Thanksgiving Blog

First off, Happy Thanksgiving everybody. As I watched four football games (including my high school's game) today, I had some thoughts racing through my head....

-I am 19 years-old, and I have watched pretty much every Thanksgiving football game in that timeframe. From what I can remember, I cannot recall a more entertaining game than today's Lions-Texans game. We also got to witness probably the two greatest/most talented wide receivers of this era on the same field (I'll include Larry Fitzgerald in that category as well). But man these two guys are just gifted. Big. Fast. Sticky Hands. Fast. Just physical freaks.

Andre Johnson: 9 receptions 188 yards
Calvin Johnson: 8 receptions 140 yards and a TD

I don't know about you, but it was a treat watching these men.

-Another thought, today we saw Matthew Stafford's "Sometimes I can look like the best QB in the league" side today. You would be hard-pressed to find a QB with a bigger arm than this guy and he had a few of those "wow" throws today. Unfortunately, his inconsistency has also produced a few of those "wow that was awful" throws this year. Hence, the Lions are now 4-7.

-Another reason the Lions are now 4-7: the (insert adjective here) rule in NFL history. We all saw. We stopped eating cheese and crackers just to digest the stupidity of the rule. Although EVERY scoring play is subject to review, after Jim Schwartz challenged the "Justin Forsett wasn't really down" call out of pure rage and disgust, the Lions were penalized and then the play was no longer able to be reviewed. If you don't understand it that's OK. What you need to know: this rule is why the Lions are now 4-7. And why the Texans are now 10-1.

-I guess you can say that Jason Hanson's 47 yard missed field is another reason why the Lions are 4-7. How many times have we seen Jason Hanson on Thanksgiving? The guy has been around forever. I wanted him to nail that game-winning field goal so badly. C'mon! These guys have lost every Thanksgiving game for 9 years...let them win! The Texans are already making the playoffs, give these guys some love! But somewhere out there, somebody just did not want the Lions to win this game. It was only fitting when that sucker clanked off the upright.

-O, and if you actually want an answer to that question, Jason Hanson has been on the Lions since 1994, so we have seen him on Thanksgiving 18 times. So I have seen Jason Hanson on Thanksgiving more times than 100% of my extended family.

- (Trying to analyze that statement)

-And this 4+ hour war of two quality teams was decided by a flawed rule and two kickers. That's football.

-Let's move on to the Washington-Dallas game. Giants fans came to some scary realizations today:

1. Robert Griffin has the talent and intangibles to become one of the greatest and most explosive football players this game has ever seen
2. He is a rookie
3. He is 22 years-old (had to add this because Brandon Weeden broke the 20-24 year-old rookie age standard)
4. He is in on the Redskins who in our division
5. Therefore, we will be playing/having to deal with him for the next two decades
6. Alfred Morris was 5th in the league in rushing before eclipsing 100 yards for the fourth time this year
7. He is a rookie
8. He is 23 years-old 
9. He is on the Redskins who are in our division
10. Therefore, we will be playing/having to deal with him for the next two decades
11. Not only will have to be dealing with them for the next two decades, but we have to deal with them right now
12. If we lose to the Packers who are crazy hot, both the Redskins and Cowboys will only be one game back
13. The Redskins look really good

-RG3 last two games: 34/43 511yards 8tds 1int -- 18 carries for 113 yards -- I rest my case

-Also a thought coming away from this game: Dez Bryant activated his "I can be one of if not the best receiver in the league when I want to" side of him today. Despite dropping a late touchdown after a hard hit and also fumbling (after an amazing catch), Bryant displayed the skills that warranted the Cowboys decision to trade up for him in the draft. If he can get rid of the antics and straighten out his head, this guy could be scary good. Unfortunately, I don't know if that is going to happen. Or I guess as a Giants fan, I should say: Fortunately, I don't know if that is going to happen.

-Jason Witten added his typical 9 catches for 74 yards, seeming to catch every 3rd-and-important ball thrown his way. He is one of the toughest guys in the NFL and is apparently a great all-around dude. Jason Witten would definitely be on "my team".

-Let's go to the Jets and Patriots game...

-Or should I not even bother?

-Alright I will. I said to my dad before the game that I thought the Jets would play one of those "F the world we are going to give the Patriots all they can handle" type of games. I even thought they could win. I don't know, I just had that weird feeling. For about 17 minutes, I was licking my chops. Then...how do you want me to describe the ensuing 43 minutes? Debacle of epic proportions? Complete display of football ineptitude? Total embarrassment on the national stage where people who don't even like/watch football are watching? "The night the Jets died"? "The night that Rex Ryan sealed his fate"? "The night that Mark Sanchez sealed his fate"? 

