New York Giants

You have to start off by mentioning Eli Manning first and foremost as the MVP for the Giants this season. He threw for just under 5000 yards and 29 touchdowns (18 of those in the 4th quarter) and officially stepped out of the huge shadow cast by his brother Peyton Manning. (Legend has it that shadow was caused by Peyton’s mutant forehead.) Eli isn’t exactly the most charismatic dude but who gives a shit; he got his team to the Super Bowl, again. Time to give this guy the credit he deserves, and maybe some pointers on how to not give the most boring interviews of all time. I’ll admit that it took a while for me to warm up to the guy but after watching him this season it’s clear he really is an elite quarterback. He’s more confident now and seems to know the game itself as well as any QB. He’s also more fired up and emotional rather than being kinda meh about most things. The coaches now realize they have a QB that doesn’t need to have his hand held throughout the game cause Eli can get it done. Just ask the Patriots about the last time these two teams played in the Super Bowl.

Victor Cruz surprised the holy bejesus out of all of us this season, especially me cause he was my surprise fantasy monster, well him and Megatron! By the way I’m now officially incapable of saying the name Megatron without yelling it like Starscream would. Okay so Cruz was third in total receiving yards this season with 1536 just behind Wes Welker and… Meeegatrooon! It’s a pretty good chance that the weak ass secondary of New England is gonna get worked by Cruz early on which will lead to him getting double-teamed, which will then lead to the other 400 receiving targets Manning has being even more open. The Patriots are going to have to respect Cruz out there, much like the Giants will for Welker, but I’m positive both dudes will be major factors in the game, and then salsa with each other.

The Giants have a far superior and far less chubby defensive line. Much like the last time these teams met in the Super Bowl, the Giants D will get to Brady and punch him in his ass. I predict Brady will get sacked 6 or 7 times and get forced to make a play on almost every down. Completely (clinically?) insane and crazy intense, the Giants were second in the league this year in sacks and 1st overall in causing panic, bad decisions and piss-pants in opposing QBs. This line can be the deciding factor in Super Bowl XLVI, all they have to do is get through a decent New England offensive line, and murder Brady.

New England Patriots

Tom Brady threw for 5,235 yards and had 39 touchdowns this season. If he wins this Super Bowl he passes Joe Montana for most wins in NFL Playoff history with 17… wow! It’s weird to watch myself type this, but he’s making a pretty good case for himself to be regarded as the best quarterback of all time. It’s hard to argue against his numbers and if he wins this game on Peyton Manning’s turf, against Peyton’s baby bro, while Peyton has a fucked up neck, it will be the ultimate F-U move. I’m hoping that doesn’t happen but it’s hard to stop someone that good, especially with a ton of offensive options and a ballsy coach. Looking at Brady’s stats it’s pretty obvious he ran the entire Patriots organization this year. He attempted 611 passes and connected on 401 of them and he had 3 rushing touchdowns. He seems to be poised to win another Super Bowl and if his big guys in front of him have the game of their fat lives, then he will.

Gronk no like bad ankle, that make Gronk mad. Does anyone else expect this guy to just grunt and moan and smash the table in interviews? He literally is a beast, oh that reminds me, how’s the second part of that article coming A.T.? Ha, inside joke, you had to be there. Anyways, Rob Gronkowski is the biggest receiving threat in the game because every guy on D needs to know where he is at all times so they don’t get Gronk-Smashed in the face. This guy is impossible to defend, even for a great defense like the one in New York, even if said defense double-teams him. Look at these numbers, 1327 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns, and he’s a tight end! How does a tight end finish the season with the second most touchdowns?! Now we’re in the playoffs and Gronk has been banged up a bit and all the buzz this week has been about his sprained ankle and the possibility of him not playing. I don’t think I’m buying that. Can you imagine having the season he’s had and then sitting out the Super Bowl? Gronk will play and be a huge pain in the ass for the Giants secondary. Gronk Smash!

I’m a sucker for NFL Films, so when I watched A Football Life: Bill Belichick I said to myself “Crap, now I like him, great!” I didn’t think I’d ever like the convicted cheater, but I do, and I respect the way he deals with his players, especially Brady. Those two have a relationship you just don’t see that often in sports: a coach and a player on equal terms calmly discussing how to be successful. Belichick has respect for Brady, as he should, and often lets Brady decide what it’s going to take to win the game, and that just doesn’t happen on any other team. When I stack the Giants and the Pats up against each other, I have to give the coaching edge to the Pats. I know Tom Coughlin is a great coach and he’s great at challenges, but he doesn’t have the same set of balls that Hooded-Monk has. Belichick also slots in players at odd positions like TE Aaron Hernandez at running back and WR Julian Edelman at corner back. It’s just the ‘Patriot Way’ apparently but it does shake up how the coaches on the other teams prepare for the game, and I kinda like it. It’s just how he rolls. I’m just happy that this Super Bowl has at least one coach that will go for it on 4th and 15.

