Week 15: Sunday Recap

We are a nation in mourning. All of our flags are at half staff and players and coaches in the NFL are writing the names of slain children on their hats, shoes and helmets.I know that there are mixed feelings about whether or not the Sandy Hook Elementary killings should spur a political debate on gun control, but I am sure we all wish that that pyscho wasn't able to get his hands on two guns. What can you do in the face of tragedy but pick yourself up and find a way to move on. If nothing, football provides the briefest respite from an unfathomable act and Week 15 did not disappoint when we needed some entertainment the most.

- The  (not so) mighty New York Giants lost 0-34 to the Atlanta Falcons. That's right, Eli Manning and the Giants scored zero points. Nothing. Nada. Goose Egg. Their first shut out since 1996. The Falcons have only lost 2 games all season (tied for the best record in the NFL) but have still not earned the respect they think they deserve. That chip on their shoulder seemed to work in their favor today. Asante Samuel intercepted Eli Manning twice and quarterback, Matt Ryan threw for 270 yards and 3 touchdowns. Not only did the Falcons shut the Giants out but it is the first time they have beat the Giants since 2004. The Falcons now sit on top of the NFC South and will have a bye the first round of the playoffs.

Victor Cruz wrote the name of one of the SHES victims on his shoes

- Rookie QB, Russell Wilson rushed for 3 touchdowns in the Seattle Seahawks 50-17 routing of the Buffalo Bills. This a week after the Seahawks shut out the Arizona Cardinals 58-0. Russell Wilson may have played 3rd fiddle to fellow rookie QBs, RG3 and Andrew Luck. But I think it is safe to say that everyone will be talking about him in the morning.

- While we are on the subject of shutouts the New Orleans Saints had one of their own, shutting out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-41. The Saints have been the center of a lot of talk this week. Paul Tagliabue, the former commissioner of the NFL, vacated the suspensions of four players. Suspensions that were handed down by current commissioner, Roger Goodell. Tagliabue basically said that players follow the directions of their coaches for fear of getting cut or benched. So the onus of the Bounty Gate scandal falls more on the coaches than it does the players. Needless to say, the Saints felt the slightest bit vindicated this week and it showed. Drew Brees overcame a 2-week rut to throw for 307 yards and 4 touchdowns. "Impress Him" Fact: The Saints still have a snowballs chance in New Orleans of making the playoffs if they win out but all of the other teams will have to lose their last 2 games. Not likely, but stranger things have happened to this team this year including their first shut-out game since 1995.

- Unfortunately for Jay Cutler, Clay Matthews was back on defense for the Green Bay Packers after missing 4 games due to a hamstring injury. You may remember that when these 2 teams met earlier this season Clay Matthews sacked Jay Cutler 3.5 times so I am guessing that Jay was hoping to catch a little break this time around. No such luck. Clay was back and looking for Jay and found him for 2 sacks in the Packers 21-13 win over NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears. Aaron Rodgers was looking (and playing) good with 291 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Chicago continues to struggle losing 5 of their last 6 games. The bad news for all of us is that the Bears are in danger of not making the playoffs which means Jay Cutler will have extra time on his hands to make more babies with Kristen Cavallari, and no one wants that. "Impress Him" Fact: Want to really turn some heads? Tell your co-workers/husband/boyfriend that the Bears just don't have any play-makers beyond Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. On another note I just tried to google images of Jay Cutler with Kristen and his baby and there are none. There aren't even any of just him and the baby. Is Jay Cutler a dead beat dad? Incidentally, there are several pictures of Jay Cutler's head on a poor baby's body and also several of him with a pacifier in his mouth...if that tells you anything.

I don't know where Jay is, but please don't fumble that baby

- You have to give the Dallas Cowboys this, they will not go away. In fact, they are tied for 1st place in the NFC East. This team simply refuses to give up as was evident in their overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Of course, the Steelers helped out a little. A fumbled kickoff return led to the tie-ing touchdown for the Cowboys. And then Brandon Carr intercepted Roethlisberger's first pass in overtime and ran it 36 yards to the 1st yard line, setting up an easy field goal for Dan Bailey who was happy to play the hero for the second week in a row. The Steelers are one game behind the Cincinnati Bengals for a wild card spot in the playoffs. They face the Bengals in a "must win" game next week.

