Reilly Sports Blog

Conference Championship Preview-palooza

2011-01-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

Hello again, folks. Sorry for the lack of follow-up posts after the Tuesday reaction. The last few days have been spend sifting through preview sections, getting mentally focused for today's game, and...yes, a little bit of reveling from last week.

From what I've seen of the New York papers, this town is confident the Jets are going to the Super Bowl. With all the published predictions, you would think Gang Green was facing the Pittsburgh Pirates on the field today. But it's to be expected--almost everyone locally picked the Jets to beat Indy last season. It's times like this where if you're in the New York media and don't buy in, it's really a lose-lose for you. If you pick against the Jets and they lose, whoopdy doo, you get it right and everyone else is miserable. Pick against them and they win, and then you're the dweeb who went against them. So all NY media picks should be taken with 50 grains of salt (except this blog's, which should be taken with the normal one grain of salt.)

So the Jets are trying to make the big show for the first time since Brett Favre began (Not his football career career--his life.) Meanwhile, plenty of attention is being given to Bears-Packers on the NFC side of things. They play in the same division, are both very talented, and the fans despise each other. Should be rather enjoyable starting at 3pm today. Wanna know what's going to happen? You got it!

GREEN BAY PACKERS (10-6) AT CHICAGO BEARS (11-5)

The Line: Packers by 3.5

How They Got Here

Well, the Packers side of things is a bit more interesting. It seems like a very, very long time ago when Green Bay took on the Giants with a playoff berth virtually at stake. Ever since taking care of business that day, the Pack have been the hottest thing going in the NFL. They had some bizarre losses this season (consecutive overtime losses to the Redskins and Dolphins.) And two other losses can certainly be forgiven, since Matt Flynn took the place of a concussed Aaron Rodgers for two weeks. Their quality wins include the Eagles and Jets, and of course the two straight wins over the Giants/Bears to close out the regular season. Rodgers has achieved super-duper-Jesus Christ-superstar status in the league, and nobody thinks he can be stopped on his way to a Super Bowl. On the other hand, the 2010 Bears have played this season with the sole mission of making me eat servings upon servings of crow. I anointed them a 5-11 team in my NFL preview, and they turned the tables by going 11-5. To be fair, I'm still not sure how they did it. After all, the Bears were no better than 20th in the league in pass yards, rush yards, and pass yards against. But they shut down the rush, they are opportunistic on defense, and Jay Cutler has gotten work done when he's had to. Losses were to Giants, Seahawks, Redskins, and Pats before their finale loss to the Packers when they had nothing to play for. Even though it was do-or-die for the Packers, Chicago led most of the game and were threatening late. Quality Chicago wins include Dallas (pre-implosion) Philadelphia and the Jets.

How the Bears Can Win

Well, I have a feeling Chicago will be a bit more emotionally charged. They won the division, the Packers didn't. They are playing at home, the Packers are facing their third straight road game. Put all that together and the Bears are...a field goal underdog? Dopes like me have given the Bears (particularly Cutler) no recognition for how good they've played. Sure enough, everyone is laying at the feet of Aaron Rodgers this week and the Bears are the 'other team.' That's a dangerous mix, having their home fans behind them. Since I don't see the Pack running game doing anything, the Bears defense must do the improbable and find a way to slow down Rodgers. It may take some unique tactics. Perhaps Lovie Smith will take Julius Peppers aside and recreate this scene, right down to the purple sweater. I came away really impressed with Cutler after how he carved the Jets--those throws he made were ridiculous (in a good way.) Forte and the Bears have the edge in the running game too, which can allow them to mix it up better. Last week, the Falcons did a miserable job with the chances they had to bring down Rodgers. If Chicago is going to stay in it, they will need to finish. Don't forget about Devin Hester in the return game, either. Because if Green Bay does, he can turn the game all on his own.

How the Packers Can Win

More of the same. The offense faced little resistance in Philadelphia, and no resistance in Atlanta. The Eagles game could have been as ugly as the Falcons game, except Green Bay dropped an easy touchdown and got a little too comfortable with the lead in a coaching sense. James Starks gave the Packers a running game nobody saw coming in these playoffs. Green Bay's defense has also improved in its stellar regular season. Raji, Matthews, Woodson, Williams, and Collins are serious playmakers. The formula so far is get a nice lead, then let the defense take the ball away as the other teams try to play catch-up. Green Bay has answered all questions about winning on the road, so the rowdy fans shouldn't terrify them. But boy is it going to be cold there. Rodgers was waltzing around and flicking the ball wherever he wanted in Atlanta's dome...that may be tougher to do on a crappy field in crappy weather. Very few people disagree with the fact that Green Bay is better than Chicago across the board. They just have to avoid disasters (Peppers haunting Rodgers, kicking foolishly to Hester, etc.)

The Pick

This one's for you, Chicago. As I said, my opinion of the Bears in the preseason was less than flattering. I'm sure it didn't get much better during the season--I'm scared to go back and look how many times I picked Chicago against the spread. But I'm ready to move on. All this Aaron Rodgers-is-God talk is becoming a little much for me. As slanted as this stat may be, Rodgers has half the amount of playoff wins as Mark Sanchez! Yeah, Jay Cutler only has one playoff win himself. But the disrespect for a playoff home team can't be underestimated. Which game would you be more confident about...the Saints beating Seattle on the road, or the Packers beating the Bears on the road? Green Bay has already visited Chicago once this year, and came out of the game on the losing end. We have already seen enough craziness in these playoffs. Jay Cutler in the Super Bowl would be the delicious cherry on top. Get ready for a wild one.

BEARS 34, PACKERS 31

NEW YORK JETS (11-5) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (12-4)

The Line: Steelers by 4

How They Got Here

The Jets beat a couple of scrubs, and the Steelers took down their hated rival. Hehehe. Ok, Gang Green is on a ridiculous high after taking down the two quarterbacks who dominate the football landscape. Rex Ryan constructed gameplans catered to hold down two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, and he's got one more guy left. The Jets up-and-down season has been well documented, and it was the victory in Pittsburgh that finally got them their swag back. On the Pittsburgh end, the regular season was impressive. Their only losses were to Baltimore (without Ben) New Orleans, New England, and these Jets. As good as that regular season was, they did not instill fear into their opponents with last week's performance. They looked finished in that 3rd quarter when Baltimore led 21-7. Yes, the defense took over bigtime. but Baltimore was also quite accommodating to the comeback. The Jets will look to take an early lead in this one (like in the regular season when Brad Smith took back the opening kickoff.) Of course, I will be the billionth person to indicate Troy Polamalu and Heath Miller didn't play in that one. Both will be there today.

How the Jets Can Win

The confidence this week as compared to last week is like night and day. After taking down Manning and Brady, the team has put its complete belief in Rex and the coaching staff that they can form a great scheme. The Jets have great balance, and were basically the only team that gave Pittsburgh trouble in the running game this season. Passing the ball, Sanchez has found a 'comfortable' routine of sucking early and brilliance late. The Steelers can be had in the secondary, but it's all about being content with the safe throws instead of making mistakes going for it all. On special teams, Heinz Field is a nightmare for kickers. Already being a living nightmare, this isn't great news for Nick Folk. But in terms of the return game, the Jets must take advantage of their superior ability. Smith's kick return was truly the difference last game. For the defense, they must capitalize on the few opportunities they get. If a sack is possible, a sack must be attained. No whiffs, no arm tackles that can be swatted. As long as the coverage guys play as incredibly as they did last week, things will be tough for Ben and the offense.

How the Steelers Can Win

The defense can win the game on its own. Their ability to take the ball away will have me horrified everytime Shonn Greene touches the ball. As Baltimore clearly showed last week, you have to play your best for sixty whole minutes if the Jets want to win. On offense, Miller is always there for Ben if trouble arises. If you put last week out of your mind for a moment, remember the difficulty this team has covering guys in the seams. Gang Green begged and dared Indy/New England to run. Things will change this week because the Steelers do that a lot better. If the running game is successful, play-actions to Mike Wallace running deep will be lethal. Despite the media's love affair with Rex and the Jets, the Steelers are favored for a reason. A road win over New England does not guarantee a road win over Pittsburgh. No matter how much it feels like fate for these Jets.

The Pick

Last week I was hoping against hope. Admittedly, now I'm hoping...with(?) hope. These Jets have talked about it ever since Hard Knocks swept the nation. Few can argue that this has been one of the wackier NFL seasons in history. Going along with that, I don't think the traditional, win-every-year Steelers have a place in the Super Bowl. The Jets got this far last season, only to run into an Indy juggernaut and have it all fall apart. Well, the juggernauts have already been vanquished by Gang Green. The Steelers are a tremendous team. But this is 40+ years in the making. You could put the football Monstarz out there, and I'd take these Jets. This is Finland-after-Russia for 1980 Team USA hockey. This is Cardinals-after-Yankees for the 2004 Red Sox. The Jets are going to the Super Bowl. Don't let my postgame victory coma last any more than two weeks...we've got a game to watch in Dallas.

JETS 21, STEELERS 13

Tuesday Trash: Trying to Put Into Words

2011-01-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

Unbelievable. Unreal. Overjoyed.

In previewing Sunday's Jets-Patriots game, the great question everyone had was, "45-3...what changes this time around?" It was the same two teams. In the same stadium. With everything on the line. Personally, I had no idea what would change...concluding that it was a leap of faith to think the Jets had a chance.

A leap of faith that the Patriots offense (point totals in their final 8 games: 39, 31, 45, 45, 36, 31, 34, 38) could somehow be contained after the Jets were so powerless on that Monday night.

A leap of faith that the Jets defense (who lost so much shutdown-ability since their great 2009) could hold their own in coverage and somehow muster any kind of pass rush.

A leap of faith that Tom Brady would show a human side after his historical run to end the season.

A leap of faith that Mark Sanchez could conquer the demons of playing in Foxboro (in two previous games: 300 total passing yards, 1 touchdown, 7 interceptions.)

Finally, the leap of faith that Rex Ryan could do what he promised: for one game, outfox Bill Belichick.

Last week in Indianapolis, I was incredibly uneasy going into the game. I knew Gang Greencould win the game, but this was Peyton Manning. Admittedly, the Seahawks beating the Saints helped my psyche incredibly. I knew one game had nothing to do with the other. What happened in Seattle had no impact thousands of miles away in Indianapolis. But when the 'Hawks won, I just felt it set the tone of, "Get ready for these playoffs. Because things are gonna get wild." Next thing you know, Nick Folk sneaks one through the goal posts as time expires, and the Jets punch their ticket to New England.

Fast forward a week. The Jets will never admit it, but they must have known that they had much more to win than lose against the Patriots. The Pats were Super Bowl favorites and everybody bought in. It's why you were hearing arguments that this team was better than the 2007 team that went to the Super Bowl 18-0. This team was supposedly peaking at the right time and ready to skate to a championship. It's why Welker had fun with his foot comments. It's why Belichick consequently had no problem sitting Welker for a series as a punishment.

And in watching the game, boy did it feel different from Indy. Maybe the memories of 45-3 were still dancing maniacally in my head. But personally I was just waiting for the Jets to climb into a bit of a hole and see if they could dig themselves out. The Pats played their part, moving the ball crisply on the first drive. But the Brady interception just turned everything on its head. The Jets simply never got picks this year, so I was watching in disbelief seeing David Harris 'running' (come on, he couldn't escape 450 lb. Alge Crumpler) down the sideline. Since Brady hadn't turned the ball over since his XFL days, the home fans were stunned. And any Patriots player that said they weren't also stunned would be a liar. On the very first series, the Jets showed they wouldn't be the sieve-swiss cheese-house of cards that they were last time. And who knows-- if Welker is on the field instead of being punished, maybe that play is run for him and the pick never happens. Whoever said the Jets' talk was worthless??

Sure enough, Folk launched the field goal attempt toward Trinidad & Tobago, and the Jets got no points off the shocking turnover. The Pats took the ball right back and marched, marched, and appeared to have a touchdown to Crumpler (meaning he would be responsible for a 14-point swing in this game.) Perhaps seeing how absurd that would be, the football gods fired a bolt of invisible lightning to Crumpler's hands and he dropped the ball. Seven points became three points. It's not much, but the Jets trailing by only 3 at the end of the 1st had all of their fans overjoyed.

When I look back on this game, one turning point I will always remember is Drew Coleman's sack in the second quarter. It was violent. It was vicious. And if Brady had any doubts after his interception, now he had to worry about his wellbeing in the pocket. Understandably, the Pats were not expecting the Jets to fluster Brady in the least bit. But when Rex creates schemes that make four rushers seem like 5-6, every quarterback is vulnerable. Great field position off the punt, Sanchez looks cool as ever going down the field, and the Jets lead 7-3 as Tomlinson skates into the endzone.

After that, I literally don't know what to say. Except for some special teams frustrations, the Jets played the game of their lives. Sanchez was John Wayne, being fearless-yet-efficient with his passes. Back before the Monday massacre, everyone was saying the Patriots didn't have the capacity to handle all the Jets receivers. While that game got out of hand and the point became moot, that viewpoint reared its beautiful head for the Jets in this one. Cotchery was everywhere, Edwards carried two Pro Bowl defenders into the endzone (disappointingly, no Dougie) and Holmes made a touchdown catch that will long live in Jets lore. Tomlinson was capable in his running, and Greene rocked the Pats to sleep to virtually clinch the game.

That's all well and good. But 28 points sometimes hasn't been good enough against the Pats this year. This game was defense, defense, and more defense. Brady never got comfortable, and it was just a snowball effect. The longer the Jets held down the Pats' vaunted offense, the more panic came from New England and the more confidence came brooding from New York. When Brady needed time, a pass rush that nobody saw coming suffocated him. Shaun Ellis sure picked a good time to have the game of his life. Ditto for the youngsters in the secondary that everyone thought would be treated like dog food for 4 quarters. There were plays where Brady had all the time in the world, yet had nowhere to go with the football. A lasting image from watching on television was Rex Ryan, clapping and laughing on the sideline after the Patriots' botched fake punt. The Jets played the Monday night game in a fearful, reactionary way. This time they would be the ones bringing the fight.

Going into this game, the Jets believed the best way to stop Brady was to keep him on the sideline. They allowed the Colts nine possessions the previous Saturday, and still barely hung on. Well yesterday, the game dictated that the Jets had no problem with Brady taking the field. Twelve possessions in all. On the night of 45-3, the Pats had 10 possessions. This time, even 21 points was deceiving. Gang Green allowed but one touchdown and two field goals before sealing the game. The Jets thought they had to do anything they could to keep Brady away from the field...they ended up beating him up and forcing him to the sidelines all by themselves.

And so it went. The Jets went on making plays, holding off a steady-but-by-no-means-terrifying New England rally. They watched the Patriots essentially dig their own grave with an eternal drive that zapped the clock and resulted in zero points. They held on to a few onside kicks, Shonn Greene scurried into the endzone, and it was see ya next year for the ballyhooed Pats.

Rex Ryan called this game the second biggest in Jets history. I suppose that by default, next week's game gets that title and this one slips to third. But I cannot think of a sweeter win for the Jet fans. They wanted to have a rebuttal to Pats fans rehashing memories of 45-3. They watched all week as Pats fans reveled in the fact that Peyton Manning lost to these Jets, as they were so certain that Brady and the boys had #4 all locked up. Look out for karma, New England-ites...all that enjoyment you get out of 'winning' the Brady-Manning discussions may be short lived. Because if Pittsburgh beats the Jets and goes on to win a Super Bowl, they're gonna be comparing their guy Ben to Brady. And look at the postseason success between the two--they'll have a heck of a leg to stand on. Good luck picking a side to root for this Sunday!

So though the Jets teetered on 'way too excited' mode after the game, there was certainly a lot to get off their chests. Unfortunately it was at the expense of Deion Branch. Despite being one of two teams to defeat New England this year, that game was totally dismissed because the Pats were now a 'totally different team.' Nobody bothered to consider that the Jets were exactly the same team, and they had the potential to do it again. They just needed a God damn snack to get themselves refocused.

In the broad scope of things, this win should be completely out of the Jets' heads by today. It's hard to believe that their playoff journey is only halfway complete. They've beaten quarterbacks that have combined for four championships, and they remarkably still need to beat a guy who has two himself. But as that significantly-smaller point spread suggests, the highest mountain for the Jets this postseason has just been summited.

Next Sunday night. Pittsburgh, PA. Jets-Steelers for the right to go to the Super Bowl. In the words of the deranged fellow that wears a Bart Scott jersey every Sunday for the Jets, "Can't wait."

Divisional Round Preview-palooza Part II

2011-01-15T21:10:00.000-08:00

After an NFL Saturday slate that featured an unthinkable shootout and an unwatchable blowout, I can't amply express how excited I am for today's games. We learned two things yesterday: 1) Regardless of who wins today in the AFC, neither team is going to be scared going against Pittsburgh in the conference championship game. 2) The Jets are a virtual lock to not have the most rotten performance this weekend!

More on yesterday's game in the Monday Mash. For now, on to the final two games of divisional weekend. I was trying to think of the optimal way to introduce today's matchups. After much deliberation, I consulted the past. I decided to see what was churning through my brain four months ago when I wrote my 2010 NFL preview blog. My self-confidence took an immediate hit within seconds. So many swings and misses. But as you look down at the playoff section, I did manage to get four out of eight teams correct in this very round. The Packers (nothing impressive about the pick) the Seahawks (direct any autograph requests to my email) the Jets (of course) and the Patriots (begrudgingly.) But I am guaranteed to miss at least three of my final four teams. The only hope of saving my picks section and my happiness will be for the Jets to pull a mammoth upset of the Patriots in Foxboro.

But the playoffs thus far have called into question whether homefield is a dominating factor. Except for last week's game in Seattle and yesterday in Pittsburgh, the other four games have been won by the visitors. Two of the home losers (Kansas City and Atlanta) got their doors, windows, and roofs blown off. So there is certainly a degree of hope for mega-underdog Seahawks and Jets this week. How much hope, you ask? Let's see how they measure up...

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (7-9) AT CHICAGO BEARS (11-5)

The Line: Bears by 10

How They Got Here

Actually, people are still kinda wondering how the hell Seattle got here. But they sure can't knock them anymore. The Seahawks were mocked, cheapened, and saddled with a 10-point spread as a home underdog last week. Nobody blinked at the fact that New Orleans piled up 36 points on Seattle's defense. But everyone was floored when Matt Hasslebeck & co. scored an astounding 41. Seattle had scored more than 25 just 4 times in the regular season. Marshawn Lynch had the run of the millenium, the 'Hawks and their crowd never stopped their charge, and voila! Chicago sat back in their recliners during that game. And--let's be honest--were probably doing somersaults when Seattle won. Chicago got here by playing stellar defense (3rd in NFL in points against) and be establishing an unspectacular-yet-steady mix of the pass and run. Despite the Bears' 11-5 record, there is a noticeable, relevant blemish on their regular season. October 17th...in Chicago...Seahawks 23, Bears 20. Seattle had confidence against a New Orleans team that manhandled them during the regular season--their mindset going against a team they've already beat should be great to watch.

How the Seahawks Can Win

You can make a non-maniacal case that Seattle has the quarterback edge in this game. Yes, Matt Hasselbeck is old. He's been bald for 17 years now. But as he showed last week, there's still some diesel left in the caboose. This is a quarterback with significant playoff experience as well as a Super Bowl appearance. He's even made a fake-cameo on South Park. At the very least, he won't be overwhelmed by the rabid fans. Chicago won't let anyone run on their defense, but that plays rather nicely into Seattle's hands. Despite Lynch's earth-shaker last week, Seattle isn't looking to ground and pound anybody. Hasselbeck will have to be the guy, and the Bears were a mere 20th in the NFL against the pass. As far as Chicago's offense is concerned, everyone expects Forte to have more success than the no-name injury replacements New Orleans trotted out there. But passing-wise, this will be far less daunting than the Saints attack. Take away the huge play, and they'll get Cutler to do things he's not supposed to. Kick returner Leon Washington better bring his A-game, because he will need it to keep pace with Devin Hester on the other side.

How the Bears Can Win

I'm not sure how to answer this question. On the surface, it seems so easy to say that Seattle just rode the wave of their fans and put everything they had into that one victory. It was their Super Bowl. They are content, and losing this game will not sully their great finish to the season. Chicago's defense is stratospheres better than the sham New Orleans pulled last week. Jay Cutler is no Drew Brees, but it certainly seems logical he can put up more points than the Chicago defense will allow Seattle. Lynch won't be breaking eight tackles all afternoon, let alone on any one play. Hester will make a difference in field position. Chicago needs to hop out early (like New Orleans) and never loosen the grip on Seattle's throats (unlike New Orleans.) A Packer win today means that the Bears are only one win away from hosting their divisional rival next week for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. It's hard to imagine that they won't seize this opportunity.

The Pick

Oh boy. I picked Seatte to lose by two touchdowns last week and they won. I picked Green Bay and Pittsburgh to lose today and they won. Should I go with my bread and butter tactic of being just plain wrong? No...it's not the Reilly way. At the full risk of going 0-3 on divisional weekend picks, I'm taking the Seahawks to cover. And I'm taking the Seahawks to win. Too many wow factors--Hasselbeck acting like John Wayne on his last legs...Pete Carroll constantly being on the verge of a stroke due to childlike excitement...everyone who said they shouldn't be in the playoffs eating their second serving of crow. Most of all, the whole Seattle-winning-a-shocker-immediately-before-the-Jets-kickoff really worked wonders last week. The NFC Championship is going through Seattle. 7-and-9? More like 7-and-FINE.

SEAHAWKS 21, BEARS 16

NEW YORK JETS (11-5) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (14-2)

The Line: Patriots by 9

How They Got Here

I could rehash the whole story, but I'm trying to keep this post under 25,000 words. In short, Rex Ryan hired by Jets two years ago. Magical run in 2009, a lot of talk of a breakout after, Hard Knocks, then beat the Patriots early in 2010 to get the hype machine in full throttle. Pats went about their business, traded Randy Moss yet got better, and everything led to a Monday night matchup in Foxboro with both teams at 9-2. Gurus and the general public were split on who would win. Those who picked New England were correct to the tune of 45-3. New England dominates the majority of the remaining regular season en route to a 14-2 record and a stone-cold frontrunner for the Super Bowl.

It's amazing what 45-3 did to the NFL universe. The Pats staked their claim on the league, while the Jets bumbled up and down, going just 2-2 after the embarrassment. Going into the Monday night matchup, the hype was insane as football folks (present company included) did everything they could to preview, analyze, try to find the minuscule things that separated New York and New England. Now? Nobody expects the Jets to win this game. Even the fans themselves--the majority have shifted last week's mindset (I don't know if we can beat Peyton, but this would really be a step back from last year) to this week's mindset (We really don't have a chance here, but at least we have back-to-back years with playoff wins in our pockets.)

The Jets got here with capable defensive play (but not nearly as good as last season due to pass rush dearth-ocity.) Technically, they have solid offensive balance between the run and the pass. But sometimes it seems to work against them in that they're unsure when to use which. An improving (but injured?) Sanchez, ridiculous 4th quarter comebacks, and they've shown they can beat anyone when they play to their potential. The Patriots got here because nobody can really stop their offense for four quarters, they never turn the ball over, and the defense just waits for opposing teams to make the inevitable mistakes as their deficits grow. So simple, yet so difficult to pull off.

Finally, we must mention the off-field stuff. Rex saying it's all about coaching. Cromartie calling Brady a butt. Welker with the foot puns, followed by Bart Scott's apparent threat to murder him. It's all worthless once the game starts, but boy did it grab some national attention.

How the Jets Can Win

Let me do my absolute best with this one. On that Monday night, 45-3 was a better outcome than something along the lines of 45-20. I truly believe that. When the Patriots pop in that game footage, they are going to find out vital information such as, "we can really contain Sanchez if he plays like sloth manure" and "this defense is pretty beatable when they have no idea what they're doing." When the Jets look at everything that went wrong (granted it probably took days to see it all) it's actually something valuable. As far as the defense goes, I'm not nearly smart enough to know all the changes that are needed from last time. I can only figure Welker will see a lot of Revis (if you're going to have Brady beat you, at least don't have it be with his guy on his terms) Cromartie playing his style on Branch, and a bunch of mixtures on the inside stuff and tight ends. On offense, I hope Rex simply played the 2nd half of the Colts game on loop all week for his team. They turned back the clock to last year when their run game and attitude was something to be feared, not sprinkled in. Peyton Manning touched the ball three times all half. It was poetry. If and when the pass game is needed, though, Sanchez needs to can the high throws he showed in Indy. A turnover early would be suicide in New England. It's just the way it works. Holmes needs to shake his weird case of the dropsies, Keller/Cotchery must be utilized because they always play their best against the Pats, and most importantly, Braylon Edwards needs to give Patriots defensive backs a follow-up lesson on how to Dougie.

How the Patriots Can Win

Belichick and his staff being great with a camera. Tom Brady not wanting to let down the son he abandoned (actually, I guess we should say let him down again.)

...Supplementary, Non-Hateful Ways the Patriots Can Win

The team is a perfect 8-0 at home. Tom Brady is historically efficient throwing the football this season. Every strength the Pats have on offense is a defensive weakness for the Jets. Last time the teams played, New England won by 6 (touchdowns, not points. Don't be silly.) There is no doubt the Patriots have more to lose in this one, which counts for something. Atlanta gave them a wakeup call today that 1-seeds can be as vulnerable as anyone else (You know, in the 0.000000000000001% chance that the Jets were coming into this one under-the-radar.) I think if we hooked everyone in the world up to a lie detector, there would be only one man that believes 100% in his heart that the Jets are going to win this game. And the Pats want to crush him more than anything in the world.

The Pick

I will spare you the dramatics. You know and I know that ever since Nick Folk's kick passed through the uprights last Saturday, this blog was going to pick the Jets to win this game. Listening to insane amounts of sports radio this week, you hear a lot of "45-3...what's going to change?" You know what, it's a great question. It was a great question last weekend when people previewed the Saints-Seahawks game. It was a great question in 2007 when the football world asked, "18-0...what's going to change?" Most of the time, there is no answer to this question and indeed nothing changes. But sometimes--the magical times--we are provided with an answer that no one expected come the end of the game. New England is coming in playing unbelievable football. Daunting as it may seem for the Jets, this is what they wanted. Rex Ryan said it the first day he was hired. Two years later, Belichick and his rings stand in the way of a return trip to the AFC Championship. 45-3...what changes today? Honestly, I have no idea. Just call it a leap of faith. Or perhaps a catapult of faith. But go ahead and take it, Jets fans. Who knows how many chances to leap we're ever going to get? JETS 17, PATRIOTS 14

My fingers are downright bleeding. Enjoy the heck outta these games, everyone.

Divisional Round Weekend Preview-palooza Part I

2011-01-14T21:39:00.000-08:00

Well hello again, folks. I will start this preview post with some great news. The four-eyes at GoDaddy finally have solved NY Sport Blog's issues, so that site will be back up and running in the next few days. I know this may be bittersweet for those who enjoyed this trip down CReilly Sports memory lane. Believe me, I've enjoyed it just as much as you. And you better believe, if the Jets win this week (and therefore go 2-0 in the games I preview on this site) we'll be right back here next week, regardless of NY Sport Blog's health.

But after what felt like one of the longest weeks in NFL history, the divisional round is finally here. It's the great week where quantity and quality are in play. Starting next week, only three games remain in this weird NFL season. So the four top-notch games on the slate for the next two days will be tremendous.

I am writing up this blog at 1:01 on a Friday night. One reason I'm doing so is because my current social life is comparable to Mother Theresa's. A second, more relevant reason is that your's truly will be present at the Jets Pep Rally tomorrow at the Meadowlands. Should be a fun way to kill the interminable time between waking up and the 4:30 pm game. One lucky(?) fan even wins a trip to Sunday's game in Foxboro! I hear everyone gets a free rally towel too. So there's that.

But enough about me. According to the point spreads, tomorrow's two games are the ones this weekend that are actually supposed to be competitive. Both matchups are razor-close in terms of talent, and the teams played down-to-the-wire games during the regular season. The tale of the tapes:

BALTIMORE RAVENS (12-4) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (12-4)

The Line: Steelers by 3

How They Got Here

Let me just first point out that I'm not a proponent for 'adding wins in the playoffs to a team's overall record. I know the Ravens are technically "13-4" after their win last week, but the unbalanced number doesn't resonate with me well. I know this kills the Seahawks excitement of potentially becoming a .500 team this weekend, but I can't help it. Ok, now back to something relevant. Pittsburgh and Baltimore, like they always do, battled it out in the same division, split the season series, and dominated most of the other teams they played. Pittsburgh has only lost to teams that made the playoffs (Ravens, Saints, Patriots, Jets.) And take the Baltimore loss with a grain of salt, considering it was a 3-point loss when Roethlisberger wasn't released from time-out yet. But outside of beating Baltimore and an overtime win over Atlanta, there aren't too many WOW victories for the Steelers. Drubbing the Bucs and Raiders are the best of the rest. Three of Baltmore's losses came against the NFL's elite (Pats, Falcons, Steelers) and they had one awful day against Cincinnati. In case you don't get the idea (and haven't heard the 20 billion people say it this week)...um, these teams are close.

How the Ravens Can Win

Baltimore needs to keep everything the same in terms of what they do for 95% of the game. It's always low scoring, it's always close. But in the end, the Ravens seem more prone to make the crippling mistake than Pittsburgh. Joe Flacco needs to hold onto the ball and be efficient. Running on the Steelers is as tough as it gets. But just consult New England- the Pittsburgh defense can be had through the air. Boldin, Mason, and Heap are very respectable receivers and all must be utilized. Ray Rice will be an important checkdown out of the backfield, because Flacco cannot afford to be too bold. The defense, particularly Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, know their window is closing as a championship contender. This Ravens defense isn't as terrifying as the one a decade ago, but they are as experienced as it gets, and will recognize everything Pittsburgh shows them.

How the Steelers Can Win

Personal behavior aside, Ben Roethlisberger is the guy you want on your team this time of year. He is tough, efficient, and can use his legs. He will make defenses crazy with his ability to turn a missed sack into a 40-yard play. The Ravens have had some weird games where their defense cannot stop the bleeding (Houston, anyone?) Nobody expects a shootout in this one, but Pittsburgh can certainly keep up should a circus break out. Mike Wallace is a big play waiting to happen, and it will be interesting to see whether Ben floats a bomb to him with Ed Reed patrolling the area. Pittsburgh will run plenty, but many are concerned about Ben's protection with that patchwork offensive line. Terrell Suggs and the rest of the Ravens' front seven are no picnic, so they will need to be sharp.

The Pick

This is a unique game where most fans probably won't even have a rooting interest. No matter which team advances to the conference championship, nobody will be disappointed. But I think this is Baltimore's time to shine. I know that homefield means quite a bit these days, but these teams did have the same exact record (with the Steelers being a pedestrian 5-3 at home.) Baltimore played their tails off last week and dominated Kansas City. Pittsburgh's bye, combined with two laughers to end the season, means they haven't played a meaningful game in quite some time. I know it's not much...but the way these teams play each other, it's more than enough for me. The Flac Attack gets the monkey off his Back (no, this pick was not made just so I could make that rhyme. But it sure helps.) RAVENS 10, STEELERS 9

GREEN BAY PACKERS (10-6) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (13-3)

The Line: Falcons by 1.5

How They Got Here

Really a perfect storm brewing in this one. The nation seems to think that the 2010 Packers are the greatest 6-seed of all time, and the 2010 Falcons are the worst 1-seed of all time. Atlanta has done nothing but win all season, yet has not gotten anyone's attention. The quarterbacks should shine in this one, as Matt Ryan goes toe to toe with Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay has overcome a decade's worth of injuries to make the playoffs. The Falcons rode Ryan's insanely hot home record all season, and their dome is where they want to be. Atlanta's three losses were nothing to sneeze at- Saints, Eagles, and Steelers. And one of their 13 wins came at home against this Packers team. Not counting the Matt Flynn chronicles of mid-December, that Falcon game was the only loss with Rodgers at the helm since October 17th.

How the Packers Can Win

Everything revolves around Rodgers on offense. He throws great, he runs great, he looks great (very Gyllenhaal-esque.) James Starks came out of nowhere against the Eagles last week to give Green Bay an unexpected running game. Whether he can do that again is questionable, but the passing game could provide enough to win. Woodson and Williams play great pass defense from the corners, and they will need to be sharp against Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and the others. Clay Matthews is looking to make Matt Ryan's life a living hell Saturday night. He can turn the game by himself.

How the Falcons Can Win

Well they would prefer to beat the Packers a little more comfortably this time around (Atlanta needed a big kickoff/facemask combo to make a buzzer-beating field goal.) Everyone and their mistress thinks that Green Bay has the overall better team. But there is something to be said about the Falcons in their building. Ryan just plays lights out. Although they limped a little bit toward the end of the season, everything they have done has been for this game in this venue. There are no superstars on the Falcon defense, but plenty of steady guys like John Abraham and Brent Grimes. It's doubtful they will completely shut down Green Bay, but they can keep it reasonable. Michael Turner will need a huge game on the ground.

The Pick

I'm going with the 'favorite.' The point spread is negligible, and I see Atlanta pulling this one out. Though they did everything on their own, there's no disputing that the Packers squeaked into these playoffs. The injuries were just so much to overcome. The Falcons have gone about their business just winning game after game, and I don't see it ending so soon for them. They defeated these Packers once already, and now everything they've worked for all season is on the line. Ryan comes up big at the end of a fantastic game. FALCONS 27, PACKERS 20

Thanks for reading, everyone. Seeya tomorrow. Rah Rah, Jets!

Monday Mash- Wild Card Weekend

2011-01-10T08:15:00.000-08:00

After a wild and crazy football weekend, we are down to the final eight. The Ravens (duh) Packers (about right) Jets (pleasant surprise) and Seahawks (not a typo) all earned the right to go on the road against the best teams of the regular season. It's safe to say these team are pretty comfortable outside their building--after all, Seattle is the only team that won at home in wild card weekend.