It’s a little sad to be at the end of yet another amazing NFL season but at the same time I can’t wait for this rematch. I’m having a hard time deciding who’s going to win and it seems I have some coin flipping to do. Nah that ain’t me! I’m going to say the Giants will win this rematch. Their D is that good and their receivers are going to light up that jerry-rigged secondary of the Patriots. My score is below… and I’m out!

Giants 27, Patriots 23

– Jay Haddow

My score: Ravens 24, Patriots 28. Actual score: Ravens 20, Patriots 23
My score: Giants 20, 49ers 17. Actual score: Giants 20, 49ers 17

AFC Championship

Ravens vs. Patriots

I was actually hoping the Ravens were gonna pull this off but then Billy “The Whiff” Cundiff had to go fuck that up, now didn’t he! There are now reports coming out of Baltimore that he was rushed and didn’t get into his routine before the kick. Pfft, whatevs dude, you choked. What a waste of energy from all that inspirational screaming Ray Lewis does before the game. The Ravens did everything else right which is why this must be so painful for their fans. They got a great game out of the offense, and the defense held the Patriots to their lowest point total since Week 9. Less impressively, the Ravens also had six penalties called against them compared to 0 the week before. The Patriots capitalized on those mistakes and the game was over.

Yes, the Pats did a decent job but they didn’t win the game, the Ravens lost it. Tom Brady didn’t throw a touchdown pass and nobody really stood out on the Patriots side. I guess that means it was a team effort but the game still left a bad taste in my mouth. Ravens fans are running out of quality time before most of the defence is moved into a Seniors Home so it hurts extra bad to end the season on a missed kick. Oh, I just found out that Ray Lewis will be back next year. Probably as the new kicker.

NFC Championship

Giants vs. 49ers

I guess Victor Cruz read my last article that outlined his general meh-ness from the week before, ’cause that guy was out of his damn mind! He had 10 receptions for 142 yards and the 49ers had no answer for him (no TD Salsa dance though, sorry ladies.) Eli Manning also gave good game by throwing for 316 yards and two touchdowns, and only one droopy hang-dog face after a miscue by Cruz.

The game itself lived up to the hype as both defenses were pretty hard to beat, and it seemed like each quarterback was sacked like 42 times. There were tons of forced fumbles including two by Kyle Williams that were both recovered by the Giants. (Have fun reporting to camp next year pal.) The 49ers didn’t trust their QB Alex Smith enough as he only threw 26 times and the team gained only five first downs with a pass. To put that in perspective, the Giants gained a first down 17 times with the pass. Smith didn’t have a bad game, he just only had Vernon Davis to throw to. Manning spread the ball around a lot more, getting eight people in on receptions.

The 49ers clearly had a tiny playbook that day, but they did take the Giants to overtime and were exciting to watch all year. Speaking of overtime… When is the NFL going to realize that the current system just ain’t right? You can’t have sudden death when each team gets a separate series of possessions. It’s just weird.

The Pro Bowl

The NFL All-Star game is this Sunday and I’m gonna watch like 4 minutes of it. I’ve never actually watched an entire Pro Bowl in my life because I don’t really understand how or why it exists. I get that the players bring their families to Hawaii and schmooze with all the Hall of Famers and all that, but how do you play actual football? You certainly can’t tackle the shit out of a guy, which then makes defensive players that are voted to the Pro Bowl kinda useless right? The NFL would like to award you for your fine defensive play with a trip to Hawaii and to play in the Pro Bowl, but you better not do your job and play defence or So Help Me God!

Being a football fan that loves his defence, the Pro Bowl just doesn’t do it for me and it’s kinda weird watching something so violent and awesome turn into nicey backyard football. I don’t think there should even be a game. Maybe just have a skills competition, or maybe a hotdog eating contest, or better yet, a who can get the most court appearances contest!

So, there we are. Be sure to tune in next week as I travel down the road that the Patriots and Giants took to get to Super Bowl XLVI for this epic rematch. I hope we pick up a one-eyed hitchhiker dressed as a robot pirate!

