Thank You for Football
Posted by: footballisforgirls on: November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving, to all football lovers and FifG readers around the world!
Or, ok, around the country, since we’re the only ones who celebrate. Oh, and Canadians. Except they celebrate in October, so retroactive wishes to them.
FifG has been a little lax on the blogging lately due to a) blogging a lot for chicksinthehuddle.com (and now the Huffington Post sports page, too!), and b) being sick for the past 3-5 months. But my Thanksgiving Resolution is to get back on FifG track. Let’s see how that goes.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
FifG Game of the Week: Indianapolis Colts v. Baltimore Ravens
Posted by: footballisforgirls on: November 22, 2009
Indianapolis Colts [9-0] vs. Baltimore Ravens [5-4] (Sunday 1:00 p.m., CBS)
Why it’s good football:
The Colts are still undefeated, thanks to a wacky win against the New England Patriots last week. The game this week against the Ravens could be the toughest they face for the rest of the year.
It should also be noted that Peyton Manning has gotten his team to 9-0 nearly single-handedly, as he has a bunch of young players around him. Also, he may or may not actually be coaching the team. (Tony Dungy-replacement Jim Caldwell notwithstanding.)
Why you might care:
Because you love Ravens QB Joe Flacco. (And it seems that, yes, he’s still dating the same girlfriend.)
Or, because you saw The Blind Side, with Sandra Bullock, and you want to see Michael Oher play.
Football is just like Pop Culture!
The Baltimore Ravens used to be the Baltimore Colts. Then they moved to Indianapolis, and Baltimore was NFL team-less. Many years later, the city got a new franchise, and thus became the Baltimore Ravens. (Yeah, this is way shortened, but you can read the whole story here.)
Totally like the old Becky vs. new Becky on Roseanne. Old Becky, of course, was the cute one of the family, but still fit in nicely with the whole lower-middle-class Wisconsin ethos. But then she left the show and new Becky came, and new Becky was a foot taller, weighed 20 pounds fewer, and sort of didn’t really seem like she could believably be born from Roseanne Barr and John Goodman. And that was off-putting.
But then old Becky came back, and it was like, ooh, she is kind of whiny when you think about it. And then new Becky was back again.
You know what? I don’t know that this really relates to the game much, after all. But I prefer old Becky on Roseanne and new Becky on Scrubs. For the record.
Old Becky (left) looks great here! Good for her.
Boyfriend/Husband/Dad/Other will be so impressed!
Conversation Starters:
-Who do you think will stay undefeated longer: New Orleans Saints or Indianapolis Colts?
- What exactly do you think Jim Caldwell does on the sidelines?
Fun Facts:
-Colts’ kicker Matt Stover was released by the Baltimore Ravens in the offseason. Bad move by the Ravens? They had to release their kicker, Steven Hauschka, just last week.
Player Pronunciation:
Haloti Ngata (BAL): hah-loh-tee nah-tah
Joseph Addai (IND): joh-sehf ah-dahy
Cute football player(s) of the week:
Do I have to put someone other than Donald Brown?
Oh, fine.
Then let’s return to Baltimore’s Brendon Ayanbadejo.
With nipple-piercing and child.
Weekly Wrap-Up
Posted by: footballisforgirls on: November 5, 2009
Ok! Back for another wrap-up, only two short weeks after the last… (Oops.)
Anyway, Paris and Brussels and Bruges were tres, tres awesome. And now for some football. With vacation photo accompaniment. 
- Last week’s Game of the Week was, predictably, a bust. This week’s was won by the New Orleans Saints, and quite handily at that. Looks like the Saints are the cream of the NFL crop this year, and there have even been comparisons to the late ’90s “Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams. That’s a nice comparison for them, methinks.
- Brett Favre’s Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers again. This time in Green Bay. Congrats, Tiffani! I wonder if the NFC championship game will come down to the Vikings vs. the aforementioned Saints? Hmm. That would be a good game.
- I just read this headline, and I love it: Falcons Place Fudge on IR (see article here)
I wonder if they will sign Chocolate Chip Cookie to take his place? Or, wait! They should get this guy.