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:

Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks. Lynch had the run of a lifetime to clinch the shocking upset of the Saints. It's hard to put into words--but I will fully admit that I have already Youtube'd it about a dozen times. If it was a game of Madden, the guy playing defense would have thrown his controller through the television screen eight different times. Sure, if you take away this play Lynch's day was rather pedestrian. But I suppose that's the whole mantra behind 'ground and pound.' Lynch got the tough yards early in the game, hoping they would pay dividends later on. By the time the 4th quarter rolled around, Lynch's will to score was bigger than the Saints' will to tackle him. And if it wasn't Lynch who won this award, it would certainly be his own quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. A nearly-flawless performance from the guy who didn't even play in last week's clincher against St. Louis. Hasselbeck chucked four touchdowns to guys that either nobody heard of six months ago or nobody wanted six months ago. What a game. What an upset. And good God almighty what a run.

The Favorite Flop of the Week:

Ok, we all know the real answer. But it's time to talk about another game from the weekend. So this dishonor will have to go to the Philadelphia Eagles. There were so many momentum swings in the Eagles/Packers game...Green Bay dominating early, the Eagles making a few huge plays to rally back, and a topsy-turvy final five minutes that had the Packers clinging to dear life. But Michael Vick's game winning touchdown turned into a game-winning interception going the other way. If there was any doubt about Vick being banged up before the game, the Packers made sure he felt everything with their hellacious blitz on the first play of the game. Vick was noticeably hampered all night. When he ran, things didn't go into video game mode where he's faster than everyone else and picking up insane chunks of yards. He was tracked down by guys yesterday that would have no chance of catching him if he were 100%. Philly's defense wasn't great (no one expected the Pack to have that much running success) but holding Rodgers and the boys to 21 points is commendable. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, their offense that's built on big plays came up one big play short.

The Underdog Uprising of the Week:

The New. York. Football. Jets. Full disclosure: many Colts were hurt, this game is nothing like beating Indy's team last year, Jets fans may overreact a little with the BRING ON THE PATS bravado this week. Fair? Now onto the game. As expected, the Jets never really got near Peyton Manning with any pressure. Based on the results this season, the expectation would be that the Jets blitzes were just failing. But Rex Ryan de-Rex'd himself this week. Gone were the exotic blitz packages and schemes. Arriving were the zone coverages (with Revis on Wayne) that seemed to have Indy confused. The strategy left the Jets naked against the Colts run attack (how many 3rd and 5+ were converted by Addai? It was painful.) But you can't argue with the results. The Colts threw their way to a four-game winning streak to end the season, and 20+ points was a virtual lock for them all season. Except for one blown coverage on the Garcon touchdown, Manning was greatly neutralized. The Jets held strong on every big 3rd down, and gave their offense an excellent chance to win. It would have been a bit easier if Sanchez aimed for receivers' knees instead of their chests, as all of his throws were 5 feet too high for some reason. But the biggest throws were on target and all the receivers were worked into the gameplan nicely. Cromartie and Folk made the biggest plays at the end, and Jets-Pats III all goes down Sunday afternoon.

Well, we've exhausted three out of four games from this past weekend. Just a few words on Baltimore's beatdown of Kansas City. Matt Cassel was...icky. The Ravens toyed with the Chiefs offense (distracted by Weis leaving?) Jamaal Charles made one big run, otherwise it was a complete and utter destruction. Whenever Kansas City was fortunate enough to gain five or so yards, they would fumble the ball on the tackle. The Chief defense wasn't great, but they weren't given much of a chance either. Baltimore-Pittsburgh will be fun next week.

Well thanks for reading, everybody. Divisional round coverage will be up later in the week.

Wild Card Weekend Preview-palooza Part III

2011-01-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

Real quick on this one. After a snoozer in Kansas City, we're all hoping Packers-Eagles will rescue wild card Sunday.

GREEN BAY PACKERS (10-6) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (10-6)

The Line: Eagles by 1.5

How They Got Here

To put it simply, both teams got here by making the Giants season a living hell. Green Bay has a tenacious defense and a great quarterback in Rodgers. Philly is the fastest offense on Earth with a bit of an iffy defense. Along with Rodgers, Michael Vick makes this the best quarterback matchup of the weekend. And as the point spread indicates, many expect this to be the best game as well.

How the Packers Can Win

Aaron Rodgers slinging the ball all over the place and overwhelming the Eagles defense. They must bottle up Vick while on defense, and good God don't let Jackson or Maclin behind you.

How the Eagles Can Win

Using all the offensive weapons available. There is no way Green Bay, or any defense, can keep pace with Philly if Vick, McCoy, Jackson, and Maclin are all churning. Do everything they can to force the Packers to run the football and take it out of Rodgers' hands.

The Pick

Boy, are people on the Packers. I'm talking, like, Super Bowl hype. And there's definitely reason to believe they can go far. But Philly isn't exactly a ride on the merry-go-round. The Eagles will be willing to slug it out with the Packers, and McCoy get a lot more attention once this one ends. EAGLES 33, PACKERS 27

Wild Card Weekend Preview-palooza II

2011-01-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

Wow. I mean, WOW. Yesterday was shocking. It was thrilling. It was incredibly fun to watch....and then the Jets game started. Forget how awful my pick was for the game- seeing Seattle rise to the occasion and play above themselves was phenomenal. Marshawn Lynch had one of the greatest runs in NFL history to seal the deal, and the upset was complete. Maybe it was just me, but that game just made me feel so much better about the Jets' chances last night. Come playoff time, you really have to throw everything out the window. Seattle gave a pacifier to everyone who said they didn't belong, and they're off to the divisional round where they will be given more respect that that 10 point spread against New Orleans.

As far as the Jets...I mean, where do you begin? Well, it's fair to begin with the admittance that Indy was quite banged up. These Colts were not the 2009 Colts, or the 2006 Colts that won it all. But they had Manning, they were at home, and there was a reason the Jets were 3-point underdogs. Believe it or not, the most exciting part about yesterday's Jets win was how flawed they were in victory. Throwing away superb field position in the first half...Sanchez inexplicably throwing every single pass 3 feet too high...Receivers dropping passes. The defense was finally able to "Play like a Jet" and held Peyton Manning as well as anyone could ask (the Colts were held under 20 points just two times all regular season.)

The most appropriate fact pertaining to the game: the Jets MVP and LVP were the same player! Antonio Cromartie got torched on the Colts' one and only touchdown. But he came back later in the game to shock Jets fans with his return-ability. When all hope seemed loss after that damn Vinatieri kicked the field goal we all knew he'd make, Cromartie was prancing down the sideline like a gazelle and making the final drive a possibility. What a day to be one of his seven 3-year-old children.

Ok, more on this game later in the week. Now, onto today's games. It's going to be mighty tough to live up to yesterday's theatrics. But these matchups certainly have the potential to be great.

BALTIMORE RAVENS (12-4) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (10-6)

The Line: Ravens by 3

How They Got Here

Baltimore started their great regular season by ruining the Jets' home opener at the Meadowlands. They only have four losses, and three (NE, Pit, Atl) were against teams on byes this week. Solid defense, capable offense, and they're battle tested. That destruction of the Patriots last season was no fluke. Ray Rice does it all in the backfield, and the receivers are nothing to sneeze at, either. The Chiefs seem to just be a B-minus version of the Ravens. Cassel, Charles/Jones, and Bowe run the offense, and a bunch of no-names combine to make a rather capable defense. Kansas City will enjoy a big homefield advantage, which may pay serious dividends if this is a close game in the 4th.

How the Ravens Can Win

As the 12-4 record indicates, the Ravens can beat anyone when they play to their potential. Limiting turnovers, playing their defense, and plenty of Ray Rice would be enough to beat these Chiefs. The window won't be open much longer for defensive veterans like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Baltimore is a legitimate Super Bowl contender and many people expect them to take care of business this afternoon.

How the Chiefs Can Win

Well, they were tremendous in their home stadium this year. Kansas City also boasts the best rushing attack in the NFL. Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones can pound the rock on anybody. Matt Cassel is unspectacular-yet-effiecient as a quarterback, and Dwayne Bowe really came on this year. The Ravens don't play a blow-you-out style of football, so things should be close throughout. When that's the case, it's great to be the home team.

The Pick

I'm excited for this one. The Chiefs love to run, and the Baltimore defense takes it as a personal insult if you run on them. But Kansas City coach Todd Haley scares me a little bit. You hear some...not nice...things about him. The Chiefs really left a bad taste in people's mouths last week when Oakland blew their doors off. They didn't have much to play for-but in a game this close, it's definitely something to keep in mind. I think too much Ray Rice, too much Baltimore defense, and the Chiefs are a little distracted by Charlie Weis being a pseudo-offensive coordinator as he is leaving for Florida. RAVENS 14, CHIEFS 10

Gotta get this pick up before kickoff...Packers-Eagles will be up later today. Thanks for reading.

Wild Card Weekend Preview-palooza

2011-01-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! Welcome back to...the Reilly Sports Blog? It's been over a year since I've blogged on this medium. But Godaddy's blogcast apparatus gigabyte microchip picked the wrong time to give me issues. This happens in NFL playoff time? This is worse than waking up with a golf ball-sized zit on the morning of prom. Actually, I'm 23. Better change that to 'wedding day.'

But if the Corvette ain't starting, you gotta break out the old tricycle. These are some of my favorite sports weekends of the year, and I'll be damned if Drew Brees and the Saints take the field in Seattle without you hearing my thoughts on the games. It's great to be back on the ol' blogspot. It's playoff time- Let's get our hands dirty.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (11-5) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (7-9)

The Line: Saints by 10

How They Got Here

The Champs vs. The Chumps? No, too harsh. But there's been a lot of hullabaloo about this matchup. New Orleans starts their title defense after an impressive regular season. It was not quite as dominant as 2009 (after all, they didn't win their division this year.) But the Saints are a team nobody wants to play, as Drew Brees will use every weapon he has to the highest potential. On the other hand...Seattle. An uproar rose across the nation about a sub-.500 team making the playoffs. Sitting at home are the Giants and Bucs (both 10-6) while Seattle is in the tournament with a 7-9 mark. What really is driving people bananas is that the Seahawks get to host this game. Personally, I love it. The 'best' wild card team must always face the 'worst' division leader. The Seahawks may be blown off the field this afternoon, but in my mind they have 100% earned that right. The division is the division. This likely won't happen again, and I have no problem with it. And just imagine if Seattle gives the Saints a whale of a game today...

How the Saints Can Win

Well, they're 10-point favorites in a road playoff game. So clearly, I can write an encyclopedia's worth in this section. There's no doubt that the Saints are more talented than the Seahawks in every phase of football. The Saints score more points per game and give up fewer points. New Orleans has a Super Bowl MVP still in his prime, Seattle is using its second quarterback in two weeks. With a great offense and capable defense, anything less than a New Orleans route would be stunning to the football world. If Brees can get a quick score or eight, the raucous crowd will be neutralized and the Saints can put things on cruise control until the divisional round.

How the Seahawks Can Win

Urban Dictionary defines 'miracle' as "A term used by Insane Clown Posse to explain everything that already has a scientific explanation. This includes but is not limited to: f'ing rainbows, pelicans, music, butterflies, and shooting stars." Ok, so we have a foundation here for Seattle. On the bright side, the Seahawks today are giving a new meaning to 'playing with house money. You talk about having no pressure whatsoever. Seattle can play with a reckless abandon we seldom see in the playoffs. The Saints need to be prepared for everything, because they'll be getting twenty different kitchen sinks thrown at them today. The Saints injuries bear watching as well. They would love to have things in hand early in this game, because they don't want their guys getting any more banged up. And I can't write this section without at least mentioning Leon Washington in the return game.

The Pick

Everyone's rooting for a competitive matchup. Come playoff time, there is no longer 10 games going on at the same time. This game has the country all to itself this afternoon. I tend to love underdogs, so of course I like Seattle's chances more than a lot of people. I have a full belief that the crowd will matter and the Seahawks can stay competitive perhaps until halftime. But despite a valiant effort, Seattle's secondary just won't be able to stay upright. Pete Carroll and his team have already had s successful season in being here. But the stats don't lie. This season, an average game for Seattle had them outscored by 6 points a game. I'm rooting for Cinderella, but I don't think the slipper fits. SAINTS 30, SEAHAWKS 16

NEW YORK JETS (11-5) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (10-6)

The Line: Colts by 2.5

How They Got Here

What a long, strange year it's been since January 24, 2009. The juggernaut Colts overwhelmed the (then) upstart Jets in the AFC Championship. Since then, the Jets got good on offense, bad on defense, and ugly off-the-field. They talked about how great they would be, and did an ok job backing it up through the first half. But much doubt has crept into the minds of Jets fans with defensive breakdowns, struggling against bad teams, and the nightmare of '45-3.' The Jets are where they want to be, but boy do they have a long road ahead. Up first is the pseudo-Colts. They are scary with Manning, Wayne, Freeney, Mathis, and Addai. They are vulnerable without Clark, Sanders, Collie, and several others. Indy was sitting at 6-6 a month ago, and were forced to win out to win the division. Everyone was hoping Jacksonville would take care of business and keep them out. Now that Indy is here, undervaluing them would be a big mistake.

How the Jets Can Win

There are plenty of ways. Shonn Greene burst onto the scene last season based on his monster playoff performances. Yes, Tomlinson beat him out to be the starter this season. But because of that I see Greene as a guy who is fresher than most this time of year. The Colts gave up a billion yards rushing early this season, but have really upped their efforts the last month. They reduced the rushing yards against, but the pass yards really started to pile up. So if Indy sells out to stop Tomlinson/Greene, it will all be on the perhaps-injured shoulder of Mark Sanchez. Out of Holmes, Edwards, Cotchery, and the forgotten-Keller, somebody's going to be running free in this secondary. Efficient passes, and absolutely no turnovers permitted against Peyton and that offense. As far as the defense goes, it's hard to be confident after what Jay Cutler and the Bears were able to do. Holding the Colts under 24 would be satisfactory. The safeties will need to show coverage ability they haven't shown so far this season.

How the Colts Can Win

They have the best player. Manning can win any game on his own, no matter how many injuries the Colts have piled up. We must believe that Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon will be largely unavailable to him due to Revis Island and AlCrotraz. But the tape is there on this Jets defense. Manning relentlessly studying tapes of the New England and Chicago games is a troubling thought. Tamme, Blair White, and some other nobodies in the slot will be open the majority of the time. If Manning jumps out quickly, the defense is built for a lead with Freeney and Mathis on the ends. Manning's in his building, and 'one and done' doesn't really roll off the tongue when you're talking about the Colts.

The Pick

Whoa Nellie. There's no doubt whatsoever that Jets fans have tempered expectations about this game. Personally I think it's because everyone was jazzed about playing Kansas City, only to have some unexpected things happen in week 17. Now they're back where it all ended last year, against a guy who is virtually perfect over the years against Rex's defense. Well if you're gonna be the best, you gotta beat the best. Manning and the Colts have never been weaker, but the Jets are underdogs for a reason. It's going to take a big effort. But I don't see it ending today. The season's been too nuts. Jets-Pats III was written in stone long long ago. The Jets need this one to avoid a big step back, and this is the perfect spot to do so. It's Go Time.

JETS 28, COLTS 21

Thanks for reading. We'll preview tomorrow's games...well, tomorrow. Good to be back on the blogspot indefinitely.

Movin' On Up

2009-12-20T11:29:00.000-08:00

Hello there and thanks so much for coming back to the blog. Some of you may be wondering, "Where in the hell is my week 15 Sunday Smash??" I don't blame you. It's been that way since week 1 of the season.

But there's about to be some changes in Conor's blogging world in 2010. We are moving on from the Reilly Sports Blog to spearhead the new "Big Apple Big-Mouths" blog. It will consist of me and my longtime colleague, Chris Bianchi. Generously sponsored by ZDM Design Studio, you can find the site at NYSportBlog.com.

But don't think this is a Johnny Damon-esque sellout. I will not change anything about the blog's structure. Sure, a couple things here and there (you can see that starting this week, I will pick every NFL game against the spread.) But you will still get the Sunday Smashes, Monday Mashes, sparkling wit, and sometimes-egregious bias you've come to known from this site. We're just going Hollywood a little bit.

So I invite you to come along to the big leagues. I'd like to give my deepest thanks and gratitude to those who read the Reilly Sports Blog from the start. Along with my cherished 18 "Followers," I know there are many more that have given me encouragement along the way. It's what kept the site going. And I really hope each of you will continue to follow me and Chris on Big Apple Big-Mouths.

C. Reilly, over and out.

Holiday Hogepodge

2009-12-18T11:14:00.000-08:00

Why hello there, strangers! Please pardon the blog's mid-week hiatus. We got lost in some holiday television specials on Wednesday; and weren't really in the mood to chat after attending the Islander-Ranger game last night. But we're back with the oh-so-rare Friday matinee edition. I'm in a rather chipper mood today, after the Colts knocked off the Jaguars to give the Jets' ray of playoff hope a little more glisten. We'll get to the Jets and Giants in a bit. Heck, we'll cover some baseball hot stove, too. Aw, what the hey, we'll even chat hockey! The sports holiday hodgepodge is in place, and the blog is ready to dish. Let's get to it...

Football
As usual, I'll start with the guys in green. As mentioned earlier, the race for the final AFC playoff spot may be down to three horses. Miami, Baltimore, and the Jets are all tied at 7-6. If people were placing bets, the Ravens are favorites right now. Unless I'm missing something, they are the team that makes the playoffs if all three teams win out. They also have perhaps the easiest schedule of the bunch, facing the Bears, Steelers, and Raiders (15-24 combined.) The Jets seem to have a daunting task of the Falcons, Colts, and Bengals (29-11 overall.) But some real luck may come their way, as the formidable Colts and Bengals may rest their big players to prepare for the playoffs. If Gang Green can seize their potentially-great opportunity, they can make some hay. It all starts with Atlanta though, which could be rocky. Miami is in serious danger with their schedule, as the Titans, Texans, and Steelers (a deceiving 18-21 overall) will all come to play. So as you can see by the schedules, the Pittsburgh Steelers have the Jets' playoff hopes in the palm of their hands.

Now to the Blue Man group. Their situation is a little less messy. After doing some conceding (Eagles win the NFC East, Packers get the 1st wild card spot) we can deduce that either the Cowboys or Giants will be the other wild carder. The Jets can help out by finishing off Atlanta on Sunday. Though the 49ers have shown feistiness, I'm going to declare it too little too late for them. That's where the deducing comes from. Being one game in front, the Cowboys are locked into the playoffs if they win their three remaining games. If they do not, however, the Giants hold all the tiebreakers and will be there to take Dallas' spot. Games against the undefeated Saints and formidable Eagles may mean another December heartache for the Cowboys. The Giants' quest to leapfrog them will start Monday night against Washington.

Baseball
Usually in December, baseball talk is all about the free agents cashing in on new deals. Though there is some of that going on (Lackey and Cameron to Boston, Figgins to Seattle, Wolf to Milwaukee, etc.) talk these days is all about "The Trade." Yes, the deal that landed new homes for 2 of the 5 best starting pitchers in all of baseball. The two-time defending National League Champion Phillies ditched Cliff Lee in favor of Roy Halladay. On the outside, it looks like a classic Brad/Jennifer/Angelina scenario. "One was really special, but we can take over the world with the other one." So the Phils did what they thought was necessary to stay on top, though it cost them some serious young talent. I will further discuss the hot stove when more things get done/I do more research. But Cliff Lee already seems spurned by Philadelphia. He is going to be a man possessed next season, and the Mariners suddenly look pretty zesty.

Hockey
Yeah, we're going here. It's almost halfway through the NHL season, and the Islanders and Rangers both have 33 points. How poetic. Though their totals are identical, one team's fans are calling for the heads of the head coach and general manager while the other is being praised for resiliency and good coaching. It's funny how hockey works sometimes. The general opinion is that the Rangers are indeed getting the least out of their talent. Forward Marion Gaborik is leading the league in scoring, but he is their solitary contributor on offense. Coupled with this lack of offense has been goalie Henrik Lundqvist's so-so play between the pipes. Nobody is looking to run the guy out of town, but he has set the bar very high for himself in recent years.

The Islanders have sure come a long way in 35 games. They are currently 2 points out of the final playoff seed in the east. To offer some perspective, they missed the final seed by 32 points last season. So there you go. Is there a swoon coming? Perhaps. But the Isles had a brutal schedule up to now (21 road games compared to just 14 at home.) If they can cash in on this upcoming home stretch during the holidays, they may be a long way from the #1 pick in next year's draft.

Thus concludes the holiday hodgepodge. Judging by the amount of blood on my fingers from typing, I'd say I made up for the hiatus. But I really wanted to tackle another edition of What About Conor Wednesday to commemorate the holidays, so I will do that today. Presenting for the first (and perhaps only) time, it's Facts About Conor Friday! Today's topic: Conor's top-5 holiday songs for the season. The links will take you to some kind of video for the song. Enjoy.

5. Carol of the Bells (Best Version- Trans-Siberian Orchestra)

I'm pretty sure this is the name of the song. To be honest, I've always called in the "Home Alone song." It's a real testament when a Christmas song doesn't need words to be awesome. This song begs for some kind of berserk light show everytime it is played. Every sound that's been discovered by man is featured in the song. I'm not exactly sure what connects it to the holiday season. But something just clicks with it. It belongs on this list.

4. Believe (Best Version- Josh Groban)

I'll admit, this one's a little...wimpy? I didn't go head over heels for the Polar Express movie. But I think this song--if not bigger than the movie--certainly gave it solidarity. The lyrics are nice and all, but the melody in the background just bursts with holiday cheer.

3. O Holy Night (Best Version- Bing Crosby)

A real 'keep Christ in Christmas' song. For me, something has always just set this song apart from other traditions (O Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, etc.) As for the best version, there is no question about it. Crosby's version was the first I heard of the song, and it's the undisputed champion.
BONUS VERSION- Eric Cartman. Hey, it makes me giggle.

2. Jingle Bell Rock (Best Version- Bobby Helms)

It's short and sweet. There's nothing I can say that the lyrics don't. And Bobby Helms sings it best.

1. Little Drummer Boy (Best Version- David Bowie and Bing Crosby)

Ok fine. The Little Drummer Boy isn't my favorite Christmas song. But this is my favorite Christmas video of all time. The uncomfortable awkwardness of the opening conversation absolutely blows my mind. And the way they drastically alter the song is preposterously phenomenal. It's just a staple of the holidays.

Well there you go. Feel free to comment with your own. We will hit the holiday movies next week. Promise. We'll see you on Sunday for the 'Smash.

Monday Mash- Week 14

2009-12-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the blog. Sunday's week 14 action had lacked some topsy-turvyness for the majority of the day. Great teams stayed undefeated. Good teams beat bad teams. Crappy teams beat crappier teams. The supposed-to-be game of the week ended in a 30-10 Minnesota blowout of Cincinnati.

Well all of that changed at about 8:30 last night, when the Giants and Eagles kicked off. The two teams made up for any lock of topsy-turv-ocity (and then some.) We will get to that slugfest in just a tick. First, the matinee games. Sure, some of it was mundane. But here are the things that made me give a Tony Robbins-esque 'YES!' from yesterday's action.

Did the Kellen Clemens-led Jets dispose of the Bucs and keep the season afloat?
YES!

Did the Dolphins take out the Jaguars to pull everyone even in the wild card race?
YES!

Did the blog's picks finish with a sterling 6-1 record on Sunday?
YES! YES! YES!

It all reminds me of the :26 mark of this video. Just call me the guy that's on the right, pacing back and forth.

So the blog basks in its glory, as the Jets, Chargers, Texans, and the Pack attack all prevailed as favorites. And all the while the Panthers and Dolphins covered as 'dogs.

The only blemish on the blog's picks? Well, that's a perfect segway into one of the topsiest, turviest games I can ever remember watching. To watch the Giants play the Eagles last night wasn't just viewing an NFL game. It was a conquest on the couch. It was an odyssey in HD. It was a monsoon with pretzels and popcorn.

Ok, all that is a little much. But this game had it all. And that's necessarily a compliment. Yes, the stellar quarterback play, long touchdowns, and resilient comebacks were all a part of the action. But so were the dropped passes, horrifically-missed tackles, and coverage ineptitude of a high school intramural game.

By the time the game was over, the scoreboard read 45-38, Philadelphia. The Eagles took the lead three and a half minutes into the game. That lead would last until five minutes remained in the third quarter, when the Giants went on top by 1 (because Philly had a blocked extra point early on.) That New York lead lasted all of fifteen seconds before DeSean Jackson was skipping backwards to the endzone. Game, set, match.

The Giants gave the Eagles all they wanted on offense (4 fumbles lost) defense (billions of big plays allowed) and special teams (DeSean Jackson again.) At home, to put up 38 points and nearly 400 offensive yards and lose...it's as inexplicable as it gets. The Eagles were favored by a minuscule one point, so the football world knew that anything was possible. But the game last night transcended possibility. It even flirted with the ream of impossibility.

Here's the rest from week 14...

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Brandon Marshall, Broncos. To my recollection, the first ever performer to win the award despite his team losing. But Marshall re-wrote the record books with his 21-catch, 200-yard, 2-touchdown explosion yesterday. Denver's Unocinco went from the outskirts of the league's top-20 in receptions to third, one catch behind Reggie Wayne for second. He also vaulted into the top-10 in yards. The Broncos fell as the latest victim to the undefeated Colts, and their stranglehold on a wild card spot is getting a little loose. But this is an individual achievement for individual weeks, and this individual earned it.

The new batch of teams mathematically eliminated from the postseason: St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington, Oakland, and Chicago. One-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-other. Peter King predicted the Bears in the Super Bowl. I demand his job.
Since they are in the NFC, the Giants' 7-6 record bears a lot more fruit than the Jets' 7-6 record. By virtue of the Cowboys' impossible schedule, the Giants are looking at potentially going 8-8 and still sneaking in. The Jets? Their only option is still to win out and get an itty bitty bit of help.
I'm not sure if the whole Randy Moss quitting thing is actual news; or a product of late season lack-of-juiciness. Considering the Patriots won the game, I think it's all a little too much. But after his vacation years in Oakland, it's a situation worth monitoring.
Due to the lack of juiciness mentioned earlier, this Mash is noticeably shorter. Just not too many games worth your time. The biggest eye-popper on the week 14 scoreboard? The Rams-Titans boxscore. No, not the 47-7 homicide. It was the St. Louis stat leaders. Passing: Keith Null with 157 yards (along with 5 interceptions.) Rushing: Kenneth Darby with 51 (all on one carry. Darby's yard total in the previous 12 games: 56 yards.) Receiving: Brandon Gibson with 43. I can say with confidence I had never heard of Null or Gibson until yesterday. I could have pegged Darby as an NFL player, but I wouldn't to be able to say what team he played for.
Not the greatest Monday nighter tonight. Fans of the Cardinals can be excited that Arizona can clinch another division title if they beat San Francisco tonight. I fully expect them to do so. The Cards are favored by 4; take that with confidence. Cardinals 31, 49ers 13

Sunday Smash (Saturday Edition)- Week 14

2009-12-12T15:44:00.000-08:00

Hello there fans and friends. It's the final straightaway of the race that is the NFL season. Twelve games down, four to go. There are six teams that are officially, utterly, mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. After this week, that number can grow by more than a half-dozen other teams. The week is already off to a bizarre start, as the Steelers laid an egg for the fifth consecutive week. (At this point, I'm a proponent for Troy Polamalu getting the NFL MVP every single season. Pittsburgh has shown what they are without him.)

On Thursday, (besides picking a Steeler victory and declaring how preposterous it would be if they lost) the blog took a look at the scenarios for the New York teams this weekend. So you can check those out. After dropping to 0-1 for the week Thursday night, we are obviously anxious for redemption. Here are the picks.

The Locals
Jets (-4) over Bucs
Kellen Clemens vs. Josh Freeman. Look out Canton! This spread would probably be doubled if Mark Sanchez were starting for the Jets. But as bad as Clemens has been, I think all Jets fans can agree that Kellen at his worst is actually better than Marky Mark at his worst. He won't be forced into anything big in this game. Thomas Jones will rack up the yards and work down the clock. And I see the defense re-creating the hell they gave Houston in week 1, smothering the young Bucs (not sure if the pun's intended) into turnovers.

Giants (+1) over Eagles
The toughest game of the week to pick. The Eagles have the momentum and probably have superior talent. But the Giants are at home and showed a whole lot of moxy in out-slugging Dallas last week. If Philly loses, they fall to even with the Giants and their playoff hopes take a big hit. If New York loses, its playoff hopes take a fatal hit. They will be slightly more desperate, and that's the difference in the end.

Around the NFL
Chargers (+3) over Cowboys
From the hardest game to pick, we move to what I think is one of the easiest (I will now pause and allow you to put your life savings on the Cowboys.) But the Chargers on NBA Jam-type fire right now. Contrary to their December reputation, the Cowboys have played well so far this month. But their vulnerability to big plays and lack of discipline was worrisome against the Giants last week. And San Diego has more explosive playmakers than Big Blue does.

Packers (-4) over Bears
Ya know, when the season is over I plan to do a detailed overview of my picks for the entire season. I'm going to see which teams I tended to pick for and against. There is little doubt in my mind that I've picked against the Bears more than any other team this season. Nothing about them is likable. And it's not in a personal sense. It's just I never see a spread that I like with them; not even a home game in freezing December against a big rival. I just don't see it.

Dolphins (+2.5) over Jaguars
Yeah, this is shameless pandering toward the Jets' playoff chances. And no, I'm not apologizing. Along with Denver, Jacksonville is another team whose success baffles me. If they win this week and get to 8-5, I can do nothing but tip my cap. If they lose? Well, a Jaguars team that is 7-6 makes a lot more sense to me.

Texans (-7) over Seahawks
In a division that had the potential to be wide open, Seattle has shown time and again that they want no part of winning it. Houston is at home and still has mathematics to play for. The Seahawks have a messy situation that has now reached their front office. 2010 cannot come fast enough for them. I have no problem laying 7 on it.

Upset Perfiction of the Week
Panthers (+13) over Patriots
There are 14 games taking place on Sunday. This one has the second-biggest spread (right below the Baltimore-Detroit barn-burner.) And I'm not sure why. The Patriots haven't been themselves the entire year, and all their problems have been magnified on the road. Some guy named Moore is under center for Carolina, but they have a two-headed nightmare of a backfield. With all the turmoil and guys getting thrown out of team meetings, the Patriots may be buttering us up for a 72-10 game. It's a possibility. But I'm banking on a competitive, exciting game that's going to get a little dicey for the Pats.

Enjoy the games!

When Life Gives A Kellen, Make Some Clemen-ade

2009-12-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the show. On the last transmission, I predicted a Baltimore win over Green Bay on Monday night. To nobody's surprise, Green Bay dominated. Though the incorrect pick stung, it was evened out (and then some) by virtue of what this result meant to the Jets.

Because with that win, I can now say with 98% confidence that the Jets will make the playoffs if they win out. Sure, it's a long shot. But the prospect of winning out and needing help is infinitely bleaker. Gang Green's playoffs start this Sunday and lucky for them, their first matchup is against a team with a 1-11 record. But the football gods seemingly wanted to handicap the game, as Mark Sanchez will sit out with his knee injury.

So chapter 47 of the Kellen Clemens saga takes place Sunday in Tampa Bay. The first 46 were met with mixed reviews (to put it kindly.) The 4th-year quarterback from Oregon has shown good arm strength and has definitely gotten better since he first started out. In fact, if Sanchez actually stayed in for the rest of the Buffalo game last Thursday, fans wouldn't be all too terrified with Clemens starting a game.

But that's the problem. Sanchez came out of the game. Fans then watched in shock and awe as Clemens tried to hold the lead for the rest of the game. It was graphic. Understandably, the Jets ran the ball like there was no tomorrow. But when Clemens dropped back to pass, the fans' mindset went from "Ok, he's rusty" to "Ok, he was woefully unprepared to play in this game" to "Oh dear God Kellen you are murdering my soul." It culminated with a sack/fumble in which D'Brickashaw Ferguson pounced on the ball to save the game and the Jets' playoff hopes. Everything the Jets fans thought they knew about Clemens' developing skills was napalmed in front of their eyes last Thursday.

But a win is a win, and the past is the past. Since Rex Ryan and the staff were probably playing it safe, Clemens has been preparing to start this game since last Thursday. He has started games before, and knows what it takes to win. Keeping that in mind, all I can say is that 1) Thank goodness they're playing the Bucs and 2) There better be 6 different ice baths waiting for Thomas Jones after the game. He will be that sore.

We'll see all that drama unfold on Sunday. Along with the Jets must-win, here are some other rooting you'll find Jets nation doing on Sunday...Lions over Ravens; Panthers over Patriots; Dolphins over Jaguars; Colts over Broncos.

(As an equal opportunity blogger, here is a short synopsis for the Giants' aspirations. First off, if they lose to the Eagles they are not making the playoffs. They seemed to realize that same situation about one quarter into the Cowboys game. They are hoping that furious finish will carry over. Besides that, Big Blue would love to see the Saints finish off the Falcons; the Bears upset the Packers; and of course the Chargers over the Cowboys. All of these are completely reasonable.)

Enough about Sunday. Because the AFC playoff picture will take some more shape tonight. The Steelers, somehow 6-6 after losing at home to Oakland, will travel into Cleveland to play the lowly Browns. As if their 1-11 record didn't say enough, Cleveland's only victory came in a game is which they scored 6 points (talk about lockdown defense!) But the Browns can be feisty, and they will bring all they got tonight against their big rivals. If Pittsburgh polished off the Raiders as expected on Sunday, this would have trap written all over it. But the Steelers losing to Oakland and Cleveland over the span of five days? Save that storyline for the Twilight Zone. Cleveland squeaks out a cover (they are +9.5) in an entertaining game.
Steelers 20, Browns 14.

We'll see you on Sunday.

Monday Mash- Week 13

2009-12-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the blog. I must say, this was one of the more relaxing weeks of watching football. The Jets were not in action, so no pressure there. But it's not on the same level as a simple bye week. Sure, there is no pressure of losing during the bye. But there's also nothing to gain from it (excluding rest, preparation, etc.) But I was able to sit back on Sunday knowing that the Jets had already won! So after that Thursday night win in Buffaronto, Jets fans could sit back and, well, hope for some help.

And yet again, the Jets got some help. The past few weeks, there has been one or two "sneaky upsets" that are doing nothing except keeping the Gang Green heart beating. Yesterday featured the sneakiest of all, with Oakland taking down Pittsburgh in their own building (much more on that in a bit.) The Dolphins also let the football world know the AFC East race is a long way from the checkered line, as they beat the Pats in one of the most topsy-turvy-games of '09. Finally, the Colts knocked the Titans out of the race while staying undefeated.