– Jay Haddow

My score: Saints 28, 49ers 19. Actual Score: Saints 32, 49ers 36
My score: Broncos 34, Patriots 31. Actual Score: Broncos 10, Patriots 45
My score: Texans 13, Ravens 24. Actual Score: Texans 13, Ravens 20
My score: Giants 27, Packers 31. Actual Score: Giants 37, Packers 20

I would like to start off by giving a 20-minute standing ovation to the Saints and 49ers. That game had just about everything. Crazy turnovers, lots of touchdowns, 4 lead changes in the last 4 minutes, and a grown man crying, to name a few. That game set the tone for an epic weekend that I guess Jesus decided to skip. Speaking of Jesus, Tim Tebow had as many pass attempts (26) as Tom Brady had pass completions. Even with Christ himself up your ass for luck, you can’t win a game that way. But hey I’m not here to live in the past, or piss off any more churchies. I’m here to talk about each team that has made it to the Conference Finals, and if you’re lucky, a prediction of the scores. Let’s do this!

AFC Championship

Baltimore Ravens

I love teams that have a good defense so by rights I mega-love the Ravens. These old dudes handled the potent offense of the Houston Texans no problem last week, but they now have to deal with the Brady Bunch. They have a tough task ahead of them and they’re going to need a very good game from the very vanilla Joe Flacco. The guy should also probably just shut up and play ball instead of bitching about how the media blames him for the Ravens getting knocked out of the playoffs last year. Oh and if you have a rad moustache as a good luck charm, don’t bitch about that either. The Ravens have a suffocating secondary that can match up with any receivers or tight ends. They have Ray Lewis and an amazing set of linebackers. They have a rad coach and defensive coordinator, but their defensive line needs to get to Brady. They didn’t sack T.J. Yates once! I thought he would’ve ended up on the ground like 5 times. If the Ravens play the D they’re known for, they can make some noise and move on but this is probably the last chance they have as Lewis, Suggs and Reed are a combined 98 years old. That’s 98 years of crazy old man strength though.

New England Patriots

The only pure offensive powerhouse left. They have so many weapons it’s kinda not fair but can the Ravens counter them all? The Patriots are like those rich kids you knew growing up that were good looking and good at everything and really super easy to hate. But the more I think about it, the more I actually respect the Patriots and realize, I have no reason to hate this team. They’re exciting and pretty much just like the Packers who everybody loves now. Both teams are pure offense and it showed this season as they were ranked worst, and second worst respectively in defense. So why else should you go for them? They have two tight ends that are impossible to stop: Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. The Gronker will get above everyone and must be double-teamed, oh, and it takes two dudes and a net to bring him down. Meanwhile, Aaron Hernandez is left open to do all kinds of crazy things like slot in as a running back. This just shows me that this is the kind of team that is entertaining; a team that will try crazy shit behind their tunic-clad head Coach. I’m looking forward to Brady and the Gronk vs. Lewis and T. Sizzle. Wow, they should stop handing out nicknames.

Final Score
Ravens 24, Patriots 28

NFC Championship

New York Giants

Arguably the best team overall for the last three weeks. They’re getting consistent play from everyone, except the receivers. Okay, so Hakeem Nicks has stepped up but where are Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz, and when they do show up, why are they dropping easy passes? Eli Manning’s face can’t get any more hang-dog than when you idiots drop the ball, and I don’t like that face, it’s very slappable. Besides, Manning is playing great right now so if the receivers do their jobs, this team isn’t fun to play against. The front four on defense are also playing lights out while still wearing intimidating masks that would make me pee out my ass if I was a quarterback facing that. The Giants pretty much dominated the defending champs on their home turf with a balanced running and pass attack. They kept it simple and trusted their quarterback when they needed too. I don’t know if the 49ers can do the same as experience is way over on the Giants side of the ball. One rad thing that might happen is if the Giants go on to win the Super Bowl, Eli will flash his ring in big bro Peyton’s face, prompting a pissy slap-filled brother fight that I myself have a lot of experience in.

San Francisco 49ers

They have a well rounded and hungry team with a dangerous defense, oh and they’re riding an emotional high from their last win. I got caught up in the magic of that game and the “underdogs” coming out on top. But now that the hangover is gone, I’m looking at this team and thinking, Alex Smith won’t have a millisecond to make a decision. Smith had a great game though and shut me up instantly when he took off and ran in an epic touchdown, but the Giants D will be going after him like he stole from a blind puppy. That’s where the run game comes in and I’m afraid the Giants will be ready for that too. I know the 49ers have a lot of weapons but they’re young and will make mistakes that they can’t afford if the Giants play well. Once again, it will come down to the 49ers defense to keep the game close and the fans to energize the home team. The wildcard in all of this is the Coach Jim Harbaugh. He’s infinitely more entertaining than New York’s Coach Tom Coughlin and anytime a player runs off the field to cry in his coaches arms earns my respect… and a little snicker.

