The MDB Mania- 11/24/10

Hey all- at least this week I'm in a little better sports mood then a week ago lol. The Redskins pulled out through another close victory, but it so beats getting blown out at home. Them losing Clinton Portis for the season is going to hurt though, especially with protection for McNabb when the offensive line has been playing shaky the last couple games. They've got big games coming up the rest of the season and if they can pull out like 4 or 5 of the 6 games, then they have a shot of making it in the playoffs but they'll have to play strong and hope other teams like Philly,Giants,Bucs,Bears,etc. fall off and struggle

I'm sorry but I can't get into the whole Michael Vick love. I know he's changed his ways & has made strides to be a good person, but I still can't forget about what he did to the dogs a few years ago, and think its a matter of time before he starts getting figured out by other defenses and starts to struggle, and knowing how the Philly sports fans tend to whine, I'm just waiting for something to happen where they'll cry about being cursed again while they throw batteries at Vick or any Eagles lol

If you'd ask me today who I predict who'll play in the Super Bowl(barring what happens tomorrow), I can see it end up being the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints. I think both teams are starting to get in a late season groove and can see a matchup of Brady Vs. Brees which I'd enjoy!

Something NBA related, I was watching the 4th quarter of the 76ers/Washington Wizards game last night & have been impressed by the young #1 pick of the Wiz, John Wall, out of Kentucky. This kid can ball and he's been proving it the first couple weeks. I don't see the Wizards being great this season, but I can see in 2-3 years time with them becoming a decent team in the NBA. More then anything...please change the name back to what I grew up on- The Washington Bullets! Hey it could happen, now that Ted Leonsis runs the team and I've noticed a few times being at the Verizon Center lately that they repainted the stairways there red and blue....coincidence? ;)

Here's my NFL picks for this week along with my gal friend Terri's picks & thoughts herself:

Thanksgiving Day:

New England Patriots(8-2) at Detroit Lions(2-8) -CBS 12:30pm

Mark's pick: Patriots
Mark's opinion: Not much to say about this one. If Matthew Stafford was playing, it'd be closer but NE just overmatches Detroit in talent


Terri's pick: Patriots
Terri's opinion: I am feeling very "Patriotic" this Thanksgiving...I am going with New England on this one!

New Orleans Saints(7-3) at Dallas Cowboys(3-7) -FOX 4:30pm

Mark's pick: Saints
Mark's opinion: I'm really just rooting for the Saints since my Fantasy QB Brees is playing and loathe the Cowboys lol

Terri's pick: Saints
Terri's opinion: Oh when the Saints...go marchin' in....oh when the Saints go marchin' in! :)

Cincinatti Bengals (2-8) at New York Jets(8-2) -Thursday Night Football on NFL Network)

Mark's pick: Jets
Mark's opinion: Not much to say about this one, but the Bengals could make this one surprisingly close too...figured since the Bengals are playing the Jets on Thanksgiving tomorrow night that I'd share this video I did from late February that included Chad Ocho Cinco(Bengals) & Darrelle Revis(Jets)



Terri's pick: Jets
Terri's opinion: I'm leavin' on a "Jets" plane...don't know when I'll be back again! :) Jets


Sunday 11/29

Minnesota Vikings(3-7) at Washington Redskins(5-5)- FOX 1pm

Mark's pick: Vikings
Mark's opinion: Not much I can say other then I hope the Skins can pull it out

Terri's pick: Redskins
Terri's opinion: Wishy washy on this one but I am going to say the Skins...Vikings should have fallen apart at this point.

Green Bay Packers(7-3) at Atlanta Falcons(8-2)- FOX 1pm

Mark's pick: Falcons
Mark's opinion: I find this matchup to be one of the top 3 hardest games to pick this week, but since its in Atlanta and Matty Ice is really good at home, I'm going with the Birds

Terri's pick: Falcons
Terri's opinion: My old address...ATL!

Jacksonville Jaguars(6-4) at New York Giants(6-4)- CBS 1pm

Mark's pick: Jaguars
Mark's opinion: I'm sensing another Giants late season collaspe...and the Jags are getting on a streak lately

Terri's pick: Giants
Terri's opinion: Giants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kansas City Chiefs(6-4) at Seattle Seahawks(5-5)- CBS 4pm

Mark's pick: Seahawks
Mark's opinion: Seattle is a good home team this year when Hasselbeck plays and as much as I'd like seeing KC win and think the Seahawks are boring, I think SEA will win this one

Terri's pick: Chiefs
Terri's opinion: I think the Chiefs are going to go all the way for some reason! Go Chiefs!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers(7-3) at Baltimore Ravens(7-3)- FOX 4pm

Mark's pick: Ravens
Mark's opinion: Another one of my top 3 games thats hard to pick, but I'm going with Baltimore in a close one

Terri's pick: Ravens
Terri's opinion: Baltimore...geez, I am not being faithful to the Florida teams...maybe that's because I can't stand the heat and humidity anymore! :D

Philadelphia Eagles(7-3) at Chicago Bears(7-3)- FOX 4:15pm

Mark's pick: Bears
Mark's opinion: Its a matter of time before Vick has an average game

Terri's pick: Eagles
Terri's opinion: Eagles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

San Diego Chargers at Indianpolis Colts(6-4)- NBC 8:20pm

Mark's pick: Colts
Mark's opinion: The Chargers are starting to get hot, but I think Peyton will cool them down this week

Terri's pick: Colts
Terri's opinion: Go Colts!!!

Hope everyone has a Happy Turducken Day and enjoy all the food and foodball....er football you can handle! :D

The MDB Mania- 11/17/10

Hey.....yeah there's much else I can saw about that Monday Night game other then how much of an embarassment that was. Normally I don't post sports talk radio stuff on here, but Chad Dukes of 106.7 The Fan here in DC is right on the money with his 12 minute long rant that shares the thoughts of all the diehard Redskins fans here who've had to put up with a Daniel Snyder ran franchise the last 10+ years...It's worth a listen. I miss having Jack Kent Cooke for an owner :( This rant is the best one I've heard in a long time because its so true...some of these pics used in the vid did make me laugh though I'll admit lol



http://1067thefandc.cbslocal.com/2010/11/16/chad-dukes-rant-on-the-redskins-59-28-loss/

Here's my picks for week 11 of the NFL picks:

Chicago Bears(6-3) at Miami Dolphins(5-4) -Thursday Night Football on NFL Network
My pick: Bears
My opinion: I think with the Dolphins losing Chad Henne & Pennington that its going to hurt them the rest of this season, & the Bears will pull it out

Oakland Raiders(5-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers(6-3)) -CBS 1pm
My pick: Raiders
My opinion: This is a pick I hope I'll get wrong but I read that the Steelers released Kicker Jeff Reed and signed up Shaun Suisham?! From experience, here comes some missed FGs ahead for the Steelers

Seattle Seahawks(5-4) at New Orleans Saints(6-3)- FOX 4:05pm
My pick: Saints
My opinion: Saints are coming off a bye week and I see them being motivated to finish the season strong

Indianapolis Colts(6-3) at New England Patriots(7-2)- CBS 4:15pm
My pick: Patriots
My opinion: I think NE got their mojo back last week and will carry it on


New York Giants(6-3) at Philadelphia Eagles(6-3)- Sunday Night Football on NBC
My pick: Eagles
My opinion: Yeah I'm not a fan of their fanbase, but the Eagles are playing strong and the Giants I don't think are as good as their record is

Mark

The MDB Mania- 11/10/10

Hey guys & gals

Welcome welcome to this week's edition of the MDB Mania

I recommend you guys checking out Fred's post underneath this column called "Can We Save Football?". He made alot of valid posts, so go check it out!