While there was much help, there were also a few big (plural of the noun-form of hinder.) The two wild card leaders took care of business, with Jacksonville eeking by Houston and Denver exploding Kansas City. So the playoffs are still a long-shot for the Jets. But they're still a shot. They need more of the same help they've gotten. I'm not going to go through the billions of scenarios, but Yahoo has this cool playoff generator thing that you can play around with and make your own scenario.

As for the Giants, they helped themselves in an enormous way yesterday. If you saw yesterday's pick section, you'll know it's something I didn't see coming. At all. It was for a little while, as Dallas jumped out early. But the Giants seemed to score 2 touchdowns in 4 seconds before the first half ended. A big plays (including Hixon's punt return) later, the Giants are alive and kicking for the wild card and even the division.

One of the teams in the Giants' way would be the Green Bay Packers, who play Baltimore tonight. One thing for sure is that one New York team is going to be very happy tonight. Either Green Bay loses and the Giants celebrate, or Baltimore loses and the Jets go bonkers. We will get to that pick later on in the usual spot. But you probably shouldn't trust the pick very much after yesterday's performance. It seemed like a pretty good balance...4 favorites, 2 underdogs. But that balance kinda goes out of whack when all six teams are on the road. The Cowboys, Texans, and Vikings all let down bigtime, while Denver easily covered. The Bucs couldn't pull the Perfiction upset, but there was still an enormous moral victory to be had from the section. Here's an excerpt from the Rams-Bears pick...

"Just begging for a cover here. I'm not making this the Upset Perfiction of the Week, because the spirit of that honor is that the underdog is supposed to win outright. The Rams have burned me too many times to count. Maybe they come through for once."

St. Louis was given 9 points. The final score? 17-9 Bears! Boom, baby. One of the biggest moral victories in the months-long history of the picks section.

Here's the rest from week 13...

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Bruce Gradkowski, Raiders. We never thought we would see the day. A man in the silver and black has a day so epic, perhaps so absurd, he is distinguished with this honor. I've said all along that this award isn't all about the numbers, and sure enough, Bruce's 308 passing yards ranked just 9th in the league for week 13. But come on. The Raiders beating an absolutely desperate Steeler team? On the road?? NEEDING TO GO THE LENGTH OF THE FIELD IN THE FINAL MINUTE??? Just look at these highlights. Please, just pay attention to the Raider announcers' voices as they call that final drive. Even they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Gradkowski completed ridiculous passes to non-fictional NFL players that are named 'Chaz' and 'Johnnie Lee.' Sure, Bruce and the Raiders got bonus points for helping out the Jets. But this game, and his performance, was amazingly preposterous. Or better yet, preposterously amazing.

Officially speaking, we know have 2 teams that have clinched the playoffs in the NFL. Though it was a long time coming, the undefeated Saints and Colts both punched their tickets. The Colts win was impressive, coming against the powder-blue-hot Titans. The Saints? Well, they got an early Christmas gift from the Redskins. Washington had dozens of chances to put that game away. But at the end of the day, both streaks live on.
Minnesota is also a lock to clinch, but that was a particularly disturbing loss to Arizona last night. Sure, the Cardinals will always be dangerous. But the Vikings got some injuries they didn't need, and Favre looked a little 'Jet-like' with the ball. Everyone is entitled to a bad week. But the cloud of doubt about Favre seems to be forming overhead.
I'm never betting for or against the Texans again this season. This is getting insane. I know Jacksonville would be a playoff team if the season ended today, but what was Houston doing?? They play every game as if they are 7-8 and it's the final game of the year. It never means anything to them. If that coaching staff stays intact into next year...I don't know. I would give up.
The Bengals beating the Lions didn't shock too many people. But the headline on ESPN is a little rough on Cinci's fans..."Bengals handle Lions, clinch rare winning record." Is a backhand required with everything the Bengals do right? Their fans deserve this success.
I was a little creeped out by the Eagles-Falcons situation. Michael Vick comes back to Atlanta, and shows ability that we hadn't seen since his return. Not only do the Falcon fans have to see that, but they also must watch their golden boy Matt Ryan injured on the sidelines as their season melts away. Seems like a particularly harsh day.
I was thrilled that the Dolphins-Patriots game was on New York television. It was a thrilling game. But watching the Patriots for an entire game made me realize that Wes Welker is very often-overlooked in the discussion of athletes that look like sure pedophiles.
Yes, the Broncos shut me up for at least this week. 44 points is a lot. And so is an 8-4 record. But road games against Indy and Philly will tell me a lot more than games against the Chiefs.
As we said earlier, it's the Green Bay Packers hosting the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night football. I've just done some extensive weather research, it's supposed to be 25 degrees with flurries. My green heart is with the Packers, and so is Vegas with a 3.5 point spread. But Baltimore's defense comes in angry and makes some plays. Big plays. Ravens 24, Packers 22

Sunday Smash- Week 13

2009-12-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

Week 13...just typing that is surreal. The football season makes time move at hyper-speed. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and soon Christmas all fly by in a blur as we make our way towards the playoffs. There is a nice platter of games to digest today, but first let's dissect the first game of week 13.

The Jets and Bills were both on the road Thursday night, but Buffalo was considered the 'home team' in Toronto. As you often find in the Thursday games, the play is usually sluggish and messy. After all, New York and Buffalo only had 3 days of rest, and had to make the trip to Toronto during that time. So nobody was to expect an epic, wheelin'-dealin' type game. Here's an excerpt from Thursday's post, where I picked the Jets to win...

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.

Three days (and one Jets victory) later, everyone feels the exact same way. It's a bad cliche, but the Jets quite literally 'lived to play another week.' It's all they can do these days. Win your game, cheer for certain AFC teams to lose, move on to the next week. The Jets did their part for week 13. They can sit back today and know everything is out of their hands. (In case you're curious, the general consensus is that the Jets are rooting for the following today: Dolphins over Patriots, Houston over Jacksonville, and Indianapolis over Tennessee.)

The Jets win wasn't pretty (Braylon Edwards catching a ball with his face.) It was even painful (Sanchez questionable for next week with a knee injury.) But the defense is showing some real signs of going back to the good ol' days of September, and the running game is still a driving force. Yes, the team's been maddening with inconsistency this season. But there's plenty of places that have it worse than the Jets, perhaps even their gotham neighbors.

Seeing as how we got that Giants teaser in, let's get on to the week 13 picks. Just cover, baby.

The Locals
Cowboys (-1.5) over Giants
I have to keep a clean conscience this week. I want the Giants to win today. It would make the NFC playoff picture incredibly compelling. But tomorrow, I can't be staring at my computer screen wondering what I was thinking. Not this week. Keeping all allegiances aside, there is no concrete argument as to why Big Blue wins. So why the tiny spread? Because the Cowboys, despite winning consistently, have had some real nasty wins lately. An offensive dud today would not work out well. But I don't see it. The Cowboys move the ball with relative ease, and the Giants run out of steam at the end.

Around the NFL
Texans (-2) over Jaguars
This has to happen. No, not just because it helps the Jets. Houston was annihilating the Colts last week before, well, they collapsed. The played to their potential and then were afraid to lose. The Jaguars will not put this fear in them. And they don't have Peyton Manning, either. Matt Schaub goes on fire in the Jacnsonville sun.

Broncos (-6) over Chiefs
This one is definitely a trap. But I'm happy to fall into it. The Broncos ripped apart the Giants on Thanksgiving, and had plenty of extra rest to prepare for Kansas City. Denver is not even in first place anymore after starting 6-0, and they will take out some anger on the Chiefs. It will be over early.

Rams (+9) over Bears
Just begging for a cover here. I'm not making this the Upset Perfiction of the Week, because the spirit of that honor is that the underdog is supposed to win outright. But the Bears just anger me. Nobody seems to like each other, Jay Cutler's eyes are always misty, it's all a mess. The Rams have burned me too many times to count. Maybe they come through for once.

Vikings (-3.5) over Cardinals
There's talk everywhere that Kurt Warner's still not right in the head. In a medical sense. His concussion problems make him a gametime decision for tonight's game. Minnesota has made an argument about being the best team in football recently. So 4 points is nothing to fret about. Even if Warner does play, the Vikings defense will mess him up. Favre and the purple people eaters roll on.

Upset Perfiction of the Week
Buccaneers (+4) over Panthers
The Bucs had one of the bigger UPofW success stories when they beat Green Bay earlier this year. Let's hop right back on board. Jake Delhomme isn't starting, and now there's news DeAngelo Williams won't play either. Josh Freeman makes the Bucs watchable, and Cadillac Williams breaks off a few. Tampa shocks them on the road.

Yeah, I just picked six road teams. I gotta feelin, Fergie. Enjoy the games, amigos.

A Very (Sports) Thirsty Thursday

2009-12-03T15:13:00.001-08:00

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

Monday Mash- Week 12

2009-11-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to everyone's favorite Monday tradition (besides Monday Night Football and Monday Night Raw, of course.) The blog is back for a post-Thanksgiving weekend Monday Mash. There is plenty to talk about in a week 12 that included upsets, comebacks, a primetime game that went to overtime and, of course, several incorrect Reilly Sports Blog picks.

Ok, I'll take most of the blame for foolishly picking the Dolphins and Panthers. The Bills and Jets were both at home and neither Miami nor Carolina had a whole ton of momentum. I don't know what came over me on that one. But the Redskins covering against the Eagles? Preposterous. Thank goodness for the gimme pick (Seahwaks over Rams) but it was a little bit of bad luck that I had to settle for a push in the Arizona/Carolina game (more on that in a bit.)

So there's your kinda-sorta explanation for what turned out to be a 1-4-1 picks section. The Upset Perfiction was by far the biggest heartbreak of the day. Houston, at home, getting 4 points against the undefeated Colts. I felt like a bonafied genius after the first half, as the Texans brought a 20-7 lead into the locker room. Before we get to what happened in the second half, here's a little lesson about sticking to your guns...

It was just 8 days ago, in week 11's Sunday Smash, when I typed this passage,

"I will not cast the first stone for picking Indy's first loss. It should have come on Sunday night against New England. Though they are 9-0, their record should read 8.5-0.5 instead. But I'm not picking against Manning."

It was just eight days ago. I deliberately went against my word and paid dearly for it. I let a hunch get the best of me. So it's no surprise that Peyton and the Colts would explode in the second half and win the game (and cover the spread.) It was bad enough that the Texans blew it, but seeing that blog entry from just last week adds insult to injury.

Despite some crappy picks, here's the rest from a pretty captivating week 12 (that still has its best game to come.)

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Vince Young, Titans. Oh yeah. No doubt about it. Sure, his one touchdown paled in comparison to some other gaudy QB numbers this week. But he threw for 387 yards, 99 of which came one an epic final drive to win the game. Three conversions on 4th down, culminating with a touchdown pass to Kenny Britt with no time left on the clock. It's now 5 straight wins for a Titans team that started 0-6. Don't call them dead yet.
(Plus, Vince Young beat Matt Leinart, giving perfect reason to show this video.)

Yes, the Titans still have a shot in the AFC. But that's because EVERYONE still has a shot in the AFC. There are 3 teams tied for the final playoff spot, with a 6-5 record. Behind that, there are 4 more teams (Jets included) lurking at 5-6. The message is clear: don't worry that you already have 5 or even 6 losses. The (lenghty) playoffs start now for these seven teams. Whoever can play their best football and run the table for 5 games will find themselves with a postseason berth.
The NFC is considerably more clear-cut. Realistically, there are four teams battling it out for the two wild card spots. Philadelphia and Green Bay have a one-game leg up of the Giants and Falcons, who are giving no indication they are up for the chase.
Though Altanta and Philadelphia are within reach of the postseason, both avoided the pesky "upsets-that-cripple-the-season" yesterday. For an explanation of that term, please consult Week 6: Jets vs. Bills and Week 10: Jets vs Jaguars. Anywho, the Bucs and Redskins couldn't quite play spoiler this time around.
Terrell Owens has officially come out of his Buffalo hibernation (just in time to play the Jets on Thursday...dammit.) The Bills have a new coach, and a new gameplan to throw him the ball at all costs. Miami could do nothing to stop it. The Jets hope Darrelle Revis can pull another rabbit out of a hat and cover him one-on-one this week.
Thank goodness for that Cardinals-Titans thriller, because the rest of the mid-afternoon games had the excitement of paint drying. 49ers 20, Jaguars 3. Vikings 36, Bears 10. Chargers 43, Chiefs 14. Yes, that last one is encouraging for the blog's Super Bowl prediction, but those "contests" were painful to watch.
Coming to boredom's rescue? The phenomenal primetime game last night between Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Dennis Dixon started for the concussed Ben Roethlisberger, so the majority of fans expected an ugly Ravens win. Something in the realm of 10-6 or 13-7. But the 20-17 overtime final had a little bit of everyting. Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenhall showing the future of great running backs, Dixon scampering for long runs, kickers scrambling for (and almost nailing) long field goals at the buzzer. In the end, it was Dixon throwing an overtime interception that seemed overdue. So Baltimore indeed won the game, but in a much different and more exciting fashion than anticipated.
Only one question remains: who will win tonight's battle of the juggernauts? Just about 4 hours until kickoff, the line has New Orleans favored by 2 over New England. Hmmm, the last time the Patriots were slight underdogs in primetime....it sounds familiar. I'm not sure why. Something having to do with some coach making a big decision. Maybe I'll think of it later. But remember what I said about sticking to your guns? Here's an excerpt from Week 10's Sunday Smash...

"People are salivating about getting the Patriots and points. If the game is played in New England, the Pats would probably be laying three. That's how even it is. But the Colts have not lost, and they have Peyton Manning."

I'll say the same exact thing this week. Just substitute 'Saints' and 'Drew Brees' where applicable. Gotta stick to your guns. Saints 34, Patriots 28.

Sunday Smash- Week 12

2009-11-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, right to business. Thirty minutes before kickoff and we gotta squeeze in this Smash.

To be honest, I exhausted much of my blogging mojo yesterday, as I recounted the St. Anthony's Turkey Bowl game. The complete story of the festivities can be found by clicking here. So the analysis will be light today, but tomorrow will be a comprehensive Monday Mash to make up for it, I promise.

Before the picks, let me just say a huge asterisk belongs next to my 'incorrect' upset perfiction of Thanksgiving. I picked a Lions team led by DAUNTE CULPEPPER to cover against the Packers. My heart sank when Matthew Stafford gamely made the start. And yes, he was very bad. The Lions and Giants go down, while the Cowboys cover easily. A 1-2 Thanksgiving...as Charlie Weis would say, "Not good enough." Today's picks will get us over the Mendoza line. So here we go!

The Locals
Panthers (+3) over Jets
Yeah, I said it. Maybe the Jets will win by 1 or 2 and this will be a win-won situation. But Kerry Rhodes being benched and Mark Sanchez now adapting a 3rd grade color-by-number play calling system, things are looking bleak in New York. Williams and Stewart will gash a defense that would sell their sould to have Kris Jenkins back.

Giants, lost to Denver on Thursday.

Around the NFL
Seahawks (-4) over Rams
Four points, Seattle? Really? Something's gotta give today as the Seahawks are 0-5 on the road and the Rams are 0-5 at home. Should be riveting. But four is not nearly enough for me to pick St. Louis. Can't do it.

Cardinals (+3) over Titans
Tennesee is absolutely rolling right now with Vince Young behind center. But you can be the hottest team in the league and still lose to Arizona (hell, you could also be the coldest team and still beat them.) Matt Leinart may start for Arizona...get the party started! But I believe in the --yes I'll pull this one out--the defending NFC champs to prevail.

Eagles (-10) over Redskins
Bonus points for Washington because their starting running back today is named Rock. But it won't help them much on the field, as the Eagles should have that spread covered by the second quarter.

Dolphins (-4) over Bills
Ricky Williams, supernova. The Bills will be helpless trying to contain the now-traditional Miami running attack. Owens and Evans may get a few long gains on a weak secondary, but the Dolphins will eat up the clock and score late to cover.

Upset Perfiction of the Week
Texans (+4) over Colts
Down goes Manning! Down goes Manning! It seems like Houston has been waiting for this game since the franchise's existance. How many times can they possible lose by 1 or 2 points to Indy? It all ends today. Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and a little bit of Steve Slaton put everything into this effort, and they're able to beat the Colts at thier own game. I think....

Enjoy the games, see you tomorrow.

A Thanksgiving Feast

2009-11-25T16:20:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I had a plan for this post a few days ago. It was going to be the reasons the Jets should bench Mark Sanchez right here and now. I was going to list the reasons (same mistakes over and over, the media is really going to be out for blood soon, the Jets veterans can't keep their poker faces much longer with each and every rookie mistake, etc.) and arrive at a somber conclusion.

But we're in a holiday season. Sports should not bring us down (too much.) There's always next week to tell the Jets how to run the franchise. For now, we will do a Sunday Smash, Thursday Edition. It's the ever-elusive Thursday Thrash. So without further ado, here is a mid-week picks section for today's Thanksgiving matchups. Just gobble, baby.

Cowboys (-13.5) over Raiders
Tony Romo and the whole Dallas offense has played like, well, turkeys. Oakland actually has pretty good numbers defending the pass. But if the Cowboys have shown us anything this year, it's to expect the unexpected. Marion Barber tears up Oakland early on, and Romo shreds them late to pull away.

Giants (-6.5) over Broncos
If you've fancied this blog during the season, you probably notice the trend that I always pick against the Broncos. Their week 1 win was an insane fluke, and I have unfairly held it against them to this day. It's not like I hate them. I don't. But ever since that crazy win...I've just continually expected a fall. The Giants, despite beating Atlanta, clearly haven't escaped their swoon either. Kyle Orton is back for the Broncos, but I see a combination of him having rust and trying to do too much, leading to turnovers. It will be a close one, but I can see the Giants getting in the endzone late. They will keep pace with Dallas in the division.

Upset Perfiction of Thanksgiving
Lions (+11) over Packers
It's right there in line with the other Thanksgiving traditions: Hope, against hope, that the Lions can somehow win their annual Thanksgiving game. I started following football cohesively in the late 1990's, so the Lions being awful is pretty much all I have known. This year is no different, as they are given eleven points. This is the team that scored 38 last week! Oh yeah, it was against Cleveland. But there's something really special going on here: Matthew Stafford hurt his shoulder in that game. That's right, big ol' Daunte Culpepper is in line to get the start for Detroit. There's something about Daunte Culpepper playing on a day that celebrates food that makes me feel wrong to pick against him. You can do it, Lions.

Now for the return of What About Conor Wednesday. What's it been, 2 months or so? Preposterous. Here's a quickie in honor of Turkey Day. In reverse order, Conor's top-5 Thanksgiving foods. To make thinks interesting, I have excluded turkey from consideration. It's a given...

5. Cranberry Sauce
Delicious, yes. But penalized a bit because it lacks ability to 'stand on its own.' More of a complimentary deliciousness.

4. Yams with Marshmallow
I used to think it was gross. Then I tried them, and I've never looked back.

3. Apple Cider
In a weird way, it's the most exclusive 'Thanksgiving food' that I know. How often does one have apple cider??

2. Stuffing
I still don't know what it's made of. But they are all scrumptious.

1. Mashed Potatoes
The classic. I never have a bite of turkey without some potatoes mixed in. Doesn't get any better.

Thanks for reading. Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday Mash- Week 11

2009-11-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

After the picks section went 0-6 in week 10, the NFL's week 11 has now come and gone. And I have just one word...

WOOOOOO!

Well, kinda. 5-2 is woo-worthy, no? The Cowboys didn't even come close to their spread, so that was a bad one. But the Giants had a 6-1 record absolutely gift-wrapped for me. A full touchdown lead evaporated in the final seconds, and the overtime period guaranteed they wouldn't be able to cover. The Vikings (emphatically), Colts (barely) and Patriots (damn it) all covered as favorites while my two 'dogs (Browns and Bills) both covered despite losing. Actually, both lost in such heartbreaking fashion... I'm worried I put a hideous curse on them.

Let's take a look at the locals. It wasn't pretty, but the Giants were willing to take any kind of win they could get yesterday. Sure, they spit up every opportunity they had to bury Atlanta. Sure, Eli Manning's gaudy numbers are quite deceiving considering how uncomfortable he was all game. And sure, Falcons star running back Michael Turner was injured and Big Blue let the backup run somewhat-wild. But they got the win in the end. They kept pace with the Eagles and Cowboys, whose wins (Dallas particularly) were just as ugly as the Giants'. Though there's tons of work ahead, the Giants live to play another week.

While the Giants live to play, we now visit the tomb of the New York Jets' season. It was a somewhat up-and-down game, in the sense of how much the Pats would win by. It looked like they would win by 40, then about 25, then very briefly about 7, then the final score dictated a 17-point win. The fallen Sanchize (more on him later in the week) did his best to keep the game anti-close with another 5 turnovers in the game.

Games like this present some very interesting thoughts in a fan's head. Once the Patriots had the early interception returned for a touchdown, any Jets fan that's watched for the last month knew the game was absolutely, utterly over. It didn't matter how early it was. The game was over. It's a unique feeling. Normally, every time I watch a game, I focus on that game. You know, what they can do to win. But when you're sure that the game (and your playoff chances) are all up in smoke, here are some (factual) snippets of what ran through my brain...

Hmmm, I wish I watched college football more often. Then I'd know what players are between 10th and 20th best and can be excited to picture them as a Jet next year.
If the Jets, for absolutely no reason, named Kellen Clemens as a starting quarterback after week 3, what would their record be? 7-3? 8-2 perhaps?
If I change over to Bride Wars on HBO, but it's 15 minutes after it began, will I still be able to get the central idea and themes of the movie?

It's not really an enjoyable experience. You do irrational things such as criticize every single call by the officials. (For the record, though, I'm still rationally irritated by two calls: Leigh Bodden's Mortal Kombat uppercut to Braylon Edwards as he tried to catch a long ball and Bodden again for roughing up Sanchez on that last interception. The Liu Kang fatality on Edwards is a moot point because the Jets got a touchdown anyway. But the other one still kind of bothers me. The announcers didn't talk about it yesterday, and nobody seems to be talking about it today, so maybe I'm still irrational. You can see the play by clicking here and decide for yourself. You can see it a little bit at the :26-:27 mark, but the best angle is at the :39-:40 mark, as number 23 (Bodden) comes in and absolutely launches his whole body to put the wallop on Mr. Sanchez. In a season that's been loaded with ticky tack roughing the passer penalties (with Tom Brady being the king,) I was quite surprised and disappointed not to see some flags there. would the Jets have won the game if it had been called? Hardly. But a 10-point game with 10 minutes left and the Jets driving with momentum...it certainly would have made things more interesting.)

But it wasn't meant to be. The New England offense moved consistently on the Jets via the short pass (another excellent job by Darelle Revis not letting Moss get any monster gains.) While the Pats offense clicked, Sanchez gave them everything they needed otherwise. At 4-6, at least the Jets can go about their business quietly (for a change) and perhaps play spoiler. Sanchez will take more lumps and hopefully learn from them. Though it's bitter after a 3-0 start, it's better than being a team completely in turmoil (St. Louis, Cleveland, etc.)

Here's the rest of the juicy stuff from week 11...

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Matthew Stafford, Lions. How ya doin, rookie? In yesterday's pick section, I felt I "had to pick" the Browns-Lions game. That was sarcasm for how ghastly the game was supposed to be. Both teams came into the game woeful. The result? Why the game of the week, of course! The Lions grasp the victory on an un-timed play at the end of the game. (The reason? Why an unnecessary pass interference on the last-second hail mary of course! You're the best, Cleveland.) But Stafford took advantage, throwing his FIFTH TOUCHDOWN OF THE DAY. (Has Sanchez thrown five in the last month??) Second place for this award went to the other quarterback in the Lions-Browns game! Brady Quinn threw for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns, which just missed Stafford's 422 and 5 scores. Yes, over 725 yards passing and nine touchdowns in the Stafford-Quinn shootout. And we're told that the NBA is where amazing happens...

In Reilly Sports Blog fantasy team news, Tony Romo might have done just enough to win this week. Though it was disgusting (he should have torched Washington) he did throw a score in the end. Team Clean Sanchez (and the Cowboys) keep pace with the pack.
I'm sorry it's taken so long to get to this...but how bout those upsets yesterday? The Raiders, already victors over the Eagles this year, stun the Bengals at the buzzer. Let the theories about Larry Johnson, locker room cancer, begin! In an even bigger shocker, the hapless Chiefs drop the hammer on the Steelers?? I know Cedric Benson and Troy Polamalu are out for Cinci and Pit, but those defeats are real shockers.
The Chargers beat the living garbage out of Denver to take control of the division. Honestly...I wasn't the only one but...I told ya so.
Terrell Owens went for 197 yards catching. Of course the Bills didn't win. It's a hate-hate relationship.
It's becoming extremely clear that the Colts are not going for style points here. Who knew a 10-0 team could still be the cardiac kids? It's insane the Ravens are now just 5-5.
The Saints are also perfect after blasting Tampa. Next Monday against the Patriots is going to be something.
But this Monday night? Tennessee at Houston. The Texans are favored by 4. Steve Slaton is the man again at running back for Houston, and I gotta ride with my guy. Tennessee is dangerous, but the Texans find a way. Houston 24, Tennessee 16.

Thanks for dropping by!

Sunday Smash- Week 11

2009-11-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

What a long week it was for the blog.

Rex Ryan crying, Mark Sanchez writing a post-game speech, Kerry Rhodes Tweet-campaigning for a Pro Bowl spot while being invisible all year. The Jets have done enough damage. The disastrous picks section last week was just the cherry on top.

I have taken plenty of showers this week, but I still can't shake off the stink of 0-6. I'm desperately trying to figure out what went wrong. Did I rush them? Did I overthink them? Did i type them out while walking under a ladder? I can't be certain (except about the last one.) But Sunday has finally arrived, and for week 11 I am 0-0. I got some fantastic news last night for my fantasy football league, as my top pick Steve Slaton--a player I deemed to be 4th best in the league--is finally off the Texans' bench! The tide has already begun to turn. I finally have hope. And hope is a good thing.

So let's ride this momentum train right into the picks section. And this baby's running express. Though the tragic events of week 10 can never be erased from our memories, I'm certain these week 11 picks will go a long way towards alleviating the pain. Just cover, baby.

The Locals
Giants (-7) over Falcons
Admittedly, this line was rather eye-popping when I first saw it. The Giants have been porous for several weeks now, but they have to feed off that huge boost they got last week during their bye. Atlanta has all kinds of problems, and tends to get really uncomfortable on the road.

Patriots (-11) over Jets
This game would be exponentially-more compelling if New York didn't wet the bed against the Jaguars last week. The Jets were talked about for all the wrong reasons this week, and the Pats still have smoke coming out of their ears from their Monday night debacle. I can see the Jets starting off inspired, maybe trailing by 3 or 4 at the half. After that? Oy.

Across the NFL
Cowboys (-11) over Redskins
That astronomical line is begging people to take the underdog 'Skins. Dallas was terrbible last week while Washington put the hammer on Denver. Both teams are due to return to their normal performances.

Vikings (-10.5) over Seahawks
Another meaty point spread. It was between this game or the Saints-Bucs game for which (10.5) spread I would pick. But Seattle won't know what to do against the Viking defense.

Browns (+3) over Lions
Gotta pick this one, right? For one game...just one game, the Brownswill find a way not to play so, well, brown. That's all I can say about that.

Colts (-1.5) over Ravens
I will not cast the first stone for picking Indy's first loss. It should have some on Monday. Though they are 9-0, their record should read 8.5-0.5 instead. But I'm not picking against Manning.

Upset Perfiction of the Week
Bills (+8.5) over Jaguars
This one just jumped out at me for reasons I'm not totally sure of. The Jaguars can probably run for 300+ yards on Buffalo, and maybe that will move the game along enough to keep it close. Yes, the same Bills team that kept last week's game close...until giving up 24 in the 4th. Times change.

Enjoy the games.

I Have...The Powa!

2009-11-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it's mid-November 2009, and there's not much joy in Reilly Sports Blog-ville. The blog will have to drown its sadness in a whole bunch of turkey and apple cider come next week. After all, the Jets are not yet out of their swoon at 4-5, and find themselves as 11-point 'dog at New England this week. The Mets are trying to woo Roy Halladay out of Canada to save their seemingly-in-turmoil franchise. The Knicks are...well, moving on. I thought I'd be in my mid-50's before the Islanders could be the saving grace among my teams.

But look what we have here! Of course, nobody is aware, but these Isles aren't (that) bad! Sure they are in last place. But they're also just one point away from third place in an excellent division. We are more than a quarter of the way through the season and the New York Islanders would be a playoff team if the season ended today. Forward Kyle Okposo may be playing his way onto Team USA in the upcoming Olympics. With Okposo possibly playing for the Americans and defenseman Mark Streit leading the Swiss team, the Isles may even get some international buzz come February. For a team and fans that thought they'd be counting the days until the 2010 draft, things are looking pretty bright.
(I know, I know, the Lighthouse Project...throw the Isles fan a rare bone on this one.)

So we have a hodgepodge of NY sports stories to throw around. But we'll keep the focus on the NFL. No storyline hops out too much (Rex Ryan's tears, Jick Jauron's pink slip, Jerome Bettis laying the verbal smackdown on Bill Belichick are all mild headlines) so we will do something everyone can enjoy: NFL Power Rankings! It's a desperate move for a blog, maybe. But you have to do a couple of these once in a while, right? We'll do it from worst to first because it's more fun that way. We'll include the team's record, a little comment, and the Reilly Sports Blog's exclusive playoff odds. They are calculated using advanced mathematics combined with gut feeling. (Ok, there's no math involved ...try to enjoy them anyway.)

When Does the Offseason Start?

32. Cleveland Browns (1-8) Playoff Chance: 0%
The Browns have scored 78 points in 9 games this year. The Patriots have put up 59 in one game.
31. St. Louis Rams (1-8) Playoff Chance: 0%
The blog predicted a 1-15 record before the season. With one win already, the drama is building.
30. Oakland Raiders (2-7) Playoff Chance: 0%
Oakland's 2 wins only mean that they are heading for a deceivingly-low draft pick in April.
29. Detroit Lions (1-8) Playoff Chance: 0%
Thank goodness they finally got their victory, because they've had some tough luck with injuries.
28. Kansas City Chiefs (2-7) Playoff Chance: 0%
Getting rid of Larry Johnson is a good step. Their management will know what to do with high draft picks.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-8) Playoff Chance: 0%
Josh Freeman is looking promising at quarterback. They shouldn't be underestimated, despite the record.

Going Through the (Losing) Motions

26. Buffalo Bills (3-6) Playoff Chance: 3%
Fired their offensive coordinator before the season, fired head coach mid-season. Guess you can't fire T.O.
25. Washington Redskins (3-6) Playoff Chance: 5%
If not for a win over Denver they may be 5 spots lower. The NFC East division will be merciless.
24. Seattle Seahawks (3-6) Playoff Chance: 18%
A weak division causes a bump in playoff chances. They are among the NFL's biggest disappointments
23. Chicago Bears (4-5) Playoff Chance: 10%
Speaking of disappointments...the Bears (especially Cutler/Forte) have let down across the board.
22. Tennessee Titans (3-6) Playoff Chance: 14%
One of the most dangerous teams moving forward. Chris Johnson will be a nightmare for all defenses.

Hanging By a Thread

21. San Francisco 49ers (4-5) Playoff Chance: 26%
Like Seattle, they're never dead in the NFC West. Tough schedule will likely doom them, though.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4) Playoff Chance: 26%
A win over the Jets kept them afloat, but 5-4 looks quite deceiving for them. Love Jones-Drew, though.
19. Houston Texans (5-4) Playoff Chance: 31%
They're better than a lot of teams that I rank higher, but the wild card is now their only option.
18. Carolina Panthers (4-5) Playoff Chance: 31%
Exact same situation as the Texans. They are the NFC's version.
17. New York Jets (4-5) Playoff Chance: 39%
If they win at new England this week, that percentage bumps up 10%. A loss, it goes down 39%.
16. Miami Dolphins (4-5) Playoff Chance: 39%
Same record and a better divisional record than the Jets. One more game against NE will decide their chances.

Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Stayin' Alive

15. Atlanta Falcons (5-4) Playoff Chance: 46%
Their talent cannot be denied. But Matt Ryan is hitting some bumps he hasn't faced as a pro yet.
14. Green Bay Packers (5-4) Playoff Chance: 44%
This team can beat anyone or lose to anyone. They're not catching Minnesota but the wild card is there.
13. Baltimore Ravens (5-4) Playoff Chance: 44%
They're in a cut-throat division, and they may have buried themselves too deep already.
12. New York Giants (5-4) Playoff Chance: 50%
They got some serious help during their bye, now they must take things into their own hands.
11. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) Playoff Chance: 50%
They picked the wrong time for their mini-swoon, but they and the Giants are right there if Dallas trips.

Sitting Pretty

10. Denver Broncos (6-3) Playoff Chance: 51%
When will the bleeding stop? That win over San Diego earlier this year helps them tremendously.
9. Dallas Cowboys (6-3) Playoff Chance: 60%
They had a real chance to pull away last week. After a brutal loss to GB, they're barely hanging on.
8. Arizona Cardinals (6-3) Playoff Chance: 70%
The division is their's if they want it. As you can see, I believe there is a 70% chance that they do.
7. San Diego Chargers (6-3) Playoff Chance: 60%
The blog's projected AFC Champs! That win over the Eagles was a big boost. They'll pass Denver.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) Playoff Chance: 65%
They are solid everywhere, but another Polamalu injury is a killer. Cincinnati swept them.

Get Out of Their Way

5. New England Patriots (6-3) Playoff Chance: 75%
There's only so many games they can win in spite of you, Bill Belichick. Jeez.
4. Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) Playoff Chance: 75%
Every casual football fan is hoping that Cedric Benson's injury doesn't derail this magic carpet.
3. Minnesota Vikings (8-1) Playoff Chance: 90%
Brett Favre has only three interceptions. The Jets might truly be cursed.
2. New Orleans Saints (9-0) Playoff Chance: 100%
Close call against the Rams was oogly, but the other 8 games were convincing.
1. Indianapolis Colts (9-0) Playoff Chance: 100%
If they could win that game Sunday night, you tell me what game they can't win.

Hope you enjoyed that. That was too long to provide a WAC Wednesday. Look for that next week. See you this weekend for the games.

