SNL Tiger Woods skit has Blake Lively playing Elin Nordegren

The SNL Tiger Woods skit is totally off the hook. It aired last night on the popular NBC Saturday Night Live telecast hosted by 'Total Babe for Tiger Woods' Gossip Girl's Blake Lively, (@itsmelively).

Blake Lively

Tiger Woods is played by Kenan Thompson and Lively is his wife Elin Nordegren. The setting is a CNN Situation Room report where SNL actor Jason Sudeikis is Wolf Blitzer. CNN breaks to a new Tiger Woods report explaining another accident that covers for the fact that she kicked his butt after his misstatements during press conferences!

Blake Lively does more of a German than Swedish accent, but who's paying attention to that?

Oscar buzz: Live Action Short Films paired to 10 from 71

AMPAS, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, announced that out of 71 entries, 10 films advanced in the voting process for the three to five nominees that will make up the Live Action Short Film category at the 2010 82nd Annual Academy Awards. The movies, listed in alphabetical order by title and with their production company, are:

* “The Door,” Juanita Wilson, director, and James Flynn, producer (Octagon Films Ltd.)
* “The Ground Beneath,” Rene Hernandez, director, and Kristina Ceyton, producer (Passion Pictures)
* “Hotel,” Tim Conrad, director-producer (Oyster Films)
* “Instead of Abracadabra,” Patrik Eklund, director, and Mathias Fjellstrom, producer (Direktorn & Fabrikorn)
* “Kavi,” Gregg Helvey, director-producer (Gregg Helvey)
* “Miracle Fish,” Luke Doolan, director, and Drew Bailey, producer (Druid Films)
* “The New Tenants,” Joachim Back, director, and Tivi Magnusson, producer (Park Pictures)
* “The Response,” Adam Rodgers, director, and Sig Libowitz, producer (Look at the Moon Productions)
* “Short Term 12,” Destin Daniel Cretton, director-producer, and Michelle Steffes, producer (Destin Cretton)
* “Sidney Turtlebaum,” Tristram Shapeero, director, and Daniel Jewel, producer (Third Man Films Limited)

The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee paired the list from 71 to the 10 listed. Now, AMPAS Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will cast their votes for the final nominee safter screenings that are coming to San Francisco, as well as Los Angeles and New York in January 2010.

The favorite in this area is hard to determine, but Steve Pond over at The Wrap has done a great job of presenting each movie with a video where available. Please take time to read his blog!

Pete Carroll with grad student - Charlie Weis says he didn't say it

The talk in sports is former Notre Dame Head Coach Charlie Weis mistaken blast on USC Coach Pete Carroll during a wide-ranging interview with Irish Illustrated. Before I get to some of the other notable comments Weis made, let's focus on the one that's got everyone talking and produced some confusion with me.

Pete Carroll and Charlie Weis (ESPN)

First, Weis makes a profound statement to Irish Illustrated:

Q: You talked about the negativity with the media and the community, and the irreparable harm that it’s done on your family.
CW: What people don’t understand is that in the day of the Internet and tweeting and everything else that’s out there, when people put things out that are not based on fact, they all come back to your family. They all come back. As hardened as I am and as many blows as I’ve taken, I’m still standing, fellas. They didn’t beat me down. But they beat my wife down and they beat my son down. Hannah doesn’t know what she doesn’t know. So they didn’t beat her down.


But the pain that Maura went through and Charlie went through, I’ll never forgive them is the term. You can take all the shots you want at me. Fire away, but you have to understand that when they’re personal, they go directly to your wife and kids, and that’s really inexcusable. Those people really should be ashamed of themselves. As a matter of fact, I’ll make sure that the next time I’m at the Grotto, I’ll light one for all those people so that maybe they can see the light and stop being so vindictive. It’s a shame. It really is.

