On Deck

Well, Colonnade readers, this semester will soon turn into last semester, and this is my final column for 2003. Again, I’ve had a ball writing this column, and I hope that at least some of my predictions have turned out to be great games for you. I’ve always said that each sporting event is a story in itself, and just like some movies turn out to be duds, some games just don’t live up to everyone’s expectations. Okay, enough of the chit-chatter … let’s get into some great NFL action!
There are some very intriguing mid-season matchups taking place in the NFL this weekend, and none bigger than the meeting between the New England Patriots (7-2) and the Dallas Cowboys (7-2). Both teams have been on a rampage this season, and the close ties between the two teams will make this one a must see.
Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Bill Parcells and New England’s main man, Bill Belichick, are two peas in a pod and are probably at home thinking of strategies and counter-strategies right now. The Cowboys boast the best defense in the NFL, while the potent Patriots’ boast the AFC’s fifth-best offense. The tenacity in this battle will be thick, and I know Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, will be up all night on Saturday thinking about this one. The full-contact action will begin Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Another great game on Sunday will be the latest addition to the “Battle of the Bays” saga. The Green Bay Packers (4-5) will leave the confines of the Frozen Tundra and travel to sunny Florida to take on the SuperBowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5). This is a must-see game, not for what the two teams have done thus far, but for what they haven’t done.
Both teams would have to be honest in saying that the season has been a disappointment for them.
Both teams are in second place in their division and trailing the leader by multiple games, and we’re only in week eleven. Add to all that, the fact that second-place Philadelphia (6-3) is on a four game winning streak in the NFC East, and the St. Louis Rams (6-3) and Seattle Seahawks (6-3) are playing lights out football in the NFC West, and you can safely assume that both wildcard teams will probably come from one of these two divisions.
The bottom line of all of this is that the Packers and the Buccaneers will need to win their division in order to keep their consecutive playoff streaks alive, and another loss will basically count them out of the competition. This could mark the first time since 1992 that neither Green Bay or Tampa Bay will play in the post-season.
Another enticing reason to watch this game is last year’s post-game clash between Tampa’s Warren Sapp and Packers’ Head Coach, Mike Sherman. After the trash-talking session between the two ended, Green Bay promised retribution for Sapp’s vicious (but legal) hit on Packers’ offensive lineman, Chad Clifton, and what better retribution is there than knocking the defending champs out of the playoff push? Other interesting games include the Baltimore Ravens (5-4) taking on the Miami Dolphins (5-4), Spurrier’s Redskins (4-5) traveling to Carolina as they battle the Panthers (7-2), and the Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) clashing with the Bengals (4-5) in Cininnati.
I can’t leave you for the year without a few sports predictions, and my final thoughts on the college football season. Okay … here we go!
Yes, Lebron James is good, but Carmelo Anthony may be even more of a pure scorer.
Yes, the Lakers will win a lot of games this year, regardless of how many charges Kobe Bryant will face in the courts.
No, neither team in last year’s SuperBowl will even make the playoffs this year. The Oakland Raiders are sitting at (2-7) and the Bucs are in a fight for their lives for the rest of the way.
And finally, yes, the Kansas City Chiefs are for real, and they have a distinct possibility of becoming only the second team in NFL history to go undefeated. They only have one game left with an opponent over .500, and their offense hasn’t come close to being stopped yet.
That’s it for 2003. Happy holidays, happy studying and happy watching!

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 14 2003. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry