Buffalo Sabres trade deadline results

Sabres
Get
Dainius Zubrus,
Timo Helbling,

Give
D 2007 first-round pick
C Jiri Novotny, C

Get
2nd round pick
Give
Martin Biron, G

Get
Ty Conklin, G
Give
5th round pick

Get
Mikko Lehtonen
Give
4th round pick

To summarize, I was wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. Regier balled, he busted a move, he bought a cell phone, he heard of the internet. Darcy made trades on deadline day, he didn't sit on his laurels. Dumping Biron, a player that wouldn't win us the cup, was an unrestricted free agent after this season, and a player that would not see the ice in the post season and parlaying that into Zubrus was a solid play. The Sabres 1st round pick this season will no doubt be in the late 20's at best. The flyers 2nd round pick could be 31st over all which is basically a first round pick.

Another need outside of a large forward who can score was defensive depth. Four d were hurt last year and this year if that happens the Sabres will at least have some players that have played in the NHL (albeit 20+ games combined) and don't have the terrible reputation that players like Rory or Jillson had. Thus we can't single them out as all the blame assuming we do lose a few blue liners in the playoffs. Plus we still have players like Paille, Paetsch and Staford as complementaries for a playoff run or to fill in immediately.

Losing Novotny is not hurting this team this year. Earlier this season some reporter from Canada proclaimed Novotny to be the next Patrick Elias, I heard this and was pumped. However, after watching Jiri play this year I was less than impressed. He is a big guy with raw talent, but at the end of the day this was the trade that had to be made. This is the year to go for the gusto. The Sabres may never have as good a look at it as this year leading the league in points, two potential "super" stars in Briere and Drury staring at free agency and a plethora of young talent assembled to add to the mix.

Overall I give Regier an above average grade. He didn't get nuts, but he didn't blow it either. Only time will tell for sure, but if Connolly returns this year mark it down I am saying the Sabres should win the Stanley Cup.

Buffalo Bills ink Chris Kelsay

ESPN.com's John Clayton reported that the deal is worth $5.75 million per year, with $14.5 million guaranteed. Four years $23 million. The Buffalo Bills resigned their 3rd biggest free agent ahead of the beginning of free agency with this questionable contract.

However, be for Bills Nation strings Levy up on the nearest tree lets look at some stats. In 2006:
John Abraham - $2 million, 18 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 pass defended

Patrick Kerney - $4.95 million, 14 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 2 passes defended

Grant Widstrom - $3.5 million, 37 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 pass defended

Dwight Freeney- $5 million, 29 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 3 passes defended

Chris Kelsay - $500,000, 61 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 4 passes defended

A major problem last year was the Bills run defense. Kelsay didn't help to much in this aspect but retaining him should help the along the defensive line. The new cap in the NFL is going to bring some insane unpredictable numbers to people that may or may not deserve it.

Again this seems like some crazy jack for what is perceived as a mediocre d-end to most Bills fans. But hey it appears Levy/Wilson aren't "playing it cheap" If you believe what Marv says, then keeping our own free agents is a key to winning, this accomplished that and hopefully retains what would have been another major hole on the defense. Plus the Bills are being proactive instead of reactive setting the market value. This contract is roughly 5.2% of the Bills entire cap number for 2007 with 53 man roster you should if equally proportioned get 2% giving better players a higher percentage giving our starting d-end across from Schobell an extra 3% isn't that bad. However that's pretty much all the positive I can spin outta this one, lets just hope the rest of this week sees the bills spending money and maybe filling more holes on either line or LB/CB

Buffalo Sabres and the fight last night

The fight had everything an old school hockey fan could ask for, goalies brawling, coaches irate, players fighting goalies, all 10 players scrapping, and everyone came out uninjured. That is except Chris Drury who is experiencing some concussion type symptoms. The hit was late, Drury had his head down, his helmet was or was not on properly, and Neil followed through with his elbow up in the air.

Hockey is a tough game with tough hits and sometimes less than clean and honest players with vendettas and anger. The hit wasn't clean but it was no where near as bad as Bertuzzi or some other hits in the past. All I know is two things, Saturdays game is the most important game of the season and if Drury is out for any extended period of time the Sabres are in trouble.