Here Coach Weis is right on. In the old days of media, nasty, lying, and insulting letters to the editor never saw the light of day; now Internet comment trolls are allowed to get away with murder. (Which is being curtailed slowly because they're harming website ad sales.)

But then Coach Weis goes off and says this:

Q: Is it frustrating to you Pete Carroll, for example, portrayed in one way…
CW: Let me ask you this question: You guys know about things that go on in different places. Was I living with a grad student in Malibu, or was I living with my wife in my house? You could bet that if I were living with a grad student here in South Bend, it would be national news. He’s doing it in Malibu and it’s not national news. What’s the difference? I don’t understand. Why is it okay for one guy to do things like that, but for me, I’m scrutinized when I swear. I’m sorry for swearing; absolve my sins.

Now given what Charlie Weis himself said in the same sentence, why would he go and do that? It feeds the same animals Weis says writes things he does not like regarding his family. Plus, it makes Weis look like a troll.

Coach Carroll, very upset, said this to USC sports information director Tim Tessalone:

“It’s untrue, it’s irresponsible, and it’s incredible he’d be talking about me like that,"

The Weis got wind of the Internet tidal wave and backtracked, saying...

“In no way was I trying to take a shot at Pete,” Weis said in a phone message. “What we were talking about was how the rumor mill can affect people’s lives. When I was asked a specific question like that, I responded like, 'This is the same crap that I’m talking about.' You start saying things like this and one thing, this guy does this and I do that and all of a sudden the Internet takes it all over the place.


"So, in no way was I trying to take a shot at Pete. I feel if I offended Pete, I will run Pete down and apologize. ... In no way do I have any idea what’s going on in anyone’s life other than the fact that rumors on the Internet can affect coaches' lives in a very, very negative fashion.”


“In no way would I be disrespectful to that guy,” and “All I know is that he kicked the crap out of me five times.”

I know for a fact Weis and Carroll don't like each other much, so Weis let a little of his reported issues with Carroll slip. It's not Coach Weis' finest moment.

It's too bad Coach Weis couldn't go out with class. He says he's going to coach for an NFL team next year. But here's hoping he thinks twice before he talks about other coaches in the future.

Also, Irish Illustrated should have used video rather than be accused of misquoting Weis.

Tiger Woods alienates black community with white lovers? Garbage!

The Associated Press' material can be a howler at times. The latest funny was this title: "Tiger Woods alienates black community with white lovers" which was conceived and written by a writer at the AP who presents his take on what the "Black Community" is and who represents it by turning to the old mainstream media standard, the legendary Tom Joyner.

Now, I love Tom Joyner, so it's not his fault; I'm aiming at the AP's 39-year-old Jesse Washington, who, while African American, has no idea what the "Black Community" is.

Jesse Washington

In a time when interracial dating is common, and black women with white men in commercials are more common than the opposite, its downright silly to complain about Tiger Woods' choice of female companions, blonde, brunette, or polka-dot, Rachel Uchitel, Jaimie Grubbs, Jamie Jungers, Kamile Moquin, Cori Rist, or Mindy Lawton.

Besides, why would any woman regardless of color want to be compared with or take the place of the alleged mistresses Tiger Woods has been linked to, given the PR backfire that can ensue?

Jesse Washington's AP-blasted take is a reflection of a certain part of Black America
that no longer represents the sum total of Black America: those who racially segregate themselves and hate any image of racial mixing for fear that it may result in the devaluation of their blackness.

Washington (who's background includes work in Detroit and New York City) reflects a part of the East Coast's Black Community that's far more hardened against and critical of interracial dating than on the West Coast, in San Francisco or Los Angeles or Oakland. I'm black and I'm certainly not the kind of person Washington implies "we" are. Moreover, many African Americans are not like that at all and root for Tiger Woods to overcome his problems.

What's interesting is Jesse Washington cherry-picked his sources to make the article he advanced. For example, he went to Tom Joyner as a source rather than The Root, the Washington Post-backed black blog site where Terence Samuel's blog post on Tiger Woods mentioned nothing about race.

