I was in the car during the Colts-Chargers game, and I have to say that it didn't seriously occur to me that the Chargers might win the game. I'm of two minds about the consequences. On the one hand, the Patriots must be stopped, and it seems that Indianapolis would have had a much better chance of doing so than will the Chargers. On the other hand, I find Payton Manning deeply annoying and don't really want to root for the Colts. In a Pats-Chargers context, by contrast, I can happily back San Diego.
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Chargers Charge
13 Jan 2008 06:36 pm
Comments (53)
Whoa, you're really off here, Matt. Philip Rivers is one of the most widely-recognized douchebags in the NFL. Sure, he had a great game today, but he's the classic case of a guy who constantly talks trash because he's insecure about the fact that he's not actually that talented. Pats-Chargers is the one and only matchup where I am genuinely torn!
Really? You can root for a team with Shawn Merrimen, but not Payton Manning? What about Joseph Addai, or Marvin Harrison, or Bob Sanders? Would you rather root for Eli's good twin brother Philip Rivers on 4th and 2 down by 4 late in the 4th quarter? Or Norv Turner in the same scenario? Does your hate for Payton really trump all that?
Also, I heard Norv Turner was behind Bush's SS tour '05.
If the Giants will get the job done and secure a snowbound NFC championship game, the Packers will be glad to take care of your Patriot problem for you.
P.S. http://www.profootballtalk.com is a very good football blog and they have witty live-blogging of many of the playoff games.
The best thing about the Chargers victory is that it made a monkey out of asshole Bob Ryan who on the ESPN sportswriters wrote off their chances and said that "we" want to see a Colts/Patriots AFC chanpionship game (I don't know who "we" is). He said that the Colts would win easily. A well deserved comeuppance for a first class shithead. I used to have some respect for Ryan but he is a big a spastic as Mike Lupica.
Is there a good chance that we'll see Tomlinson and/or Rivers in the game? I haven't been following how serious their injury issues are.
It's really hard to muster any kind of emotion for the Colts as a neutral. Still, it'll be funny if Eli goes further than Peyton: go and film some more adverts, number 13.
I just wish that a Packers-Pats SuperBowl wasn't such wank fodder for the press, because it really promises a great spectacle, albeit in a completely stupid playing environment. Move it to Chicago, for fuck's sake.
Before this season, I was neutral on the Patriots and found Bill Simmons merely annoying.
Now, I can't stand the Patriots and wish that Bill Simmons would get done like Omar Little did that guy who tried to stab him in jail.
Man, no love for the Midwest, Matt? Thanks a lot.
"deeply annoying"
HAHAHAHAHA...you are putting it kindly.
Matt, you should know that the Chargers are owned by mega-conservative cretins (the Spanos family) who are bigtime donors to the GOP & Bush pioneer types. Boo on them.
Adding: As of right now, the Giants' last two possessions have been atrocious, and my loathing of Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin is as strong as ever.
Matthew--the Pats are destined for greatness. I'm sorry for your New Yorker/DC mentality, but remember your Harvard roots and be gracious to us New Englanders.
To fuse the two topics of your blog, IBM had an ad last night during the Pats game; the pitch: "Stop talking innovation. Start doing it." I almost thought Clinton bought ad time here in Maryland.
Chargers are owned by mega-conservative cretins (the Spanos family) who are bigtime donors to the GOP & Bush pioneer types
Hey, they may be Republicans, but they flew all of their daughter's working-class friends to Hawaii for their wedding, so they're probably not all that bad.
And as a Pats fan, I'm waiting for the rematch of the 97 Superbowl. Without Desomnd Howard on his side, Favre doesn't stand a chance.
Giants beat Cowboys too. Not a bad day for football.
as has already been noted, if the chargers can bring their front-line players, they have every bit as good a chance to beat the pats as the colts did, if not better.
Aaron veenstra, the last two giant offensive series (like all giant play calls) came from the bench, so i can see why you would be peeved at tom coughlin/kevin gilbride, but what in the world does eli have to do with that? what miracle was he supposed to pull off on the third down play in the face of the rush?
fact is, eli's last 48-second first half drive won the game for the gints; give the kid a little credit (and no, i'm not an eli admirer, although i have convinced myself that in warm weather, he's as good as the least good qbs ever to win the super bowl, but not that green bay will not be a warm weather site next week).
My Pats and Giants going to the conference games, and the Jets an abject failure.
