Archive for the ‘Reaction’ Category

Cris Carter finally gets Canton’s respect

Posted by Sean Tomlinson under Reaction on Feb 02, 2013

Slowly, the thick dam that was holding back some of the NFL’s best wide receivers from being enshrined in Canton is leaking. But another blockage is developing among the pass rushers.

That’s the immediate takeaway following the annoucement of the 2013 Hall of Fame class this evening in New Orleans, which came after a marathon day when the selection committee met for over 10 hours. Cris Carter finally received the respect he very much deserves, and he’ll be enshrined alongside Bill Parcells, Larry Allen, Jonathan Ogden, and Warren Sapp. In addition to those five, there were also two senior candidates who will be honored this summer (Curley Culp and Dave Robinson).

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The Patriots’ offense just seemed…off

Posted by Sean Tomlinson under Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Reaction on Jan 20, 2013

I want you to sit back, and think about something for a minute. I know, thinking on a Sunday usually isn’t advisable, since not thinking is generally the best way to consume football. But before we dive into the Ravens’ 28-13 upset win over New England in Foxboro that’s unleashed the Harbowl (*punches self*) in two weeks, there’s something deeper and all-encompassing which needs to be considered.

The losing teams in today’s championship games had names like Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, Julio Jones, and Roddy White on their respective offenses. Those guys are pretty good, and they helped to give both the Patriots and Falcons halftime leads. Combined, the two teams held a lead of 37-21 at halftime. Yet still, combined they lost 56-37. That alone is shocking, but it gets worse.

Those teams with those names and that immense offensive firepower combined for exactly zero points in the second half of their games. Seriously.

For the Falcons earlier this afternoon, their loss was crushing yet expected, as only a week ago they did everything in their power to lose. This time they succeeded.

But for New England, the hurt was quite literally historic. Prior to today, New England was 67-0 at home with a lead at halftime in the Tom Brady era.

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The Falcons tried to lose again, and this time they succeeded

Posted by Sean Tomlinson under Atlanta Falcons, Reaction, San Fransisco 49ers on Jan 20, 2013

It's been a slice, Tony.

Let’s begin by going back — way, way back — to a far away, now foreign time when the Atlanta Falcons were more than just leading their NFC Championship game against San Fransisco. They were dominating in any and every way imaginable.

To review:

  • A 20-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones was the opening play of the second quarter. That made it 17-0 for Atlanta, the second straight week they surged out to at least a two-touchdown lead.
  • That Jones score was his second of the day, and already his sixth catch at that point. His other touchdown was a 46 yarder, which came only seven plays into the game.
  • Another fun fact involving the number seven: Jones’ first touchdown came only seven yards short of the longest pass play surrendered all year by the 49ers’ secondary, a category in which they finished tied for first with Buffalo.
  • Jones had 120 receiving yards and two touchdowns by the 14:54 mark of the second quarter while averaging 20 yards per grab. He was the first wide receiver to amass 100 receiving yards during one quarter of a post-season game since Carolina’s Steve Smith in 2005.
  • What’s even more impressive — and now, crushing — is that in the same time frame Matt Ryan had already completed four passes for 20 yards or more. On the season, he was averaged three…per game.
  • Also, after the first quarter Ryan had 162 passing yards, while Colin Kaepernick had one. Yes, just one yard. Not a joke.
  • Taking that further and beyond the first quarter, Atlanta finished the first half with 297 total yards on offense. During the regular season, San Francisco gave up an average of 294.4 yards per game. Also not a joke.

Yet none of it mattered. For the second straight week, the Falcons did everything in their power to lose a game in the second half. This time, it worked.

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Depth? Yes, the Patriots have that

Posted by Sean Tomlinson under Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Reaction on Jan 13, 2013

Few coaches can operate a running back carousel quite like Bill Belichick, though Mike Shanahan is the ringmaster. Earlier this year we had hardly heard of Brandon Bolden, and then suddenly he had 137 rushing yards at a pace of 8.6 per carry in Week 4 against the Bills.

Now, enter Shane Vereen. After losing the battle for the starting job to Stevan Ridley during training camp, Vereen had been relegated to spot duty, receiving double-digit carries only twice. The result was meaningful and important yet still unspectacular production, with Vereen’s single-game rushing high a 49-yard outing way back in Week 7, and he finished with 149 total receiving yards, 91 of which came in one week. Overall then he averaged just 5.7 yards per touch, and 36.4 yards per game appearance (11) with four touchdowns.

So of course today during New England’s 41-28 win over the Texans he was summoned off the bench in a greater capacity after Danny Woodhead’s thumb injury, and he scored three times while finishing with 124 total yards.

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The Falcons tried to lose today, and finally that effort failed

Posted by Sean Tomlinson under Atlanta Falcons, Reaction, Seattle Seahawks on Jan 13, 2013

This could have ended a lot differently, and this probably should have ended a lot differently. When a mostly fast, mostly up-tempo, mostly vertical team tries to revert to being conservative, generally what they’re asking for is then received.

Failure. Crushing, and repeated failure.

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Where you at now, Kaepernick doubters?

Posted by Sean Tomlinson under Colin Kaepernick, Reaction, San Fransisco 49ers on Jan 13, 2013

When it was announced that Colin Kaepernick would be the 49ers’ starting quarterback for the remainder of the regular season even after Alex Smith recovered from his concussion, water coolers and coffee makers everywhere were pissed. They knew what was coming: endless discussion of a question that had no immediate answer.

Every quarterback decision is colored in only black or white, and those who sided with Team Alex (only slightly less hip than Team Edward) talked at length about fearing the unknown. They warned us of the forthcoming rookie-pocalypse, as Kaepernick was essentially still a rookie in terms of his game experience. They preferred steady over flashy, chill over swag, and reliable over risky.

In truth, there was often a far more basic human element at play. There’s still a timeless battle between people and change.

So, where you at now, Kaepernick haters?

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Don’t blame Peyton Manning

Posted by Sean Tomlinson under Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning, Reaction on Jan 12, 2013

This is the moment Peyton Manning lost the game. Wait, what?

Admit it, you want to blame Peyton Manning. You want to assign him all of the blame for a playoff overtime loss, and watch him wallow in his #Manningface depression. You don’t think he’s worthy of MVP consideration anymore either, because who the hell under throws a pass that badly during OT? (no, narratives don’t care that the MVP is a regular-season award).

If the above doesn’t apply to you, good. You’re better than this hack, and the lord of the curmudgeons.

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