The Blame Game Starts at Home

It’s easy to blame the scapegoat for the New England Patriots season. But let’s be honest…Brett Favre throwing wounded pelicans to the Miami Dolphins yesterday isn’t the sole reason why the Pats are playing golf. Hey, I’m as pissed as anyone else at Favre and the Jets pathetic performance yesterday…but it shouldn’t have had to come to that.

The New England Patriots have nobody to blame but themselves. They had opportunities this season, and blew them. I’m mean come on…the Pats even forced us to cheer for Brett Favre. God, that makes me sick.

Here are just a few incidents that you can blame way before yesterday’s debacle.

Tom Brady Injury: Hey, Matt Cassel was solid, but it took about six weeks for him to get comfortable.

Getting Run-over By the Wildcat: The Coaching staff couldn’t figure out how to adjust to Miami’s Wildcat formation, in an early season beat-down.

Jabbar Gaffney’s “Gaffe”: It would have been a wide open touchdown against the Colts…it could have changed the face of that game:

David Thomas Penalty: Knocked New England further away for a FG against the Colts.

Overtime Blunder: Losing the toss in the overtime period against the Jets…then New York converting on a 3rd and long on the winning drive.

Complete Second Half Meltdown Against the Steelers: I’m still hearing about that one from the old college friends.

The bottom line is that the Pats had their opportunities, but it just wasn’t meant to be. It’s very easy to blame the Jets for losing yesterday, but New England put themselves in that position. They can only blame themselves.

NFL Playoff Scenarios

Here are your 2008 Week 17 Playoff Scenarios

CLINCHED: Tennessee – AFC South and homefield advantage.

Pittsburgh – AFC North and first-round bye.

Indianapolis – Playoff spot

ELIMINATED: Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Oakland.

Miami clinches AFC East Division with:

1) MIA win OR

2) MIA tie + NE loss or tie.

Miami clinches a playoff spot with:

1) MIA tie + BAL loss.

New England clinches AFC East Division with:

1) NE win + MIA loss or tie OR

2) NE tie + MIA loss.

New England clinches playoff spot with:

1) NE win + BAL loss or tie OR

2) NE tie + BAL loss.

NY Jets clinch AFC East Division with:

• NYJ win + NE loss.

NY Jets clinch playoff spot with:

1) NYJ win + BAL loss.

Baltimore clinches a playoff spot with:

1) BAL win OR

2) BAL tie + MIA loss or tie OR

3) BAL tie + NE loss or tie OR

4) NE loss.

Denver clinches AFC West Division with:

1) DEN win or tie.

San Diego clinches AFC West Division with:

1) SD win.

CLINCHED: N.Y. Giants – NFC East and homefield advantage.

Arizona – NFC West.

Carolina – Playoff spot.

Atlanta – Playoff spot.

ELIMINATED: Detroit, Green Bay, New Orleans, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington.

Dallas clinches a playoff spot with:

1) DAL win OR

2) DAL tie + CHI loss or tie + TB loss OR

3) DAL tie + MIN loss or tie + TB loss OR

4) DAL tie + CHI loss + TB tie OR

5) DAL tie + MIN loss + TB tie.

Philadelphia clinches a playoff spot with:

1) PHI win + TB loss + MIN loss OR

2) PHI win + TB loss + CHI loss.

Atlanta clinches NFC South Division and a first-round bye with:

1) ATL win + CAR loss.

Carolina clinches NFC South Division and a first-round bye with:

1) CAR win or tie OR

2) ATL loss or tie.

Tampa Bay clinches a playoff spot with:

IF CHICAGO BEATS GREEN BAY:

1) TB win + DAL loss or tie OR

2) TB tie + DAL loss + MIN loss or tie OR

3) TB tie + DAL loss + CHI loss or tie OR

4) TB tie + DAL tie + MIN tie + CHI win or tie OR

5) TB tie + DAL tie + CHI tie + MIN win or tie.

