The BYU Cougars finished the 2008 football season with a disappointing Las Vegas Bowl loss to the Arizona Wildcats by a score of 31-21. Arizona’s QB, Willie Tuitama, threw for 325 yards and 2 TD’s, adding a run for another touchdown, to key the Wildcats’ victory over the Cougars. Max Hall threw for 328 yards and a TD, and also ran for a TD, but also threw a costly interception. The BYU offense was not able to keep up with the WildCats. The Cougars running game got going as well with 116 yards total.
This loss and the disappointing loss to the Runnin’ Utes of Utah capped off a 10-3 season that began with high expectations, but finished with 2 difficult losses against very good teams. The Cougars only losses this year were against TCU (who won the Poinsettia Bowl against undefeated Boise State) and against Utah (who are set to play Alabama in the Sugar Bowl). BYU has both Max Hall and Austin Collie returning which should help their offense pickup where they left off this year. The defense has been the biggest problem for the Cougars and will hopefully improve this offseason and be stronger and more experienced to help the Cougars overcome some of the inconsistencies in that area this year.
BYU is a joy to watch with their high flying offense and strong passing game. They will be back in 2009 with a great team that will again have high expectations. Hopefully they can break into the BCS this time and face off in the national championship game.
Go Cougars!
The Green Bay Packers have just finished a disappointing season as well. They were able to win their final game against the Detroit Lions 31-21, but lost the last 7 of 8 before the season finale. They missed the playoffs this year after making it to the NFC Championship game in last year’s playoffs.
Green Bay, like the Cougars, featured a high-powered offense but lacked the defense to stop the opposing teams. There were some injuries that weakened the defense, but they should have been able to compensate for those losses. They were unable to and finished the season a measly 6-10.
The Packers will be returning all of their players next year and with a high number 9 draft pick along with a few key free agent signings, could very well be a team to watch next year. They should be able to make the playoffs in the 2009-2010 season. I will continue to watch and cheer for the Packers regardless of their season record.
Go Pack Go!
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Showing posts with label Green Bay Packers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Bay Packers. Show all posts
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
College Bowl Games and NFL Playoffs (these are a few of my favorite things)
With the holidays here and soon to be gone, the fun things to look forward to and enjoy are far and few between. I love the holidays because of the time away from work, being with my family, getting and giving gifts, eating good food, and many other things. Once this time is over, there is a let down or what others refer to as post-holiday blues. I have the perfect cure for those suffering from such a problem----football.
January is the best month out of the year for football. First it begins with college bowl games. The bowl games are no longer just a New Year’s Day activity; they span over the course of a few weeks with the best games coming during the week after New Year’s Day. You have the BCS bowl games which pairs the top 10 teams in the nation against each other. This year on New Year’s Day the Orange Bowl features Virginia Tech and Cincinnati and also the Rose Bowl features Penn State and USC. On Jan 2nd is the Sugar Bowl which has Utah against Alabama (go Crimson Tide). On Jan 5th is the Fiesta Bowl which will be Ohio St. against Texas. On Jan 8th is the college championship game featuring No 1 Oklahoma vs. No 2 Florida.
The bowl games have always been exciting for me to watch. I remember growing up and watching the BYU teams always playing in the holiday bowl each year and now in the Las Vegas Bowl. I have also watched many of the BCS games and found them to be very entertaining and fun to watch although I am more of an NFL fan.
I did happen to be watching the best bowl game of all time 2 years ago when Boise State played against Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. This was one of the most exciting, fun to watch games, I have ever seen in any sport. Oklahoma was the big powerhouse team going against the smaller Boise State squad. Boise State started out playing fast in the first quarter and then Oklahoma caught up. Then in the second half the scoring started heating up really fast with both teams scoring at will. Boise State scored with 7 seconds left in the game tying it up to send it into overtime at 35-35. I was glued to the TV hoping that Boise State would pull off the upset. Oklahoma scored a touchdown with a 25 yard run to start the overtime period. Boise State scored on their overtime drive and opted for a 2 point conversion rather than the kick for 1. They faked the pass and the QB handed to his running back, on one of the best fakes I have ever seen, and the running back run in untouched for the 2-point conversion to win the game. It was one of the riskiest calls I have ever seen. The game is listed as my all-time favorite. Make sure you watch this year’s games so you don’t miss another one like this.
In addition to the college bowl games, the NFL Playoffs are upon us. If you want to see exciting, tough-nosed football, try watching some of the NFL playoffs in January. A lot of the games are played outside in very cold weather. Last year the Packers played the Giants in Green Bay and the wind chill was 25 below 0. The fans always show up and are as excited as ever. The hits are hard and the players are psyched up. This is the time of year where the game is a must-win to move on. This year’s playoffs start on Saturday Jan 3rd and will finish up with the Super Bowl on February 1st. The Packers blew it this year with a bad second half of the season which has left them out of the playoffs. Next year, they should fare much better after recovering from some injuries and adding a few more good defensive players to their team.
So turn on your big screen TV, pour up a cup of steaming hot cocoa, and watch some football this January. It’s the best show in town.
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January is the best month out of the year for football. First it begins with college bowl games. The bowl games are no longer just a New Year’s Day activity; they span over the course of a few weeks with the best games coming during the week after New Year’s Day. You have the BCS bowl games which pairs the top 10 teams in the nation against each other. This year on New Year’s Day the Orange Bowl features Virginia Tech and Cincinnati and also the Rose Bowl features Penn State and USC. On Jan 2nd is the Sugar Bowl which has Utah against Alabama (go Crimson Tide). On Jan 5th is the Fiesta Bowl which will be Ohio St. against Texas. On Jan 8th is the college championship game featuring No 1 Oklahoma vs. No 2 Florida.
The bowl games have always been exciting for me to watch. I remember growing up and watching the BYU teams always playing in the holiday bowl each year and now in the Las Vegas Bowl. I have also watched many of the BCS games and found them to be very entertaining and fun to watch although I am more of an NFL fan.
I did happen to be watching the best bowl game of all time 2 years ago when Boise State played against Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. This was one of the most exciting, fun to watch games, I have ever seen in any sport. Oklahoma was the big powerhouse team going against the smaller Boise State squad. Boise State started out playing fast in the first quarter and then Oklahoma caught up. Then in the second half the scoring started heating up really fast with both teams scoring at will. Boise State scored with 7 seconds left in the game tying it up to send it into overtime at 35-35. I was glued to the TV hoping that Boise State would pull off the upset. Oklahoma scored a touchdown with a 25 yard run to start the overtime period. Boise State scored on their overtime drive and opted for a 2 point conversion rather than the kick for 1. They faked the pass and the QB handed to his running back, on one of the best fakes I have ever seen, and the running back run in untouched for the 2-point conversion to win the game. It was one of the riskiest calls I have ever seen. The game is listed as my all-time favorite. Make sure you watch this year’s games so you don’t miss another one like this.