Non-football:
- I saw the Italian-American Idol while abroad (It’s called X-Factor Italy, I think.), and my very favorite contestant was Damiano. Because he was funny and sang well and didn’t take it too seriously. Toooootes the Anoop of the show. But dude was voted off the night I saw the show! Over this trio of sisters who wore, like, heinously ill-fitting dresses. Ridiculous. (Thank you to my Italian friend for translating Damiano’s witty repartee for me as we watched.)
- I ate more cheese over the 4 days I was in Paris than I have probably in the past 6 months. It was delicious.
- Who watches So You Think You Can Dance? Ok, now who thinks that kicking off two of the three tappers was a huge crock? I mean, Philip’s dance was bad, sure, but Bianca was better than her partner AND she did a tap to “Tootsie Roll” (Dip, baby dip). The judges compared Channing to a sack of potatoes, and she didn’t even make the bottom two? I only have two words for that. What. Ever.
- All right, that’s all I got. But here’s a lovely souvenir for you all. Please enjoy.
FifG Game of the Week: New Orleans vs. Atlanta
Posted by: footballisforgirls on: November 2, 2009
New Orleans Saints [6-0] vs. Atlanta Falcons [4-2] (Monday 8:00 p.m., ESPN)
Why it’s good football:
The undefeated Saints are blazing their way through the season. They’ve had a power offense for years, but the defense is finally catching up. As for the Falcons, they had a breakthrough year last year with a rookie QB and rookie coach, and many thought they would take the NFC South this year. This could be their big chance to stake a claim against the Saints, if they are good enough…
Why you might care:
Well, if you don’t live in the South, you might not. But this is the first shot the post-Katrina Saints might have to win one for the city of New Orleans, so maybe you want to get on board with that. If not, well, this could be a high scoring game, and those are fun.
Football is just like Pop Culture!
Honestly, I am suffering from post-Europe trip jet lag. Meaning my brain is unable to come up with anything clever. Anything at all. Which is why I will just remind you that the Saints’ Reggie Bush is something of a pop-culture fixture. Like, seriously, this is news?
So long as things are "awesome" with Kim K, Reggie will be in pop news. Which, based on the above, is ok.
Boyfriend/Husband/Dad/Other will be so impressed!
Conversation Starters:
-Why do you think Michael Turner is slumping this year? Too many touches last season?
- What effect do you think it will have that New Orleans fullback Heath Evans was placed on injured reserve this week? (Heath had 10 catches for 70 yards this year and 3 touchdowns.)
Fun Facts:
-The Saints’ defense has forced 18 turnovers and scored six touchdowns so far this season. Of those touchdowns, new Saint Darren Sharper has scored 3.
Player Pronunciation:
Marques Colston (NO): mahr-kuhs cohl-stuhn
Ovie Mughelli (ATL): oh-vee muh-hay-lee
Cute football player(s) of the week:
Lance Moore, Wide Receiver, New Orleans
FifG Game of the Week: Bucs vs. Patriots
Posted by: footballisforgirls on: October 22, 2009
Tampa Bay Bucs [0-6] vs. New England Patriots [4-2] (Sunday 1:00 p.m., CBS)
Ok, so it’s not really the Game of the Week. In fact, it will likely be a terrible game. But! The game is in London! And FifG is heading to Paris tonight! So it’s proximity to me qualifies it for the honor.
Want to learn more about the awfulness that will be going down in this game? Read my Chicks in the Huddle post here.
Want a souvenir from Europe? Tell me in the comments section. (None of my friends want souvenirs, which I get since souvenirs tend to be kind of lame, but I am so happy to be traveling to a souvenir-friendly place that I will probably end up forcing some Eiffel Tower figurine or bronzed Belgian waffle on all of them. Be forewarned, friends.)
FifG Game of the Week: Denver Broncos v. San Diego Chargers
Posted by: footballisforgirls on: October 19, 2009
Denver Broncos [5-0] vs. San Diego Chargers [2-2] (Monday 8:30 p.m., ESPN)
Why it’s good football:
First step to naming the winner of the AFC West. Also, I didn’t write a game of the week until Sunday night, and this game is the only one left to be played.