Monday Mash- Week 10

2009-11-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks for coming on back to the show. Pop quiz question for week 10:

Q: Who had the most productive week 10 in the National Football League

(A.) The New York Jets, 7-point favorites playing at home against Jacksonville.
(B.) The Reilly Sports Blog pick section, coming off a scintillating 5-1 mark in Week 9.
(C.) The New York Giants, bye week.

The overwhelming, uproarious correct answer--your New York football Giants! You get a week off, then sit back and watch Philly and Dallas spit up their divisional lead! Big Blue was left for dead after losing four straight games, but now find themselves in somewhat of a driver's seat when it comes to the playoffs. Sure, they must improve their play drastically, but this was the easiest way to make up ground in football history.

As for the other two options on the pop quiz....whoa boy. Ohhhh doggy. It was a bad omen when the first play of the Jet game was Mark Sanchez interception. It was a worse omen when Maurice Jones-Drew didn't seem to have a run under 6 yards the entire game. It was the worst omen when Jones-Drew, with the Jets hoping and begging him to score a touchdown, went down at the goal line to prevent the Jets from getting the ball back. A field goal as time expired and boom, 24-22 Jags win. Jets fall to 4-5. From 3-0 to 4-5. That's a spicy meatball.

And the Reilly Sports Blog pick section? Well, an even spicier meatball. Something like this comes to mind. The first goose egg in blog history...0-6. I picked 4 favorites and only one of them (Indy) won the freakin' game! (We'll get to that phenomenal game in a moment.) The upset perfiction was the only one I came close on, as the Seahawks were given 9 points but lost by 11. Bummer. To be fair, I picked the Bills (+8) and they were actually looking pretty good...until the 4th quarter, when they realized they were the Bills and gave up 24 unanswered to close the game. Add in the Cowboys and Broncos both wetting the bed and, boom 0-6. So in conclusion, the emphatic answer to the pop quiz was the Giants. If someone told me the answer 36 hours ago, vomit would rain from above. Viva Los Jets. Viva El Reilly Sports Blog.

Here's the rest from week 10...

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Bill Belichick, Patriots. And viva Bill Belichick! I was going to throw a curveball for this award and give it to defensive player Charles Woodson. He played tremendous against the Cowboys, forcing many a turnover. Woodson had it locked up until oh, about 11:00pm. He came so close. But then Bill Belichick changed it all. Every fan that saw their team lose in week 10...every fan that's had a losing season and looks for the rare moments this season that give them joy...VINDICATION! The Patriots went down to their bitter rival in a historical fashion. I'm assuming every blog reader is well aware of Belichick's immortal decision, so I'll save the blog space. But in the end, he defied the football karma. The script was written for Peyton Manning to have the ball deep in his own territory, and see if he could drive one more time on the Pats. Belichick made a decision that defied the script. There's no way the football gods would let the Pats two measly yards and let the game end anticlimactically. Not gonna happen. Not even for his highness. Thus ends the longest Delicious Performace summary in history. In case you couldn't tell, it made me a bit giddy.

Though Belichick's blunder stole the show, the game was a real treat last night. Randy Moss and Reggie Wayne proved their both downright un-coverable when they want to be. Literally, the quarterbacks were equal, down to the final minute. Yesterday, Peyton Manning won the war. But those that tuned in to watch the entire game are hoping for another one come playoff time.
The best team so far in the NFC (New Orleans) almost gave it up to the Rams. I almost wonder which team the NFL was rooting for. They want to see the Saints go as far as they can undefeated, but an upset like that makes every game viable for the rest of the season.
In the battle of legs, team Hard Knocks took down the defending-champion Steelers for the second time this season. Once the Jets are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, there's no doubt which team the Blog will endorse come playoff time. Unless Larry Johnson comes in and acts like Angelina Jolie-Ohno.
The Eagles/Chargers game was pretty darn entertaining, with Brian Westbrook's concussion being a backbreaker for Philly. As entertaining as San Diego's win was in a positive way, the Chiefs beating the Raiders was entertaining in a somewhat gross way.
The Jets were 8-3 when Brett Favre began his swoon last year. The Vikings are now 8-1, praying there will be no swoon to speak of. Them and the Saints are really starting to break away from everyone else in the conference.
Definitive team on the way down: Denver. Definitive team that's hot and doesn't want you to know it: Carolina! Look out for Jake the Snake.
Not the best matchup on Monday night. The Ravens take on the Browns on Cleveland's dawg pound. The line is Baltimore by 12. I want to say that the Browns will cover. But hey, I have a mindset this week that got me to 0-6. Say I'm laying the points. Baltimore 31, Cleveland 10

Sunday Smash- Week 10

2009-11-15T09:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the show. The transition is now complete from baseball to football (along with hockey and basketball.) Boy, has this NFL season flown by, as here we are in week 10 already. Now's the time fans (and probably players) start taking a peak at remaining schedules to gauge their postseason chances. Teams that flew out of the gate (Denver, NY Giants) start coming back to earth, while the early disappointments (Carolina, Tennessee) may be doing some serious spoiling for the contenders.

Yes, the playoff push has begun. The Jets, realistically, have only a faint chance of sniffing the playoffs. A win against Jacksonville today would allow them to stay the course. A loss, though, and they will simply be grouped along with those 'playing spoiler' for the rest of the season. The Giants are on a bye, and have a week where they must examine every aspect of their team to figure out what on earth happened to them. Along with trying to fix themselves, they will have their pom poms out, cheering on the Chargers to beat the Eagles and the Packers to beat the Cowboys.

There's a brief outlook for the New York teams. Let's get to the picks, which are absolutely sizzling after going 5-1 last week. The pressure is building and the bar is being raised. the blog is ready to live up. Just cover, baby.

The Locals
Jets (-7) over Jaguars
The Jets can still barely sniff that division title. It's just a little whiff, and it's a little stinky, but they can sniff it. A win today and a New England loss to Indy makes that smell a lot more pungent. They can't let this one get away.

Bye week for the Giants.

Across the NFL
Cowboys (-3) over Packers
The Cowboys are going to frosty Green Bay to play an extremely desperate team. The Packers are playing for a lot more than Dallas (coach's job, quarterback's mental health, etc.) But Tony Romo and the fellas are on a roll. Until someone stops it, the blog's gotta roll with it.

Broncos (-4) over Redskins
Denver has played rather poorly the last two weeks. Washington has played rather poorly since the Clinton administration.

Bills (+8) over Titans
I'm not thrilled with this one, but 8 points just seems too high. The Titans can't cover anyone, so maybe this is Terrell Owens' one "stand" for the year, where everyone wonders for a couple of minutes if he can still be a top player. He can't. But Owens along with Lee Evans may keep this one within a touchdown.

Colts (-3) over Patriots
I had to take a home team somewhere, right? People are salivating about getting the Patriots and points. And the Indy secondary is pretty beat up. If the game is played in New England, the Pat's would probably be laying three. That's how even it is. But the Colts have not lost and have Peyton Manning, who's making room on the mantle for another MVP award.

Upset Perfiction of the Week
Seahawks (+9) over Cardinals
Arizona will either win this game by more than 14 points, or they will lose. Welcome to your 2009 Cardinals! Kurt Warner regresses a bit from his ridiculous performance last week, and Seattle makes the divisional race interesting.

Enjoy the games!

State of the Jets- Midseason Report

2009-11-11T15:43:00.000-08:00

Well, we are pretty much at the midway point of the NFL season. The Jets have a convenient bye week...right smack in the middle. We will take a look at the Giants next week during their week off. But this week its all about Gang Green and their season thus far. First, a pure recap of what we've seen to this point:

Wins:
Week 1 @ Houston
Week 2 vs. New England
Week 3 vs. Tennessee
Week 7 @ Oakland

Losses:
Week 4 @ New Orleans
Week 5 @ Miami
Week 6 vs. Buffalo
Week 8 vs. Miami

There it is. 4-4, middle of the road. The wins (Oakland aside) are impressive, but the losses overshadow them greatly. The team that beat New England should never lose to the Bills or both Dolphins games. One perhaps to Miami, but not both. So at first glance, fans would love to see that record at 6-2 instead of 4-4.

But you are what your record says you are. And here's how they stacked up through eight games.

Offense
All the talk going into the season was about quarterback Mark Sanchez. Could he be the next Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco and actually make the playoffs? Or would he go down the road most rookie QB's take--struggle at first and learn the ropes. After looking like option #1 the first three weeks, he has fallen back to earth very, very quickly. Two losses are squarely on his right shoulder (Saints, Bills.) That means he's on pace to lose 4 games on his own which, actually, sounds about right for a rookie. Sanchez may have taken a step back from his first few weeks, but there are not very many people saying the Jets made a mistake in the draft.

At running back, the season took a drastic, gloomy turn when Leon Washington broke his leg. With him gone for the year, rookie Shonn Greene has been thrust into a meaningful role quicker than anyone thought. He has looked promising thusfar. But the team's offensive MVP so far has been Thomas Jones. Everyone predicted a big drop from last year's numbers, but Jones is in the NFL's top 10 for rushing yards and top 5 for rushing touchdowns. Fullback Tony Richardson has been invaluable is the blocking scheme. And with the offensive line is picking it up after a slow start, and the running attack looks to be in a great spot going forward.

In the receiver spot, Jerricho Cotchery looked phenomenal early in the season, trying to dismiss the rumors the Jets needed a true #1 wideout. He then got banged up and, well, the Jets acquired who they hope to be their true #1 receiver. Braylon Edwards came over from Cleveland and has looked sharp thusfar. Jets fans hope that once Cotchery is 100% healthy, Sanchez will have two quality recieivers on the outside, along with tight end Dustin Keller down the middle. Keller has done well when Sanchez finds him open, but most fans agree that he hasn't been found nearly enough. Other pass catchers Brad Smith and David Clowney have been used very sparingly.

Defense
It seems like there are hundreds of different ways to evaluate a team's defense. For what it's worth, the Jets have the second best D in terms of yards against, giving up 1 more yard per game than the first-ranked Giants. Keep in mind, however, that the Jets and Giants combined have just a 9-8 record. So we must take defensive yardage statistics with a grain of salt.

The 'points against' stats are far more fascinating. The Jets are 4th in the NFL with a tremendous 16.8 points against per game. Every other team in the top 7 of this category (Colts, Pats, Broncos, Bengals, Steelers, Cowboys) have a record of 6-2 or better. Except for the 4-4 Jets. The reasons? The kid quarterback and a game lost solely due to the special teams unit we will discuss soon.

All things considered, the defense has more than held up their end of the bargain. The one road contest against Miami is the only game in which they played 'poorly.' Against Buffalo they weren't great, but were good enough. Besides that, Rex Ryan has installed a unit that keeps the Jets in every game they play. You can't ask for much more than that from a defense. But a huge drawback hit the unit when Kris Jenkins tore his knee up. He's the real engine of the defense and to call him irreplaceable is an understatement. The stars of the unit (Revis, Rhodes, Harris, Scott) have to pick up their play even more to try to contain this devastating loss.

Special Teams
Certainly an unheralded aspect of football, but the Jets got a bigtime eye-opener of how important it is. Miami's Ted Ginn brought back 2 kick returns against the Jets that were the difference in the game. It's an absolute nightmare to lose a game with special teams being a primary reason. If the Jets had beaten the Dolphins at home, they would be right in the thick of the playoff race. Instead, they are a middle of the road team that is ensured a bad divisional record. Special teams coach Mike Westhoff is too good to have this unit lose another game on its own, but sometimes just one game can be the difference between the playoffs and the golf course.

Leon Washington's injury hurts special teams along with the offense. Neon Leon has made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner, and his presence will be missed. Hoping to capture some magic of the past, Gang Green brought back Justin Miller to return kicks. Though it was a short-lived era, Miller's knack for a big return did wonders for the Jets back in the day. They hope he can find it again.

As far as the legs, Jay Feely has missed a couple of field goals lately, but he can be trusted. He's in the NFL's top 10 in both kicks made and kick percentage. The Jets knew they wouldn't have a good punter this season, and Steve Weatherford really hasn't boomed too many memorable ones. He's kept things entertaining with some successful fakes, though.

So there's a brief look at how the Jets have gotten to where they are. Here's what they face the rest of the way:

Vs. Jacksonville (4-4)
@ New England (6-2)
Vs. Carolina (3-5)
@ Buffalo (3-5)
@ Tampa Bay (1-7)
Vs. Atlanta (5-3)
@ Indianapolis (8-0)
Vs. Cincinnati (6-2)

Overall, it's proabably not the scariest remaining schedule in the NFL. But boy is it loaded near the end. Simply put, the matchups against Jacksonville, Carolina, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay are games the Jets MUST HAVE. It's a roll of the dice in the other four games, including the Jets probably being significant underdogs against the Colts and Patriots. But if they take care of business against the weaker teams, it gives them sole leeway against the big boys.

Let's look specifically at the very-near future. The Jets tail New England by 2 games in the division. But the Patriots play the undefeated Colts this Sunday. If the Jets can beat the Jaguars and the Colts defeat the Pats, the lead shrinks to one game. Wouldn't you know it, the Patriots host Gang Green the very next week. So if things bounce the right way, the Jets have with a chance to come out of New England tied for first place. After the sometimes-glorious, sometimes-miserable 4-4 start, you couldn't ask for much more.

Monday Mash- Week 9

2009-11-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the show. Sorry I wasn't able to expand upon the picks section yesterday. Simply no time to do so. We'll be better next week.

With that said...WHAT A PICK SECTION IT WAS!

Out of the 6 picks, we took 5 underdogs ranging from 3 points to 10 points, and all of them won outright. Chargers, Bengals, Cowboys, and the Upset Perficted- Bucs all take care of business. The only blemish was Indy not covering the meaty 9-point gap over Houston. Maybe a rushed, non-explained strategy is the key to successful picking. Preparation is overrated.

For the last month, the New York Giants have seemed to take on that same mindset: preparation is overrated. Based on the team's defensive reputation, it would seem they have scored enough points to win over this span. 27, 17, 17, and 20 are not exactly power outages by the offense. But they were never truly alive in the games against New Orleans and Philly, the offense had its blunders against Arizona, and yesterday the defense could not prevent San Diego's offense from going 80 yards in under 2 minutes for the winning touchdown. Usually, a Giants defense feasts on the opportunity to slam the door, deliver the dagger, seal the deal, what have you.

But it was not to be. The Chargers--like the Saints, Cardinals, and Eagles before them--decided to throw, throw, throw right down Big Blue's throat. Philip Rivers had all the time he needed, and nobody could cover. It was as heartbreaking as losses get for the Giants...work hard and earn a 6 point lead for 58 minutes only to see it all evaporate in what seemed like 2 seconds instead of 2 minutes. The Giants now go into their bye a wounded 5-4 team.

With Dallas going up to 6-2 last night, I think the division is now up in smoke for the G-Men. After their bye, they host an Atlanta team fighting for the same wild card position as them. Win, and I think they're fine. Lose, and thoughts should start about the 2010 season. Pretty unbelievable stuff after a 5-0 start.

The rest from week 9:

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Kurt Warner, Cardinals. Earlier in the week I posted a blog about fantasy football and its occasional cruelty. This week, the guy that I played had Kurt Warner. Sometimes, an individual player can deliver a "Thanks for coming" performace for a fantasy team. When I saw Warner's line of 261 yards and 5 TD's, it is a quick acceptance of a fantasy loss. It hurts, but the rest of the day watching football is rather relaxing and enjoyable. So thanks, Kurt. Ya jerk.

Viva Josh Freeman! Who, you ask? The rookie quarterback that takes an 0-7 Bucs team playing with house money and beats down the Packers. 205 yards and 3 scores made him the runner-up for the MBDPotW. Good for Tampa, distasterous for...Green (do people ever call it that?) No excuses or explanation for this meltdown as the Pack led going into the 4th quarter.
In what was sure to be the game of the week, Dallas took down Philly for first place in the division. It was kind of a ho-hum game, but Miles Austin got lost just one time in the Eagles' secondary, and it decided the game.
I really think the Saints are just playing around now. "Guys, let's see how big of a lead we can give teams before making a comeback. Over/Under 17, who's in?" The Panthers sprinted out early, but the Saints, as always, pull away late. After throw-aways against the Rams and Bucs, that Monday nighter in week 12 against New England must be sticking out on their schedule like a nun at an Iron Maiden concert.
Speaking of those pesky Pats, they do what the Jets could not...beat the Dolphins. Miami faught valiently and will be tough in every game they play the rest of the year, but too much Tommy and Randy. Next up, the undefeated Peyton and the Colts.
The Colts stayed unbeaten by way of a Kris Brown missed field goal. With 'Kris' spelled that way, I want to know who didn't see that coming.
On to the stool of the NFL. We were spared from the Rams, Browns, and Raiders this week. But the Redskins were happy to get Atlanta back on track, the Lions boosted Seattle's confidence, and the Chiefs lost to Jacksonville before fulfilling fans' wishes and getting rid of role model Larry Johnson. Yes, that's role model Larry Johnson. One more time, role model Larry Johnson. With Tennessee's decisive win over San Francisco, I have hereby excused them from the NFL's stool section. Replacing them? The Chicago Bears. I don't care what the record says. Another blowout loss, courtesy of Warner and the Cards.
Hard Knocks! Cincinnati takes down Baltimore and sits atop the tough AFC North division. I loved the Bengals going into this season. I struggled through picking the Texans to make the playoffs instead of them. Though I expected a lot, they have absolutely blown me away with that 6-2 record. And one of those losses was the Denver fluke in week 1. Their game at Pittsburgh next Sunday is sure to be the game of the week.
But before Pittsburgh gets there, they face a tough road test tonight in Denver. Broncos are 6-1, Steelers are at 5-3. Pit is getting 3 points in this game...I guess people think that the Ravens really exposed something in Denver last week. While the Broncos can afford a loss or two, Pittsburgh is playing for its season, and it will show. Steelers 23, Broncos 15.

Thanks for reading, enjoy the game.

Sunday Smash Week 9- Cliff Note Edition

2009-11-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

Off to work this morning, not sure about internet access there. If I can log in I will expand on these. But here are the picks for week 9.

Locals
Chargers (+6) over Giants

The Jets are on a bye. (But to set the record straight, the blog does not support jokes that suggest the 'bye' is favored to win over the Jets. I will not put Bye (-10) over Jets. That's something that i will not do.)

Around the NFL
Titans (+5) over 49ers

Bengals (+3) over Ravens

Colts (-9) over Texans

Cowboys (+3) over Eagles

Upset Perfiction of the Week
Buccaneers (+10) over Packers

A Fantasy Tale

2009-11-07T22:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much for graciously returning to the Reilly Sports Blog. We will get to the Smash before kickoff tomorrow. But there is just one story I wish to narrate. I was going to give this its own blog post in the middle of the week, but those silly guys in pinstripes got in the way. This will have to do.

The cautionary triumphant tale revolves around the ever-expanding world of fantasy football. I remember playing before I was even in high school, so it's something I've done for about ten years now. I have loosely mapped out my experience to a process that I believe everyone goes through...

First two years: Hey, this is fun! Maybe my team can compete and win a few games!
Year 3: Man, my team finishes better every year! This is easier than it seems.
Year 4: Finish in last place.
Years 5-7: Go back to basics and tread mediocrity, trying to find the secrets of fantasy success.
Years 8-9: A great amount of pride hinges on the success of your team. You've played far too long now not to win consistently.
Year 10: Something (surely demonic) possesses you to wager $250 on a fantasy football league.

And that's how it goes. Lost in all of this of course, is the age-old conflicts between your fantasy team and your real life team. If I don't draft players from the Jets, they can do great in real life, but it's bittersweet because they may burn you in fantasy. Draft your guys, and all the sudden you want some of your favorite players to do better than your other favorite players.

This is usually no problem. Real life will always trounce fantasy. A loss by Clean Sanchez can be laughed off if it means the New York Jets win. This is until you reach year 10 in the process described above.

Ya see, when you own Thomas Jones in year 10, you can't believe Mark Sanchez takes it on a bootleg from the 1 yard line. What a touchdown goblin! You find it absurd that they would ever put Shonn Greene into a game to hijack Jones' carries. You think it's bananas that they kick a field goal on 4th and goal from the 8. You say Jones can do it! He can do it!

That's the thing about year 10. And fantasy football in general. It is way, way too easy to blame everyone else in the weeks you lose. You want everything to revolve around your chosen players. Never mind there are millions and millions of other fantasy teams out there. If your guys don't get the ball at the right time, it's the most frustrating tragedy in the world.

Take last week for example. It's bad enough the Jets lost to the Dolphins. Again. But Steve Slaton gets me a total of (-1) points for the week. Now, back in August, I drafted Steve Slaton in the first round, #4 overall. Preferably, we're looking at 15-20 points per week at the value I drafted him. But he carries once, fumbles, gets benched, and is not heard of again the rest of the game.

Well, everyone else on my team and my opponent's team play, and it works out that at the end of Sunday, it is a tied fantasy matchup. Tied. On Monday night, my opponent had QB Matt Ryan playing (a projected lock for anywhere between 15-25 points) while I had my Hofstra-educated, sure-handed WR Marques Colston (anything above 10 points would be considered great.) I needed a player such as Slaton to give me a points lead going in, so maybe I would have a chance. But my #1 guy, the focal point of my team, got (-1) points. In other words, if my best player STAYED IN THE TEAM HOTEL AND NEVER EVEN WENT TO THE GAME, he would score 0 points, rather than (-1), and I would have a 1 point lead going into Monday.

These are the things you think about when fantasy games are close. "Why did my quarterback try to force that throw and get intercepted?" "How could my running back go down 6 inches short of the endzone?" "Couldn't that receiver get 50 freakin yards instead of 49?"

Such are the everlasting questions of fantasy football. In years 1-9 of the fantasy curve, you just shake your head and hope things go well the next week. But in year 10...these questions dismantle you. From head to toe. They eat away at your soul. Now Steve Slaton wouldn't know who I was if he stepped on me and I said "Excuse me, Steve, you're stepping on me, Conor Reilly." That's the relationship we have, yet he is able to ruin an entire Sunday of football for me.

It shouldn't be this way. Fantasy football should enhance the fan experience, not make it constantly tramatic. But there I was on Sunday and Monday afternoon, sulking about my surely-crippling loss and wondering where my $250 goes when it gets metaphorically flushed down the toilet.

But then Monday night came. And I was the prodigal son that came back to my beloved game. My guy Colston puts up numbers that are above and beyond what's expected, and I keep the game close as the Falcons and Saints battled out their real-life game. Although close, in the end my (Colston's) valiant effort had came up just short. Matt Ryan wasn't good, but he was good enough. As he took the snap for the final play, I was down by one point. One freakin' point. Asking one last time, "Why couldn't you just stay at the team hotel, Steve Slaton?"

But just like in NFL football, the fantasy game ain't over until the clock hits 0:00. With the Falcons needing a Hail Mary pass to win, Ryan chucked the ball 50 yards to the end zone. The smart play for the New Orleans defense would be to knock the ball down. It's the safe play. It's the play most defenses are taught to make. But not Darren Sharper. Not on this Monday night. The Saints' defender leapt up and grabbed a phenomenal interception. What does that do for Matt Ryan's fantasy numbers? A subtle (-2) point penalty for an interception. That subtle (-2) turned my 1 point defeat into a 1 point victory. You couldn't script it. Sulking all day Sunday and Monday, thinking about the trillions of little things I could have done differently to win. And Darren Sharper makes the play less traveled, winning me the game.

Cautiously triumphant. I can't think of a better way to describe fantasy football. On Tuesday, I was saying "Yeah, Steve Slaton really screwed me over, but Darren Sharper bailed me out in the end. I still got a shot." It's almost non-sensical. At least 95% of fans couldn't care less that the play was an interception instead of an incompletion. The Saints had won the game and that's what mattered.

But maybe that's what it's all about. I suppose fantasy football does enhance the fan's experience. Because for one day, for one play, Darren Sharper was my favorite football player in the world. And maybe next week there will be another Darren Sharper that bails me out. Though guys get paid serious money to try to predict and project every stat from every game, the reality is that nobody really knows anything. Even when everything looks figured out, some Darren Sharper-esque player may there to blow it all up.

I've been doing this junk for almost 10 years. Yes, it drives me nuts. But sometimes, sometimes, the proverbial Darren Sharper rides in on his stallion to make it all worthwhile.

Crowning The Champs

2009-11-05T14:24:00.000-08:00

"Ballgame over. World Series over. Yankees win. THEEEE...." you get the idea.

In what may be the last baseball blog for a few months, it is time to give the 2009 champions their due. Last night, the New York Yankees christened their new palace by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies to win the championship. All along, I tried to doubt, deny, destruct, destroy, decompose, de-whatever this notion. I picked them to barely get by the walking-dead-Twins. I picked them to lose to the Angels in six games. They humbled me greatly. The only prediction I came close on was that Joba would have an ERA over 6.00. Though he was, at best, 'jiggly,' that wasn't even correct.

So the blog is here to pay respect. After all, it hasn't been the typical decade for the Yankees and their fans. Being a Mets fan, the last time I saw my team reach the World Series was 2000. Pretty long time ago--yours truly wasn't even in high school yet. Well, that's the exact same time the Yankees were last on top of the baseball world. Since then, while the Mets have continually hit their fans in the groin with a barbed wire-wrapped golf club, it hasn't exactly been paradise for the pinstripes either.

In 2001, their highness Mariano Rivera blew game 7 of the World Series to Arizona. In 2003 the Marlins shocked them and the world behind a kid named Beckett. In 2004...well since this is a congratualtory post to the Yankees, I won't even type what happened in 2004. In 2007 it was the Red Sox again. Just to recap...eight years, 0 for 2 in the World Series, watching your sworn enemy win two titles, one of which will be remembered forever.

But make no mistake about it. This is not a Mets fan converting. My feelings about the Yankees and their fans are adequately described in the post leading up to this World Series. I would never, ever, ever forever root for them for even a single game unless the following occurred:

They played team Al Queda

Tom Brady buys a team, managed by Bill Belichick, with a payroll of $500 million, called the Baby Abandoners.

Even the second one would be dicey. Within the realm of possibility, I could never like them. They are, and forever will be, the Evil Empire.

All I'm saying is...well, I get it. Though this is the unheard-of 27th time it's occurred, I have come to understand the legitimate joy that this brings the Yankee fan. I wasn't really old enough to remember, but I probably would have 'gotten it' in 1996 as well. Being a 22 year old, I would classify the "Age of Entitlement" for the Yankees and their fans to be from 1998-2004.

During the AoE, you wouldn't find the fans saying this:
"Yes! The Yankees are the best team, this is incredible! Championship!"

Instead, it was someting like this, give or take.
"F*** yeah, just add one more to the mantle, baby! Look how many we got. How many does your s*** team have?? It would take you 2,458 years to catch up to us at your pace! We're the best, and we BETTER win next year!"

No real legitimate happiness. Satisfaction, perhaps. But not happiness.

That was during the AoE. After 2004, the Red Sox served the Yankees some humility, and their fans didn't really know how to let go. They mocked, almost dismissed, the two titles won by Boston in four years. The Sox hadn't won in 86 years...what were they going to do? The fans kept on with their AoE aura, but instead of frustrated nods of acceptance, the baseball world just laughed them off. The Yanks spent the most money and had the highest expectations, but couldn't quite seal the deal year after year.

But now, it's vindication for the Yankees. I still can't help but let out a chuckle when ESPN personalities or people calling in to sports radio describe the "long wait" it has been. There are 30 teams in Major League Baseball. 29 of them would give an arm and a leg to wait nine years per title. But the Yankees are different. They love being different. We love hating how they are different.

So I say congratulations. It's been nine years, and the Yankees are back on top. I actually do like some of thier players (Rivera, Series hero Matsui.) And congrats to the fans. Sometimes, in blogs like this, it's easy to categorize everyone into a specific 'fan attitude.' It's very hard not to. There are many, many Yankees fans that root hard, are dedicated, and are darn good people. Co-workers at my jobs. People I spent four years with in college. Kids from my high school--heck, my high school prom date. There are many of you out there. This is your time to celebrate, the first in nine years. Enjoy it.

So are we on the dawn of the second Age of Entitlement? We'll see. But there's one thing we can all agree on...at least this one won't include Roger Clemens.

Monday Mash- Week 8

2009-11-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

You would think this Monday Mash would be a joyous occasion for me. I introduced a new system of picking 7 games instead of 5, and had a sterling 6-1 record this week! The only blemish? The Giants' complete and utter meltdown against Philadelphia. I didn't see that one coming; I would like to meet the person that did. But besides that, the Rams, Ravens, Cowboys, and Vikings covered. The Upset Perfiction Panthers even won outright.

The other game I got right? Regrettably, the Dolphins. Here's an excerpt from yesterday's Sunday Smash:
I think the Jets pull it out very, very late. Think about Ronnie Brown's touchdown with under ten seconds left to win the last matchup. Shonn Greene does the same and sends the Jet fans home happy, though with minor heart palpitations.
The Jets had the ball, down by 5, inside the 10-yard line with just a minute to go! Forget the ridiculous and absurd nature from which the Dolphins scored. Forget that if the Jets simply kicked extra points instead of failing two 2-point conversions, they could have simply kicked a field goal for overtime. The Jets were on the brink of not only winning the game in remarkable fashion, but making me a prognosticating genius! What if ESPN was dialing my number as the Jets were driving, about to hire me for their Experts Pick Section? What a terrible way to lose. But this is what we signed up for when we became Jets fans. After 3-0 and on top of the world, it's 4-4 at their bye. We will have a 'State of the Jets' midseason report some point next week.

On to the Giants for a moment. Admittedly, the Jets game was on my TV and I only flipped to Giants-Eagles during commercials. What I saw was eerily similar to what we all saw the two previous games. The Giants have been completely exposed. Ever since safety Kenny Phillips suffered his injury, the G-Men cannot cover anyone in the secondary. Granted, the Saints and Cardinals are known for their high-powered aerial attacks. But the Eagles, in a rivalry game, without Brian Westbrook, putting up 40? Three touchdowns of 40 yards or more. Sure, Eli didn't help with those flutters across the middle, but the secondary looks to be in absolute shambles moving forward. But give credit to Philly. 40 points, and no one rushed or caught for over 100 yards. That there is balance. The Giants are looking awfully forward to their bye in 2 weeks. First they host San Diego next week. They aren't too shabby throwing the ball, either. Here's the rest from week 8.

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Chris Johnson, Titans. A couple of factors went into this one. First off, the dude ran for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns, getting the Titans their elusive first victory. Second, Johnson performed well enough for this distinction earlier in the season, but was just barely beaten out by a Frank Gore performance. Third, Brett Favre was going to get the award, but he already won it this season. No repeats. So congrats to Johnson, maybe not the best all-around running back in the league. But in this man's eyes, the scariest as far as taking any run for a touchdown.

Speaking of Favre...what else is left to say? Throws for 250 yards and 4 touchdowns. But believe it or not, he's not the main reason the Vikings won. Aaron Rodgers met him blow for blow for the Packers. He threw for more yards than Favre, and was even the leading rusher for the Packers in the game. Nine guys caught a pass. No, Favre wasn't what set Minnesota apart. It was rookie Percy Harvin, and that gaudy 35-yard average on kickoff returns. He put the Vikings in a position to do damage every time he brought one back. In a game that was so even throughout, this was the difference.
The Ravens escorted the Broncos back down to earth this week. It will be interesting to see how Denver responds to this. Sure, they started 6-0, but after that hot start they stand just 2 games ahead of San Diego in the division. Throw in the fact that the Broncos still face the Chargers one more time, and Denver may be feeling some heat sooner rather than later. Their first chance at a rebound is pretty darn tough--hosting the defending-champion Steelers next Monday night.
Devin Hester caught 7 passes yesterday. That doesn't seem too impressive. But on the other side, quarterback Derek Anderson completed 6 passes total for the Browns. The Rams and Titans both won yesterday, so that is 2 less teams the Browns can say they are 'better than' based on their 1-7 record. The only team left? 0-7 Tampa Bay. But the Browns beat the Bills, who beat the Jets, who beat the Pats, who beat the Ravens, who beat the Broncos, who beat the Bengals, who beat the Steelers. So maybe they're among the top teams in the AFC. Who am I to judge?
One last word on the Upset Perfiction. The Panthers won the game (and put up 34 points) with Jake Delhomme completing 7 passes for 90 yards. Perhaps now they have realized that their team is running and defense. Their well-roundedness is what made them a division champ last year, and what may salvage their season this year.
Rams-Lions was a fun game! Check out these highlights! The fake field goal at 1:33 of the clip makes these kind of games entertaining. The series of events starting at 0:50 of the clip makes these kind of games legendary.
Reilly Sports Blog playoff hopefuls Houston and Dallas put up impressive performances against teams against some gross competition. These games are connected though, as Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and Houston running back Steve Slaton are the focal points of the blog's fantasy team. One was good, one is in deep trouble. We will get to this topic more in-depth in the middle of the week.
Peyton Manning threw for 350 yards, yet no touchdowns. Reggie Wayne caught a touchdown pass though. That's not something you see everyday. Running back Joseph Addai chucked one to Wayne as Indy stayed undefeated against the Niners.
It's the 4-2 Falcons visiting the 6-0 Saints on Monday Night Football tonight. ESPN is praying for either the Phils or Yanks to put up a 10-spot in the early innings so they can maybe have some viewers. In any case, look for the Saints to prevail, 27-16.

Sunday Smash- Week 8

2009-11-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the show, hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! I can't remember the last time I flicked through so many sports games that I legitimately cared about in prime time. There was Islanders-Sabres at 7 (5-0 Isles, 3 in a row. Shazaam.) There was Notre Dame-Washington State (just an occasional score check...everyone knew this one was a gimme for the Irish.) There was Oregon-USC at the same time (a real jaw-dropping experience if you are like me and haven't exactly followed college football your whole life...I've never seen USC get the living crap beaten out of them; didn't know if it was even possible.) Finally, after the absurd storms blew out of Philly, we had game 3 of the World Series between the Phillies and Yankees. Between these two lineups and, more importantly, these two ballparks, this can really be a series like no other as far as balls flying over the wall. The Yankees out-muscled the Phillies last night and can ride the back of CC Sabathia to a possible 3-1 series lead tonight. If Philadephia wins, they can ride Cliff Lee in game 5 to a possible 3-2 series lead. A pivotal game 4 tonight to say the least.

