ricky d you are alright with me. nice observation on the branch situation. you might have said the same thing about milloy 3 superbowl victories ago, i would imagine. the branch situation shows me that it's business as usual in foxborough. milloy, law, givens, branch, whoever. the pats win because they don't think like everyone else in football. they spread the ball around so much that they don't really have or need a single 'go to' receiver.

and i don't think the panthers are really that great either, but you falcons fans need to get your head examined if you think you are going to win with the qb you have down there.

Mike led us to a playoff victory in Green Bay his first year as a starter and to the NFC Championship game in his second. It ain't pretty sometimes, but Mike Vick wins more games than he loses.

Just for the record, I totally agree with you on the Pats and their ability to not let one player be bigger than the team and still win. In fact I fucking love that about them. I do think they may have out-thought themselves by letting Vinateiri go, however. I think that they will go to the playoffs this year but without an experienced kicker, it could be a short trip.

Ah. Yes. The first home playoff loss for the Packers, ever.

&, Jesus Christ, what happened ini 1962 really mattered, in 2003. No one on that field, and prolly 80% of the people in the stands, weren't even alive then, let alone playing for the Packers (or the Falcons, who didn't even exist).

That victory against a mediocre Packers team was not evident of anything but a wild-card play-off game.

winning a playoff game on the road outside (when you are a dome team) is a big deal.

Wasn't the first time it's been done, though. Minnesota has done it since, against Green Bay, no less; Indianapolis had done it before. Did any of those Kingdome-era Seahawks teams do it?

yes monty, its been done, just not very often.

Yeah, Seattle won at Miami in '83-4 to get to the AFC Title game, and then were crushed by the Raiders.

yes, the kicker position is my biggest question mark going in to the season. i am very disappointed with vinny's choice to go to indy.

Have we had a game picks thread?

But still don't have a QB who can throw the ball.

Whereas your team just plays the wrong guy at quarterback altogether.

True dat. Campbell will be the third back-up to take the starting job this year...right after Greise and Romo.

I did draft Dunn for one of my RB's this year, and you're balls-on correct about the Atlanta D. They're gonna be fun to watch.

OK, everybody, enough with the Romo crap. Unless Bledsoe is injured severely enough to miss an entire game (or more), Romo will not start a single game for the Cowboys this year. Rumors of Drew Bledsoe's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

I was reading somewhere a caution to Bears fans, that Griese always looks great from a distance.

I can wait for the fleet footed Bledsoe to get caught in a Kerney/Abraham sandwich.

December 16. Bledsoe's career is over this day.

Crack, did you read this zinger from Bill Simmons:



Thanks, pal.

Not to worry, Grossman will do fine this year.

Hey, its Week 1--I'll give you a pass, Dr. T.

The Panthers got beat because they couldnt run the ball and they couldnt stop the Falcs rush (Atlanta outrushed them by nearly 200 yards). Steve Smith would have helped, but not much.

Man, we blew today. Atlanta kicked our ass.

Did I mention that I'm a complete fucking idiot?

I didn't get to see the game (watched enough of the Dallas game to think they were going to win, and then apparently missed a bed-shitting second half) but I did get a-not-so-small amount of satisfaction when I heard the Falcs score when I got in the car, especially considering this thread and the ESPN NFL Preview/Panthers Dick-Suck-a-thon.

I was VERY pissed off that I couldn't catch this.

So I'm watching this Sprint Mobile commercial with Peyton Manning--you've seen it, it's been on a gazillion times.

You know he enjoyed getting that Dirty Sanchez.