Why you might care:
You love Kyle Orton’s mustache!
Football is just like Pop Culture!
It’s not too girly, but Josh McDaniels of the Denver Broncos is just like Ben on Lost.
Did you know that he was supposed to be on like 1 or 2 episodes?
He was the mysterious bad guy who was supposed to come on the show, get beat up, and, who knows, maybe killed. But Michael Emerson is an awesomely creepy actor, and he added a much needed spark to the show. And now? He is the show. I have mixed feelings about this (don’t get me started on how upset I’ll be if I’ve committed zillions of hours to this show and the whole thing is like a dream in the mind of Walt’s dog), but in the end, Ben makes the show better and more interesting. Heck, he’s even won two Emmy’s.
Ben
Josh
The Broncos hired coach Josh McDaniels this offseason and it looked like his tenure was going to be short. Soon after his arrival, the team traded their top QB(because he was pissy) and had to stand down their (also pissy) star wide receiver until he agreed to play. He had a great pedigree (coaching with Bill Belichick in New England), but he was young and seemed out of his league, and Denverites were ready to have his head.
But then? The Broncos won. And then again. In fact, they just keep on winning. Granted, there have been some really close games, some serious luck, but it looks like McDaniels now is the Broncos. And count on him to stick around for a while.
Boyfriend/Husband/Dad/Other will be so impressed!
Conversation Starters:
- Who chose Ladanian Tomlinson in your fantasy league? How pissed is that guy?
- Who would you rather have as your team’s QB: Jay Cutler or Kyle Orton?
Player Pronunciation:
Knowshon Moreno (DEN): noh-shawn moh-ray-noh
Brandon Manumaleuna (SD): bran-duhn mah-nuh-mah-lee-oon-a
Cute football player(s) of the week:
Ladanian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego Chargers
FifG Weekly Wrap-Up. At Week’s End.
Posted by: footballisforgirls on: October 16, 2009
You know what I’ve learned this football season? It’s hard to write for two blogs!
I mean, I love FifG, and I love Chicks in the Huddle, but I also love sitting around and watching television, and darned if the new TV season hasn’t put a crimp in the whole “writing regularly” thing.
So I’m going to really try to keep up with at least 2 posts a week here. But don’t quote me on that.
Anyhoo, in football updates:
- The 49ers are apparently not like the new 90210 at all, because the Falcons blew them out of the water last week. Clearly they are more new-Melrose. I have to say, Melrose is another one I never watched the first time around, but in the case of that show, I have absolutely no desire to watch it on SOAPnet, and I cannot stand the new version. Like, it’s not only trashy, but it’s incredibly boring, too. If I remember correctly, the original series bore the same criticism and Heather Locklear turned it around, so maybe that will happen for the new show, too. But I’m already over it, so it doesn’t matter to me either way.
- Did you guys see the FOX cartoon where the big joke is that Jessica Simpson is fat? I watched it live last Sunday, and I was honestly completely shocked and offended by it. And I’m pretty jaded to gossip stuff. But I was like, whoa, that’s totally out of line! Make fun of the sucky Cowboys! What does Jess have to do with it? Anyway, she got an apology, but something tells me there is some serious binging/over-exercising going on in that girl’s household. She makes me feel sad.
- The Denver Broncos were supposed to be terrible this year, after giving away Cutler and all sorts of passive aggressive b.s. with wide receiver Brandon Marshall, but they are good! What the heck?! I went to school in Colorado and generally support the Broncos, but I have to say that my inner Buccaneer is angry that they rose above the mess that they were supposed to share with us. I have no kids yet, but I think this means I’m going to be one of those moms who loves her kids’ friends, but will totally turn on them if anything bad happens to her own kid. Those moms freak me out. I should probably get a handle on this now. Go Broncos!
Ok, I'll be happy for the Broncos. But their throwback uniforms are still ugly.
- Ochocinco. I like to say that. Or type it, I guess.