All of these would probably suffice. But on a serious note, how can the Jets go into next season with Mark Sanchez as their starting quarterback? Is this experiment over? How do they bring back Rex Ryan? My answers: They cant, Yes, and they can't. 

They need fresh faces and new energy. Ironically, much like what Rex Ryan brought to the organization in his first two years. But the act has just gotten old. The energy is gone. With Revis gone for the year, this team does not perform at an above-average level in any facet of the game. Look, I actually feel bad for Mark Sanchez. I'm not saying this guy is a pro-bowler. I'm not even saying I think he is an adequate starting quarterback in the National Football League. But his career has been ruined by having NOBODY to throw the ball to and the signing of Tim Tebow. I won't even go into the complexion and semantics of that horrendous decision. I'll leave the explanation to the chant of "Tebow" that broke out right smack in the middle of the debacle that took place this evening.

-But really, the Jets receivers are just next-level deplorable

-It's well after midnight and I am sitting comfortably in my bed as I write this, while thousands of people are out shopping on this disgusting phenomenon known as Black Friday. I totally understand shopping tomorrow (technically today) and taking advantage of sales, but camping out or waiting in line for hours? Are you kidding me? It's just pathetic. No sale could replace or make me leave the confines of my home while enjoying a Thanksgiving meal(s). 

On that note, I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving, and good night.

-Chris Collins

Follow Chris @ChrisCollins127

Follow Chris and PJ @IceBathReport

Return from the Dead

Contrary to popular belief, Pj and I are both still alive. We both apologize again for the lack of posts, we have had papers and exams kicking our ass lately and haven't had the spare time for columns or blogs. 

But as I sit here after my 8 o clock class with an unusual amount of energy, I am here to change that! Let's do some quick hits:

-First and foremost...JASON BAY IS GONE!!!! Met fans around the world can rejoice! Once I saw Jason Bay trending on Twitter, I didn't know what to think. "Wait, could the Mets have possibly given him an extension??!! Did he manage to somehow strikeout with the bases loaded in the offseason??!! Hold on...he probably grounded into a double play in the 9th with the tying run on base!!" Remarkably, none of these were true! The day Met fans have been waiting for came earlier than expected, with the Mets essentially paying this man to leave the premises as soon as possible. Good for Bay though honestly. He knows he can't help the team and is deeply disliked (tried to be nice) throughout the New York fan base, not necessarily because he is a bad guy (he always hustles), but because we paid him 60 million dollars and he did his best Rey Ordonez impression in the batter's box throughout his Mets tenure. He took his money and left, and now both parties can move on from one of the biggest debacles in Mets free agency history. And to make that list is truly an honor by the way...that list runs extremely deep and requires a "came to the Mets and ruined my chances at making the Hall-of Fame" aspect, or some sort of "I was a perennial All-Star until I came to the Mets" resemblance. Congrats Jason Bay, you definitely fulfill the latter. You can now join a "horrendous history of horrendous Mets free agency signings" club that includes George Foster, Bobby Bonilla, Roberto Alomar (still made the Hall of Fame), Mo Vaughn (are we still paying him??), Kaz Matsui (Remember that guy!!). And I can't forget the most recents: Luis "the guy who dropped a routine pop-up that let the Yankees win and single handily steered our season in the wrong direction" Castillo. Francisco Rodriguez and JJ Putz...and maybe most infamously...the great Oliver Perez. There's too many more to name. I fully expect the Mets to dish Albert Pujols a three-year contract worth $60 million when he is done in LA at the age of 42. Just brace for it Met fans.

-Let's stay right here and let's congratulate R.A. Dickey on winning the Cy Young, representing the only positive outcome of the 2012 season minus Jason Bay's departure, of course. Dickey's story is truly inspiring and he truly deserved the award for a magnificent season.

-Here's where I end the ecstasy of Dickey's season and share my strictly-business opinion. Look, I love the guy. He's really a great man. However, as a 38 year-old knuckleballer who just won a Cy Young, and for someone who is reportedly asking for a lot of money, the Mets NEED to take advantage of this opportunity. I'm not sure exactly what Dickey could bring in return, but the Mets are in desperate need of outfield help and I'm quite certain that Dickey could bring back a starting outfielder at the very least. I'm sorry, we can't afford to give this guy Cy Young money. Hell he probably deserves it, but this has too many "this guy starts to suck after he gets paid" warning flags for me. Met fans know this all too well. We aren't going to win this year, and I reiterate that he will be turning 39 during the season. Yes, I know knuckle-ballers last longer and Tim Wakefield pitched until he was 67; but if the Mets are going to win in the next five years, they need to pay a man named David Wright, not R.A. Dickey.

