The Case Against Eli Manning and The Hall of Fame

Sunday was not a very good day for me, for obvious reasons.  Looking back on last week, I think I was just preparing myself for the worst and just waiting for it to hit me.  And hit me, it sure did.  Once the Patriots let Ahmad Bradshaw crouch into the end zone and putting the Giants ahead 21-17, I knew that it was over.  Even with Tom Brady at the helm and 56 seconds left in the game to work with, I just knew it was over.  During that final drive, I only looked up at the TV once, and that was to see Deion Branch drop a pass with nobody within ten yards of him.  

I sat there and couldn't believe that this was happening again.  And it was happening in the same exact way!  Even though there were a couple friends in the room with me, I didn't say a word to them.  I didn't want to say anything, and it was probably best that I didn't open my mouth right then.  If I would have said anything, it surely would have been R-rated and in poor taste.  To be honest, if the Patriots had to lose that Super Bowl, I would have preferred to watch the Pats lose in any other way that you can think of, instead of what actually transpired.

Yes, even watching the Patriots get blown out 55-3 would have been more tolerable for me than watching the Giants offense systematically march down the field and, at least after the big Manningham catch, knowing they were going to score one way or the other.  It's moments like this game that I wonder to myself why exactly I care so much.  Why do I care about sports this much?!?

My Completely Objective Rundown of Everything About Super Bowl XVLI

This year's Super Bowl is most likely going to be a lonely one for myself.  It hasn't been that way in years past, but it will be this time.  And that's actually the way I'd prefer it to be this year.  You see, the Patriots are my team of choice in the NFL, and when they're playing, I tend to get a little bit intense. 

So, when the Patriots are playing in the Super Bowl (or any other game of significance), I would much rather watch it by myself, thus avoiding all the noise and random BS that happens when not everyone in the room cares about the game as much as I do.  The more I think about it and write about it, it seems like a bit of a sickness.  But I digress.

I've spent the past week watching the media coverage from afar, trying to avoid getting too wrapped up in all the pre-game hype that has become as much a part of the Super Bowl experience as the actual game itself.

In fact, if the Ravens and 49ers were playing in this year's Super Bowl, there's no doubt I would be paying more attention to all the random, over-dramatic, non-story stories than to who was going to win the actual game.  Maybe a lot of people are like that.  Maybe not.

Conference Championship Weekend Picks

For the past week, ESPN has pretty much been unwatchable for me.  I haven't been watching it non-stop 24 hours a day or anything, but every single time I've turned it on, it's been a story about how the Giants just never will give up, how bad that Patriots defense really is or if Joe Flacco is good enough to "get the job done".  Things like that.  I guess as the number of teams left in play dwindles, there are less things to talk about.  So I can't blame the media.  I just choose to stay away from it.

Having said that, the conference championship week media circus is only the second worst week of the sports media year.  It pales in comparison to Super Bowl media week, when you're talking about being unwatchable.  But let's not get started down that road.

There are only so many story lines the media can come up with and drill directly into my skull.  And even though I'm a Patriots fan, so I do have a rooting interest still, I'm tired and glad the week is over.  That's probably why I've waited until the last minute to post my picks.  This isn't going to be very in-depth folks.

NFL Divisional Round Playoff Picks

Before I start this post, let me just say that it feels like a lifetime ago that I last wrote anything on here.  In an ideal world, I would be a full time blogger, and maybe even make some money from it.  But in the less-than-ideal world we live in, I've got to have a full-time, regular job so that I can pay the full-time, regular bills.  And boy does paying bills suck. 

If you can think of a worse feeling than sitting in front of the computer to pay bills, I'm all ears.  I think I'd literally rather get punched in the face than sit down and pay bills.  I mean, even if I have more than enough money to pay the bills, I hate the act of actually paying the bill.  Anyway, I'm getting way off topic here, so I need to stop.

Bear with me as I get this blog thing up and running again folks, it's been a while.  I'm in a position to start posting more on here, so be sure and check back regularly.  Right now though, I'm going to give you a NFL playoff picks post (yes, I know....a very lazy post idea) so that I can ease back into this blogging thing.  Let's get into it, shall we?