If the hit was from behind how did his shoulder hit Drury in the forehead? If his elbow hit Drury why was it below the line of Drury's head and then went up after the initial contact. If it was a clean hit why was it 1.5+ seconds after Drury shot the puck? Why did it appear Neal went towards Drury's head and out of his own direct path after Drury shot the puck?
ITS HOCKEY FOLKS, THERE ARE HITS. I wouldn't condone shots to the head but I wouldn't want my goalie fighting the goon on the other team either. WHERE was the rest of the Senators team to take Peters down when he was sizing up your goalie?

To the question of bandwagons, a bandwagon fan is a fan that has not followed a team through an entire season and can not name all the players on the team. A bandwagon fan is someone who only follows a team that is winning. They buy their gear only because everyone else is and will stop following the team once they lose. Bandwagon fans are necessary in sports to fill the arenas but man they are annoying.


The trade deadline is February 27th 4 days away and this just in, Darcy Regier isn't going to do anything! He seems to be to afraid to mess with this team. He is hamstrung by the salary cap no doubt but there has been a backup goalie who could start in a few cities for nearly 2 years now. Why hasn't he been traded yet, he is of little value to this team provides little right now and won't play in the playoffs so why isn't he being traded within the next 4 days?

Last year Regier didn't make a move on Drury and Briere getting them long term deals and didn't trade for another defesemen for depth. Apparently he was comfortable with Rory Fitzpatrick as the 7th man. Yes, hine site is 20/20 but Rory? C'mon I could have told you he wasn't good enough to win the Stanley Cup. Those three moves are severely haunting the city of Buffalo right now.

This year is the year to win the Stanley Cup, Regier needs to go all out, deal who ever needs to be dealt. Who knows the next time the Sabres will have this great of a look at a championship this year. Who cares about next year, this is the year, trade the goalie, trade the prospects get after it Darcy.

I bet he doesn't cause he is scared, he doesn't want to be the guy that messed something up. But if something does happen before the 27th, I'll be the first to say I'm wrong.

Darcy Regier's trade history 1996-2007 Buffalo Sabres

From buffalorange.com Here is Darcy Regier's trade history as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres

1997-1998 (his first year)

-LaFontaine traded to the New York Rangers for 1998 2nd round pick (Andrew Peters) and a conditional pick in the 2000 draft (5th round, not exercised)
-Andrei Trefilov traded to Chicago Blackhawsk for undisclosed draft pick
-5th round pick traded to Pitt Penguins for Jason Woolley.
-Brad May and 1999 3rd round pick traded to Canucks for Geoff Sanderson
-Jason Dawe traded to the NY Islanders for Paul Kruse and Jason Holland

1998-1999

-Steve Shields and a 1998 4th round draft pick traded to San Jose for Kay Whitmore and a 1998 2nd round draft pick(Jaroslav Kristek), and 5th round draft pick (not used)
-Donald Audette (holding out) traded to LA Kings for 2000 2nd round draft pick (Milan Bartovic)
-Matt Barnaby traded to the Pitt Penguins for Stu Barnes
-Alexei Tezikov traded to Washington for Joe Juneau and a 2000 4th round draft pick (Tim Preston)
-Mike Wilson traded to Florida for Rhett Warrener and a 1999 5th round draft pick (Ryan Miller)
-Derek Plante traded to Dallas for 1999 2nd round draft pick (Michael Zigomanis)

1999-2000

-Cory Sarich, Wayne Primeau, Brian Holzinger and a 2000 3rd round draft pick traded to Tampa Bay for Chris Gratton and a 2001 2nd round draft pick (Derek Roy).
-Michal Grosek traded to Chicago Blackhawks for Doug Gilmour and Jean-Pierre Dumont

2000-2001

-7th and 9th Round picks in 2001 traded to Tampa Bay Lightning for a 7th round pick in 2000 (Paul Gaustad)
-3rd round pick in 2001 traded to Columbus Blue Jackets for Steve Heinze
-Kamil Piros and a 4th round pick in 2001 traded to Atlanta for Donald Audette