- Imagine you had all of the ligaments in your knee torn and reconstructed. Now imagine that 9 months later you were running down a field while giant men tried everything in their power to knock you down. And now imagine that none of that mattered because you are some kind of super human and instead of slowing down you are going to have the best season as a running back of your career and possibly of anybody's career if things keep going the way they are going. If you can imagine all of that then you will know what it is like to be Adrian Peterson. In the Minnesota Vikings' game against the St. Louis Rams Peterson ran for a season-best 212 yards giving him 1812 yards for the season...294 yards shy of the single season record set by Eric Dickerson in 1984. Oh and the Vikings beat the Rams 36-22.

- When I played tennis in high school, I always had to play against a girl who I had been playing with since I was 6 years old. I would always be pretty antsy before the match and would start off petty shaky and would get in a hole. Once I was in this hole I would kind of give up because I really liked Marcie and didn't care if she beat me, I was hungry, and I was ready to get home and see what the gang from West Beverly High was up to...oh and I probably had homework or something. And it would be at the moment that I had accepted defeat that I would start playing my best game and the match would drag out for a third set. That seems to be what is happening with the Carolina Panthers the last 2 weeks. Last week they decidedly took out the Atlanta Falcons and this week it was the San Diego Chargers' turn to be humiliated by a team who had only won 4 games coming into Sunday's game. In fact, it was the first time that the Panthers have won consecutive games since last December. Mike Tolbert, a former Charger, had 2 touchdowns against his old team and Cam Newton threw for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Panthers' 31-7 defeat of the San Diego Chargers. Of course, the Panthers are playing for nothing but pride right now but they are playing like the team everyone expected them to be at the beginning of the season. Hopefully, they can remember what worked come September.

This week I thought I would change it up with GQ Cam.

- The San Francisco 49'ers took on the New England Patriots last night in what looked like the most miserable conditions ever...cold, rainy, sleet. Barf. You would think that the Patriots would be used to this kind of weather, but it was the 49'ers who looked right at home. In fact, the Patriots have not lost on their home field in December in a decade. A decade! The 49'ers were up 31-3 when the Patriots decided to make it interesting and come back to tie the game in the 4th quarter. But this was San Francisco's game to win and they clinched the win with a 38 yard touchdown pass from Colin Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree. The 49'ers won 41-34 and are headed to the post season with some good momentum.

That does it for the big news out of Week 15. Remember to hold your little ones tight this week and every week.

Week 12: Thanksgiving Day and Sunday Recap

Welcome to Week 12 and the official start to the Holiday Season! I don't know about all of you but this time of year is the only thing that helps me get through the cold days....even though its only 60 degrees here, but you know what I mean. The Holidays kicked off in the NFL on Thanksgiving Day with 3 games. The NFL also seems to be in the Holiday spirit with one team winning for a sick little boy, one Quarterback growing hair for a cause, and a cheerleader losing some hair for a cause. Since I was too full to recap on Friday, let's start with what the office will be buzzing about from the Thursday games.

- Yet again the New York Jets are the "butt" of countless jokes....this time literally. The Jets had to know it was not going to be their night against their arch-rivals, the New England Patriots when their QB, Mark Sanchez literally ran into the fanny of his offensive lineman, causing him to fall backwards and fumble the ball which was picked up by a Patriot and run into the end-zone for a touchdown. To add insult to injury, the Jets' returner, Joe Mcknight, fumbled the kickoff on the very next play, it was picked up by Julian Edelman who ran it in 22 yards for yet another touchdown caused by a Jets' turnover. In the end the Jets were humiliated 49-19. The fans were calling for Tebow, but it was found out later that he had a rib injury. If you have a second check out Mark Sanchez's fumble below...trust me it's worth it.

