So what did TNF (18/10/12) teach us?

What is a 49er? It’s either “a saucy act” or a “highway route”… Who knows?

Another week, another TNF and this one was a “doozy” as to watch the San Francisco 49ers against the Seattle Seahawks, yes both teams have been the thorn in the side of the Green Bay Packers this season. The term “thorn in the side” seems to keep popping up as I’ve alluded to this in the past when describing these teams (I can’t be bothered to bring up old and painful memories, go look for once) but then also how the Pittsburgh Steelers have been a personal one to my “Superbowl fondness teams”, this time around no Packers in sight so this tweet made me chuckle. Boiling down to the nitty-gritty is that I know someone that is a 49ers fan but I don’t know anyone that is a Seahawks one, though a recently married friend though comes from Seattle finds himself rooting for the Oakland Raiders. Thats about the closest the Seattle Seahawks come to having “someone in their corner” that I know of because for a fact they do have fans as all of that talk about “The 12th Man” is just astonishing.

Going into this matchup it was the highly regarded 49ers D against “the surprise package of the 2012 season” Seahawks D. Many people before Week 3 (24th September 2012) against the Green Bay Packers (14-12) and “that incident – That ushered that blog” but then even last Sunday (Week 6 – 14th October 2012) against the New England Patriots (24-23) were Exhibit A and Exhibit B of how this Seahawks defense has “stepped up“. The 49ers on the other-hand had simply the forgettable Sunday (Week 6) against the reigning Superbowl champion New York Giants in a game lined up as an “NFC Championship (20-17) rematch“, in this rematch it was true to “the script” as the Giants won again, but was it “a directors cut” as they piled on 26-3 win.

It didn’t finish a tie… Boo! Maybe the Packers will dispatch a member of the NFC West sooner rather than later this, next, in the future?

Long story short entering this game was that the 49ers D was “on the way down” but the Seahawks D was on the way up, and for long bouts in this game it looked exactly the case for each team as they were only limited to field goals in the first half as it ended 6-3 to the Seahawks. But the mark of a “post season calibre team” is “Halftime Adjustments”, and the 49ers did just that as something snapped into gear for they came out for that 2nd half a different team. They scored the TD later in that 3rd quarter (a 12 yard catch by Delaine Walker), they sorely needed to kickstart the turnaround for even their receiving game was dependent on their RBs coming out of the backfield. Slowly but surely Frank Gore (49ers) was getting the better of Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks) and then one more field goal from the 49ers and a couple of “baloney calls” sealed it as for at least the next 3 days (until Packers @ Rams – Go Pack Go) they are undisputedly the best team in the NFC West with a (5-2) record, and the Seahawks slip (4-3).

After this forthcoming Packers @ Rams game (week 7), it’s the Cardinals in week 9, and then the Packers Nation can forget about the misery the division has heaped on the franchise this season. Huzzah!

And so it begins…

It starts fun, but it gets “samey”?

This day signifies the first of a good 21 or 22 weeks of NFL action that I could not ever be sick of for it is that great a sport made even better (if that is even possible) with “fantasy (American) football“. Yes fantasy (British) football exists but it consists of at least 38 match days (per team every week besides the odd break for the League Cup, FA Cup, or International Break) that many people I know may “off the record” admit gets a bit “tedious to manage” as it’s quite repetitive. Even MLB (162 regular season, then a possible 21 game postseason, four “Best of 7” rounds), NHL (82 regular season, then a possible 28 game postseason, four “Best of 7”), and NBA (66 regular season, then a possible 28 game postseason, four “Best of 7” rounds) fantasy leagues aren’t as good as fantasy (British) football for those are way too long to edit each week. I can’t help but think that it can all take a back seat for the NFL‘s 17 weeks (16 regular season, then a possible 4 game postseason, NO “Best of 7” rounds) for it is more than enough for an exciting fantasy ride as each game really does matter.

Could the Cowboys exact revenge on the team that denied them a 2011 Postseason berth? In hindsight… Yes.

Yesterday marked the beginning of the new 2012 (/13) season as it was the Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants, a game that my friend Lee said I should go over to her rented flat with our friend Kim as the owner, erm yeah, I’m kinda proud of Kim for owning a house. So I find myself watching the first half of a rather lame game as it was 7-3 Giants and I was rooting for the Cowboys (Kyrstie’s boyfriend Matt’s team). But unfortunately with Lee being “the nice and considerate lass she is” she let me sleep at half time when I’m sorry but “wake me up gurl!“, I wake up (naturally) to a 24-17 Cowboys win. I never knew how and all I knew was that that I had Miles Austin (Cowboys #1 Wide Receiver) in my fantasy (American) football team so I needed him to play well but judging by the first half he didn’t, but by the 4th quarter I was a happy lad but I clearly didn’t watch it live, but Lee told me Austin nabbed a score but that was coupled with her having a Giants defense that gave up 3 TDs in her fantasy team so I was very happy in my 1st game of fantasy action.

This is the game… Offense (Packers) at “home” to Defense (49ers)… Come on!

This with the amazing travel (that for a first time seemed longer than it should have, was it the missed buses?) to even get to Lee’s that night as I met a man called “John” at the bus stop in Feltham. Just sitting with him at the bus stop was a crash-course revision on something that I knew but clearly forgot, that 20 minute wait taught me to basically never mention a person’s possible disability until they’re personally ready to do it themselves. “John” was just a “revisit” as I’d actually been forgetting the situation a couple of times but he approached me because of my walking stick and basically asked what was wrong with me because I had the stick, I told him. But then I asked “what’s wrong with him?” which was a rookie mistake for it was actually something I knew never to do but I simply forgot as after he reached out to my stick I just fired the question back to him but he gave me a “nothing wrong with me” reply and it hit me like a ton of bricks but yeah, fail. Well I heard from “John” that he went to Trafalgar Square to watch the paralympics coverage and that it was great as his favourite parathlete is Ellie Simmonds, after I said mine was Jonnie Peacock and it had nothing to do with the imminent T44 100m final as he won it the next day but I can admit that I rated him highly as I did write about him.

