A Lesson in U.S. History

By Clint P

The war between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers is one of epic proportions. Similar to the United States Civil War, it started as a split in ideology (Mike Holmgrem being to the first to branch out of SF with the west coast offense) and the winner was decided after victories in key battles over a period of time. Like the old south, the 49ers represented a once well-oiled machine that yielded high levels of production. It thrived yes, but it was built on false principals, principals that were destined by the power of good to be broken. Enter the Green Bay Packers, the majestic North. Thus continued epic battles that would ultimately decide the inevitable. Antetiam, Bull Run, Battle of Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, the Second Bull Run and of course Gettysburg which we witnessed first hand. Throughout the war the south found themselves overmatched. The North was better equipped, had stronger leaders, and better personnel, The South just couldn’t compete. If not for one lucky victory the war was a unanimous slaughter. Below I have provided you a timeline, which accurately displays in chronological order, the sequence of events.

Warning: 49er fans what you are about to see is a historical reenactment and may be deemed too graphic to watch for those who suffered during the Steve Young/Steve Mariucci era.

1995 Divisional Playoff Green Bay 27 at San Francisco 17 (Antietam)


1996 Week 7 Monday Night San Francisco 20 at Green Bay 23
1996 Divisional Playoff San Francisco 14 at Green Bay 35 (Bull Run)

1997 NFC Championship Game Green Bay 23 at San Francisco 10 (Fredricksburg)


1998 Week 9 San Francisco 22 at Green Bay 36
1998 Wild Card Playoff Green Bay 27 at San Francisco 30 (Vicksburg)

1999 Week 12 Green Bay 20 at San Francisco 3

2000 Week 7 San Francisco 28 at Green Bay 31

2001 Wild Card Playoff San Francisco 15 at Green Bay 25 (Bull Run II)

2002 Week 15 Green Bay 20 at San Francisco 14 (Gettysburg)

2006 Week 14 What has history taught us!!!!!

Let Dec 10th be a reminder to us all. In terms of our discussion, it will represent nothing more that a skirmish between a few drunks from two boarder states 10 years after the Civil War had ended. It means nothing, or at least nothing to Packer fans, but sadly, apparently everything to 49er fans.

Packers 30 at San Francisco 19

The Look

by Eisen

I remember watching the Chargers/Bengals game earlier this year. The Chargers were down three touchdowns by the half. Cut to a shot of the San Diego sideline, there was Philip Rivers standing next to LT with a huge grin on his face. Early in the third quarter, a shot of the San Diego huddle, Rivers has this confident, determined look on his face. He has complete command of that huddle. Not anxious, not overly pensive, as if he knew what was going to happen. The Chargers won the game 49 - 41. This was just his ninth NFL start.

I had this same discussion a handful of times with several different people during the course of this NFL season, all starting with "That guy at QB has the look." It is that indisputable look on the man's face where the other ten guys in the huddle know that we are going to be all right. Montana had the look. Brady has the look. Marino's look is best suited for driving around KIT, running on the beach, or singing to the Germans. This is not to trivialize anyone’s abilities or accomplishments attributing their success solely to a facial expression, far from it. In a league where talent is abundant, I believe it’s the little things that separate the good from the great and the great from the winners.

John Taylor of the San Francisco 49ers remembers being down by a field goal with just over three minutes left in the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals. Montana enters the huddle. Before calling a play, Montana makes a whimsical, out of place remark to loosen up his teammates before they were to start their 92-yard game winner touchdown drive. John Taylor remembers looking into Montana's eyes and knowing that they were to walk away the victors.

Peyton Manning might end up a top the all the passing records when all is said and done but I don't believe that he will ever end up leading his team in Super Bowl and hoisting the Lombardi trophy. He does not possess the look. Remember, deep into their run of 15 straight wins, when Reggie Wayne shoves Manning while in the huddle during a close game. Or that time when Vanderjagt was taking shots at Manning in the media, the kicker of all people, taking shots at your franchise QB. That does not happen to that guy at QB who has the complete trust of his teammates. Troy Brown isn’t going to compare vocal projection capabilities with Brady on the sideline. Roger Craig is not going to question Montana’s bishop-to-rook-pawn-two counter move in a post-game interview.

The Look gives you an edge over your opponent. The Look gives your teammates that confidence in you, that you are more than capable of coming through when needed. The Look makes the defense feel unease about their two-touchdown lead. The Look makes the fans stay in their seat till the clock shows all zeros.

Because it is virtually impossible to verbally depict The Look, here is a visual summary on The Look.

Denver Omellete with a Side of Texas Fried Chicken

By Dave Paniagua

PART ONE

There was a moment during the Chargers-Broncos game where the camera pointed at Jay Cutler’s mom and dad. They were sitting in what looked like the bottom level, perhaps even on the 50 yard line. After that, the whole thing turned into a Wes Anderson movie, as the camera panned out fast and showed them all the way up in the highest of bleacher seats.