Minnesota clinches NFC North with:

1) MIN win OR

2) MIN tie + CHI loss or tie OR

3) CHI loss.

Minnesota clinches a playoff spot with:

1) MIN tie + DAL loss + TB loss.

Chicago clinches NFC North Division with:

1) CHI win + MIN loss or tie OR

2) CHI tie + MIN loss.

Chicago clinches a playoff spot with:

1) CHI win + DAL loss or tie + TB loss or tie OR

2) CHI tie + DAL loss + TB loss.

Helmet Graphics Courtesy MGHelmets.com

Monday Morning Quick Hitters

The Dallas Cowboys squeeked out a late win in Tony Romo’s return from a finger injury, beating the Washington Redskins 14 – 10

Injury riddled Denver Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons 24 – 20.

Apparently Donovan McNabb doesn’t know that an NFL game could end in a tie…”I didn’t know that, I’ve never been part of a tie. I never even knew it was in the rule book. I was looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game. But unfortunately with the rules, we settled with a tie.”…OK….for the 1st time in 6 years, the Philadelphia Eagles tied Cincinnati Bengals 13 – 13.

The Green Bay Packers manhandled perennial rival Chicago Bears 37 – 3

The Indianapolis Colts no huddled their way past the Houston Texans once again 33 – 27. Peyton Manning had 300 yrds passing and Joseph Addai had 100 yards rushing together for the 1st time this season.

Does anyone care that the New Orleans Saints beat the Kansas City Chiefs 30 – 20? Didn’t think so.

The Miami Dolphins squeaked out another win against a bad team, beating the Oakland Raiders on a late field goal, 17 – 15.

The New York Giants proved once again that they are the class of the NFL this season. The Giants rushed for over 200 yards once again, slamming the Baltimore Ravens 30 – 10.

Jeff Garcia drove the Tampa Bay Bucs to 2 4th quarter field goal drives to beat the Minnesota Vikings 19 – 13.

Jake Delhomme threw for only 98 yards, but the Carolina Panthers running game rushed for a franchise record 264 yards beating the still winless Detroit Lions 31 -22.

The San Francisco 49ers scored 28 points in the 2nd Quarter to power the win over the St Louis Rams 35 – 16.

The Arizona Cardinals beat the Seattle Seahawks 26 – 20 Sunday, to move to 7 – 3 for the 1st time since they were in St Louis in 1977.

The Tennessee Titans scored 21 unanswered points to topple the upset minded Jacksonville Jaguars 24 – 14.

The Pittsburgh Steelers hit a late field goal to eek past the San Diego Chargers 11 – 10. The 11 – 10 score is the 1st of that final score in NFL history.

ESPN’s Pedro Gomez (HEY, they finally let him away from Barry Bonds) reports the Boston Red Sox were ready to suspend Manny Ramirez.

The World Champion Philadelphia Phillies () will be raising ticket prices next season.

The Phoenix Suns survived a Shaq ejection to beat the Detroit Pistons 104 – 86.

The other team involved in the Chauncey Billups/Allen Iverson trade is going in the other direction, as the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 90 – 84.

The Carolina Hurricanes spoiled Rick Tocchet’s debut as the Tampa Bay Lightning coach, beating the Lightning 3 – 2.

Former Portland Pirate Goalie, Jonas Hiller got his 1st NHL shutout for the Anaheim Ducks, beating the LA Kings 2 – 0