And the study Washington references refers to adolescent interracial romance and not the adult American population. Washington should know that two studies referenced in the USA Today explain that interracial dating is so common in the Millenial Generation that the new generation "doesn't blink at interracial relationships."

And on a personal note, my mother and her friends and family, all black, still root for Tiger Woods. My African American friends who send emails and texts all want Tiger to succeed. So this idea Jesse Washington is advancing - that Tiger Woods' is in some way "alienated" from the black community - is just pure garbage with all due respect to Mr. Washington, who's overall work I enjoy.

I just disagree with my brother.

Tiger Woods 4th mistress - Media loses count of alleged affairs

Ok Tiger Woods 4th mistress is a headline, even as we have alleged mistresses number 5 and 6, Cori Rist and Mindy Lawton.

What's going on?

What's going on is at this point the media's not paying attention to details. Read my previous blog post for the right update on all of this.

But if you're keeping score, here's the list of alleged affairs: Rachel Uchitel, Jamie Grubbs, Kalika Moquin, Jamie Jungers, Cori Rist and Mindy Lawton.

Cori Rist and Mindy Lawton Tiger Woods alleged 5th and 6th affairs

Ok, within two days we've seen three more women surface claiming to have had affairs with Tiger Woods, and so many new names the media's losing count: Jamie Jungers, Cori Rist and Mindy Lawton.

Jamie Jungers was alleged mistress number four, but what happened was that an Orlando lawyer named Michael O'Quinn surfaced reporting that he represented the 4th mistress. But that was questionable because Jamie Jungers lives in Las Vegas and gave her story to a British tabloid. So that pointed to a 5th woman and possibly a 6th woman.

Now we have both and it means that my video presenting the first three will have to be revised, but here it is if you need a "who's who" background:



Again, that was Rachel Uchitel, Jamie Grubbs, and Kalika Moquin.

Now and again we have Jamie Jungers, Cori Rist and Mindy Lawton.

Jamie Jungers

So lets put them all in a row: Rachel Uchitel, Jamie Grubbs, Kalika Moquin, Jamie Jungers, Cori Rist and Mindy Lawton.

Of these, Rachel Uchitel and Jamie Grubbs are confirmed. Kalika Moquin's not talking. Jamie Jungers story seems shaky to me. Cori Rist and Mindy Lawton are new, but Mindy Lawton's the one backed by Orlando lawyer Michael O'Quinn, even though her really detailed story is described in a British publication Mail Online.

The New York Daily News has Cori Rist as reportedly an NY Upper East Side 31-year-old Manhattan "nightclub goer" (which can't be her profession) who claims to have met Woods at a nightclubs called "Butter" and then he flew her to tournaments.

Now we're into Silly Season.

So why is Cori Rist in our midst if her story is of a shaky trist? Because some unnamed source blabbed to the NY Daily News. But geez, is that all it takes to get on Tiger Woods "alleged affairs" list? That's ridiculous.

Cori Rist is not talking and the NY Daily News could be fishing for attention (ok, they got it) so scratch Cori Rist from your list for now.

We've got to start calling out this crap when it happens rather than getting caught up in the numbers. Society has no shortage of low-lifes who will spread bad lies about a person just to do it and because they don't feel good about themselves. The Tiger Woods issue is fertile ground for this.

The NY Daily News should have really fleshed out that story before going public with it.

By contrast, the Mindy Lawton story in the Mail Online is more fleshed out. It's a story of Mindy Lawton, the "$8-an-hour-waitress" who had an alleged affair with Tiger Woods that was reportedly chronicled as far back as 2006 then reportedly kept out of the media for years until a tabloid sting in 2007 came close to outing Tiger's affair.

The Mail Online's article, written by Sharon Churcher and Caroline Graham, starts like this:

Perhaps he didn't notice the SUV parked across the road. If he did, he wasn't troubled by its blacked-out windows or any nagging hint of familiarity about its presence.