But back to the sport that brings the masses to the Sunday Smash. November has arrived, and it has always been the month where the NFL really drives into high gear. Windy days, fans braving the cold, Thanksgiving, divisional matchups. Things get pretty tasty this time of year. Starting off November? Well, only Brett Favre returning to Green Bay as a member of the hated Vikings. Only the Giants and Eagles renewing their rivalry and providing a sensational appetizer to the Yankees-Phillies main course tonight. And finally, November also brings a change to thr Reilly Sports Blog's Sunday Smash section! I was getting cranky and throwing temper tantrums choosing only 5 games per week to pick. Throw in the fact that I pick the Giants and Jets games every week, and that's only 3 games I have freedom on picking each week. I don't like it. And if I can change, and You can change, everyone can change! So from this point forward, there will be a new and expanded and, hopefully, improved picks section.

Starting...RIGHT NOW! Home teams will be in black to look more spooky. Just cover, baby.

The Locals
Giants (+2) over Eagles
If you'll remember my NFL preaseason preview (I understand if you don't...please don't go back and try to look for it, it's not crucial) you will remember I picked the Eagles to beat out the Giants in the NFC East division. But there's no way Big Blue is losing 3 in a row after starting 5-0. Their home loss to Arizona last Sunday night was a bigtime hiccup, and they will be angry and motivated. The Eagles will be amped up in their own right because of the rivalry and the World Series game mentioned earlier. This one will be fun to watch.
Giants 23, Eagles 17.

Dolphins (+4) over Jets
The Dolphins out-muscled, out-coached, and out-classed the Jets in front of a national audience on Monday Night a few weeks ago. They led the ballyhooed Saints by 21 points before falling apart in the end. Before the Jets beheaded Oakland last week, they looked like a team that was injured and lost. How the Dolphins get 4 points...I cannot explain. I think the Jets pull it out very, very late. Think about Ronnie Brown's touchdown with under ten seconds left to win the last matchup. Shonn Greene does the same and sends the Jet fans home happy, though with minor heart palpitations.
Jets 21, Dolphins 20.

Across the NFL

1. Rams (+4) over Lions
We're going to start out in the pop warner division. The toxic Lions host the decrepid Rams in a game that might be pretty darn entertaining. It may be a 2-0 game, it may be a 42-41 game. Who are we to judge? With Calvin Johnson still banged up, Steven Jackson is the undisputed best offensive player in this matchup. That combined with 4 valuable points (these teams would do horrifying, vile things for 4 points) makes me a Ram Man.
Rams 16, Lions 10.

2. Ravens (-4) over Broncos
Finally, a home team. Finally, a team favored to win. I promise, one day I will believe in the Broncos. One day. I have held that ridiculous catch in week one against my Hard Knock Bengals against them for way too long. Unfortunately it rolls on into this week. Hey Denver, you are off a bye and your first two games are against the Ravens and Steelers. Go 2-0 in these games, and you can officially count me on board. Heck, go 1-1 and I'll be impressed.
Ravens 20, Broncos 7.

3. Cowboys (-10) over Seahawks
Bigger spread, MUCH bigger home stadium. After a lukeward start, the Cowboys had an early bye week, and then two home games coming out of it. Last week, they told the Falcons and the NFL world "our stadium is ridiculous, and we plan to play awesomely here." Though I like the Seahawks, they are walking into a perfect storm here of the Dallas pass rush combined with a possibly mojo'd Tony Romo.
Cowboys 31, Seahawks 17.

4. Vikings (+3) over Packers
The Favre bowl comes at 4 pm today. Some will cheer, some will boo, some may be silent, keeping their feelings in check. Once the game starts though, it's all about football. The Vikings are a better team than the Packers. Minnesota protected their home turf against the Pack earlier this year. The X-Factor? Favre wanting to make this game all about Favre. Forcing ridiculius passes, holding the ball too long, forgetting the basics that make the Vikings a successful team. Presumably, the Vikings are hoping to turn the Favre bowl into the Adrian Peterson bowl. Good luck telling Brett, though.
Vikings 28, Packers 24.

Upset Perfiction of the Week

5. Panthers (+11) over Cardinals
Yes, Arizona is at home. Yes, they beat the vaunted Giants last week on the road. Yes, Jake Delhomme has been to the Panthers what Alka-Seltzer is to birds. But eleven points? The Cardinals can lose to anyone on any given week. I still believe in Carolina--not as a playoff contended, but as a team that can compete every week. That means taking them when they are given more than a touchdown plus a field goal. They lost to Buffalo last week. They'll come in feisty.
Cardinals 31, Panthers 24

Enjoy the games everyone! See you tomorrow (with normal, non-Halloween font) for the Monday Mash.

Phils/Yanks... Enjoy, Mets Fans!

2009-10-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

Mets fans thought about it before the playoffs even started. They feared it once the Championship Series started. With the World Series now upon us, they face it...

The hated Philadelphia Phillies will play the hated New York Yankees for baseball's championship. Some fans of the orange and blue have deemed it the 'baseball apocalypse.' Some fans may choose not to watch the series. Some may tune in and not enjoy it. Heck, some wackos may just root for injuries.

I disagree with all three of these strategies. The Phillies and Yankees may be two main rivals of the Mets, but there is a good guy in this series. There is a team for Met fans can (and should) support. There is a team that Mets fans may not be happy with them winning, but should be accepting of them winning.

The Philadelphia Phillies.

Yes, yes, I know. 2007. And 2008. Jimmy Rollins declaring them the team to beat. Cole Hamels labeling the Mets as chokers. Ryan Howard's body mass. Jayson Werth's alarming resemblance to WWE wrestler Edge. Shane Victorino's...well, everything about Shane Victorino.

I have hereby acknowledged all those things. But let's get real here. Those things came into play shortly before the '07 season...about 2 and a half years ago. Since then, the Phillies (and their fans) have often marched into Shea/Citi and walked all over the Mets and their fans. This rivalry, though still expanding, started just two and a half years ago. Before that, it was the Mets/Braves rivalry. Some day, it may be the Mets/Marlins rivalry. Not every division can have a Yankees/Red Sox-esque slugfest year after year. Things often change between the five teams.

One feud that never changes is Yankees/Mets. For every championship the Mets have won, the Yankees have celebrated 13. Any Mets fans born after November 1986 have never experienced a title. Yankees fans born before October 1996 have already seen 4 in their lifetime. Say what you wish about the Yankees' payroll or how many of their players were on the Mitchell Report, but these things truly are supplementary as to why the Yankees should never be rooted for.

It's their fans. Personally, I noticed this phenomenon in the late 1990's when interleague play began. I would be lucky enough to go with my family to one, maybe two, Subway Series games at Shea Stadium. By some divine anti-miracle, we would always find a way to be in the same sections as the 'Bleacher Creatures' that invaded the stadium. As a young teenager, it blew my mind how 40, perhaps 50 people could all get seats next to each other. There they were, cowbells, middle fingers, Mr. Met dolls literally hanging (by the throat) from the stadium ceiling above them.

It wasn't difficult to dislike these people. Sure, they were loud. They were dedicated. But it went beyond that. It was almost as if they weren't there to cheer for the Yankees, but were instead there to take the proverbial dump on Mets fans. The Mets would always have the inferior team, so it was mostly a glorious day at Shea for them. If the Mets would get a hit or, heaven forbid, take the lead in the game, they would simply point to their huge lead in the AL East that season or their boatload of championships.

And they are correct. There is no denying that being a Yankee fan is the easiest job in the sports world. They get whatever free agent they feel like purchasing. If they get criticized, they point to their dozens of championships. They are either the first or second favorite team nearly everywhere in the country. Everyone likes a winner.

But don't fall into this trap, Mets fans. Maybe you haven't had a profound experience with the Yankees/their fans. But it's real. Yes the Phillies have been a royal pain, but I think they are so hated because they are everything the Mets have wanted to be. Howard was our Delgado. Rollins is Reyes. Utley is Wright. Werth is Beltran. Ibanez is a free agent the Mets let get away. Yes, they talk. But the Mets don't have the tightest lips, either.

Here's one last argument. Lets say you're a kid on the school yard. Your entire life, a bigger, older (richer) bully has kicked you in the groin everyday for years. You try to fight it and deny it, but it's happened all your life. You can't help it. Now imagine the past few years, that bully has laid off a little bit, and a new punk has come and for the last few years, gives you a little slap in the face from time to time. If a time came when those two bullies got into a brouhaha and you had to pick a side, which way are you swaying? For me, those years of the bully's torment were a lot worse than the current annoyance of the other guy.

So don't be put off, Mets fans. A great series awaits between clearly, the two best teams. And you have a team to support. Please don't order Phillies hats and jerseys online or anything. But don't feel like Benedict Arnold if there's a glimmer of happiness inside when Howard takes Burnett deep or Lidge strikes out A-Rod in the ninth inning. In the end, fans of the Phillies and Yankees couldn't care less who we root for. In the 2010 season, they will still hate the Mets and their fans whether they win or lose.

But as Rick Reilly once said, "Rooting for the Yankees takes all the courage, imagination, conviction and baseball intelligence of Spam. It's like rooting for Brad Pitt to get the girl or for Bill Gates to hit Scratch 'n' Win."

I couldn't put it any better myself. Enjoy this World Series, and root, root, root for the Phighting Phils. And who knows? If the Mets win the NL East in 2010, it will feel that much better taking down the Champs.

...And with the Mets' luck this year, expect the Yankees to win in 4.

Oh, The NBA is Starting!

2009-10-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: Out of the 4 major sports, the National Basketball Association is the league I follow the least. I will not fraudulently try to paint myself as an NBA guru. To make my point perfectly clear, you all should be told that my favorite basketball player of all time is Salim Stoudamire. Before I do the quick standings/playoff predictions, I'm going to challenge myself with a little game...

My favorite team has been and always will be the New York Knicks. As I sit here now, I have not looked at ESPN or anyone else's NBA preview yet. I am going to try to name the starting roster and bench players for these Knicks...we'll see how I do.

G- Nate Robinson
G- Chris Duhon
F- David Lee
F- Jared Jeffries
C- Eddy Curry
Bench: Darko Milicik, Danillo Galinari...uh. Yeah

That's all I had. Fast forward 4 minutes. After carefully inspecting ESPN's projected depth chart for the Knickerbockers...well, I didn't do so hot. I had Duhon and Jeffries correct, and David Lee kind of correct, because he actually plays Center. Eddy Curry was the fourth Center on the depth chart...presumable because he tried to eat a toaster.

The other starters are Al Harrington (really shoulda knew that one) and Wilson Chandler at guard. Nate is behind Duhon. Darko and Danillo are indeed on the bench, but I missed reserves such as Larry Hughes, Toney Douglas, and newcomer Jordan Hill.

Ok? So it's all out in the open. This 'preview' is simply for fun purposes. It was demanded by few (only Terrence Regan) but will hopefully be enjoyed my many. So here it is, the Reilly Sports Blog's 2009-2010 NBA Preview! Use your imagination on this one.

East

Atlantic Division
1. Boston Celtics (1)
2. Toronto Raptors (4)
3. New York Knicks (8)
4. Philadephia 76ers
5. New Jersey Nets

Central Division
1. Cleveland Cavs (2)
2. Detroit Pistons (6)
3. Chicago Bulls (7)
4. Indiana Pacers
5. Milwaukee Buccaneers

Southeast Division
1. Orlando Magic (3)
2. Atlanta Hawks (5)
3. Washington Wizards
4. Miami Heat
5. Charlotte Bobcats

West

Southwest Division
1. Dallas Mavericks (3)
2. San Antonio Spurs (4)
3. New Orleans Hornets (6)
4. Houston Rockets
5. Memphis Grizzlies

Northwest Division
1. Portland Trailblazers (2)
2. Denver Nuggets (5)
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Utah Jazz
5. Minnesota Timberwolves

Pacific Division
1. Los Angeles Lakers (1)
2. Los Angeles Clippers (7)
3. Phoenix Suns (8)
4. Golden State Warriors
5. Sacramento Kings

PLAYOFFS
Rd. 1
Celtics over Knicks
Cavs over Bulls
Pistons over Magic
Hawks over Raptors

Rd. 2
Celtics over Pistons
Cavs over Hawks

East Final
Cavs over Celtics

Rd. 1
Lakers over Suns
Trailblazers over Clippers
Hornets over Mavericks
Spurs over Nuggets

Rd. 2
Lakers over Hornets
Trailblazers over Spurs

West Final
Trailblazers over Lakers

NBA Finals
Trailblazers over Cavs in 5

**I know the Milwaukee franchise is indeed the Bucks, not the Buccaneers. Just wanted to see if anyone would glance over that and be astonished about how little I know about basketball. I'm not that bad.

Monday Mash- Week 7

2009-10-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the show. I apologize for the hastily-styled picks section yesterday...I only had mere minutes to get them in before the 1 pm kickoffs. The Steelers/Vikings game was pretty solid at 1 pm, but it was starting at 4pm when New York sports fans were glued to their sets. The (much needed, mentally stabilizing) Jets-Raiders game was over before it started, and that led right up to Angels-Yankees as well as Giants/Cardinals. Big Blue came up short, but the Yanks are going to the World Series for the first time since 2003. I will do a write-up/World Series preview tomorrow, but the Monday Mash as always will be dedicated to football. Here was my favorite stuff of week 7:

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Shonn Greene, Jets. Wudduya say, rookie? Thomas Jones started this game off with a touchdown, but it was Greene's day. Nineteen carries for 144 and 2 touchdowns. Can you say fantasy football waiver wire?? Greene's contributions gives Gang Green and their fans some peace of mind because...

After losing Kris Jenkins last week, Jets runner Leon Washington broke his leg yesterday and is also gone for the season. Jenkins may not have been the flashiest, but he was the most important player on the D. Leon is without a doubt the flashiest and the most important player on the team (running, catching, kick returning, everything.) Sure, the 38-0 win was super, but the loss of Leon makes yesterday a real downer in the end. The Jets' most important individual offensive and defensive players are now gone. First test: next week against the Miami team that embarassed the Jets earlier this season. Let's get to work, Rex.
The Giants should really send some kind of fruit basket to the Yankees. The baseball game overshadowed the real dud laid by Big Blue at home. The Cardinals came in as a real feast-or-famine team, and they controlled the game from the start. So from out of nowhere, it's the Giants that have lost two straight as their meaty divisional lead has dwindled. Lots of questions will be answered when they travel to Philadelphia next week.
Speaking of the Jets and Giants games, the Reilly Sports Blog's NFL picks came back with a fury this week. Chargers and Jets cover as favorites while the Cardinals come up big as the underdogs. Houston busted the blog's collective balls by letting the 49ers back in for a miracle push. Favre's bed-wetting display at the end of the game made the Perfiction a failure. But we will take 3-1-1. We can take that.
A dirty little secret from week 7: besides HOU/SF, MIN/PIT, and NYG/ARI, there were NO COMPETITIVE GAMES. The games I just listed were the only ones decided by 10 points or less. The Texans-Niners was the only one decided by less than a touchdown. On the other side of the coin, there were six (6) games that were won by 28 points or more. That is utterly absurd. The talent gap between good and woeful is greater than ever. It was really reflected this week. This season, pick underdogs with extreme caution, no matter the spread.
Miles Austin gives Tony Romo the love and security that Jessica evidently could not. 170 yards and 2 scored for Miles, as Tony doesn't throw a pick and at least for this week, keeps the critics and their pitchforks at bay.
The Bills are a very respectable 3-4. I thought Carolina would dismantle them since QB Trent Edwards was out. But Buffalo has an extremely unique ability. They seem to know they are low on talent, but manage to drag their opponents right down to their crappy level as well. It's uncanny. The last 3 weeks: losing 6-3 to Cleveland in a game that was rated NC-17 for disturbing images, beating the Jets in overtime because Sanchez throws them 5 picks, and taking down a Panthers team that went 12-4 last year by a score of 20-9. I'm never picking for them or against them for the rest of the year. They are too weirdly freightening.
Keeping things in the AFC East, the Saints/Dolphins had a final score that was...well, deceiving. The Dolphins light-sped out to a 21 point lead over the New Orleans team that dominated the Giants start-to-finish last week. Drew Brees throws 3 picks for a rating below 60, but runs for 2 TD's. Such a bizarre game, and you get the feeling every single Dolphins game the rest of the way will be among the most entertaining of the week.
The Broncos are resting on their bye with 6-0 record and a 3-game lead in the division. Jay Cutler is in now in 3rd place after losing to the Bengals by 35 points. Just saying...
How did the Bucs intercept Tom Brady twice? Was he paid by the US embassy to give Bucs fans in London a reason to cheer?
Monday Night Football features the NFC East tonight, Redskins-Eagles. Washington is playing to save their season as the Eagles try to keep the 2-loss pace of the Giants and Cowboys. If Oakland didn't beat the Eagles last week (biggest mystery of NFL '09 thusfar,) I would give the Skins a chance. But Philly is now angry and eager to keep the city amped with the Phillies in the World Series. Eagles 27, Redskins 14. Enjoy the game.

Sunday Smash- Week 7

2009-10-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

All business. Just cover, baby. Home teams are in bold.

1. Chargers (-6) over Chiefs
The fact that San Diego is only favored by 6 is a testament of how poorly their season has gone so far. If they play up to half their talent level, this is a double-digit victory. If they don't cover or heaven forbid, lose outright, I officially give up on the Super Bowl prediction for them. Now's the time.

2. Texans (-3) over 49ers
Houston quarterback Matt Schaub leads the league with 14 touchdowns. Whoa. For the benefit of my fantasy team, maybe Steve Slaton and the running game catch up with his production. I have not hopped on with the Niners yet. If they win today, that will certainly start to change.

3. Cardinals (+8) over Giants
I know for certain the Giants are a better team. But Arizona always has the best player on the field with Larry Fitzgerald. Sunday night, prime time...It might be a playground for him out there tonight. Both teams put up at least 3 touchdowns, and it comes down to the wire. This game doesn't deserve one of the bigger lines of the week.

4. Jets (-7) over Raiders
For the love of God. Please.

Upset Perfiction of the Week

5. Vikings (+6) over Steelers
Minnesota is undefeated and getting almost a touchdown. Yes, please. Vikings win outright, because hey, "That guy's just having fun out there. He's a freakin' kid out there."

BONUS UPSET PERFICTION OF THE (DAY)

Angels (+160) over Yankees
Booyah.

Enjoy the games everyone!

Down Comes the Sky

2009-10-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Let's start this by making one thing abundantly clear: the New York Jets are 3-3. Out of 16, there are just five teams in the AFC with a better winning percentage. If the playoffs started this very second, they would be tied for the final spot.

Now that those facts are abundantly clear, we can begin.

The Jets are in complete and utter turmoil. Sunday, Mark Sanchez threw five interceptions. The special teams threw another pick on a botched field goal. With Jerricho Cotchery out, no receiver besides newcomer Braylon Edwards even showed up. The defense, though decent, lost their most important player (Kris Jenkins) for the season. Yes, they ran for over 300 yards. But to accomplish that and still lose the game takes a disaster of epic proportions. We are through week 6 now, and the good teams and bad teams are starting to separate. The two teams I see with the most deceiving records are the 3-3 Ravens (way better than that) and the 3-3 Jets (far more vulnerable than that.)

So what's happened the past 3 weeks? Well, Sanchez had his 'rookie game' in New Orleans (which, by the way, looks like a brilliant performance after what we saw this week.) Rex Ryan and the defense were caught woefully unprepared for the Wildcat in week 2. And on Sunday afternoon, Sanchez played like a rookie that doesn't belong anywhere near the field. It was a performance that absolutely terrifies the fans for the future. Throwing in windy, bitter Giants stadium after October is no ordinary task. After one game, Sanchez demonstrated that he is not yet up to that task.

At the moment, the mojo has just evaporated for gang green. The loss against Buffalo would have been bad enough with the Bills hitting the field goal at the end of regulation. It would have been quick, less painful, William Wallace-like. But the fans suffered through another 10+ minutes of overtime, which showed them over and over that something truly awful had overtaken the team. At the end, it had lasted nearly four hours, the Jets lost a huge part of their defense, their QB was nearly crying, and fans missed over 10 minutes of The Simpsons Halloween special that started at 8pm. Everyone was cranky. Until the Jets get back their mojo, the things that made them great for three weeks (pass rush, 3rd down efficiency, great special teams, etc.) they will continue to sputter.

But as football Yoda says, 'turmoil does not a season ruin.' There is time to get things turned around. Yesterday, the Jets played like a team that should be 1-5. But they are 3-3 because of some great efforts against Houston, Tennessee, and the Patriots. Those three victories count just as much as the three ugly, ugly losses. There are no style points here. Ask the Arizona Cardinals about how much style points they got last year during their 9-7 regular season. Things can happen.

But there is an incredible amount of work to do. It starts in Oakland on Sunday--the same lowly Raiders that beat the Eagles yesterday. Clearly, as the Jets now know, there are no real pushovers in the NFL.

Monday Mash- Week 6

2009-10-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Not the greatest weekend for New York football. Though losses are rarely encouraging, the defeats by the Giants and Jets were particularly worrisome. The Jets got outworked and embarrassed at home by an inferior Buffalo team without their starting quarterback. The Giants were never truly within striking distance as the Saints put up 7 touchdowns.

We'll take an extensive look at the Jets later in the week, so we'll focus on the Giants today. Maybe it was just me, but I had just one thought on my mind from the get-go: Wasn't this how Super Bowl XLII was supposed to be?? The record-setting, high flying Patriots offense ready to stomp on the Giants and complete their perfect season.

Yesterday, the G-Men looked like that big underdog ready to get smoked. Their pass rush, that manhandled and harassed Tom Brady into submission, let Drew Brees do absolutely whatever he wanted yesterday. And he was more than willing to accept, as Marques Colston, Lance Moore, and others ran wild in the Giants secondary. Maybe Mark Sanchez's debacle starting at 4pm looked so much worse because many fans saw Brees' mastery starting three hours earlier. Bottom line: both New York teams have a lot to do. But hard work at 5-1 is a lot more comfortable than hard work at 3-3. As far as the rest of week 6:

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Tom Brady, Patriots. Fair is far. 380 yards with 6 TD's before being pulled in the 3rd quarter. Pretty delicious.

A big thank you to Brady for flushing my upset perfiction down the toilet. It's been a real up and down year for the upset of the week picks. Things looked great at the start, with the Niners over the Cards and Jets over the Pats. The things got rocky as the Chargers dismantled the Dolphins and the Niners modestly beat the Rams 35-0. After the Browns came through against Buffalo, the Titans couldn't quite cover the 10-point spread, going down valiently by the score of 59-0.
Tommy was the posterboy for what was really a ridiculous week for NFL quarterbacks. Peyton Manning may have been on a bye, but look at these numbers! Eight guys going for 300 yards or more. The low point (besides Sanchez) can be found in the Pats-Titans box score. ESPN was required to put Vince Young (0-2, 0 yards) as the top passer. The reason? Kerry Collins passed for negative seven yards. Great job, Titans. Great pick, Conor.
Speaking of the upset pick, who in the world saw that coming from Oakland? Just a week ago, the Eagles beat Tampa Bay 33-14, and the Raiders lost to the G-Men 44-7. Simple math tells us that....the Raiders don't allow a touchdown and go on to win?? Crazy.
I beefed up the Redskins a lot yesterday, hoping they would beat the Chiefs handily. I started Campbell, Portis, and Moss. Therefore, I had all the bases covered and would get points on everything except Washington field goals. The result? Two field goals, Campbell pulled at halftime, Clean Sanchezes lose. Thanks, 'Skins.
Game of the week has to go to Baltimore-Minnesota. It was pretty pedestrian until the 4th quarter, where all hell broke loose. Minnesota had it, then lost it, then had it, then should have lost it only to end up having it. Favre magic I suppose. But is his Jet-like swoon coming?
Teams helping my preseason prediction for them: the Cardinals beating the Seahawks and the Rams losing a close one to the Jaguars (1-15 for St Louis lives on.)
Broncos vs. Chargers tonight on Monday Night football. Unfortunately, the Bolts are my Super Bowl picks. Too soon to turn back now. Chargers 17, Broncos 13.

Sunday Smash- Week 6

2009-10-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hello there and welcome back everyone. Like you, I am a tad sleepy while getting ready for this football Sunday. The Yankee/Angel game ended shortly after 1 am, and I had to sneak in an episode of Dexter on demand before retiring to sleep. Not much I can say about the game...only that I thought the kind of baseball Anaheim played last night was over back when the Mets season ended. Both teams put the game on a platter for one another, but in the end it was the Angels giving the Yanks "an offer they couldn't refuse."

Ok, over to the Smash. Honestly, there is a slew of crappy, crappy games today. There is a peculiar amount of bad team vs. bad team or solid team vs. bad team. But the goal here is to pick 5 games. And although the picks have left much to be desired, we will never ever forever stop trying. So we've got five games that we have sufficient confidence in. Home teams are in bold. Just cover, baby.

1. Saints (-3) over Giants
I know, I never learn. What can I say? I picked the Bucs and Raiders over the Giants due to preposterous spreads, and the Giants covered about 30 seconds into each game. Now arguably the best team in the NFL is getting 3 points and I say no? Well I picked the Saints to win the freakin' Super Bowl before the season, and it wouldn't say too much about my fortitude to pick them to lose at home now. Marques Colston goes for 130 and 2 scores, making the difference.

2. Bills (+10) over Jets
Yep, I have picked the Jets every. single. week so far. It hasn't gotten me too far. But in this man's opinion, it's both the Bills and the weather (+10) over the Jets. The Jets have been sneaky-bad at running the ball this year, Mark Sanchez's follies handling the ball may be magnified by the conditions. The Jets won't lose. They can't dig that kind of divisional hole against a team this bad. But 10 is a little high due to said weather and shaky performances lately.

3. Ravens (+3) over Vikings
If the Ravens were to beat Cincinnati last week, there's no way I pick them in this one. But plain and simple, I just can't see the Ravens being 3-3 and the Vikings being 6-0 after this week. 4-2 and 5-1 sound a lot more sensible. They will force Favre into a couple of mistakes today.

4. Redskins (-6) over Chiefs
This is a pick near and dear to my heart. Clean Sanchez is a paltry 2-3 and must bounce back in the money fantasy league. Tony Romo is on a bye (probably a good thing) so operation Washington is in effect. I had Clinton Portis and Santana Moss all season, but the buzzsaw Jason Campbell is officially a fantasy league starter this week. I may be the only one...but I wasn't putting it on Kyle Orton on Monday night. If the Redskins don't cover, there's no way my team wins. Might as well pick them here. Get it done, 'Skins. You will be rewarded handsomely.

Upset Perfiction of the Week

5. Titans (+10) over Patriots
Please see pick #2. This is a 10 point spread, and the weather in Foxboro is the same as the weather in Jersey. We'll see what happens, but I'm a man that believes in weather. And call them a different team, but the fact still is that Tennessee was 13-3 last year, and they're getting 10 today. Perfect candidate for the Upset Perfiction.

Jets Rookies Plummet to Earth

2009-10-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

How quickly the tide turns.

Two weeks ago, the Jets were on top of the world. The team was a perfect 3-0. Mark Sanchez had the Rookie of the Year award in the bag. Head coach Rex Ryan wasn't backing down from anyone as the Jets out-muscled opponents. The defense hadn't given up an offensive touchdown, as the frenzied fans tried desperately to name the unit (D-Rex, Broadway Blitz, Revis and the Buttheads, etc.)

Now? Let's just say the fans have a lot more things on their mind than "Name that Defense." Unfortunately, none of these things are very positive. Gang Green fans were perfectly willing to accept the defeat in New Orleans. Tough road game, great offense, and Mark Sanchez is required to have that 'rookie game.' But that loss in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football...now that one's tough to swallow.

Just as Mark Sanchez had his 'rookie game,' Rex Ryan also had one of his own last night. And believe it or not, Ryan's might have been uglier. The Dolphins came into this game 1-3 and, on paper, the vastly inferior team in terms of talent. But the Miami coaching staff took the gameplan Rex presented before them promptly deposited it into the shredder. And then the toilet. If you told a Jets fan that the team was going to score 27 points and the offense wouldn't have a turnover, they would bet their house it would be a victory.

But it wasn't to be. Rex Ryan, deemed the 'mad scientist' for his ferocious defense, had his Frankenstein turned into a Teletubby on Monday. Maybe it was overconfidence, leading to a lack of preparation. Maybe it was that south Florida heat. Maybe the Dolphins are a lot better than people think. But one thing for sure is that there's going to be some silence for a while. The masses will laugh at Bart Scott & co. if they try to preach their greatness this week.

But maybe this isn't a bad thing. Truth be told, the Jets were anointed way too prematurely this year. They have three winnable games coming up (hosting Buffalo, @Oakland, and hosting Miami for what they hope will be sweet revenge.) The media won't hear of their dominance anymore, but maybe the Jets will like this new strategy of 'go about your business first, then talk.' And hey, if they win all three and go into that bye week at 6-2, nobody will have a problem with the mute button being shut off.

At least for a little while.

Monday Mash- Week 5

2009-10-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

It was quite a jacked sports Sunday we had yesterday. NFL, MLB playoffs, sprinkle in a little hockey. It's a great time to be a fan right now.

Unless you're in New England.

Because the mighty fell hard yesterday. The Red Sox had one of the more stunning playoff roll-over-and-die performances in recent history, and the Patriots were beaten in Denver by a broncos team that is somehow now 5-0. The Red Sox simply ran into a buzzsaw of great Angel pitching by Lackey and Weaver, and weren't able to escape the 0-2 hole. Though they seemed to be in trouble the whole series, it was truly stunning to see Papelbon blow that lead yesterday in front of the home crowd. The Angels showed a killer finishing ability that will definitely give them a fighting chance in the ALCS against...

The Yankees. Yep, the Twins were swept and my epic 5-game prediction never materialized. Nevertheless I think we have a treat of a series coming up. You either like the juggernaut talent machine of New York, or the never-say-die, mojo-driven, fundamentally sound Angels. (Did that sound adequately biased against the Yanks? I hope so.) As per my playoff preview, it's the Halos in 6. Wrapping up baseball, the Cardinals' paltry effort rivaled that of the Red Sox. So much for that NL pennant predictions. It'll be the Dodgers going up against whoever comes out of Phillies/Rockies. I have to think the Dodgers have the edge against either.

Ok, enough of that baseball stuff. The Monday Mash was founded on the principles of cheerleaders, wings, manlyness, and football. Mentioned earlier was the Broncos' impressive win over the Patriots, which was a great boost for the picks yesterday. The Broncos and Bengals both won outright, as did the upset perfiction Browns. Though those were good, the Panthers failed to cover the 5 point spread against the Redskins, and for some demonic reason i picked the Raiders to cover the huge spread against the Giants, only to see New York cover during the second quarter. A modest 3-2 on the week. Baby steps. Here's the other junk from week 5.

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Miles Austin, Cowboys. Ten catches for 250 and 2 scores? On behalf of Tony Romo's frustrated fantasy owners across the country: GIVE ME A HELL YEAH! This included a 60-yard score in overtime against Kansas City (yes, the Cowboys actually needed OT against the Chiefs, but that's not Austin's fault.) Roy Williams was out with an injury for this game, and it clearly wasn't much of a loss for Dallas.

Denver-New England was a dandy, but there were also doozies in Arizona and Baltimore. The Cardinals almost blew an enormous lead against the Texans, only to make a miraculous goal-line stand at the end to save the victory. Maybe if you gave the ball to Steve Slaton instead of Chris Brown, you would have won, Houston. My fantasy team sure would have. The Bengals scored the road upset against the Ravens on the back of...Cedric Benson? Maybe Baltimore really does miss Rex.
No worries for the hobbled NFC east quarterbacks. Donovan McNabb proved the ribs are fine against the hapless Bucs, while Eli Manning blew away the just-as-hapless Raiders.
The Rams looked grotesque again, losing 38-10 against the Vikings. They, were, however, out-grossed by the 41-0 loss by Jacksonville. Matt Hasselbeck's 4 touchdowns made him the Beverageworks runner-up. Most surprising blowout? Atlanta's 45-10 bashing on the road against the 49ers.
Tennessee might just be as bad as their record. Going into last night's game they were though to be the best 0-4 team in history. After that game they just seem like a plain ol' 0-5 sewer rat.
Daunte Culpepper lives! The Lions came off their first win since the Reagan administration with a respectable 28-20 loss to the Steelers. They are going places.
Quite a Monday night tussle tonight, Jets-Dolphins in Miami. Mark Sanchez is coming off his toilet-worthy performance last week, while the Dolphins are 1-3 and without Iron Chad. A lot of people are picking Miami, making me uneasy. Braylon Edwards makes his debut with the Jets, which can go either way. Jets are favored by 4. We'll take it. Chad Henne has 3 turnovers total and the Jets pull away in the end, 24-10. I think.

Sunday Smash- Week 5

2009-10-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's now or never. A quarter of the way through the season, the only way I can sum up my NFL picks so far is with the first 35 seconds of this trailer. It's all there. I tried the no-nonsense picking strategy, I tried the pick-with-your-gut strategy. And in recent weeks, I have tried the prayerful strategy. Nothing has worked. A paltry 2-3 last week; when anything less than 4-1 was not an option. Even the bread-and-butter Giants almost missed their big cover over the Chiefs. Scary stuff. But this week will be different. This first quarter of the season is done, finished. Out of sight, out of mind. In honor of week 5, we are going 5-0. Simple as that. Just cover, baby. Note: No Jets pick here today, as they are the Monday night game. We will get to them tomorrow.

1. Raiders (+16) over Giants
No, this is not the Upset Perfiction of the Week, as Oakland will not come close to winning this game outright. This is however, too big of a spread for the current Giants situation. Eli Manning has an injury with a very complex name that is better known as 'heel ouchy.' If he plays (an it looks that way) the Giants will probably use caution and rest him once this game hits double digits late. Raiders barely cover and perhaps take a moral victory, which is pretty much all they are gunning for this season.

2. Panthers (-5) over Redskins
The absolute lock of the week. My eyes bulged open when I saw this line. It blows my mind that Washington (2-2) is a .500 team, and the Panthers are now officially in 'save the season' mode. Carolina is coming off their bye week and are ready to free themselves of the 'most disappointing NFL team' conversation. The Redskins mail it in during the second half and Carolina steamrolls. Gotta have this one.