Yep its that time of the year- getting closer and closer to holiday shopping. Unlike years past- I've already started my shopping! Usually I'd wait until mid December to start, but NOPE not this time! It's good to get gifts earlier so that way all the money you spend on items, you'll be able to get all of that money back working at your job before Xmas time

Onto the sports field, or I guess for now just football since basketball and hockey are early in their seasons. Looking at the standings, there's a 5 team tie for the best record in the NFL with 6-2. Those teams are the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. To be honest, a few weeks ago I thought the Giants were a pretender- but lately they've been picking up their game so for now I have to say that they are one of the teams to beat in the NFC, but that could always change. I think it comes down to the Ravens and Steelers in the AFC. I still think the Steelers will be the team to beat. I mean, yeah they lost to the Ravens earlier in the season but don't forget that they were 35 seconds away from beating the Ravens with CHARLIE BATCH in that game as their QB. Even though the Jets and Patriots have struggled a little in their last 1-2 games, they'll be down to the wire too. I wouldn't sleep on the Atlanta Falcons, as long as they play at home since they are a very good home team but weak road team

Pretty much a must win game this Monday night for the Skins Vs the Eagles! Hopefully with them coming off a bye week, they've had time to heal up any injuries & be able to focus away from the drama of McNabb being benched 2 weeks ago and move on from that. It's gonna be interesting to see how their matchup with Philly goes this time since the Redskins were the team who injured Mike Vick and beat them. With it being a Monday night game, it'll be on the big national stage- and hey the Skins aren't playing a mediocre team this time....so they have a better shot then playing vs the Lions & Rams sadly! lol. At least they play tough teams the rest of the season so maybe they will get their gear together and play more like a contender then a on again off again pretender

I'll get into the whole off the field problems with some NFL players these days. Ben Roethsliberger & Brett Favre, 2 QBs that I've always liked but in the last year have lost respect for. You guys know better then to do what you've done in a bar & through text messages. Lets hope these dudes know to play it safe for now on, I mean seriously! lol

You might of noticed that the blog went through a bit of a makeover since last week. I wanted to change the look of it and make it more professional looking and easier to navigate and read text on. I've heard good feedback on it so glad its a welcomed changed :) I also put our season standings & picks of the week on the right side of the page if you wanna check them out and follow them throughout the rest of the NFL season on here!

I'll give you my picks for the 4 selected games this week, & also from my bud Terri(picture below) with her picks and her thoughts:



Baltimore Ravens(6-2) at Atlanta Falcons(6-2) -Thursday Night Football on NFL Network)

Mark's pick: Falcons
Mark's opinion: This is gonna be a hard one to pick since they both share the same record, but Atlanta is a good home team and only has lost 1 game at home since Matt Ryan has been their QB. I think this game is going to go down to field goal kicking since each defense will make stops to cause alot of FGs


Terri's pick: Falcons
Terri's opinion: Hmmmm...which bird do I want??? Going with my old hometown of ATL on this one!

Minnesota Vikings(3-5) at Chicago Bears(5-3) -FOX 1pm

Mark's pick: Bears
Mark's opinion: Originally I was going to go with the Vikes, but I think all the distraction about the players hating their head coach Brad Childress is going to take a toll on the team & the Bears will take advantage of that, even with Jay Cutler's addiction to Interceptionitis lol

Terri's pick: Bears
Terri's opinion: Da Bears! Still mad at my old favorite Brett Favre!!!

New England Patriots(6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers(6-2) -Sunday Night Football on NBC)

Mark's pick:
Mark's opinion: This is gonna be a challenge for both teams, but I think the Steelers have the momentum & are going to pull it off in a close one

Terri's pick: Steelers

Philadelphia Eagles(5-3) at Washington Redskins(4-4) -Monday Night Football on ESPN)

Mark's pick: Redskins
Mark's opinion: Yeah I know its a homer pick lol, but I'm nervous about this game since I know the Eagles and Vick are dangerous. For some reason, I get a vibe that the Skins are gonna control the tempo

Terri's pick: Eagles
Terri's opinion: Hate to do it to ya...but I am going with the birds on this one! But if Washington wins...I'll be happy for YOU!

One last thing before I go for this post. 2 weeks ago, I actually received an award from a company that supports the Department of Transportation office I work at for a Work Achievement award which was a nice feeling :)

-Me & my co-worker PJ, good dude

Hope you all have a great upcoming weekend & for all of my mates taking part in the SFBOM NFL picks, good luck! If I finish in the the bottom of the pack again, then I have no choice.....I'll have to workout to a RICHARD SIMMONS video....Oh no lol :D



Mark

Can We Save Football?

There are quite a few things ruining the game of football these days. What are they? I’m glad you asked.

I know you’re waiting for me to bring up this ignorant new crack down on hard hits, but we will get to that in time my friend, in time. The downward spiral of the NFL has been coming for quite some time and not many saw it coming. Unfortunately for us fans things will get ugly before they get any better. Let’s get started with the biggest thing, in my opinion, destroying the sport of football.

Athletes vs. Football Players

There is an ever growing trend in football to go based off numbers and numbers alone. Owners and coaches see a guy blaze a 40 yard dash time of 4.2 seconds and they ignore the fact that he has been investigated for murder and been arrested 3+ times for possession of illegal narcotics. Let’s be realistic, I’m sure we could all find 30 examples to justify this argument, but to save your time and my fingers, we will go with the most glaring example.

April 2001, all eyes are glued to ESPN watching and waiting to see the results of the electric Michael Vick’s NFL combine run. Some said Michael Vick could throw the ball 70 yards or longer. Sure, Vick had a 38 in the vertical jump and some very impressive numbers, but no one cares. They all want to see one thing. Vick lines up behind the white line, lined up in his 3 point stance and every room watching the combine on TV goes silent. Vick does not disappoint as he blazes to a 4.33 40 yard time. A QB that runs a 4.33? That is a wide receiver and a cornerback time, not a QB. Michael Vick has all the intangibles. Vick can throw the ball deep, he can throw on the run and if there is no one open he will torch the defense with his legs. The team that drafts him will win it all for sure, most likely several times right?

Vick went on to do some incredibly athletic things. He set the single season rushing record for a quarterback, he embarrassed defenses with his legs, and he was a human highlight reel. Problem is there is only one thing you never have and never will see in a Michael Vick highlight reel, Mike Vick taking a single snap in a Super Bowl. We all know where the story goes from there. Dog fighting, prison time, shunned by the franchise that viewed him as an NFL God, release from prison, signed by a new team and still fighting to prove he is worth a damn in the NFL.

Let’s look at the other end of the spectrum; One of the most embarrassing NFL Combines in recent memory, Tom Brady. Brady posted an embarrassing 40 yard time of 5.23. 5.23 seconds? There are linemen that torch that. He’s going to be a flop. Brady was too small, too skinny and too slow. All Brady has done was go on to win a few Super Bowls and break a couple meaningless records like most touchdowns in a single season. All he did was lead one of the most improbable Super Bowl wins against the Rams and eventually lead one of the most feared single season offenses in recent history.