In fact, if Tiger Woods thought so much as twice about what he was doing, then Mindy Lawton had no inkling of it as they enjoyed a secret assignation in Tiger's Cadillac Escalade 4x4 in a church car park soon after daybreak during a Florida spring.


But every move of that alfresco encounter was recorded by a surveillance team of reporters and photographers from one of America's biggest-selling tabloid magazines. It was a scoop - the first example of what we now know to be a pattern of infidelity on Tiger's part.

Yikes.

The Mail Online explains all of this reportedly happened right in Orlando in Tiger Woods backyard as Lawton worked at Perkins, a dinner near the Windermere home of Tiger and his wife Elin Nordegren reportedly ate. And then when his management company got wind of a tabloid sting then reportedly (that word again) when into overdrive and made a deal to kill the story.

The source for that view is Neal Boulton, who was an editor with Men's Fitness at the time. Men's Fitness is the magazine that Tiger Woods reportedly agreed to be in as an exchange for the National Enquirer which was going to run with the story. Both the National Enquirer and Men's Fitness are owned by American Media Inc.

But Gawker reports that American Media Inc. CEO David Pecker is calling Neal Boulton a "disgruntled former employee" and the Gawker author who revealed this, Hamilton Nolan, wrote that Boulton once stiffed him for a freelance article he wrote for Boulton, so he's biased against Boulton.

Geez.

It's the financial agendas and personal issues like that one which color the Tiger Woods story and will continue to do so in the future.

Stay tuned.

Oakland Adams Point Action Council Party December 8th

The Oakland Adams Point Action Council, a group of neighbors that live in the Adams Point area next to Lake Merritt, is having its Holiday Party Tuesday, December 8th at 7 PM the Bellevue Club 525 Bellevue Avenue.

They're asking you to bring cookies and other "nibbles" to share, but come-on. It's a holiday party, so someone bring spiked egg nog and grilled chicken. There's a Kentucky Fried Chicken nearby on Lake Park, right next to the Grand Lake Theater, for goodness sakes!

Tim Tebow crying after Florida loss; give Heisman to Toby Gerhart

Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow is without a doubt one of the best quarterbacks in college football in the 21st Century. Before the SEC Championship pitting undefeated and number one-ranked Florida against undefeated and number two-ranked Alabama, Tebow was a virtual lock for the Heisman Trophy.

Tim Tebow

But I don't think that's going to happen because Florida lost 32 to 13 and Tebow cried. That's right, he cried.

I can understand being upset over losing, especially after throwing a costly interception. But I would think a religious leader like Tebow would cry more for those less fortunate than he, rather than a football game that will not take much out of his future endorsement checks or NFL contract.

The Heisman Trophy is given to the best college football player in America. The trophy itself is designed to encourage the energy and drive of a leader: the runner side steps one tackler and stiff-arms another. A person who does that on the football field doesn't have time to cry.

I'm not saying there's something wrong with crying or that one's not a man to cry. Hey. I cry. But crying over a football game rather than just going out there and fessing up to the loss and shaking the hand of every Alabama player (which he did try to do in fairness) with a smile? No.



In my book Tim Tebow has to prove he can stare down an opponent and will a win all over again, just as those of us at Football Reporters thought he could do before the SEC Championship Game. And just as it seems Stanford's great player Running Back Toby Gerhart can do.



When I think or this Stanford Cardinal, I think of Jim Brown. Few have Gerhart's ability to gain yards as he glides through a defense, or outrun defenders with just a thought. Gerhart is fun to watch and epitomizes what the game's all about: great plays by a great student-athlete who gets it done with little fanfare.

I can see Toby Gerhart crying when its appropriate to do so, but not after a loosing a football game.

Geez.