3. Bengals (+9) over Ravens
Yeah, I pick the Bengals way too much. I have a man-crush on all 53 of them. Yes, they contributed to my 2-3 record last week with that abomination against Cleveland, but I am certain they have been discipined accordingly for that. I don't care what the opponent is...Cincinnati is too good this year to be spotted 9 points against anyone. Baltimore is home and it will get ugly, but these divisional games are always closer than they should be (I.E. Browns-Bengals last week.) This game won't be decided by 10 or more.

4. Broncos (+3) over Patriots
I'm coming after you again, New England. I made a silly move by picking a non-mojo'd Atlanta team on the road against you. You made me pay. I responded by lulling you into false security and taking you over the Ravens. And it worked. If Kevin O'Connell can supposedly give the Jets enough intel to take down the Pats, what on earth will be the impact of Josh McDaniels? Should the Pats just forfeit? I'm still positive that the Broncos are not a good team. But the Pats' one game on the road so far (@NYJ) they didn't seem too comfy. At all. I'm taking the 3 with fingers crossed.

Upset Perfiction of the Week

5. Browns (+6) over Bills

A part of me wonders if Roger Goodell will find a way to black out this game across the nation. He will find some sort of bogus loophole that prevents all of America from watching this game. An innocent fan's eyes should be shielded from this quality of football at all costs. The starting quarterbacks are Trent Edwards and Derek Anderson, who combined on the year have just over 1,100 passing yards and 6 touchdowns. These numbers are similar to middle-of-the-road Houston quarterback Matt Schaub combined with...well, me. In a game like this, 6 points is as valuable as 60 points. Cleveland gets the win outright.

Enjoy the games everyone. See you tomorrow for the Mash.

MLB Playoff Picks

2009-10-07T12:01:00.001-07:00

A double-dip Wednesday! Read all about it. I tried to combine the Jets and baseball into one post, but then I rambled for centuries about Braylon Edwards, and here we are. Let the record show that although these predictions are late, I have not watched the Rockies-Phillies game that is already underway. No unfair advantages here--not even a couple of innings. So let's get it done. I will understand if you pick the opposite of what I predict. My football picks have not done anything to combat that.

Twins vs. Yankees
I'm going to go ahead and give the Twins a chance in this series, which seems to be blasphemy across the nation. Yes, I thought the Tigers would escape with the Central division, but the Twins made me believers. On the surface, the Yankees have a better lineup, better pitching, are coming in rested, and have home-field advantage. Sweep? Perhaps. But why do we always forget about the MOJO? The Twins have trucks full of it. They are on fire, yet come into the series with absolute house money. They have already climbed a mountain everyone told them they couldn't climb. I don't care how talented the Yankees are. Nobody, nobody, NOBODY was going to beat the Twins in the Metrodome yesterday. They were not going to allow that. If they can channel that for one or two games, we got a series here. Yankees will probably win something like 16-2 tonight because I don't think the Twins have slept yet. But I think they get to Burnett in game 2, and the insane crowd of game 3 steals a win. Call me a lunatic, but this mamma jamma goes back to Yankee Stadium for a game 5. Oh it's true. It's damn true. Viva Carl Pavano!
Yankees in 5

Red Sox vs. Angels
Don't I know you? Both teams are probably saying this looking at their schedules, since the Angels and Red Sox have met in the playoffs every year since the Civil War. The Red Sox always win. They have the rally monkey cryptonite. But hey, the Mets lost more than 90 games this year--screw the past. These Angels finally faced some competition in the AL West this year, which makes them a stronger unit. Scott Kazmir will show why Anaheim acquired him and win a game. The 'Idiot' Red Sox of yesteryear knew how to flip the switch and turn up the turbos when the playoffs came. I'm not sure this club can snap out of their late-season crappiness so easily this year. Swing, monkey, swing!
Angels in 4

Rockies vs. Phillies
I really don't know here. This seems like an 8-9 matchup in the NCAA basketball tournament. Either team could sweep, it could go 5 with every game going to extra innings. Nothing would shock me here. Colorado took down the Phillies with ease 2 years ago on their magical run to the World Series. The Phillies, being the defending champs, won't be snuck up on again. I can't back a team whose most dominant pitcher is named Ubaldo. Can't do it. Brad Lidge blows one game, putting Philly fans in a very queasy mood heading into the NLCS.
Phillies in 4

Cardinals vs. Dodgers
The series I'm most excited about in the first round. I've liked the Cardinals for the past few weeks to win the NL pennant, but I'm very fearful of the recent avalanche of people that think the same thing. Nobody is giving the Dodgers much of a chance here, after their crappy finish and nearly losing the division in an embarassing way to the Rockies. I'd like to go bold, saying Manny will go ballistic and carry the Dodgers (and everyone knows he has the ability.) But it's pitching, pitching, pitching. Carpenter and Wainwright cannot be argued. Wish I could, though. I hate going with the crowd.
Cardinals in 5

Championship Series
Angles vs. Yankees
Again, the Angels ask, 'Don't I know you?' This time though, they are excited to ask the question. Much like the Sox own the Angels, (um, except this year...bear with me) the Yankees hate seeing the Angels this time of year. LA runs too much, they get clutch hits, their pitchers pitch out of their minds. It's a nightmare for them. If the Red Sox were to win the first round, the Yankees would know from their furious season series that they have the upper hand in momentum. But with the Angels, it is permanently branded into the core of this team that they are going to have trouble. It's supernatural. Once the Angels know that they can finally beat Boston, ain't nothing stoppin' this express. Torii Hunter is MVP of the series, Joba Chamberlain sports an ERA over 6.00 for the post-season, riots erupt in Gotham. Swing on, Monkey.
Angels in 6

Cardinals vs. Phillies
A pretty interesting series if it comes true. Pujols vs. Howard. St. Louis' two Cy Young candidates testing their skills in Philly's bandbox. Power against balance. I like the Cardinals. The Phillies are defending champs, but it was only in '06 when St. Louis threw off the energy in baseball's atmosphere by beating the Mets and eventually winning the World Series. If Carpenter and Wainwright are enough to get through the Dodgers, they are enough to get through the Phils as well. Oh and Brad Lidge, remember Albert Pujols? Me too. He is your series MVP.
Cardinals in 5

World Series
Angels vs. Cardinals
Now here's a matchup I can be proud of. As I said, I hate going with the grain, and I don't think I did here. The Cards are popular, but many expect the Angels out in the first round. And those that think they survive round 1 know for sure they will get killed in round 2. So the Halos and Redbirds duke it out for the title. I'll be honest here, I didn't think much of the Angels until a touching Sports Illustrated article about the team responding to Nick Adenhart's death and all. I fell in love reading it. This team's got something working with them this year (plug in Christopher Lloyd reference here) and they can do it. St. Louis will get too comfortable with their pitching winning all their postseason games, and their lineup won't make up for when Carpenter and Wainwright stumble against Anaheim. Vlad Guerrero MVP. California knows how to party.
Angels in 6

Thanks for reading, everyone. And the way my football picks have gone, enjoy the Angles getting swept by Boston in the first round.

Broadway Braylon

2009-10-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

Apparently the Jets don't like that taste of losing.

Because after 3 wins to start the year, they responded to their first loss by acquiring wide receiver Braylon Edwards from the Cleveland Browns early today. He is a Pro Bowler. he was taken with the #3 pick in 2005. And he is 26, an absolute prime age for and NFL receiver. What did it take to get him? Leon Washington? David Harris? The biceps of Thomas Jones?

Jason Trusnik, Chansi Stuckey, and 2 draft picks no earlier than the third round. Wow. Let's just say if Edwards plays to 20% of his ability, this is an absolute steal.

Yes, it hasn't been the best season for Edwards. This week it got worse, as he allegedly put the boom boom pow on the face of someone in LeBron's Cleveland entourage. Not the best for PR. But if that's what drove down his value this low, I think Jets fans will be more than willing to pay the medical bills of Lebron's friend.

So what does this mean for Gang Green? Here are some quick snippets.

This can go one of two ways for Jerricho Cotchery. For the optimists, he will see way less attention from opposing defenses because they have to respect Edwards' deep threat. He will have an easier time getting open and will improve on his already-stellae production. For the pessemists, Cotchery may feel a little slighted that nobody believes in him as a true #1 receiver. He has done everything expected and more for this offense, and the Jets somewhat-'replaced' him at his #1 slot. But Cotchery has been nothing but a team-first guy from the start, and as long as the Jets win, it doesn't matter who gets the ball.
This only goes one way for the running game: POSITIVE. Just look at the Saints defense from Sunday. New Orleans just begged Sanchez and the pass game to beat them, as they committed all defenders to stopping the run. The Jets played right into that and got crushed. With Edwards now going deep, defenses will not dare play that style.
If Edwards can't become a professional in this locker room, he's not going to do it anywhere. Rex Ryan, Bart Scott, Kerry Rhodes, Cotchery, and others will let him know how to do things. His behavior in Cleveland was bad, but the man was in Cleveland, which is currently equivalent to a pool of lava in the NFL. He has a new lease on life for a winning team. If he wants to get paid and perhaps even get a championship, now's his chance.
Just to stress again, I do not see the downside in this deal. the Jets nearly gave David Harris for Brandon Marshall just over a month ago. Now they give a special teams role player, a nice but unproven receiver, and 2 picks for Edwards? It's a tremendous move. And remember, Edwards is just months older than Stuckey. This isn't trading youth for some old guy. We may not have see the best of Edwards yet.
This team looks very sexy right now. We all know about the defense, but now offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has his most talented offense to work with. Edwards as a home-run target, Cotchery as a top-of-the-line #2 possession receiver, Dustin Keller roaming the middle, and the 3 capable runners. As long as Sanchez doesn't pull too many kamikaze missions, I'm not sure how you prepare for this unit now.

So there you have it. I for one am very excited about this move. If you're reluctant as a Jets fan, just think of this... Put yourself in the shoes of a Browns fan right now. Do you think for one second that you got the better part of this deal? Are you excited in any way?

Because I'm sitting here on the other side of the fence. And I sure am.

Monday Mash- Week 4

2009-10-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

Dirty, Mark.

Yep, the clock struck midnight for Gang Green's Cinderella as Mark Sanchez went all "December '08 Brett Favre" on the Jets. The Saints won 24-10, and Sanchez was solely responsible for the 14 point difference. All Jets fans knew this ugly day would come, but most were hoping it would be against a crappy team so maybe they could still steal the victory despite rookie mistakes. But unfortunately it came against a legitimately elite NFL team, and no team could overcome Sanchez yesterday.

It looked pretty ok early, as the Jets held the Saints (40 points per game coming in) to just an opening field goal. But Sanchez threw his pick-6 and played with the poop scared out of him the rest of the game. It showed. No touchdowns, 3 picks, fumble in the endzone, 140 yards. WFAN's Mike Francesa said he was more impressed with the Jets defense yesterday than he was after any of the three wins. It's tough to argue. The defense gave up 4 points less than Sanchez on his own, and that's saying a lot.

So yeah, it was bad for the Jets. But 3-1 is not too shabby for the toughest quadrant of their season. Come to think of it, 3-1 was seen as a dream start just one month ago. Now, the schedule gets lighter, Calvin Pace is back on defense, and assuming Sanchez learns from that game yesterday, a brighter road ahead.

In case you didn't know, Sanchez was bad. I don't know whether it was curiosity or nerves, but I checked out last season's game log for rookies Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco to see their worst games. Each of these quarterbacks managed to take their teams to the playoffs. Here are their worst games compared to Sanchez yesterday.

M. Sanchez (10/5 vs Saints) 14-27, 138 yards. 0 TD, 3 INT, 1 Fumble. QB Rating: 27.0
M. Ryan (9/14/08 vs Bucs) 13-33, 158 yards. 0 TD, 2 INT, 0 Fumbles. QB Rating: 29.6
J. Flacco (12/14/08 vs Steelers) 11-28, 115 yards. 0 TD, 2 INT, 0 Fumbles. QB Rating: 22.2

Of course, all three quarterbacks lost these games. That's what happens when a rookie QB has his worst game; the team loses. But those stats above are just proof that all rookies have "that day." Ryan and Flacco were incredible last year, and were able to learn from their crappy games and pereserve. We're going to learn a lot about Mark Sanchez nex Monday night in Miami. Here are some other quick hits from an interesting week 4.

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Steve Smith, Giants. Yes, the other one. The lesser known of receivers with that name, Smith is off to a historic start in Giants history. Eleven catches for 134 and 2 touchdowns. Watching the game, he looked even better than those numbers suggest. Assuming Eli's wheel is healthy, it's all systems go for that hookup and the entire Giants offense.

A quarter of the way through the season, the Giants are the best team in the NFL. When I picked the Eagles to win the NFC East, Steve Smith must have read it and gotten amped up. Ok, there's no way that happened. But he's been awesome, the defense has been awesome, and if Eli's foot is no big deal they are going to make some serious hay.
Even though the Giants are numero uno, I'm feeling pretty proud with my prediction of the Saints as champs. They have been better than even I expected. Who would have thought they could beat the 3-0 Jets with the defense scoring more points than the dynamite offense? Their balance is impressive.
My other Super Bowl team? Ugh. The Chargers were absurd last night in their game against Pittsburgh. The Steelers looked vulnerable without superstar Troy Polamalu, but the Chargers got stomped on for almost the entire game, before going berserk late. But it was indeed late--too late. They fall to a very mysterious 2-2. They could beat the Patriots and they could lose to the Raiders at this point. They freighten me.
Ok, let's confront the panda in the room...my picks. Giants and Patriots got it done, but the Bengals let me down bigtime by not covering and the Jets...nuh uh. I wish I could delete the Upset Perfiction forever. St. Louis got 10 points against San Francisco. They wouldn't have covered if the point spread were 20. Or 25. Or 30. Or 34.5. Yep, thanks Rams. You made a mockery of my half-decent name. We'll get 'em next week.
The Titans are the best 0-4 team in the history of the NFL. But I also think the Broncos are the worst 4-0 team in history. I just don't get it. I personally guarentee that if Stokely doesn't make that crazy week 1 catch they would be 1-3 or worse. I don't get it.
The Dolphins were awfully impressive without Chad Pennington yesterday. And the way Buffalo looked, my last-place proclamation for Miami seems quite premature at this point.
I don't know what to think with that Ravens-Patriots game. Baltimore probably got hosed on at least one roughing the passer calls. But I don't know. I feel like in years past, I would be fuming a lot more about this if it were really a big deal. So what's up? Maybe the Jets are just playing so well my envious rage against New England is subsiding. Maybe the calls just weren't that bad. But I'm just gonna go ahead and tell myself that the Pats have gotten so many calls and benefits of the doubt by the refs over the years that I am just immune to it. Yeah, that's good. That's sufficiently bitter.
After an already-interesting Sunday, all hell breaks loose tonight. Favre vs. the Packers. The Packers vs. Favre. Yeah, it'll be better when the teams play in Green Bay, but I gotta build up this game all I can so my prediction looks better. Minnesota is favored by 5. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. Upset rains down in Minnesota. Aaron Rodgers throws 3 touchdowns, and actually flips off Favre as Greg Jennings is running into the endzone on the third one. Packers 24, Vikings 14. Boom.

NFL Picks- Week 4

2009-10-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

LIVE FROM JONES BEACH, it's the Reilly Sports Blog. It's one of the best days of the year today, as the annual Walk for Autism is underway. Nice people, great environment, and by some divine miracle it's about 70 degrees here on an October day. I would highly recommend it. Just a great day. Well, let's get to the picks. We need a serious rebound this week after last week's disgrace. Just a total meltdown. I feel partially responsible for putting the KABOSH on Chad Pennington, as I picked the Dolphins week after week after week...it was just too much presure for my (non-Jets) favorite NFL player. Sorry Chad, sorry Miami. You're going to finish in last place. But on the bright side, I won't pick you anymore and your players will probably be safe. Let's do it. 5-0 this week...Just cover, baby.

1. Bengals (-7) over Browns
Every Vegas logic says to take the Browns here. Desperate team, at home, divisional game, the Bengals being the Bengals. Cleveland hates their coach, and they are close to just plain hating themselves now. Brady Quinn? Derek Anderson? Don't matter. I refuse to take the bait and am going with my Hard Knock darlings.

2. Giants (-10) over Chiefs
Are the Chiefs decent? Perhaps. But probably not. Big Blue rolls.

3. Patriots (-2) over Ravens
Ok, Patriots. Ya got me. I went with Atlana last week, thinking you were ripe for the picking. Ya got me. I won't do it again. Jerks.

4. Jets (+7) over Saints
Whew. My Super Bowl pick vs. my boys. I'm shameless. But seven points is a lot, isn't it? Maybe? Hopefully. I see Leon Washington breaking free on a couple of kickoffs though. Hopefully. Are you not buying this? Yeah I'm not sure I am either. If you'll notice, this is not the Upset Perfiction of the Week, despite that spread. Because...

Upset Perfiction of the Week

5. Rams (+10) over 49ers
Lord help me. That prediction was absolutely chilling to write. Chilling to my bones. You can see in my NFL preview what I think of the Rams this year, spoiler alert: it ain't pretty. But I am not ready to give the 49ers a 10 point spread at this point in my life. Don't let me down Rams. Frank Gore is not playing, and this is your week. THIS IS YOUR WEEK. NOW GO OUT THERE, AND TAKE IT!

Enjoy the games everyone! We'll see you tomorrow for the Mash.

NHL Preview

2009-09-30T17:09:00.001-07:00

Welcome back to the show, everybody. The Reilly Sports Blog is a big supporter of the NHL and I will dish out some hockey talk throughout the lengthy season (Now until June.) The season officially starts tomorrow and we will do a quick standings prediction. For a more comprehensive look (a-la this blog's NFL preview,) go ahead and check out my buddy Danny Will's blog. He spits knowledge like baseball players spit sunflower seeds. Let's go to the standings predictions for the '09-'10 season. The eight playoff teams from each conference will be in bold with their seeds in parenthesis. ( ). Like that.

EAST

Atlantic Division
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (2)
2. Philadelphia Flyers (4)
3. New Jersey Devils (6)
4. New York Islanders (11)
5. New York Rangers (12)

Northeast Division
1. Boston Bruins (3)
2. Buffalo Sabres (7)
3. Ottawa Senators (8)
4. Montreal Canadiens (10)
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (13)

Southeast Division
1. Washington Capitals (1)
2. Carolina Hurricanes (5)
3. Florida Panthers (9)
4. Tampa Bay Lightning (14)
5. Atlanta Thrashers (15)

WEST

Central Division
1. Chicago Blackhawks (1)
2. Detroit Red Wings (5)
3. St. Louis Blues (7)
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (9)
5. Nashville Predators (12)

Northwest Division
1. Calgary Flames (3)
2. Vancouver Canucks (6)
3. Minnesota Wild (8)
4. Edmonton Oilers (10)
5. Colorado Avalanche (14)

Pacific Division
1. Anaheim Ducks (2)
2. San Jose Sharks (4)
3. Dallas Stars (11)
4. Los Angeles Kings (13)
5. Phoenix Coyotes (15)

We will do the playoff predictions in the coming week to complete this here preview. We are going to keep it simple for this week's What About Conor. I just watched the first two episodes of Modern Family and was very, very, very pleasantly surprised. So for this week's edition we are going to do the top five shows I am most dedicated to on television. These are going to be modern, FYI (no Fresh Prince, Boy Meets World, Wayans Brothers, etc.) Enjoy.

Conor's Top Five Current Television Shows

5. 24 (FOX)
A few points deducted here because of course it's not in season right now. Admittedly, I missed 2-3 full seasons of the show after avidly watching the first few. But I picked it up for this most recent season and really enjoyed it. Maybe the missed seasons were a good thing for me, as I wasn't able to foresee twists that the avid watcher might be accustomed to. Nonetheless, I'm very pumped for the upcoming season. These things become very exciting whilst unemployed.

4. The Office (NBC)
No surprise here. Everyone loves The Office, and I'm categorized under 'everyone.' I was a late arrival to the show, as I watched every episode from the beginning in the spring of 2008. While I cannot deny everyone's claim that the show has fallen back a bit, that's not saying too much. It's like going from Tom Brady to Chad Pennington. It's not a big downgrade.

3. Entourage (HBO)
Another mega-hit enjoyed by the majority. I almost kinda sorta abandoned hope in this show a few years back. At that time, I saw it nothing more than a Sunday night appetizer before HBO's Flight of the Conchords (which, if still in production, would probably have the top spot on this list.) Entourage came back with a fury last season; and the celebrity cameos and ridiculous women make it pretty darn entertaining still. You can see the gas gauge creeping toward 'E' as far as material though. And yes, that was a totally unplanned pun.

2. Monday Night Raw (USA)
The longest running episodic show on cable television. Announcer Michael Cole tells me every week. How could I keep a show off this list if its tenure is longer than the other four combined? (Speaking of which, I don't know why I don't really watch The Simpsons anymore. i will watch re-runs like nobody's business, but I just graze over the new ones. I can't explain it. I think what's going to happen in the end is that the show will conclude, and I will spend 3-4 months straight watching it online. And I will enjoy it and wonder why on earth I didn't watch it at the time.) But yeah, Raw is the best.

1. Friday Night Lights (NBC)
Best show on television. Hands down. Never has there been a show in which a guy can have so many women crushes and man-crushes. And as the blog suggests, I kind of like sports, so bonus points there. Coach Taylor should play every role on television. And Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly, supposedly to be Minka Jeter soon) is almost unfair to growing boys. I was crushed when I found out a few months back that the new season wouldn't start in the fall, but later on. But with the ridiculous, mysterious, criminal crappy ratings, I guess I should be glad it's on at all. Watch it. Watch it now. Watch it over and over all the time. I'll be here to say you're welcome.

Honorable Mention: The Simpsons, Flight of the Conchords, House, The Ultimate Fighter, Family Guy, Cops
Up-and-Comers: Modern Family, Flash Forward, Bored to Death, The Cleveland Show
Shows I Don't Watch But Will Eventually: How I Met Your Mother, Fringe, Two and a Half Men, Intervention, Mad Men
Shows I Don't Watch and Never, Ever, Ever Will: Lost

We'll be back for the football weekend and as mentioned, the conclusion to the hockey preview. Enjoy the rest of the week.

Monday Mash- Week 3

2009-09-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

Thirty two teams started the 2009 season undefeated, and after week 3 there are but 7 left. Out of these 7, two are in New York. (Ok, they're not technically...but...shut up.) The Jets and Giants are both 3-0 and looking mighty fine. The Giants beat the holy hell out of the Bucs yesterday and the Jets hung on to fend off Tennessee. We'll get to these games in a moment, but first a few snippets from the other week 3 games.

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Brett Favre, Vikings. THE SWASHBUCKLER! Peyton Manning put up gaudier numbers in yesterday's primetime clubbing of the Cardinals, but Favre gave us the play of the year so far in NFL '09. The Jets and Giants were both on at 1 pm yesterday, and the 'bonus coverage' of Minnesota/San Francisco gave us everything we needed. Favre had little time and a long way to go down by 4 points, and all hope looked lost with under 10 ticks left. One play and one 32 yard miracle pitch-and-catch to Greg Lewis later, a legend lives on in Minnesota.

It's a good thing we were able to see that, because Jets and Giants playing at the same time made it a weird NFL television day in New York. the majority like to watch the Giants and Jets, with one playing at 1 and the other 4ET. But with both games over by 4, it kind of stunk that only one game was shown at 4, the Dolphins/Chargers game. That snoozefest was certainly a let-down from the 2 NY wins and the Vikings miracle.
The Lions won for the first time since December '07. Back then, Chad Pennington was riding out his final year with the Jets, David Tyree was known for nothing except special teams, and Conor Reilly was still employed. So yeah, it'd been a while. The Redskins are gross, but at least Santana Moss went berserk the week I decided to bench him in fantasy. (Clean Sanchezes are now 1-2 on the year. I hate you, Redskins.)
The Falcons really blew a chance to prove they're legit contenders with their dud in New England. Nobody should let the Fred Taylor of '09 rush for over 100 yards, and the ho-hum 56 yards by Michael Turner is worrisome.
The Atlanta loss contributed to a very discouraging Picks week for me, going 2-3. The Jets and Packers covered, but I passed horribly on the hapless Bucs and Chad Pennington got hurt, dooming the Dolphins. Very disheartening week. Very dishearterning.
I'm not sure if the 34-3 exorcism in Baltimore is good Ravens or awful Browns. I'm betting the latter.
Maurice Jones-Drew finally showed vitals against Houston, making my fantasy-king prediction less embarassing for now.
I was really happy when the Bengals beat the Steelers. Hard Knocks 4 Lyfe.
Tonight's game: Dallas beats the Panthers, 33-27. Carolina wil fight valiantly to save their season and although they will easily cover the ludicrous 9 point spread, Romo and the home fans will do some redeeming of their own and right the ship.

NFL Picks- Week 3

2009-09-27T07:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the show. The picks have gone pretty well so far...4-1 the first week, 1-0 last week. 2 for 2 on the upset Perfictions on the year. So don't be left out in the cold. Take these picks to Vegas and make some money! Let's delve into week 3, home teams are in bold.

1. Packers (-6.5) over Rams
Last week's loss to the Bengals really pissed off Aaron Rodgers & Co. They will go in angry and not let up against the hapless Rams.

2. Falcons (+4.5) over Patriots
4 and a half is quite a few points for a real hot Atlanta team. The Patriots are getting some love because they are at home, but their questionable health and questionable performance of Tom Brady could spell an upset for the birds.

3. Buccaneers (+6.5) over Giants
I think the Giants will escape this one with a win, but Tampa will keep it close. They are feeling their season slip away already, and nobody is giving them a chance at home. But the Giants injury report reads like a novel, particularly in the secondary.

4. Jets (-2) over Titans
I really wish the Titans won last week. Then they probably wouldn't come into the Meadowlands so desperate and rabid. But I think the Jets have heard enough talk of a letdown to prevent it from happening. I don't believe in Kerry Collins when the game is on the line.

Upset Perfiction of the Week
5. Dolphins (+5.5) over Chargers
Ok, yes I fudged up the Dolphins pick on Monday night. Did I really, though?? They had the ball 3/4 of the game, had the lead late, and Ted Ginn clearly had money on the Colts in dropping that touchdown at the end. I picked the Chargers to be in the Super Bowl, but 5.5 is a lot of points for a team coming off a demoralizing loss and facing the almighty Chad Pennington. Miami takes it.

Enjoy the games, everyone!

Lazy, Lazy, Lazy

2009-09-26T12:58:00.001-07:00

A weak one-game Weekend Pickoff and just one blog the whole week is not gonna cut it. I don't know what happened. We had breakdowns across the board. But, in analyzing and trying to find a good excuse for the lack of blogs, I came across this dandy from a few blogs ago...

"It's mid-September, and usually the baseball races contend with football for the media spotlight. Well, not this year. Colorado plays San Francisco tonight as they battle for the National League Wild Card spot. Realistically, it's the only race in question."

Well, not so much, Conor. Yes, that race is still in question (but with the Braves challenging Colorado, not the Giants), but the big deal now comes courtesy of the American League Central. The Minnesota Twins have cooked up quite a tasty dish for this final week of the season, as they are just two games behind the Detroit Tigers. How you ask? Well, going 10-1 over their last 11 usually helps.

The gamebreaker in all of this: The Twins virtually control their own destiny thanks to the schedule, as 4 of their final 9 games are against those very Tigers. If the Twins go into Detroit and make some hay, they will have earned their spot in the playoffs and become a nightmare in the first round because of their mojo overload. And who faces the winner of this tight division in the first round? The almighty Yankees. Should be fun to watch. If we're gonna handicap it (and we're GONNA handicap it), I'm still giving the edge to Detroit despite this remarakble run by the Twins (who, by the way, are without thier best offensive threat Justin Morneau.) After 17-20 seconds of thinking, I give the Tigers a 78% chance of winning, and the Twins 22%. Whoever comes out will play the Yankees while the Angels will play the Red Sox in a sweet first-round matchup.

Now over to the race I mentioned in that previous blog. The only team as hot as the Twins in the American League are the Braves of the NL. How 'bout 13-2 in their last 15? Atlanta has gone nuts and is putting some serious heat on the Rockies. Colorado has held strong of late, but have a bizarre ability to lose several games in a row and then flip the switch and rip off many wins in a row. Right now, the Rocks lead by 3 with 8 left. It's a relatively cozy lead, but I think it is surmountable.

The handicap for this one: 55% for the Braves, 45% for the Rockies. And it has everything to do with the schedule. Colorado hosts the Cardinals and Brewers, then go on the road to Los Angeles, where you get the feeling the Dodgers would love to spoil things for their divisional foe. Not so easy. The Braves? Well they are in Washington tomorrow to play the lowly lowly Nationals, and then head home for 7 straight against those same Nationals and a Marlins team that will likely be demoralized and waiting to pack thier bags for the winter. It is all set up on a platter for the Braves to dominate the rest of the way and sneak into the playoffs. Colorado has to stay tough against some much tougher opponents to fend off those sneaky Braves. It's a great thing about sports though: that the Nationals or whoever can be awful all season, but still have a big role in who goes to the playoffs in the end.

Whoever wins the Wild Card melee will decide the first-round matchups in the National League. All three division winners are very close in record so it will be interesting to see how it plays out. What we (almost) know for certain: the Phillies, Cardinals, and Dodgers are all in. With one week left, there are still answers to be saught. When we know these answers, we will have the Reilly Sports Blog playoff preview extravaganza. Until then, we will see you tomorrow for the NFL Weekend Pickoff. And we won't be lazy this time. We are going back to fundamentals. And the Reilly Sports Blog puts the fun in fundamentals. Thanks for reading and enjoy your Saturday.

Monday Mash- Week 2

2009-09-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Now we're talkin'.

NOW WE'RE TALKIN'!

Talk, talk, talk was all the Jets did all last week. Rex Ryan, Kerry Rhodes, Kris Jenkins. Then the game happened and the sold-out crowd talked as loud as they could, as per Rex Ryan's voicemail request. And who woulda thought, they backed it up. The Jets beat the Pats in the Meadowlands for the first time since the Mets were in the World Series. Yeah, that's long. The defense allowed precisely zero (0) points in the second half, and 9 overall to Tom Brady and his bunch. It's as great as a week 2 could possibly be for the Jets and their fans. 2-0, first place alone in the division. Plus my home-town team made it 2 for 2 on upset Perfictions. Good stuff. Here's what happened the rest of the week.

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week:
Frank Gore, 49ers. Fantasy points, anyone? Two touchdowns of 79+ yards and over 200 yards rushing. The 49ers are starting to make my preseason outlook of them look pretty stipud right now, sitting comfy at 2-0.

Other teams making my preseason outlooks look dopey after 2 games: Philadelphia and Seattle, (banged up QB's) Baltimore and Atlanta, (looking wow-good) Oakland and Denver, (looking strangely un-crappy) San Diego (not looking so Super)
Teams making me look pretty darn handsome after 2 games: New Orleans, (looking Super offensively) St. Louis, (looking like my predicted-worst team in football.) Minnesota, (looking the best of an increasingly-shaky division) Tennessee (looking pretty bleak in a shaky division), New York Jets (This)
The Cowboys stadium is pretty grandiose, as the NBC Sunday Night telecast told us 3 times before every snap of the football. The Giants escaped with a nice win, but plenty to be worried about on both sides. Such as Tony Romo treating the Cowboys and my fantasy team like Rambo treated the army in Burma.
Sorry that clip is so violent.
Snoozer game of the week: Redskins 9, Rams 7. The game was even uglier than the ghastly score suggests.
Best game of the week: Probably Ravens-Chargers. Featuring Ray Lewis circa year 2000.
Tonight's game: Miami beats the Colts, 24-20. Yeah, I went there. Chad Pennington won't stand for 0-2. This is Chad Pennington's world, we're just forkin' over rent.

Weekend Picks

2009-09-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

Off to the game. Upset Perfiction...

JETS (+5.5) over Patriots.

Like you didn't know?

Jets/Patriots- State of the Rivalry

2009-09-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome back for another Wednesday edition of the Reilly Sports Blog. It's mid-September, and usually the baseball races contend with football for the media spotlight. Well, not this year. Colorado plays San Francisco tonight as they battle for the National League Wild Card spot. Realistically, it's the only race in question (sorry, Texas.) It's a little upsetting, because in any given year there can be 6 tight races for divisions and 2 races involving multiple teams for the wild cards. Out of these 8 possibilities, only one is still intriguing. And with the Mets not doing so hot (just look at these Stubhub price listings) it's safe to say I'm ok moving on.

And why not move on? The Giants and Jets are undefeated (not yet a big deal) but both play bigtime rivals this weekend (pretty big deal.) The Giants and Cowboys will play the first game that counts in Dallas' kajillion dollar stadium, but for today we're gonna focus on the AFC East rivalry of the New York Jets and New England Patriots.

"I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick's, you know, rings. I came to win. Let's just put it that way. So we'll see what happens. I'm certainly not intimidated by New England or anybody else. . . ."

Wow, talk about a changeover from the stoic, cryptic persona of former Jet coach Eric Mangini. That quote above was said by new coach Rex Ryan back in June. This Sunday, it will finally be put to the test. Rex Ryan made it clear from day 1 that he is not a typical NFL head coach. The vast majority are more like Mangini, only less corpse-y. Coaches today share relatively little with the media, they respect everyone like they're the best team in history, and will show only humility when describing their own team's play.

But Rex Ryan wants to have a little more fun than that. It seems he is making up for lost time, as he spent over 10 years as an assistant coach before taking the Jets gig. He speaks his mind, and he means what he says. Granted, it's been all sunshine and daisies so far, with Ryan running a solid training camp, winning over players, and winning his first game on the road. Once the team hits a rut, we will see how he and his over-the-top personality respond.

Many folks think that first loss will occur this Sunday, as the Patriots are favored by a decent margin over Ryan's Jets. I'm sure the Jets are getting a whole lot of bets as the underdog, but people must be careful when evaluating a seemingly-vulnerable Patriots team. Let's go back exactly a year ago, week 2 of the 2008 season. The Jets had Brett freakin' Favre and had just come off a complete win @Miami. The Pats, on the other hand, had struggled to beat the lifeless Chiefs and, after the Brady injury, were led by supposed scrub QB Matt Cassel. It was the Jets home opener and everyone was ready to finally beat the Patriots to a pulp.

