So Long, Bradshaw and Boley

In cost-cutting maneuvers, the Giants released three of their veteran players this week: Michael Boley, Chris Canty and (maybe most surprisingly) Ahmad Bradshaw. After last week's second half of the season it was inevitable that some heads would roll, but few had envisioned one of those heads to be the team's number one running back Bradshaw. David Wilson flipped his way into the hearts of Giants fans this season but it's still unexpected. For his part, Bradshaw's handled the move with class and even hinted that he'd be open to returning for a lesser salary. Whatever ends up happening between now and September, let's take a look at the two most memorable moments in the Bradshaw and Boley era.

Bradshaw's unintentional game winning ass TD in 2011

 

and the greatest moment in Boley's career and worst moment in that poor bastard's life

 

 

 

and here's Chris Canty playing golf

 

 

 

Good Riddance, Summer

The summer is a highly over rated season. I know, I know, everyone looooves the summer, it's blasphemous to even suggest that it's actually lame. There's been literally thousands of songs, movies, books, television shows, whatever, dedicated to the virtues of summer. The sun, the fun, summer love, blah blah blah. That's all well and good when you're a child who has nothing to do for two months but read comic books, jerk off and play x-box in the comfort of your parent's air conditioned home. But alas, when you're old and defeated by life like we are, the summer is nothing more than a tease, like all those maxi dress wearing P.Y.T's who aren't your wife on the subway (maxi dresses are the proper term for those dresses that every girl was wearing this summer. You know the ones). Speaking of the subway, the iron horse is particularly torturous during the summer months. During the surrounding seasons, it's merely a pain in the ass to take the train to and from work every day. During the summer it's the closest many of us will get to a living hell we can complain about to other people. You thought homeless people with AIDS smelled bad in the spring and fall? Hoo boy, are you in for a treat. The Fall on the other hand is pretty under rated. Sure, there's been a few songs and movies bigging up Autumn throughout the years, but it's usually just talking about the changing colors of the leaves and new beginnings. In other words, gay shit. The Autumn is under rated as a time to truly get twasted off your ass. The summer is well known as the time for after work outdoors drinking, but I'd counter that 60 degrees is the perfect time to sit outside and drink your sorrows away. If you're a sports fan, you have many reasons to love the fall. Let's be honest, the summer is a dead zone for sports. Around July, even the players start getting bored of playing baseball. There's a reason it's called the dog days of summer. Besides that, you have the Olympics and all it's boring sports every 4 years and what else? The WNBA? The end of summer means the beginning of football season (college and pro), a time to get drunk 3 or 4 times a week, and a valid excuse to ignore your wife. Baseball games actually mean something, and the NBA is right around the corner. There's a reason Autumn rhymes with awesome.

So, throw your cargo shorts back in the closet, break out your hoodies and light jackets and bid farewell to the most over rated time of year. Screw you, summer. Check back in with us in December when we start bitching about Winter.

Peyton Manning Will Play for the Denver Broncos

My inside sources have told me that Peyton Manning will sign with the Denver Broncos (These not the same inside sources that said the NBA lock out would last 2 years)

My source has told me Peyton is signing with Denver for the following reasons.

1. Denver has over 50 Million in Cap space,this will allow Peyton Manning to get paid, and bring in such players as Reggie Wayne, Jeff Saturday , and Dallas Clark. At the same time this extra cap space will allow Denver to go after free Agents like Mario Williams which will only bolster the good defense that Denver had in 2011.

2. The AFC west is Joke compared to every other Division and it would be a cake walk for Peyton and his new team.

3. Denver has a wealth of football experience with John Fox and John Elway making the majority of football decisions. Other teams in the mix can't offer that.

4.Tim Tebow, now becomes either juicy trade bait or one of the most dangerous end zone players in the game. The options this creates for Denver's new offense will have opposing defenses spinning for weeks.

Basically Denver will mortgage their future in order to get themselves closer to a Super Bowl, then they have been in the past few years.

M@D Out!

