[LA Times] Back in September, in the heat of the Spygate scandal, some Philadelphia players chimed in with their opinion on New England videotaping the New York Jets’ defensive hand signals.
Eagles punt returner Reno Mahe half-joked that his team should get a championship ring from Super Bowl XXXIX, in which the Patriots beat Philadelphia, 24-21.
“I think they should forfeit, man,” Mahe said, smiling, according to the Associated Press. “We won the Super Bowl. I think we should get it.
“I’m going to go trade my NFC championship ring for a Super Bowl ring.”
Last week, while preparing to play Philadelphia tonight, Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs was asked about those comments. Clearly, he didn’t take them as jocular.
“As far as I’m concerned, that’s his opinion,” Hobbs told reporters. “Oh well, tough tears. . . . Talking trash is just what it is.
“It’s a bunch of trash. It’s garbage. It’s worthless. [For] some guys it’s psychological, for some guys it’s not. I’d rather not even do it off the field. Let it all be done with your pads on the field on Sunday.”
It’s not as if this was ever in doubt, but the Patriots can clinch the AFC East with a victory over Philadelphia tonight.
That’s why linebacker Tedy Bruschi is calling it a “hat and T-shirt game.”
Chances are, though, you won’t see New England players donning the division-title gear. They have some bigger goals in mind.
Baltimore cornerback Samari Rolle disclosed last week that he suffers from epilepsy and has had three seizures this season, keeping him out of eight games.
“I didn’t know if I could play, if I would be all right or anything,” Rolle told reporters. “It was very scary.”
Rolle, 31, said he finally felt comfortable discussing the neurological condition “because it’s under control now. Right now, I’m not scared.”
Several NFL players suffer from epilepsy, among them Pittsburgh All-Pro guard Alan Faneca.
The Raiders play at Kansas City today, and neither team has been racing out of the gates in games. They have combined for only 12 points on their first offensive possessions this season — all on field goals.
The way things are going, Chicago will become the sixth Super Bowl loser in seven years to miss the playoffs the following season.
Bears quarterback Rex Grossman will have none of that talk, however.
“No doubt we’re still competing for the championship. I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Grossman told a skeptical reporter last Sunday after his team dropped to 4-6 with a loss at Seattle.
“We have six losses, which is bad at this point, but by no means are we out of it. We have a couple of home games coming up. We play one game at a time. We’re not out of it until someone tells us we’re out of it.”
The Giants’ Michael Strahan says he’s determined to walk away from football at the top of his game.
Newsday’s Bob Glauber compared that to the way Jerry Seinfeld ended his show when it was TV’s most popular sitcom.
“Exactly,” Strahan told him. “Then again, if I had all the money Seinfeld has made in reruns, I’d have been long gone by now. . . . Nah, not really. But I absolutely feel that way. I want people to still want me to play when I decide it’s time to retire.”
The good news for Cleveland Coach Romeo Crennel? He has won two instant-replay challenges in the last two games.
The bad news? Crennel is 3-21 in those challenges as coach of the Browns.
Sunday: Washington at Tampa Bay; Houston at Cleveland; Minnesota at NY Giants; Tennessee at Cincinnati; Seattle at St. Louis; New Orleans at Carolina; Buffalo at Jacksonville; Oakland at Kansas City; San Francisco at Arizona; Denver at Chicago; Baltimore at San Diego; Philadelphia at New England
Monday: Miami at Pittsburgh
Gene sez: For your holiday gift giving pleasure, Sean from www.pornlegends.com adds a little teary-eyed nostalgia to this weekend’s picks:
Sean writes: With remnants of turkey in the refrigerator, the Thanksgiving weekend is full of traditions. This week I contacted several of my friends and had them share their holiday traditions or stories with you. Special thanks to my wife, Mindy Vega, for making my picks this week.
New Orleans over Carolina – “This year for Thanksgiving I had about a dozen beta blockers, two Plavix and a fistful of nitroglycerin pills.” [Buck Adams]
Tennessee over Cincinnati – “I’m going over to Eve Plum’s house and play football with Greg, Peter, Bobby, and those two black kids from Diff’rent Strokes.” [Skeeter Kerkove]
Giants over Minnesota – “This year for Thanksgiving I’m going to get drunk and try to remember the last time the Miami Dolphins won a game.” [Wankus]
Seattle over St. Louis – “I start with a bucket of KFC with an extra side of gravy. Then I watch as my girlfriend licks the spilt gravy off my hairy chest for desert.” [Ron Jeremy]
Tampa over Washington – “A bottle of Wild Turkey, three packs of Marlboro cigarettes, and for desert, a bottle of peppermint Schnapps. Then my girlfriends and I sit around crying about how our lives are all fucked up.” [Female porn star name withheld]
Kansas City over Oakland – “After the traditional dinner of smoked possum, stuffed squirrel and chitlins, the family and I go outside and we rotate the tires on our mobile home.” [Mike South]
Jacksonville over Buffalo – “This year I’m inviting my 600 MySpace friends over to the Ducati Productions warehouse for a traditional holiday spread…or it will just be me, my cat, and a sandwich from Subway. Either way, I’ll still get to pet a little pussy!” [Kevin Rubio]
Cleveland over Houston – “I don’t know, but I sure hope the LA County jail will serve cranberry sauce with my baloney sandwich.” [Brian Surewood]
Arizona over San Francisco – “They don’t, Brian.” [Mickey G.]
