October's X-mas

 -It looked like Christmas in New England this past Sunday with the red uniforms in the snow; and the fifty plus points that were scored. So much for Jason Whitlock's "Brady will never mentally get over his knee injury" prophecy; number 12 is very much back to his old self. The aspect that makes Tom Brady so great is that he is incredibly critical of himself. You knew he was appalled by his performance in Denver and you had to know that he was going to light up the skies against Tennessee. Brady is never arrogant and never thinks of himself too highly; which in turn creates for an unmatched work ethic. Never thinking you are good always challenges yourself to do better and to work harder. Perhaps Peyton Manning is the only other NFL quarterback whose work ethic fairly compares to Tom's. Before the Patriots most recent trip to the Super Bowl, Giants wide receiver (now in jail) Plaxico Burress boldly stated that his team would defeat the Patriots 21-17. When Brady was told of this lofty prediction during Super Bowl media week, he laughed saying "he is only giving us 17 points?". Implying that the Patriots would easily score more than 17, but this statement was important because for the first time ever it seemed Brady was displaying arrogance. Tom's typical response would have been a laugh perhaps, but then a neutral comment about how its going to be a great game and that the Giants are a good team/Plaxico a good player. That year may have developed a sense of arrogance in anyone; as New England went undefeated in the Regular season and set so many NFL records. I would never imply that a sense of arrogance is why the Patriots lost the Super Bowl, but I do know the Giants were underestimated severely (by myself and many others). I bring this up only to point out that more than ever Brady is back to normal; and normal for him is greatness.

       After demolishing the Titans 59-0 and after throwing for six touchdown passes, Brady remains humble and looking to continue to improve. Perhaps the Super Bowl loss and the season away from football has helped Brady regain his true form. Look for him and the Patriot offense to return to their 2007 form and what better place to start than in England against the 0-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They obviously can't go undefeated, and they wont set a new NFL points record, but they will be dominant offensively the rest of this season. The New England Patriots will be explosive offensively and will not lose more than two games the rest of the season, including the coming weekend's 35-10 win over Tampa Bay.

AFC West Champions

This past Sunday we saw another epic contest between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. Perhaps not quite as memorable as 2007's late season 27-24 victory over the Ravens, but certainly a classic game with an exciting finish. A key dropped pass on fourth down by Raven wide out Mark Clayton put an end to a game winning drive for Baltimore. The Patriots won 27-21 in a great contest between two of the top teams in the AFC. The game leaves both teams with a 3-1 record on the season and has each team tied for first place in their divisions. Don't be surprised to see these teams square off again in the postseason. Baltimore and New England will be vying for the number one seed in the AFC all season long. The Ravens next face the 3-1 Bengals who share first place in the AFC North and the Patriots travel to the Mile High City to take on the Broncos.

Denver is led by head coach Josh McDaniels who was the offensive coordinator for the 2007 and 2008 Patriots. He was the offensive play caller in the magical 2007 (18-1) campaign that claimed the record for most points scored in a season; amidst many other NFL records. Now McDaniels will be the next Belichick disciple (turned head coach) to face his master. Coach McDaniels was questioned for his handling of quarterback Jay Culter; who in result was traded. Also, there was plenty of controversy surrounding the benching of Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall. With all of the distractions and disarray in Denver nothing boded well for the future. However, despite all of the offseason drama the Denver Broncos are flaying high at 4-0 with the Patriots coming to town.


The Broncos have a great running game, great receivers, great tight ends, solid quarterback play, and a surprisingly improved defense; featuring a strong secondary. This team will amass more than eight wins and will be named AFC West Champions at the end of the season, but not before they suffer their first loss at the hands of the Patriots.

The Moment We've Been Waiting For

     As annoying as the whole Brett Favre "retirement" fiasco has been and despite his loss of credibility it will soon all be worth it. The topic of Favre playing or not playing became so redundant and tiresome that many didn't even want to hear about the decision anymore. The game of cat and mouse finally came to an end when Favre showed up in Minnesota ready to be a Viking. Favre wasted little time to begin writing his Viking legacy with a thirty-two yard game winning touchdown pass with two seconds remaining. This spectacular play was perhaps lucky, but only a play that number four could make. The fact that at such an advanced NFL age he can still make such a play is quite impressive. I thought he should have stayed retired last year, and I thought he should have stayed retired this year; but Favre is showing us he can still play. There are still real questions of durability and if he can remain healthy into the playoffs. Last year as a member of the New York Jets, Favre led his team to an 8-3 record, but faded down the stretch missing the playoffs. Injury and age seemed to have finally caught up with the future Hall of Famer. Once again he is off to a great start with his new team, but the rest remains to be seen.


   Popular speculation is that Favre wanted to come back simply based on the principle of going against the Packer's twice a year. That he wanted to avenge the wrongs he felt the Packers had committed against him. No one outside those close with Brett and Brett himself actually know the true reasoning, but this Packers vengeance theme is the most intriguing to NFL fans. Next Monday night will be the moment we've been waiting for; Favre against his old team. When these teams meet again later in the season, It will be interesting to see how Favre is received in the home of his NFL stardom. Are Packer fans going to boo in anger and disappointment or will they shower him with pre game cheers? As for the current Packer team you know they will be amped up for this contest. Aaron Rodgers waited three years to replace Favre as the Packers starting quarterback; and it was not an easy three years. During this time there was constant mind-changing from Brett Favre and great uncertainty about who the starter would be. Despite all of this Rodgers worked hard and patiently awaited his moment in the sun. Now he will face off against the man he replaced; a Packer legend Brett Favre. This is the moment Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, broadcaster, analysts, and NFL fans have been waiting for; Monday Night Football Packers VS. Vikings. Brett Favre VS. the Green Bay Packers.