Giants vs Saints Preview

Tonight is a statement game for the Giants, they need this win to keep pace with the Dallas Cowboys, and gain confidence as they prepare for their match up with the Green Bay Packers. I look for the Giants to get into Drew Brees comfort zone and sack him at least 4 times. The Giant should win a close one in a dog fight 27 to 20.

M@d's 5 Observations About The First 5 Weeks

1. The NFL is a passing league as evidenced by the fact that there are currently 4 QB's who are on pace to break Dan Marino's single season record of 5084 yards. Three of those QB's are pictured above and if you care to know about the 4th just click this link.

2.Rushing attempts are way down, the current leaders in attempts is Adrian Peterson, he is on pace to average 22 carries a game and finish with 352 attempts, that will good for 54th all time in a season, he won't even break his personal attempts record of 363.

3. The two above current patterns in the NFL can not and should not continue. As the season progresses all teams will be hindered by the weather and other elements, and coaches should come to realize that they can't win shootouts with certain teams and will turn to their running games to protect leads and keep other teams off the field.

4. There are some crazy surprise teams out there but I'll start with Buffalo. When the season started they didn't make any flashy additions , but they actually found a way to get better with some subtractions, trading Lee Evans who for a long time had been an explosive player, but was always plagued by inconsistency. The toughest move for the Bills, though, was just outright cutting Aaron Maybin.Why was this such a tough move? The organization basically admitted that they made a mistake by drafting him with the 11th pick of the first round in 2009 (not every organization can and will do that) and it's that type of self reflection that has the Bills winning more games against opponents they normally would have lost to last season. The second biggest surprise for me is the Lions, every NFL analyst could have told you that they would be better but if any of them told you they would be 5-0, you would think they would have lost their mind. Their start is impressive but I'm looking forward to the rest of their season as they don't have a single cupcake finishing up their schedule. The 3rd and final surprise for me is the San Francisco 49ers. Not that they are tops in their division(Its the weakest division in my opinion), but the play of QB Alex Smith,who has been written off so many times and this season looks like he finally has figured it out. Smith is currently 3rd in QB passing rating.

5. The NFL seems to be the most fun it has been in years, with so many comebacks and talented players. I feel like for the first time in a long time the game is the focus, and not the mouth's of players with huge egos like Chad Ochocinco, Randy Moss, or Terrell Owens.

I feel this is going to be one of the best seasons in NFL history, and I hope you all enjoy the show.

Giants vs Rams Preview

A must win game for the Giants already? In order to keep pace with the other 1-1 teams in the division, I think it is. As a Giants fan, I don't want to be the only team in the Division without a win. Also, historically only 12% of teams that start the season 0-2 them make the playoffs (despite the Superbowl team of 07 bouncing back from that slow start, you don't want to press your luck). So, Big Blue, let's beat up on this Rams team that comes limping into OUR stadium.

On the other side of the field the Rams haven't been on Monday Night Football Since 2006. Will they forget how to play football since the game is on a Monday? As I Giants fan I sure do hope so. They have a talented but young Quarterback named Sam Bradford, who will be without some of his offensive weapons. But to be as fair and balanced as I could be in this preview, here are two points that could make things easier for the Rams to win.

1. QB play, Eli doesn't look or play like Micheal Vick so the Rams should have a easier time defending him.

2. The Giants are still hurting on Defense

Overall, I hope its not an exciting game, with the Giants dominating.

Week 1 Picks

Like most of America, some members of the PTU crew (M@D, Bagels, and myself) have joined a “Pick ‘Em” pool. The rules are simple. Pick all the games in any given week using the point spread. I don’t make myself out to be an expert, but I do think I’m better than these two clowns. So here go my week one picks (omitting last night’s game, which I lost…stupid goal line last play).

Giants (-3 ) Why give points when five of your defensive starters are out? You do it because the Giants have won five straight against these bums and the Giants have too much offense for “The Skins” and Rex Gross-man. I also love seeing the legacy of Mike Shanahan deflate while Elway looks more and more like the greatest QB of his generation.

