This week brings on the first round of the playoffs. Much to Deepie's and Scott's enjoyment, I was able to sneak in through the back door and grab the #8 seed. Much to my chagrin, I draw Robs and his undefeated team. To further dampen my spirits/chances, my biggest offensive threat (Matt Forte) was hurt last week and could be out for the remainder of the season.
In looking at the projections as they stand today, I am a 15 point underdog. Robs has significant point producers from top to bottom so where as most teams rely on 2 to 3 guys to carry them in a given week, Robs has guys top to bottom that provide significant points giving him better balance. I am putting in Reggie Bush in place of Forte. Bush, like Miami, has come on strong the last few weeks but he is a streaky guy and I am going to have to hope he has a big game. This week also brings about the return of Michael Vick. Hopefully he is recovered and given the time off hopefully he is rested and can dazzle. Basically, I have to hope that guys step up and can exceed expectations and then also hope that players on Robs team suffer injuries and/or get limited production. I am the reigning champ and don't plan on going down without a fight. My players are ready and anxious to take on the #1 seed and give them their first defeat of the season. This is what we have waited for all season.
In another big game, Scott takes on Deepie. Scott has been peaking at the right time and the resurrection of Chris Johnson could not have come at a better time. Also, the establishment of Helu as a productive starter provides added points for Scott. He is an astounding 48 point favorite in his game so Deepie is going to need some miracles for this to work out for him. However, as Scott knows all too well from last season, upsets happen and another early round loss might send Scott off the deep end.
In arguably the most challenging game of the week, JSR takes on Paladins United. The projections show a tight game. JSR relies on the Packers to score big points and thus far they haven't disappointed. Should be an interesting game.
The main thing to note is with the start of the playoffs it brings about the "second" season and we all start off at 0-0. What was done in the regular season means nothing at this point. We are here because we earned the right to be here. Now is the time to put up or shut. It's win or go home.
Good luck to all!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
ESPN Power Rankings - Week 14
Puckers stay at the top where they have been all season although their defense is looking increasingly vulnerable.
Pears fall 5 spots to #17 and look bad with Hanie in there. Losing Forte doesn't help.
Skins fall 4 spots to #27. At least the defense continues to play well which is what I wanted to see coming into this season.
Pears fall 5 spots to #17 and look bad with Hanie in there. Losing Forte doesn't help.
Skins fall 4 spots to #27. At least the defense continues to play well which is what I wanted to see coming into this season.
Monday, December 5, 2011
JMU loses in second round of playoffs
The #2 ranked N. Dakota State proved too much for the Dukes. Interesting because both teams seem similar with a strong running game and strong defense. However, I felt that they had a better game plan than us. They stacked the box and made it more difficult for us to run and for whatever reason we didn't do that and they were able be more productive running the ball. In the end, we fell 26-14.
The first half was hard fought as it should have gone to halftime tied at seven as we scored right before the half. However, the ensuing kickoff was mishit and sailed out of bounds and gave NDSU the ball at the Dukes 49. From there, the Bison went to the air to move quickly into field goal range. Their kicker hit a career-long field goal from 53 yards out as time expired, and the home squad went into the locker room with a 10-7 advantage. That was a huge momentum changer.
The second half was just NDSU making a couple of more plays than us and pulling out the win.
A solid season but one that I had hoped would continue a few weeks longer. It's a young team so I expect to be better next season.
The first half was hard fought as it should have gone to halftime tied at seven as we scored right before the half. However, the ensuing kickoff was mishit and sailed out of bounds and gave NDSU the ball at the Dukes 49. From there, the Bison went to the air to move quickly into field goal range. Their kicker hit a career-long field goal from 53 yards out as time expired, and the home squad went into the locker room with a 10-7 advantage. That was a huge momentum changer.
The second half was just NDSU making a couple of more plays than us and pulling out the win.
A solid season but one that I had hoped would continue a few weeks longer. It's a young team so I expect to be better next season.
Davis and Williams suspended for remainder of the season
Too bad as these guys are two of our best offensive players and would have liked to see them progress. It's a dumb mistake but hopefully they learn from it and not allow it to happen again. If it does, than I would be very upset because they would prove to be idiots.
Skins fall to Jets
The final score was not indicative of the game. The Skins were winning with like 5 minutes left and then it just unraveled. Here are my thoughts:
1. Defense was good until the end. We held them to like 266 yards of total offense. Sanchez really did nothing and we were able to contain the running game. They did enough during the game (until the end) for us to win. I also thought D. Hall had another good game.