2001-2002

-Michael Peca traded to NYI for Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt.
-Dominik Hasek traded to Detroit for Vyacheslav Kozlov, a first-round pick in 2002 and future considerations
-5th round pick in 2002 draft traded to Atlanta for Bob Corkum

2002-2003

-Vyacheslav Kozlov, 41st pick overall in 2002 traded to Atlanta for 31st and 82nd picks overall in the 2002 draft.
-31st pick overall in 2002 draft and rights to Mike Pandolfo traded to Columbus for the 20th pick overall in 2002 (Dan Paille)
-31st( Jeff Deslauriers) and 36th(Jarret Stoll) picks overall in the 2002 draft traded to Edmonton for Jochen Hecht.
-Erik Rasmussen traded to Los Angeles for Adam Mair and a 5th round pick in the 2003 entry draft.
-Vaclav Varada and a 5th round pick in 2003 entry draft traded to Ottawa in exchange for Jakub Klepis
-Chris Gratton and a 4th round pick in 2004 entry draft traded to Phoenix Coyotes for Daniel Briere and a 3rd round pick in 2004
-Stu Barnes traded to Dallas Stars for Mike Ryan and a 2nd round pick in 2003 entry draft

2003-2004

-3rd round pick in 2004 entry draft traded to Nashville Predators for defenseman Andy Delmore
-Keith Ballard traded to Colorado for Steve Reinprecht
-Then right after Rhett Warrener and Steve Reinprecht traded to Calgary for Chris Drury and Steve Begin
-4th round pick in 2005 traded to Minnesota for defenseman Brad Brown and a 6th round pick in 2005.
-Jakub Klepis traded to Washington for Mike Grier
-Andy Delmore traded to San Jose for 9th round pick in 2004 entry draft.
-Curtis Brown traded to San Jose for Jeff Jillson

2004-2005 (lockout)

2005-2006

-6th round pick in 2006 NHL entry draft traded to the Washington Capitals for Tim Kennedy.
-3rd round pick in the 2006 entry draft traded to the Calgary Flames for Toni Lydman.
-Milan Bartovic traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Michael Leighton.
-Mika Noronen traded to Vancouver for 2006 2nd round pick

2006-2007

-Taylor Pyatt traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a 4th round pick in the 2007 draft.

Buffalo Sports dude shoots from the hip

The Sabres once again are in the midst of an injury plague of epic proportions. Kotalik, Spacek, Afinegenov, Gaustad, Novotny etc are out for a good chunk of time at least. So what do the Sabres do? Plug in the rookies and I couldn't be more excited. Hopefully, now the Sabres will be playing with motivation and inspiration unlike the hockey they have been playing since their 10 game winning streak. The new lines will look like this:
Jochen Hecht Daniel Briere Jason Pominville
Daniel Paille Chris Drury Adam Maire
Thomas Vanek Derek Roy Drew Staford
Andrew Peters Mike Ryan Clarke MacArthur

Four rookie forwards spread out over three lines. These guys will playing to stay on a playoff roster, if possible, and should be gunning hard. Well, at least they're playing the Flyers.

Last week I attended two big east basketball games. First, Louisville @ Pitt in the Pete Center on Monday and then UCONN @ Syracuse on Saturday. Potentially four hall of fame coaches in one week during rivalry week and I wasn't exactly impressed. Pitt was overwhelmed or under prepared for Rick Petino and his attacking guards. Louisville jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The crowd was starting to leave at half time and the pizza cost $5 plus no beer.
A 2007 NCAA record 33,000+ crowd at the Carrier Dome was a bit more raucous. I got free tickets in the student section and the "Loud House" didn't let me down as much as the Pete. The game was close for the first 30 minutes with a bit of a scare with about 2 minutes left. I was more worried about getting the under than anything else, but the Big East basketball competition maintained my attention throughout. March 7th Big East tournament, you better believe I'm counting down the days.