Ok, here's my poll on Tim Tebow's crying.

make a free poll on pollsb.com

Cal v. Washington - Cal reverts to old ways; Huskies hammer Bears

I'm not going to write a long blog post right now, even though I'm angry enough to chew nails or at least chew-out Cal's offensive and defensive coordinators Andy Ludwig and Bob Gregory respectively. Cal's 42 to 10 loss to Washington was avoidable.

For those of you reading my take for the first time, I'm a Cal Alum. For those of you returning to read my text, Bear or Husky, strap yourself in for a ride. I'm pissed.

OK, some of you, like tenplay's wife over at the BearInsider Forum, may be happy Cal lost because as he wrote:

She wants to go to SD, LV or SF instead. She wants to go to a fun place with shopping, good food and entertainment for the holidays. I wonder if anyone else has a partner who is wishing the same result. I can see her point since she is a very luke-warm fb fan.

But I'm not lukewarm. Cal had two weeks to prepare for Washington and an entire season to get rid of the habit of forcing the ball downfield rather than engineering a precision short passing attack and on defense learn to blitz aggressively and frequently.

But no; that didn't happen. Talk about a Thanksgiving turkey of a game plan.

And it leads to the same old song on offense: sacks. Five sacks courtesy of Washington Saturday night. I'm sure Ludwig is concerned with Cal QB Kevin Riley's health, so he should prove it by designing a game plan that doesn't leave Riley as a sitting duck in the pass pocket.

What's that?  The Ducks are going to the Rose Bowl?  Very funny. 

How many times do I and other Cal Alumns have to repeat this song? It's old now. We're tired of it! Tired of seeing Cal not consistently make the adjustments we ask for. And totally exhausted from seeing our defense riddled and picked apart because we gave passers like the Huskies' Jake Locker time to fake handoffs to running backs and throw.

I'd love a chalk talk with Coach Gregory to learn why he tries to insert a percentage defensive strategy in places where its more appropriate to take away one aspect of what an offense does? I'd also like to know why it seems the Golden Bears are reluctant to alter their game plan when a contest calls for it. There's an old saying in coaching: the "sudden change" is ours.

But what Coach Gregory must understand is it's the job of the defense to cause the "sudden change" - the turnover that changes the direction of the ball game. You can't hope that happens; you have to make it happen and that is where aggressive defense is important.

Ok. I'm done. For now.

Emerald Bowl in San Francisco? From what I understand, that's Stanford's slot now because USC lost to Arizona. And the Sun Bowl looks like it belongs to Oregon State.  Just where we're going is anyone's guess. 

But what hurts is Cal lost a chance to be in a three-way tie with Oregon State and Stanford behind Oregon. Now we're down there....with USC.

Even when USC's at their worst Cal just can't seem to over take them. Or for that matter beat them, or defeat a team, the Huskies, guided by the Trojans' former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.

Geez.

Cal v. Washington an important game for the bowl picture

What's the difference between 9 and 3 and 8 and 4? Plenty in the college football bowl hunt. Cal takes its 8 win 3 loss, two game win streak into Washington to play the Huskies tonight. The difference being a trip to the Sun Bowl in El Paso or the Holiday Bowl in San Diego at 9 and 3 and the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco at 8 and 4.

While many Cal Alumns want the prize that went to Oregon, The Rose Bowl, many would be happy with the Sun Bowl simply because some have expressed a desire for a bowl other than the Holiday or the Emerald. But Cal's got to beat Washington before we can have that conversation.

After a promising start, Washington's at 4 and 7, with all four of its losses coming at home. The key will be Cal's defense versus Washington's passing offense, which rides on the arm of Tyrone Willingham-recruit Jake Locker, who's thrown for 2,552 yards and 18 touchdowns this season.

Cal's QB Kevin Riley goes into this contest with a 133.49 passer rating, 2,421 yards and 16 touchdowns. Big Game hero Running Back Shane Vereen (three touchdowns) has 738 yards rushing on 147 carries and 10 touchdowns.