Cowboys (+5) I hate the Jets. I hate the Cowboys. I hate this game and having to pick it. This feels like a game where the Jets put me to sleep after too many beers with Uncle Frank and win with Sanchez putting up 150 yards on 11/20 passes.

Ravens (-2) Like many, I think the Steelers will win the division and will be waiting at home to play someone in the AFC Championship game. But I’m taking the Ravens here given it’s early in the year and the home team always seems to win this game (by a field goal).

Lions (+1.5) I’m drinking the Kool-Aid for one week. I like the Bucs (I have Mike Williams on one of my fantasy teams and I wanted to draft Josh Freeman) but if the Lions are ready to get that last playoff spot, it has to start somewhere.

Falcons (-3) If you can give me two good reasons to believe in the Bears’ O-Line or Jay Cutler, I’ll consider otherwise.

Bills (+6) Ryan Fitzpatrick looks like a guy I want to have a beer with, wouldn’t mind getting in a bar fight with, and someone who will secretly throw for over 3500 yards in Butthole, New York. The Chiefs overachieved last year and are primed for a let-down year. I can’t see them losing a home opener (Arrowhead is a huge homefield advantage) to a bad team, but wouldn’t be surprised. 6 points are too much.

Colts (+9) This isn’t a result of having faith in the “The Bearded One” a.k.a. Kerry Collins. It’s lack of faith that Houston (a perennial disappointment) can cover a huge spread and actually live up to an expectation.

Rams (+5) The Rams looked like a disciplined, overachieving team all last season. They showed the same discipline under Spagnolo this preseason and Sam Bradford looks like he’s ready to improve on a solid rookie year. Conversely, the Eagles have bench warmers claiming they are a “Dream Team” and Andy Reid has cost gamblers a ton of money with bad use of time out’s/challenges/overly aggressive play calling. I’ll take the disciplined home team getting points any day.

Browns (-6.5) The Bengals just had Ced Benson come back from jail (he should be ready for his standard 30 carries and 60 yards) and they are starting a “Ginger” QB. That’s enough to pick against them…I guess.

Titans (+2) I think The Bald Bomber and some “runaway from the cop’s speed” should be able to beat whatever inexperienced player the Jags start at QB.

Cards (-7) I’m not sold on Kolb just yet, but I’m convinced Cam Newton is terrible and this entire Carolina team is going to be God awful. One Arizona touchdown may be able to get you a push.

Seahawks (+5) Everyone knows the 49Ers are throwing this season to get Andrew Luck. They shouldn’t be favored again this year.

Vikings (+9) The Chargers seem to be 9+ points better than Vikings. But the Chargers don’t start playing until late October making me weary of the points.

Pats (-7) I was mad this was the Monday night opener. I was even more mad when I saw what the next game was. The Dolphins are not good. The Pats are. The Pats also have a douche bag, homeless wizard for a head coach who loves running up scores on crap teams, inflating the numbers of the most P-Whipped QB this side of the Mississippi.

Raiders (+3) Another crap MNF game. Unfortunately, I’ll probably place a small wager on this game and stay up until 1 in the morning watching and wondering, “Why does ESPN force me to watch this crap when there were so many other great games this week?” Run DMC killed the Broncos last year. That’s enough for me to take points.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

Ladies, Gents, Children of all ages! The time has come for some FOOTBALL! Tonight's match up is The Saints of New Orleans vs The Packers of Green Bay. Rather then bore you with words on how much I love football and telling you how much you should love football, I am just going to break down the game.

Packers are going to win the game, here is why.

1. Saints defense is still Swiss Cheese, Rodgers and company will take advantage of that to the max.

2. Saints improved ground game is smoke and mirrors. The Saints will miss Reggie Bush more then they know. Teams use to have to game plan for him, now the Packers can just key in on the passing game and give Drew headaches all night.

3. Packers are at home. Short preseason + having to travel= not a good time for the Saints and their passing game that involves a lot of timing.