In addition to the college bowl games, the NFL Playoffs are upon us. If you want to see exciting, tough-nosed football, try watching some of the NFL playoffs in January. A lot of the games are played outside in very cold weather. Last year the Packers played the Giants in Green Bay and the wind chill was 25 below 0. The fans always show up and are as excited as ever. The hits are hard and the players are psyched up. This is the time of year where the game is a must-win to move on. This year’s playoffs start on Saturday Jan 3rd and will finish up with the Super Bowl on February 1st. The Packers blew it this year with a bad second half of the season which has left them out of the playoffs. Next year, they should fare much better after recovering from some injuries and adding a few more good defensive players to their team.
So turn on your big screen TV, pour up a cup of steaming hot cocoa, and watch some football this January. It’s the best show in town.
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Monday, December 1, 2008
Green Bay Loses Another Close Game and Fantasy Football 2008 Playoffs start
Now that the Cougars season has ended my focus has shifted to the Green Bay Packers. Although BYU still has one game left with a possible bowl game invite. BYU will need to play an awesome game to prove that their season wasn’t a fluke. Max Hall will no doubt be prepared to avenge the embarrassing loss at the University of Utah. Whoever BYU plays against I think they will win by a large margin with Max Hall and Austin Collie hooking up multiple times in the game. Make sure to stay in touch when they announce the bowl games next week to see where BYU plays and who they will play against.
The Packers hosted the Carolina Panthers this past week and didn’t do very well losing 35-31. The Packers offense played a great game with their QB Aaron Rodgers getting close to 300 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. The receiving combo of Greg Jennings and Donald Driver each had nice games with a TD each and 174 yards combined. The offense seems to be playing at a high level each week but the defense continues to allow big games by the opposing teams each week.
Right now the Packers are 2 games behind the Minnesota Vikings and 1 behind the Chicago Bears in a very tight division. The Packers still have an outside chance in making the playoffs this year if they win the rest of their games (which is doable) and also if the Viking and Bears each lose a couple. The Packers will host the Houston Texans this Sunday (Dec 7th) and are in a must win game. I think the Packers will be able to win this game and put some of their recent troubles behind them. I think the score will be Green Bay 31 Houston 17.
I am in a fantasy football league for the 8th straight year and am having a good year with some ups and downs. For those who don’t know what fantasy football is-refer back to my blog on September 5th titled “Fantasy Football Fanatics”. My season started out well- I won my first 4 games to take the lead in my league. I then went on to lose or tie the next 5 games before winning my last 4 games giving me a regular fantasy football record of 8-4-1(tie). Now we are on to the playoffs in the regular NFL season’s weeks 14, 15, and 16. I think my team will do well. Some of my players have come on strong as of late (McNabb, Westbrook, Welker) and I have picked up some great free agents. I feel like my chances are good for taking the title for the third time since I have been playing fantasy football.
The fantasy games are exciting and fun and every year brings something new. If you haven’t tried any fantasy games yet, try fantasy basketball, baseball, or even hockey. My personal favorite is fantasy football. I recommend trying this first as this is the most popular by far and is the shortest to play (based on only a 16-game season).
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The Packers hosted the Carolina Panthers this past week and didn’t do very well losing 35-31. The Packers offense played a great game with their QB Aaron Rodgers getting close to 300 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. The receiving combo of Greg Jennings and Donald Driver each had nice games with a TD each and 174 yards combined. The offense seems to be playing at a high level each week but the defense continues to allow big games by the opposing teams each week.
Right now the Packers are 2 games behind the Minnesota Vikings and 1 behind the Chicago Bears in a very tight division. The Packers still have an outside chance in making the playoffs this year if they win the rest of their games (which is doable) and also if the Viking and Bears each lose a couple. The Packers will host the Houston Texans this Sunday (Dec 7th) and are in a must win game. I think the Packers will be able to win this game and put some of their recent troubles behind them. I think the score will be Green Bay 31 Houston 17.
I am in a fantasy football league for the 8th straight year and am having a good year with some ups and downs. For those who don’t know what fantasy football is-refer back to my blog on September 5th titled “Fantasy Football Fanatics”. My season started out well- I won my first 4 games to take the lead in my league. I then went on to lose or tie the next 5 games before winning my last 4 games giving me a regular fantasy football record of 8-4-1(tie). Now we are on to the playoffs in the regular NFL season’s weeks 14, 15, and 16. I think my team will do well. Some of my players have come on strong as of late (McNabb, Westbrook, Welker) and I have picked up some great free agents. I feel like my chances are good for taking the title for the third time since I have been playing fantasy football.
The fantasy games are exciting and fun and every year brings something new. If you haven’t tried any fantasy games yet, try fantasy basketball, baseball, or even hockey. My personal favorite is fantasy football. I recommend trying this first as this is the most popular by far and is the shortest to play (based on only a 16-game season).
Return to the Neighborhood and while you're there, subscribe to our fantastic newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the LDS newsletterbrings you LDS articles, LDS products, LDS services, LDS resources and LDSinterviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.LDS Newsletter Subscriptions are FREE, and joining is easy.
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Cougars Get Ran over by the Runnin’ Utes and the Packers at the Saints
BYU traveled to Salt Lake City this weekend to take on the University of Utah. The stands were flooded with red shirts and thousands of crazy fans cheering on the Utes. The Cougars had their fans spread out with Cougar blue shirts on hoping that BYU could take one in Rice Eccles Stadium. BYU would have no luck this year as they went on to lose by a lopsided score of 48-24 to the fired up Utes.
The first half of the game was very close with the score a manageable 27-17 lead for Utah going into the half. The Cougars running game looked great with over 200 yards rushing on the night and 3 touchdowns. Their passing game was just the opposite with Max Hall giving up 5 costly interceptions and 1 fumble for a total of 6 turnovers for the Cougars. He was held out of the end zone and barely had over 200 yards passing. It turned out to be the worst game of his career at BYU. He was not able to get the rhythm going in the passing game. The Runnin’ Utes shut down the vaunted BYU passing game and forced them to resort to the running game which BYU ran with great success. The only problem being as the Cougars got behind by too many points they had to keep resorting back to the passing game where there was no success at all. The game turned out to be a rout in the second half with Utah getting most of their interceptions in this part of the game and turning on their own passing game with Brian Johnson throwing for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns.
It was an ugly game for BYU and was disappointing considering the great season that they had this year. They will now most likely receive a bowl game invite and somehow get over this loss so that they can play in December and win one last game this year. Max Hall has one more year left in his college career and with a lot of key players returning can be a top QB again the college ranks. He should learn a lot from this experience and will hopefully come out even better next year because of it. The BYU-Utah annual rivalry is in Provo next year and all I can say is look out Utah Utes, because next time the only running you will be doing, is in the other direction.