There has been a lot of furor over the presser by Levy last week. It is taking the leading scientists and economists in the Western Hemisphere to determine what exactly "cash to the cap" means. In a nut shell, it means the Bills will count the entire signing bonus of players signed to that years cap number instead of spending the signing bonus legally over the length of the contract. The one interesting question posed is whether previous years signing bonuses not paid in real cash in the 2007 season will be "double accounted" this year and count against the amount of money the Bills are willing to spend again this year. The popular opinion is that it will because most people think Ralph Wilson is cheap. I really don't know the answer but my assumption is the accountants are going to make Wilson and Levy spend more money than they want to either way and perhaps they don't even realize this over sight.
It appears to be a mute point any way, because many of the tier 1 free agents are being franchised including Briggs, Samuels, Freeney and a few others. Clements appears to be the big catch now and with the Bills 'cash to the cap' policy it is a virtual certainty he will be playing else where this season. Whats the solution? Trade down and accrue draft picks.

• Norv Turner is the new San Diego head coach? That team will now self destruct in 3.. 2.. 1..
• Juan Rivera doesn't get a head coaching job so he gets fired as defensive coordinator and takes a line backers coach position? I'm as confused as you
• Are we sure Cam Camera is really the head coach of the Dolphins?
• Brady is a baby's daddy? I'd call him a baller but I hate him, and hopefully this is a distraction for the 2007 campaign. Maybe he'll get his new supermodel girlfriend pregnant too. We can only hope.
• Big race? What big race..
• Pitchers and catchers reported last week, the position players are now in, well except Man-Ram... shocking! Either way I am excited.
• Pacman Jones in a shooting at a strip club, I love it.

Seven or eight guys competing for 5 spots in the Mets rotation. Break down to follow..

Bills press conference 2/16/07

Overview of the entire conference:
and found here
http://download.rbn.com/nfl/nfl/open/bills/download/021607levy.mp3

• Pretty likely Clements Fletcher etc will hit the free agency market but they would like to resign them before then.

• "cash to the cap" the cap is $109 mil and the team will spend cash to the cap and not go over.whatever that means. "we're not going to mortgage the future" Overdorf is calling the shots with the contracts ie the economics . Levy Juaron all had a 4 day meeting with Wilson in West Palm Beach and are willing to spend to the cap.
• Not necessarily improve via Free Agency look to within and in free agency. The biggest need is offensive line. Aaron Merz, Pennington, Butler all mentioned.
• Not one specific position targeted in free agency by o-line is HIGH on the list.
• Two of our best free agents last year were our own, denney and j reed.
• "We have to get better against the run" Production from lb's and d-tackles. Attack and not just pursue from our linebackers.
  
• CB position We dont know what we have in Youbouty, there is no corner out there we like better than Clements. We may look to the draft for this position. No talks with Dre Bly.
• Spikes is still a concern, its tough coming off that injury and it probably led to other injuries. They are still in the process of evaluating Spikes.
• Improving the offense starts with the o-line. "The tight ends have to be a weapon in the pass play" " We need to improve in the running game" "There will be another running back in here challenging McGahee" probably through the draft free agency is limited.
• "Right now Willis is our top running back" Not talking about a contract with him right now Levy and Wilson didn't hear WM's comments about Toronto. "Its not a big deal"
• "We will not be using the frachise tag this year"
• Crowell may move inside. "Your linebackers need to attack not just pursue" Took blame away from d-tackles.
• Mike Gandy being brought back is still being discussed but he made it seem unlikely. Called out Everett and Murz
  
• "Maybe I'm the wrong guy to talk about the cap, I'm don't understand the cap"
  
• The question, is this player worth spending a bit more who makes the call, Dick Jauron. But the group still makes the decision more Jauron input though.
• Evans is a premier receiver, Josh got better as the season went on, we saw things from Roscoe we like. Peerless Price came in and played well. "We won't be active in free agency at WR, but if it came in the right spot the draft is an option"
• Spikes is not projected to move inside, that is not an option they are considering at all
• Didn't talk much about drop off in ticket sales at the meeting
• There have been requests by the Bills to ask for opponents at different times of the season to improve ticket sales.
• Craig Nall may get a better look, Holcomb coming back is not a certainty. Sounded like he might not be.
• Losman can be a top 10 QB, he needs the cast around him though. " We see qualities in him we like"
• Keeps referring to the Colts and Polian, and losing players similar to the Colts losing James.
• 1 or 2 restricted free agents the bills are targeting

Should be an interesting offseason

Buffalo Bills offseason Part 1

As I stare out my window in the middle of February with an inch of snow falling an hour, winds gusting at 15-20 mph and a temperature in single digits I can't help but think about the Buffalo Bills. The Bills have holes, and as free agency begins March 1st those holes are only going to increase i.e. Nate Clements, London Fletcher, Chris Kelsay, Daimon Shelton, Kiwaukee Thomas, Mike Gandy, Anthony Thomas, and Andre Davis.

