New Blog!

Hello to the 2 or 3 of you that ever read this Blog! :-)

I have decided to start a new Blog. I miss writing, and want to start writing again, and I just thought I'd make a Fresh Start. So...my new Blog address is:

http://errantramblingsofamiddleagedmedic.blogspot.com/


Please give it a read, and give me some feedback! Thank you! :-)


Jeff

I know it's been awhile, and I'll get into that later. I'm determined to start writing on my Blog consistently. But...after the shit-day I had today on the ambulance...

I'm not sharing what happened. Yet. But I will share this. A friend of mine, who lost his young wife and mother of his children to cancer 9 months ago, said something that rung true to me, especially today. He said, "life goes on". No...he wasn't the first one to ever say it. And he won't be the last. But...after today...I'm thinking, he's right. LIFE does go on. Death ends. So those of us who are still alive, are fortunate, and we need to move on. Past those that are no longer alive.

I understand that none of what I just said makes any sense to anyone that may read this. But today...for me...this makes sense. And I needed to put it in writing, so I can remind myself of this another day that I'm feeling like changing careers because of a bad call on the ambulance.

Bye Bye Eric Mangini

Spygate has come full circle. Mangini has been fired by the Jets, and now he's looking for a job. I'm fairly sure he won't be approaching Bob Kraft about reclaiming a job with the Patriots!

Romeo Crennel was also canned today, which is too bad. He was a very good Defensive Coordinator, but it just didn't work out for him as a head coach in Cleveland. Hopefully he'll find a fit somewhere within the NFL.

11-5, and starting the offseason in December

Well, the NFL Regular Season is over. Without patting myself on the back too much, the Patriots have finished the season with an 11-5 record, as I predicted about 15 weeks ago. They lost some heartbreakers, got completely ransacked, won some squeakers, and won some blowouts. Interestingly enough, a couple of their blowouts/shutouts came in 27" of snow or 145mph winds! OK...I embellish a bit.

Today, they had one game left, against a Buffalo Bills team that started strong, and then eviscerated themselves about 1/3 of the way through the season. The Patriots won, 13-0 in blustery, wind-driven weather with wind gusts of 70mph, that actually bent the Goal Posts over to the point that they had to be righted by staff before a Field Goal or Extra Point could be kicked!

So, Patriot Nation should rejoice. 11-5 is a VERY respectable record, especially if you consider 15 different players placed on Injured Reserve, including their starting MVP Quarterback! Ahhhhh... 11-5. Life is good.

Oh, did I mention that the Patriots did NOT make the Playoffs??????

But wait, is that fair? I mean, really! Let's look at who made the Playoffs with worse, and in some cases, MUCH worse, records!

AFC West: San Diego Chargers: 8-8

NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles: 9-6-1

NFC North: Minnesota Vikings: 10-6

NFC South: Atlanta Falcons: 11-5 (same record as Patriots)

NFC West: Arizona Cardinals: 9-7

Wow. Going 11-5 doesn't guarantee you a Playoff spot anymore. Now, most of those other winners are in the NFC (does that say that the NFC is Weaker than the AFC??? I'm not going there!). But, the facts don't change. The Patriots finished 11-5, and still did not the Playoffs.

Well, I have to give a hand to the Miami Dolphins. Last year, they finished 1-15. This year, they finished 11-5 and made the Playoffs. Bravo to them! I wish they had done worse, but they deserve a lot of credit.

The Jets...they just have hit rock-bottom at the wrong time of the season. IE: The End. I have to think that Favre is done, for good, now. This is it. He'll retire again this year, and this time, it will be for good. He was good for the Jets. He was good in the sense that Pennington did more for the Dolphins then he would have for the Jets. Where do the Jets go from here for a QB? Not sure, but I have my bets henched on Mangina trying to entice Cassel. We'll see how that goes. And, there's a RUMOR (and I put that in caps because not too many Sports Announcers are talking about it, so it's still very much in the rumor stage), that Brady may need another knee surgery, and that his 2009 season is in jeopardy. No matter whether that is rumor or fact...I just have a hard time seeing Bellichek letting Cassel go, not knowing how and when Brady will be back. If they Franchise Cassel, it'll cost them $14 million. Is that too much for a tried and true Starting QB? One that, when Brady comes back, is worth a LOT in trade??? I don't think there's any question, that Brady is the Patriot's QB, when he's healthy. No matter how well Cassel did. But by keeping Cassel, they could make sure they start the season with a worthy QB, if Brady can't start. And still have time to give Brady some time before the trade deadline.

Just my $.02, of course. And we shall see! :-)

Wow! It's been awhile!

It's been quite awhile since I've posted, and I apologize to the 2 or 3 of you who read my Blog. Life has just gotten in the way of me having extra time to write here.

BUT...here I am. So bear with my Jaded Diatribe, mostly to do with the New England Patriots.

Way back when, right after Brady got hurt, and the reality set in that Cassel was the starting QB, I predicted that the Patriots would still end this season at either 11-5 or 10-6. And it looks like that prediction will hold true. Of course...with the mess that is the AFC East...they could still end the season 11-5 and NOT make the Playoffs! What's up with THAT!?!?!?!?!??? But Miami has done an About Face, and the Jets are making the most of the "Favre Hype", so all 3 teams are contenders. The Bills...well, they have imploded. Can you imagine how much more intriguing this would be if the Bills had played consistently throughout the season!

