A Very (Sports) Thirsty Thursday

Hey there and welcome back to the show. Previously on the Reilly Sports Blog, I was hyping up the Saints-Patriots matchup as the game of 2009. A 38-17 final score later, here we stand a little red in the face. Neither team could really stop each other on defense, but Brady threw a couple of picks while Brees was a mix between Joe Montana and William Wallace. Everyone got involved in the action.

The Saints' leading receiver? That would be Marques Colston, the team's undisputed #1 wideout. However, there was news today that surely turned his week from sweet to bitter. Colston is one of the few NFL players that attended college at Hofstra University. Located in Hempstead on Long Island, it is indeed a hometown school of the blog. Today, Hofstra announced that it has dropped its football program after 69 years of existence. Colston and Willie Colon of the Steelers are some notable alum that are currently playing on Sundays. But the most famous product of the Flying Dutchmen/Pride program is Wayne Chrebet, formerly of the Jets. Until this year, the Jets also held all of their training camps on Hofstra's campus. These factors will always connect the small school with my favorite football team. So though I didn't attend Hofstra, it was still sad news to hear.

Ok enough sappy stuff. Considering it's a Thursday night, there is a rather tasty sports brew on tap for the evening. Here is a brief overview on where my eyes will be tonight...

• 7:00- Tune in for the puck drop in Atlanta, where the Islanders are playing the Thrashers.
• 8:00- Set DVR for Community on NBC. I hear that it's ratings are crappy, perhaps bordering on cancellation. That would be criminal. Watch this show if you haven't before.
  
• 8:15- Kickoff between the Jets and Bills in Toronto. This game becomes the primary game I watch. Check back to the Islanders on commercials.
• 9:00- Set DVR for The Office. I'm pretty sure they don't have any ratings problems.
  
• 9:01- Flip over to the Oregon-Oregon State college football game. The winner will go to the Rose Bowl to play Ohio St. Go Ducks! This will become another secondary game. It will share time with the Islanders until that game ends at about 9:30. Afterwards, this game has exclusive rights to the Jets game commercials.
  
• 9:30- Islanders end, hopefully with a victory.
• 11:30- Jets end, please Lord, with a victory.
  
• 12:30- Oregon's Civil War game ends, with a Ducks blowout.

So how 'bout that Thursday. All locked up from 7 pm until after midnight. Should be fun. Except for my eyes of course, who won't have any fun and will probably be begging for mercy by the end. Whatever. I'll keep eyedrops close.

So, here's the solitary pick (as if it will be a surprise.)

Jets (-3) over Bills
Yes, the Bills are bolded because they are technically 'at home.' They are also getting 3 points against a team they already beat on the road. Mark Sanchez bought, gift-wrapped, and delivered that game to the Bills (5 Int.) And he is more than capable of a repeat performance. But the Jets will be content having Sanchez throw under 15 passes tonight. New York ran for over 300 yards against the Bills last time, and they'll go for 400 tonight. Thomas Jones, Thomas Jones, and Thomas Jones some more all night long in Toronto. And when he gets tired, they will run Shonn Greene into the ground. It may not be the most captivating game in NFL history, but the Jets are in desperation mode from here on out. No style points; every win is poetic. The Bills offense seems to be on a roll, but they will be stopped if the Jets defense comes to play. And they will. God help me, they will.
Jets 24, Bills 13