We, as an NFL, are putting a premium on the wrong things. We look at numbers and measurements like the 40 time, vertical height and win loss records in college. Alex Smith had a phenomenal career at Utah, but who did they play? Vick ran a 4.33 40 time, but can a running QB win? Anyone who has watched football or researched into players before their time will come to one conclusion, you cannot measure the intangibles that it takes to be successful in this league. Pacman Jones, Michael Vick, the list goes on and on of players that are athletic freaks, but don’t have the intangibles to play football. Peyton Manning is possibly the least athletic player to ever be drafted into the NFL. Manning is easily the most dominant player since he has been drafted. Donovan McNabb, Warren Moon, Joe Montana. If you were to line up and compete with them in track and field, none of those names would frighten you. Put them in a football uniform and you’re done before the whistle blows. Jerry Rice could not outrun half of the NFL, but on several occasions embarrassed the great Deion Sanders (honestly no sarcasm there, much respect for Deion). I’ll say it again, you CAN’T measure what it takes to win in this league with tests. Stop denying us true football players for athletes that can’t play football.

The ESPN highlight reel.

The creation of ESPN has lead to billions of sports nuts to be able to follow even the most unwatched sports, kudos to ESPN for that. I will however curse ESPN for the rest of my days for how they have ruined sports with the highlight reel. Before the highlight reel, what would an NFL player have done when they see a fumble? Look around, gauge whether it’s smarter to simply jump on the ball or if it’s safe to attempt to recover for a touchdown, and then act accordingly. Now? Every moron in an NFL uniform wants to make the highlight reel, so no matter how unsafe everyone tries to be a hero. Has it led to some amazing plays? Absolutely. Just as often, if not more often, we witness someone bumble the ball out of bounds, or attempt to pick it up and it ends up in the other teams hands.

How about 2009, Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers? The great Dre’ Bly (all sarcasm intended) makes a BEAUTIFUL interception against Matt Ryan. Bly then proceeds to put his hand behind his head and proceeds do the Deion high step. No problem right? Absolutely no problem, if you’re about to score. Bly still had 70 yards to go and was surrounded by Falcons players. Needless to say, Dez White tackled Bly, forced a fumble and the Falcons went on to win the game. A game that had Bly just returned the ball as far as he could the Niners would have won that game. The highlight reel far too often costs teams the game, thanks ESPN.

Crackdown on hard hits.

I’m going to make this fairly short and sweet because this atrocious topic doesn’t deserve the time or effort. I have supported Roger Goodell through most of his ventures. This, I cannot and will not agree with him on. Football is a violent sport, it’s half the appeal of the sport. Any moron that disagrees is stupid or lying. There are too many intangibles to football you can’t control. It’s a violent sport. It is very easy to lead with your shoulder and because of the angle and force of the impact there is helmet to helmet contact. Are there dirty players? Sure. Problem is, these new rules are also punishing the players making clean hits. There is little difference in taking a shot to the head by a helmet versus a shoulder pad if it’s coming from a 6’5” 250lb line backer. Period. Let’s just go ahead and change NFL uniforms so they are pink in color and come with skirts and not pants.

How about we enforce the rules on the field that we already have? The reason for all these injuries is not the rules, it’s the fact that the penalty flags are glued into the referees pants. Every time I watch an NFL game I see late hits on QBs, QBs being slammed to the turf well after he has thrown the ball, players being decked when they have no involvement with the play, facemasks, cut blocks, horse collar tackles, clipping/blocks in the back and blatantly intentional helmet to helmet hits.

The rules are not the problem, it’s the lack of enforcement that is the issue. Stop the dirty players and we WILL see less injuries.

Salaries.

I am a firm believer in the fact that there needs to be a change in the salary structure in the NFL. No doubt athletes are overpaid. It’s the nature of sports. The issue I hold is with rookie contracts. Being a Niners fan, I’m embarrassed whenever I see Michael Crabtree step onto the field. The day that a 20 year old can hold a billion dollar NFL franchise hostage until they pay him the money he DEMANDS, all while he has not stepped foot onto an NFL field, is the day the end of the sport is soon to come. Speaking of stepping foot, did I mention while Crabtree was demanding his money he had a boot on his foot because he had broken his ankle and missed a ton of the final year of his college career? Pathetic. The day the 49ers caved and gave Crabtree his contract, my 49ers fan-hood died a little that day. I strongly considered selling all my Niners gear and finding another team. You’re going to let some 20 year old punk jerk you around? What has Crabtree gotten use since? Has he lead the league in receiving? Does anyone mention his name? I’ll tell you what he has gotten us, a lack of confidence in a coach. There is no way the players still buy into Singletary’s no none sense, team first, tough attitude when the franchise caves into a rookie. I was embarrassed to be a Niners fan that day. More so than when we went 2-14, more than our playoff drought since 2002. We showed no guts and no heart and we deserve our current struggles.

Roger Goodell, if you truly wish to fix what’s wrong with the NFL, FIX THESE THINGS! These are what is leading to the downfall of the sport.

The MDB Mania- 11/5/10

Hey everyone!

This has been a busy sports week indeed. World Series....week 1 of the NBA season....the NFL drama,etc.

I'll start off with that Redskins/Lions game. If you remember on my last posting here last week, I picked the Redskins to win but said that the Lions are a better team then their bad record, and sure enough they picked up the win over my team :( I don't know what it is about the St.Louis Rams & Detroit Lions- 2 teams who have been mediocre the last few seasons, but yet when they play the Redskins- they end up pulling out wins most of the time. I'll add onto what my brother Matt posted on here about the coaching move with Mike Shanahan benching Donovan McNabb. I have no idea what that was all about and the motivation behind it. Rex Grossman(the backup) is not a better QB(2 minute drill and all) then McNabb. With the upcoming weekend being the Redskins' bye week, the last thing they needed was pointless drama about the whole QB situation. On the other hand, I'm thinking if there's something behind that decision from Shanahan. Makes you wonder if he's trying to anger McNabb into playing more accurate & motivated the rest of the season. I do remember 2 years ago the last time McNabb was benched during a game- he wound up getting his team on a hot streak and was 1 quarter away from going to Super Bowl- so I wouldn't push the panick button on the Skins, there's still another 8 games left in the season. I'm actually happy that the Skins finally have a bye week since for once I won't have to be stressed watching a nail biter game lol, since all their games this season have gone down to the wire and no comfy games

Randy Moss as a Tennessee Titan? We'll have to see how that turns out but I don't think he's as good as he thinks he is. Vince Young isn't as consistant & good of a QB as Brett Favre & Tom Brady are, so I don't expect Moss to have that many big games this season. He's still better then the average WR though and with him and Chris Johnson on the same offense- that could become a hard offense for defenses to defend.