All in all it was a great night and a great morning as B&Q with Lee was funnier than I think any DIY shop should ever be, either way have a great weekend people. The end of the Paralympics on Sunday but the first Sunday of a good 20 or so of NFL action but then it’s on a Sunday that I can watch a game live at a decent time (1pm ET/6pm BST), thank you Gamepass!

Broncos or 49ers, I’ve made my choice…

THIS is my choice, and THIS solidifies said choice…. Good times!

Ok, in all honesty, and from a Packers fan… Good! Some people say Favre finds training camp and OTA’s boring and so he waits till the last moment to announce he’s playing, THIS is what it gets you. I know people will say “it’s only pre-season”, “the game didn’t mean anything”, tell that to Favre’s bones.

LOL! Broncos vs. 49ers, Jets, general n00b info ;o)

This was the original reason I logged onto WordPress, but it just degenerated into a football/soccer entry. Ok, first thing’s first, about three months away from another NFL International Series game at Wembley and I still don’t have a scooby of who to support, the Denver Broncos or the San Francisco 49ers. I have good reason to support both, not at the same time, merely I have a friend that supports the 49ers, his name is Alex, so his parents have good taste, does their son if he supports the 49ers? The Broncos, little does anyone know, were the first team I stayed up to watch on NFL on five, I liked and followed the NFL long before that night, but all of the time before that night were through highlights and books.

I remember when I was 6 or 7, my mum bought me an NFL handbook and it had basic packages and all the teams and the divisions and a brief history in it, I loved that book, and again I shall be honest, the team that grabbed my attention was the New York Giants, so you could say at a young age, before I really learnt the ins and outs of the NFL, the Giants were my team, I don’t think I’ve ever admitted to that until now, so when my friend Chris talks about the Giants, it does take me back. I think it was Lawrence Taylor that made me love the Giants, they do say it was he who revolutionised the NFL defense… that takes some doing, and I’m English, England loves a gritty defence.

Now here comes the science, I like a number of teams, I think that’s what makes me a bit unique, or should I say open-minded where some people are reluctant to have it or see it. I know I have two favourite teams in the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots, and it’s not just in the NFL, I rarely support only one team at any sport, I just see the broad picture, it’s a sport, it really is a sport, who made up these archaic rules that you can only support one team and one team alone? I support Manchester United, but I also follow my “local teams” Brentford and Hampton & Richmond. If they get relegated or promoted, I’m happy, I’m sad, I follow transfers, I follow matches, if that makes me any more or less of a fan, than so be it, but I really couldn’t care. So with the New England Patriots, maybe it’s the New ENGLAND, or Tom Brady being THE Quarterback (oh, Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Peyton Manning is in the running as well, but those two, a different league to everyone else, think Manchester United and Chelsea).

I’m digressing a bit, my point is, every team I follow, there is A reason, and if I find myself the neutral spectator of two teams, I find a player or some connection to like them for 80, 90 minutes, 2, 3, 4 hours, any more than 4 hours and that’s cricket and I’m ok, I’m not sitting down for 4+ hours watching cricket… A draw? After 4+ hours, a draw?!?!? But with the Broncos vs. 49ers I couldn’t be any more apathetic even if I tried, I know, to try and be any MORE apathetic, not possible, right? There’s not stand out player, there’s no favourite, connection, no admiration, nothing… like a soldier with no pain receptors. I’ve jokingly said whoever wins the coin toss to choose the direction they’re playing in, will be the team I root for, it’s THAT bad.

A couple of people have recently asked me to help them choose a team to support, as much as I said it could something as simple as the Super Bowl you watch, or to have family relations currently living in whatever city has an NFL franchise, if not, could be a player that went to a college you admire or is in town or city, and with that player being drafted to an NFL team, you choose that NFL team, there are many ways to like an NFL team. I like the Green Bay Packers because they have always been quite a balanced team, running game, passing game, defense, special teams, on their day, they can dominate a game. Originally it was seeing Brett Favre in ‘There’s Something About Mary’, ‘That 70’s Show’ being based in Wisconsin, and, this is going to sound stupid but the nickname for fans… Cheeseheads, I like Cheese, it’s quite quirky, I’m quirky, it was just meant to be. I think the chief reason for admiring the Green Bay Packers is the feel of history, they won Super Bowl I & Super Bowl II, they had a legend in Brett Favre for as long as they did, and all all that, you get a feel of family, like once you’re drafted to the Packers or traded, you could possibly be there for the rest of your career, like it really is a family.

A friend asked me to help him choose, he played the Madden 11 demo as the New York Jets, can’t get a team more hit n miss, but at the moment and especially last season they had the defence, the running game, and if need be, the passing game, Sanchez being a great rookie QB. I told my friend, “Support them until you become 100% sure, just know, they’re almost the England of the NFL at the moment. The defence is tough and rugged, they can grind out wins, it may not be glamourous, but it’s hard earned, with passion and heart”. It was the best I could put it.

With this in mind, two years ago my best friend found himself in the same situation, so I suggested the New Orleans Saints, “the Arsenal of the NFL, great attack, star players quick and nibble, lots of flash, but the defense had question marks, but on it’s day, it’s good”… They went on to win the Super Bowl.

That’s the NFL, no team is top dog forever, can’t be a glory hunter for glory doesn’t last longer than 5 years. You may have your down year(s), but does your team have it to build again? It’s probably the reason I love the NFL so much, it really is unpredictable.