Whether we bring any of these players back or not is still in doubt but I for one will be counting down the days until London Fletcher-Baker is off this team(14 more days). Since he has gotten here he has done two things, lose big football games and make tackles. Perhaps undervaluing his ability to make tackles or his big play making abilities all I am remembering are the numerous times in which LFB and his defense collapsed in the fourth quarter, when the team needed a big stop, or even when all they needed was A PLAYER TO NOT!!!! KICK THE BALLLLL!! ya know so Jacksonville wouldn't get 15 extra yards a free time out and more momentum. It probably isn't fair to blame the numerous collapses of an alleged great defense, which at one point in 2004 compared them selves to the Super Bowl winning Baltimore Ravens defense, only on LFB so I won't. I am going to blame Nate Clements, Takeo Spikes and even Kennelsay. It isn't yet however time to cut ties with Spikes. Yes, he does have a big base salary and a smaller cap hit if we do cut him, but the Bills should give him one more year, if not for him but for the team to see if there is value left in him and to see if he can return to his pre-injury days.

Clements wants too much money, he is a very streaky player and doesn't seem like he has that winning mentality especially after saying he would go for the interception again instead of trying to just knock the ball down in that same Jaguars game. The only other meaningful UFA the Bills may lose is Mike Gandy. Continuity plays a factor in a good offensive line and keeping him would maintain consistency on the o-line, however if an upgrade without a major upgrade in salary is available the Bills should explore those options.

Needs
Linebacker
Defensive end
Guard
Cornerback
Wide receiver

The number one need on the Bills is line backers. The departure of the MLB, the questionable status of Spikes, and only Crowell and dare I say Ellison as the only other linebackers with starter quality on the roster leaves holes. Outside linebacker Adalius Thomas is slated to be an unrestricted free agent however it is rumored the Ravens could franchise him. Another major possible free agent looking at a franchise tag is Lance Briggs who also players OLB. If the Bills were able to lure either of these players away without giving anything but cap room, Crowell could move inside, which has been discussed as a viable option by Bills insiders, and maintain Spikes opposite either Briggs or Thomas. Looking to the draft Patrick Wills LB out of Ole Miss is rumored to be of great interest to the Bills and possibly available at or near the 12 spot in the first round.

Defensive End comes next on the list. With the possible departure of Kelsay that only leaves Denney and Hargrove(a restricted free agent) opposite Pro Bowler Aaron Schobel. The undersized inability of the Bills D-ends to stop the run severely hurt the Bills defense and put major pressure on young D-tackles Kyle Williams and McCargo/ overpaid underachieving Tripplett. This specific lack of run stuffing ability by the d-ends is why I am leaving out Defensive tackle as a major need of the Bills this offseason. With some protection on either end and a more appropriately sized MLB Williams, McCargo, and Tripplett may be able to flourish. It is still too early to see which DE's will be available come March 1st, perhaps the 2nd or 3rd round is where this problem could be addressed also.

To be continued..

IMPORTANT DATES

Franchise tag dead line Feb 22nd

Free Agency starts March 1st

NFL Draft April 28-29

Buffalo Sabres

I've come to a crossroads in my opinion of the Buffalo Sabres this week. Instead of unnecessarily bashing the Sabres calling them undersized, weak, pre-modanas, divers, over paid, over rated, not ready to win the championship etc etc I will only positively or constructively criticize the golden slugs. I mean some of that stuff is probably true and some of it is true, but we are getting to close to the playoffs and it is time to get excited about it.

But however, do not worry, I will still consistently tear up the fans of the Sabres mostly just the bandwagoners and extremely sensitive ones. They were saying on WGR the other day that during the Senators game they were doing the wave late in the 3rd period with the game tied. WTF is this bullshit, give me a break. You shouldn't be doing the wave regardless, but never EVER in a close game in the final period. C'mon sabres fans you're as bad as that.