2. Helu was good. He reminds me a little of Forte. He has deceptive speed and is not overly elusive but can make guys miss. He had some nice runs and a couple of very nice runs after screen passes. Unfortunately we got away from him later in the game.
3. Rexy wasn't very good. He had some nice throws but in the second quarter he just started misfiring. Looked like many of his throws were just going too high. He got back on track at points during the game but all in all just very inconsistent in his play.
4. Guano was okay. He made his kicks (a couple of longer ones) which were good but the "mis kick" on the kickoff after we took the lead was ridiculous. Either kick it deep or squib kick it. He did the worst possible scenario. He kicked it weakly (low and short) allowing the returner plenty of time to catch it on the run and get a return before the coverage team was able to converge. Guano did make the tackle but not before the guy got to midfield. That was a killer.
5. O coaching/playcalling was questionable. I don't like that Rexy had nearly 50 attempts particularly when Helu was effective. Not sure why we got away from the run game. A combination of passing on first and second downs combined with an inaccurate Rexy really stalled the offense.
In the end, I liked the fight in the team. Again, we have shown no signs of quitting and I do like the defensive effort. Sound like a broken record but if we can strengthen the offense in the offseason, we have a chance to be a very solid football team next year. There is no reason to not expect that to happen with 12 draft picks and a lot of cap money to spend.
HAIL SKINS!!!
1. Defense was good until the end. We held them to like 266 yards of total offense. Sanchez really did nothing and we were able to contain the running game. They did enough during the game (until the end) for us to win. I also thought D. Hall had another good game.
2. Helu was good. He reminds me a little of Forte. He has deceptive speed and is not overly elusive but can make guys miss. He had some nice runs and a couple of very nice runs after screen passes. Unfortunately we got away from him later in the game.
3. Rexy wasn't very good. He had some nice throws but in the second quarter he just started misfiring. Looked like many of his throws were just going too high. He got back on track at points during the game but all in all just very inconsistent in his play.
4. Guano was okay. He made his kicks (a couple of longer ones) which were good but the "mis kick" on the kickoff after we took the lead was ridiculous. Either kick it deep or squib kick it. He did the worst possible scenario. He kicked it weakly (low and short) allowing the returner plenty of time to catch it on the run and get a return before the coverage team was able to converge. Guano did make the tackle but not before the guy got to midfield. That was a killer.
5. O coaching/playcalling was questionable. I don't like that Rexy had nearly 50 attempts particularly when Helu was effective. Not sure why we got away from the run game. A combination of passing on first and second downs combined with an inaccurate Rexy really stalled the offense.
In the end, I liked the fight in the team. Again, we have shown no signs of quitting and I do like the defensive effort. Sound like a broken record but if we can strengthen the offense in the offseason, we have a chance to be a very solid football team next year. There is no reason to not expect that to happen with 12 draft picks and a lot of cap money to spend.
HAIL SKINS!!!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Question
So it is the holiday season and 97.1 F.M. is playing their holiday music. One thing that has always kind of perplexed me is non christian folk singing Christmas music. For instance, Barry Manilow and his christmas collection. Manilow is a fine singer and I don't care that he is jewish but I just find it interesting that he is singing about christmas. I suppose what gets me is that it just seems like selling out to make some money which at the end of the day seems very unchristlike.
I always say that if you are a singer and want to guarantee yourself some air play just come up with a christmas song.
Anyway just wanted to throw that out there and see if anyone else had any thoughts on the subject.
I always say that if you are a singer and want to guarantee yourself some air play just come up with a christmas song.
Anyway just wanted to throw that out there and see if anyone else had any thoughts on the subject.
Boudreau hired by Ducks
Didn't take long for him to find work. In fact, I'm sure that once Boudreau was available is hastened the Ducks management to fire their coach.
Listened to Boudreau yesterday and he sounded like he really couldn't do much more here in Washington. He said he tried everything to get the players motivated but it just didn't work. When a coach says that, the decision to let him go is pretty easy.
He also said that he had not really ever faced in his coaching career multiple beatings the way the Caps were taking recently. He was classy in the interview. I liked him and he did a lot for the organization. I wish him well in Anaheim and I also hope that Hunter can turn things around for us.
Listened to Boudreau yesterday and he sounded like he really couldn't do much more here in Washington. He said he tried everything to get the players motivated but it just didn't work. When a coach says that, the decision to let him go is pretty easy.
He also said that he had not really ever faced in his coaching career multiple beatings the way the Caps were taking recently. He was classy in the interview. I liked him and he did a lot for the organization. I wish him well in Anaheim and I also hope that Hunter can turn things around for us.
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