- The guys in your life might be getting a little technical this morning if they are talking about the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions game. Turns out the Lions lost this one, 34-31, because of a mistake made by their Head Coach, Jim Schwartz. By NFL rule, all scoring plays are reviewed by the officials. So when Houston's Jim Forsett scored an 81 yard touchdown the officials would have automatically reviewed the play to ensure that the score was, in fact, legit. During this review they would have seen that Forsett's knee and elbow were clearly down before he made the long run down the field and that their was no touchdown. However, Jim Schwartz made the mistake of throwing the challenge flag before the officials could review the play. Again, by NFL rule, throwing the challenge flag on a scoring play is considered unsportsmanlike conduct, carries a 15 yard penalty, and negates the official review. Needless to say, the Lions could have won this one in regulation, instead, it went to overtime and the Texans walked away with another close win, beating the Lions 34-31. Does anyone else find it impossible to hear the name Schwartz without thinking of Spaceballs? 

May the Schwartz be with you

- RG3 and the Washington Redskins did not do Tony Romo any Thanksgiving favors when they traveled to Dallas on Thursday. RG3 threw for 311 yards and 4 touchdowns in their 38-31 win over the Cowboys. 28 of those points came in the 2nd quarter, the first 28-point quarter the Redskins have had in 13 years. Tony Romo made an honest effort at a comeback and had a career-high day with 411 yards and 3 second-half touchdowns. But a hot Romo never seems to be enough for the poor Cowboys this year. "Impress Him" Fact: Tony Romo lost for the first time in 6 consecutive Thanksgiving Day starts. It is Romo's 3rd loss in 3 career 400 yard games and the Cowboys first loss to the Redskins in 7 Thanksgiving Day games.

- Now onto Sunday! Let's start at the end with the absolute smashing of the Green Bay Packers against the New York Giants on Sunday night. The Giants were coming off a bye week and a 2 game slump, while the Packers were hot on a 5 game winning streak. But apparently, there was a sweet little boy at the game who's Make-A-Wish wish was for the Giants to play like the Super Bowl champs they are...so that is what they did, killing Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, 10-38. The Packers were missing key players on Defense including, Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson. They were also missing receiver, Greg Jennings on offense.  The Packers' offensive line didn't do Aaron Rodgers (or his moustache) any favors either, he was sacked 5 times by the Giants and was under pressure all night. Eli Manning had 249 yards and 3 touchdowns. "Impress Him" Fact: The win gives the Giants a 2 game lead in the NFC East, while the loss knocks Green Bay out of a tie for first place in the NFC North.

The Movember Moustache is not working on or off the field, Aaron.

- The San Francisco 49'ers were also in the business of ending winning streaks with their 31-21 win over the New Orleans Saints. What's most impressive about this win? Well, they got it done with back-up QB Collin Kaepernick, in his second start for the 49'ers even after starting QB, Alex Smith was determined to be healthy enough to play on Sunday. Kaepernick threw for 231 yards and a touchdown. The 49'ers defense played a big part in their win, running two interceptions back for touchdowns, and sacking QB, Drew Brees, 5 times. They also held a New Orleans team who had rushed for 140 or more yards in previous games to just 59 rushing yards on Sunday. San Francisco Head Coach, Jim Harbaugh, said that he started Collin Kaepernick to preserve the health of Alex Smith, but he did not say who would start next week against the St. Louis Rams. Could there be some QB drama in San Francisco...I hope so, that is what makes this game so interesting.

Who will be the guy in SF? That's Kaepernick on the left in case were wondering

- The Atlanta Falcons were also in the business of bringing down winning streaks with a close 24-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who were on a 4-game roll. With just over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Falcons were down 17-23. But Atlanta QB, Matt Ryan, is no stranger to game-winning drives and he put together a 6-play, 64 yard drive that ended with a touchdown run from Michael Turner to give the Falcons the 1-point lead. The Bucs had a chance to pull off the win, but missed a field goal. The hot rookie of the moment, Doug Martin, was also held to just 50 rushing yards for the Bucs. The Falcons can't relax for long though, they host the New Orleans Saints next week, the very same Saints who handed them their first loss of the season just a few weeks ago.