The Sabres at press time are at the top of the league in points or at least they were yesterday which leads me to believe that the Presidents Trophy is within our sights. Winning this trophy is rare honer typically saved for teams like the Detroit Red wings and well thats about it. To the bst of my knowledge we have never won this title, especially considering we have won the division only twice in what like 30 years, this would be sweet to win.

The top spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs would come with this award meaning we could be playing a team like Tampa Bay. All i know is I hope we don't play a team like pittsburgh in the first round, yikes. The most important thing is to get on a roll in the playoffs and the only way to get on a roll is by winning. If the Sabres struggle in the first round or have to go 6/7 games it would significantly hurt the Sabres chances of winning it all. So playing Tampa would/ should be an easy series to dominate. Another thing is if the Sabres fail to advance past the first round I hope this city burns to the ground. This would be the ultimate let down, the choke of all chokes and I would be the first in line to stick it to all these 3 month old die hard fans with their season tickets and golden slug sweatshirts they bought on the corner of Main and Transit or where ever. It would be hilarious, but after the first round it will get serious and definitely not funny.

A few questions buzzing around this squad leading up to the trade deadline. Who should we get, should we trade anyone, is Regier alive, Kotalik? Roy? MARTY? a prospect? The only player I would like to be moved before the 27th is Alex Kotalik. Partially because of his contract part because of his skittish production but mostly because he is expendable. Crapchester is full of prospects and players that can contribute in the NHL, are much cheaper, and probably deserve a shot as well as should be seen more for future seasons. Marty-ball Martin Biron might as well stay where he is. In a perfect would he would actually start just about twice as many games as he has and even play in a playoff game or two. I think the NHL is moving towards an era similar to what the NFL is going in with two running backs, two goalies. I mean not if you have Brodeur or some baller like that but if you have a b- or worse goalie you should probably have another one waiting in the wings.

The final BIG question is tin can Tim Connolly. The Sabres need this guy back to win the Stanley Cup bottom line. It seems impossible to know if he is 100% coming back this season, how effective he will be, if he will be Tim Connolly or what the 'bres will get with his return. If he comes back circa game 1 of round two last season then the Sabres can pretty much sit on their laurels and not make a move at the deadline. If their is an inkling he wont be back 100% than something has to happen, a veteran, a solid defenseman, something. Regier should and hopefully is under a lot of pressure. This could be the real best chance the Sabres have at Lord Stanley esp. with Briere and Drury's contract status. All I know is I'm slowly getting back on board but until I actually attend another playoff game may not be back fully. Lets go Sabres F the bandwagoners and I can't wait till mid April.

Super Bowl hangover

Well, the Superbowl lived up to the hype. It sucked. If no money was wagered on this event I probably would have had an urge to turn the channel. Rex Grossman and the Bears offense was more inept than Atlanta in a snowstorm. Peyton Manning made the minimum number of plays to be awarded the MVP, and both coaches gave uninspiring performances.

Does Rexy have finger prints and ridges on his hands to allow for griping? Did the Chicago Bears play their entire careers in a dome? 100% of pundits gave the edge to the Bears with wind and rain on Sunday. As per usual the pundits were wrong. The Colts capitalized on numerous fumbles and turnovers and a real lack of care with the football throwout the game by daaa Bears.

This Super Bowl was not won, it was lost. This game was lost by the Bears offense. Getting solid if not great field possession the entire game, being spotted 7 points to being, and a missed extra point and field goal was still not enough for Rex to gain the confidence required to win a 'the big game'. They scored 10 points in the final 59:50 and never were really in the game midway through the 2nd quarter.

Is an 81.8 quarterback rating really worth the MVP? The same number of touchdowns as interceptions, 54 yards passing in the second half and benefited from a stellar running game and on yea, five turnovers. The most valuable player was Rexy for the Colts however the deserving mvp was a split between Rhodes and Addai.

