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 I love watching my Colts on the television. They are a fun team to watch. One of the overriding truths about the Indianapolis Colts is that they have the ability to convert any third down and the ability to make the big play on defense. These things are absolute facts. With Marvin Harrison on the trainer's table and no reliable replacement they still converted 50% of their third downs. They were +18 in the turnover margin. This team is fun to watch. But we can't get no satisfaction when it comes to scheduling. I could go on and on about seasons when the Colts got no respect for primetime scheduling but I will broaden my horizons, and point out a handful of games that I would rather watch in primetime than what I will be seeing.
The chick is Yuko Mizuno. Sorry I couldn't find a better picture. I didn't want to spend ALL night on Japanese web pages. If you don't know what Ninja Warrior, Sasuke, or Kunoichi are then you need to find out. It is amazing. I told my girlfriend that if she could complete the first stage of Kunoichi I would marry her. I meant it. Of course, she does practice Judo, and that ain't nothing. She even broke her foot in a match and didn't quit. I don't know why I find that sexy. I don't know if it is the idea of a female warrior that I like or the notion that she can accept and overcome pain. There may be something wrong with me.
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Hey, I am as pleased to see the Browns get their due in primetime games as the next guy, I really am. But the Colts are a 12 or 13 win team every year, EVERY YEAR, and they have premier players at every position and a brand spanking new, state of the art barn to play in and the best we can do is...sigh...I am over this. I am over this. Let me trade you some primetimers for some better games.
2008 NFL Schedule
Week 1: Instead of Denver at Oakland for the late game on Monday, October 8th, I would rather see the Bengals at Baltimore or the Jags at Titans as a one hitter Monday night. The double play ball on Monday nights is nice but it is little more than a money play to the West Coast and I feel like crap on Tuesday after staying up to watch the alte game.
Week 2: Well, I think they got this one right. Steelers at Browns on Sunday night and Illgles at Boys on Monday. I'll watch those. Pats at Jets at one bell on Sunday will be a dandy, though.
Week 3: Jets at Chargers on Monday night doesn't do as much as a Jags at Colts. Every game these teams play is like a heavyweight title bout.
Week 4: Illgles at Bears on Sunday night is a loser. Look, the Eagles aren't going to the NFC Championship every year like they used to. They get way too much primetime coverage for a team that seems to be coming apart a little. Not only that, but neither of these teams are runaway Playoff teams. And the NFL has the Skins heading to Dallas sitting right there in front of them. Pull the trigger on that and let's watch a dandy divisional in Irving.
Week 5: In perhaps the biggest kick to the groin NFL fans will experience all year, the Minnesota Vikings are heading to Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Saints. You know what, I intend to get to a couple Vikings games this year and watch the kid run, he is really exciting, but you can't tell me this game will hold water against the Seahawks going to the Meadowlands to try the Giants. That is the game for Monday night right there. A cool, crisp October night in Jersey with Playoff implication early in the season...
Week 6: Giants and Browns looks decent on Monday night but the homer in me says that the Ravens heading in to see the Colts is a great one. I love these games. The Baltimore fans spend tons of money to travel up to Indy to yell at us Colts fans for stealing their team. They do it every time. They hate Irsay even though it wasn't Jim's team then. Manning and Ray Lewis are goof friends and watching their pre-snap chess match is like watching Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow playing drinking games...for keeps.
Week 7: While the Seahawks pound on Tampa Sunday night, those of us that don't live in the Ohio will miss the Steelers and Bengals. Okay, that is a reach. Hawks-Bucs might not be bad and the Bengals may suck horribly.
Week 8: This makes no sense to me. The Seahawks get another in primetime beating up on the Niners when we have a game being played in LONDON. If the NFL is going to go international, let us watch it. Instead, Minneapolis' CBS affiliate will show the Chiefs and the Jets.
Week 9: Colts and Pats. This is the game every year. Last year's was mind-blowing and I expect little else. They got it right. The big game in the nice new place.
Week 10: Broncos-Browns on the Thursday nighter is nice but Giants Illgles and Niners Cardinals don't stand up to Steelers hosting the Colts. Don't like the idea of the Colts getting to primetime back to back? Stop doing it with the Illgles, Seahawks, Steelers...etc.