The Packers will go into New Orleans tonight to play the Saints in a Monday Night Football showdown. This game features 2 of the best offenses in the game and will surely be a joy to watch. I expect the packers to come out on top due to their superior defensive backfield and their emerging running game. The Saints are missing many of their start players on defense and will be suspect against the Packers deadly passing game.
I am predicting that the Packers will come out and score quickly and take this game by a score of 38-28. The Saints will hang close but in the end the Packers will be victorious and the only ones singing the blues will be the fans in New Orleans.
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The first half of the game was very close with the score a manageable 27-17 lead for Utah going into the half. The Cougars running game looked great with over 200 yards rushing on the night and 3 touchdowns. Their passing game was just the opposite with Max Hall giving up 5 costly interceptions and 1 fumble for a total of 6 turnovers for the Cougars. He was held out of the end zone and barely had over 200 yards passing. It turned out to be the worst game of his career at BYU. He was not able to get the rhythm going in the passing game. The Runnin’ Utes shut down the vaunted BYU passing game and forced them to resort to the running game which BYU ran with great success. The only problem being as the Cougars got behind by too many points they had to keep resorting back to the passing game where there was no success at all. The game turned out to be a rout in the second half with Utah getting most of their interceptions in this part of the game and turning on their own passing game with Brian Johnson throwing for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns.
It was an ugly game for BYU and was disappointing considering the great season that they had this year. They will now most likely receive a bowl game invite and somehow get over this loss so that they can play in December and win one last game this year. Max Hall has one more year left in his college career and with a lot of key players returning can be a top QB again the college ranks. He should learn a lot from this experience and will hopefully come out even better next year because of it. The BYU-Utah annual rivalry is in Provo next year and all I can say is look out Utah Utes, because next time the only running you will be doing, is in the other direction.
The Packers will go into New Orleans tonight to play the Saints in a Monday Night Football showdown. This game features 2 of the best offenses in the game and will surely be a joy to watch. I expect the packers to come out on top due to their superior defensive backfield and their emerging running game. The Saints are missing many of their start players on defense and will be suspect against the Packers deadly passing game.
I am predicting that the Packers will come out and score quickly and take this game by a score of 38-28. The Saints will hang close but in the end the Packers will be victorious and the only ones singing the blues will be the fans in New Orleans.
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Monday, November 17, 2008
The Cougars Continue to Win and the Packers Send the Bears into Hibernation
BYU continues their winning ways with a 38-24 over the Air Force Falcons. The Cougars continued to use their air arsenal duo of Max Hall and Austin Collie to put up a lot of points against the Falcons. Hall finished the game with over 350 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, while Collie continues to impress with 7 catches for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns. Week in and week out these 2 are virtually unstoppable. The BYU running game got into the act as well with a total of 143 yards total rushing with Harvey Unga leading the way with 88 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Cougars defense only had 1 sack and 1 interception but was able to clamp down on the Falcons enough to hold them off from mounting a come back at the end of the game. BYU’s defense continues to do just enough each week to win the high scoring shootouts. Next week’s matchup against the University of Utah will present the toughest test this season for BYU.
In what will be one of the best matchups of the year in college football, BYU will travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Runnin’ Utes of Utah on Saturday Nov 22nd. The Utes are currently ranked in 8th place while BYU continues to hold on to their 16th place in the weekly AP poll. Utah continues to impress with their undefeated season and big wins while BYU has only lost one game to a great TCU squad and has really impressed with their high scoring passing game. Utah has the better defense and BYU has the better offense. This game comes down to the comparison of the BYU defense and the Utah offense. I believe this game will be high scoring and very close. I think the Cougars will come out running to try and open up the passing game for Hall and Collie. I expect these 2 players to have a great game and will score just enough points to win one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football.
I think the Cougars will win this one by a score of 38-34. The Utes try to move down the field in the final minutes but fall short of mounting a comeback. BYU knocks them out of the BCS rankings and relishes in this big win.
The Packers hosted the Bears in what turned out to be one of the biggest blow outs in a while in this huge rivalry. The Packers won this by a score of 37-3. Chicago had previously won the Packers 3 times on the “Frozen Tundra” (Lambeau Field) in Green Bay. This time the Packers would be ready and prepared to put a stop to the Bears winning streak. The Packers would push the Bear’s defense around to gain 200 yards on the ground being led by Ryan Grant who had 145 of those yards and 1 touchdown. Aaron Rodgers had a great game of his own with 227 yards and 2 personal touchdowns. The Packers kicker, Mason Crosby, had a good game with 3 field goals to redeem himself from last week’s potential game winner miss. The Packers defense held the Bears to only 3 points and 240 total yards.
This was a win that the Packers really needed after losing the last 2 very close games. The Pack now heads to New Orleans to take on the Saints in a Monday night game. This will be a great game that should be high scoring that will feature a lot of great plays and players. The offenses on these teams are about equal but the Packers defense is much better than the Saints which would mean that the Packers should be able to win this game. I am predicting the Packers to win this one by a score of 38-28.
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The Cougars defense only had 1 sack and 1 interception but was able to clamp down on the Falcons enough to hold them off from mounting a come back at the end of the game. BYU’s defense continues to do just enough each week to win the high scoring shootouts. Next week’s matchup against the University of Utah will present the toughest test this season for BYU.
In what will be one of the best matchups of the year in college football, BYU will travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Runnin’ Utes of Utah on Saturday Nov 22nd. The Utes are currently ranked in 8th place while BYU continues to hold on to their 16th place in the weekly AP poll. Utah continues to impress with their undefeated season and big wins while BYU has only lost one game to a great TCU squad and has really impressed with their high scoring passing game. Utah has the better defense and BYU has the better offense. This game comes down to the comparison of the BYU defense and the Utah offense. I believe this game will be high scoring and very close. I think the Cougars will come out running to try and open up the passing game for Hall and Collie. I expect these 2 players to have a great game and will score just enough points to win one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football.
I think the Cougars will win this one by a score of 38-34. The Utes try to move down the field in the final minutes but fall short of mounting a comeback. BYU knocks them out of the BCS rankings and relishes in this big win.
The Packers hosted the Bears in what turned out to be one of the biggest blow outs in a while in this huge rivalry. The Packers won this by a score of 37-3. Chicago had previously won the Packers 3 times on the “Frozen Tundra” (Lambeau Field) in Green Bay. This time the Packers would be ready and prepared to put a stop to the Bears winning streak. The Packers would push the Bear’s defense around to gain 200 yards on the ground being led by Ryan Grant who had 145 of those yards and 1 touchdown. Aaron Rodgers had a great game of his own with 227 yards and 2 personal touchdowns. The Packers kicker, Mason Crosby, had a good game with 3 field goals to redeem himself from last week’s potential game winner miss. The Packers defense held the Bears to only 3 points and 240 total yards.
