Best and Worst of the Weekend

Best – Brayden has been going to bed and sleep really good the past few nights, thank God!  He’s been just laying down and I’ll come back later and he’ll be out cold, so for that I’m happy and I can sleep better too!  Other best is the Hawkeye Wrestling team beating #1 Penn State and Cael Sanderson.  Sorry Cael, you still can’t beat IOWA!

Worst – Well worst is going to be being in trouble yet for no reason or not being told what reason.  Really, seriously?  Did nothing to provoke being argued at or being upset at yet still I did something wrong?  Don’t know what it was or anything, and will never know.   LOVE IT!

Best and Worst of the Weekend

BEST – I’m struggling to find a best.  Saturday night we did get the chance to go out, but don’t know if that helped my cold.  So that was nice.  Well the Hawks won.  The handled Indiana easily.  Remember about 10-15 years ago when this game was one of the top games in the Big Ten?  That’s about it. 

WORST – Other than being sick with an ear infection and cold and 100+ fever and actually having to come to work in this condition.  The Bears loss in the NFC Championship Game sucked.  I was hopeful we’d play like we did last week but a 3^rd stringer almost got us back there.  The play on 3^rd down with the end around was a terrible call!  Martz or Lovie should slap themselves after that.  Give it to Forte, don’t do a trick play in that situation.

NFC Championship Game

Bears vs. Packers

Lomarbdi, Starr, Nitschke, Lambeau, Hutson, Favre vs. Halas, Butkus, Sayers, Ditka, Payton, and Singletary.

Cheese heads vs Super Fans.

The winner gets the Halas Trophy and the chance to play for the Lombardi Trophy.

Who you got?  Post your predictions as comments.

My pick: Bears 20 / Packers 17

The Dark Knight Rises

So it came across the website Dark Horizons this week that the villains for the third installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman series were going to be Catwoman played by Anne Hathway, and Bane played by Tom Hardy.  For this more realistic version of Batman I love the selections.  Great villains to choose.  Penguin and Killer Croc and some of the other villains are harder to portray in the world that has been built by Nolan.  I love what Nolan has done.  He’s taken the Batman franchise to a whole new level.  The Dark Knight I thought was the film of the decade.  Heath Ledger’s Joker may be the best acting job I’ve ever seen, even it was a supporting role.  And I can’t wait for the new movie to hit next year.  My only hope is that Warner Brother’s throws enough money at Nolan and Bale to come back for a 4^th movie.  Reason being, in this Gotham that Nolan has created, the Riddler needs to be involved.  That character seems like a great fit and would just need the right story.  I really hate to see this world end with a 3^rd movie but really how can they top what they’ve already created.

Other movie tidbits.

• Dark Horizons posted a bunch of new photos from the XMen: The First Class
• New Spiderman pictures have also surfaced

• There is talk of rebooting the Lethal Weapon franchise?  Um no, don’t do it.  Create something new! Leave Briggs and Murtoch alone in film history.
• Captain America and Thor apparently have had rough drafts screened and got positive reviews

Thor is the first big movie (in my mind) to start the huge lineup this summer.  Hopefully I’ll be able to get to all the biggies that come out.  Looking forward to it.  Nothing really else is on my horizon to see but movies that are already out. 

2010 WROTC NFL Awards

There’s a lot of NFL Awards out there, and I thought since I’ve done some college football awards since 2001, but never NFL Awards, why not throw something together.  So with my buddy Quentin (@sportsfreak_qp on twitter and at Off the Crossbar) we’ve come up with the Wide Right Off the Crossbar or WROTC NFL Awards.  So here we go with our 10 categories and winners.  Let us know what you think!

Play of the Year

Matt – Moeki’s td Catch vs. San Francisco  – One handed catch by a rookie leaping toward the back end of the end zone and gets both feet in comfortably, and he’s a former Hawkeye, gotta give him some love!

Quentin –  Dan Connolly's 71 yard kickoff return TD vs. Green Bay - A 313 pound lineman returns a kick 71 yards?  how does that happen?

          

Game of the Year

Matt - Philadelphia vs. NY Giants, The Comeback  – Down 31-10 with 7:30 left to play, the Eagles scored 28 unanswered points capped off by DeSeann Jackson’s punt return for a td as time expired.

Quentin –  Philadelphia vs. NY Giants  – 28 4th quarter points for Philly - Down 21 points in the 4th only to score 28 in a row, capped by an amazing punt return for a TD by DeSeann Jackson as the clock struck 0:00.

Offensive Player of the Year

Matt – Mike Vick, Philadelphia – When he was playing, most the year he was Superman.  See the Washington game and The Comeback vs. New York.  Dude was amazing.

Quentin – Mike Vick, Philadelphia - After some time off he regained his pre-legal-issues self and took control of games.  He did it all with his arms and legs.

Defensive Player of the Year

Matt – Clay Matthews, Green Bay – Probably wouldn’t have the Offensive player of the year without the Defensive player of the year.  Clay knocked out Kevin Kolb and that allowed Mike Vick to emerge in Philly.  Clay is a force in the middle in Green Bay and wrecks havoc on opposing QBs.