Man do I feel good.
PS: Too bad that the Jints are going to get raped by Green Bay :(
This is deja vu after the Mets' collapse.
Any day I get to see Jerry Jones upset is a good day. I'm usually not a big fan of the Giants, and I can't stand Eli but just for today go G-Men.
Of course, next week I'm all about the Pack. I wonder if I can find one of those delightful cheesehead thingies.
Will someone please tell me that Brett Favre is a Democrat? Do any current pro football players support the Democrats (Doug Flutie and Jim Kelly don't count) or have any liberal leanings? I just want someone to root for.
I do want to see a Pats/Packers Super Bowl. But I am probably going to have to root for New England because I played against Tom Brady in high school (we lost).
The big winner today might have been the Pats, since the teams that, at least on paper, looked like they had a shot to knock them out were the Colts and Cowboys.
The Real Winner, obviously, is John McCain, since the machismo of football reminds people of his manliness, and the act of saying the word "patriot" naturally reminds every American of John McCain and why he should be the next President.
fact is, eli's last 48-second first half drive won the game for the gints; give the kid a little credit
Exactly. Giants had three nice drives led by Eli and, more important, zero turnovers. Couple that with the defense that played a lot better in the second half than the first, and we got a trip to GB.
Dallas dominated that first half, and that drive before the half must really have deflated the Boys, since it was even at the half despite that domination.
The Chargers are soft and are going to get smacked around again - Rivers is as previously said an all-time douchebag, Merriman is a baby who can dish it out and can't take it, and after losing to the Patriots last year LT as great as he is turned into a whiny little bitch, the epitome of a bad loser.
And Norv Turner? He was BORN to lose games like these.
Don't hate Tom Brady because he's beautiful.
Will someone please tell me that Brett Favre is a Democrat?
I'm fairly certain that he, along with Super Bowl XXII opponent John Elway, appeared as a signatory to the 2004 "Athletes for Bush" campaign. Rumor has it that Bill Belichick is a Democrat, though.
"Will someone please tell me that Brett Favre is a Democrat? Do any current pro football players support the Democrats (Doug Flutie and Jim Kelly don't count) or have any liberal leanings? I just want someone to root for."
What a typically Manichean, intolerant, lefty question to ask. Who gives a shit? I'm thrilled that the Giants knocked off the Cowboys in a nail-biter, and I would be any less thrilled if I found out they were all registered Democrats. Can't you root for someone or appreciate their achievements without some omniscient assurance that they are in ideological lockstep with you?
Go Patriots! Tom Brady Rules! The Bolts are doomed.
Al, that's exactly my point: remember that the giants kicked off to start the second half, so if eli didn't march 'em down the field, they're now down 17-7 and unlikely to come back.
and yes, the zero turnovers was pretty impressive too, because you are right, the cowboys dominated that half. however, my favorite game stat is that at one point they flashed up that barber had 11 carries and (i think it was) 91 yards, and he ended up 27 for 129, so once the giant defense actually sucked it up, he was 16 for 38....
however, i don't think the giants can pull the same thing off against green bay and i do think the evidence is pretty good that eli and cold weather are not the best combination imaginable....
Anyone but the Packers or the Pats...or the Chargers.
Dammit, howard, you scared me shitless. My mind immediately thought Tiki rather than Marion, and I cringed.
But now, Tiki, you get to be the newest example of the Ewing theory. Hooray! :)
The Chargers win clinches it for the Pats. The Colts are a legitimate match-up problem for the Pats, who can struggle containing precision passing games and are sometimes limited by conservative, sure-tackling defensive teams like the Colts. San Diego presents no such problems.
Matt, I'm not sure how you can hate on Peyton while cheering for Phil Rivers, one the most annoying dicks in all of football.
As for the political alignment question, Tom Brady is on record saying he's an independent, but has admitted reading Bill Clinton's autobiography and his dad donates heavily to Democratic candidates. So he's probably a Democrat. And he's the best player in the NFL. And he dates supermodels. Clearly, Matt is just a jealous hater.
I completely agre that the evidence so far is that Eli is a bad cold weather QB. They better hope that it warms up by next weekend...