This was a win that the Packers really needed after losing the last 2 very close games. The Pack now heads to New Orleans to take on the Saints in a Monday night game. This will be a great game that should be high scoring that will feature a lot of great plays and players. The offenses on these teams are about equal but the Packers defense is much better than the Saints which would mean that the Packers should be able to win this game. I am predicting the Packers to win this one by a score of 38-28.
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Monday, November 10, 2008
BYU gets Back on Track and the Packers Lose another Nail-Biter
The Cougars hosted the Aztecs of San Diego State this past Saturday. The players surely wanted to show the fans that they were ready to play this week and wouldn’t settle for another close finish. They finished off the Aztecs by a score of 41-12 making it a third consecutive unbeaten season at home. Max Hall was back at it throwing for 317 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. Austin Collie was yet again his favorite target catching 9 balls for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. I doubt there is a better QB-WR combination in the league than Hall and Collie. They have been phenomenal this season.
BYU showed San Diego State no mercy by going up 20-0 at the end of the first half. At the end of the third quarter BYU was up 27-6 and then put up 14 more in the final quarter to end at 41-12. The Cougars running game looked impressive gaining over a hundred yards led by Harvey Unga with 37 yards. The Cougar defense also looked impressive with a first half shutout and holding the Aztecs to only 12 points for the entire game.
This was a game that BYU sorely needed to gain their confidence back. It was a great way to finish the last home game for the season. Three straight years without losing at home is very impressive and probably has not been accomplished by many other programs in college football. BYU has 2 more games left this season with next week at Air Force and then the big finale with the University of Utah, which looks to be one of the biggest and best games in years for this great rivalry. First, I need to pick the game against the Falcons of Air Force. This is a classic trap game for BYU after a big win at home and huge game coming up after this one against the Utes. Games like this are hard for teams because they look ahead to the big game and they might be coming down after the emotional win at home. I think Coach Mendenhall will keep his players focused and they will come out victorious against Air Force by a score of 31-20.
Green Bay fell short by a field goal for the second straight week. Last week they lost to Tennessee in overtime by a Tennessee field goal and this week was a similar fate but the Packers were the ones trying for the field goal and missing at the end of regulation losing to the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 28-27. The Packers offense struggled in this game and couldn’t get much going through the air or on the ground. Aaron Rodgers gave up 2 safeties in the opening half based largely on the Vikings ferocious defense led by Jared Allen. At the end of the first half Green Bay was trailing 14-10 in what was a classic defensive battle in the first. Green Bay had 2 interceptions in the first half and Minnesota had 2 safeties and a couple of sacks.
In the second half of the game Green Bay got 2 quick touchdowns- one on an interception return by safety Nick Collins and the other on a punt return by Will Blackmon. The Packers would take the lead by a score of 24-21 with only 1 quarter left.
Green Bay would score a field goal to go up 27-21 with only a few minutes left in the game. The Vikings marched down the field and scored on an Adrian Peterson 29 yard touchdown scamper to put the Vikings back up 28-27. Green Bay then got the ball with 2 minutes to go and moved it all the way to the Minnesota 35 yard line with seconds remaining on the clock. The packers kicker, Mason Crosby, lined up for the winning field goal and kicked the ball toward the goal post having it fade wide right by a few inches and missing the go ahead score for the Packers. This was an emotional loss for the Packers, but they must prepare for next week’s game against their other division rival, the Chicago Bears. If the packers can pull off the win against the Bears and the Vikings lose (playing in Tampa Bay) it will be a 3-way tie for 1st place in the NFC North division. I expect the Pack to come out and beat the Bears handily on the frosty field of Lambeau. The score will be Green Bay 27 Chicago 21.
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BYU showed San Diego State no mercy by going up 20-0 at the end of the first half. At the end of the third quarter BYU was up 27-6 and then put up 14 more in the final quarter to end at 41-12. The Cougars running game looked impressive gaining over a hundred yards led by Harvey Unga with 37 yards. The Cougar defense also looked impressive with a first half shutout and holding the Aztecs to only 12 points for the entire game.
This was a game that BYU sorely needed to gain their confidence back. It was a great way to finish the last home game for the season. Three straight years without losing at home is very impressive and probably has not been accomplished by many other programs in college football. BYU has 2 more games left this season with next week at Air Force and then the big finale with the University of Utah, which looks to be one of the biggest and best games in years for this great rivalry. First, I need to pick the game against the Falcons of Air Force. This is a classic trap game for BYU after a big win at home and huge game coming up after this one against the Utes. Games like this are hard for teams because they look ahead to the big game and they might be coming down after the emotional win at home. I think Coach Mendenhall will keep his players focused and they will come out victorious against Air Force by a score of 31-20.
Green Bay fell short by a field goal for the second straight week. Last week they lost to Tennessee in overtime by a Tennessee field goal and this week was a similar fate but the Packers were the ones trying for the field goal and missing at the end of regulation losing to the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 28-27. The Packers offense struggled in this game and couldn’t get much going through the air or on the ground. Aaron Rodgers gave up 2 safeties in the opening half based largely on the Vikings ferocious defense led by Jared Allen. At the end of the first half Green Bay was trailing 14-10 in what was a classic defensive battle in the first. Green Bay had 2 interceptions in the first half and Minnesota had 2 safeties and a couple of sacks.
In the second half of the game Green Bay got 2 quick touchdowns- one on an interception return by safety Nick Collins and the other on a punt return by Will Blackmon. The Packers would take the lead by a score of 24-21 with only 1 quarter left.
Green Bay would score a field goal to go up 27-21 with only a few minutes left in the game. The Vikings marched down the field and scored on an Adrian Peterson 29 yard touchdown scamper to put the Vikings back up 28-27. Green Bay then got the ball with 2 minutes to go and moved it all the way to the Minnesota 35 yard line with seconds remaining on the clock. The packers kicker, Mason Crosby, lined up for the winning field goal and kicked the ball toward the goal post having it fade wide right by a few inches and missing the go ahead score for the Packers. This was an emotional loss for the Packers, but they must prepare for next week’s game against their other division rival, the Chicago Bears. If the packers can pull off the win against the Bears and the Vikings lose (playing in Tampa Bay) it will be a 3-way tie for 1st place in the NFC North division. I expect the Pack to come out and beat the Bears handily on the frosty field of Lambeau. The score will be Green Bay 27 Chicago 21.
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Monday, November 3, 2008
The Cougars Win a Shootout at CSU and the Packers Lose a Tight One to Tennessee
BYU squared off against Colorado State this week and pulled off the big win in a classic shootout. When the dust settled in Fort Collins the final score was BYU 45 CSU 42. BYU had to make a late game comeback to win this game, but was victorious nonetheless. BYU’s QB Max Hall had 389 passing yards, 5 touchdown passes, and 1 interception putting him at 29 touchdown throws for the year. He was able to find his favorite target, again, Austin Collie, who had 9 catches for 156 yards and 3 touchdown catches. This week, the tight end, Dennis Pita, also got in on the action with 12 catches for 175 yards and 2 touchdown catches of his own, for what was probably the best game of his career. BYU’s offense was again hitting on all cylinders with the high flying act of Hall, Collie, Pita, and also Harvey Unga. The Cougars featured running back ran for 133 yards and 1 touchdown. The defense didn’t fare so well.