- A cheerleader for the Indianapolis Colts, Megan Meadors, accepted a challenge by the Colts' mascot, Blue. Blue asked the cheerleaders if they would shave their heads if he managed to raise $10,000 for leukemia research in the name of Colt's head coach, Chuck Pagano, who is currently undergoing treatment for leukemia. Meadors accepted the challenge, raised over $22,000, and let blue shave her head on the sidelines. This is the kind of story that gives me goosebumps.

How can Blue see what he's doing? Good for you, Megan!

 I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is as excited about the Holiday season as I am! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @gridiron4girls and like Gridiron For Girls on Facebook!

Week 6: Sunday Recap

Cute, huh!

This is an exciting week in the short life of this blog! Not only am I given a break this week from the troubles of Cam Newton whose on the field woes are matched only by his alma mater, Auburn, who I also happen to be a life-long fan of; but this week I also get to introduce the new GFG logo and Facebook page! So please like Gridiron For Girls on Facebook (I promise I will figure out how to get a "Like" button on the blog, baby steps.) and let me know what you think of the logo! Having an official logo coupled with the events of my weird/crazy weekend has made me a little saucy, so please forgive the tone of some of the recaps below, I simply could not help myself.

- The biggest story of the day has to be the comeback of the Greenbay Packers. After losing only one game last year, the bar was set (maybe unfairly) high for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. So when they travelled to Houston to take on the undefeated Houston Texans many wondered if the Packers' season was done. Far from it. Aaron Rodgers channeled all the negative chatter around him and turned it into an outstanding performance that resulted in a dominating 42-24 win over Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans. Aaron Rodgers threw for 338 yards and a career-high 6 touchdowns, 3 of which were to Wide Receiver Jordy Nelson. The Greenbay defense also did their part to shut down a team that has been averaging 30 points per game. "Impress Him" Fact: Coming into Sunday Night's game Matt Schaub was getting sacked an average of once for every 51 pass attempts; on Sunday night the Packers sacked Schaub 3 times. So the Houstons are now 5-1, still a very impressive record, and the Greenbay Packers are 3-3 and have silenced critics for at least one week.

Nelson and Rodgers. I guess when you catch 3 TDs in a game it doesnt matter that your name is, "Jordy".

- A little east of Houston, the Atlanta Falcons are still undefeated after a last second field goal got them their 6th win of the season against the Oakland Raiders, but it wasn't pretty. The Raiders, who have not had an interception all year, intercepted Matt Ryan 3 times in the first half! In the second half, it was any one's game. With 2 minutes left in the game, Asante Samuels returned an interception for 79 yards and a touchdown giving the Falcons a 7 point lead. But those crazy Raiders weren't giving up so easily, QB Carson Palmer completed a 38 yard pass to Derek Hagan which set up a short touchdown rush by Darren McFadden to tie the game with 40 seconds left. But last minute wins are the bread and butter of this 6-0 Atlanta Falcons team. Matt Ryan drove his team down the field one last time and Matt Bryant (who, BTWs, is 37 years old) booted through a 55 yard field goal to win the game, 20-23, with 1 second remaining. The Falcons are now the only undefeated team in the NFL."Impress Him" Fact: This is the second time this season that Matt Bryant has saved the day for the Falcons. Two weeks ago he kicked the game winning field goal with 5 seconds left to give the Falcons a win against the Panthers.

This little kicker is a hero...