San Diego over Baltimore – “Did you know I was at the first Thanksgiving? I fucked Myles Standish’s wife while he cut the bird.” [Dave Cummings]
Chicago over Denver – “Fuck you! Fuck Thanksgiving! Fuck all my haters! Happy Holidays.” [Kirk Lockwood]
New England over Philadelphia – “After Thanksgiving dinner, my uncles and cousins would go out and beat the shit out of some guy dressed as Santa. It’s a Philly tradition.” [Gene Ross]
Pittsburgh over Miami – “Ti9 , itxx ite67w, t45 kmx]
The Adultfyi picks:
Karl The Birdman [114-49]: TBay, Cleveland, NYG, Tenn, Seattle, Carolina, Jax, KC, Arizona, Chicago, SD, NE, Pitt
Willie D [108-55]: Washington, Cleveland, NY Giants, Tennessee, Seattle, NO, Jax, KC, Arizona, Chicago, SD, NEngland, Pittsburgh
Sean, www.pornlegends.com [107-56]: T Bay, Cleveland, NYG, Tennessee, Seattle, NO, Jax, KC, Arizona, Chicago, SD, NE, Pittsburgh
Gene Ross [104-59]: TBay, Cleveland, NYG, Cin, Seattle, Carolina, Jax, KC, Arizona, Denver, SD, NEngland, Pitt
Steve Seidman [102-61]: TBay, Houston, NYG, Cincy, Seattle, NO, Jax, KC, Arizona, Denver, SD, NE, Pittsburgh
Dan Davis [102-61]: Washington, Cleveland, NYG, Cincy, Seattle, NO, Jax, KC, Arizona, Denver, SD, NE, Pittsburgh
Mastrick [101-62]: TBay, Cleveland, NYGiants, Tennessee, Seattle, Carolina, Jax, KC, Arizona, Tenn, SD, NE, Pittsburgh
Ryan from Jerry’s Deli [101-62]: TBay, Cleveland, NY Giants, Tennessee, Seattle, NO, Buffalo, KC, Arizona, Chicago, SD, NEngland, Pittsburgh
Tony Batman [101-62]: TBay, Cleveland, NY Giants, Tennessee, Seattle, NO, Jax, KC, Arizona, Chicago, SD, NE, Pittsburgh
Jack Spade [100-63]: TBay, Cleveland, Minn, Cincy, Seattle, Carolina, Jax, KC, Arizona, Chicago, SD, NE, Pittsburgh
Tim Case [99-64]: T Bay, Cleveland, NY G, Cincy, Seattle, Carolina, Jax, Oakland, Arizona, Denver, SD, NE, Pitt
Mike Dickinson [99-64]: Washington, Cleveland, NYG, Cincy, Seattle, NO, Buffalo, KC, Arizona, Denver, SD, Philly, Pittsburgh
Billy the Crystal [98-65]: Washington, Cleveland, Minnesota, Cincy, Seattle, Carolina, Jax, KC, Arizona, Denver, SD, NE, Pitt
John Gray [98-65]: Washington, Cleveland, NYG Tenn, St. L, Carolina, Jax, KC, Arizona, Denver, SD, NE —-
Steve Lane, www.serenity.net [90-73]: TBay, Cleveland, NY Giants, Tennessee, Seattle, Carolina, Buffalo, Oakland, AZ, Chicago, SD, NE, Pittsburgh
Serenity, www.serenity.net [87-76]: TBay, Cleveland, NY Giants, Tennessee, Carolina, Jax, Oakland, Arizona, Denver, Baltimore, NEngland, Pittsburgh
Sandy Bunz, www.sandybunz.com [86-77]: TBay, Cleveland, NY Giants, Cincy, Seattle, NO, Buffalo, Oakland, Arizona, Chicago, SD, Philly, Miami
Wankus [82-81]: Washington, Cleveland, Minnesota, Cincy, St. Louis, Carolina, Buffalo, KC, SF, Chicago, SD, NEngland, Miami
Brian Wallace [77-86]: TBay, Cleveland, NY Giants, Cincy, St. Louis, Carolina, Buffalo, KC, Arizona, Denver, SD, NE, Pittsburgh