Congrats to the 2010 World Series champions San Francisco Giants on their World Series victory- to the vismal of my fellow SFBOM collegue Jenn lol ;)

I spotted this new ad on youtube that I saw on PTI on ESPN today where the city of Cleveland did a reply to Lebron James' new Nike commericial, I think its great since I think Lebron has too big of an ego & Lebron didn't have to be such a jerk about leaving Cleveland during the offseason:



For my NFL Picks this weekend, I'll go with the 4 best games on schedule for this Sunday/Monday along with picks from me, Jenn, Krista, Fred, and a few other newbie pickers here & I'll add and update all our picks throughout the weekend:

Sunday 1pm
(CBS)Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens

Mark: Fins - Miami has proven that they are a good road team this season and can see the Ravens having a letdown after their bye week

Jenn: Ravens

Krista: Fins

Fred:Ravens

Terri: Ravens

New Jack: Ravens

Matt: Ravens

Mike: Ravens

Jerry: Ravens

(FOX)Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons

Mark: Falcons- I think the Bucs are a young upcoming team but don't think they are an for real team when things are all set and done this season when their in the same division to the Falcons and Saints. Not to mention their blowout home losses to the Saints & Steelers showed me that the Bucs are lucky to be 5-2

Jenn: Falcons

Krista: Falcons

Fred: Bucs -Fred's "Upset of the Week"

Terri: Falcons

New Jack: Falcons

Matt: Falcons

Mike: Bucs

Jerry: Falcons

Sunday 4pm(CBS)
(CBS)Indianapolis Colts at Philadelphia Eagles

Mark: Colts - Peyton is getting in the zone now and thats a dangerous thing for all defenses playing against him

Jenn: Colts

Krista: Colts

Fred: Colts

Terri: Colts

New Jack: Colts

Matt: Colts

Mike: Colts

Jerry: Colts

(CBS)Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

Mark: Chiefs- look for the Chiefs running attack of Thomas Jones and Jammall Charles to bust some big runs on the Raiders and for Raiders QB Jason Campbell to throw some INTs

Jenn: Chiefs

Krista: Raiders

Fred: Chiefs

Terri: Chiefs

New Jack: Raiders

Matt: Chiefs

Mike: Raiders

Jerry: Chiefs

I went 1-3 last week while Jenn & Krista went 2-2, and Fred won the pack with a 3-1 record. For the rest of the season- I'm adding a few more of my close friends to make their picks on here as well who have contributed to the blog in someway!

On a last note for this column, wanted to recommend you all check out the Dan Patrick Radio show, on TV & radio. Its been airing on DirecTV's Channel 101 the last year but recently start airing nationally throughout the country. For all of my Florida friends, it airs on FOX Sports Net Florida from 9am-12pm weekdays ;) Dan Patrick is the best radio show personality out there and his show is so entertaining and funny to watch, what was ESPN's loss is NBC's and ours gain:



I changed the look of the blog too to make it more appealing looking. For the new viewers of the blog, if you'd like to see how this Skins, Fins & Bears...Oh My! blog journey started, click on the bottom of the page where it says "Older posts" or check out the first blog post on here from late September-
http://sfbom.blogspot.com/2010/09/mdb-mania-92410-debut-column.html

Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy the start of November!

I just don't get it...

*Post Caveat: I've never played football. I've only watched from the comfort of my couch, and a few times from a stadium seat. But I like to think I know a little about it.*

This is getting ridiculous.

When it was first announced that Mike Shanahan was going to replace Jim Zorn as head coach for the Washington Redskins, I was relieved. Finally, a coach with some experience and a history of winning and success. Sure, we had Joe Gibbs a few years back, but it wasn't the same as the glory days of the 80's.

But I'm beginning to have some doubts. The way he handled the last 2 minutes of the game this weekend against the Lions was terrible. Deciding to bench Donovan McNabb in favor of Rex Grossman, a quarterback who has only played in 1 NFL regular-season game since November 2008, was inexcusable. But Shanahan had his excuses. A few of them, actually.

First, it was explained that Shanahan thought Grossman was better prepared to run the 2 minute offense. If this was actually the case, why haven't they put Grossman in during previous games for the 2 minute offense?

Second, it was said that he thought McNabb's "cardiovascular endurance" wasn't where it should be to run the offense effectively, and some nagging hamstring injuries would hamper him. But his hamstring injury didn't seem to be that big of an issue on his long run that set up the first Redskins' score. Shanahan also had plenty excuses for Grossman's fumble that led to the Lions' last touchdown ("We weren't counting on pressure coming up the middle"....because that wasn't happening all day?).

Given McNabb's experience and ability, I'm baffled as to the real reason of this decision. He's been playing football for most of his life. He knows what to do. A couple of out-patterns, a few ball spikes. Standard procedures for going the length of the field with no timeouts. Unfortunately, he's become the scapegoat (yet again). Yes, some of his passes have been off the mark and his completion percentage is about 8-10 points lower than I'd like it. But our offensive line is awful. And our receiving corps are probably bottom 5 in the league.

Doing what Shanahan did, and not actually giving the truth behind it, not only alienates fans, but the players too. It also stirs up controversy that didn't need to be stirred. We've had enough waffling between quarterbacks for too many years now.

Hopefully this is just a minor bump on a long, successful road.

The MDB Mania- 10/26/10..The NEW JOISEY edition

Hey everybody- Whew what a last 2 weekends I had- lets just say lots of driving and lots of fun fun fun! The last column I promised you guys and gals that I'd write a recap of my Atlantic City trip as well as my trip the weekend before in New Jersey too. Don't worry, no dumb references of the stupid Jersey Shore TV show here lol :D It's gonna be a long post so get ready to stay in your chair for a good 10 minutes lol ;)


I'll start off with October 16th weekend at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Monroe, NJ. There was an event going on there called the Legends of the Ring thats been one of the most successful conventions in the northeast over the last 6 years. I sorta thought about going to it, but since I was planning to go to Atlantic City the weekend after, I wasn't going to go to LOTR- but my good friend of alot of years now, Tam, contacted me a week before the show and asked if I could possibly help her out, so I was like sure why not- since I hadn't seen her in a few months and thought it would be great to see her again. Next thing I know, I end up going to NJ 2 Fridays in a row which was a first for me....and my car as well lol


Overall the LOTR weekend was pretty good. I was able to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in awhile, as well as meet some new ones. The drive up was such a mess though! One thing I learned from that is DO NOT leave to go up northeast during rush hour....ugh lol. I wound up getting stuck in Maryland and Delaware forever thanks to road work and toll booths for some reason taking eons to wait at. Once I finally got to the hotel and settled in, I hung out and relaxed & my friend Jerry came up and said hey, and wound up getting into the Ring Roast of Jim Cornette, which was ok. The comedians that night that I saw were pretty weak, but it was cool seeing Cornette get recognition since hes one of the all time great wrestling managers



-Me & Missy Hyatt
-Me & wrestling tag team legend "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton




One of the highlights of that weekend was seeing my friend Danielle and her family again. This girl and her family are an inspiration who have gone through alot and keep on fighting and having a great life and not to mention, they are so fun to be around! I wound up hanging out with them and & their close friend Torrie Wilson & her bf Nick that Friday night until like 3am...fun times! Torrie remembered me from us hanging out after the Wrestlers Rescue dinner 2 years ago and has always stayed sweet. Me & Torrie were talking about Boise State since I know thats where she's from and she was so jealous of me going to that Boise/Virginia Tech game last month when I showed her my clips and pics from it! hehe :)

-Me, Danielle, her parents, Torrie & Nick

-This was meant to be a picture but the camera was actually set on video so you can see all of us looking like we're ready for a pic and not a video lol :D Its the same one as above. We all hung out late into the night at the hotel bar & in Danielle's hotel room until 3am- it was a fun fun Friday night :) 10/15/10 in Monroe, New Jersey at the Crowne Plaza Hotel

Oh if your wondering, here's one of the clips I showed Tor from the Boise State game from early Sept ;)




The LOTR show itself on Saturday the 16th was a good time. Tammy was telling me it was slower then usual for those shows but we still did ok there and alot of fans did come up to us so it was decent. One moment that was cool was when former WWE diva Serena came up to say hi to us, and I mentioned to her about remember hearing about her going to a nearby high school to me(she went to Oakton High School and graduated in 2004, and I went to rival Chantilly High School and graduated there in 2002) so we joked and had fun with that hehe. I helped Tammy out with handling her fans who were buying autographs and pics from her and was her pic taker. Tam was a blast to work with and so easy going and would love to help her out again soon whenever she needs and wants my help- she knows Im around, since I know your reading this Tam lol ;) Your awesome :) Here's the new promo Tammy did for the blog as well as a few pics I took from that LOTR day:



-Me and Tam



-Me & Jerry

Me & Paul

-Me & Danielle

-Tam & some 6'9 wrestler. She's huge!!