Fred,
Sheesh. Get a life, dude. I wrote that statement with my tongue firmly in my cheek. Man, it's friggin' Football for Crissakes, you don't have to get all ballistic. I don't really care if Brett Favre, or Tom Brady, or whomever is a Republican or not, I'm still going to root for the Packers to win the Super Bowl (and yes, the Packers will get in the Super Bowl against the Patriots). For God's sake, the teams that I support aren't even in the playoffs so I have to root for someone. I might as well have some fun rooting for another team. Damn.
Go Pats!
Aaron veenstra, the last two giant offensive series (like all giant play calls) came from the bench, so i can see why you would be peeved at tom coughlin/kevin gilbride, but what in the world does eli have to do with that?
My distaste for Manning really doesn't have much to do with him, but with the way nobody in sports media wants to acknowledge that he's more Kosar than Marino. I do think he blew it on that 3rd and 5, though. If he was as good as so many people say he is, he'd have at least gotten free to make a run for it.
Coughlin, OTOH, I've despised since he was in Jacksonville, even though I'm not a fan of the Jags or the Giants, because I think he's wasted good talent on ultra-conservative gameplanning. Also, when it came out that he was punishing players for not showing up to meetings early enough, I came to the conclusion that he's just another power-mad jackass. Of course, all this hatred is moot now, as Tony Romo came through in the end for his home-state team.
Favre and the Packers beat the Redskins the last weekend before the 2004 election, which was supposed to have clinched the election for Kerry and the Democrats (if the Redskins win, the sitting Pres wins; if they lose, the sitting Pres loses, too).
Kerry didn't come through, but Favre did his part. That's close enough for me. GO PACK GO!
All yor charjers R belong to us now!
What a typically Manichean, intolerant, lefty question to ask.
I'm sure it's Manichean, intolerant and lefty to have a soft spot for the Packers on account of their ownership structure and small-city base, both things that the NFL outlawed for future franchises, instead preferring to have billionaires' playthings that can be moved when the home city won't be blackmailed into coughing up for a new stadium.
Well, fuck it: go Packers.
The Patriots are the only team in the league that beat the Chargers on the douchebag scale.
The world is just one Merriman blind side borderline shot away from not having to hear about the Patriots again until the fall. Hopefully the Chargers will dance on the 50 yard line after the victory and Brushci will be yelling at them to 'act like they have won before.'
"We" wanted a Colts-Pats AFC championship in that context meant Patriots fans.
Obviously, anyone can beat anyone on any given Sunday, but I do have trouble seeing the Chargers beating the Patriots. I think the Packers will give them a very difficult game, and obviously the Giants can do what they did in Week 17 again.
Go Patriots!
every other team in the NFL-
LT is a goddamn petulant baby who has, incredibly, stolen the nickname of a far better player than he will ever be. I don't see how a guy like Tedy would ever do anything like that.
PS: Rodney, on the other hand, would do that, and then probably shoot someone. He and Merriman should start a club.
I can't wait for the Packers to beat the Patsies. Who outside of New England and NYC is rooting for anyone but the Pack at this point?! (Don't tell me the Chargers have fans.) Go blue collars! Go cheese! Down with the dynasty! Go Pack!
Re: Anyone rooting against the Pats
To quote the Man In Black:
"Get used to disappointment."
Eagles Fan displaying the qualities of judgment that have established Philly and its faithful as the asswipes of the league.
I swear, sometimes Philly sports fans would rather see their rivals lose than see their perpetually underachieving teams win.
I'll bet a year's VIP membership to Matthewyglesias.com that the Giants take care of business in Green Bay.
Wow. Fans of damn near every other team think the Patriots are worth hating. No matter how long that particular phenomenon lasts, those of us old enough to cheer for them when they were one of the more sad-sack NFL franchises will always find that peculiar.
It doesn't help that it comes at about the same time as the Red Sox winning it all, twice.
[my old accent]What a wicked awesome year for sports fans in the Hub![/my old accent]
"My distaste for Manning really doesn't have much to do with him, but with the way nobody in sports media wants to acknowledge that he's more Kosar than Marino."
Please. The media has been giving Eli Manning crap since he came to New York, even though his record at this point is better than his brother's was at this stage in his career. Eli is a good quarterback who is going to be a great one. He may never be flashy, but he'll be great.
Will someone please tell me that Brett Favre is a Democrat? Do any current pro football players support the Democrats (Doug Flutie and Jim Kelly don't count) or have any liberal leanings? I just want someone to root for.