-Sorry R.A.

-Sticking with baseball, I must acknowledge the most widely debated MVP race in my lifetime. Both Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout deserved it and I can't complain either way, but as a fellow Jersey-ian I was rooting for Trout. This was such a cool debate because the two represented a clash of generations--old school who value the traditional Triple Crown statistics against the new school computer nerds who worship sabermetrics. The old school vowed for Cabrera while the new school marveled at Mike Trout's historical season. For any of my fellow horse racing fans out there, this was an Alydar-Affirmed type of battle. But 22 out of 28 1st place votes for Cabrera? C'mon. Should have been much closer than that. 

-Personally, I value Trout's overall numbers and production higher than Cabrera's Triple Crown feat. Trout hit 30 homeruns batting lead-off, knocked in 83 runs batting lead-off, scored 129 runs and stole 49 bases, leading the MLB despite being called up a month into the season. O, and he only got caught stealing 5 times. 49 of 54? Unbelievable. I  just think his season was more remarkable and improbable. Trout was the first player EVER to hit 30 homers, steal 45 bases, and score 125 runs. Not to mention, Cabrera is a defensive liability while Trout may already be the best center-fielder in baseball. If I can quote Jayson Stark from ESPN, "No player in the history of baseball has combined in so many areas of excellence into the same season." 

Wins Above Replacement Comparison (The favorite stat of new schoolers)

Trout's WAR: 10.7
Miggy's WAR: 6.9

Trout's WAR was the highest in nearly over twenty years for guys that aren't named Bonds. To also put that in perspective, his WAR was higher than Mantle's in 1961, Mays in 1954. Some names that surround Trout's war total: Ruth, Hornsby, Cobb, Gehrig, Williams...I think you get the point.

The bottom line I guess was that Cabrera's team made the playoffs and Trout's didn't. However, I would like to add that the Angels did win more games than the Tigers despite missing the playoffs, and their winning percentage with Trout in the lineup was greater than that of the Tigers with Cabrera.

I guess I am new school.

-Even though I strongly dislike the NBA (I promise I will eventually explain why in detail), I'll take this time to honor the Knicks current undefeated season. I don't watch them, but I am always on board with a local team contributing to the local sports buzz. Also consider me on board on anything that can possibly derail the Lebron James and Miami Heat train. Go Knicks! <<I've never said that before in my life.

-My sport of choice at this time of the year to compliment football still sadly remains in lockout. Truly a shame. Gary Bettman has all but clinched the "worst commissioner in sports" title. Three lockouts during his tenure, and this one coming just when the NHL started to gain a little bit of steam. Sigh.

-Speaking of football, thank god the Giants are on a bye. I couldn't stand another week. I guess I shouldn't be complaining considering I definitely have Jet-fan readers, but I cannot remember a worse three-game stretch of football exhibited by Eli Manning since his rookie year. Once again, I am complaining about a two-time Super Bowl champ/Super Bowl MVP, but he has truly been awful in the last three games. The bye is much needed.

-For my Jet-fan readers, I guess it's funny that I mention "worse three-game stretch of football." How many times can you have said that about Mark Sanchez? I would imagine multiple. Or several. If Sanchez is once again awful this week, how can you not at least give Tebow a chance? How can he be worse? The Jets offense carries 8-5 odds of a 3-and-out on any given possession. I don't know, if they once again are getting embarrassed come the 4th quarter...give the man a shot.

-Finally, can the NFL PLEASE get rid of Thursday Night Football. It is unbearable. Both teams are running on fumes, every matchup is comically unappealing, and the quality of football on three days rest is drastically reduced. And if the NFL is so concerned with the safety of players, how does playing two football games in a five-day span support their concern? What about all of those "mini-concussions" that players speak of? The concussions that go unreported. These are guys are playing three days earlier than usual and are putting themselves at a greater risk. It's just not worth it. Put an end to it Goodell.

That's all I got. Enjoy the weekend everybody and a Happy Thanksgiving.


-Chris Collins

Follow Chris @ChrisCollins127

Follow Chris and PJ @IceBathReport

Chris's Study Zone: Volume 4

Instead of doing a business paper on FDI in Bangladesh (I'm serious)...