Given that Cal's had two weeks to prepare for Washington, the Golden Bears should be looking at a 9 and 3 win come late Saturday night. Then we can look at the bowl picture. As of this writing, USC is tied with Arizona at 14-all in the 3rd quarter. If USC looses, bring it to 8 and 4, it may fumble that automatic Holiday Bowl invitation.

On second thought, San Diego's not so bad after all.

GO BEARS!

FOOTBALL TALK-What to make of Week 12

FOOTBALL TALK-By David Ortega for Football Reporters Online

What to make of Week 12

Packers are looking like Post Season bound….
After losing to the Buccaneers in week eight and falling to .500 in the standings, the Packers have reeled off three straight wins to move back into the playoff picture. One of the biggest reasons for the turnaround has been the play of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has been efficient completing over 70 percent of his passes and even more effective throwing six touchdowns during the winning streak and passing for over 300-yards in each of the last two. The Packers have a big matchup on Monday night against the Ravens and there's no question Rodgers and the passing game are going to be key.

Should we be talking about the Chargers?…
The Chargers have now rattled off six straight wins and sit atop the AFC West at 8-3 and no one is talking about them; but they should. This season Philip Rivers has been the quiet leader in San Diego and one of this year's best fantsay quarterbacks. His 19 touchdowns and 2,900-yards passing rank him among the elite, but he is not alone. The Chargers also boast a pair of the league's premiere pass receivers and fantasy studs with wideout Vincent Jackson (49 receptions, 7-touchdowns) and tight end Antonio Gates (59 receptions, 827 yards). With a formidable lineup the Chargers offense has become explosive this season ranking 3rd in scoring and 9th in passing this season. We may not be hearing much about the Bolts at the moment, but you can bet come playoff time this fantasy squad will be making plenty of noise to be heard.

More fantasy Notes

With so much attention being paid to a former Packer's quarterback (Favre), maybe fantasy owners should be directing more of their attention on the current one. Aaron Rodgers has been one of the hottest arms over the past several weeks. In his last three starts Rodgers has thrown six touchdowns with no interceptions and passed for 881 yards (293.6-yards per game). In the same stretch he has averaged 25 fantasy points per game.

For those not keeping up with current events apparently the Seahawks have found themselves a pretty good ball carrier with 2nd year running back Justin Forsett. The former Cal Bear has quickly stormed onto the fantasy scene with two 100-yard rushing games in his last last three. He is averaging 122-yards per contest and also has four touchdowns to his credit during the span. Forsett has become a fantasy stud, but with Julius Jones set to return fantasy owners will have to be cautious before buying what Forsett is selling.

NFC South Wrap Up Week 12

           NFC South Wrap Up Week 12
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer
Southeast Region Football Reporters Online
 
 
New York Jets 17 Carolina 6
Somehow some way Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme finds a way to get the ball in the hands of his opponent. Sometimes he does that a little too often, like he did Sunday when he threw four more interceptions and was a miserable 14-34 for a mere 130 yards. He looked about as lost as a kitten in a dog pound. He got absolutely no help from his running game either as DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined for 75 yards on 25 carries. There was also the problem of 11 first downs to go with 179 yards of total offense and three sacks of Delhomme. Head coach Jack DelRio is already on the hot seat and must now decide if its time to bench his quarterback. Then add the fact that Delhomme broke a finger which will make the decision easier. He had a passer rating of 12.7 and appears to have lost all confidence in himself. He now has 18 interceptions and that is his career high for a single-season. The worst part is that alot of his picks have resulted in scores too. When they had an oppotunity to score they could not. They had just intercepted Jets QB Mark Sanchez and Delhomme quickly hit Steve Smith in the end zone for a touchdown. Jets head coach Rex Ryan did not believe it was a catch and challenged the call. He would wn and the Panthers would have to settle for a field goal. It has been a season to forget for Carolina and Delhomme and it isn't over yet. The question is not whether Matt Moore will start next week. The question is will Delhomme ever get his job back. Speaking of jobs, what about DelRio? Can he last the season and if he does will he be here next year. Highly unlikely at this point so please stand by. One thing is certain and that would be that this team has to make alot of changes if they hope to compete next year.
 
