G. & Spirit Thing

Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4

Michael Jackson - Thriller

Weird Al Yankovic - Also deserves a lifetime achievment award, but just couldn't come up with that one song. White & Nerdy is getting him close, though.

Linkin Park - In The End

I would also like to acknowledge two songs that are knocking on the door and that I really enjoy right now: Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars & The Killers - Read My Mind

There's a slew of others that are notable, but this article is already getting too long, and I've got to start the editing process. I'd like to thank Wikipedia for always being there when I need you.

Read more

My Latte!

Normally, when I wake up, I'll have some form of a song running through my head. Lately, this has included songs by Brad Sucks and OK Go. I don't know why. Maybe my dreams have a sound track. If that's the case, I'm glad that I've never woken up with a Village People song stuck in my head. I don't know that I'd want to be involved in one of those kind of dreams. This morning, however, I found myself with the line from a movie running through my head. I don't know if it's from (completely self-imposed) sleep deprivation or what exactly, but it was a line from the movie Cheaper By the Dozen. Not the original, but rather the remake which starred Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt. It's a scene where a few of the kids finally confront a couple of bullies that have been bothering one of the siblings. A fight breaks out when one of the bullies has his Starbucks cup slapped out of his hand at which point he exclaims, "My latte!" with just the right blend of pout, shock and whine. I laugh every time that I see that scene. Really, I laugh every time I hear that line, so you can imagine that I'm chuckling pretty good at the moment. I really appreciate a line delivered well enough to make me laugh. It started me thinking about some of the other great lines from movies.

Steve Correll as Brick in Ron Burgundy:

Ron: Brick, where did you get a grenade?
Brick: [completely deadpan] I don't know.

Morpheus (Laurance Fishburn) and Neo (Keanu Reeves) in The Matrix:

Neo: [completely lost] I know Kung Fu.
Morpheus: Show me.

Grandma (Jean Schertler) to Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts) in Runaway Bride:

Grandma: [talking about Richard Gere's character] I like his tight butt.
Maggie: [shocked] Grandma!
Grandma: Well, I do!

Marty (Carol O'Conner) about Charlie (David Duchovney) in Return To Me:
Marty: This is Charlie. His wife's dead.
Everyone else: [exuberant, inviting him to play poker]

Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) to the Count (Christopher Guest) in The Princess Bride:
Inigo: Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

I think you get the idea.

We don't usually relate scenes from movies; we relate lines. At least, that's what I do. I enjoy the overall experience of a movie. I enjoy breaking it down and talking about why I liked or didn't like certain aspects. I love it when a movie or television show gets a line stuck in my head that'll pop up randomly and bring a smile to my face. I love sharing it with friends. Reliving that shared experience of having seen a good movie. I relish that connection. Getting them to smile or laugh or say, "I loved that part!" Maybe I just need to get out more. There are times where we get too caught up in the "big picture" and the "long-term." Yes, they're important. However, what is the long-term but a collection of moments? What is the big picture if not the sum of collected scenes? Carpe Diem, but be willing to stop and smell the roses. Enjoy the laughs. Enjoy the silly (Brick), the shocking (Grandma) and the dense (Neo). I know that it helps me get through my day. This is usually where the whole group breaks into a musical number. Maestro, if you please...

Read more

I'm Sorry, I was Terribly Wrong - Playoffs & Postseason Awards Predictions Review

After boring you terribly with a successful AFC predictions campaign, and then again with a not-so successful NFC campaign, I'm back with the final installment. I think I write these articles for my own sake, just to keep me humble and remind myself that I don't know as much about sports as I'd like to believe.

Anyway...

AFC

Predicted order for playoff seeding: Indianapolis, Miami, Baltimore, San Diego, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh

Actual order of playoff seeding: San Diego, Baltimore, Indianapolis, New England, Jets, Kansas City

Predicted AFC Champion: Indianapolis

Actual AFC Champion: Indianapolis

Comments:

I should probably be less happy about getting only three of the playoff teams correct, but that miss is once again tempered by me nailing San Diego and Indianapolis. Any time you can predict the winner of a conference, I think you have to dub it a success. I was close at least on two of the three misses, and completely whiffed on Miami.

Grade: A

NFC

Predicted order for playoff seeding: Seattle, Tampa Bay, Giants, Detroit, Carolina, Dallas

Actual order of playoff seeding: Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Seattle, Dallas, Giants

Predicted NFC Champion: Giants

Actual NFC Champion: Chicago

Comments:

I'm much less enthused about getting three of the six playoff teams correct, as my other misses were COMPLETE misses. The closest I was on any of the three was Philadelphia, and I was very non-committal about them. The NFC for me was a total disaster, and I think to my credit, the NFC actual was a total disaster this year. So at least I'm consistent.