Friday Morning Quick Hitters

The world without Tom Brady might have got just a tad better Thursday Night. The New England Patriots looked like they were going to get rolled over by the New York Jets. The Jets seemed to convert on every 3rd down possible, building a 24 – 6 lead with a little under 5 minutes left in the 1st half. Matt Cassel looked every bit as calm and collected as the departed superstar, finishing a great drive with a 19 yrd TD pass to Jabbar Gaffney with 15 seconds left in the half. The 3rd quarter was promising for the Patriots, as the D stood up and forced a few 3 and outs from the Jets. The offense finally broke through at the very end of the quarter with a nice 10 yrd TD pass from Cassel to Ben Watson. The 4th quarter was a different story, as the Jets seemed able to again convert 3rd downs and jet the running game going again. The Jets took 7:06 off the clock in the 4th with a 17 play drive that resulted in a Thomas Jones 1 yrd TD run to put the Jets up by 7. After a Pats drive petered out, they punted and forced a 3 and out from the Jets, and got the ball back with 1:06 left in the game. Matt Cassel took what the Jets gave them 15 yrds at a time down the middle, used spikes to stop the clock to get to the Jets 25. After a false start on Dan Koppen moved them back to the 30, Cassel then hit Wes Welker for 14 yrds on a 2nd and 15, forcing a 4th and 1 after the spike. After a Jets timeout, the Jets, who had been playing tight bump and run double coverage on Randy Moss all night, inexplicably, put Ty Law one on one, Cassel saw it, rolled to the right and hit Moss on a beautiful pass on the sideline with 1 second left on the clock. Steven Gostkowski hit the extra point to tie the game at 31. The Pats squibbed the kick forcing overtime. In OT, the Jets won the toss and started moving the ball. The Pats forced a 3rd and 15, but again, left Dustin Keller wide open in the slot for a 16 yrd gain for 1st down. That was the back breaker for the Pats, as the Jets ran the ball to field goal range and Jay Feely ended the game with a 34 yrd field goal to take sole possession of 1st place in the AFC East. Jerod “The Clinic” Mayo was a beast, finishing with 20 tackles in this game. The Jets won 34 – 31

Javon Walker possibly out for the rest of the season for the Raiders.

The Dallas Mavericks fall to 2 – 6 as Ben Gordon goes for 35 points for the Bulls as Chicago beat Dallas 98 – 91.

Dustin Pedroia is the 1st Red Sox 2nd Baseman to capture the Silver Slugger Award. In other Sox news, Portland Sea Dogs pitching coach Mike Cather say Clay Buchholz worked extremely hard in the Arizona Fall League.

Cliff Lee is the 2nd Cleveland Indians pitcher in a row to capture the AL Cy Young Award.

Free Agency started at 12:01 AM this morning..keep a close eye on The Steamer for updates

Wednesday Morning Quick Hitters

The San Francisco Giants Tim Lincecum takes home 2 prizes yesterday. MLB announced Lincecum as the 2008 NL Cy Young Award winner. Lincecum was 18 – 5, a 2.62 ERA and ML Leading 265 strikeouts. Lincecum became only the 2nd San Francisco Giant to take home the award. In Lincecum’s 2nd win yesterday, 2K Sports announced Lincecum would be the cover boy for the MLB 2K9 Baseball Video Game.

The Atlanta Hawks move to 6 – 0 beating the Chicago Bulls 113 – 108. Al Horford scored a career high 27 for the Hawks. Atlanta returns to the scene of their last game of last year, against the Boston Celtics.

The Utah Jazz Deron Williams returned from his ankle injury to help blast the Philadelphia 76ers 93 – 80.

The LA Lakers also move to 6 – 0 as they rally to beat the Dallas Mavericks 106 – 99.

Tom Brady was in the building yesterday…but not to learn the gameplan.

49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz blames refs for loss.

#14 Ball State handled Miami of Ohio 31 -16

Monday Morning Quick Hitters

The New England Patriots began a very important stretch of 3 divisional games in a row by beating the Buffalo Bills 20 – 10. BenJarvus Green-Ellis looked like an all pro RB yesterday especially on a franchise record 19 play, 92 yard drive, capping the drive with a 1 yrd TD run. Green-Ellis finished with 105 yards on 26 carries. The win was not without a price, Michael Smith of ESPN is reporting Adalius Thomas is done for the season with a broken arm. Thomas left the game in the 2nd quarter and didn’t return.

Matt Ryan seems to get better every game. Ryan made nice throws and managed a great game against the weak New Orleans Saints defense. The Falcons remain undefeated at home, beating the Saints 34 – 20.

