Silver And Black Attack
Big-ups to the Raiders Tyvon Branch, who played through the Phillip Rivers fumble and scored the final TD of the game. Many players would have assumed it was an incomplete pass and either left the ball rolling on the ground or just fall on top of the pigskin. Branch picked up the ball and took it 60+ yards for a touchdown to put the Raiders up by 8 with a minute or so left in the game. I'm surprised Oakland players actually knew how to do stuff like that.
And while I'm talking about the Silver and Black, I have to admit I have a strange infatuation with the person who dresses up as Darth Vader at Raider home games. It's like playing the football edition of "Where's Waldo?"
Good lord. Well, they paid for the ticket. If that's within the dress code, then it's all good.
HA. I love this picture from the above video. The kids are embarrassed.
I Watch, They Score
So I have this "talent" of tuning into a Pittsburgh Penguins game and watching the team implode. I've had this talent for years. A few years back the were playing Toronto (or was it Montreal? I can't remember) and they had a two-goal lead going into the third period. I turned on the game and suddenly that two-goal lead became a one-goal deficit in a matter of minutes. I wasn't even in the room when two of these goals occurred; I'm that powerful.
Well last night I tuned into the last 5 minutes of the Penguin game…
(Mike) Cammalleri and Scott Gomez scored in a 24-second span over the final 2:12 and the Montreal Canadiens came back for a 3-2 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night, keeping the Penguins winless through two games at brand new Consol Energy Center.
…and I'm glad to know I still haven't lost my touch, what with the team switching ice rinks.
Ol' Gunslinger Whipped Out One Pistol Too Many (Allegedly)
So I wonder how many games the Ol Gunslinger will be getting suspended for by the NFL; I doubt this sort of thing is found in the player's conduct manual.
The NFL is reportedly reviewing allegations regarding Brett Favre's possible inappropriate interaction with a Jets reporter while he played in New York two years ago.
The website deadspin.com recently disclosed voice mails and several graphic pictures that were reportedly sent by Favre, now currently with the Vikings, to former Jets employee Jenn Sterger.
"I'm not getting into that," Favre said at a press conference on Thursday when asked about the controversy. "I've got my hands full with the Jets and am trying to get some timing down with our guys, so that's all I'm going to discuss."
According to multiple media reports, however, the NFL is now investigating the matter.
I can't wait to see the media coverage to this story. When I watched ESPN's Friday's edition of PTI, Michael Wilbon and Bob Ryan briefly discussed this topic. Wilbon said we didn't know for sure if it's Favre, and him and Ryan then spent the rest of time complaining about having to cover stories like this. LOL.
And then there are the hard-hitting Sunday pregame shows, which I never watch. Ha at the "Brett Favre will get off easy…" headline.
Heard the story about Brett Favre allegedly hitting on TV host Jenn Sterger via text messages and below-the-belt (literally) cell phone images when he was a Jet?
You know, the story – complete with audio and video – posted on Deadspin last week. The one, which the website initially posted (minus audio/video) in August, also alleging Favre's pickup play was assisted by a Jets PR operative?
Another question: Will this story be reported Sunday on any of the NFL pregame shows?
After all, Fox's "NFL Sunday" has Jay Glazer, whom the Foxies bill as a fearless super sleuth. He's a tough guy who will have no trouble shining a light on a sleazy angle involving an NFL legend.
Then there's Peter King on NBC's "Football Night In America." For years, he's indicated his track to Favre ("I just got a text message from Brett") is an inside one. So he can really tell us what did, or did not, go down here.
ESPN's Bristol Clown Community College faculty claims its two reporters, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter, are the best in the biz – a two-headed scoop machine. They should have no trouble nailing down the intimate details of this story and exposing it to the fullest on "Sunday NFL Countdown."
CBS' "The NFL Today?" It has Norman Julius Esiason. On Friday, he had no problem discussing the Favre story on the radio. He even laughed about it with his pet Cockroach. So Esiason will get into it Sunday, right?
Wrong. It would be stunning if any of these shows touch this Favre story. Favre has been protected, treated like football royalty, by the NFL's TV partners, some of whom want to hire him when he finally hangs it up.
More importantly, network suits have a built-in out. They will say their people can't report on the Favre story because they don't know if the "contents" of the photos actually belong to Favre. Or if it's really his voice on the "message."
Nonetheless, here's what they can and absolutely should get into. They should discuss, extensively, if the publicity attached to this Favre story will serve as a distraction going into Monday night's game with the Jets. This is purely a football issue. Favre has not exactly been burning things up with the Vikings. Is Minnesota paying all that money for someone who could be turning into a head case?
Will dealing with this Sterger thing, and any ramifications it may be having with his wife, affect his preparation and performance? Get it, Favre's state of mind could impact the outcome of the game (duh).
Vikings-Jets is on ESPN's "Monday Night Football." The network will air approximately 2,350 hours of football-related TV/radio programming leading up to the tilt. That leaves them plenty of time to discuss this Favre thing.
I wonder if Terry Bradshaw is going to going to get FIRED UP about the Ol Gunslinger?