The Cougars defense allowed the Rams of CSU to score 42 points while allowing their QB, Billy Farris, to throw for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Rams seemed to score with ease against the Cougars defense, which a few weeks ago, was holding good teams scoreless. BYU needs to get their defense going so that when a tough defense comes to play, such as the Utah Runnin’ Utes, they won’t have to rely on their offense so much to win these shootouts. Next week the Cougars will face San Diego St in the Lavell Edwards stadium. After posting back to back close games, I would expect them to shut down the Aztecs and hold them to a minimum amount of points. I predict the score will be BYU 38 SDSU 10.
The Packers lost 19-16 in a nail biting overtime game at Tennessee. The Titans were undefeated and ranked first in the NFL going into this game, but the Packers were getting players back healthy, riding a 2-game win streak, and coming off a bye. All of these factors were still not enough to overcome the defensive and running strength of the Titans. The Packers were able to throw the ball effectively with Aaron Rodgers posting 314 yards passing and 1 touchdown throw to Donald Driver, but had a hard time getting the ball into the end zone. The Packers settled for 3 field goals by Mason Crosby, who has proved to be a very reliable and effective kicker for Green Bay. The Packers had the ball with about 4 minutes to go and had a chance to go down the field and score, but ran out of steam and had to punt to the Titans with 2 minutes left in the game. Tennessee led by Kerry Collins as QB, drove down the field riding the hot feet of Chris Johnson, to put themselves in position for a last second game winning Rob Bironas field goal. He kicked the 47 yard field goal and it hit the right upright of the goal post and bounced off as time expired. The game then went into overtime.
The Titans won the coin toss and elected to receive as the Overtime session began. They then began to drive down the field just as they had at the end of regulation to put themselves in position for yet another field goal to win the game. Rob Bironas didn’t miss this time, hitting a 41 yard field goal to finish the game and keep Tennessee undefeated on the season. The Titans are now 8-0 and the packers fall to 4-4. It was a tough game and the packers played hard but in the end they came up short. Green Bay travels to Minnesota next week to take on the Vikings, their biggest division rival in what should be another close game. I am picking the Packers to win this one by a score of 27-24 on a last second Mason Crosby field goal.
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The Cougars defense allowed the Rams of CSU to score 42 points while allowing their QB, Billy Farris, to throw for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Rams seemed to score with ease against the Cougars defense, which a few weeks ago, was holding good teams scoreless. BYU needs to get their defense going so that when a tough defense comes to play, such as the Utah Runnin’ Utes, they won’t have to rely on their offense so much to win these shootouts. Next week the Cougars will face San Diego St in the Lavell Edwards stadium. After posting back to back close games, I would expect them to shut down the Aztecs and hold them to a minimum amount of points. I predict the score will be BYU 38 SDSU 10.
The Packers lost 19-16 in a nail biting overtime game at Tennessee. The Titans were undefeated and ranked first in the NFL going into this game, but the Packers were getting players back healthy, riding a 2-game win streak, and coming off a bye. All of these factors were still not enough to overcome the defensive and running strength of the Titans. The Packers were able to throw the ball effectively with Aaron Rodgers posting 314 yards passing and 1 touchdown throw to Donald Driver, but had a hard time getting the ball into the end zone. The Packers settled for 3 field goals by Mason Crosby, who has proved to be a very reliable and effective kicker for Green Bay. The Packers had the ball with about 4 minutes to go and had a chance to go down the field and score, but ran out of steam and had to punt to the Titans with 2 minutes left in the game. Tennessee led by Kerry Collins as QB, drove down the field riding the hot feet of Chris Johnson, to put themselves in position for a last second game winning Rob Bironas field goal. He kicked the 47 yard field goal and it hit the right upright of the goal post and bounced off as time expired. The game then went into overtime.
The Titans won the coin toss and elected to receive as the Overtime session began. They then began to drive down the field just as they had at the end of regulation to put themselves in position for yet another field goal to win the game. Rob Bironas didn’t miss this time, hitting a 41 yard field goal to finish the game and keep Tennessee undefeated on the season. The Titans are now 8-0 and the packers fall to 4-4. It was a tough game and the packers played hard but in the end they came up short. Green Bay travels to Minnesota next week to take on the Vikings, their biggest division rival in what should be another close game. I am picking the Packers to win this one by a score of 27-24 on a last second Mason Crosby field goal.
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Monday, October 27, 2008
The Cougars Run the Rebels Out of Town
BYU squared off against the UNLV Running Rebels last Saturday and when the dust had settled the Cougars won 42-35. Max Hall led the Cougars potent aerial attack with 4 touchdown passes and 245 passing yards with 0 interceptions. Austin Collie was, again, his favorite target with 7 receptions totaling 113 yards. BYU and UNLV exchanged touchdowns throughout the entire game with the game tied at 21 going into the half. At the end of the 3rd quarter the game was again tied at 28. The final quarter is where things got very exciting.
The Cougars marched down the field twice in the first 8 minutes of the 4th quarter hitting a Mitch Payne field goal on each drive making the score 34-28. UNLV countered back with a long drive of their own resulting in a 15 yard touchdown pass putting the Rebels up 35-34 with 6 minutes to go in the game. BYU then made a long, time consuming drive that used up 5 minutes and went 70 yards with Max Hall connecting on a 6 yard TD pass to Dennis Pitta. The Cougars were now up 40-35. BYU went for the 2-point conversion so they could try and gain a 1 touchdown lead and succeeded with a pass from Hall to Harvey Unga. The Cougars then proceeded to hold off the Rebels in tying the game by sacking their QB in the closing seconds and then intercepting the last second “Hail Mary” pass in the endzone.
BYU really needed this win to not only keep their confidence high, but also to show the country and the pollsters that they still belong in their current top 20 ranking. BYU faces off against Colorado State this week in Fort Collins. Colorado State should give BYU a tough game, but the Cougars should be able to gain another win with Max Hall and Austin Collie hooking up for more long passes and multiple touchdowns. The score will be BYU 45-Colorado State 17.
The Green Bay Packers have a bye this week. The Packers are flying high after a big win against the Indianapolis Colts last week. They are full of confidence and should have most, if not their full team, completely healthy for this Sunday’s game against one of the leagues best teams, the Tennessee Titans. This will be a great statement game for the Packers. They can show the league that they are one of the best teams with a win against the mighty Titans. I am predicting that the Packers really push the “Big Boys” with a pounding running game and an efficient passing game. The Packers win the Titans 27-17.