The Tennessee Titans were held to 20 rushing yards vs the Chicago Bears, but Kerry Collins stepped up and passed the Titans to a 21 -14 win over the Bears. Collins threw 30 – 41 for 289 yards, 2 TDs and no interceptions.

Not much to say about this game…the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Detroit Lions 38 – 14.

The Miami Dolphins squeeked out a win over the Seattle Seahawks yesterday. The Dolphins needed a stop on a 2 point conversion, a replay to overturn a fumble and a late defensive stop to outlast the Seahawks 21 – 19.

Adrian Peterson ran angry yesterday. He was a man possessed running for 192 yards and a TD as the Minnesota Vikings beat division rivals Green Bay Packers 28 – 27.

THANK YOU FOX FOR BRINGING US IN NON JETS COUNTRY FOR THAT FANTASTIC DISPLAY OF NFL FOOTBALL IN NEW YORK. The New York Jets demolished the St Louis Rams 47 – 3.

The Baltimore Ravens offense looked like a powerhouse yesterday and the defense forced Texans QB Sage Rosenfels into 4 INTs on the way to a Ravens 41 – 13 win over the Houston Texans.

The Carolina Panthers squeeked out a 17 – 6 win over the Oakland Raiders despite 4 INTs by Jake Delhomme.

Big Ben Roethlisberger threw 3 picks including a costly one in the 4th quarter allowing Peyton Manning to do his 4th Quarter magic, driving the Colts to a 24 – 20 win in Pittsburgh.

With nothing to lose Herm Edwards played to win the game Tyler Thigpen played a strong game and drove them down to score a late TD and Herm Edwards, with nothing to lose, went for 2 and the win. Thigpen’s attempt to hit Tony Gonzalez fell short and the San Diego Chargers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20 – 19.

The New York Giants proved once again that they are the best team in the NFL….and that Andy Reid may have worn out his welcome in Philly. Reid had a questionable 4th quarter of play calls and challenge choices, helping the Giants to a 36 – 31 win over division rival Philadelphia Eagles.

The Boston Celtics spoiled the home debut of Allen Iverson, beating the Detroit Pistons 88 – 76 in Detroit.

Look out now….Mike D’Antoni has the Knicks 4 – 2 after a 107 – 99 win over the Utah Jazz

The Los Angeles Clippers got their 1st win of the season, 103 – 92 against the Dallas Mavericks.

On the other locker room at Staples Center, The Los Angeles Lakers stayed undefeated as they beat the Houston Rockets 111 – 82.

Friday Morning Quick Hitters

Well, the Mighty Quinn started his 1st game for the Browns this season last night, but was overshadowed and overmatched by Jay Cutler as Cutler threw for 3 TD and 447 yards. The Denver Broncos comes back to beat the Cleveland Browns 34 – 30.

D’Angelo Hall clears waivers

The Utes allowed a quick 10 points and then shut TCU out the rest of the way, finally beating # 12 TCU 13 – 10.

The Boston Bruins continue their trek to respectability in Boston, as the Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5 – 2. Blake Wheeler got his 1st career hat trick for the Bruins in the win. The Bruins are 1 point out of the NorthEast Division lead.

The Better Late Than Never Quick Hitters

The Boston Celtics get back to their winning ways, beating the Houston Rockets at home 103 – 99. Ray Allen scored 11 straight points for the C’s before fouling out, finishing with 29 points. Tracy McGrady had a team high 26 for the Rockets.

Remember the stat The Central Maine Sports Blog gave you about the San Antonio Spurs starting the season 0 – 2? How about this. With the Spurs 98 – 81 loss last night, it is the 1st time the San Antonio Spurs have been 0 – 3 since 1973…WOW.

The Exodus out of Oakland may have already begun. DeAngelo Hall and Javon Walker appear to be gone.