-Me & Torrie


After that weekend, it was a normal work week for me, and then this past Friday the 22nd I came back up to NJ, but this time the location and event were alot more different then the weekend before. Thanks to my awesome bud Jerry, he got me hooked up to be at the MMA & Sports Expo in Atlantic City, NJ at the Taj Mahal Casino Hotel. Safe to say, this location was alot more around it then there was in Monroe,NJ lol. It was the first time I've been to Atlantic City in 15 years. The last time I was there was only for like a brief 1-2 hours with my brother Erek and my mom on a summer roadtrip back from Wildwood,NJ. This time around, I got to enjoy the surroundings of the fancy hotels and boardwalk. I've never really been that into MMA so the fact that I was working a MMA related event was ironic lol. It lasted from Friday through Sunday so it was for the whole weekend.


-Trump Taj Mahal Casino on the boardwalk

On Friday night, they had this red carpet event going on where alot of the talent got all dressed up and interviewed by press. It was pretty cool with how it was setup, and by far- the hottest there was my friend,the Traci Brooks aka the Canadian Winnie Cooper(Danica McKellar from the TV show "Wonder Years") hehe :) Hubba Hubba! lol- she looked great in her blue dress! I was able to catch up with my friends Josh and his PR person Christina too & and it was great to do that too since I hadn't seen him in almost two years. It was cool catching up with Alicia Webb & meeting X-Pac, two very nice & down to earth people! Also was great seeing wrestling photographer extraodinare Bob Mulrenin again 2 weekends in a row- I know we were happy when the Phillies lost on Saturday night lol. Also got to catch up with Marty Manoli again too, always a good guy & like Bob was happy about the Phillies losing, Marty had fun with the Yankees losing on Friday night too :D Jerry introduced me to Diamond Dallas Page aka DDP as well & he's one awesome dude that I look forward to working with more in the future. For those who don't know, DDP has his own Yoga company these days that I'd recommend you all checking out at http://www.yrgfitness.com -oh btw for those who don't know, he was the originator of the triangle hand gesture(Diamond Cutter) long before Jay-Z and Lebron stole it and called their own



-the lovely Traci Brooks




- Me and Xpac- we've got 2 words for ya.... ;)

-Me and Alicia, I was being a goofball here lol


-Traci and Jackie

-me & UFC star "Lights Out" Shonae Carter & Kim Coture

-Me & Josh

-Me, Josh, Christine, and DDP

-DDP lines me up for the Diamond Cutter hehe

-me in front of the MMA cage

Heading into the weekend, honestly had no idea what I would be doing other then being a staff member. I thought I was going to help out my friend Traci, but I wasn't 100% sure what the promoter had planned for me, but I would of preferred working with Traci- but thats me lol. I was the one who helped Traci get interested in doing the show, so that felt great to be responsible for her being there and having a great time :) They gave me a free staff shirt for the show to wear so that way no one working the show would think I was some random guy trying to sneak in ha. The only bad thing was the shirt they gave me to wear was like almost two times my size and would of been better for me if I was 30 pounds overweight haha, but I didn't have time to shrink the shirt- so I had to wear it. Basically what I did at the show was walk around alot and made sure things were going good for the talent involved. It was a little different for me, since anyone who knows me knows when Im around people I don't usually see much, I get really shy. Everyone was totally cool that I met and got to hang with. There was so much neat stuff involved at the expo throughout the weekend. They had different booths/events going on in the arena like arm wrestling, cooking, karate, weightlifting, and bodybuilding competitions in additon to being able to meet all the talent. Here's some pictures and a video from the expo in the weekend:

-Video of bodybuilding competition ending including Alicia Webb, Tony Atlas, April Hunter, X-Pac, Rob Terry, and Traci Brooks

-Kurt Angle and April Hunter



-me and Bonebreakers girl. They had cool looking designed shirts there and I bought one






-DDP hosting his YRG Yoga class sessions at the Expo

-Me, Alicia, and Traci hanging out at the bar on Saturday night, and we were all being funny :D The Phillies were losing to the Giants in the NLCS during that on the big screens and us all high fived each other- fun times :)

-me & UFC legend Dan "The Beast" Severn

-Me & Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. One of the all time greats

-me and ROH's Prince Nana. It sure feels good to be royalty :)

-Me filming DDP's promo for my friend Fred(I look so nerdy here haha :D)

-me & Traci(who I helped get booked for the event)

-Traci knows my most sensative spots :D


On the Saturday, there was a cool moment where in the female bodybuilding competiton, Jackie Haas(former WWE/TNA diva) was a part of it, and shes good friends with Traci, Marty, Scott Epstein(their hookup for the event). She wound up winning the event, and I got a nice vid out of it since I was standing next to Jackie's friends when she won and they were all happy :) You go girl!






I also met a new friend, June, who I see big things for in the future! :) She's a total sweetheart that I'll look forward to seeing again soon :)




Saturday was pretty busy, but Sunday was pretty dead at the show. I think it had to do with NFL games going on mainly. With it being dead, it gave me and the talent more time to talk with each other which was nice. I was also able to snap some new vids for the blog with DDP & Traci. Thanks you 2 so much for doing that! DDP's was great since alot of the stuff he said came on the fly & the one with me and Traci came out great since it was cheesy but in a good way lol. Check them out!

-DDP doing a video promo for Skins, Fins & Bears...Oh My!

-Me & my lovely bud Traci welcome you to Skins,Fins,& Bears..Oh My!

Overall, it was one heck of an experience both weekends. If you would of told me like 8/10/12 years ago that I'd be doing and seeing the stuff/people that I've been doing these last few weeks and 2+ years- I would of been in heaven and thought I was crazy! I was one of those guys back in middle school and high school who would wear the wrestling t-shirts around proud that never would of thought that all these years later, that I'd be doing the stuff I've been doing. Its really cool when I sit down and think about it for sure. Just goes to show if anyone wants to dream about anything, its possible :)

I want to also give a big shoutout and huge thanks to 2 people I mentioned earlier who were responsible for me having these experiences the last 2 weeks- Tammy Sytch & Jerry Sorrentino. Tammy....what can I say- I've been lucky enough to have known her personally for like 12 years now ever since the days on AOL when we were TSytch1033, ECWCANMAN, and Markola98...god times flies haha. She's also one of the sweetest people that I know. Lastly- Jerry....the man responsible for getting me hooked up with the access in Atlantic City at the Expo. You did alot for me and will forever be greatful for that, and will look forward to our new journey with your new upcoming company!