Non-football update:
- I was going to mention this a couple of weeks ago, but then I never actually wrote an update. So, I have a long list of reasons that I hate living in NY, but I have a longer list of reasons that I love it. Here’s one of the latter: Friend Kevin and I went to see stand-up a couple of weeks ago at the place where he takes improv comedy classes, and the comedians were all naked. I insisted we sit in the very, very back row. It was uncomfortable. But a good story, right? Naked comedy! All of the participants (like 6 guys and 2 girls) were in really good shape, which I assume is why they decided to do it in the first place, and everyone was really funny–which I think is rare. So anyway, if you’re visiting the city and want a place to take your folks here’s some info.
- I’m going to be in Paris a week from today. Tra la! Technically, I will be one country away from the Bucs vs. Pats game in London, but I’ll still probably miss it. Anyone want a souvenir?
- When you go abroad, do you need to buy a converter or just an adapter? I don’t travel abroad much. Clearly.
FifG Game of the Week: Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers
Posted by: footballisforgirls on: October 10, 2009
Atlanta Falcons [2-1] vs. San Francisco 49ers [3-1] (Sunday 4:05 p.m., FOX)
Why it’s good football:
Well, mostly because there are a lot of really, really bad games this weekend. It’s a little early to tell how well the Falcons will play the year after a surprisingly good season for rookie QB Matt Ryan and rookie coach Mike Smith, but playing a game against the maybe-surprisingly-good 49ers will put the NFC into better perspective.
Why you might care:
You loved The Super Bowl Shuffle. Mike Singletary is the coach! Fun!
(See 1:23)
Football is just like Pop Culture!
Anyone watch the new 90210? I never watched the original, but somehow the idea of Beverly Hills 90210 made me nostalgic enough that I decided to watch the new series. Which is odd, if you think about it, but that’s neither here nor there.
Anyhoo, I watched every episode of 90210 last year, even though I thought the show was dull as dishwater. Like, nothing happened, the characters were all annoying and whiny and not even hot enough to want to watch based on looks alone. But so propelled by the memory of knowing that the original show aired when I was younger, I continued watching.
Apparently the execs at CW understood that the show was bad, too, so mid-season they hired a new executive producer Rebecca Kirshner (Gilmore Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). With the new producer at the helm the show got rapidly weirder (Silver is a manic depressive who secretly films a sex tape with her boyfriend and shows it to the entire school?), hotter (Liam!), and if not much more enjoyable at least more compelling.
FifG is pro-Team Liam and Team Dylan.
But then this year? This year the show is good! Not, like, Friday Night Lights good or Lost Season 1 good, but like trashy, soapy good. Which I value highly. I actually look forward to seeing Annie mope and stew over killing a homeless man. And Adrianna’s love triangle pitting adorable Persian school-journalist Navid against the 30-year-old-not-so-convincingly-playing-15 Ken Doll lookalike. I even like bitchy Naomi this year, despite the fact that she might not be the most gifted actress ever.
Last year, the 49ers hired Mike Singletary 7 games into the season. The team had been floundering in past years, but last year they started improving under the wacky coach. (Who, it should be mentioned, dropped his pants at one team meeting to show that they were all in it together or something. Not all in his pants together, but in the team.) And this year, well the team is playing pretty good football. Last week against the Rams, the 49er defense alone scored 3 touchdowns. Running back Frank Gore has rushed for an average of more than 6 yards per carry (though he’s injured now), and 4th year tight end Vernon Davis has 3 touchdowns already and seems to be fulfilling his early promise.
Boyfriend/Husband/Dad/Other will be so impressed!
Conversation Starters:
-Do you think rookie DE Peria Jerry’s injury will be the downfall of Atlanta’s d-line?
-When do you think Michael Crabtree will start playing? What kind of impact do you think he will have on the 49ers offense this year?
-Do you think Atlanta running back Michael Turner is worn out this year after his 376 carries last year?
Fun Facts:
-Speaking of Michael Crabtree, this rookie just signed his contract this week, because his advisors told him to hold out for top-5 draft pick money, despite the fact that he was picked 10th. Not what you might call a “savvy business move.”