Final Score
Giants 20, 49ers 17

While typing this I realized I put the predictions of the scores in. Lucky you. I also realized that we’re going to have a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. It’s just logic folks and it comes down to experience and Quarterbacks and the Giants and Patriots win in both categories. But maybe it’s fate that the Ravens will face the 49ers and the Harbaugh brothers will kick the crap out of each other at halftime. Oh man can you imagine if they started fighting on stage while Madonna’s singing and then start crying and run to Mom and Dad! We’ll have to wait and see. I just know I want exciting football and a whole lotta crying!

– Jay Haddow

My score: Bengals 9, Texans 34. Actual score: Bengals 10, Texans 31
My score: Lions 27, Saints 37. Actual score: Lions 28, Saints 45
My score: Steelers 42, Broncos 10. Actual score: Steelers 23, Broncos 29
My score: Falcons 21, Giants 24. Actual score: Falcons 2, Giants 24

I did a pretty good job on the Saturday games, but on Sunday, Tim Tebow happened. I had predicted that the Steelers were going to do awful things to Tebow, but they most certainly did not. I guess Jesus heard that and was like “pfft… whatevs.” The game ended pretty dramatically in Tebow’s favour and I looked up to the heavens and I swear I saw Jesus himself mouthing the word “biiieeetch” while flippin me the bird. Ah well, this weekend coming up is going to be pretty epic so here are my predictions for the Divisional Playoffs.

Saints vs. 49ers

The weekend will start off with a classic great offense vs. great defense match up. I’m excited to see if the 49ers can stop Drew Brees and if the Saints can stop Frank Gore. I’m going to predict monster games for both guys, especially Brees. He threw for 466 yards and had 3 TD’s last week, so basically that dude is playing out of his dick right now! He also had Darren Sproles with him who seemed to be everywhere and had two TD’s himself. As for the 49ers, they’re going to need a solid game from their quarterback Alex Smith, a big game from Gore and a miracle game from Patrick Willis and the rest of that awesome defense. I think the Saints offense is too much though, even for a great defense that the 49ers have. If the 49ers blitz on every down they might have a chance, or they could try cutting the power to the stadium again like some hobos.

Final Score
Saints 28, 49ers 19

Broncos vs. Patriots

How do I say Tebow is going to lose this time for sure? Well, I can’t. I’ve learned my lesson now and getting called a bitch by Jesus again is not how I wish to spend my weekend. Last week I realized that I hate the Broncos, but I already know I hate the Patriots and will be praying they get Tebowed. The Patriots are a great team and on paper they should win this game, but then again, Jesus doesn’t care about fuckin paper, he cares about the Denver Fucking Broncos! I actually think this will be a close game, especially if the Patriots aren’t able to get to Tebow and shake him off his game. If Tebow has time, he’s going to make the Patriots pay with the Vick-style game he could potentially have. Instead of going with my head, I’m going to go with my heart and say that the Broncos will win it. Also, as I’m writing this, Jesus has a gun to my head, and a toothpick in his mouth!

Final Score
Broncos 34, Patriots 31

Texans vs. Ravens

The Texans have won their first playoff game, and they’re probably gonna have to wait until next year to get their second. The Ravens are going to stop the Texans running game and force rookie quarterback T.J. Yates to make bad decisions. I’m already picturing a shit ton of sacks and a couple of interceptions from the old, but completely insane, Ravens defense. I like the Texans offense but this is the team’s second playoff game in franchise history, and we all know the Ravens have had a tad more than that. Joe Flaco will have to make a couple passes and then lean on Ray Rice to get a touchdown or two and the game will be over. I’m predicting the Ravens will win easily but I’m also predicting the Ravens defense will have more points than the offense. Oh yeah, ya heard me!

Final Score
Texans 13, Ravens 24

Giants vs. Packers

Sweet merciful crap this is gonna be good! I like both teams a lot and they’ve definitely had some rad games against each other in recent history. The two quarterbacks playing in this game are at the top of their respective games and are both in the top 5 for all major quarterback categories this season. The Packers game plan will be pretty simple: score a bunch of points like we always do. The Giants game plan will be: let’s try and get at least one punt out of them. The Giants obviously have a tough task but they’re ultimately going to lose this one. As much as I like (and am terrified by) the Giants defensive line, they can’t get to Rodgers on every down. I want this game to be close and I think the Giants running game and a solid performance from Manning will make my wish come true, but the receivers need to make some plays and not drop a single pass.