Atlanta 20 Tampa Bay 17
It has not been a kind season for either of these teams. The Falcons had high expectations coming into this season but were 5-5 coming in. The Bucs, playing under new head coach Raheem Morris, have had one of those years you already want to forget. Still they have played hard for their coach and rookie QB Josh Freeman is showing that he can be an NFL quarterback. On this day he was sacked six times but was 20-29 for 250 yards and two touchdowns. His counterpart Matt Ryan was hurt early when his foot was rolled on and he could not return. Also injured for the Falcons were running back Michael Turner, linemen Harvey Dahl and Sam Baker, The question is when will they return because they are so key to the Falcons success. So Chris Redman came in and saved the day when he hit Roddy White for the winning score with 23 seconds left. The Bucs had a chance to win but like usual found a way to lose it. Atlanta finds itself still in the playoff hunt but will need to keep winning and get some help from the rest of the NFC. The Bucs find themselves at 1-10 and need help badly. They could only muster 13 first downs and had just 73 yards on the ground. Penalties continue to haunt them and they added eight more on Sunday. They appear to have their quarterback of the future and have Cadillac Williams in the backfield. They will need to shore up the offensive line to protect Freeman better and their defense needs to improve dramatically. Redman was not bad in going 23-41 for 243 yards and no picks with two touchdowns. Tony Gonzalez is the only thing they have to count on as he addded nine catches for 83 yards. The Falcons are still in the playoff hunt but need teams like Philly and Green Bay to lose as well as continuing to win themselves. Three of the last five games are at home where they are 5-0 this year and one of those are against Philadelphia. They also go to the Jets and Tampa where they have a good chance to win those games if they are healthy. If Ryan and Turner do not return soon it won't matter because Atlanta needs them if they have any chance at making the postseason.
 
New Orleans 38 New England 17
Wow would be a word to describe this Saints offense I would say. Another could be explosive or plain and simply terrific. It was the showdown of the week and it was not supposed to disappoint. Drew Brees against Tom Brady is all the billing you needed to sell this one but it was Brees who made the statement. He was as accurate as you can be and finished 18-23 for 371 yards and five touchdowns. It was the first time a quarterback has thrown for that many scores against a Bill Belichick defense. They had no way of stopping Brees especially in the second quarter when he threw three scoring passes to three different players. Yet, as much as the offense has done the real story is the improvement of their defense. Darren Sharper sent Brady to bench for good with one of two picks the D had and the Pats looked lost and confused. It was a sight to see when Brady walked off the field each time he was stopped. He had a look on his face rarely seen during his career. His offense could not move the ball and his ground game did not help. They got two touchdown runs from Laurence Maroney and that was all they could get. Brady was harrassed and knocked around the whole game. So now the Saints are 11-0 like the Colts and are looking to run the table. It is games like this that can define a season and the Saints can use this win to propel them all they way to the Super Bowl. Saints receivers had a ball as Marques Colston had only four catches but that was good enough for 121 yards and a touchdown. Devery Henderson chipped in with only three catches but he finished with 116 yards and a nice 75-yard strike from Brees. So with their offense in sync and their defense playing ferociously the Saints have a good chance of running the table. Of course we all know that will be a moot point if they end their year the same way these Pats did when they went 16-0 only to lose to the Giants in the Super Bowl. Now we will see if they can win out and with games at home against the likes of Dallas and Tampa and roadies at Washington, Atlanta and Carolina, an undefeated season is looking better every week. I have a question for all of you. Give me a reason for Brees not getting the MVP this year.