- The Falcons averaged 152.7 running yards per game last year and only 92.3 so far this season.
Player Pronunciation:
Jonathan Babineaux (ATL): jon-uh-thuhn ba-bih-noh
Dre’ Bly (SF): dray blie
Cute football player(s) of the week:
Zak Keasey, Fullback, San Francisco 49ers
John Abraham, DE, Falcons
With former Cute Football Player of the Week, Matt Ryan
FifG Game of the Week: Green Bay Packers v. Minnesota Vikings
Posted by: footballisforgirls on: October 3, 2009
Green Bay Packers [2-1] vs. Minnesota Vikings [3-0] (Monday 8:00 p.m., ESPN)
Why it’s good football:
It’s an early-season match up of two division rivals, both considered contenders to represent the National Football Conference (aka, the NFC) in the Super Bowl. Also, there’s Brett Fav-reh.
Why you might care:
Because you are just the hip kinda lady that likes to be up on water cooler chat. This game is the water coolerest of the week. Or year, potentially.
Football is just like Pop Culture!
I know, this is the second pop culture treatment Favre’s getting this year, and I know it’s overplayed in the media, but the most interesting games this week are this one and the Jets/Saints game. And I talked about the Jets last week. So throw me a bone.
Anyhoo, this game is so seriously crazy that I struggled to come up with a pop culture analogy that really, truly describes the situation. So I made one up.
Sex and the City. The story of Carrie Bradshaw and her friends living and loving in New York City. When the show first aired, everyone was supposed to say which of the four friends they most identified with, and just about every person I knew claimed to be a Carrie. (For the record, FifG is more Charlotte with maybe a touch of Miranda.) And that’s because everyone loves Carrie and her life in New York City with a fab apartment and a kickass freelance job and an unlimited clothing wardrobe and a bevy of hot men at her fingertips. The other girls make the show complete, but Carrie and NYC make the show.
Now, say SATC went on a little longer than it did, and the ratings slipped a little and Showtime’s new series are doing really well, and HBO is all freaked out that they don’t have Sopranos anymore and need to keep ratings up. So the producers bring in Erin, Carrie’s younger cousin, to add an element of youthful excitement to the show, a new spark. Sarah Jessica Parker is pissed about this interloper, but ratings stabilize and HBO keeps beating Showtime. But then one day SJ decides she’s had enough, and she’s like, OK, I’m done. Show’s over. Let’s end it.
But the producers decide to keep the show going without SJ, because they feel good about the Erin character, so they keep the same title and same premise, but now they feature Erin and maybe Samantha and add some new friends to the mix. Well, SJ Parker is shocked that the show would continue without Carrie and ultimately decides to stay on the show after all. But at this point the producers are like, you know what? We love this Erin show idea, so good luck, but no thank you.
I was looking for pictures of the L.A. episode of SATC, but I couldn't find any. So, here's SJP in "L.A. Story"--awesome body glove suit, right?
THEN, SJ Parker gets a new gig on the rival network Showtime. It’s about a single lady in Los Angeles finding love. And due to some sort of contractual thing, she gets to take the Carrie character with her. So the new show is Love and the Urban Dwelling, and it stars SJ Parker plus, like, Meryl Streep and Megan Fox, and it’s airing at the EXACT SAME TIME as SATC. Now, you totally hated those L.A. episodes of SATC, because, like, why is Vince Vaughn a production assistant, and where is the charm in an entire show about a Brazilian wax? But you love Carrie, and the new show does seem like it could be great–I mean, Meryl Streep! But then you love the old SATC and sorta like the Erin character, too, if you’re being honest.
What do you watch? Which show do you root for?
Boyfriend/Husband/Dad/Other will be so impressed!
Conversation Starters:
-Tell me your feelings about Brett Favre. (Seriously, that’s all you’ll need for this week.)
Fun Facts:
- If the Vikings win this game, Favre will be the only QB to have defeated all 32 teams in the league.