Well, a 19-10 loss later, everyone wondered what in the world happened. Cassel stepped in and proved that an offense with Wes Welker and Randy Moss (when he's not quitting on the Raiders EHOOO) will never really be ripe for the picking. Brady is back this year, but he looked awfully tentative against the Bills Monday night. He will get better as time goes on, and the Jets are surely happy to face him earlier in the year than later.

So we got Brady, Moss, Welker, and perhaps a non-sewage version of Laurence Maroney on offense. Just what makes the Pats vulnerable? Well, it wasn't just that the Buffalo game was close, but why it was close. And by close, we of course mean a complete and utter Buffalo chokejob. The offense looked solid, yet overall the Patriots were not good enough for 58 minutes to beat the Bills. What does that leave? Rex Ryan's specialty, defense. The Patriots made Trent Edwards look like a quality NFL quarterback, and that's taken some hard work in recent years.

New England's defense is respectable. It will always be as long as Bill Belichick roams the sideline. He makes schemes, he confuses people, he brings down the Spartans. But I don't think hes ever done it with this little raw talent on defense. With the recent trade of Richard Seymour, all the classic staples of the defense are out. And the new gem, linebacker Jerod Mayo, got injured on Monday and will probably miss the first half of the season. There's not much on this defense, but Mark Sanchez will see things he's never seen on the field in terms of schemes. If he keeps his composure at home like he did week 1 in Houston, they can be had.

And they will need to be had. Yes, the Jets D went ballistic on the Texans, but keep in mind Belichick saw it all. He knows what they are capable of and how to get the most of what he sees. If the Jets and Pats played week one, New York would have killed them. Week 2? Well, it indeed is a whole new ballgame. More on this when we do the picks this weekend.

I will in fact be attending the Jets-Patiots game on Sunday. It has become a tradition that me and Pats fan Terrence go to the matchup each year. We also have some other special people come on a game-by-game basis. We've gone to the last 4 in Foxboro to accomodate our college locations (the teams split 2-2...pretty sweet.) This time it's in Gang Green's yard. Should be fun. Why do I share this? Because it brings us to this week's installment of What About Conor Wednesday! This week, we are going to do Conor's five most memorable games that he attended live and in person. These aren't the top 5 overall; that would be far too difficult to narrow down. These are the 5 that I saw with no TV announcers, subject to the elements, etc. Enjoy! (Hint- the teams I cheer for win these games.)

Conor's Five Best Sports Games That He Attended

5. Islanders 3, Flyers 1 (April 12, 2002)

Ok, I'm kind of cheating with this one. Yes, this was only a regular season game and it wasn't even against the Rangers. But it was all about the game's ramifications, as it was the final game of the regular season. The Islanders had clinched a playoff seed for the first time since 1994, and this game assured them of the 5 seed in the east. Nothing spectaclular happened in the 3-1 win, but it was all about the crowd's salute to the team's great regular season. Nassau Coliseum is so small and ancient that when it's loud, it is just deafening. The Isles went on to have an incredible 7-game series against Toronto (Shawn Bates penalty shot goal, etc.) which they lost. The next few years they fluttered into the playoffs as the last seed and got destroyed. Back in rebuilding mode, there hasn't been a more exciting year since that '01-02 season on Long Island.

4. Jets 17, Patriots 14 (November 12, 2006)

Yep, another rather 'meaningless' regular season game. As you can probably see now, my teams have never really won monumental games in my lifetime. And if they have, I've either been too young or too broke to attend. But anyway, this game changed the whole rivalry. It had all gotten way, way too one-sided in the Pats' favor. Three Super Bowls in the decade, seven straight wins spanning four years, the whole thing. The Jets had no business winning this game- The Pats had owned Chad Pennington his whole career, the illustrious Kevan Barlow was their primary runner, the trusted Mike Nugent. But the elements and perhaps some beginner's luck by new coach Eric Mangini led to the unexpected victory. The Pats of course avenged this in the first round of the '06 playoffs, but still great to be there live for a big upset.

3. Mets 9, Yankees 8 (July 10, 1999)

Ok now this is really getting pathetic. Yes, this is yet another regular season game, one of 162 in a baseball season. A Yankees fan won't even remember it. But come on, I was 11 at the time. Sports would make or break my month. I was ballistic after this one. Interleague play was still a novel concept, as it began in 1997. All I had seen in my life as a baseball fan was win after win after win by the Yankees. And it looked like another one was coming when the legendary Mariano Rivera faced pinch-hitter Matt Franco with a 1 run lead and 2 outs. But to the shock of the stadium and near-cardiac arrest of my dad, Franco lines one to left field, scoring Edgardo Alfonzo and the immortal Roger Cedeno. Just how much did I cherish this game? It's been a decade and I didn't even need to research any of the details I just described. So, yeah...

2. Jets 41, Colts 0 (January 4, 2003)

PLAYOFFS! Yes, I have in fact seen playoff games as well. I've also seen 2 Islander playoff game but they didn't score in either and therefore have been excluded. But this game was just incredible start to finish. From the first quarter, it had a 'rout' feeling to it, but it never got old. A young, dashing Chad Pennington continued to bust out in the NFL and Peyton Manning had no answers. Jets legends Richie Anderson, Lavernaues Coles, Sam Cowart, Mo Lewis, and of course John Hall all joined in this party, a complete delight. The Jets would lose to Oakland in the next round.

1. Terriers 4, Redhawks 3 (April 11, 2009)

No, don't adjust your screen. What can this be, the Canadien Football League? No, we go to the college ranks for the single best sporting event I have ever attended. It was the NCAA hockey National Championship game which took place in Washington D.C. There were just so many factors that make this the top spot (sitting in the student section, unheard-of comeback, the first title I have ever experienced with any of my core sports teams.) I take great pride in my writing, but I could never describe it like the actual video can. That link is the video for those who have not seen it. And for the Terrier fans that have now seen it 10,000+ times, you know you're watching it again. Enjoy.

Jeez, that was a long blog. I'm wiped. Thanks for reading.

Monday Mash

2009-09-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the premier edition of the Monday Mash...the best mash since this gem of 1973. It won't be anything scientific, just short blips of what I saw yesterday and what to expect in the future.

Broadway Joe 2.0! Mark Sanchez (Main St. Mark? We'll work on that) was everything and more against Houston. He went Brett Favre on us for just one throw, which acutally ruined a shutout that the unbelievable defense created. But it's the Patriots next week. It's taking every fiber of my being to keep excitement in check. Fifth-grade Conor would be bouncing off the walls right now...graduate Conor is quietly satisfied and waiting for New England.
The Giants/Redskins offered a surprising amount of chippyness early on. I thought for a moment Santana Moss and Corey Webster would be tossed for turning the 5-yard line into the Jerry Springer stage. But the defense (welcome back, Osi) and enough Eli were enough to get by Washington. The inability to put the game to rest up 17-0 won't fly against most teams though, starting with Dallas next Sunday night.
The Cincinnati Bengals...any questions?
The Arizona Cardinals...many, many questions.
Drew Brees and the Saints offense...no question about it.
Chicago's Brian Urlacher dislocated his wrist and is out for the season, while Jay Cutler's 4 INT's did little to prove that his wrist was, in fact, located.
Donovan McNabb broke his ribs on a touchdown run. Michael Vick's in-suspension training might have just been kicked up a notch.
Along with Brees, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, and Matt Hasselbeck all went ape. Jake Delhomme? Oh my.
Opening week game predictions were a stellar 4-1, including the 49ers upset special! The only blemish was surprisingly the Giants, failing to cover the spread by exactly 1/2 point. Darn.

Well that'll do it, enjoy the games tonight. Chargers will kill Oakland, but I actually expect up to 3 quarters of competitive football between the Bills and Patriots. So we have that going for us.

NFL PICKS- WEEK 1

2009-09-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas, football fans. The two never-ending days since Thursday night's opener have passed, and kickoff starts in just about an hour. I'm thinking every gameday we'll pick 5 games. Four of them may not be so bold, but there will always be 1 upset Perfiction of the week. Of course, the Giants and Jets will always be featured. I'll go ahead and pick it against the spread, so go feel free to take these to Mandalay Bay and cash in. Home teams are in bold.

1. Vikings (-3.5) over Browns
Browns aren't even sure who their QB should be. Against this D, it wouldn't matter either way.

2. Jets (+4.5) over Texans
Come on...it's week 1. Expect no shame in predictions in week 1.

3. Seahawks (-7.5) over Rams
I see a big celebration in Seattle after Matt Hasselbeck proves he's back in control.

4. Giants (-6.5) over Redskins
Finally, a home team to pick! I'm not thrilled about the big spread, but the G-Men will be fine.

Upset Perfiction of the Week
5. 49ers (+6.5) over Cardinals
Arizona's poor preseason showing may go one more week. If the offense isn't stellar, it'll be close.

Enjoy the games, everyone!

A little clarity...

2009-09-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Nothing new here, but since it took me 6 months to do the NFL preview, here's a recap of what matters.

NFC West
1. Cardinals
2. Seahawks
3. 49ers
4. Rams

NFC South
1. Saints
2. Panthers
3. Falcons
4. Buccaneers

NFC North
1. Vikings (1st Round Bye/Home Field)
2. Packers
3. Bears
4. Lions

NFC East
1. Eagles (1st Round Bye)
2. Giants (Wild Card)
3. Cowboys (Wild Card)
4. Redskins

Wild Card Round
(3) Saints def. (6) Cowboys
(5) Giants def. (4) Cardinals

Divisional Round
(5) Giants def. (1) Vikings
(3) Saints def. (2) Eagles

NFC Championship
(3) Saints def. (5) Giants

AFC West
1. Chargers (1st Round Bye)
2. Chiefs
3. Raiders
4. Broncos

AFC North
1. Steelers
2. Bengals
3. Ravens
4. Browns

AFC South
1. Colts
2. Texans (Wild Card)
3. Titans
4. Jaguars

AFC East
1. Patriots (1st Round Bye/Home Field)
2. Jets (WILD CARD WOOO!)
3. Bills
4. Dolphins

Wild Card Round
(3) Steelers def. (6) Texans
(4) Colts def. (5) Jets

Divisional Round
(1) Patriots def. (4) Colts
(2) Chargers def. (3) Steelers

AFC Championship
(2) Chargers def. (1) Patriots

Super Bowl XLIV
Saints 27, Chargers 20

So yeah, use that for reference in Vegas and such. Most important thing to take from last nights Steeler victory: Troy Polamalu's sprained MCL. THE MADDEN CURSE LIVES!

R.F.S.F.- FINAL EDITION

2009-09-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

All right, no more playing around. It is under 6 hours until the 2009 NFL season starts. I've had weeks to do this preview! Weeks! You blog, to inform, the masses! Hello?? You don't blog to just blog it. We got two divisions and the whole playoffs to get through, so let's ride this pony.

AFC South (Projected Order of Finish)

1. Indianapolis Colts (12-4 Last Year)

Yes, their window is starting to close (team staple Marvin Harrison no longer there.) But as long as Peyton Manning is on this team, there's little reason to expect less than as playoff appearance. They didn't win the division last year because Tennessee really surprised some people with their D and young star Chris Johnson. But 12-4 is usually more than enough for the division, and Indy will return things to normalcy this year. Harrison may be gone, but wideout Anthony Gonzalez is ready to shine in his place. Joseph Addai will prove he is more than a stale crumb bun in the running game, and the offense will soar with Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. The D isn't quite on par with the offense, but sports solid players in Dwight Freeney, Gary Brackett, and Bob Sanders once healthy. Tennessee is formidable and Houston's creeping up every year, but it will be at least one more division crown for the Colts.

2009 Projected Record: 11-5

2. Houston Texans (8-8 Last Year)

Everyone's bromance for the playoffs last season fell a little short of expectations. But we must be fair here...last year's hurricane that tore up Houston had a lot to say about the team's fate. They could not and did not play a home game until October 5th last year due to stadium damage. They had to take their bye week in week 2, meaning they had to play the next 15 Sundays, unheard of in today's NFL. This all led to an 0-4 start and disappearing playoff aspirations. The good news? They found their grove late in the year and finished up on a 5-1 tear. The offense may knock on Indy's door in terms of production with Steve Slaton in the backfield, Owen Daniels at tight end, and perhaps the Best Receiver in football, Andre Johnson. Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans anchor an ever-improving defense, and if quarterback Matt Schaub stays healthy, it's hello, playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

2009 Projected Record: 9-7

3. Tennessee Titans (13-3 Last Year)

Nope, that's not a typo for their record. The Titans had the best record in all of football last year, and it's clear I see them taking a big step back. I don't necessarily think the team got that much worse in the offseason (thought the departure of mammoth Albert Haynesworth will be a huge loss.) I simply think they played out of their freakin' minds last year. I thought Kerry Collins was in the twilight of his career after the Giants lost the Super Bowl...IN 2000! He is still the man under center as Vince Young tries to locate his chee. But the running game will propel this team, with Chris Johnson and LenDale White taking the duties. The defense will still be good because they have some veteran playmakers. But they won't start the year 10-0 this season. It will be more like their 3-4 finish.

2009 Projected Record: 8-8

4. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11 Last Year)

Yuck. Yuck yucky pu pu platter. They were 5-11 last year and haven't gotten better in any tangible way. Maurice Jones-Drew will be monstrous, but he can only do so much on his own. Long year for Jacksonville in this division.

2009 Projected Record: 5-11

And now it's time for the real show...

AFC East (Projected Order of Finish)

1. New England Patriots (11-5 Last Year)

I almost didn't do it. You guys have no idea. My hatred for this team is on par with poison ivy, Lady Gaga, realizing there's no toliet paper left at that moment, and SARS virus. It's indescribable. I wanted to not put them in first place, and justify it by saying they didn't win the division last year and are one bad Brady hit away from going 4-12.

But what fun would that be? They're back, baby! Shower them with praise, start constructing Brady's Hall of Fame plaque, tell Bill Belichick he thinks like Cornwallis and smells like honey. That's the team I want to see. That's the team I want to see beaten. I don't see the run at perfection though. Because the defense over just this offseason went from terrifying to simpy respected. Belichick will get the most out of them, but hold off the coronation.

Spygate.

2009 Projected Record: 12-4

2. New York Jets (9-7 Last Year)

Throw me a bone here. Yes, they have a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback. They have little at wide receiver. It's possible so many changed parts on the defense won't gel. But it's the Jets! Do you actually believe I would pick this team to do any worse than their absolute max potential. Could I look at this blog in Januray if the Jets had a remarkable season and know that I didn't believe. No chance in hell. Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and Shonn Greene bring that Boom Boom Pow in the running game, and somebody will complement Jerricho Cothchery and Dustin Keller. The defense is the key to it all, because the Jets need a lot of 13-10, 17-13-type wins to make a run. I blame Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco for creating hope for rookie quarterbacks. Mark Sanchez, you're next. You've made me a victim of The Four Tops variety.
"I'm weaker than a man should be.
I can't help myself,
I'm a fool in love, you see."

2009 Projected Record: 10-6

3. Miami Dolphins (11-5 Last Season)

Oh, that wacky, wacky wildcat. If you don't really watch football yet read this blog, it's kind of tough to explain because it seems so simple. Instead of your quarterback taking the snap, it's a very athletic running back that takes it and runs foward as fast as he can. Everyone knows it's coming but there's so many options out of it that it was pretty much unstoppable last year. That, my friends, is how a 1-15 teams turns into an 11-5 team. That and adding the immortal Chad Pennington to the mix. He's my man. My forever mancrush. Nevertheless, I think teams have had months upon months to prepare for Miami's wacky new scheme. They don't have a whole lot besides it, so they better have more tricks up their sleeve if they want to even approach last year's remarkable success.

2009 Projected Record: 9-7

4. Buffalo Bills

Is this the year? Buffalo has been on the cusp seemingly forever, but just can't break through. They are hoping the loudest athlete in sports has something to say about that. Terrell Owens brings his circus to Buffalo for 2009. Will it work? Let's just say Buffalo has already fired their offensive coordinator, less than a month before the season starts...Coincidence? I'm not here to speculate. Well, I am. But I won't here. No matter their talent, the Bills are still in the wrong division at the wrong time and will have to wait even longer for their time to shine. It won't be '09. Sorry, T.O. At least you will get an Emmy or 2 from your reality show.

2009 Projected Record: 6-10

WHEW!! Mission accomplished, and with four whole hours to spare. I can watch Tim Mcgraw and the Black Eyed Peas in peace tonight. But wait! It's Thursday, meaning What About Conor Wednesday has been skipped again. Fear not, here is a special NFL Preview conclusion edition of What About Conor Wednesday, Thursday Edition.

It's Conor's Five Perfictions (Perfect Predictions, remember?!?) for NFL 2009

1. Drew Brees doesn't quite get to the numbers he put up last season, but New Orleans does so good in the NFC South division, he is awarded the 2009 MVP.

2. Though Adrian Peterson gets all the hype, it's Maurice Jones-Drew who will put up the most fantasy points in '09.

3. Working through all the baggage, the Chargers end up shocking the Patriots in Foxboro for the AFC Championship.

4. With everything coming together, the Saints out-gun the Giants to win the NFC.

5. The Saints beat the Chargers, 27-20 in Super Bowl XLIV.

Enjoy the game tonight everybody. The time has come. Thanks a lot for reading.

R.F.S.F.- Part V

2009-09-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

The clock's ticking louder than ever as the hours wind down until the NFL opener. Translation- must get cookin' on these previews. It's about 1:34 on what is now 9/9/09, and after just seeing Inglorious Basterds this is no time for sleep. Let's bang out a division real quick. And hey, it's got the defending champs in it!

By the way, just picked up Sports Illustrated's NFL preview this week. And their predictions...whew. Let's just say by the end of the year, it'll either be US, or THEM**.

AFC North (Projected Order of Finish)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4 Last Year)

No surprise here. In its inaugural year, the Reilly Sports Blog would love to go out on a bold whim and say the defending champions won't win their division. But though we're only crazy; we're not stupid. This team is the defending champs, and yet everyone is back for another go-round in their attempt to repeat. Though they lack the super-duper stars, Pittsburgh makes up for any talent deficiency with their remarkable balance. Everyone knows that winning titles is about A) running the ball and B) taking the run away on defense. Everyone knows it, but Pittsburgh is one of few teams that actually execute year after year after year. Ben Roethlisberger has two rings on that young hand of his, and if he continues to play mistake-free, "do-what-you-gotta do" football, there could be even more coming. His surrounding team is that good.

2009 Projected Record: 11-5

2. Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1 Last Year)

Just call it the Hard Knocks effect. HBO's training camp reality show has the power to take control of your mind and convince you that X team will make it happen. I firmly believe this. Sure, they would capture probably all the same footage with any other NFL team (except the tables/ladders/chairs matches in Raider camp) but HBO has sold me these Bengals are for real. They love coach Marvin Lewis, certain to be fired if they don't win this year. Chad Ochocinco is ready to turn back the clock. Their young players/veteran castoffs on defense can make some plays. Cedric Benson can be a better player than Cedric the Entertainer. I believe, HBO. YOU DID THIS TO ME!

2009 Projected Record: 9-7

3. Baltimore Ravens (11-5 Last Year)

Yep, its a pretty colossal step back for a team that went to the AFC Championship game last year. If only they were featured on Hard Knocks...oh, well. The Ravens and Steelers have pretty much the same blueprint...running and defense. No surprise, these were the two teams that emerged from the AFC. But Baltimore lost some troops from their defensive squad, including their commander. Coordinator Rex Ryan went to the Jets, and he took along Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard, and Marquis Daniels with him. Joe Flacco will continue to build onhis solid rookie year, and the running game should be fine with Ray Rice and Le'Ron Mclain. Truth be told, they are probably miles ahead of the Bengals at this point. Sorry, Ravens, I have been smitten by the black and orange.

2009 Projected Record: 8-8

4. Cleveland Browns (4-12 Last Year)

A complete and utter wasteland. Fans might indeed exit the Browns' home games with the same feeling as the last 3-4 seconds of this clip.

2009 Projected Record: 5-11

** -(It will probably be them.)

Fantasy Team

2009-09-06T21:41:00.001-07:00

Hey, this is more of an advanced 'Tweet,' than an actual blog post I think. But here is the Reilly Sports Blog's 2009 Fantasy Football team. It's a big-money affair on CBS Sportsline; the winner gets 1,600 smackaroos. It's a 12-team league and I had the 6th pick. Personally I hate the team I chose, but here it is in case you're interested...

QB- Tony Romo, DAL (4th Round)
RB- Steve Slaton, HOU (1st)
RB- Clinton Portis, WAS (2nd)
WR- Marques Colston, NO (3rd)
WR- Lee Evans, BUF (6th)
RB/WR- Thomas Jones, NYJ (5th)
TE- Dustin Keller, NYJ (8th)
K- Neil Rackers, ARI (14)
D- JETS (7)

Bench:
QB Trent Edwards (12)
RB Glen Coffee (11)
WR Santana Moss (9)
WR Antonio Bryant (10)
TE Tony Scheffler (13)

Yeah, not so hot. I love Romo and Colston where I got them, but I really loathe myself for taking Slaton that high (Tomlinson, S. Jackson still available! Oy.) Lee Evans was the best of some crappy available receivers, but my lack of faith in him forced me to load my bench with WR's and therefore have no RB depth. Moss and Bryant could be good though, and even if they don't start instead of Evans on my team maybe I can trade them for a decent runner. If Slaton and my man T. Jones actually give me the value that I drafted for them, I should have a shot. I'll give brief updates throughout the season in my quest for the title...

R.F.S.F.- Part IV

2009-09-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

Hello again, followers and friends. With the days-long drought and all, it's the least I can do to get back-to-back blogs up for the weekend. We are quickly motoring toward Thursday night opener and he got a whole half-league to still cover. But before the NFL preview continues, a quick look at the opening weekend of college football.

Teams with numbers next to their names are better than teams without numbers.
If you have a number next to your name, you tend to win by 50.
College football is crazy because teams with numbers sometimes lose and their national title hopes go up in smoke just like that. Close calls for Ohio State, Iowa. POST-PUBLISH RESULT: Oklahoma falls...thanks for coming, Sooners.
College football is now a little less crazy with the suspension of LeGarrette Blount.

Hope you enjoyed that. Now back to the millionaires.

AFC West (Projected Order of Finish)

1. San Diego Chargers (8-8 Last Year)

The Chargers have won this division for three straight seasons, and their competitiors don't really seem to care. Even an 8-8 record was enough for the division crown last year (an extreme rarity in the NFL.) The Broncos came close to caring last year, but they promptly nuked their entire organization to go in a new direction. The same core comes back for San Diego, and it's a whole lot better than anyone else's core in the West. Philip Rivers, Ladainian Tomlinson, and Antonio Gates are all the ritz of their positions on offense, and their defense is stout with the return of star Shawne Merriman. He joins solid fixtures Luis Castillo and Antonio Cromartie. With the division a laughingstock, the regular season for the Chargers is pretty much an extended preseason until the playoffs start.

The problem is, the Chargers themselves aren't supposed to think that way! And it's pretty clear that they are. No doubt one of the most talented teams in football, but they may be the softest as well. Last year, no matter what the excuse, 8-8 was inexcusable. San Diego has shown the worst proportion of talent vs. effiiency for a few years now. A deep, deep playoff run is theirs if they want it. Though it should be a no-brainer, it's time for coach Norv Turner and co. to finally prove that they want it.

2009 Projected Record: 12-4

2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-14 Last Year)

Yeah, that record isn't a typo, either. The best of the rest in the division starts in Kansas City, where a new regime has begun. Call it 'New England South', with GM Scott Pioli, quarterback Matt Cassel, and others ditching the Patriots for the Chiefs. It's as if they switched sides of the Thanksgiving table. But that's neither here nor there. The point is, I think this is less ghastly across the board than Oakland and Denver. Cassel is (kinda, a little bitty bit) proven, Larry Johnson has the potential to break out of his Step Brothers-esque sleep walk mode, and Dwayne Bowe can catch the ball.

On defense, they have some high draft picks on the line with Glen Dorsey and Tyson Jackson. The linebackers are pretty ancient, but in a Clint Eastwood kind-of way, not a John Goodman kind-of way. They can play another year or so. So Kansas City will do ok in year one, but it's not saying much. After San Diego, we may as well call the other 3 teams 4a, 4b, and 4c.

2009 Projected Record: 6-10

3. Oakland Raiders (5-11 Last Year)

Incidentally, the Raiders cut Jeff Garcia today. Had they not, they may have just been 4a instead of 4b. Garcia could have added stability to this athletic jungle. But, they did pay JaMarcus Russell bajillions of dollars, so I can't hate too much that they want him to earn it. Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas, and Michael Bush make arguably the most balanced rushing attack in the division. But beyond that? Nothing to see here. The franchise is a mess. I don't know why, but I just see interactions such as this happening verbatim 4-5 times a week in the Oakland locker room. Maybe I'm the only one. But I'm officially driving the bandwagon of having HBO feature the Raiders for Hard Knocks next season. But no Oakland preview can be complete without mentioning Nnamdi Asomugha. Don't know him? Nobody really does, but for my money he's the best cornerback in the NFL and completely equalizes a team's #1 receiving threat. So there you go, Raider fans. Don't hate me that much...

2009 Projected Record: 5-11

4. Denver Broncos

hYes, despite a 4-12 record, the Raiders will not be last in the division. For 2009 at least, Denver is about as appealing as years-old mayonnaise mixed with Bigfoot's puke. Graphic yes. But I firmly believe it. They traded Jay Cutler on the cusp of superstardom, and they are banking on those high picks in the future...But right now Kyle Orton is the starting quarterback. Even with Cutler, this team went 8-8 and missed the playoffs because of a crappy defense and injurues to the running game. Cutler along with the receiver combination Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal kept the team afloat. Now? Jay is gone, Brandon looks to be following, and Eddie may literally be crying. It's going to be a long year, as coaching staple Mike Shanahan is gone in favor of New England's Josh McDaniels. He has already run the face of the franchise out of town, so he's either a genuis or a loon. We'll know for sure in a year or two. Rookie Knoshown Moreno will keep the round game consistent behind a good offensive line. But again...I'm not expecting anything more than Bigfoot puke.

2009 Projected Record: 4-12

The ball is in motion, guys. I will get to the last 3 divisions when I get the moment. I have a big fantasy draft tomorrow, so probably I will do it Monday. Hopefully you'll come back then. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

R.F.S.F.- NFC EAST

2009-09-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

The wait is over on Wednesday, Giants fans. A detailed NFC East overview will be then. Have a good few days.
-Conor Reilly, Sunday, August 30, 2009

For all those that are crying/angry/rioting/rabid over my extreme tardiness of the NFC East preview, I'm sorry. Deeply, deeply sorry. To show how genuine my apology is, I had my friends from Buckcherry write a song about it, you can find it here.

But the past is the past. You've waited long enough, I'll stop spewing my nonsense and give everyone what the came to see...the beasts of the East.

NFC East (Projected Order of Finish)

1. Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1 Last Year)

And it pains me to say it. I hate the Eagles. I hate the Eagles, I hate the Phillies, I hate the Flyers. I wanted Smarty Jones to get mud in the eye so he(it?) wouldn't win the Triple Crown. I cheered for Apollo Creed, Mr. T, and communism against Rocky.

But at this very moment, I have a hunch the Eagles win the NFC East in 2009. And it gives me an ulcer. I have a gut (wrenching) feeling that everything just falls right for them in this regular season. McNabb goes crazy, turning young receiver/lunatic DeSean Jackson into a real superstar; as Michael Vick has an enormous smile on his face and is always the first one to give a congradulatory hug on the sideline after a touchdown. Brian Westbrook turns it on for one last ridiculous year statistically, both rushing and receiving. When he's healthy, theres no antidote to Brian Westbrook. And adding mastadon Jason Peters to the offensive line will help everyone tremendously.

And the defense, always sneaky-great, will get noticed more as they really shut teams down this year. This is more a hunch that a conclusion of extensive reasearch/study, but I really think it all falls right for Andy Reid's team (and we're just talking regular season here.) If the Phillies actually win another championship and the Eagles follow suit in the winter, we can all agree that an organized-yet-extensive quarantine must be put in effect for the city and their overbearing fans. All of this is making me quite uneasy.

2009 Projected Record: 12-4

2. New York Giants (12-4 Last Year)

Many of my readers are fans of Big Blue. I think now's the time for you to again visit the Buckcherry link provided earlier. And you can just call me an idiot, too. From what I've come across as far as previews, many of the pundits believe the Giants are the team to beat not just in the division, but in the conference. And why not? This team went a balmy 12-4 last year. They were without their best defensive player (Osi Umenyiora) the whole year. They have pretty much the same core as when they won the Super Bowl 2 years ago.

But that's the whole thing to me: pretty much. Everyone and their puppy knows the firearm-related demise of Plaxico Burress as a New York Giant. He caught the game winning pass in said-Super Bowl victory, and countless other passes when the Giants needed a go-to guy. On November 28th 2008, Plaxico Burress accidently put a bullet through his leg. Before it happened, 10 wins, 1 loss. Afterwards, 2 wins, 4 losses (including a playoff dismissal courtesy of Philadelphia.)

But we know all this. Eli struggled, the offense struggled, everyone struggled without the go-to guy. The running game was awesome last year, and it is great this year as well. The East is the last NFC division I have previewed, and the Giants would be ranked on top of any other NFC foursome. But not this one. The Eagles are good. The Cowboys are good. The Redskins can compete. And I don't want to give the aura I am seeing a down year for the Giants. Come my playoff predictions next week, (and they WILL be on time) I think you'll see quite the contrary. Though Derrick Ward is gone, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw (and perhaps the best O-line in the NFL) will power this team to the postseason. If one of the supplementary receivers (S. Smith, D. Hixon, M. Manningham, S. Moss, H Nicks) becomes a go-to guy, look out Philly. But like I said, it's a gut reaction. But it's all about the playoffs, and have no fear Giants fans, you'll get there.

2009 Projected Record: 11-5

3. Dallas Cowboys (9-7 Last Year)

And these guys will get there too. I don't think it's rocket science with the 'Boys this year. I think they go the same 9-7 they did last year. They fell short of the playoffs in '08 due to the absurdy strong NFC South. I see those teams coming back to Earth and the Cowboys staying just the same. Terrell Owens is gone. For me, the talent they lose with him balances out evenly with the offensive chemistry/rhythm they gain. Roy Williams will be just dandy as their number 1 wideout, and Jason Witten may just stake his claim this year as the most productive tight end in football. Felix Jones and Marion Barber are on par with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw of the Giants as far as backfield production.

Dallas has a few rotten turnips on defense, but a rock-solid linebacking group will keep offenses at bay. If Dallas takes care of business (perhaps splitting the 4 total games against Philly/Giants) the playoffs are theirs for the taking. Tony Romo seems to want it now, after dumping Daisy Duke in the offseason. Let's just say I'd be more than happy with him as my starting fantasy QB. He will lead the team to an above .500 record. And unlike last year, that'll be enough for postseason play.

2009 Projected Record: 9-7

4. Washington Redskins (8-8 Last Year)

I don't know what to think of this team. I'm fairly certain they are the worst team in this division, but I can't really explain why. Clinton Portis has somehow turned underrated now as an elite running back. Reilly Sports Blog favorite Santana Moss anchors and ok-reciveing corps, and Albert Haynesworth seems to legitimize this defense as top-10, perhaps top-5 in the league.

Then there is the quarterback. Jason Campbell was a first round fraft pick, expected to lead this franchise for years to come. He has had many obstacles and personnel changes throughout his career, but has still shown an ability to play at the NFL level. But this past offseason, he was treated like the South Park kids treat Butters. It was like he was McLovin, and the front office was Jonah Hill in Superbad. They wanted nothing to do with him, and it was made clear in the attempts to acquire Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez in the offseason.

Now, the Redskins cannot be blamed if they thought these moves gave them the best chance to win. That's what it's all about. But it's a bit of an akward back-up plan to just say "Ok, we couldn't get those guys. We'll settle on you for now, Jason." We'll see what happens. But the Redskins would have to be firing on all cylinders to stay out of the division's gutter. Following Campbell's tumultuous offseason, that doesn't seem to be the case.

2009 Projected Record: 6-10

We did it! I knew we could. Yes, it's now officially Saturday in the east as I write this, but I can cheat on promises. I promised this column on Friday, and for all those from the Rockies on west, you're welcome. Everyone else, don't lose faith in me. Season starts Thursday, September 10th. By that time, you will have every division winner, every playoff team, and the one team that takes the whole thing home come February 7, 2010 in Miami. This I promise you.

Sorry I'm Late

2009-09-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

But it's my birthday! Kid Rock Wednesday night + Birthday night tonight= no NFC East preview that was promised. Don't worry though. Tomorrow. I swear on everything it will be up tomorrow

R.F.S.F.- Part II

2009-08-30T20:03:00.001-07:00

Welcome back to the show! Well, the NFC West was riveting and thought provoking, but I think it was a little much. So for part 2, we will cram two divisions into this. Half the information, double the teams. It all works out. We will continue in the NFC, doing the North and the South today. It's the Civil War edition. Hope you guys enjoy it...

NFC North (Projected Order of Finish)

1. Minnesota Vikings (10-6 Last Year)

I proclaimed the Vikings as serious players in the NFC in a previous blog, so I won't bore you by repeating those points. Brett Favre has arrived, eliminating one of the few holes they had. He, Adrian Peterson, and the defense will make the Vikes the favorite in nearly all the games they play this year. But Favre better have it for the whole season. Minnesota's last three games (about the time Favre turned into Bruce Vilanch last season) are @Carolina, @Chicago, and hosting the Giants in what may be the battle for the #1 seed in the NFC. Keep it together, Brett.

2009 Projected Record: 13-3

2. Green Bay Packers (6-10 Last Year)

From Favre's team of new to Favre's team of old. And his replacement, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, isn't too shabby at all. His top receiver Greg Jennings still doesn't get the lovin' he deserves, but that's just fine with him as he quietly puts up one monster season after another. He and Donald Driver are nice weapons for Rodgers, while I see a bigtime bounce-back year for Ryan Grant in the backfield. They don't have the defense to challenge for the division, but they'll be in the thick of the wild card for sure.