Final Score
Giants 27, Packers 31

So is Jesus gonna represent again this weekend? Is he going to guide Tebow’s hand towards the light? Is he gonna shank me in the common area? It’s an interesting time in the NFL when most analysts, in fact all of them, can’t say the Patriots will win without adding “but you never know with Tebow.” The guy throws for 316 yards on 10 passes against the Steelers, throws for two touchdowns and runs one in himself. Maybe it’s time to give the kid some credit. If he and the sweet lord baby Jesus beat Tom Brady and the Patriots, we’ll have to. Wait a minute… maybe Tebow IS Jesus?!?!

- Jay Haddow

Bengals vs. Texans

The only way the Bengals are going to win this game is if Rookie Quarterback Andy Dalton has the game of his young life. One issue he’ll have though, is facing a Texans defense that ranks 3rd overall in yards allowed per game. Fellow rookie quarterback T.J. Yates will have a tough task as well, but the Texans are lucky to have an incredible ground game (with Arian Foster and Ben Tate) that can be leaned on for a win in case Yates crumbles. The only back up plan the Bengals have is summoning a real Bengal from the spirit realm to help them. But in reality they’re just going to lose badly in lame uniforms. Oh, and the Bengals haven’t won a playoff game in 21 years, so there’s that too.

Final Score
Bengals 9, Texans 34

Lions vs. Saints

This will be the best offensive game in the history of sports! Both teams rank in the top 5 for offensive yards per game, with the Saints ranking first in overall yards and passing yards. It’s a shame that one team will have to lose this game. It’s been a lot of fun watching both these teams play, especially the up and down Lions, but it will all have to come to an end Saturday. As much as I like the Lions, they’re going to lose. First of all, the Saints must be pissed for losing to the Seahawks a year ago, and they’re going to take it out on the Lions. The Saints also have Drew Brees who just broke Dan Marino’s record of most passing yards in a season. The Lions defense isn’t nearly good enough to stop him, and they’re not experienced enough. I wish both teams could play next week but, oh well, I’m a jerk so I deserve it.

Final Score
Lions 27, Saints 37

Steelers vs. Broncos

This will be the last you see of Tim Tebow for a while because the Steelers are going to rape him. I’m not even kidding, full on rape. That very experienced defense of the Steelers is going to destroy the inexperienced quarterback and his prayers won’t be heard beyond the steel curtain of rape. I’ve enjoyed watching the Tebow magic,  but I think it’s already run out and the proven Steelers have a level 9 magic spell to counter it. The Broncos also kinda suck, but their defense could step up and make things tricky for the hobbled and most likely hung-over Roethlisberger. The Steelers have too many weapons though and in the end, it’s going to be an ugly score. I think I just realized that I hate the Broncos. Neat.

Final Score
Steelers 42, Broncos, 10

Falcons vs. Giants

This is a hard one to call. Both teams looked extra scary last week and I’m pretty sure they’d rather stab each other in the face in a parking lot than play the game. Not totally sure why I just said that but I made you think both teams are crazy, didn’t I?! I actually like both teams and they match up pretty damn well. Both teams have a good quarterback, multiple receiving targets and scary defensive lines. This game will come down to which ever D-Line can get to the other QB more often and sack his nuts! The only real edge I’ll give to either team is to the team that’s at home. So, sorry Falcons, but you won’t even be able hear your own crazy thoughts on 3rd down.

Final Score
Falcons 21, Giants 24

– Jay Haddow

Let’s start with the Colts, shall we?

Well, this has been hard to watch all season. The Colts were 0-13 going into the game against the Titans on Sunday. They haven’t really done anything all season to make us think they were going to win a game but I guess nobody told Donald Brown that. That dude straight up carried Indianapolis as well as a very relieved Nuv on his back. If it wasn’t for him, the Colts could have been on their way to a winless season. Joining such teams as the 2008 Lions and my 1976 Buccaneers. A rad moment from that game was watching Manning smile with a fist in the air thinking to himself “aww you guys won without me, so cute.” My imaginary game ball goes to Brown for his epic run to seal the game.

Packers lose to the Chiefs. Ummm…

Here’s a fun fact from the game: Kyle Orton had a better game at QB than Aaron Rodgers did. Kyle Orton! Yeah, he threw for 299 yards while Rodgers threw for 235. The Chiefs Defensive line was all over Rodgers in this game though, and sacked him 4 times! The Chiefs also had a really strong ground game that day and the Packers D just couldn’t get it together. The end result of all this was a bunch of old Dolphins popping the champagne again. Congrats go out to the Packers though for winning an impressive 19 straight games over the last two seasons. Their last loss was in December 2010 against the Patriots.