Onto sports & entertainment related happenings-

My Washington Redskins survived a ugly game vs. the Bears on Sunday. I wasn't able to watch it since I was driving back home from AC, but glad I missed it sorta lol. I was able to catch the 30 minute version of the game later on Sunday night when I got home thanks to my NFL Sunday Ticket package. If it wasn't for D'Angelo Hall- they would be a 3-4 record by now just like their defense gameplan, but thankfully they pulled out the win and are only a game back of 1st in the NFC East. Go Skins go! :)

The hockey season so far has been back and forth. The Washington Capitals(my hometown team) are doing ok so far with a 5-3. The surprise team so far has to be the Nashville Predators with a 5-0 record(I know your happy with that Traci ;) Its gonna be interesting to see how the season goes, and as long as the Caps don't win the Presidents Trophy again- they should have better luck in the postseason lol, since usually the team who wins the regular season presidents cup trophy ends up really choking in the playoffs

I'm ok with the new BCS rankings but still think Boise State is getting screwed. I think Auburn is gonna lose one of these games coming up and Oregon is bound for a letdown game. I wanna see Boise Vs. TCU in the title game just to upset all the big conference & SEC fans lol

Yay- glad to see my picks in the LCS series win and face each other in the World Series. The Giants/Rangers series is gonna be a fun series to watch I have a feeling. I'm gonna pick the Giants to win in 7 games and its gonna come down to how well San Fran's pitching can do vs. the Rangers hot bats

I'm happy Kurt Warner is still alive on Dancing with the Stars, but am not surprised since the football guys on there usually do great and get alot of fan support. Hopefully he doesn't get eliminated tonight! Honestly, the only reason I watch that show is whenever the sports athletes are on(Jerry Rice, Chad Ocho Cinco, Kenny Mayne lol,etc.) not for "celebs" like Sarah Palin's daughter and a Jersey Shore airhead

Here's my 4 NFL Game picks for this week:

Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions-
My pick: Redskins, this is gonna be an dangerous game and after their loss to the Rams last month- we'll see if Washington can step it up against a underrated 1-5 Lions team thats better then their record

Jenn's pick: Lions
Krista's pick: Redskins

Miami Dolphins at Cincinatti Bengals- My pick: Bengals, I think they'll start to get back on track this week

Jenn's pick: Bengals
Krista's pick: Fins

Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints- My pick: Steelers, I see a big game for Steelers WR Mike Wallace

Jenn's pick: Saints
Krista's pick: Saints

Houston Texas at Indianpolis Colts: My pick: Colts, this will be the game of the week and fitting its on a Monday night. I think the Colts are gonna start going on their annual long hot winning streaks now

Jenn's pick: Colts
Krista's pick: Colts

Thats all for today and I know it was alot to read so I'll close it out now. Thanks for coming again and until next time- cyanora :)

Mark

The MDB Mania- 10/21/10

Hey everybody! Figured it was time for a new post. I had a fun weekend up in the northeast that I'll get into on my new column here next week since I'll be doing an event in Atlantic City this weekend & will do a report,pics & vids describing both my weekends in New Jersey

With the baseball playoffs in full steam- so far its looking like my pre LCS series picks are doing good with the Rangers & Giants both leading their series's at the moment. There's no doubt that San Fran and Texas are 2 good teams who are pretty talented in different fascets of the game. The Rangers have the offense bat power while the Giants have alot of pitching power. For me, it'd be nice to see them since the Yankees are about always in the World Series every year & the Phillies have been in the last 2 years, so it'd be fresh blood in the big baseball series. It's hard not to root for Josh Hamilton too. His long road story to go from phenom to alcoholic to a rejuvinated sober superstar has been a story worthy of a future movie done about him. I saw a story done on him on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, & after watching that- if he wins the World Series this year.....he deserves it so much

Like I predicted in my post on here last week, the Colts wound up winning over the Redskins. I knew Washington was in trouble as soon as Carlos Rogers dropped an easy intereception & then how Peyton Manning was rushing the playcalling and confusing the Skins defense easy. I was surprised that the game was as close as it was, but shows that this year's Redskins are no slouch, even with a 3-3 record and will fight through alot of games. Even with a loss- they are building alot of character, and having Donovan McNabb as the QB brings alot of leadership and experience. Yeah....he has his faults, but he brings alot of positives too. Who would of thought that a Anthony Armstrong would become a WR threat?

The whole deal with the NFL hard hits has been interesting to witness over time. I know alot of the football players & enthusants don't like the new rules the NFL has enforced to help players safety, but these guys need to realize if they want to have a long life after finishing their careers- its only going to help them in the long run. No need to feel like you have to be all macho just because you feel tough enough to pound someone's head out into getting a concussion. Some people don't know this, but the whole awareness about the lasting effects of football players who get concussions all got started from the investigative reports done on the Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel show 3 years ago, and it was former WWE wrestler & Harvard graduate Chris Nowinski who got the ball running with it:



I know football is an hard hitting sport, and alot of people love the big hits, but the last thing I would like to see happen in a future game is someone end up getting killed from a blow to blow helmet hit to the head. Hopefully the new rules will help save lives & still make the game of football a great game to play and watch as a fan

For my NFL picks this week, its gonna be interesting since 2 of the 3 names for our blog title will play each other(Skins at Bears), so it's gonna be a fun weekend

Washington Redskins at Chicago Bears: I'm gonna go with my team, the Redskins(sorry Jenn lol). I think Cutler is in a middle of a funk & that he's gonna find a way to turn the ball over at the worst time

Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins: Steelers- With Big Ben back, I think they are a even better team & Miami seems to struggle at home more this season then the road for some reason

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers: Vikings- I think GB is in a middle of a cluster and injuries are catching up to them. I can see Favre even with his current off the field problems going through a rebirth in a way this season now that he has Randy Moss to throw to, and its a matter time before we start seeing Favre to Moss bombs daily every week this season

Philadelphia Eagles at Tennessee Titans: Titans- Tennessee isn't no slouch either & this is gonna be Philly's first true test on the road this season with a decent team and think their gonna have trouble with Chris Johnson. Btw- thanks Chris for making me lose both of my fantasy league games last week on that one last TD run last Monday night...ugh lol- I love fantasy football, but there are times like that when you can't stand having bad luck playing it every once in awhile!

Until then, its time for me to head off to Atlantic City tomorrow for 3 days for a fun fun time! Have a enjoyable weekend everybody! & Who's got a wet towel? hehe :D



Marky Mark

The MDB Mania- 10/11/10

Hey everyone! I'm glad to hear that we have some new members to the blog who'll be able to add comments to our blog postings on here. If any of you would like to be able to post on the blog- send me a email at MarkBdk@yahoo.com & I'll hook you up!

I'll start this column out with talking a little about college football. I've been hearing about how the #1 and #2 teams should be teams like Oregon and Ohio State, but get tired of all the crap talk about how Boise State & TCU are small schools who don't deserve to play in the BCS Title game. I guess those same people didn't see what Boise State could do when they beat Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl & beating Oregon last year and TCU destroying some big name conference schools. As someone who saw Boise State play in person last month when they beat Virginia Tech near DC(the background for the title pic up top here on the blog), I don't see why Boise State can't play in the BCS Title game in January. Boise State is one of the most fun teams in college football, I mean yeah that blue turf always makes me go half blind whenever I watch a game from there in HD lol- but they are no joke. Teams like Ohio State and Alabama...I don't know, just something about those teams has always bored me. Go Boise and TCU!

Moving on to the NFL- yay Washington Redskins! :) They gutted it out and stayed in the game with the Green Bay Packers, but unlike all of their other games this season- they actually turned up the offense in the 2nd half instead of the 1ast, and the defense definately stepped it up and all their hard hits and not quitting payed off. The home game with the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning next week is gonna be another tough one and I have a feeling that Peyton is gonna torch up the Skins defense- but am hopeful that they find ways to win again and up to 4-2 and stay atop of the NFC East!