Brady Quinn is officially the starting QB in Cleveland

The Sand Diego Padres say that the Jake Peavy Sweeps are down to 3 NL teams.

The New York Yankees decline options on Jason Giambi and Carl Pavano.

Monday Morning Quick Hitters

Well, guess that week on the west coast didn’t do much for the Patriots. The San Diego Chargers promptly dispatched the New England Patriots 30 – 10.

The St Louis Rams and interim coach Jim Haslett entered the ranks of the winners Sunday, getting a last second field goal to beat the Washington Redskins 19 – 17.

The Philadelphia Eagles were without Michael….really, I do know it is Brian Westbrook again, struggled early and then turned it on by scoring 23 4th quarter points, beating the 49ers 40 – 26.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted to get into the excitement in Florida by slamming the Carolina Panthers 27 – 3.

The NYJ kept Harvard product Ryan Fitzpatrick in check, beating the hapless Bengals 26 – 14.

The New Orleans Saints showed Raiders Coach Tom Cable just how bad they are. Drew Brees went 26 – 30 for 320yds and 3 TD in a Saints 34 – 3 win over the Oakland Raiders.

The NFL owes yet another apology to a team. A side judge call an amazingly questionable pass interference on Lions CB Leigh Bodden that allowed the Minnesota Vikings to hit a last second field goal to beat the Lions 12 – 10.

The Indianapolis Colts finally broke in Lucas Oil Stadium with their old school offense, slamming the Baltimore Ravens 31 – 3.

In one of the best games of the day, the Houston Texans used a last second QB sneak on 4th down to beat the Miami Dolphins 29 -28.

In what might be the most spectacular ending, Kyle Orton went 7 – 11 on the Bears last drive and threw a spectacular 17 yrd TD pass with only seconds left on the clock. Atlanta was able to bring the ball back to their 39 and with 6 seconds left, Ryan threw a strike on the sideline to Michael Jenkins with 1 second left, allowing previous goat Jason Elam hit a 48 yrd field goal to beat the Bears 22 – 20.

Jacksonville went a long way to defining their season with their 24 – 17 win over the Denver Broncos.

The Green Bay Packers beat the injury depleted Seahawks 27 – 17.

The Arizona Cardinals ended their game with the Dallas Cowboys the way an Nfl had never been ended before, on a game ending sudden death blocked punt TD. The offenses came to play in Arizona’s 30 – 24 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Fireworks ensued in the Phillies Dodgers Game 3. Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda threw way up and in on the Phillies Shane Victorinio and Manny being Manny almost started a brawl. After all was said and done, the Dodgers climbed their way back into the series beating the Phillies 7 – 2.

The AP Top 5 Rankings are: #1 Texas, #2 Alabama, #3 Penn State, #4 Oklahoma, and #5 Florida

The NHL suspended Michael Peca indefinitely for bumping a referee.

Hockey Night in Canada gets new theme song “Canadian Gold”

Tuesday Morning Quick Hitters

The Pittsburgh Steelers stole a game from the Baltimore Ravens. On a sloppy night when the Steelers lost 3, count em 3 RBs, they were able to outlast the Ravens in OT 23 – 20.

For the love of all that is good, Al Davis, please pull the trigger. ESPN’s John Clayton is reporting that talks have started internally about replacing Lane Kiffin.

New York Jets DB Eric Smith has been fined and suspended for the brutal helmet to helmet hit on Arizona Cardinals WR Anquoin Boldin.

Doctors for Jaguars lineman Richard Collier say he had 14 bullet wounds in various organs and spine, is paralyzed below the waist and lost his left leg below the knee due to the shooting.

The Chicago White Sox forced a 1 game playoff on Tuesday by defeating the Detroit Tigers 8 – 2. The Pale Hose will face the Minnesota Twins Tuesday in Chicago. TBS will have the game at 6:25PM

The Boston Celtics re-signed G Sam Cassell.

Miami Heat GM Randy Pfund resigns. Take a stab at who takes over…think Dippity Doo mixed with grecian-formula.