Grade: C (Hey, 3 out of 6 teams is at least average)

Super Bowl

Predicted Outcome: Indianapolis 38, Giants 23

Actual Outcome: Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17

Comments:

Well, this is now my second consecutive year where I have correctly picked the Super Bowl winner in August, having also slated Pittsburgh for this same honor last season. I guess this is as good as it gets. You have slightly better than a one in thirty chance to do this (because some teams don't have a chance), but I have to pat myself on the back...ok, I'm finished. Thankfully, the NFC was really bad for me this year, or I'd be really puffed up. I also give myself a little bit of props in that I was only three points off in the points differential between the two teams, having guessed a 15 point Colts advantage to an actual 12 point advantage. Yea me!

Grade: A+

Postseason Awards

MVP: Predicted - Peyton Manning Actual - LaDanian Tomlinson

Offensive POY: Predicted - Peyton Manning Actual - LT

Defensive POY: Predicted - Troy Polamalu Actual - Jason Taylor

Offensive ROY: Predicted - Laurence Maroney Actual - Vince Young

Defensive ROY: Predicted - Haloti Ngata Actual - DeMeco Ryans

Coach of the Year: Predicted - Tony Dungy Actual - Sean Payton

Comments:

Not one hit hear, but there are even smaller odds of getting anything right here than there are in the standings prediction business. I know...excuses, excuses. Hey, at least I tried.

Grade: F

Well, that was another exercise in me entertaining myself. Thanks for watching. Buh-bye.

Overall Predictions Grade: B+

Read more

Get a (Half-)Life!

Author's note: Sorry that this is a bit late in getting posted today. I had some last-minute additions that needed to be reviewed before I could post. Thanks for your patience.

You might be wondering why it is that I haven't been as regular with articles lately. Well, there are a variety of reasons: We've been busy at home lately, and with our Christmas vacation, there was a lot of catching up to be done around the house. I had been lax in getting the checkbook up-to-date, and there's the fact that I'm historically lazy. However, a large part of the reason is that I've found myself sucked back into the world of Half-Life. Now, I have a designated time during the week which I set aside for playing video games. However, that time is spent with Frederick III and his brother-in-law playing Diablo 2. We're currently running characters in the 60's in case you were wondering. I have a paladin. Trust me, someone out there finds this interesting. However, there are various times throughout the week in which I can maybe squeeze in some time for myself. Nap time on Saturday and Sunday for instance. It is within these time periods that I would normally try to get some writing in. Lately, though, I've found myself getting back in to Half-Life. Half-Life can make a good argument for being called the greatest game of all time. Engrossing story-line, high tension followed by frantically running for a safe place, and never taking the player out of the game for a cut scene make for a game that gets the player emotionally involved. Everything that happens occurs within the context of the game engine to help the player feel as though they are in the game and it's all happening in real-time. To a certain extent, they could have named the main character Jack Bauer instead of Gordan Freeman, but that's neither here nor there. The sequel picks up where the first one left off but has the added bonus of fantastic graphics and an amazing physics engine. Again, someone finds this interesting. Even being a game that is approaching ten years old, it maintains its re-playability. I'm currently in the process of going through the sequel again at a slightly higher difficulty rating than the first time through. It's just as fun as the first time that I played it.

I'm the type of person that will read a book that I've read many times previously if I enjoyed it the first time. I've read through Tolkein's Lord of the Rings and Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series several times each and will probably pick up Lord of the Rings again here soon. I'm the same way with my video games. If I liked it the first time through, I'm very likely to go back and play it again. After all, I'm regularly playing Diablo 2 which came out in 2000 and another game which had its origins in the 90's. Then again, I mainly listen to music that came out when I was in high school. Maybe I just need to get a life. Or play less Half-Life. Nah. Couldn't be that.

Anyway, that's my word of explanation of what I've been up to. As you can see, it really can be traced to the fact that I'm pretty lazy and tend to avoid doing much of anything. I promise that I'll try and be a little more regular with articles. In fact, I have a couple of articles already stubbed-out. It just becomes a matter of finding the time to do it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some Half-Life to play. I hate those Overwatch guys. Especially when they throw grenades. That's just mean.

Read more

Super Bowl Preview/Response

This was originally intended to be a response to Ryan's comments on my earlier post, but I thought it would serve it's purpose better as a Super Bowl preview article.

Many Bears fans are disgruntled right now because of a perceived lack of respect from the prognosticators. Here is what I say to that:

I don't think I'd neccessarily count myself as a Bears hater, but more or less a Bears doubter. They have the record to prove that they're a successful team. I can't deny that...but consider:

Teams the Bears lost to: Miami (6-10), New England (17-13), Green Bay (8-8).

Teams the Bears narrowly deafeated (by less than a TD): Minnesota (6-10) 19-16, Arizona (5-11) 24-23, Tampa Bay (4-12) 34-31 OT, Detroit (3-13) 26-21.

I know that more than just a score tells the story of a game, but I see two bad losses, and four more ugly wins. Couple that with the fact that they needed OT too beat an exceedingly average team (Seattle) in the playoffs, at home, and that they did crush New Orleans, a team from the south who practiced indoors all week, and I feel I have good reason to doubt the Bears in a game against Indy where weather will not be a factor.