-Not to kill the mood of this entire post, but I would first like to send my prayers to all of the people affected by Hurricane Sandy. As a Jersey Shore resident, this has obviously affected my family, my friends, my town, and a lifetime of memories. I wish everyone along the Shore the best of luck during these times, and thank everyone for their support. Special thanks to Govenor Christie for handling this unimaginable disaster with leadership and courage. The Jersey Shore may never be the same, but as he has said: make no mistake about it...we will rebuild.

Sorry if that killed the vibe.

-Trust me, I understand nobody likes to hear people bitch and moan about their fantasy football teams. Everybody loves to let the world know about their own personal struggles and misfortunes, but we all hate being the recipient of a fantasy owner's rant. "RANDALL COBB SCORED 21 POINTS ON MY BENCH!!" "CAN YOU BELIVE I PLAYED THE BEARS D AND THEY SCORED 3 TOUCHDOWNS??!!""

Despite my acknowledgement of this incredible annoyance in the fantasy community, I am going to inflict pain on all of my readers with my own personal account of my fantasy football Sunday.

So I go into the second wave of afternoon games thinking I have the fantasy football world as my oyster. I am tied with my opponent, and I have Darren McFadden, Hakeem Nicks, Antonio Brown, and Jimmy Graham still ready to roll. The guy I am playing only has Josh Freeman and Doug Martin.

(By the way, I am facing PJ)

-The rest is a nightmare. Two catches into his day, Brown sprains his ankle. Seven carries into his day, McFadden sprains his ankle. Hakeem Nicks and the rest of the Giants offense decided to take the day off. Meanwhile, Doug Martin turned into Barry Sanders for the day. 51 POINTS?!?!!? ARE YOU KIDDING??!! Unbelievable. The progression of frustration from a fantasy owner that played Doug Martin this week can be roughly mapped like this:

11 points: "Damn."
21 points: "SHIT!"
31 points: "SHITTTTTTTTTTT!"
41 points: "IS THIS A SICK JOKE??!!!" (with several expletives mixed in)
51 points: (Silence)

That was my fantasy day along with probably many others. I went from thinking I was sitting pretty to losing by 60 points. Gotta love fantasy football.

-O, and Mikel Leshoure scored 3td's on my bench.

-Seriously though, the Giants offense has looked miserable for the last two weeks. I love Eli Manning, absolutely love him, but he has done a decent Matt Cassel impersonation lately. And let's not even get into Isaac Redman doing his best Jerome Bettis impersonation today. Or was it that his O-Line provided holes that could fit a Boeing 747? I may be going with the latter.

What Giants fans can take away from today is this:

• Our offense played awful and we still almost beat a good team
• The Cowboys lost so we still have a nice hold on the division
• Let's work out the kinks now before we enter the most brutal six game stretch in football scheduling history
• Maybe Eli Manning has used all of his "Random Bad Eli Games" for the year

-The Bears Defense/Special Teams unit continues to dominate. Urlacher pick six'ed Matt Hasselback and they also blocked a punt for a TD to give the unit 8 TD's on the year.  To put that in perspective, Detroit led the league with 5 last year. Unreal. 

-Running out of adjectives to describe Adrian Peterson. He shredded a very stout Seattle defense for 187 yards and added two scores. Sorry Marshawn, this guy is the real beast.

-Amidst RG3 mania, Andrew Luck continues to compile maybe the best rookie season in the history of the NFL. He threw for over 400 yards today, setting a rookie record for quarterbacks in the process. He has guided a very OK Colts team to a 5-3 record, and defeated a Super Bowl champ and reigning MVP. He may be a top 10 QB right now. 

-I was not a big Ryan Tannehill guy during the draft, but the kid has played pretty well. He leads the league in downfield throws at 30+ yards has the Dolphins at 4-4, or "5-3 minus Dan Carpenter's horrendous performance that handed the Jets a win."

-His wife isn't bad either.

-I am dying without hockey. Baseball is over, I can't watch the NBA (I'll explain why later), and NFL Sunday is only one day a week. Now that the Breeders Cup is over (Yes, I love horse racing), my sports action meter dips to like a 3 out of 10. I am only comfortable when that number is a 5 or higher, otherwise my whole life is jammed up.

-In result, I don't have as much to talk about tonight. I have a tough week with exams and papers coming up, but I'll try to get something out to you. To everyone along the Shore, I hope you guys get power soon and some resemblance of normalcy can be restored--even though I understand our post-Sandy version of normalcy may never be the same. 

Good night everybody.

-Chris Collins

Follow Chris @ChrisCollins127

Follow Chris and PJ @IceBathReport