I think the Patriots will win against the Cardinals this weekend. It's going to be a messy, wet and cold game. Will the snow end, and the rain begin, by game-time? Or will it be just snow? No matter what...this is NOT Arizona weather! I think Kurt Warner is having the season of his career, but he hasn't been playing in really shitty weather. That will most likely hurt him the most.

I also think the Patriots will beat the Bills, although I'm more afraid of that game than I am of the Cardinals game. By next weekend, the Bills will have less than nothing to play for. Except to make a statement. And I hate statement games!

Anyway...I will put the Patriots squeaking into the Playoffs, with an 11-5 record. Depending on who they would play first, I don't see them making it very far into the post-season.

And this is where I turn my attention to the fact that...no matter what...this is Bellichek's BEST year of coaching this team YET! Think of the numerous injuries that this team has dealt with. And I'm not just talking about a sore hammy or a sprained finger. I mean of all the real, season ending injuries, starting with Brady in the first game. Then turning to the backup quarterback (which has become a "fad" this season, and it's amazing that a number of the backups are doing ok!) Then playing in a VERY competitive Conference. I think the Patriots have done much better than most teams would have, given the amount of players lost to injuries. Of course, I do believe that, no matter what the "game plan" is, the players still have to produce. But I think first and foremost, that Game Plan is key. And that's where I give Bellichek many kudos. Maybe others won't agree, because they are still living in the past and the days of "Spygate". But he is a machine. An amazing machine. And the Patriots are very, very lucky to have him as head-coach!

I promise to start posting more. I miss my little old Blog. :-)

I'm ok with this loss. I realy am.

OK, so I haven't posted in a little bit. The Patriots beat the Bills. They pushed the Bills from 1st place to last place in the AFC East. They entered this game against the Jets tied with them for 1st place. And they lost.

I'm ok with this loss. I really am. The Jets didn't beat the Patriots. The Patriots beat the Patriots. They beat themselves. Many dropped passes, and stupid penalties cost the Patriots this game. I truly feel they outplayed the Jets. Cassel through for 400 yards, 3 Touchdowns, a Passing 2-point conversion, and oh, did I mention, 62 yards running? He led the team in running yardage! Compared to Favre's 258 passing yards, 2 passing TD's, and ran for no yardage. The legendary Favre didn't beat Cassel and the Patriots. The Patriots lost this game. Plain and simple.

I still feel that Patriots can go 10-6 this season. I don't think they'll beat the Steelers, and I'm still up in the air about whether they beat the Dolphins. If they don't beat the Dolphins next week, then I don't see them making the Playoffs. The AFC is a very competitive Division, and the AFC East suddenly has good teams in it. We shall see!

OK...can I just share something that I'm VERY SICK AND TIRED OF about?!?!?!

I'm so sick of Sports Announcers (and everyone else), comparing Matt Cassel to Tom Brady. GET OVER IT! Matt Cassel is NOT Tom Brady! He's a completely different person! It's true. I'm so sick of every time that Cassel under or over throws a ball, or makes a mis-read, or whatever, and the announcer will pipe in that, "Brady would have done this...Brady wouldn't have thrown that...Brady would have been looking at his shoes and just chucked the ball to Moss". Get over it! Matt Cassel isn't Tom Brady. He told us all that after week 1. He wasn't trying to be Tom Brady, he was trying to be Matt Cassel. Is one better than another? Look at Cassel's stats for this game. I've listed them above. Yes, the Patriots still lost this game. But a game is not, or should not, be centered on the Quarterbacks' shoulders.

10-6. I see it very do-able. If the beat Miami. I don't know that this years Patriots could go on to win the Superbowl. But I do think they're worth of making the Playoffs. We shall see.

Patriots, Mid-Season

So the Patriots are tied, mid-season, with the Bills and the Jets, in the AFC East, at 5-3. And, for the record, there are only 6 other teams in the entire NFL, with a better record. I still feel good about the Patriots. I still put them at 10-6, possibly 11-5. It's these next 3 games that are the most important, to me. Playing against 3 Divisional teams, the Bills the Jets, and the Dolphins, is key. Forget Pittsburgh, with their good Offense and great Defense. Nevermind Arizona, who has Kurt Warner throwing like a damned mad-man! These next 3 games, to me, decide the 2008 future of the New England Patriots.

The Bills started strong, but are showing their weaknesses. I think the Patriots can beat them, twice. The Jets, well it's Mangina's Jets...the Pat's will be gunning for them in grand fashon. That leaves the Dolphins. The Patriots are hungry...no...STARVING, for a rematch, to make up for their embarrassing loss back in the early season. Ronnie Brown and the "Wildcat" can kiss my buttocks. The Pat's, and Belichick, are gunning for this rematch. You can count on that.

3 weeks to prove what the rest of the season will bring. This is crunch-time, folks. Let's kick some AFC East butt, and move towards the Playoffs!!!