I've been watching the MLB Playoffs too and just saw the Giants beat the Braves. Congrats Giants! If I had to choose a World Series I'd like to see most- it would be the Rangers vs. Giants. I think that would be a fun matchup to watch and that Josh Hamilton's story from addiction to glory would be a great thing to witness.

For the 4 NFL games next weekend that I'll go for with predictions for these games:

Indianapolis Colts @ Washington Redskins: Hate to say it, but I think the Colts are gonna be hungry to get their first road win of the season- here's to hoping I'll be wrong with this pick!

Oakland Raiders @ San Francisco 49ers: Raiders(as long as Alex Smith stays in, they don't seem to have much hope left in the season)

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots: Pats(I think having a bye week is going to help them prepare for the Ravens D)

Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles: Falcons(They are a for real 4-1 team and I can see them lasting pretty good into the playoffs)

One last thing to end this column, if there's one word to put you in a better mood........YAHTZEE!!!!!!!!!!!! hehe :D



Marky Mark

The Furby Farabee- 10/11/10

Week 5 turned out to be a crazy week. We no longer have any unbeaten teams in the NFL The experts i'm sure are kicking themselves for saying that the cowboys would be the first team ever to make a super bowl played in their home stadium, with a record of 1-3 as we have just eclipsed the quarter mark of the season, its looking highly unlikely.

There is nothing normal about this NFL season has gone thus far. usually by week 5 the playoff picture begins to shape ever so slightly, just enough to were we can tell what teams have no chance, what teams have a 50/50 and what teams have a great chance. This season however, that is not the case. If the 1st quarter of the season is any indication on what the remaining 12 weeks have in store, its going to be one of the craziest seasons in the history of the NFL. There is no one team dominating the league right now, teams that should have lost, have won and vise versa.

The NHL season is officially a week old, nothing of note has happened yet as it is still way to early.

The NBA preseason is underway, while i personally do not care for the NBA (And havent for many years) for the topic of conversation I will say this....It will be interesting to see what adjustments teams have made in the off season, and hopefully come June we will have someone other then the Lakers representing the Western Conference

MLB Post-season is in full swing, and I'm glad the braves are done!

NASCAR's Chase for the cub is nearing the final races of the season. Saturday night they will be rockin and rollin down in Concord, NC for the Bank of America 500 will Jimmie Johnson continue to lead the chase? Or Will Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick continue to give Johnson a run for his money? Anything can happen.

College Football is nearing its halfway mark as well, however just like the NFL it has been a topsey turvey season there as well. Alabama's lost this week really caused a shakeup in the standings, while there are still a few more weeks before the BCS standings begin, how teams are rated in the AP and Coaches top 25 polls most certainly affect the "computers" rating of them.

4 down...12 to go.

The Houston Texans are in first place in the AFC South while the Colts share second place with the Jaguars. The Kansas City Chiefs are the only undefeated team in football. The Chicago Bears are in first place in the NFC North after Jay Cutler led the Bears past Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The St. Louis Rams are tied for first in the NFC West and look like the only team that can compete in that division.

If you said, “I called that in the offseason” to any of the above statements, you’re lying. We are 25% of the way through the season and man has it been a good one. There have been plenty of surprises, some a little more heart breaking than others. As much as I love college football, Gators fan through and through; parity is what makes the NFL far superior to the NCAA. If you look at a College football teams schedule you can tally the W’s and L’s and bet money you will be right within 1 win of the actual W-L record. The NFL is a whole different animal. The Lions are 0-4 and have managed to contend in every single one of those losses. You can’t deny that what makes the NFL so special is because the old adage, “Any Given Sunday” holds true, while college football is probably the most predictable sport.

The AFC South is most likely the biggest shock. What do you think of when you mention the AFC South? Peyton Manning. Period. Love him or hate him, Peyton Manning is the epitome of the QB position. For the last 7 or so years, Peyton Manning winning the division was automatic. It could be a struggle for the Colts this year. Manning is averaging a ridiculous 341.25 passing yards per game with 11 TDs to 1 INT and a 112.2 passer rating, and the Colts are still tied for second place. Matt Schaub was a nice story. Stuck behind Mike Vick in Atlanta, Schaub was traded so he could get his chance to start. It was a rocky start to his tenure in Houston but management was smart. They stuck with Schaub and gave him the chance to grow with his teammates and it has paid off. Did you ever think you would turn on ESPN and hear that the Texans orchestrated a miraculous comeback to beat ANYBODY? Now they are beating NFC East teams? Since when? The Texans are 3-1, the Colts, Titans and Jags are tied for second at 2-2. This division race is going to be a knock down drag out fight until the end.

The reason I feel the Texan being in first place in the South is slightly, just slightly more impressive than the Chiefs being the only remaining undefeated team left in the league is very simple. Peyton Manning aside, the balance of power is shifting in the AFC West. The Raiders are obviously still garbage, no debating that. The Broncos can’t decide if they want to win or lose each week. When they want to win, the Broncos are scary…when they want to win. When the Broncos are looking bad, they are looking BAD! The Chargers are going to have a rough season this year. The Chargers have scored 113 points to opponents 71, but the Chargers are 2-2 for a reason. The Chargers blew out both the Cardinals and the Jaguars combining for 79pts in both game, but put up a measly combined 34pts in games against the Chiefs and the Seahawks. Philip Rivers still looks phenomenal but is obviously missing Vincent Jackson. The Chargers need to sign Jackson or trade him and get something for him. Jackson is sitting on the bench instead of padding Rivers’ stats. The Chiefs are looking solid. Jamaal Charles is a stud and I don’t think anyone is surprised that Thomas Jones is still a top notch starting half back. The surprise has been the Chiefs D. They have been putting the pieces into place but everyone, including myself, doubted the Chiefs. We all could look very stupid come week 17. It’s still early, but the Chiefs are looking more and more like contenders and less and less like pretenders.

The only thing that has shocked me in the AFC North is the fact that the Steelers have played four games without their 2 time Superbowl Champion QB, and they are 3-1 and tied for first place with the Ravens. As much as I hate to say it, this year’s Steelers are great for football. In today’s high-flying elite offense NFL, it’s nice to see defense still dictates the W-L columns. The Bengals are 2-2, but just like last year are MAYBE a 9-7 team, that misses the playoffs this year. I’m worried for the Ravens fans. Their defense is for real, as usual, but their offense is disappointing thus far. The Ravens acquired Anquan Boldin and TJ Houshmandzadeh to help the offensive numbers explode. So far all they have done is implode. Their only impressive outing was against the the most unimpressive team for the last 20 years. They dismantled a pathetic Browns team coached by the most overhyped Belichick protégé ever. Mangini was anointed the next big thing before he coached his first game in the NFL, now we all see he is a joke. Mangini is coaching for his job next year, which will be a coordinator job somewhere.

The AFC East is, well, dominant. The only team that has beat the Patriots is the team they share a 3-1 first place record with. I will be the first to admit I was a Mark Sanchez doubter before his rookie year began and I still think he has a LOT to prove, but man is he having a monster year so far. The Jets are dismantling every team they play and are looking like favorites to head to the AFC Championship game for a second year in a row. Talk all the trash you want about Rex Ryan, he has this team stomping opponents into the dirt. The Dolphins are again a mediocre team and the Bills, unsurprisingly sit in the cellar at 0-4. The shock in this division has to be the trading of Randy Moss. Please allow me a moment to quote Deion Sanders, “Are you CRAZY?” They must be. Moss is a #1 wide receiver on ANY team in this league. Let me repeat that with a little more clarity. Stick Moss on ANY roster in this league, the Bengals, Jets, Ravens, Cowboys, Colts, Packers, Falcons or Saints. Randy Moss is automatically the best player on the field. Period. Better the Chad “I’m an egotistical moron” Johnson (I refuse to call him the O name), better than either Steve Smith, Roddy White, Terrell Owens, Greg Jennings, Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, ANYONE! Randy Moss is phenomenal and from what I have seen has never shown signs in New England of any of the issues he has been accused of in the past. Randy Moss traded to the Vikings = STUPID.