Among current players, the biggest liberals (as measured by discloseable political donations) are Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher. Historically, the biggest liberal donors among all NFL figures are:
1. Robert Kraft, owner, New England Patriots
2. Arthur Blank, owner, Atlanta Falcons
3. Zygi Wilf, owner, Minnesota Vikings
4. Art Rooney II, president, Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Jim Irsay, owner, Indianapolis Colts
6. Franco Harris, former player, Pittsburgh Steelers (and Seattle Seahawks, I guess)
7. Jeffrey Lurie, owner, Philadelphia Eagles
8. Malcolm Glazer, owner, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9. Art Rooney Sr., owner, Pittsburgh Steelers
10. Dennis Green, former coach, Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals
11. Mike McCaskey, chairman, Chicago Bears
12. Joe Theismann, former player, Washington Redskins
Irsay and the Rooneys have also given a fair amount of money to Republicans, although their money clearly favors Democrats (the Rooneys in particular, who apparently only support Republicans when they're named "John Heinz"). The rest prefer Democrats by a margin of at least 4:1.
Incidentally, over three-quarters of all political donations from NFL figures come from Alex Spanos, owner of the San Diego Chargers, and are steered to the worst sort of right-wing nutjobs. Leaving aside the Chargers, political donations from NFL figures skew slightly liberal.
A team led by Philip Rivers and Norv Turner has a shot against a team led by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick - in Foxboro in a championship game - like Alan Keyes has a shot to be the GOP nominee in 2008.
19-0 will be sweet.
I find Payton Manning deeply annoying...
It's the commercials isn't it?
The media has been giving Eli Manning crap since he came to New York
Local media perhaps, but I defy you to look at coverage of Eli dating back to the "he's got a brother who's even better!" Peyton stories of the late 90's and tell me he hasn't gotten better and more coverage than he's earned.
cminus,
Thanks for the info. I thought that most NFL players (and MLB players) were on the Christian conservative side. I just know that the owners of my hometown teams - the 49ers and Raiders give more to the Republican side.
I thought that most NFL players (and MLB players) were on the Christian conservative side.
The NFL does include a large proportion of African-American players, who often support Democrats even if their personal rhetoric may sound more like that of a Christian conservative. In addition, the football players with the highest media profile are usually quarterbacks and quarterbacks seem to be disproportionately conservative (Democrats do better with the "silent majority" of the offensive and defensive lines, and to some extent linebackers and running backs). Also, bear in mind that I was tracking contributions -- it may just be that Democratic football players are more committed.
Incidentally, back when I had to look all this up, I also looked at other sports. The conservative sports are auto racing, college football (the only people with money at this level are the coaches, who skew right), golf, and to some extent baseball and boxing. The liberal sports are basketball (in a big way) and tennis. Hockey is pretty much tied.
aaron, i thought i would ignore your obvious grudge - unfounded in reality - against eli's coverage, but since you insist:
go ahead and show us, if you please, all the many, many columns praising eli since he's been a pro player! let's see: there's bound to be a bunch of votes for him for the pro bowl considering how overrated he is in his coverage.
he surely showed up very high in the SI "all players" ratings at the start of each season.
there have been tons of column inches devoted to the brilliance of the giants snaring eli through trade.
i just must have missed them all, but since you assure us they are out there, i'm sure you can come up with just a few examples.
what the rest of us know is that eli has been criticized regularly for: poor decision-making; inaccurate throwing (my own area of criticsm); happy feet in the pocket; insufficient leadership; and not being as good as his brother. we've seen this criticisms in the new york press and we've seen them in the national press.
i don't know where you find all this other stuff, but i'm ready to see it when you produce it. (and no, johnny unitas, bart starr, bob griese, dan marino, terry bradshaw, joe montana, steve young, brett favre, and tom brady couldn't have made anything out of that third down play, and neither could eli: no one was open until his protection had already broken down.)
Comments closed January 27, 2008.
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Heads in the Sand
Chargers defense will be a stiffer test than Indy's, but the real question will be whether LT and Rivers are actually able to play, because even with them the Chargers will need some good fortune to get past the Patriots.
Still, that Chargers defense looked awesome today, and I have to give a Fresno State shout out to Billy Volek.
Oh, and Norv Turner needs to show a little more courage there late in playoff games...no need to turn into Denny Green out there (how could you not go for the first down and give Manning the ball back with 1:30 on the clock?).
Posted by Jimm | January 13, 2008 6:43 PM