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The Cougars marched down the field twice in the first 8 minutes of the 4th quarter hitting a Mitch Payne field goal on each drive making the score 34-28. UNLV countered back with a long drive of their own resulting in a 15 yard touchdown pass putting the Rebels up 35-34 with 6 minutes to go in the game. BYU then made a long, time consuming drive that used up 5 minutes and went 70 yards with Max Hall connecting on a 6 yard TD pass to Dennis Pitta. The Cougars were now up 40-35. BYU went for the 2-point conversion so they could try and gain a 1 touchdown lead and succeeded with a pass from Hall to Harvey Unga. The Cougars then proceeded to hold off the Rebels in tying the game by sacking their QB in the closing seconds and then intercepting the last second “Hail Mary” pass in the endzone.
BYU really needed this win to not only keep their confidence high, but also to show the country and the pollsters that they still belong in their current top 20 ranking. BYU faces off against Colorado State this week in Fort Collins. Colorado State should give BYU a tough game, but the Cougars should be able to gain another win with Max Hall and Austin Collie hooking up for more long passes and multiple touchdowns. The score will be BYU 45-Colorado State 17.
The Green Bay Packers have a bye this week. The Packers are flying high after a big win against the Indianapolis Colts last week. They are full of confidence and should have most, if not their full team, completely healthy for this Sunday’s game against one of the leagues best teams, the Tennessee Titans. This will be a great statement game for the Packers. They can show the league that they are one of the best teams with a win against the mighty Titans. I am predicting that the Packers really push the “Big Boys” with a pounding running game and an efficient passing game. The Packers win the Titans 27-17.
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Monday, October 20, 2008
The Cougars Falter at TCU and the Packers Break the Colts
The Cougars were bound to have a let down game and it came this past week at the hands of the TCU Horned Frogs. Let me first say that the mascot, Horned Frogs, is one of the strangest mascots in all of college. You would think a Cougar could beat a Frog, but not this year.
TCU topped the mighty Cougars 32-7 in a rout. From the first snap to the end, the Cougars didn’t have a chance. BYU was down 23-0 at halftime and had no success against the Frog’s smothering defense. TCU had 7 sacks and 2 interceptions against Max Hall, who until this game has had a phenomenal year.
This game has hurt the Cougars chances at a BCS game, possibly beyond repair, but it should ignite a fire in them to finish out the season with this being the lone loss. The Cougars might have become too complacent or over confident due to their great success during the past 5 games. The Horned Frogs gave them a wake up call with a game that put the Cougars back in their place. The Cougars need to go into the next game and future games with a fire in their belly wanting to avenge this 1 loss that has most likely knocked them out of BCS contention. The Cougars still have the Utah Runnin’ Utes on their schedule, which should be the game of the year for the Mountain West Conference, but for this coming week they will play UNLV in Lavell Edwards Stadium. I expect a very fired up Cougars squad to come out and show the country that they are still one of the best teams in the country. BYU 42-UNLV 7
The Packers fared better than the Cougars this week. The Indianapolis Colts came into town and found out that the Packers and the fans in the NFL’s greatest stadium- Lambeau Field- were ready to rock their world.
Green Bay put on an awesome show of defensive force with 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns. They also held the Colts to only 7 points in the first 3 quarters of the game. Green Bay’s QB Aaron Rodgers played another mistake free game driving the Packers down the field time and time again for scores. Ryan Grant, the Packers RB, got going in this game and really tore up the field with his hard nosed and grinding style of play. The Packers won this game by a score of 34-14. They were firing on all cylinders and are in great shape heading into their bye week.
They have a record of 4-3 and are atop the standing in their division. After their bye, the Packers will be playing at Tennessee, who is currently undefeated and the best team in the league. It is shaping up to be one of the best games of the year. If you haven’t joined PackerNation yet, hop on board for the ride.
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Monday, October 6, 2008
Report on The Cougs and the Pack
The BYU Cougars played this past week against the Utah State Aggies in Logan in a classic Friday before general conference game. I remember watching this semi-annual match up many times while going to school at Utah State. When I went to school in the late 90’s the Aggies actually had a team that could compete every year and even won a few games especially when they were in Logan. This year was a different story although the Aggies came back at the end to make an exciting finish for the folks in Cache Valley.
BYU came in to play the Aggies ranked 8th place in the National Polls. The Aggies were coming in as one of the worst in all of Division 1 football. The first quarter really amplified this difference in ranking. BYU had a 24-0 lead at the end of the first quarter with the help of 3 Aggie turnovers. It appeared the Cougars were on their way to another shut out like the previous 2 contests. The Aggies then went on to hold the Cougars scoreless in the 2nd quarter before yielding 10 more points in the 3rd quarter. The score at the beginning of the 4th quarter was 34-0. The fans from Utah State were out in force and the student section was true to their team and was rewarded with 2 touchdowns by their Aggies in the 4th quarter. They attempted an onside kick following the second touchdown and were very close to recovering it, but failed. BYU went on to win by a score of 34-14. The Aggies actually outscored the Cougars 14-10 in the last 3 quarters of the game.
Knowing the coach of BYU, Bronco Mendenhall, and the attitude of this team, New Mexico better be prepared for an onslaught of touchdowns and ferocious defense that wants to show that they are better than they played in Logan against the Aggies in those 3 quarters of the game they played. I expect the crowd to be rowdy and ready and the players to put on a great show when they take in the Lobos in the Lavell Edwards stadium on Saturday October 11th. My prediction for this game is for the Cougars to win the Lobos 45-7.
The Packers are the other team that I enjoy reporting on. Green Bay has had a very difficult year so far. They started out winning 2 games and then proceeded to lose the next 3 in a row starting with the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then this past weekend losing to the Atlanta Falcons. The Packers have a great offense which looked really good in the Dallas and Atlanta games, but not so good in the Tampa Bay game, where the defense did their job, but the offense faltered. The defense has looked good at times, but terrible at others including the Atlanta Falcons game giving up large amounts of yardage and yielding 27 total points. The Packers lost that game 27-24. I think the Packers have a pretty good team this year but due to some key injuries and also some inconsistent play it has lost them some games as of late.
The Packers go into Seattle this weekend to play the Seahawks. I think that with the problems Seattle has had with injuries and their poor running game, the Packers should be able to sneak out a win up there. My prediction is that the Packers will close one by a score of 24-21 on a Mason Crosby winning field goal.