Say what you want about the Skins, but are we really surprised they are in first place in the NFC East? The Giants are 2-2 but have been outscored by opponents 72-88. The Giants D played well against the Bears shaky O-Line, but no one fears that defense anymore. Couple with the fact that the Giants run game is sorry, they will be lucky to finish above 3rd place. The Eagles gave up probably the most successful QB they have ever had for an unproven backup and a running back trying to prove he can play quarterback in this league. The Cowboys are what they are. The Cowboys have an enormous payroll, an enormously disappointing W-L record and a pathetically small margin in the pts for-against columns (54-53). The Cowboys are terrible and it’s easy to see why. The offense put up big numbers everywhere except the scoreboard. So much for Dallas playing a Superbowl in their home stadium.

Are you surprised the Vikings are 1-2 and sit deservedly in 3rd place? I’m not. Brad Childress should be ashamed of himself for allowing Favre to sit out all offseason. Favre should be embarrassed that he elected to sit. Favre was only in his second season with the Vikings so offseason work outs are important. Not just for Favre, but for his young receivers. Now that his primary targets are injured he has to make do with the back-ups he has had no practice with because he sat out all offseason. Oh, wait, the Vikes just traded for Randy Moss. Scratch the whole beginning to this paragraph because the Vikes just made the playoffs. The Bears look great, but it won’t last. The O-Line is weak and their receivers are unproven. The Bears will finish with a respectable record because their D but will miss the playoffs because their offense. The Packers will make the playoffs be it as division winner or wild card, but it will happen. Aaron Rodgers is too phenomenal to miss the playoffs. The Lions deserve credit for being 0-4, but having played well enough to reach 3-1 had things gone their way. Long season ahead for Lions fans.

The NFC South is a two team division. The Panthers are awful and are placing their fate in the hands of a rookie when they don’t have a team to help him along. The Bucs, in my opinion, have shown signs of progress but will still be a sub-.500 team for a few more years. The Falcons are just playing phenomenal. The Falcons could be 4-0 if a couple defenders could learn how to tackle Rashard Mendenhall. To follow that up with a win over New Orleans and you are making a strong case for winner of the NFC South. The Saints offense has had a slow start, but that’s ok because their defense is playing hard. The Saints will break the “Madden Curse,” they WILL be in the playoffs, and could be headed to Dallas for a repeat trip to the Superbowl.

I really don’t need to say much about the NFC West. There is really no surprise that the whole division is trash. The Niners have the best roster in the division, but have managed to play the worst out of any of the four teams comprising that division. The Seahawks showed flashes of brilliance but have stalled early and will miss the playoffs. The Cardinals lost their Hall of Fame QB and it has showed over the first four games. They are bad. No other way to word it, BAD. The Rams are tied for first place against two teams who are clearly inferior to the lowly Rams. The Niners are winless and are 2 games out of first place. With a division this bad, are you surprised the 1-15 Rams could become a playoff team this year?

The MDB Mania- 9/29/10

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a good weekend, even if some games didn't turn out the way you hoped it would....I'll get into that a little later

I decided to go to a preseason hockey game last night with one of my best friends Alex since he mentioned the idea last week. Figured why not do something fun on a Tuesday night, so we went to DC for a Bruins/Capitals game and had a good time. What was a neat moment was during the game, me and Alex moved from the upper level down to the lower one, and met him with his mom and one of the Capitals star players Alexandar Semin, his mom. Her and Alex's mom are actually really good friends so I met her and also met Alexandar Ovechkin's dad as well too at the game...go figure!

I thought I'd do a first on here, and post a video exclusively for the blog from the arena....so here it goes! Sorry if the PA guy had to be a rude ball and try to talk over me here at times lol :D



Here's a few pics I took at the same game:







One more thing from the game.....you can't go wrong to get ready for a hockey season without a....HOCKEY FIGHT! ;)




All I can say about that Redskins game vs. the Rams this past Sunday was yeah......pretty bad. The thing about it is their offense didn't look that bad and McNabb played good, but the 3-4 defense has been really awful the last 2 games. I know that Sam Bradford is going to be a good QB in the years to come, but in his 3rd game of his NFL career, he shouldn't of been torching a team's defense already like he did to the Skins. Its weird since you'd think about how they shut down the Cowboys in the opening game of the season that the defense would have a great season, but ever since the Texans started the comeback last week to be the Redskins- its like as if the defense just started to lose any momentum from the Dallas game that they had

I watched the Dolphins and Bears games as well and they were both good games to watch. The odd trend I noticed with our favorite teams(Mines-Skins, Krista-Dolphins, & Jenn-Bears) was how each of our teams would start out a game trailing by double digits(14-0 deficits for Skins and Fins, and 10-0 deficit for the Bears). For a little while- I thought that there was going to be a "Curse of the BlogBino" for all our teams after this blog got started up last week lol. Good thing for the Bears that they prevented that from happening and were able to pull it out from the Packers. I thought with how Aaron Rodgers was driving the ball late in the game that the Packers were going to pull it out, but Urlacher made a great play on defense with stripping the football out of Packers WR James Jones's hands and gave the Bears a chance to win the game which they took advantage of. I have a feeling the NFC North race is gonna go down to the wire until the last week of the season

The games next weekend look like they will be interesting. McNabb returning to play against the Eagles......will the Bears & Steelers go 4-0? The Skins game at Philly will be a big game for Washington if they want to get some needed positive energy going. Vick has been playing lights out the last 2 weeks, but this will be his first divisional opponent he plays this season so it'll be interesting to see how that goes. If the Redskins actually beat Philly on Sunday and go improve to a "2-2" record, then I will post a picture of me wearing a TuTu- lol I'm being serious too :D I would be encouraged to see Donovan beat his former team though and their fans since I always thought the city of Philly treated him so bad. I know he didn't win them a Super Bowl, but you can't deny the fact that he took them to so many playoff games and NFC Title games and he is a good QB

I went 0-4 in my picks last week so not the best start but here's the 4 handpicked games of the weekend to pick from for winners:

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles- My pick: Redskins(but if the Eagles win, its not going to surprise me)
Chicago Bears at NY Giants- My pick: Bears(Giants have been looking undisciplined and not playing well as a team the last few weeks)
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins- My pick: Patriots
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers- My pick: Go Steelers(beat those Ratbirds! as my Uncle and diehard Steeler fan would say ;)

Thats all for this latest column from me, but am so happy to see this becoming a good place for all sports chat and friends to chit chat at! Great posts before me from Jenn the last few days(great work girl! :), and her sis Krista will soon join along with us, and looking forward to reading their future upcoming posts on here as well. Also would like to welcome my friends Fred, Jerry and Alex on joining the blog as commenters on our columns if they'd like to share any options to what me, Jenn and Krista write- as well as write guest columns from time to time(For ex, Fred doing a football column & Alex doing a hockey one from time to time). Things are looking on the up! Take care everybody :)

Marky Mark