Even though you know the outcome, there is still plenty of reasons to watch the game. It will be exciting and its the only game in town. So put your feet up, grab some brews and chow down on your E.P.H. from Pete's and enjoy the game.

M@D out!

Mark Sanchez Is As Good As Joe Namath

If you ask any Jets fan about Mark Sanchez, you are bound to hear praise. Comments ranging from how awesome he’s been in the clutch to how he’s the best quarter back in New York. Some of them even go as far as saying that although it is early in his career, he may be as great as Joseph William Namath.

Well Jets fans, you’ve all got one thing right. In his early career, Sanchez is very similar to his older Jets counterpart. Aside from loving booze and ladies (try and Google “Namath & Susie Kolber" followed by “Marc Sanchez freshman arrest”), both Sanchez and Joe Willy have a skill possessed by few athletes. They own the ability to distract everyone from the important stuff like a poor passer rating, completion percentage, yards per game, or even TD’s. Instead of focusing on those things, they force you to look at team results, earned by talented players, whose hard work got the team a win but barely got them the post game interview love they deserved. While his defense is licking its wounds from a hard hitting game, his running backs are icing knees that had to fight 8 men fronts all day, and his receivers are getting massages for the hits they took outreaching for yet another overthrown ball, Sanchez is front and center for the interview. Could you imagine a world where Trent Dilfer got some love for actually winning the Super Bowl and that Ravens “D” was a secondary story?

If you speak ill of their beloved “Nacho” (thank you Bart Scott and HBO’s Hard Knocks) Jets fans will quickly go into a defensive mind set. They will tell you that he is still young and has the most post season wins of any Jets QB in history. They will not tell you that prior to last year, that record stood at two wins with Joe Namath, Richard Todd and Chad Pennington owning that distinction. They will omit that those playoff wins should be attributed to a great defensive scheme and excellent execution and their failure to make it to a Super Bowl falls squarely on the shoulders of their lack of a consistent offensive game (Sanchez does show flashes of good play, but flashes aren’t beating the Steelers in December).

They will also omit that he was 29th in completion percentage, 27th in QB rating, 25th in yards per game, and 19th in TD passes. You should be careful of mentioning these stats around Jets fans, as they may tell you that “their” Jets are a run first team. These fans would be shocked to know that of all QB’s in football, Sanchez was 9th in attempts, which is more than Flacco, Brady, and Josh Freeman (who is a personal favorite of Snoot and mine, mostly for his awkward fro).
These are all similar positions Jets fans take with regards to the team’s Godfather. After guaranteeing a win in Super Bowl III, Joe Namath threw for exactly zero touchdowns and did not throw a single pass in the 4th Quarter. Despite all of that, Namath still won the Super Bowl MVP (the only guy to do so without throwing a TD) and is heralded by Jets fans as the savior of the AFC. All poor Matt Snell did was carry the ball 30 times for a 121 yards and a TD. Jet fans will also defend their hero’s status as a hall of famer despite his QB rating being lower than all HOF’ers aside from Bobby Layne, Bob Waterfield, George Blanda (a man who had diabetes and lost some toes), and Jim Finks. All of those guys had their first start between 1945 and 1949…not a very pass friendly league in those days. They will also ignore his losing record as a starter and the fact that he threw more picks than he did touchdowns.

I’ve tried having a discussion with Jets fans about Namath and Sanchez for a while. It usually just gets me frustrated. I’ve learned that the next time a Jets fan says something about Sanchez, it’s better to just tell them, “Bro, he’s as good as Joe Namath.”

M@D's NFL preview THE YEAR OF THE BUST!

I was going to wait till late August to write about the NFL, but I just can't take it. I am dying to see grown men launch themselves violently at each other(In a controlled manner of course).

I am labeling the 2011 NFL season the year of the Bust, first all it will start the rein of King Bust aka Cam Newton, second of all with all signings and the season around the corner there is no way all of these new players with their new teams will pan out. I see a lot "reaching" by NFL clubs, but I digress, I over joyed to know that will be Football to be watched on Sundays and I look forward to proving to you all what a great Football expert I am.