Just for reference, the same set of statistics for Indy:

Teams the Colts lost to: Dallas (9-7), Tennessee (8-8), Jacksonville (8-8), Houston (6-10).

Teams the Colts narrowly defeated: Giants (8-8) 26-21, Jets (10-6) 31-28, Tennessee (8-8) 14-13, Denver (9-7) 34-31, Buffalo (7-9) 17-16, Miami (6-10) 27-22.

I count one bad loss and two ugly wins there.

Finally, another way you can compare teams is through common opponets. The Bears and Colts had these opponents in common during the regular season: Giants, Jets, Patriots, Buffalo, and Miami. The Bears went 3-2 against those teams, and scored 114 pts while allowing 75. The Colts went 5-0 against those teams, and scored 128 while allowing 107.

All of this was basically a long way of showing that the Bears are a more volatile team than the Colts. Volatility is not a good thing in the Super Bowl.

Football is also a team sport, but perhaps the one position that can affect games more than any other is QB. The Bears have Rex Grossman, a QB who when he's been up, he's been way up, but when he's been down, he's been way down. The argument can, and has been made that because of his injuries, this is essentially his rookie season. Playing time wise, this may be the case, but Grossman has been involved, to some extent, in an NFL offense for four seasons now. He's had time to get used to the speed the game, and to review defenses.

During Manning's rookie season, he threw 28 interceptions, and has thrown more than 20 only one more time in his career. He was also the first pick in the draft on a TERRIBLE Colts team and thrown into the fire immediately. Grossman was drafted 22nd overall by a Bears team that had one the division the year before, and he's been gradually grafted into the offense due to his injuries. Manning's exploits since have been greatly chronicled throughout the media. The one comparison I have here is that beating the Patriots, in the playoffs was Manning's version of the Red Sox beating the Yankees in the ALCS in 2004. It wasn't the World Series, but it was THEIR World Series. The Sox went on to blow Houston out of the water after that. I see Manning having one of the best games of his career on Sunday, because basically, the monkey is off his back.

Read more

I'm Sorry, I was Terribly Wrong - NFC Predictions Review

After covering a mostly successful AFC predictions campaign, I shudder to think of how the NFC is going to turn out. I'm aware, off the top of my head, that I completely and utterly botched the North. That leaves three other divisions for me to screw up. This is going to be ugly, folks.

NFC East

My predicted order of finish: Giants, Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles

Actual order of finish: Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, Redskins

Comments:
Um, yeah. Didn't see the Eagles coming. Got the Cowboys right. Completely missed on the Giants, who, by the way, were my Super Bowl team from the NFC. I called the East one of the toughest divisions in football, and the Redskins were unexpectedly bad. All in all, this is a miss.

Grade: D+, just because I got the Cowboys right.

NFC North

My predicted order of finish: Lions, Vikings, Bears, Packers

Actual order of finish: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Lions

Comments:

One of these days I'm going to stop believing in the Lions, and I'm not even a fan. What should really be scaring Motor City Kitty fans right now is that the team is all set to take Brady Quinn with the 2nd overall pick, and he's a player I'm almost certain will be a flop in the NFL. Ugh. I hereby solemnly swear to never pick the Lions to finish anywhere but last in the North as long as Matt Millen is running the show in Detroit. The Vikings were unexpectedly good on defense, and horrid on offense. And the Bears...even though the Bears are the Super Bowl team from the NFC, and I completely missed on them, I would like to issue this disclaimer: it is a sad state of affairs when a team as fatally flawed as the Bears can make it to the Super Bowl, without even so much as a challenge. With that said, they'll probably blow the Colts out of the water. But the Bears don't even "feel" like a good team, much less a Super Bowl team. Finally, my hat goes off to the Packers, who were just a second late and a penny short on making the playoffs.

Grade: F

NFC South
My predicted order of finish: Bucs, Panthers, Falcons, Saints

Actual order of finish: Saints, Panthers, Falcons, Bucs

Comments:

On the optimistic side, I got two right, and two wrong. Not bad. On the pessimistic side, I had first place and last place flip-flopped. Yuck. Didn't see the Saints coming; didn't think the Bucs would be that terrible.

Grade: D

Please, oh please, oh please let this next group be at least decent...

NFC West

My predicted order of finish: Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals, 49ers

Actual order of finish: Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Cardinals

Comments:

Yessssssss!!!!!!!!...it's average, and I'll take it! Seattle wasn't as good as I expected them to be, and they made the division a heated race until the very end, but they pulled it off. The Rams were basically exactly what I said they'd be, with the exception of Stephen Jackson being a lot better, as opposed to a little better. I missed on the order of the 49ers and Cardinals, but I don't think that's really a big deal.

Grade: C+

The NFC was a train wreck for me. I think that's a testament to the overall mediocrity of the conference, as well as me really not doing a good job researching this year.

Overall Grade: D-

Read more