The Colts played conservative in the second half. Dungy and the crew did not impress me one bit. Kicking a field goal mid way through the 3rd quarter instead of trying to run the ball on fourth and 1 from the goal line (after the running into the kicker if accepted) showed you were scared. Maybe Tony knew that Rex would fall apart and the Colts would benefit from a pick six,feeling no ill effects from having 1 time out in the 4th quarter and no challenges left (because Tony challenged an 8 yard reception by Harrison and a bone headed challenge of 12 players on the field) and that L Smith would out blunder him. Lovie it is five yards, don't waste a time out so you don't get a too many men on the field call in the 2nd half of a Super Bowl. How about buying Rex some gloves, or kicking your center in the groin from not being able to snap the ball.(I'm not sure exactly who's fault it was for all those fumbled snaps leave a comment if you do).

Other tid bits:

• My friend needed the Colts to cover to win $1800.
• Another friend lost $1800 because Hunter Smith can't put down an extra point snap.
• Rumors of Dom Rhodes and Thomas Jones being available this off season.
• A team needs two running backs in the NFL.
• Game props are fun to bet on.
• Does anyone ever finish an entire plate/bowl of dip and not throw any out?
• It is better to get pizza and wings or whatever during half time so you can eat chips/Doritoes/dip during the first half, other wise you are too full.
• This win does not put Tony Dungy in the hall of fame.
• Thurman Thomas is a balla
  

Super bowl 41 sucks

God damn is anyone else as bored and tired of this Super Bowl and it hasn't been played yet? There is really nothing of interest. Wow neither team has won in a while. The Bears have great fans, the Colts stole their team from Baltimore. Oh Boy, there are two black coaches for the first time ever. Peyton Manning got the monkey off his back and got to the big game by beating Brady. Well, let me tell ya...

Manning didn't get anything off his shoulder. Tell him to ask Jim Kelly or Dan Marino. If Manning chokes this game away he will always be a choker and the last two weeks will have not existed as far as revisionist historians are concerned.

Why is it a story that two black coaches are even playing in the game? Are they going to be saying the same thing if two European, Hispanic, Asian or Canadian coaches are in the 'Big game'? Doubt it. And WTF is with not being able to say Super Bowl you have to say the Big Game in advertisements and shit. The NFL is starting to lose its luster and it has a lot to do with being too cool for itself and everyone else. Are we even going to be able to blog about 'the big game' in a few years?

The only slightly interesting thing said all week leading up to this Sunday was Army Tank Johnson sans guns/amo blaming his arrest and everything on racism and not oweing up to his inexcusable stock pile of assorted weaponry and storing it loaded around his young children. I really feel bad for him..

Watching ESPN tonight I noticed a bunch of the prognosticators saying what the Bears and Colts need to do to win this game. Irving I dont even think was high on cocaine or hiding a crack pile, however is this really the first time these guys were asked what they think needs to happen? 12 days after the Conference championship games? Also, who was sitting there writing down notes of these guys giving their opinion after hearing people give their opinion 12 days later. Well hopefully a few of them are doing that now reading this but I digress.

Alright to the game..

• Manning is a choker, sans 2 weeks ago, thus he probably will choke.
• Rumors of rain Sunday, that will majorly help the Bears.
• Defense typically wins over offense, just watch the Ravens/Giants superbowl as I did today.
• The better running backs are both playing for the Bears.
• The better special teams and defense as reported by Wilbon and Kornheiser this evening on PTI play for the Bears. (They were the first two people I heard actually picking the bears.)
• The Colts have the better coach, although he didn't win in Tampa, Gruden did.
• Can anyone find Marvin Harrison? Does he take off January/February? Sure fire hall of famer ducks into a hole in every big game?

I have no clue who is going to win, but I do know this. The game will probably be close, unless the AFC really is that much better than the NFC. After watching and listening to as little coverage of the 'Big game' as possible(no more than 4 hours a day) I conclude that I will be either taking the Bears with the points or teasing the Bears with the points and probably teasing the over. I still need some prop bets, so post me what you like, I'm think Berry won't do shit against the cover 2.


In other news, some bum that hasn't done shit even 5+ years Brent Farve is coming back for year 17,000 oh boy I can't wait! Aaron Rogers I feel for ya man, even though you suck and probably won't ever start a game for the Packers.

God damn I can't wait till the first Bills home preseason game, that jumbo tron is going to be Hugggggge Buffalo Huggggggge.

Bears 25 Colts 25.5