Week 11: We are now getting into flex scheduling. Thursday has the Pats and Jets and Sunday has the Skins and Boys but I hate to see the Browns and Bill on Monday with Titans-Jags, Bears-Packers, and Chargers-Steelers on the table. There were a lot of options there that didn't have to wind up in Buffalo of all places.
Week 12: Not bad. Thursday (R for those of you who went to IU) has Bengals at Steelers. Sunday has Colts at Chargers and Monday has Pack at Saints. Jets at Titans looks good.
Week 13: Thanksgiving gives us a nooner of Titans at Lions, Hawks at Boys at 4 bells, and a primetimer of Cardinals at, you guessed it, the Philadelphia Illgles. Sunday and Monday aren't too bad with Bears at Vikes and Jags at Houston. If Houston is ever going to be anything they need to play the Jags tough consistently, here, late in the season, will be a good time to evaluate their desire to do so. Steelers at Pats would have been nice in primetime, though.
Week 14: Instead of Bucs at Panthers on Monday night (though this may have huge playoff implications) it would have been nice to see the Titans host the Browns. This has playoff implications, too. The Titans kept the Browns out last year by beating the Colts JV squad.
Week 15: Philadelphia gets another shot on Monday night against the Browns. With Steelers at Ravens sitting right there.
Week 16: FINALLY! Colts at Jags. The slugfest. With (perhaps) the AFC South marbles on the line.
Week 17: Sunday night game to be determined. No Monday nighter. I likes playoff implications in Jags at Ravens. Lions at Packers. Broncos at Chargers and, while it may be fanciful to think something will be decided by Hawks at Niners, I don't think the Niners have enough offense to wrest NFC West supremacy from the hawks for another year or maybe two. Is Alex Smith really developing? Does anyone support him and who the heck is he supposed to throw the ball to?
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2008 Cubs Preview
In the excitement over the Week 16 primetime Jags match-up, you forgot to take note that the NFL only gave the Colts 4 days to prepare for that one after their match-up with Detroit. Typical NFL crapola. I do like the Colts' home match-ups for this season though. I guess the short prep time for the JAX game is balanced out by getting the Pats at home again...although I remember a few years ago the Pats got back to back home games in the series. Betting The GM will be on hand with the Kelper at LOF for the Lions game. Just hope the nose doesn't bleed too much from the new seats.
It's all about the money, yo. Even though the Colts have a rabid fanbase IN indy, they don't have one around the nation. I'm certain that the TV ratings for a Jets/Chargers tilt are going to be better than a Colts/Jags showdown because of all the NY viewers. Viewers bring in advertisers....advertisers bring in cash. We've come full circle.
I'm shocked the Jets landed two prime-time gigs. I'm not surprised about the Thursday night Pats game, but the Jets were a playoff team in 2006 and landed zero Monday night games last year.
The NFL schedule is indeed a fickle mistress.
damn, i love the NFL.
a terrific NBA playoff session is about to start, MLB just got going, apparently hockey's looking good right now (i wouldn't know...) and the NFL makes headlines BY RELEASING A SCHEDULE OF GAMES!!
incredible.
Nobody said it wasn't about money. It is very much about money. It is very much about playing to the coasts. This post is very much about wanting to watch the better game. Consider this the lament of the small market fan. You may not recognize it :) The point is this. I want to see the best possible game in primetime. Not only will I be unable to attend the Colts games as I have in the past, I will not be able to watch many of the games that are being distributed to non-network venues like the NFL Network (which is not part of the cable package in my area). That said, on Sunday nights when NBC shows their primetime games, I would like them to be the best possible matchups. We all understand that my problem won't change, but this is certainly the place to say something. As fans, I think we can all hope just a little bit, that our sports will serve to entertain us a little. We would like to think that it is a sport and entertainment before it is business. Surely, for many, it is not. If, however, the Browns are putting up a thousand points on the Bills on Monday night you will all understand when I blow a vessel.
Kelper does make an interesting point. The Colts face the Jags on a short week. Thats a pretty big games for a short week. Last year we faced the Pats on a short week and looked good until the fourth. Hope for better this season.