The Final Piece

This has been a great new experience for me to learn. As I went through this 8-week course, I have learned about what it takes to make a blog interesting. After reading several different sport blogs, I found what I liked and disliked about them. I tried to talk about what was the main talk for that week, and sometimes it was harder than I expected. The thing I will remember about this was how much fun it was to write about something that I was interested in, and to read other writers opinion on the same thing. Blogging was like watching a good movie that had you on the edge of your seat. I am glad I took this course when I did, because I may have never learned what I have about blogging. Reading other student’s blogs was educational as well as interesting. In the fact that there are many topics out there that you would normally overlook reading because it doesn’t catch your attention right off the back. Having to reply to others changes that mentality. I would recommend this style of writing to anyone that wanted to learn something new. This has made me want to take additional English classes for fun, and to learn more writing techniques to better myself.

How About Them Cowboy’s

The Cowboy’s are on a 3 games win streak and riding high to the top of the NFC. They lead by half a game in the East since the Giants have loss 2 in a row. Romo looked like a rookie for the first three plays, under throwing 2 passes to Owens and Glenn and sacked once for holding the ball too long. Then settled down and went on fire the rest of the game. He threw for a record tying high 5 TD passes in only his fifth start of his 3 ½ career. The only other one to do this was Troy Aikman and need needed a little help in Overtime to that once. Not even Staubach ever had a 5 TD game in his career. That is saying a lot for Romo who loves the way his team has been playing lately. Romo was 22-29 with 13 in a row passes and was 9 for 10 in the second half. He is really on fire, over the last 3 games in the second half he is 29-31 on passing attempts. The Giants better step it up, because the Cowboys are right on there tails.



References Cited:

NFL. (2006). Game Center. Accessed November 25, 2006 from http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/recap/NFL_20061123_TB@DAL

Eatman, N. (2006) Three in a Ro-mo. Accessed November 23, 2006 from http://www.dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?id=1817C71D-AE37-F6D9-A3BAE78BFE4C3BBB

For The Record

LaDainian Tomlinson (LT) is on pace to break Shaun Alexander’s touchdown (TD) total of 28. He already has 22 TD on the season, and 19 in the last 6 games. With 6 games left on the schedule he is sure to top that record. In the last 3 week’s he has had 3 TD against the Cleveland, and 4 TD against the Cincinnati and Denver. Up next is Oakland and Buffalo, and both of them are 30th and 32nd in total defense overall. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a problem to keep up the pace, especially since his backup Michael Turner injured his hamstring in practice on Wednesday LT should get more time than normal. First up is Oakland, and the Chargers beat them in week 1 (27-0). LT ran for 131 yards in that game and with the hot streak he is on look out Oakland. The following 2 weeks should be very interesting for the record books. Watch and see what happens.

References Cited:

ESPN. (2006). NFL Stats 2006. Accessed November 24, 2006 from http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/statistics?stat=team&pos=off&league=nfl&season=2&year=2006

ESPN. (2006). Player Profile. Accessed November 24, 2006 from http://sports-att.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5452

NFL. (2006). Team News. Accessed November 24, 2006 from http://www.nfl.com/teams/news/SD

End of Term Paper


As the term comes to an end, I will try to show you what I have learned from my experience in this project. I will show some of things that I think shouldn’t be done on a blog when referring to sports. For example, I was looking at other writer’s and saw some things that I feel can take away from your blog. This one webpage is a prime example of it. Their pre-game blog is always the same for both teams that are playing each other. There is lots of negative writing, and the writer has their own opinion of what the outcome will be. They also don’t breakdown or analysis the game they are talking about in their blogs. I will talk about some of the other things I found alarming, as well as what will make their blogs as well as my own blogs better. I will breakdown and show each site I found with the negative as well as the positive parts of their blog writing. That is because I think a blog should have both sides to understand why the writer feels the why they do.

Battle in the West

This week I want to focus on the big game this Sunday night. San Diego at Denver, which is for 1st place in the West division. What I want to look at is the biggest reason why I think the Chargers will win. Now that won’t sit well with my teacher but once I point out the reason why I think this, she will understand. So in advance Julie, sorry I have to do this to your team.

Well lets not beat around the bush with it, because there is only I reason why I believe the Chargers will win, and that is because of the quarterback (QB) position. Jake Plummer has been struggling for the past few weeks. For instants, last week Plummer had 1st and 10 at the Denver 8 -yard line in the 1st quarter, when he threw it to Javon Walker in double coverage, which it was intercepted at the 24-yard line. It ball was returned to the 15-yard line where Oakland scored their first score of the game. Then the next drive they got 9 –yards on 1st down in which they were stopped 2 more times just short of the 1st down, so Plummer throws it deep and that also was intercepted at Oakland’s 35 –yard line. Now with Plummer having so much trouble and their running game so weak last week, one would wonder how he would fair against the Chargers whose defense is much better than Oakland’s. One would wonder if Plummer is having problems this weekend would we see Cutler behind the center controlling the ball.