- The Dallas Cowboys' suffering continues. Last we saw the Cowboys, Tony Romo was continuously throwing the ball to the wrong team. Today he looked pretty good against the Baltimore Ravens; he threw for 261 yards and managed only 1 interception. "Impress Him" Fact: If you were to look at the stats of this game alone you would bet your Halloween Candy that the Cowboys won. Dallas held on to the ball twice as much as the Ravens and rushed for 227 yards which is the most ever against the Ravens by any other team EVER. On top of all that, the Ravens only had 1 yard on three offensive plays in the 3rd quarter. ONE YARD!! But as the Football Gods have decided that they hate the Cowboys, they handed a little bit of luck to the Baltimore Ravens to give them a 29-31 win over the Cowboys. The first bit of luck came when Jacoby Jones had a 108 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter to make it 13-24. This was not only an exceptional run, but it also tied for the longest kickoff return for a TD in NFL history. What are the chances? The next break for the Ravens came when Dez Bryant wasn't able to catch a ball on a 2-point conversion that would have tied the game with 32 seconds remaining in regulation. It may have looked like luck had run out when the Cowboys retrieved an on-side kick and had another chance to tie the game with 6 seconds remaining. But, like I said, the Football Gods hate the Dallas Cowboys and Dan Bailey missed a 51 yard field goal attempt to end the game and give the Ravens the win. What can I say at this point about the Cowboys....even when they're good, they're bad.

...this little kicker is not.

- What is the deal with the Jets? It's like being in a bad relationship; one day they are dumping you over a text message, the next day they are showing up with a diamond ring and a copy of The Notebook. Every week I make some conclusion about this team and the next week they turn around and do the opposite. One week they don't score any points, the next week they are a scoring machine.WHAT IS HAPPENING OVER THERE?! No wonder no one but (some) New Yorkers like these fools. In my defense the New York Jets blew out the Indianapolis Colts after scoring only 3 touchdowns in their last 4 games. For all you math whizzes out there that means they went one game without a touchdown (no points at all to be clear)!!! So who on Earth could have predicted a blow out against a team who pulled off an emotional comeback win last week. NO ONE! Okay. Sorry about that. Long story short, the Jets beat the Colts, 35-9. Running Back, Shonn Greene, who was averaging about 25-30 yards a game before today had 161 yards and 3 touchdowns....which I am sure thrilled all the fantasy football owners, including my husband, who either cut or benched him today, sending my husband's "NFL Sunday Hair" to an all-time high. Even little Timmy Tebow got in on the action with a 23 yard completion. Who knows what these yahoos will do next week against the Patriots, I am not saying a word.

- Speaking of the New England Patriots, they were not able to overcome the Seattle Seahawks on their first trip to Seattle. With 1:18 remaining in the game rookie QB, Russell Wilson found Sidney Rice in the end zone for a 46 yard touchdown to cap off a 14 point come-from-behind rally giving the Seahawks a 23-24 win.

Cheer up, Belichick. Christian Grey is around the corner and knows how to make it all better.

- Remember when you were in high school and they made you carry around an egg for a week to remind you not to get pregnant? Well this week Michael Vick put himself through a similar test. In order to make sure he cuts down on his fumbles, Vick carried around a football everywhere he went this week and challenged anyone who saw him to try and strip it from him. And just like Egg Week in high school has failed time and time again (thanks, MTV), this experiment also did nothing for The Philadelphia Eagles' turnover woes. Vick had one lost fumble in the game against the Detroit Lions as well as 2 interceptions. This gives Vick 6 fumbles and 8 interceptions for a total of 14 turnovers on the season, the most in the NFL. The Lions beat the Eagles 26-23 in overtime and the Eagles lose another close one. Aside: Why is  Sixteen and Pregnant so hard to look away from?! I mean, I think I have struck TV gold when I find a 16 and Pregnant Marathon on! To be clear, I do not endorse high school pregnancy, so if someone can please tell me why I am so fascinated by the struggles that these poor girls face I would be forever grateful.

Look alive, #7! You're about to be a Daddy!

Quick Notes:
- What did rookie QB, Brandon Weeden get for his 29th birthday? The Cleveland Browns first win of the season beating the Cincinnati Bengals 24-34! On a sidenote: how long was Brandon Weeden in college that he is turning 29 in his rookie year? 10 years?