Eagle vs. Hawk!

Earlier in December a bunch of friends and I went to a bona fide NFL game. My friends are awesome because they bought my brother and I tickets to the game for our birthday and we both promptly squealed like some baby rats. The tickets were for an Eagles game in Seattle on a Thursday night. Ten of us rolled down via boats and cars and planes and shit, and we were going to go drink Budweiser out of plastic bottles and yell and watch an actual NFL game. We were a little excited and often wrestled and punched each other instead of walking around. I’m not sure if you guys know this, but I hate the Philadelphia Eagles with the raging fury of a million cornered raccoons. On the other hand, I’m kinda like… meh regarding the Seattle Seahawks. I grew up being forced to watch that mediocre team so I’ve got this weird annoying relationship with them. I would liken it more to a burnt out marriage – I don’t hate them and they don’t hate me, but there’ s an overall feeling of arranged-marriage-trying-to-work in the air. I’m not trying to be an ungrateful dick hole, I’m just saying that I became an instant Seahawks fan and was happy to be in one of the loudest places on earth. Seriously, CenturyLink Field (I know, I thought it was still called Qwest Field too) is the loudest stadium in the NFL. Seriously, Google it. We all screamed our cold faces off from up high in the crowd, but we weren’t alone as some rad Seahawks fans were around us. At this point I should probably mention that my brother is an Eagles fan and was decked out in Eagles gear… and a DO-RAG!

At this point I’d also like to point out that he is, in fact, a piece of shit. So he’s getting the obvious jeers and insults that he deserves, but it didn’t last too long as the Seahawks began to destroy the stupid Eagles! I joined in with all my newfound Seahawks friends in laughing and pointing at my twin brother. He took it pretty well though considering the final score was 31-14 for the Seahawks, and the whole experience of being at a game was awesome enough. Finally we all left after the game ended and proceeded to wrestle and punch each other (again) a whole bunch while exiting the stadium. That whole process took about an hour. Best present ever!

– Jay Haddow

“Beat The Clock”

Things were running a little late, but the crowd remained in good spirits. The only sign of restlessness, the “Wu! Tang!” and “Ghost! Face!” chants that began breaking out about 10 minutes before he finally stormed the stage. To tell you the truth, Jay and I were okay with waiting, beers in hand and watching an adorable lesbian duo get freaky with each other within spitting distance. I mean, come on, if you’re telling me being buzzed by 8 PM and watching hot chicks play invisible Twister in nearly-invisible dresses DOESN’T appeal to you? Well, you’re basically also telling me that you’re a huge douche-lord. To each his own, but for me and the grotesque twin-ling that is my sidekick, this was shaping up to be a memorable night already…

“For Cryin’ Out Loud, My Style Is Wild…”

ANYWAYS, Ghost finally struck, no Tims, no black mask. Actually, considering he’s the flashiest motherfucker in Wu, it was a surprisingly no-frills affair. No championship belt, no flashy bathrobes, no giant gold eagle wrist-gauntlet thingy. Just him, his entourage (including Raekwon’s DJ Symphony, Trife, Sheek Louch and Killah Priest) and a truckload of his classic grimy, high intensity raps. Despite the potential chaos of a million mu’fuckers on stage and the shared spotlight, Ghost remained the eye of the storm. I always find myself wondering when rappers have large entourages, and allow them (or the crowd) to finish almost every line, if that’s laziness. At points of the show it felt like this would be the case, but Ghost laid that concern to rest a few songs in, when he ran through a couple of songs start to finish, spitting every line himself with perfect breath control. And that voice! Goddamn. So distinctive. His was the first voice I heard when I popped 36 Chambers into my Walkman for the first time way back in the day. And that perfectly violent, hyper voice is why he was the perfect one to lead off. Guess what? Live? He sounds JUST like he does on record! ODB put it best on Da Mystery of Chessboxin’, when he follows up his introduction of Ghostface Killah with “No One Could Get Illa!”