This little moment pretty much summed up how Denver played yesterday afternoon. Sporting a record of 7-2, the Donkeys were well on their way to winning another division title. Then, they had to play San Diego in week 11 and that’s about when things went to hell.

I’m watching the “Girl Next Door” as I write this, so I apologize if I’m a little distracted. Basically, Denver has been a very distant team. They play like they’re Cutler’s parents in the bleachers. Maybe they just don’t care anymore. I really don’t know, but the answer may lie in Mike Shanahan’s future. As it stands, we got a few possible openings for the 2007 season. If you’re a head coach in college, assistant in the pros, or even somebody that coaches for Oaks Christian, chances are that you might get a call from one of these cities:

Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Oakland, Arizona, and Denver.

Yes, folks, Shanahan’s time in the Mile High City is looking bleak. How this man has kept his job for so long is probably John Elway’s fault. Whatever the case, running the ball and employing shaky quarterbacks have been a staple of Shanahan’s career. This all started after Big John’s departure, and the year after the Super Bowl was the beginning of pure misery. The team went 6-10, and the city wanted to see Brian Griese fall down some more stairs and maybe break a leg.

The situation for the Broncos isn’t all on Mike, but he’s still the man in charge. After all, this is the guy who has full control of every move the organization makes (sans the owner). When Elway paved the way for two Super Bowl victories, things couldn’t go wrong. The city known for having no air was high as a kite and didn’t care if all the oxygen was gone. Now, they remain a shell of a team that overachieves year after year. Mediocrity is the best word I can find to describe Denver’s success, or rather the lack thereof.

I haven’t gotten to Jake the Snake, but maybe it’s because Jay Cutler is supposedly the best quarterback taken in last April’s draft (so says the U’s Jimmy Johnson). After two “OK” performances, Cutler has a lot to learn and is better off giving the ball off to Denver’s twenty running backs. By the end of the season, Shanahan’s job security is, at best, halfway probable for one last ride in the 2007 season. Anything resembling a contract extension would be a disaster (unless it already happened).

The other big news in the NFL is how the state of Texas looked incredibly ridiculous, with the Texans and Cowboys embarrassed all day long. Spurned by Houston, Vince Young was taken 3rd by the Titans, in what many people (including ESPN Super Analyst Merril Hoge) considered to be the worst pick since Tony Mandarich was swooped up by the Packers. When the Titans mishandled Steve McNair, kicked Billy Volek out of town, and thought Kerry “30 Pack” Collins was the answer, the team started off 0-5. As an admitted Vince Young supporter, I pretty much gave up the notion that he was a good pick. VY was about two years away from being a decent quarterback.

What you have to love about sports is the ability to admit you were stupidly wrong. And that’s what is happening, right now. Vince Young has carried the team on its back, and if you saw my NFL picks you’d know that they were very close to having a winning record. Having ole’ Pac Man Jones on your team might do something to your brain, but the Titans are looking great for 2007. Jeff Fisher even believes in a bright future, with talks of him getting an extension on his contract.

Going into Houston was a dream come true. Here was the hometown hero playing for the other team, and finding a way to win another game. This time, it was a 39 yard run into the end zone during overtime. As he scored the winning touchdown, Vince’s reaction said it all. I’ll let the Associated Press describe it:

“He dashed into the end zone virtually untouched and then jumped into the stands to the open arms of a throng of burnt orange-clad fans. He then blew kisses and waved to a crowd that had cheered the Texans most of the game, but went wild when he scored.”

I can only imagine what Houston is going to do when the Saints eventually play them in Texas. The scene might be reminiscent of a mass suicide the likes of which we haven’t seen since Jonestown. I’m not knocking on Mario Williams, but trying to shore up the defense on a team without an o-line is like saying “Super Mario Bros.” was a good adaptation of the video game. Dennis Hopper as King Koopa? Words do not come to mind at that choice, or the Texans organization for being too scared to pick up on Vince or Southern Cal Superstar Reggie Bush.

Finally, let’s look back at NBC’s sudden emergence as a perennial sports entertainment powerhouse.

Okay, that isn’t happening anytime soon, but the network is back on track, picking up the broadcast rights for Sunday Night Football. A lot of work has gone into this production, putting the money into the salaries of John Madden, Al Michaels (nabbed by the Peacock Network in a “trade” with Disney’s ABC), and Bob Costas. There seems to be a cast of dozens on the broadcast, but suffice it to say that this “flex scheduling” has only given us one bad game (last week with Philly and Indy). All the other games have been great; because it has taken away the concept of seeing two underwhelming teams play for draft positions late in the season. This is the inherent problem with ESPN’s Monday Night Football. I doubt that they’re going to fix that scheduling, unless they get a clue.