2009 Projected Record: 8-8

3. Chicago Bears (9-7 Last Year)

Another NFC North team, another quarterback at the forefront. Jay Cutler takes his hurt feelings from Denver to the windy city, and we'll all find out if his crybaby act was worth it. He takes the reigns at quarterback and will throw to....uh oh. After having great receivers last year with the Broncos, Cutler has a box of Jujyfruits with the Bears. I see this as the reason for Chicago's step backward in '09. While the Bears' QBs sucked last year, at least they knew they sucked and didn't force any passes they knew would be disasters. I think Cutler, with all his baggage and so much to prove, will force too many crazy passes to too many subpar receivers, which will absolutely kill them in close games. With his great receivers in '08 with Denver, Cutler still threw more interceptions than anyone with less than 3 retirements. They will need their great defense and emerging superstar Matt Forte in the backfield to come up big if Cutler struggles.

2009 Projected Record: 7-9

4. Detroit Lions (0-16 Last Year. Ew.)

They were the first 'defeated' team in the history of the 16-game NFL season last year....They will probably improve. Let's just give 'em 4 games. Their fans must be happy with that, right? Right??

2008 Projected Record: 4-12

NFC South (Projected Order of Finish)

1. New Orleans Saints (8-8 Last Year)

This division is usually the most topsy-turvy in all of football, and I expect that to continue. The Saints were in last place in '08, and I have them 1st in '09. This isn't a groundbreaking prediction though...one of the biggest mysteries of last season was the Saints' inability to win those close games with their phenomenal offense. Drew Brees threw for 5,000 freakin' yards. His top target Marques Colston (from Hofstra, baby!) got hurt last year, and a full 16 games from him makes the offense even scarier. The defense is loaded with turds, but they are led by Reilly Sports Blog favorite Jonathan Vilma at linebacker. It won't matter. If their opponent scores 30, they'll score 40. Score 40, they'll get 50. You get the idea.

2009 Projected Record: 11-5

2. Carolina Panthers (12-4 Last Year)

The Panthers were phenomenal in the regular season last year, going 12-4 and seemingly ready to go deep into the playoffs. Then Jake Delhomme played like Bruce Vilanch after 16-18 beers in the playoff game against Arizona. It was horrific. It was graphic violence. It would have gotten a TV-MA rating if shown on HBO. Five (5) interceptions against a Cardinal team known to have a crummy defense. Granted, the Cardinals were operating under something divine in the playoffs last year, but it was a game that he still might not have shaken off yet. He better, because the only thing uglier than Delhomme's playoff game is their 2009 schedule. Look out. Their fantastic runners and above-average D will keep them in the hunt. But forget 12-4.

2009 Projected Record: 8-8

3. Atlanta Falcons (11-5 Last Year)

The only mystery bigger than the Saints going 8-8 last year was the Falcons going 11-5. I still don't get it. The magic of rookie QB Matt Ryan and new runner Michael Turner could seemingly only go so far. But then it went further. And further. Then 11-5 further. New Orleans is criticized for their Dunkaroo defense, but don't think of Atlanta's D as superior. The post-Mike Vick magic was incredible for one year, but I think they fall to earth and fall short of the postseason.

2009 Projected Record: 8-8

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7 Last Year)

Boy, did the heads roll down south last year. It was the most carnage you could have after an above-.500 year. GM, gone. Head coach Jon Gruden, now a Monday Night Football announcer. Long-time players who were staples of the team, tah tah. The growing pains will be immense for the Bucs as they go in a new direction. In such a tough division, they really cannot contend in '09. Byron Leftwich, Derrick Ward, and Kellen Winslow are all newcomers on the offense. And there is pretty much nothing left of the defense that dominated earlier this decade. Kicker Matt Bryant is one of the best players on the team.

2009 Projected Record: 5-11

Well geez, that was a long one. I hope you enjoyed the accompanying logos...they took far more work to do than it appears. The wait is over on Wednesday, Giants fans. A detailed NFC East overview will be then. Have a good few days.

Ready For Some Football, Part I

2009-08-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hello again followers and friends. Thanks for coming back to the show, and as promised, the start of Reilly Sports Blog's NFL preview. We still got a couple of weeks til the Thursday Night opener on September 10th, so we're gonna take this slowly. I'm thinking one division per blog, complete preview of that division. I'm not gonna jam pack the whole thing into one or two blogs, because you guys won't have the capacity to absorb that much knowledge, and my fingers don't have the stamina to type all that knowledge...

But let's just jump right in. I realize about 85-92% of the readers of this blog care most about the AFC and NFC East divisions...so I'll do those last. Sorry to make you wait, but I want to make those the most detailed and informative. I'll practice on the other divisions first. Lets just start westward, do the good ol' NFC West division. After all, the champions of the NFC came out of this division, as Kurt Warner and the Cardinals shocked the world last winter. Can they do the same? You came to the right place to find out. Without further adieu...

NFC WEST (Projected Order of Finish)

1. Arizona Cardinals (9-7 Last Year)

If someone said in April of '06 that the Arizona Cardinals would be in Super Bowl 43, everyone would have one reaction: Damn, Matt Leinart must be a stud. The hot-shot quarterback out of USC seemed to start a new era for the Cardinals, filling in for the seemingly-finished Kurt Warner toward the end of his 2006 rookie season.

Well...the old-man wasn't finished. Warner has turned back the clock and now leads the best passing attack in football. He gets to air it out to his all-world buddies Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, while Leinart rides the bench and parties away his heartache.

Nobody seemed to take this team for real when they won the division early in the year, and then looked awful at the end of the regular season. But all that can change when you have a receiver like Fitzgerald, who made the 2008 playoffs into his own personal playground. He has created an insane amount of buzz for himself going into '09, but if anyone's able to meet those expectations, it's him. Boldin is just as important to the offense, as he keeps coverages honest so they can't put 8 guys on Larry. Both are easily top-10 NFL wideouts. Rookie running back Chris Wells joins the gang, as a first-round pick out of Ohio State. Edgerrin James has moved on to Seattle, and Tim Hightower is a low-yardage touchdown goblin. Wells should step right in and is certainly an early candidate for rookie of the year.

So what can go wrong? Rejuvenated, established quarterback, check. Promising rookie runner, check. Monstarz at receiver, check. But let's go over to the other side of the ball...

24, 56, 27, 37, 48, 35, 47.

Nope, not a crazy powerball sequence. Those there are the points scored by opponents in the 7 regular-season losses by Arizona. It kinda makes you wonder how they lost just seven, right? The Cardinals defense will naturally get better this season with some emerging players, but come on. 103 points allowed in two games against the Jets and Brady-less Patriots--both who weren't even playoff teams?? This is quite worrisome, but just for the playoffs; because as you will read later on, the Cards play in the NFL's pit-stain division. They will win the West, but they won't sneak up on anybody this year.

2009 Projected Record: 10-6

2. Seattle Seahawks (4-12 Last Year)

I like these guys! Sure, they got dunked on by Patrick Chewing last year, but Seattle has a good foundation on both sides of the ball. They're not great anywhere, but they're pretty OK everywhere. And in this division, that's all you need to compete. Though backup Seneca Wallace did everything he could last year, it's a healthy Matt Hasselbeck that makes this team go. He has back issues that could flare up at anytime for the rest of his career, but he has shown the ability to be an elite QB. He won a playoff game just two years ago, back when the Seahawks used to trounce this division year after year. For 2009 he's got a new toy in receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh, who's is ready to shine after being in the constant shadow of Chad formerly known as Johnson in Cincinnati. Add him to tight end John Carlson and veteran Deion Branch, and look at that nice little air assault. Julius Jones and newly-arrived Edgerrin James are also quite serviceable in the backfield. If Hasslebeck is good to go and pain-free, this 4-12 team from a year ago can't be disposed of.

But I won't let you get too drunk on my Seattle Kool-Aid. There's plenty of reasons why they were 4-12 last year. And it could have been even worse without face-saving wins over the St. Louis trash-heap. It would not surprise anyone if Hasselbeck struggled with his back again this season--he is at that point of his career. Not everyone is Kurt Warner and can sling it into their 60's. Aaron Curry will be a fantastic rookle at linebacker, and I like the Marcus Trufant/Ken Lucas secondary. But besides that the defense is a bit ho-hum. They are banking on new coach Jim Mora to kickstart the D, we'll see if he's got the personnel. As I said before: great nowhere, OK everywhere. We'll see where it gets them. But I like 'em!

2009 Projected Record: 7-9

3. San Francisco 49ers (7-9 Last Year)

I'm not sure if any Niner fans read the blog. I guess it doesn't matter, because they have now probably boycotted. Yes, San Francisco finished the season 3 games better than Seattle last year, and I rank them lower. Yes, they went 5-2 to finish the 2008 season. Yes, they have the crazyman/motivational genius Mike Singletary as coach. I have seen them as a sleeper pick in many-a-2009 preview...

But allow me to interject...

Number of wins they had against 2008 playoff teams: 0.
Wins against 2008 teams over .500: 1 (the 9-7 Jets...damn it.)

Games in 2009 against '08 playoff teams: 7

Sometimes, the schedule just gets the best of you. And I realize the same can probably be said about my upstarts in Seattle, but I'm not getting the same vibe from this Niner team. I see the Seahawks as a high-risk, high-reward proposition that I'm going in on, while I see the 49ers as a low-risk, low-reward that is ultimately done in by their schedule. It's just a vibe, and I know it's against the grain. But despite what players and coaches say, a worse record from season to season does not always represent a step back. Sometimes it just represents a wrong schedule at the wrong time.

As for actual analysis of the team, Patrick Willis is the team's superstar. The young linebacker is an absolute rock that can make up for mistakes all on his own. There are many ways he can turn a game. On offense, quarterback Shaun Hill can be good in the NFL, but he treats the football kind of like a hiking stick he found in the woods..."Yeah, it's pretty sweet to have, but I can live without it." He's gotta cut down those turnovers and treat the ball like it's his last boda of water in the woods--gotta cherish it. Look for Frank Gore to have a sneaky great year as he creeps back to his place among the NFL's top runners. And for rookie superstar-in-the-making receiver Michael Crabtree, (I can say this because I'm 11 days older than him) sign the deal, punk. You're too good for your head to get in the way. Sorry, Niners fans (those that refused the boycott,) but next year should bear a more fruitful schedule...

2009 Projected Record: 6-10

4. St. Louis Rams (2-14 Last Year)

I'm willing to stake the reputation of this blog on the fact that you'd all rather watch this than listen to me talk about the 2009 St. Louis Rams. Our spirits are with you, Steven Jackson.

2009 Projected Record: 1-15

We're crunched for time, so no What About Conor this week. I'll come extra special on that next Wednesday. Feel free to comment or post your own standings in the comments section. Thanks a lot for reading.

Queasy as One, Two, Three

2009-08-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

What is there to say? I am starting this blog in the bottom of the 6th inning between the Sox and Yanks (NYY up 7-3,) and would be absolutely shocked if I was done by the time the game was over. Sometimes sports--particularly that baseball team in orange in blue--throw my brain into some kind of shutdown mode of incomprehension. I'ts like the movie Wall-E, when they all return to Earth and everything seems fine, but Wall-E is not himself anymore; lacking his inner personality and emotions. Today, the Mets drove me to this indifferent, puzzled, Wall-E shutdown mode.

I sat in front of the television dumbfounded. I has stuck through a game in which the Phillies went 1-2-3 on Oliver Perez in the 1st inning (3 batters, 3 runs before an out was recorded,) took a 6-0 lead before the interminable inning was finished (thanks, Ollie,) and were up 8-2 when the Mets came to bat in the 3rd. But for some reason, this game was never over for me. Though it was probably over in real life, I just didn't think that was the case. And don't get me wrong...I'm not some kind of Mets angel of optimism. I've seen the Mets go down by 2 or 3 and declared the game to be over. But not this one. Not with a jittery/emotional/just plain old Pedro Martinez on the mound for Philadelphia, and not with some members of the Mets lineup being ridiculously hot with the bat (Angel Pagan, Dan Murphy, Jeff Francouer, and most of all Luis Castillo.) Something just seemed different on this particular Sunday. And boy oh boy would it be different...

Now it must also be said that in order to put Conor into Wall-E mode, something extraordinary had to happen between the 3rd inning where it was 8-2 and the end of the game. If the Mets simply mailed it in and took their whoopin, I'd understand and get ready for tomorrow. But the Mets lineup (probably better than the best AAA team, definitely not better than a league-wide AAA all-star team) gave the fans a reason to stay, and a reason to keep hope in the face of an alarming amount of Philly fans in attendance. The top-half on the lineup kept clawing and clawing, one run at a time, to make it a 3-run game in the 9th.

That's where everything lost control. The game became a circus. It was like James Taylor turning into Rob Zombie. Like Golden Girls turning into Metalocalypse. Like a white wine spritzer turning into a Sparks. Wall-E mode mode is a brainchild of the 9th inning of today's game. Pagan reaches 3rd on a Ryan Howard error, then scores as Castillo reaches on an error by some cake-eater named Eric Bruntlett, (who's Eric Bruntlett? We would all know soon enough...) and Murphy reaches on another play Bruntlett can't make. Done and done, first and second, no outs, down by 2 with Jeff Francouer coming up.

Francouer is the best hitter in the Mets lineup. And though I hate myself everytime I do it, I actually expected something big to happen. As cited in an earlier blog, the 2009 Mets have taught us to never expect, just always appreciate. This time, I expected. And though my expectations of a walk-off homer were a longshot, the chances of it happening were probably 800,000 times more likely than what actually happened. Castillo and Murphy both took off, and Francouer did his part on the hit-and-run play by smoking the Brad Lidge offering up the middle.

And, well...if you haven't seen/heard about it by now...my words won't be enough to describe the carnage. Bruntlett, who was racing to cover 2nd (remember, both runners were in motion) catches the liner, lands on second after the jumping catch, and tags out Murphy who was now standing right next to him. Unassisted triple play. By Eric Bruntlett. The three-tier emotion swing felt by Mets fans was extremely unique. There were three distinct feelings, all strong, but none lasting more than a second. Francouer absolutely laces the ball (Hell yeah!) to Bruntlett being in position to make the catch (a Scooby Doo "Gawououuuu" noise) to realizing that Bruntlett is only in position because the runners went and now have no chance to avoid a triple play. (This)

I don't even know what to think anymore. It's about 6 hours ago when this all happened (Yankees just won by the way), and Wall-E mode has mostly worn off. But is anything out of the question for this Mets team? Can anyone really discount the notion that they can lose on an unassisted triple play? More importantly, if someone that didn't see the game hears that an MLB team lost on an unassisted triple play, would it take more than 1.6 seconds for them to know it was the Mets? I can't be surprised anymore. After today, I will have some small form of Wall-E mode in every game for the rest of the year. If and when (mostly if) the Mets win a title in my lifetime, a good amount of that immense joy might just come from 2009. All of this failure, all the bad luck, all the Wall-E modes...might someday be turned on their head.

And that's what it's all about. Sports would be boring if it were easy every year. Finishing a marathon wouldn't feel the same if you ran the entire thing on an airport-like treadmill thing. It's the aches and pains and doubt and worry and endless hope that makes it incredible. (I think this is true...the Mets/Jets/Isles/Knicks have been unable to confirm this for me. But I guess under the theory of failure and heartache, they will be the greatest titles ever experienced.)

The bottom line...when in doubt, always seek the the guidance of Miley. It's all about The Climb. And soon enough, there will always be an Eve robot to revive Wall-E mode, if only for a little while (J,E,T,S, JETS JETS JETS.)

NFL preview starts Wednesday, thanks a lot for reading.

Holy Vick! What the Favre??

2009-08-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

Football! Welcome to the premier NFL edition of the Reilly Sports blog. I was going to start the football preview next week, but the comebacks of two quarterbacks have thrust the NFL into the forefront of sports this week. Michael Vick proved he wasn't lying when he said NFL teams had interest in him; and Brett Favre proved that when it comes to lying...well, you can just finish that sentence yourself.

Nevertheless, both are back...and the Minnesota Vikings looks pretty darn zesty now, don't they? Sure, Brett Favre made the Jets look like the cast of Hostel, Part 3 in the second half last year. But if the injury he cited turns out to be healed, are we going to see the 'good' Favre from the first half of 2008? Or perhaps even the 2007 MVP-caliber Packer that took the eventual-champion Giants to the brink in the playoffs?

If Brett can get his head on straight and put his ego aside (I don't know which will be harder,) the Vikings shoot right to the top of the NFC in my book. The defense is a rock, and Adrian Peterson is a super-duper-looper star in the backfield. The only obstacle the Vikings seemed to have was that Tavaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels could lose games for them. There is no doubt that Favre has more ability than these two. But again, he is just as capable of losing a game by being headstrong and trying to make the home run pass when he shouldn't. If he pushes that ego aside and sticks to the Vikings' style of play, those passes will still be there. Opposing defenses will cheat in close to stop Peterson, and Favre will be able to pick his spot and launch it as far as he wants. And you better believe speedy receiver Bernard Berrian will run them down.

Now onto the newest Eagle. Despite the confused response from Philadelphia fans and shameful response of some Philly media outlets, I think there is one undeniable point here: Either you liked the Eagles as favorites in the NFC and now feel stronger about it, or you didn't consider them in the NFC's elite and now feel stronger about it. In simpler terms, at this moment, this is not a make or break move. Because in this moment, Vick is a welcomed luxury to the Eagles. Wide receiver, trick plays, the wildcat, you name it. He has proven to be a tremendous athlete and a franchise player. In this moment, Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb are buddy-buddy, happy to share the field with one another. McNabb lobbied on Vick's behalf to come and help the team win.

That's in this moment. The hypothetical moment when this move becomes make-or-break is if November 23rd, 2008 ever repeats itself. Baltimore, Maryland. Eagles vs. Ravens. Kevin Kolb playing quarterback in a futile effort against Baltimore...with McNabb benched on the sidelines. I know, I know, I'm not the first one to make this point. And I know the Eagles went 6-1 with McNabb afterward, on their way to the NFC Championship game. But I also know (and you know too) that the relationship between McNabb and Philly fans is similar to a boy-girl 'relationship' in the 8th grade. Love, hate, love, really hate, really love, hate, indifferent, love, hate. Except this relationship started with the hate (Eagles fans booing McNabb when he was drafted in 1999.) So, this is a cyclical 8th grade relationship from somewhere in the Eastern Hemisphere, where relationships are arranged.

The fans will deny it, saying the whole thing with McNabb is overblown. And maybe it is. But all I know is that in November of last year, head coach Andy Reid fell into the 'hate' cycle of the relationship, and benched his guy for Kevin Kolb. He was on the road, with no fan pressure or practical reason to do so, and he benched him. Was it just to light a fire under him? That argument certainly looks great seeing what happened the rest of the way. I'm not sure. But I do know that Michael Vick is not Kevin Kolb. So if Donovan struggles and everyone hits the 'hate' cycle of the relationship, you better believe Andy will be tempted. If and when Andy gets tempted, then we look at August 13, 2009 as a day that makes or breaks the Eagles.

But we all know that's hypothetical. Right now, the Eagles and their fans are expecting a huge year from the team led by McNabb. Vick is simply a luxury. At this time, the Eagles are not in a transformation. At this time, that talk is exclusive to Minnesota.

Well I hope you guys enjoyed that NFL opener. It feels good to shake some football rust off. In a not-so-smooth segway, let's go to the "What About Conor" segment on this Wednesday blog. This time, let's go Hollywood! Right now, it's August and the dog days of baseball are the only sports events going on. Needing our sports fill, sometimes we resort to sports movies. I generally like sports movies, and here's a glimpse into some of my favorites. Here are my top 5.

5. Miracle
Perhaps the pinnacle sports moment in American history. Not only did hockey matter in this country, it was numero uno, if only for a few weeks. Disney was able to recreate the story in a realistic way that wasn't overly sappy or over-the-top. They knew they story was good enough on its own. The movie was able to rekindle memories for those who were around in 1980, and for mine and younger generations, give an educational and entertaining account of what happened in those Olympics. As for the drawbacks, well...the ending didn't exactly shock anyone. Everyone knew going in what would happen; it was a necessary evil for such an amazing story. After all, if it hadn't actually occurred, Hollywood would have rejected such an outrageous outcome.

4. Hoosiers
I get extremely, extremely excited when Hoosiers is on cable. There are several powerful storylines that revolve around the small-town basketball team, which give the movie a realistic charm. For the critics that were disappointed by Gene Hackman in The Replacements, this movie would be the reason. Hackman was the perfect coach in Hoosiers. Inspirational speeches, tough love on young players, and a love story that doesn't kill the film. It's the prototypical 'oldie but goodie' that is well worth the watch if it ever pops up on cable. And please give me a call if it does. I get excited.

3. Rocky IV
Though Rocky IV is #3 on the 'favorite sports movies' list, I'm certain it would be #1 on the list from an entertainment standpoint. I have definitely seen this one more than the others on this list, and would still drop whatever I'm doing to watch it again. Rocky ended the Cold War with his iron fists and eloquent speech at the end. The story throughout is great: the insecurity of an aging star (Apollo Creed,) avenging the death of a friend the only way you know how (Rocky,) and a bad-guy that is legitimately terrifying and gives a realistic feeling that Rocky might actually be killed by him. Tack on the incredible montages, and this drops in solidly as #3.

2. Rudy
Yes, that is a fan-made, 'fake' trailer for the movie. But it does a great job highlighting what truly is an amazing story. Though I prefer to watch the NFL, I must admit there is a certain charm that goes along with college football. Guys playing without all the money involved (unless you're Reggie Bush,) the indefinite players and fans that experience change-over every year, balancing school and practice. It all makes for something special, and this movie captures it all. And I know people hate Notre Dame and this movie works like a laxative for some of them (way over-the-top, factual disputes) but I genuinely enjoy it. Deep down inside I'm confident you do as well, Irish haters. Deep, deep....deep down.

1. Major League and Major League 2 (Tie)
I can't seperate them. They are both just too good to have one go ahead of another. With a gun to my head, I'd have to say I'm in the minority and like part 2 just a tad more. (Two words: Jack Parkman. Two more words: Randy Quaid) But these two movies are exactly what I look for from the sports genre. Plenty of comedy, doesn't take the sports aspect too seriously. It knows what it is, and doesn't try to be anything different or bigger. The infectiously-likeable characters are bigger than the story itself: Rick Vaughn, Pedro Cerrano, Willie Mays Hayes, manager Lou Brown and announcer Harry Doyle. I think this franchise is incredibly underappreciated and I implore you, if you haven't seen one or both, do so immediately.

Honorable Mention: Remember the Titans, D2: The Mighty Ducks, The Wrestler (will probably move up with time,) All other Rocky movies, Glory Road, The 6th Man.

Additional H.M.'s Shamefully Forgotten: Happy Gilmore, The Sandlot, Caddyshack, Cool Runnings, Little Giants, Rookie of the Year, Eddie.

As always, go ahead and post your own favorites in the comments section.

Matt Cain: The New Hybrid of Hatred?

2009-08-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

Roger. Rocker.

Nope, that is not a character's name from Guitar Hero. It's two names that describe absolute villains in my lifetime of watching the Mets. Roger Clemens beaned Mike Piazza in the head after years and years of Piazza domination. It was disgraceful, it was pathetic, and we're starting the be absolutely certain it was 'roid rage. The 'Freebird'-like encore from the coward was picking up a jagged broken bat and hurling it within inches of Piazza later in the year. It would be a while before the Mets could take actual revenge, since Clemens conveniently pulled these stunts behind the protection of the DH in the American League. When Clemens finally hit against the Mets..pitcher Shawn Estes missed. Threw behind him. Just typical stuff. What nobody saw coming was the home run Estes would hit later in the game that defeated Clemens. Just another weird scenerio by a weird pitcher on the historically weird franchise known as the Mets.

That's Roger. Let's get to Rocker. You know, the whackjob of a closer employed by the Braves about a decade ago. The Mets-Braves rivalry really got heated in the late '90s/early '00s. But Rocker went well beyond the field, lacing a tirade against New York and its inhabitants. I'm not going to dignify them with print space in this esteemed blog, but you can get some details here.

Roger and Rocker. Though almost ten years since they became Gotham villains, we caught an unwelcomed reminiscence of them both today with San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain. First, I will acknowledge that strictly comparing Cain to both of them is too harsh. But I can't help the thoughts that conjured in my head when Cain drilled the Met's last-star-standing David Wright with what Fox announcers called a 94 MPH fastball. Not one Mets fan didn't see the image of Piazza flash back to them when Wright hit the dirt, helmet launched off his cranium.

I can't say Cain meant to hit him in the head. He had no motive to do it, and he showed legitimate concern after in happened. To accuse Cain would be unfair to an up-and-coming superstar pitcher, and it would cheapen just how much of a buttmunch Clemens was. And though Cain kept on mowing down hitters (in a good way, not the Wright way,) I actually thought it would phase him mentally. This was until he was removed in the 8th inning, when Cain showed that though he is an up-and-coming star, he's still able to be a classless punk.

No, he didn't flip off the fans or shout at the Met dugout or take a bat to Mr. Met's head. This wasn't Rocker 2.0. But before Rocker went into hyper-maniac mode, he would just get a little too into it with the fans instead of being smart and walking back to the dugout, head down. Today, Cain must have known the fans would boo. The Mets crowd that pays for tickets already knows they won't see 3 core players who they thought would being a title to Flushing. Cain took out their fourth with a heater--they are going to be upset. I don't care if you think the fans are being unfair...you walk to that dugout with your head down. Instead, Cain gave a sarcastic tip of his cap to the irate Mets fans.

It's not criminal, it's not a baseball tragedy, but why do it? To tell the fans that you're in control, whether they like it or not? Wright's condition wasn't known to the Fox announcers, so you must assume Cain didn't know either. If David is out for the rest of the year with concussion symptoms, is Cain still going to feel good about tippin' the cap? I know that's extreme, and a Giants fan that stumbles across this blog would call it a Met fan bitter over a loss. So be it...Cain may not be on the level of Roger or Rocker, but he showed today that his maturity has some work to do in order to catch up to his immense talent.

Now, on to this latest Picasso-like masterpiece loss by the Mets. After Wright got dropped, Santana did what he had to do the following inning, facing the Giants' best (and only) hitter Pablo Sandoval. Completing the Estes-Clemens comparison, he missed and threw in behind the rather large target that is Sandoval. But while Estes hit the redemptive homer later, Santana instead surrendered a homer to Sandoval just pitches later. Santana lost his shot at revenge, and pretty much lost the game in the same at bat.

The Mets' rag-tag lineup was quite impressive late, scoring 3 runs in the 8th to tie the score. The stage was set for another nightmare at Citi. Francisco Rodriguez actually managed to keep the Giants off the board in the 9th, quite a refreshing change. But it was just one batter into the 10th inning when he was back to his old suck. Homer Bengie Molina, game over. I think we're at the point where the Mets fan just prays the Giants would have won that game 4-1. Wright was hit, and that was bigger than the loss. Let's get 'em tomorrow. I truly think the Mets fan can accept that. What they can't deal with is their insanely high-paid closer to come in every night and implode out there. The triple-A lineup worked their asses off for three runs in the 8th. It's not the way it's supposed to be. A 4-1 loss wouldn't have been awful on this day. Another K-Rod loss makes this just infuriating.

So, due to the popularity of the Wednesday blog, I nominate the Top-5 songs that Citi Field should blast when K-Rod comes into the game. Enjoy. And don't worry, I will be in a better mood next blog (Mark Sanchez, baby!)

5. Hurt- Johnny Cash
4. Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman- Britney Spears
3. Don't Know What You Got Til It's Gone- Cinderella (Billy Wagner we're SO sorry.)
2. Lonely- Kim Jong Il (Please excuse the language)
1. Bringin' on the Heartbreak- Def Leppard

Feel free to suggest your own in the comments section!

New Wednesday Tradition

2009-08-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the blog! It's been a pretty jacked last 2 days (Team Reilly & Friends going 3-2 in volleyball on the path to greatness...Rick Porcello hitting Kevin Youkilis and simply inquiring "why?" with his arms as Youk charged the mound like a 28 Weeks Later zombie...The US caring about soccer for another solitary day and going away empty-handed...the Mets avoiding a desert sweep at the hands at the Diamondbacks and now watch Pedro Martinez don the hated Red cap of Philadelphia.)

Still working out the kinks of the blogs, I'm not gonna keep driving you guys nuts with game recaps of the Mets/Yanks every night. ESPN's game recap can do that for you in 20 seconds. No, I'll give you reasons to actually come here. So expect 2, maybe 3 blogs a week about baseball. Of course, if anything big comes up I'll blog the hell out of it. Also, expect some NFL previews coming up in the next week or so, as I am very excited to predict and track the activities of Big Blue and Gang Green.

But for now, let's go ahead and introduce a new weekly blog segment. After all, some new readers may know absolutely nothing about me except the ridiculously small, jolly picture of me over there to the left. And for those that do know of my being, a little more couldn't hurt anyone. So, here it is...Let's call it the first installment of "What About Conor Wednesdays." A top-5 list that gives a better idea of who I am and what churns inside my skull.

The first topic (thought of at random today) will be "Songs that Conor would use if he were the closer of a Major League Baseball team." You know, everyone has a theme-song of sorts they come out to...it helps to pump up themselves and the crowd. Billy Wagner and Mariano Rivera have 'Enter Sandman' by Metallica. Trevor Hoffman has 'Hell's Bells' by AC/DC. K-Rod has a Latin-beat of sorts at Citi Field, but I'm soon expecting opposing stadiums to play this whenever he comes into a tie game on the road. (Sorry, but that could have been avoided if he didn't gave up yet another run in tonight's win...) Of course, I won't use the songs that I know are already used in the MLB. I'm my own (hypothetical) man. Well without further ado, the songs you would hear if fate would have it that Conor Reilly ever came out of a bullpen and into a game. In descending order, of course. The links for each selection will allow you to hear the song upon clickage. Just try to open them in a new window if possible, so you don't get annoyed using the Back button to get back to the blog. Enjoy.

5. American Bad Ass- Kid Rock

Upside: Look at that video. Please, I beg you. Kid Rock is gonna go down in history as one of the most ridiculously entertaining humans in history. And the word 'ridiculously' is not an adjective for how entertaining he is. They are two seperate entities. The ridiculous-ness of Kid Rock is the essence of mankind's entertainment. We might as well just call him Entertainingly Ridiculous. Either way, this song absolutely qualifies for what I would look to come out to in a baseball game. It naturally skyrockets the confidence of whoever comes out to it, with the incredible attitude and lyrics.
Downside: Too many to count. The curses and vulgar language are an immediate turnoff in the family atmosphere, and an edited version would not be the same to me. The song also gets criticism since the background music is taken from Metallica's 'Sad But True.' I don't buy the criticism, but it still must be mentioned. Finally, the fans probably want to be pumped up in a way that's better than Kid Rock musically listing the tens of thousands of reasons why he is awesome. Watch the video though. It'll brighten your day.

4. Freakin' It- Will Smith

Upside: If nothing else, a fantastic change of pace in the ballpark. I think this song would immediately get me some play as an oddball of sorts and also a fun-loving closer. Everyone is always looking for a crowd favorite, and this rap song of Will Smith relates to both the older and younger generation. Finally, I would truly enjoy the crowd joining along for the "Yeah Yeah" during the chorus and making up some kind of dance or something. It makes me giddy. While it's true that some closers already utilize rap songs, I'm pretty sure 40-90% must be edited out to make it ballpark-acceptable. The curse-less jiggy of Mr. Smith has no such worries.
Downside: Suffers from the same baseball irrelavance as Kid Rock. The song's beat gets the crowd pumpin', but they don't want to hear the meteoric rise of Will Smith that the lyrics provide. Also, the "Yeah Yeah" from the crowd won't be so fun or realistic if I suck as closer for a week or so. So overall, though it is fun, the staying power isn't where it needs to be for this to be an official closer song.

3. Kickstart My Heart- Motley Crue

Upside: From top to bottom, a phenomenal rock song. My favorite from Motley Crue. There is a tremendous energy from this song and it gives the younger generation of baseball fans some real '80s rock that they don't hear enough of. The slow bridge at about 2:30 in the song is perfect for slowing it down before bringing it back up again. And the potential for the crowd to join along for the "WHOA!...YEAH!" is a cherry on top. This could be swapped in for #1 and I would have no complaints about it.
Downside: Not too much. It may perhaps be a tad too fast for this discussion, which could put the fans more on edge than they need to be in a close game or something. The title Kickstart My Heart doesn't help with this cause, as a lot of fans could already have their hearts 'kicked up' to a maximum level by the time I entered the game.

2. Everybody Have Fun Tonight- Wang Chung

Upside: This song is all-or-nothing. If you don't go all out, don't go at all, right? And I know, this could never work for an all-business team like the Yankees. It would have to be the right situation. But this could revolutionize the relationship between ballplayer and fan. If a major league player actually trotted out to this song in crucial games, think how delightfully twisted it would be. At first, everyone would love the change and wonder what in the world was going on. But once it becomes "routine," once the fans get used to it, the scene would be incredible. Just think in a world series game in which the home team takes a 1-run lead into the 9th inning, and this song blares over the loudspeakers as I come running out. Everyone knows it is coming, but do the fans and players still stay eager/serious about the upcoming inning? Is that possible? I can just imagine the TV cameras having a still shot on the managers, as they try to stay in the moment and focused in possibly the most important game of their lives...with this blasting in the background. I can't get enough. It would change baseball forever.
Downside: I think the song speaks for itself in terms of downside. Some purists (and teammates) would not go for this at all. Also, any kind of prolonged slump would be fatal for this cause. Media, fans, everyone would question my focus and seriousness as a player. If I had an ERA of 5.38 in August and came out to this song, nobody (including myself) would 'have fun tonight' during it. They would actually want to dig themselves a hole and jump in due to akwardness. But as I said, the right situation (Papelbon in '07, anyone?) and this is baseball's revolution.

1. Jukebox Hero- Foreigner

Upside: The pinnacle of this genre. A slow-yet-building start that's infectious and gets the crowd interested, followed by a sudden jump in tempo that would drive the crowd bonkers. My favorite aspect of the song is the lyrics, describing the rise of a rockstar. The parallels between the rise of a rockstar and the rise of an athlete are numerous. Seeing an idol (be it at an arena or ballpark,) doing everthing you can to get there someday (be it lower end gigs with no audience or playing college ball/in the minors,) and once your there, doing whatever it takes to stay on top (be it practicing every single day or taking steroids WHOOPS, I mean...practicing every single day.) Bottom line...Beat/Melody, check. Lyrics, check. Pump-up-ocity, check. Perfect closer's song, check.
Downside: None. but that steroids gag was pretty clever, wasn't it?