Schottenheimered

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae.

Where to start this morning?

Renee, if you are checking in this morning, yes you were right. For those of you who didn't read the page last week - Renee called an Indy vs New England AFC Final...I stand humbled. Renee, never one to gloat, checked in after the game Saturday night to leave us all a message:

All you folks in the Jim Jones Suicide Football Pool who picked Baltimore over Indy? Drink your damn koolaid and take the BIG sleep!

Contrary to the MASH theme song Suicide IS painful tonight huh Ravenettes? hee hee hee.

While Indy QB Peyton Manning didn't find the endzone today, all you Ravenettes still lost as I predicted. The Colts defense was just a bit better and Domenic Rhodes was a freight train .
Its fate. Its kharma.

Adam Vinatieri VS the Patriots in the AFC title in Indy.

Your welcome!
Renee

Don't you just love her?

Schottenheimer must be German for "getting kicked in the nuts" - because that's how Chargers' coach Marty Schottenheimer, and the rest of the San Diego Chargers, have to be feeling this morning. Going into the game, the prevailing sentiment was that Marty would somehow blow this game by playing too conservative - Martyball. Well, I think Marty shocked everyone by NOT blowing it; he did everything to put his team in a position to win. Marty will be having nightmares about Elway AND Brady now.

The Chargers looked like they were going to win, leading by 8 points mid way through the fourth, when Troy Brown ripped their hearts out and stomped on them. Brown's strip and subsequent recovery after Patroits FS Marlon McCree had intercepted Brady, was the beginning of the end for Marty and the Chargers - you could see it on his face.

What can you say about Tom Brady? He overcomes three interceptions and still leads his team down the field for the game tying and winning scores in the fourth quarter. He does it on a day when New England's running game was shut down and the Chargers were pinning their ears back and coming after him. The man is money in the playoffs - he'll win his fourth Super Bowl next month, and with it, will earn the title of NFL's All-Time Greatest Playoff QB. I say that being a Dallas Cowboys fan, putting Brady ahead of Aikman is tough - but deserved.

Now, once upon a time, it was rumoured that our girl Hazel's favourite athlete was Joe Montana - so she might take issue with that last statement (albeit quietly) - but the fact of the matter is that Brady has done much more with less. Brady doesn't have the offensive weapons at WR that the 49ers teams of the 80's had, or the balanced attack that that great Cowboys' teams of the 90's had. What this guy has accomplished is nothing short of remarkable.

One last thought on the game - the talk today will likely focus on Troy Brown's play, deservedly so; however, I think one of the key points in the game that likely won't be talked about happened in the third quarter. The Patriots were driving, trailing 14-10, when Brady threw a ball that should have been intercepted at the two yard line - I say should have, because Ben Watson made an outstanding play to jar the ball loose and allow the Patriots to keep possession. They ultimately settled for a field goal to close the gap to one, but I'm telling you, if San Diego intercepts that ball (even at the two yard line) the momentum would have shifted so far in San Diego's favour that I don't know if the Patriots would have recovered. Watson saved the game on that play - he won't get as much attention as Brown and Brady, but he should for his hustle and using his head at a time when most receivers would have given up on the ball.

That field goal hurt San Diego - they had New England stopped at the 36 yard line on a third down play; it is unlikely Belichick would have risked giving up field position by kicking a 53 or 54 yard field goal - but Chargers CB Drayton Florence had a brain cramp and took an unnecessary roughness penalty to give the Patriots the ball at the 21. Had the Chargers picked that ball off at the 2 yard line, and overcome Florence's stupidity, it would have been a huge lift for them and a downer for the Patriots. Ben Watson should get some play today in New England - I'm sure an astute football fan like Hazel saw that play as being a critical one.

One last thought on the Chargers - I don't know if Marty Schottenheimer will be fired (should he? maybe) - what I do know he that he isn't a great coach and you see that today by his lack of action. The Chargers can pin their loss on two players, the aforementioned Florence, and WR Eric Parker who proved he wasn't ready for the big time. Parker dropped a couple of passes and fumbled away a punt that gave New England great field position and lead to the field goal on what should now be known as "the drive" (kidding). When Jimmy Johnson was coaching the Cowboys - guys like this would have been taken out of the game plan early (in the case of Parker) and benched for stupidity (in the case of Florence) - oh yeah, they would both find themselves released this morning. Schottenheimer won't do anything - but these two should be GONE this morning...the loss is on them.


HAZEL'S THREE STARS
Chicago Bears K Robbie Gould won the game for the Bears with a 49 yard field goal in overtime. In a game that didn't have any really great performances, you have to give it up to Gould for hitting a pressure kick. Oh yeah, the irony that Seattle loses on a 49 yard field goal, instead of a 21 yard kick in the Wild Card game wasn't lost on me either.

New England Patriots K Stephen Gostkowski hit the game winning field goal with 1:10 left in the game - but more importantly he hit a 50 yarder in the first quarter to give the Patriots the lead and get them off on the right foot.

New England Patriots TE Ben Watson for breaking up a pass that would have changed the momentum of the game had it been picked. He likely won't get a game star anywhere else - so he gets one here. Honourable mention goes to Rosevelt Colvin who had a GREAT interception as the Chargers were driving into New England territory leading 14-13...you won't see many better than that.

MONDAY THREE PLAY
We finished off an a good note going 3-0 yesterday, which took a bite out of an awful week. We blew the bankroll we started the week off with and now sit at - $270 for our nine weeks. We'll get it back in the black soon.

Buffalo over Boston - Sabres get it done against a Bruins team that can't seem to get it done in the third. Lay $100 on the Sabres - $170.

Nashville over Calgary - Flames haven't lost since Iginla went down...Nashville shows them tonight that life without Iggy isn't so easy. Lay $50 on the Predators - $180.

San Jose over Colorado - Sharks look good tonight against the Avs. Lay $75 on the Sharks - $200.


HAZEL'S MONDAY HOROSCOPE
Use whatever is made available to you to put your plans into play or resolve an issue that is holding you back. You may have to go the distance to talk with someone face-to-face but, if that's what it takes, it will be worth it. 5 stars

Hazel, I hope things are groovy in your world.

Song of the Day on Hazelspeeps - with thoughts of Tom Brady

Everything is Automatic - Matthew Good Band

Peesth Out...Buh Bye!