“Clan In Da Front”

I knew there was no way he could do every song of his I’d wanna hear (I’d still be there now) but he made a valiant attempt at it, touching on gems from both his solo and Wu-Tang catalogues, and even some of the other Wu members’ hits. His Ice Cream verse was dope. Of course, every 36 Chambers joint he ran through (including Ain’t Nuthing To Fuck Wit’ & C.R.E.A.M.) was awesome. Be Easy and Run were definite high points, as was the interlude where he invited some dudes up on stage and handed them the mic, challenging them to spit some classic Wu-Tang verses. I knew they’d pull it off before they even touched the mic. The whole crowd had been flawlessly rapping along to every verse, start to finish. I myself was rapping along as well, and nodding my head so hard that I finally understood why Wu had been warning us to Protect our Necks all this time. Speaking of head bobbing: the aforementioned writhing girls reached a boiling point just after that, and began groping each other and basically giving lap dances to whatever was behind them, be it pillar or person or extremely bearded East Indian dude. (’Wu-Tang’ rhymes with ‘poontang.’ Coincidence?) Needless to say, shit got real, sons!

“A N**** Gon’ Grow Titties Listenin’ To This Kinds A Shit”

This evening reminded me that one of my favourite things about Wu doesn’t even have anything to do with their music. Remember those hilarious skits on 36 Chambers? Meth and Raekwon bickering about a loaned movie like… well, like me and my stupid-ass friends? It felt REAL. These dudes actually knew each other outside of the booth, and had a history. Most importantly: they were FUNNY. And of all of them, I’ve always thought Ghost was the funniest. (Just peep out his Top 10 Softest Rappers article, and the Ghostface Valentine Card Collection. Or any post on his blog, for that matter. Hilarity will ensue…) Happy to report that’s still the case. In between songs, the banter with the crowd was rad. His slang has even the simplest sentences come out askew, whether rapping or just talking. He had a whole rant about wanting to crash on somebody’s floor after the show: “Fuck pillows! Just throw a towel on a n**** and I’m straight!” Only Ghost could talk about sticking a fork in your nuts and painting your ass while standing next to a large decorative snowflake and have the shit work. (’Ghostface’ rhymes with ’snowflakes.’ Coincidence?) And dude is as gracious as he is gangster. Even his thanks to the crowd at the end of the show was funny-style: “Thank you for allowing me to be in front of your face!”

No, Ghost. Thank you. Can I get a “Suuu!”?

– Nuv (Feat. Jay Haddow on the camera, son! Check it…)

Let’s be real here though. It’s not like I haven’t done this before! Anami now realizes that in order for him to be successful, I now have to be involved in all of his videos. Basically what I’m trying to say is, he wouldn’t be shit without me. LOCKED!

- Jay Haddow

The Good

Jets vs. Chargers
The Jets needed to make a statement, and by jove they did. They rolled into San Diego and were losing late in the game, but then Darrelle Revis was like… naw man. The team stepped up as a whole but Plaxico Burress had a much needed epic game with three touchdowns, including the game winning TD. He then celebrated by shooting his dick off. I’m not a fan of either team but I do respect both teams and appreciate the exciting game they played for me.

Packers vs. Vikings

Who saw this close game coming? The defending champs who haven’t lost in forever go into Minnesota to play against a crappy Vikings team with a QB making his first start. The final score was 33-27 for the Packers, but it should have been a lot worse! Charles Woodson had two picks and the game itself was rad. I felt bad for Christian Ponder after he threw a 700 yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game, that was called back after a review. But then I thought, I don’t care about you Ponder, I don’t know you man, and you sure as shit don’t know me! Bitch. Aaron Rodgers had a quiet game with only 335 yards and three touchdowns.

The Bad

Colts vs. Saints

Wow this was a cringe-worthy ass-kicking. Final score? 62-7 for the Saints. The Saints completely dismantled the Colts and this stat alone sums up the game: The first time the Saints had to punt was with 3:32 left to play in the fourth quarter. If you don’t really understand what this means, let me explain: every time the Saints had the ball up until then, they scored either a field goal or  touchdown. That just doesn’t happen. Drew Brees looked solid again and he is arguably the best (non injured Colt, non Packer, non Patriot) QB in the game. Jimmy Graham also had a really good game and can obviously throw it down like a mu’fucka!

Chiefs vs. Raiders

The only good thing that came from this game was when Dwayne Bowe scored an amazing TD, and followed it up with a fake Lambeau Leap. I should remind you at this point, this game was played in Oakland and I’m surprised he didn’t get shanked in the face by a Raider fan. It’s a shame the TD was called back. There were eight interceptions in this game. FUCKING EIGHT! Six were thrown by the Raiders, oh and the Raiders didn’t even score. I guess I jinxed them by saying they were decent in my last article (insert Peter Griffin laugh here).