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BYU came in to play the Aggies ranked 8th place in the National Polls. The Aggies were coming in as one of the worst in all of Division 1 football. The first quarter really amplified this difference in ranking. BYU had a 24-0 lead at the end of the first quarter with the help of 3 Aggie turnovers. It appeared the Cougars were on their way to another shut out like the previous 2 contests. The Aggies then went on to hold the Cougars scoreless in the 2nd quarter before yielding 10 more points in the 3rd quarter. The score at the beginning of the 4th quarter was 34-0. The fans from Utah State were out in force and the student section was true to their team and was rewarded with 2 touchdowns by their Aggies in the 4th quarter. They attempted an onside kick following the second touchdown and were very close to recovering it, but failed. BYU went on to win by a score of 34-14. The Aggies actually outscored the Cougars 14-10 in the last 3 quarters of the game.
Knowing the coach of BYU, Bronco Mendenhall, and the attitude of this team, New Mexico better be prepared for an onslaught of touchdowns and ferocious defense that wants to show that they are better than they played in Logan against the Aggies in those 3 quarters of the game they played. I expect the crowd to be rowdy and ready and the players to put on a great show when they take in the Lobos in the Lavell Edwards stadium on Saturday October 11th. My prediction for this game is for the Cougars to win the Lobos 45-7.
The Packers are the other team that I enjoy reporting on. Green Bay has had a very difficult year so far. They started out winning 2 games and then proceeded to lose the next 3 in a row starting with the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then this past weekend losing to the Atlanta Falcons. The Packers have a great offense which looked really good in the Dallas and Atlanta games, but not so good in the Tampa Bay game, where the defense did their job, but the offense faltered. The defense has looked good at times, but terrible at others including the Atlanta Falcons game giving up large amounts of yardage and yielding 27 total points. The Packers lost that game 27-24. I think the Packers have a pretty good team this year but due to some key injuries and also some inconsistent play it has lost them some games as of late.
The Packers go into Seattle this weekend to play the Seahawks. I think that with the problems Seattle has had with injuries and their poor running game, the Packers should be able to sneak out a win up there. My prediction is that the Packers will close one by a score of 24-21 on a Mason Crosby winning field goal.
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Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Cougs and the Pack
This past weekend the BYU Cougars posted another impressive shutout while the Green Bay Packers got beat by the Dallas Cowboys. I am a big fan of both the Cougars and the Packers so each week I am going to review the previous games played and preview the upcoming games for each team. I do have to say that BYU is looking very good this year and is currently ranked at 11th place in the AP polls. The Packers are looking pretty good as well despite their loss to one of the best teams in the NFL in the Cowboys.
BYU played Wyoming this week in Laramie. This has been a pretty heated rivalry over the years (although not even close to the rivalry with the Utes). Through the years the annual meeting with Wyoming Cowboys has been pretty rough and ugly and lots of big hits, and that is just describing the fans in the stands. BYU went up to Laramie this year riding a winning streak of 3 games including big wins over Pac-10 powerhouses Washington and UCLA. The Cougars shut out UCLA last week by a score of 59-0. BYU beat Wyoming in the same fashion by a score of 44-0 by using a strong defense and its power passing game. The Cougars forced 6 turnovers against the hapless Cowboys and returned 2 of them for touchdowns. Max Hall added to his passing touchdowns on the season by throwing 3 more touchdown strikes making it a total of 15 for the year. All of Hall’s touchdowns occurred in the Cowboys game in only 3 quarters of play. The BYU passing attack seems virtually unstoppable week after week this year. With an incredible offense with an outstanding coach in Bronco Mendenhall and an awesome quarterback in Max Hall along with an improving defense, the Cougars look poised to have a great year making a push for a BCS game and possible shot at the title game if they can go undefeated.
Next up for BYU is Utah State on October 3rd in Logan. Utah State is actually my Alma Mater. Yes, I am a true Aggie, for those of you who know about Utah State. Anyway, BYU should easily handle the under-manned Aggies. Utah State has struggled for many years in football. My prediction for the game is 45-7.
I have been a Packers fan for about 15 years now and have watched only one QB play for them- Brett Favre. I was able to attend one of his last games as a Packer last year when they played the Denver Broncos. It was incredible with the Packers winning in overtime with a Favre touchdown pass to receiver Greg Jennings on the first play of overtime. Favre is my favorite player and was set to retire this year before deciding to come back. The Packers had since moved on to the quarterback waiting in the wings for the past 3 years in Aaron Rodgers. So far this year, Rodgers has been pretty amazing. He has thrown at a high percentage, 4 touchdown passes, no interceptions, and has been more mobile than Favre ever was. I think that the Packers have a future with Aaron Rodgers. The Packers were able to beat the Vikings in week 1, get past the Lions in week 2, before losing to the Cowboys in week 3. Dallas was a far superior team in that game beating the Pack in every phase of the game. Green Bay lost that game by a score of 27-16. The Packers will be traveling to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers. I think the Packers will win that game 27-17.
Tune in next week to read all about the Packers ball game and more analysis on the BYU Cougars’ march to glory.
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BYU played Wyoming this week in Laramie. This has been a pretty heated rivalry over the years (although not even close to the rivalry with the Utes). Through the years the annual meeting with Wyoming Cowboys has been pretty rough and ugly and lots of big hits, and that is just describing the fans in the stands. BYU went up to Laramie this year riding a winning streak of 3 games including big wins over Pac-10 powerhouses Washington and UCLA. The Cougars shut out UCLA last week by a score of 59-0. BYU beat Wyoming in the same fashion by a score of 44-0 by using a strong defense and its power passing game. The Cougars forced 6 turnovers against the hapless Cowboys and returned 2 of them for touchdowns. Max Hall added to his passing touchdowns on the season by throwing 3 more touchdown strikes making it a total of 15 for the year. All of Hall’s touchdowns occurred in the Cowboys game in only 3 quarters of play. The BYU passing attack seems virtually unstoppable week after week this year. With an incredible offense with an outstanding coach in Bronco Mendenhall and an awesome quarterback in Max Hall along with an improving defense, the Cougars look poised to have a great year making a push for a BCS game and possible shot at the title game if they can go undefeated.
Next up for BYU is Utah State on October 3rd in Logan. Utah State is actually my Alma Mater. Yes, I am a true Aggie, for those of you who know about Utah State. Anyway, BYU should easily handle the under-manned Aggies. Utah State has struggled for many years in football. My prediction for the game is 45-7.
I have been a Packers fan for about 15 years now and have watched only one QB play for them- Brett Favre. I was able to attend one of his last games as a Packer last year when they played the Denver Broncos. It was incredible with the Packers winning in overtime with a Favre touchdown pass to receiver Greg Jennings on the first play of overtime. Favre is my favorite player and was set to retire this year before deciding to come back. The Packers had since moved on to the quarterback waiting in the wings for the past 3 years in Aaron Rodgers. So far this year, Rodgers has been pretty amazing. He has thrown at a high percentage, 4 touchdown passes, no interceptions, and has been more mobile than Favre ever was. I think that the Packers have a future with Aaron Rodgers. The Packers were able to beat the Vikings in week 1, get past the Lions in week 2, before losing to the Cowboys in week 3. Dallas was a far superior team in that game beating the Pack in every phase of the game. Green Bay lost that game by a score of 27-16. The Packers will be traveling to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers. I think the Packers will win that game 27-17.
