All things sporting [3]

bungobaggins wrote:

Eldorion wrote:Slept through most of the 1:00 games but I'm shocked the Ravens have held on against the Steelers so far.

Cowboys-Browns ended about how I expected though.

How can you sleep so late in the day? Too much partying last night.

Not partying but I did stay up ridiculously late. Plus I slept really poorly for most of last week so I need to catch up anyway.

Well done to Andy Murray for hitting number 1! Can see him staying there if Djokovic can't rediscover his hunger.

Also.. Liverpool top of the league!! Will savour it while it lasts!!

{{{Well the England v Scotland match goes much as expected- 75th minute and Scotland are three down- its sort of flattering to England- in that in most of the park for most of the game England have not looked worth their money (the cost of their team is many, many times the value of the Scotland team) and in fact for parts Scotland have outplayed them.
But the gulf in class has shown in the last third- when England have had chances they have generally taken them.
Scotland have made chances but failed miserably to take them, or often even force a save. (we did have a stone-wall penalty not given mind you, but at 3-0 doubt it would have made a difference and we'd probably have missed it anyway based on all other efforts on goal so far And why the fuck are we wearing that horrible pink away strip again- theres no reason not to wear the blue when England are in white }}}

My sympathies, Petty. The USMNT lost to Mexico in the CONCACAF qualifiers today too. Fingers crossed for the game against Costa Rica next week.

I stopped watching the England games a while ago but checked in on this one now and again.

Sounds like I didn't miss too much this time around either. I am sure we will qualify easily and then have a horrible tournament as usual.

Dak and Zeke!

The Pittsburgh game was a real nail biter tho. Seven lead changes including three touchdowns in the last two minutes.

Seahawks/Patriots was exciting too. I didn't count the lead changes but it must have been right up there. Wilson is getting his game back!

I only know the number of lead changes because the commentators mentioned it but I just watched the Seahawks-Patriots highlights and according to Michaels and Collinsworth they had that game also had seven lead changes. Definitely looked like a great game from the highlights.

With the Patriots having lost again I'm gonna savor the Cowboys having the best record in the league for as long as I can. They play their quadrennial game with the Ravens next week though. The first football game I remember watching was the Cowboys at the Ravens in 2000, which they lost 27-0 and (according to Pro-Football-Reference.com which I checked yesterday) was the first time they ever played each other. The last time they played was 2012 and my dad and I were split on who to root for. He went with the Ravens because they had a better shot at making the playoffs and could use the win more, which paid off I guess since they won the Super Bowl that year. But I've always put the Cowboys first just as a matter of general principle. This year they have the considerably better chance at a deep playoff run so I'd like to see them widen their lead in the NFC in the interest of wrapping up home field advantage, but my dad thinks the Ravens need the win more so that they can stay ahead of Pittsburgh in the AFC North and make it to the postseason at all. I can't complain too much regardless of the outcome, though I do think it's weird that the Cowboys have never beaten the Ravens before and I'll be hoping for a reversal.

Eldorion wrote:My sympathies, Petty. The USMNT lost to Mexico in the CONCACAF qualifiers today too. Fingers crossed for the game against Costa Rica next week.

Yeah ... about that.

first time on the Sporting thread. here goes...

first time on the Sporting thread. here goes...

The Cowboys had nothing left to play for tonight since they'd already wrapped up the #1 seed in the NFC, but they still came out in fine form and beat the Lions 42-21. The defense was really shaky in the first half but they killed it in the second, shutting down the Lions while the offense ran up 28 unanswered points.

The Ravens, on the other hand.... Well, at least we gave the Steelers a run for it.

Yay!

...{{{so is that football? or...?}}}

Cowboys v Patriots superbowl then!?

Looks like it would be about whoever has the best offense of they do both get there.

Yes, it's football.

I'm still trying to keep my postseason hopes in check, but the 'Boys were really impressive tonight. The Falcons and the Giants could give them trouble but I think they have a good chance at winning the NFC Championship. Not sure who can really challenge the Patriots in the AFC. With Carr gone the Raiders are in a much more tenuous position. I don't think anyone else has much of a shot. Maybe the Chiefs ... the Steelers could barely eke out a win over the Ravens though, so barring a sudden hot streak (a la the Giants in '07 and '11) I don't see them winning in Foxborough.

Well, the last Superbowl I watched was 2 years ago when I was in South America when the Patriots should have lost right at the end.

Might watch if they get there again this year and especially if your boys are there!

What do NFC and AFC stand for?

Heh, that was one of the all-time classic Super Bowl endings, and possibly the most controversial. Crazy game. Let me know if you do end up watching the SB, Lance! It's also fun to get to talk about football with you.

@Forest, they stand for National Football Conference and American Football Conference. They're the two main groups of teams within the league (though each conference has four divisions within it). The champions of each conference play each other in the Super Bowl for the league championship.

{{Bloodbath about to kick off in Glasgow at noon, sorry meant to say football match- the Old Firm New Year game back, probably with a vengeance. Rangers v Celtic.
Dunno who thought putting that game on New Years eve was a smart move- its not!! A good day not to be in Glasgow! }}}

The Vikings season turned into a typical disappointment. It was foolish to get excited in the first place.

Considering becoming a Browns fan. Can't get any worse than 1-14. You could say 0-15 is worse than 1-14, but in my eyes they are exactly the same.

Looking at the posts above talking about the conferences, it would feel weird rooting for an AFC team. Maybe if I want to stay in my division I'd go for the Bears, at least they've won a Super Bowl. And there's more to say about "glory days" than a past and future filled with complete despair.

Edit: Man, I just don't think I could ever root for Jay Cutler. Scratch the Bears.

Was at the Mall of America before Christmas. There are at least six stores dedicated to sportswear in the mall. I'm pretty sure we went in all of them and it was interesting to note that there was not one Cowboys hat to be found.

Best wishes for next season, bungo, whoever you end up rooting for. I was pretty bummed out with the Cowboys and the Ravens going 4-12 and 5-11 last season, but even though the Ravens didn't make the playoffs this year they at least played much better. I hope Teddy Bridgewater and AP are healthier next season since it's fun to watch them play.

A lot of places around here carry Cowboys stuff, but I was once refused service in a sportswear store at the mall in Columbia, Maryland when the guy there asked what team I supported, even though I was actually shopping for a relative who is a Redskins fan. To be honest the only thing that offended me was the guy acting like Columbia is Redskins territory even though it's closer to Baltimore than it is to DC. It's a different city, dammit!

The thing is, I really don't want AP to come back. It's sad, but his performance at the beginning of the year was not looking good. Ever since he was out for his child abuse case (smh) he just hasn't been able to rekindle the AD magic. 2012 was a long time ago and he's getting old. Watching him run for two or three yards at a time or just get stopped at the LOS is frustrating. And the way he would carry the ball? It's like he was offering the other team to knock it out of his hand.

Teddy wasn't a great QB, but I was excited to see what they were able to accomplish with him and change over the summer. Whether or not he'll come back I have no idea. I haven't heard a thing about him since the fall. All that I hear over here is speculation about AP. So I'm like what everyone's okay with Bradford?!?! Are you serious?!?

We are so screwed.

Patriots finished with best record and, most importantly, home field for playoffs.

Do you think Brady may go down as the best QB if he wins another Championship? Broken all sorts of records already.