Colin's Sports Blog

Winter Wonderland

cmcheng — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:40:11 +0000

Over the Christmas holidays I had the pleasure of being part of history. As we all now 2008 was Mike Holmgren’s last year as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, ending his 10 year tenure. On a snowy Sunday in mid December 68 000 fans filed into Qwest field to bid farewell to the winningest coach in Seattle history. To further the drama the quarterback of the opposing team was none other than the ageless Brett Favre. The quarterback Holmgren’s prodigy from Green Bay. As the snow fell like the torrential rains of the Northwest Mike Holmgren had a grand final introduction into Qwest filled with fireworks and deafening cheers. As the game progressed it was clearly became a defensive struggle and both offenses were struggling to muster up anything. Then as the Seahawks drove to the Jets 2 yard line Seneca Wallace hit John Carlson in the back of the endzone for a touchdown. That ended up to be the winning score in the low coring 13-3 final. Then to add insult to injury as the Jets players left the field they were pelted by the 12th man with snowballs hundreds of them. After the brief snowball fight Mike Holmgren made his farewell lap around Qwest. As Green Day’s Time of your life blared over the loud speakers a teary eyed Holmgren sincerely thanked the thousands of fans that stayed behind to bid a final farewell. As chants of Holm-Gren echoed throughout the stadium he turned around one more time waved goodbye and then the most prolific coach in Seattle Seahawk’s history disappeared into underbelly of Qwest Field for the last time.

0-16 a grim but likely possibility

cmcheng — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:35:11 +0000

The Detroit Lions entered the 2008 campaign 4-0 in the preseason. Unfortunately this was certainly not a glimpse of what was to come. Detroit opened the season losing to the Falcons 34-21 and after that the losses kept piling on. However the problems were not limited to on the field, after Kevin Jones was let go by the team he was accused of trying to rob Rudi Johnson who was brought in to replace in. Eventually the traded away their best receiver in Roy Williams to the Cowboys. The Lions this season are possibly the worst team to ever play the game. With terrible play at quarterback and a futile running game, the offense most of the time seems pathetic. During the 07 offseason the Lions brought in Leigh Bodden to sure up the secondary, however he has greatly underperformed and the Lions are getting torched left right and center. However the players shouldn’t take all the blame, the way the owners have went about fixing the problems are pretty sad. In my mind trading away your best receiver and one of your locker room leaders is not the way to get out of an 0-16 season. With theColts, Saints, and Packers all fighting for a playoff berth and the Lions facing these teams to end out the season, the Lions going 0-16 is not unlikely.

Thanksgiving Matchups

cmcheng — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:59:34 +0000

Turkey Day in the United States is upon us and with it comes the NFL tradition of three games on a Thursday. This year the three matchups are not the most exciting one we had hoped for but then again its still football on Thursday. In this post I will examine all three mathcups make predictions on each game.

The first game is between the Titans and Lions. This game pits the wills of the best AFC team against the worst AFC team. At this point in the season the Lions are playing to not finish 0-16 and the Titans are looking to capture their first AFC south title in a long time. Most people must be thinking that the Titans will utterly annihilate the lowly and pathetic Lions. However, the lions did jump ahead of the Bucs 17-0 last week which shows for something. The Titans on the other hand are of to their best start in years. Even though the loss against the Jets last week snapped their hopes of a perfect season I think the Titans will bounce back with a win and the Lions are the perfect team to do it against.

Prediction: Titans 34 Lions 14

The 4:15 game is between the Seahawks at Dallas. Remeber, 2 years ago in the NFC Wildcard game Dallas was about to kick a last second field goal to win the game. This last play probably gave us one of the craziest plays in NFL history. Yes Cowboy fans I am talking about Romo’s botched snap that ended their 2006 playoff run. However now the year is 2008 and the Seahawks are no longer in contention for a playoff spot and the Cowboys are trying to hang on in the powerhouse NFC East. I think the Cowboys have to realize that they are probably the most talented team in the league right now. They have superstars on offence like, Tony Romo, TO, Roy Williams, Marion Barber, Flozell Adams, Leonardo Davis, and Jason Witten and a star studded defence, with players like Zach Thomas, Demarcus Ware, Terrance Newman, Ken Hamlin, Bradie James, and Greg Ellis. I mean the ratings of all these players in Madden 09 are all above 86. This leads me to think that the Cowboys are underachieving and should be at the top of the NFC East. However I will cut them some slack since they went 1-2 without Romo, but if they want to stay competitive they have to muster a third straight win against a fledgling Seahawk team who is only playing for pride. I would just like to add that Julius Jones is playing is former team for the first time after being signed as a free agent by the Seahawks

Prediction Seahawks 17 Cowboys 27

Finally, the Thursday night game will be played between Arizona and Philadelphia. I actually think this is the first time in a long time that we have actually acknowledged the Arizona Cardinals as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. It’s been a while since Arizona has been in the spotlight and they are certainly an offensive powerhouse. Behind the ageless Kurt Warner and the best duo of recievers since Issac Bruce and Tori Holt the Cardinals have basically sealed a playoff berth and are definitly Super Bowl contenders. It is sort of deja vu for Warner because in St Louis he had Issac Bruce and Tori Holt and now in 2008 he has Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. These three along with a solid running and blocking game has produced one of the most effective offenses in the league. The Cardinals also have a quick stingy defense who have played surprisingly well this year. Stars like Darnell Dockett and Al Wilson who have never been publicly recognized their whole career because the played in Arizona are now getting some media attention. However the Cardinals are one of the most penalized teams in the league and that has haunted them a couple of times this season. The Eagles on the other hand are coming off one of their worst performances of the season against Baltimore. McNabb was atrocious throwing picks left and right, which eventually led to his benching. Though he will start this week it will be interesting to see how he responds. The Eagles definitly have a chance to win against the Cards and I see that the Eagles have to win this game to stay in contention for the NFC playoffs.I think the Eagles will recognize this and step up their game.