Quentin – Clay Matthews, Green Bay - Dom Capers used Charles Woodson in many different ways in 2009 and did the same with Matthews in 2010.  Matthews worked hard during the off season to improve and it paid off.  He was the most disruptive pass rusher in the NFL.

Special Teams Player of the Year

Matt – Devin Hester, Chicago – Mr. Record Breaker….that is all.

Quentin – Devin Hester, Chicago - Definition of a 'game changer' (see week 3 vs Green bay).  Teams had to game plan around him, how many returners can that be said about?


Mr Record Breaker

Rookie of the Year

Matt – Sam Bradford, St. Louis – a year ago he was banged up a couple times vs. BYU and Texas.  The Rams made him the #1 pick, and if he doesn’t lose some receivers they probably win the division by a game or two.

Quentin – Sam Bradford, St. Louis - Thrown into the fire from the start and exceeded expectations.  Keep Mark Clayton healthy and St Louis is in the playoffs easily.  No other rookie had as much of an impact as Bradford, except maybe Bryan Bulaga in Green Bay.

Coach of the Year

Matt -Lovie Smith, Chicago – Lovie was on the hot seat coming into the season and made some questionable hires with Mike Martz and Mike Tice.  The Bears then went on to go 5-1 vs. division opponents and came out 2010 Division Champions and a #2 NFC Seed.
Quentin – Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay – 3-13 in 2009 to 10-6 in 2010.  Tampa Bay was left for dead after 2009.  No real expectations for 2010 and they missed the playoffs by 1 game.  Lots of unknown players that played at an elevated level.  The NFL version of Kirk Ferentz.

Best Replacement for an Injured Player

Matt – Mike Vick, Philadelphia for Kevin Kolb  – Easy pick here.  Kolb may have lost his starting gig in Philly.

Quentin – Mike Vick, Philadelphia for Kevin Kolb - Not only did Kolb lose the starting spot he may have also lost his roster spot in Philly. 

Kevin Kolb is the new Wally Pipp

Biggest Surprise

Matt – St. Louis Rams – #1 Pick in 2009 to almost being in the playoffs and in division championship contention up to the last game of the regular season

Quentin – Kansas City Chiefs – 4-12 in 2009 to 10-6 and AFC West champions in 2010.  Team looked almost inept in 2009 and then prolific in 2010.

  

Biggest Disappointment

Matt – Minnesota Vikings & Brett Favre  – Almost a Super Bowl last year and a perfect season for Favre to a total collapse and last place finish in the NFC North.  Oh and a collapsed roof at the Metrodome and a fired head coach and the Randy Moss fiasco.

Quentin – San Francisco 49ers - Huge expectations for the team and coach going into 2010 only to disappoint yet again.  Minnesota was close but I knew that Favre would have a down year, he has a 2 year cycle (up one, down next).

Let us know what you think and if you agree or not and what would you have chose?

The Rivalry now has a BIG Prize!

The oldest rivalry in the NFL is going to get a little bit more history added to it, this time the winner gets the NFC  Championship and ticket to Dallas and Super Bowl 45.

This feels a lot to me like 2006 when the Bears played host to the New Orleans Saints.  Brees and the Saints were the hot team in the NFC, then beating the Eagles down before coming to Chicago.  Everyone in the media picked the Saints to win and go on to then Miami and Super Bowl 41.  The game still had to be played though, and the Bears won and hoisted their 2nd George S. Halas trophy.         Now the Packers and the Saints are 2 different teams.  The Packers to win will have to go on the road for a 3rd time.  Aaron Rodgers is playing like a QB possesed and with a chip on his shoulder, maybe the comments by ESPN's Colin Cowherd helped.  I see now why Lovie played all his starters in week 17, to get the Packers out of the tournament.  Anyway it should be a hell of a game.  Like the other 2 have been so far this season.

Before the year started I picked the Packers to the Super Bowl, when the playoffs started I rebooted and picked the Bears, so either way I'm sitting pretty good.  But Go Bears!

Some fun stat tid bits.

• This is the 182 meeting between the 2 rivals, 2nd only in the playoffs.  (Bears won the 1st playoff meeting on Dec 14, 1941.  )
• Bears lead the series 92-83-6
• This is Lovie's 2nd NFC Championship Game.  Ditka coached the Bears to 3, winning 1 and losing 2.
• The Bears have won 3 straight home playoff games. (06-Seattle, 06-New Orleans, 10-Seattle)

For more here's 5 early questions from former Hawkeye Matt Bowen at National Football Post.com.

Best and Worst of the Weekend

Best - Well the best is I get an extra day this weekend!  Get to spend it with Addy at home while my buddy Rich is helping with Ryleigh's carpet in her room!  I have that going for me, which is nice.  But the best of the weekend is the football games we had.  By far the best being the Bears winning vs the Seahawks and advancing to the NFC Championship game.

Worst -Well I think the worst is the cold and snow.  My kids like the spring/summer/fall more than the winter (so do I) and the fact that they aren't able to burn off as much energy and it keeps them in sucks.  Can't wait for April to get them out side.  Another worst is well not really that bad but I wasn't able to get out to the game watch with the Des Moines Sports Freaks and @thewood31 Saturday night.  But there will be more chances.

So that's the weekend.  4 day week ahead and it's going to be a busy one and stressful one.