Ugly

Seahawks vs. Browns

What the fuuuuuck. Final score: 6-3 for… who cares! This was the biggest nugget of slimy shit of a game I’ve ever watched the highlights of. There were lots of great defensive plays, and the Seahawks had two blocked field goal attempts but I will never forget the moment I woke up on Sunday, turned on the TV to find the one game on was this one. I let out one solid HA! and said this game will eat ass. Ohh damn, look who was right son!

Ravens vs. Jaguars

The running backs on both teams had four fumbles between them. Two of those drops were recovered by the other team. Ugh. This game was also probably the worst game I’ve watched so far this year. The Ravens didn’t get a first down until five minutes left in the third quarter. The Ravens looked like the worst team in the league on Monday night. The Jags played good D but they’re not a very good team; in fact the best player on the field by fucking far was Jacksonville kicker, Josh Scobee. I’m wondering if anyone else out there is a fan of punting now cause I almost became a fan after there were 67,000 times for me to see it. This game was the cherry on a sundae of a sloppy week of football.

Week 8 Preview

There’s two huge games to watch this week. The Cowboys play the Eagles and I don’t know about you, but I’ll be watching to see which Tony Romo shows up and if Michael Vick does something stupifyingly crazy! Should be an exciting game.

The Steelers play the Patriots and this will be the game of the week. I can smell it. As much as I like defense and all that, which both teams have, I want crazy offense this week! I want 65-54. Got it! Okay, good I’m excited, so much so I think I want to jump kick some shit!

– Jay Haddow

The 49ers

What’s up with these assholes? They’re the fourth highest scoring team in the league and they’re ranked third in fewest points allowed. That’s helped them to a 5-1 record and forced the rest of the NFL to finally take notice of a team from the hugest pile of crap division ever: the NFC West. This division is awful, and being on the west coast, we see this horrible division often on TV. I’ve hated that forever but this season I’ve been able to watch this 49ers team turn into a contender, and it’s been fun. They’re a really balanced team, they’re young and full of piss and vinegar and moxie and grit, ya see. They have a now famous fiery coach, and they shut down the run as well as any team. Their D overall is intimidating as they can cover well too, mainly thanks to this dude. They also have one of the best running backs in the game, Frank Gore. If he stays healthy this team is making the playoffs easily, so easily in fact, I’m predicting they’ll have twice as many wins as any other NFC West opponent by the end of the season.

The Dolphins

You idiots looked terrible. You ruined my Monday night. I hate you. Okay, so I don’t usually hang the coach out to dry, and the offense was just ridiculous, but Tony Sporano is done. The game against the Jets was a disaster from a coaching standpoint. C’mon man your team doesn’t have a win yet and you decide to punt instead of going for a 52 yard field goal?! Oh, and with 10 seconds left in the half, ball on the 50 yard line, you decide to take a knee instead of going for a shot at the end zone?! I’d be furious if I was a Dolphins fan. Actually… I am furious anyways. Eat shit Sporano, you made the Jets look a lot better than they are.

The Giants/Bills game

Thanks guys. That was a neato super duper nifty game. Lots of running back awesomeness, rad interceptions and no spazzy coach shoulder-shove fights. I like these two teams. They’re complete, they’re coached well, their fans are loud and New Yorker-ish and most importantly, they’re exciting to watch. The Bills have cooled off a little bit but they’re still a playoff team, and they were playing a Giants team that shouldn’t be f’d with. As for the Jets… (wavy hand) meeeehhhhhh, play well against a tough team and then come talk to me or else ahhh fahgettaboudit.

Various Rants
Hey Redskins: Keep Losing ya filthy old jerks. You won’t see the playoffs.

Hey Cam Newton: Hang in there kid, you’ll be fine once you get traded.

Hey Dallas Cowboys: Uh oh. Two losses in a row. I can’t help but snicker.

Hey Raiders: You’re looking not shitty, same goes for your next two games (vs KC & DEN).

Hey Sean Peyton: Break a leg, coach! Ohhhh… too soon?!

Hey Green Bay: Go easy on Minnesota next week. This is gonna be bruuuutal.

Week 7 Preview

My Bucs play host to the Bears. In England. In front of people that don’t want or need the NFL in their lives but dammit if it isn’t getting crammed down their mouths anyway! This should be a rad game nonetheless because of the ground battle between Forte and Graham.

Atlanta takes on Detroit and this game will be rad to watch because it will mostly take place in the air. Megatron will do his thing this week after having a quiet week, quiet meaning he didn’t get two touchdowns. What a loser! Maybe he’ll get four this week to make up for it.

This week coming up is bizarre. Not one match-up features a winning team playing another winning team. This won’t be a good week for the loser teams as they come to terms with the fact that they are, in fact, losers.

– Jay Haddow