Prediction: Cards 24 Eagles 30

Boldin with Warner trailing behind

Toughest stadiums to play in the NFL

cmcheng — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:44:31 +0000

One of the biggest arguments in the National Football League is what team plays in the loudest stadium. I believe that when the home team is making a goaline stand on 4th down, every stadium is equally loud, so I have put together a list of the Top ten toughest stadiums to play in , in the NFL. Now the way I have ranked these stadiums are one three factors; crowd noise, home record, and fans. So here is my list of the Top ten toughest stadiums to play in, in the National Football League.

10. Ralph Wilson Stadium (home of the Bills)- Named after one of the best owners in the league the Bills play extremely will on Monday Nights here in Orchard Park. With a solid fan base I doubt that this team will be moving to Canada.

9. Cleveland Browns Stadium (home of the Browns)- With one of the most loyal fanbases in the NFL The Browns play in front of the some of the rowdiest fans in the League. Welcome to the DAWG POUND

8. FedEx Field (home of the Redskins)- 90 000 right on top of you it is bound to get loud and the Redskins under Jim Zorn are playing extremely well.

7. Lincoln Financial Field (home of the Eagles)- Philadelphia is home to the most rowdy fans in all of sports combined with a rejuvenated Donavon McNabb Lincoln Financial Field will definitely be a difficult place to win in.

6. Qwest Field (home of the Seahawks)- Though the Seahawks are not playing well at home this season, history speaks for itself. The hawks have an impressive record at home and the 12th man is still loud as ever.

5. Heinz Field (home of the Steelers)- The Steelers have played extremely will at home in the spotlight. Its been a while since the Steelers have lost at Heinz Field

4. Arrowhead Stadium (home of the Chiefs)- Home to probably one of the more storied franchises in the league. Even when the Chiefs are struggling the Chiefs play in front of a sellout crowd every game and arguably have the best fans in the league

3. Giants Stadium (home of the Giants)- Though the Giants last year were known as the roady warriors, this year they have showed the league that they dominate at home and as well as on the road. With a false start count in the top 5, and unforgiving winds that swirl around within Giants stadium is an extremely tough place to play in.

2. Gillette Stadium (home of the Patriots)- The most dominant franchise in the 2000′s, what more do I need to say.

1. Lambeau Field (home of the Packers)- The frozen tundra of Lambeau field is in my mind the most difficult surface to play on. Combine that with a skilled team and a great fanbase you have the toughest stadium to play in, in the NFL.

Woes of the Seattle Seahawks

cmcheng — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:29:44 +0000

The Seattle Seahawks are in unfamiliar territory. For the past four years they have been the pride of the NFC West. However the 2-6 Seahawks are now running out of time to successfully defend that title. The once dynamic and effective passing game has turned into a futile pathetic excuse for a passing game. All the blame cannot be placed on individuals rather the injury ridden Seattle offense is much to blame. With eight different starters at receiver and three time Pro Bowl Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on the sideline for much of the season it is no wonder the Seahawks offense has sputtered out into a spiral of futility. The defense on the other hand is certainly underachieving. Weak corner play and an inconsistent pass rush has lead to opponents blowing out the Seahawks on many occasions. The Seahawks better get their act together because the Arizona Cardinals are running away with the division much like the Seahawks have for the past four years. However there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Many still wonder if the Cardinals are for real and with Matt Hasselbeck likely to start at home this week at home against the Cardinals, things can only get better. The Seahawks have to stick to the basics and just run the ball, the O-line has been pretty good for the most part and Julius Jones is doing quite a good job at running back. I know it will be hard for Holmgren to abandon his pass first philosophy, but it will yield results. Just take a look at Monday Night the 49ers played the Cardinals and Mike Martz opened up the running game a bit and the 49ers found more success than they usually had. The Seahawks have nothing to lose and this being Holmgren’s last year in Seattle the Seahawks better not make his last year a season to forget

Keary Colbert catches a pass in the endzone in a 27-17 loss to the Packers

City of Brotherly Love championship draught is over

cmcheng — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:19:09 +0000

It has been 25 years since the city of Philadelphia has won a major sports championships. It was 1983 when the 76ers swept the Los Angeles Laker in the NBA Finals. Since then it has been 25 years of heartache frustration and a heck of a lot of boos. However, it is always darkest just before dawn. Last Night as 44 000 fans filed into Citizen Banks Park to catch the later half of Game 5 of the World Series the city held its breath. In the bottom of the 9th with two out and a man on second, the Phillies called on Brad Lidge to close out the game. Lidge who at the time was 47/47 when it came to saves was in line for another one, all he had to do was retire former rookie of the year Eric Hinske. Lidge did not disappoint he struck out Hinske in 3 straight pitches officially ending the 25 year championship draught, the longest of any city with a team in all 4 major sports. I’d have to say that these 25 years have brought out the worst of Philadelphia, the frustration has caused them to boo santa, throw snowballs at Santa, and pick a fight with a NHL enforcer. I think I speak for many when I say I’m glad that Philadelphia has finally won a sports championship. and congrats to the phillies.

The Draught is Over!!

from nytimes.com