- In a rematch of the 2011 NFC championship game, the   Giants pull themselves to the top of the NFC East with a 23-3 win over the SF 49'ers. "Impress Him" Fact: Before today's game the 49'ers had not allowed a rushing TD on their home field in 14 games, Ahmad Bradshaw broke that streak on Sunday.

- RG3 overcame a mild concussion to put on a show today to get a win for the Washington Redskins against the Minnesota Vikings. Not only did RG3 complete 17 of 22 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown, but he was also the lead rusher for the Redskins with 13 carries, 138 rushing yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns (including one 76 yard rushing touchdown). The Redskins beat the Vikings 38-26. I can't even think of something smart to say here, he was simply great. Maybe he should get knocked out more often...look at that I could think of something smart to say!

Six Sunday's into the NFL season I think things are going well. My husband is actually asking me questions about games that are going on and it has been nice to actually get out of the bed on a Sunday. The downside is that I have decided that since I am writing about the NFL, I should take on the diet of a linebacker and have probably gained 7 pounds during this experiment. But cheeseburgers are delicious so I am willing to live with it through the winter. Don't forget to like the Gridiron For Girls Facebook Page and follow me on Twitter @gridiron4girls. I would love to hear any questions you have about the NFL or anything else! Having said that, I will leave all of you with this question: Should I be concerned that I just asked my husband if he was talking to me and his response was, "No, I was talking to the TV."? Thoughts?

Week 3: NY Giants at Carolina Panthers

Welcome the Week 3 and perhaps my most painful post to date. The only good thing I can say about this game is that I was in the car on my way to my hometown, Birmingham, AL listening to it on the radio so I didn't have to actually watch Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers get destroyed 36-7 by Eli Manning and the NY Giants, but it was hard to listen to nonetheless.

- Going into this game it seemed like it might actually be a good one. If for no other reason than the NY Giants were missing key pieces of their offense with running back, Ahmad Bradshaw and wide receiver, Hakeem Nicks, both out with injuries. Add that to the fact that the Panthers offense looked great against the New orleans Saints last week, it sounded like we were all in for a hell of a game. Well it was a hell of a game, but maybe only for Giants fans. "Impress Him" Fact: Thursday Night was Eli Manning's 122nd consecutive NFL start, putting him in 3rd place behind Brett Favre and big brother, Peyton.

- The Giants scored on their opening drive and then went on to score on their next 3 possessions to take an early 20-7 lead. Andre Brown, who happened to be cut by the Panthers, had a career high 113 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Panthers defense, I assumed they played defense, had absolutely no answer for him. Brown told reporters that he thought about how the Panthers had cut him right before he walked into the Stadium and it lit a fire in him. I'll say. It was Brown's first NFL start and he put on a show. "Impress Him" Fact: The Carolina Panthers have allowed an opening game touchdown in every game this season.

- So the Giants found a fix for the running back hole, surely they will still struggle with the hole left in the passing game by Hakeem Nicks....wrong again. Ramses Barden filled in for the injured Nicks and also decided to have a career high game in his first NFL start. He had 9 receptions for 138 yards.

- Thursday night was Cam Newton's first career night game as an NFL quarterback....and he did not look ready for Prime Time. He threw 3 interceptions and was held to just 6 rushing yards, a week after rushing for a career high 71 yards. Newton was famous for second half comebacks when he led the Auburn Tigers to the National Championship in 2010, but any hope of tapping into that magic was lost when the Panthers fumbled the kickoff punt to open the second half and gave the ball back to the Giants. Cam did put one drive together and scored a 1 yard rushing touchdown. Aside: you have no idea how much it pained me to type this paragraph, so I am including this picture to make me (and Cam Newton) feel better.

Happier Days for Cam...and me. (Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated)

 I guess the jury is still out on Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, but the verdict is definitely in on Eli Manning and the Giants. While I may never see another cover of SI like the one to the left, Eli Manning is not giving up on his back to back Super Bowl dreams just yet.