This is the reason why I believe that the Chargers will win this enormous game in the West showdown of 2 top teams in the division. This will surely be a battle of titans on Sunday night.

References Cited:

ESPN. (2006). Play by play. Accessed November 17, 2006 from http://sports-att.espn.go.com/nfl/playbyplay?gameId=261112013&quarter=0

NFL. (2006). Player Profile. Accessed November 17, 2006 from http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1003/gamelogs/2006

NFL. (2006). Game Center Preview. Accessed November 17, 2006 from http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/preview/NFL_20061119_SD@DEN

Comebacks of all Comebacks


Week 10 was one of the best in the National Football League (NFL). Eleven out of fifteen games went down to the last drives of the game, and to top that off three of those eleven were come from behind games. The breakdown of these three games are phenomenal.

These three games went down to the wire and were worth watching. First was the Chargers at the Bengals. The Chargers were down 28-7 at halftime to comeback and win 49-41. This comeback tied the previous one in the franchised history. The deciding play was when Rivers scrambled to his left to avoid the rush and, with two defenders ready to deck him, floated a shovel pass to unguarded tight end Brandon Manumaleuna in the end zone for a 5-yard score that put them up for good. This was a coming of age for the first year starter quarterback even if he is a 3-year veteran.

The next game is the Ravens at the Titans, which was a homecoming for McNair who was traded to Baltimore during the off-season. The Titans were up by 19 points early in the game and stayed up until the Ravens had their biggest comeback in franchise history as well. McNair was determined and encouraged the team to press on. Their deciding play was a 12 -yard pass to Derrick Mason for the go-ahead. In which they would stop and hold off the Titans with their crushing defense.

Finally yet importantly was Denver at Oakland, which if you asked me never should have been in the game. Plummer throw an interception early for a Raiders score, but he would throw two more that that had all Broncos fans asking Cutler to save them. Plummer would recover from those interceptions and would help the Broncos pull another nail biter out to save his starting job for maybe another week. The deciding play for the Broncos wasn’t an offensive play. Oakland’s QB Walter would fumble the snap for the second time in the game and the Broncos would recover it sending them to their eleventh straight loss to the division opponents.

These three games were worth watching and if you didn’t get a chance to catch ESPN for the highlights of the game. We probably won’t see another week in football as good as this one.

The Battle at the Meadowlands

This week we are looking at The Chicago Bears at the New York Giants. This is the game of the week that all the sports writers are talking about. The Bears are coming off a big loss from last week at the hands of Miami Dolphins. The Giants are on a five game win streak are going to try to stop the Bears dead in their tracks. Both teams have some injuries, but neither team believe it will be a concern for them.

The Bears had a breakdown last week on both sides of the ball. The Dolphins ran left and right the whole game last week, and their defense kept charging Rex Grossman the Bears quarterback. A team that wasn’t even suppose to be in the game stopped the Bears on offense and mowed them down on defense. The Bears hope to correct their mistakes from last week. Coach Smith knows how good the Giants are at running the ball this season. If the Bears can figure out how to stop them then this should be a big win for them.

The Giants are on a roll with a five game win streak, and after watching what the Dolphins did to the Bears they feel they can repeat that process. The Giants have a powerful running game that if it gets started will open up the passing game for them. For instants, if the Giants get a running game from Tiki Barber like Ronnie Brown did last week then they could give the Bears a back-to-back loss for the first time this year. They had two of them last year.

Players from both teams have taken their shots at each other, which to me will make a great game to watch. Personally, I think this game should have been on Monday since what both teams have done so far this year, but I am not the scheduler. Stay tuned for the outcome of the game….

The Outcome

Well the game is in the books and the Bears did it. They didn’t stop the running game (Barber 19 carries for 141 yards), but they did it another way. They sacked Eli Manning twice and intercepted two of his passes. Eli went 14 for 32 with 121 yards in a crashing defeat. The Giants scored first, but the Bears defense went to work after that and never looked back after that with a 38-20 win over the G-Man. This was the second most points that the Bears have scored on the Giants that dates back 81 years. The Giants could only hang their heads because they gave the win it to Bears on a silver platter.

Game of the Week

This week is the show down that has everyone talking. The Indianapolis Colts are at New England Patriots in this week's Sunday night game. This rivalry has been heating up for several years now. The Colts who are 7-0 and lead by Peyton Manning is up against the Patriots who are 6-1 is lead by Tom Brady. Two of the leagues best quarterback in the league which maybe a preview of this year's playoff game. Many writers believe that one of these two teams will be in Super Bowl on January 4, 2007.

The Patriot’s Brady doesn’t have numbers like Manning, but have a defense that’s been getting the job done. Their defense has come through on numerous occasions. The Patriot’s this year have proven they have a passing game, but they hope to get their running game going this week and what a perfect week to start that against the team with the worst rushing defense in the league.