Tune in next week to read all about the Packers ball game and more analysis on the BYU Cougars’ march to glory.
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Friday, September 5, 2008
Fantasy Football Fanatics
I admit it; I am a fantasy football fanatic. I am part of a yearly private league that every year participates in the fantasy football world that includes millions of players. I get excited every year when August and September come because I know that not only is football watching right around the corner, but so is playing fantasy football. For all of those who have never played fantasy football it is probably hard for you to understand why there’s such great excitement for just a game. I will fill you in on what fantasy football is and why there are millions and millions who participate in this game each football season.
Fantasy football has been around in one form or another since 1962. It started to really gain popularity when the computer and internet were more widely used and allowed fantasy football players access to the information they need to play the game.
Fantasy football is basically a game where usually 10 or 12 players get together to form a league. Then these players hold a fantasy draft or a time to pick their players from the actual players in the NFL. They decide a draft order usually by random chance, and then each take turns choosing players to be on their team. Most leagues have teams that consist of 1 starting quarterback (QB), 2 starting running backs (RB), 3 starting wide receivers (WR), 1 starting tight end (TE), 1 starting kicker (K) and 1 defense/special teams (DST). They then pick 4 or 5 players of any position as bench players to fill in during bye weeks or in case a player gets injured.
Once the draft has happened, each owner decides which of his players will play in the first game of the NFL. The players each gain points by how well they do in the actual NFL game that they are playing. For example, the QB gets 1 point for every 25 yards he passes, 6 points for every TD pass he throws, and then the RB’s and WR’s get points for yards gained and TD’s scored as well. The combination of all your starting players’ points that week determine your fantasy football team’s score that week. Each week you play another fantasy football team and the winner is determined by how well your players perform that week and what kind of score they get.
If you love football, then you will love fantasy football. It is very exciting to watch your players week in and week out and makes for watching football on TV even more exciting, if that is possible. It is also fun and challenging to pick your team each year during the draft and trade and pick up free agents throughout the year. I have been playing now for 8 years and have won the fantasy football super bowl twice. I am hopeful for another title this year because I have great players and I feel like I have the experience and knowledge to play the right players each week. The first weekend of football is right around the corner so join your first fantasy team before it is too late.
You will be amazed at the fun and excitement you will have when you join the millions of fantasy football fanatics.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Football is Finally Here
The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler, and it is sad to see that summer is starting to fade away, but the month of September is my favorite time of year. This is the time when the football teams take to the fields to play in the best sport in the world. On September 4th the Redskins and Giants will play in the NFL season opener. This is the day that I have been waiting on since the Giants won the Super Bowl back in February. I am not a fan of baseball and basketball is pretty good, but football is hands down my most favorite sport for many reasons.
Football starts during the most beautiful time of the year. The leaves on the trees are starting to change colors, the weather gets cooler and not so hot, and the kids all go back to school (my wife likes that part). I remember going to Payson High School football games and BYU football games with my Dad as a child. The air was chilly but we would bundle up and get hot cocoa and hot nachos at the concession stands. My wife and I are expecting a little boy (we currently have 2 girls) to be born in September and I plan on taking him to many football games over the years and will watch them on TV with him as well.
Football is the most team-oriented sport of the major sports. You need all 11 players on offense and all 11 on defense working together as one unit whereas basketball and baseball you can have a lot of one-man “showboats” on your teams. In football you need your blockers and your running backs and receivers working together to help protect and catch passes from the quarterback. It is fun to watch how the team interacts with one another and how they feed off each other’s successes and the support they give each other during the hard times.
If you enjoy action, suspense, big hits, and lots of unpredictability then you need to watch a football game. I have never seen anything to compare to a football game with seconds left in a game, the team moving down the field, Brett Favre as your quarterback throwing a huge bomb to a receiver in the end zone, the excitement of the win in the final seconds. I was witness to such a scene when the Green Bay packers traveled to Denver Broncos last year in October on a Monday Night Football game. My wife joined me on this monumental event in my life.
I had been waiting for 15 years to watch the Packers and Brett Favre to play in real life. It was finally my chance. The field at Denver was awesome. There were Packers fans everywhere. The game was exciting and thrilling and the Broncos scored a field goal in the final seconds to send the game into overtime. I couldn’t believe that I was in Denver on a cool October night watching my favorite team and my favorite player now going into overtime with the home team. The tension was mounting as the Packers received the ball first. Favre got under center and faked a hand off and heaved the ball about 50 yards to a streaking Greg Jennings down the left sideline. Jennings outran the defender to score an 80 yard touchdown on the first play of overtime leading the Packers to victory over the Broncos…and I was there to witness it.
Make sure to watch this year’s football…you never know what you might miss.
Return to the Neighborhood
Football starts during the most beautiful time of the year. The leaves on the trees are starting to change colors, the weather gets cooler and not so hot, and the kids all go back to school (my wife likes that part). I remember going to Payson High School football games and BYU football games with my Dad as a child. The air was chilly but we would bundle up and get hot cocoa and hot nachos at the concession stands. My wife and I are expecting a little boy (we currently have 2 girls) to be born in September and I plan on taking him to many football games over the years and will watch them on TV with him as well.
Football is the most team-oriented sport of the major sports. You need all 11 players on offense and all 11 on defense working together as one unit whereas basketball and baseball you can have a lot of one-man “showboats” on your teams. In football you need your blockers and your running backs and receivers working together to help protect and catch passes from the quarterback. It is fun to watch how the team interacts with one another and how they feed off each other’s successes and the support they give each other during the hard times.
If you enjoy action, suspense, big hits, and lots of unpredictability then you need to watch a football game. I have never seen anything to compare to a football game with seconds left in a game, the team moving down the field, Brett Favre as your quarterback throwing a huge bomb to a receiver in the end zone, the excitement of the win in the final seconds. I was witness to such a scene when the Green Bay packers traveled to Denver Broncos last year in October on a Monday Night Football game. My wife joined me on this monumental event in my life.
I had been waiting for 15 years to watch the Packers and Brett Favre to play in real life. It was finally my chance. The field at Denver was awesome. There were Packers fans everywhere. The game was exciting and thrilling and the Broncos scored a field goal in the final seconds to send the game into overtime. I couldn’t believe that I was in Denver on a cool October night watching my favorite team and my favorite player now going into overtime with the home team. The tension was mounting as the Packers received the ball first. Favre got under center and faked a hand off and heaved the ball about 50 yards to a streaking Greg Jennings down the left sideline. Jennings outran the defender to score an 80 yard touchdown on the first play of overtime leading the Packers to victory over the Broncos…and I was there to witness it.
Make sure to watch this year’s football…you never know what you might miss.
Return to the Neighborhood
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