The other Texas-sized disaster just so happened to be on NBC.

Dallas was hosting the Saints, and it looked like the national media was in love with some dude named Tony Romo. What a name, huh? It reminds me of a rejected name for one of Vincent Chase’s relatives on “Entourage.” I’d love to see Terrell Owens get a guest spot on that show, hopefully run over by a steamroller on the set of “Queens Boulevard 2” or something.

Anyway, Dallas got annihilated, to the score of 42-17. Drew Brees tore apart the secondary, in what has become one of the best years ever for a discarded (see below) San Diego quarterback. Reggie Bush got in on the action, totaling 162 yards of offense and a touchdown.

We can talk all we want about what happened to New Orleans the city, but what happened today was a sign that their team is not the disappointment that we’ve come to expect. They have the best overall offense in the game, and their defense ain’t too bad, letting opposing teams get a chance but unable to keep up with Brees and company. The Saints haven’t been too good against AFC opponents, but that part of their schedule is over and they should be able to beat Carolina at the end of the year.

Come back on Tuesday for part 2, as we look at the potential head coaching vacancies and why Larry Johnson needs a hug.

NFL PICKS FOR DECEMBER 10

By Dave Paniagua

I thought it was going to take me at least 30 minutes to come up with some picks for Sunday’s football games, but the list was pretty easy. Sure, you could go with the Bengals as 10 ½ point favorites over the Raiders, but you’re an idiot if you think the Raiders are going to lie down so easily. Their offense might be worse than Tampa Bay’s, but their defense is ranked third in the league and should force Carson Palmer into some bad situations. That said, here are your four solid picks for the weekend:

Atlanta -3 at Tampa Bay – 2003 was a great year for me. I moved out of my old house, got into a good school, and saw my Bucs win the Super Bowl. This year, we’re a flaming pile of shit that can’t be put out. Bruce Gradkowski has absolutely no line protection, and their schemes are making me sick as a dog. The Dirty Birds, Atlanta Vicks (pictured, #7), or whatever you want to call them, were going south for the winter, but now they’re back on track after a win in Washington. The first time these teams faced each other, Atlanta covered 14-3, despite a threat in the red zone by the end of the game. Things are little easier, as the Falcons are favored by 3 and should look to score early and often. Unless they decide to run all day, the over/under of 37 points should be going the way of being over by the 3rd quarter. Here’s hoping that Tampa Bay does more than a stupid field goal, which is what they did to avoid a shutout against the Steelers last week. Brady Quinn won’t save this team, and I don’t know if even a good defensive player in next year’s draft will do the trick, either. We need a lot of help, and I’ll just say for time constraints that it might be a 5-year plan for us.

Tennessee +1 at Houston – Believe it or not, the Titans are only a few mistakes from being an 8-4 team. At 5-7, they’re spending their team before an early off-season by beating the Manning brothers, with impressive wins over the Giants and Colts. The Texans are a team without a clue, a chance, and most likely the dream of ever making it to the Super Bowl. Hey, that’s a nice stadium you guys have over there, but it doesn’t mean a damn thing when you got a team that is never in the top ten of any category. They’re averaging 16.6 points a game, followed up by a defense that surrenders over 220 yards passing per game. Once again, you have two teams that have played each other before, and the Titans won the first match by 6. This time, the odds makers decided it was cool to give Houston a chance at -1. Don’t believe that line, and take the Titans to cover and probably do it by more than 7.

New York Giants PK at Carolina – I like to look at the weather before some of these games, and Sunday’s forecast for Charlotte is going to be Sunny with a chance of choking on the part of Carolina. Here’s the team that was favored by all sorts of paid sports analysts to go to the Super Bowl and then get killed by the AFC representative. Now, they’re on the brink of not even making the playoffs. The Giants are the other choke job of the year, but mostly because everybody was thinking they could win most of their games by double digits. That’s exactly what they were doing, until a game against Chicago started a 4 game losing streak. Much like Atlanta’s losing streak, I expect the Giants to get off this bandwagon of despair and find a way to win against the Panthers. Did I mention that Chris Weinke (pictured, right) might get the start against the Giants, and the line in Vegas immediately closed? Then, something magical happened and this game is now a pick ‘em. I’m still going with the Giants, because the New York media deserves some positive news in their lives.

New York Jets -3.5 vs. Buffalo – After destroying the disasters known as Houston and Green Bay, the Jets are looking to make the postseason after most people thought they’d be a top 5 pick in next year’s draft (me included). All they’ve done is get their act together and win a couple games. I sure as hell don’t like either team to score a lot, but I think Buffalo doesn’t have what it takes to cover. So, to make a long story short, I see the Jets winning somewhere in the range of 5 to 7 points, maybe more if J.P. Losman takes off early to go surfing