The Colt’s are coming off an incredible comeback/shootout with the Denver Bronco’s last week, and hope they can jump start earlier this week. They also plan to get their running game going also this week, but unlike the Patriot’s the Colt’s have a good pass defense which may cause problem for the Patriot’s especially if they don’t get their running game going.

This is surely going to be a gridiron battle for these two teams this weekend. This is one game all you sport’s fans don’t want to miss. This will be a very exciting game to watch. So take your naps early and save some snacks for the game.

Is Curtis Martin’s Career Over?

The question all New York Jets fans wants to know is if Curtis Martin’s career is actually over. Curtis Martin tore the cartilage in his right knee in week 2 against Miami. Martin was able to play through the pain till week 12 when it really started to give him trouble and has been out officially since week 13 of the 2005 season.

Curtis Martin has been on the unable to perform list all season, and was hoping to play this year, but that doesn’t look like it is going to happen. After talking with coach Mangini, Martin didn’t think he be ready to practice by the deadline next week. So Martin made it official by announcing that he will not play this year. He thanked the team, fans, and the media which make me wonder what is next for him. Being that I am a Huge Jets fan, I caught myself asking is his career finally over? Is the 4th leading NFL rushing done for good? Well personally I hope not, but if it is at least I know he will be in the Hall of Fame one day.

The 33 year old Martin hasn’t come out and said that he is retiring but that looks like what is going to happen. His right knee is just not healing and doesn’t look like it will ever heal enough for him to play football again. The bone on bone contact is one of those career ending injures. Curtis Martin was one of the players who brought the Jets out of the cellar of the American Football Conference (AFC) East, and into a contender in the division, which was once the strongest and toughest in the AFC. What will the Jet’s do now?

Reference:

Waszak Jr., D. (2006). The Associated Press. Posted November 1, 2006, from http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/jets/2006-11-01-martin_x.htm?csp=34

NFL Hall of Fame (2006). Posted February 21, 2006, from http://www.profootballhof.com/history/release.jsp?release_id=1984

DEFENSE WINS

Did someone ask for DEFENSE! This is a hot topic around the league in all circles. There are many claims of which team is number one in the league. The top four teams in defense are as follows: San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, and Denver Broncos. Each team has stats in different areas that show why they are the top four teams in the league. Every one of these teams have proven week in and week out, and why there fans always get louder and louder when there defense hits the field.

This weekend will be the test for three out of the four teams. Indianapolis is at Denver, which will be a big test for Denver's defense because of the Colts passing game, but they can be stopped since they don't have a good running game established yet. The Colts are not the same team they were last year, but are still showing up when they need to, and a 6-0 record is proof of that.

St. Louis is at San Diego, which might not be a good defensive team but they have a passing and a running game. This may be a challenge for San Diego's defense, but if they can get their running game started then they should win since St. Louis has given up over 120 yards rushing this season and over 215 yards passing which will help San Diego pull out the win.

Baltimore is at New Orleans, which has been trouble for teams coming to the dome. The Ravens may have a good defense, but the Saints have an explosive offense and their defense isn't that far from the Ravens. The Raven's offense isn't as good but their defense may be able to carry them and upset the Saints at home for there first loss.

The 49ers are at the Chicago Bears, which as I said earlier are still undefeated, and are at home. The 49ers give up many yards and their offensive line has many injuries, which is a plus for the Bears defense who has proven themselves week in and week out, and with a receiving unit like the one the Bears have this game should be a laughing matter.

So has you can see this week should prove which team or teams should be playing in January.

Are you ready for some football!

DE-FENSE, DE-FENSE.

QB Change

We are in week eight and there have been a lot of changes at the Quarterback (QB) position. Whether it is from an injury to not getting the job done. The main one I want to rant about is Drew Bledsoe. He has been struggling all season so far, and the Dallas Cowboys should be running up the scoreboard with the talent they have. Bledsoe isn’t a very mobile QB and has a slower release than Romo. And with the way the offensive line is playing, and not getting the job done they need a QB that can think on his feet. At the ripped age of 34, Bledsoe’s best days are surely way behind him, and right now the only QB the Cowboys have on their roster is Romo who they look at to get the job accomplished.

The very vocal Terrell Owens (TO) has already sided with the younger quarterback in hopes that he will see more passes his way, plus TO believes that the quicker Romo will be able to move out of the pocket and throw the ball down the field if he gets into trouble. Since Troy Aikman retired in 2000 the Dallas Cowboys have had nine QB’s at the helm. Which in my eyes is a big problem since the Cowboys can’t find a QB they can stay with for more than one season straight through. The only one that made it since Aikman retired is Quincy Carter who is another story on his own. Now on the other hand coach Parcell has said on numerous occasions that a change is necessary, and that Bledsoe’s mobility is not the reason. So if Romo doesn’t prove to be the savior for the Cowboys, then Parcell will be the reason for their failure.

The Rookie

Hello all,

This is my first post, and I just wanted to see how it would look so I can create it better to my liking. I hope you all enjoy what is in store for the future on this page.

Richiedny