Player Pronunciation:
Jermichael Finley (GB): jer-mie-kuhl fin-lee
Cute football player(s) of the week:
Brady Poppinga, LB, Green Bay Packers
Holy quads, Poppinga! (Also Urlacher on the left...)
FifG Game of the Week: New York Jets vs. Tennessee Titans
Posted by: footballisforgirls on: September 26, 2009
New York Jets [2-0] vs. Tennessee Titans [0-2] (Sunday 1:00 p.m., CBS)
Why it’s good football: Last year, the Jets defeated the Titans in a shocking upset of the then 10-0 Tennessee team. Perhaps more shocking is that the Titans are 0-2 this year when they were late-season favorites to make the Super Bowl last year. They lost a hard-fought season opener to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but then lost to the Houston Texans last week in a huge upset. Perhaps losing Albert Haynseworth to the Redskins in the offseason was a bigger loss than the Titans imagined? Or perhaps the first couple of losses are a fluke.
As for the Jets, they have a new, very vocal coach in Rex Ryan. Lucky for the team, they’ve played up to the high expectations that Ryan has set for them in the press, defeating the Houston Texans and, more impressively, the New England Patriots. They also have a rookie quarterback tailor-made for NYC. Mark Sanchez is extremely handsome, well-spoken, and has managed the games so far like a champ.
Why you might care:
Because you want to spend your Sunday watching Mark Sanchez. No really, you do.
Football is just like Pop Culture!
In the first season of Gilmore Girls, Rory met Dean at the public high school. Dean was tall and adorable and wore leather jackets and had hair that flopped into his eyes. Dean quoted Rosemary’s Baby and gave Rory jewelry. Oh, and he built her a car. Dean was the absolute perfect teen boyfriend.
And then season 2 began and the show needed some more romantic tension, so Jess was introduced. Jess was cocky and self-assured and hot, but he was also a lover of old books and indie music, and Rory suspected there was a sensitive side beneath his outward bravado. Slowly, Rory fell for Jess and away from Dean. And who could blame her–all of a sudden the writers decided Dean was a guy who loved video games, resented Rory’s love of books, and was basically a big, dumb lunkhead.
Jess and Rory
Last year, the Titans were one of the media darlings of the NFL. They had a stellar defense, an old but effective QB in Kerry Collins, and they could quote Rosemary’s Baby, er, I mean they had a sensational rookie running back in Chris Johnson. They picked up tons of wins, but pooped out just before the Super Bowl. This year the Jets are new to the scene– they are young and brash and hot (in win streak and QB), and the media is all over that. But just because the Titans have lost the first two games doesn’t mean that they have suddenly become something other than what they were–they still have much of the defense intact, they still have Kerry Collins at QB, and they still have Chris Johnson breaking tackles left and right. So this game could be a close one.
And if we base the results on the Gilmore boys, I’d say advantage Titans. After all, Jess broke Rory’s heart, forcing her to realize that Dean was better all along. (Then she lost her virginity to Dean even though he was married at the time, but that’s neither here nor there.)
Boyfriend/Husband/Dad/Other will be so impressed!
Conversation Starters:
- Can you believe the Titans are 0-2? What do you think their record will be at the end of the season?
-Why is Milo Ventimiglia so hot as Jess but so unappealing in every other acting role?
- Did you realize that Calvin Pace is still suspended? What do you think that Jets D is going to look like when he gets back?
Fun Facts:
- The Jets defense has only allowed 482 yards so far, fewest in the league. They also have allowed only 1 touchdown– a fumble return against Houston.
- Only 5 teams have made the playoffs after starting 0-3 in the modern NFL.
Player Pronunciation:
Darelle Revis (NYJ): dah-rehl ree-vis
Kevin Mawae (TEN): keh-vin mah-why
Cute football player(s) of the week:
Oh like you didn’t know this one already: Mark Sanchez, Jets QB.
But also: Cortland Finnegan, Titans cornerback
Everybody, this is Mark.
Even adorable in a closed-eye picture.
Um, serious lack of Cortland pictures on the interwebs. Fix yo'self interwebs.
