My thoughts on sports and life

We are down to the last 5 weeks of the season, with lots of tight races still. This week, Suh gives us the stomp heard 'round the NFL, Brees gives us a performance to remember, Norv Turner gives us another reason he should be fired, and Bowe gives us as minimal effort as possible. Here we go: Week 12 Power Rankings: 32. Indianapolis Colts-Was there any doubt? 31. St Louis Rams-Beanie Wells is still running. 30. Jacksonville Jaguars-Lost again. Fired the HC. Sold the team. 29. Kansas City Chiefs-Don't hurt yourself Dwayne. 28. Cleveland Browns-I was going to toss a congratulations to Greg Little for his first NFL TD, but he'd probably drop it. 27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Their attrocious run-D strikes again. 26. Minnesota Vikings-Well, they played well in the second half anyway. 25. Miami Dolphins-They apparently learned nothing from the Denver game as, with the lead late, they went into their prevent offense. 24. San Diego Chargers-Was Norv Turner watching Miami...

We're finished with week 11, and the playoff picture is shaping up..kind of..OK, not really. This week the Lions win in a shootout. The Patriots win in a blowout. The Jets experience a flameout. And the Dolphins continue their breakout. Week 11 Power Rankings: 32. Indianapolis Colts-They've settled in and gotten cozy in the bottom spot. 31. St Louis Rams-The Rams o-line apparently studied the Bears early season game tape. 30. Jacksonville Jaguars-Lost to the Browns. Yikes. 29. Kansas City Chiefs-If history is an indicator, they're about to go on a 4 game winning streak....yeah, maybe not. 28. Arizona Cardinals-John Skelton with some Tebow-esque numbers without, you know, the rushing TDs and the winning. 27. Washington Redskins-Did everything but kick the game-winning FG. 26. Cleveland Browns-Their win was 1 part luck and 1 part jaguar. 25. Minnesota Vikings-Injuries and fumbles and interceptions..oh my. 24. Carolina Panthers-Newton's rushing TDs are impressi...

We got a full slate of games in week 10, and some interesting results. This week-The Dolphins are on a streak, the Bills are on life support, the Ravens are on vacation, and the Pack is on another planet. Here we go: Week 10 Power Rankings: 32. Indianapolis Colts-Death, taxes, and the Colts losing. 31. Cleveland Browns-Another creative way to lose. Brian Billick said it best: "It's bad when your best offensive weapon is a field goal kicker, and you can't even get him the ball." 30. Washington Redskins-Rex Grossman threw 0 TDs and 2 INTs and was deemed the best QB on the roster. That says enough. 29. St Louis Rams-Does a win over Cleveland still count? 28. Kansas City Chiefs-How do you lose to a team whose QB goes 2-8 for 69 yards? 27. Jacksonville Jaguars-Without Maurice Jones-Drew, this team would be racing the Colts to 0-16. 26. Miami Dolphins-Two straight wins..against two awful teams, but still wins. 25. Carolina Panthers-Just a bad game, or are teams f...

It's not easy being a Bengals fan. For 20+ years, we've been the laughingstock of not only the football world, but the sporting world in general. Losing has beget losing, and it has become a badge of honor to still be a fan. Even the few good seasons leave us with guarded optimism at best for the next season. In 2005, we made the playoffs, but proceeded to lose right away, after losing Carson Palmer to a serious knee injury, so going into 2006, I was concerned, not excited. In 2009, we swept the division and made the playoffs again, but again went one and out, and going into 2010 with a 1st place schedule, and few changes, I was wary of repeating. Fast forward to this offseason. We drafted the guy who I felt was the best player in the draft with our first pick, and a QB with our second pick. Andy Dalton has been better than almost anybody thought, and has been the best pure QB in the draft, while AJ Green has a whole highlight reel worth of catches in 9 games, and might alread...

The word pride has a few meanings if you look it up. The first is self respect. When my daughter comes home from school and I find out she's reading at a level 2 grades above her own, I'm proud. I'm also proud after a long day at work when I know I've done a job above and beyond even what was required. Pride is your child's first home run. Pride is an employee of the month award. Pride is fighting for your country. Pride is standing up for what you believe in. The second meaning of pride in the dictionary is a group of lions. With the recent turmoil surrounding the university, there's a group of lions in Pennsylvania that need something to be proud of. The crimes allegedly perpetrated by a former member of the coaching staff, and the alleged subsequent cover-up is a scandal that will affect Penn State for years to come. In the midst of all of this, the players themselves have to start a season and play a football game, and one on the national stage. I'm...

Say goodbye to week 9, and to the byes for a week. The divisional races are heating up, and the 2nd half should be exciting. This week, in the spirit of goodbye, we say adios to the Eagles playoff chances, sayonara to the Chiefs winning streak, arrivederci to the notion of punting to Patrick Peterson, and aloha to another team's winless record. Here we go. Week 9 Power Rankings: 32. Indianapolis Colts-And then there was 1. They find a way to be more atrocious each week. 31. St Louis Rams-And we now continue with our regularly scheduled sucking. 30. Cleveland Browns-How does this team have 3 wins? 29. Miami Dolphins-They finally got a lead so big, even they couldn't blow it. 28. Seattle Seahawks-The city of Seattle would like their Sonics back, and they'll trade the Seahawks for them. 27. Arizona Cardinals-Their win was more of an indictment of the Rams than a reflection on Arizona. 26. Washington Redskins-Maybe they can get McNabb back. 25. Jacksonville Jaguars-T...

Eight weeks down, nine to go. San Francisco and Green Bay seem in good shape, but every other division is a mess. This week-the Steelers break through, the Rams get a win, the Ravens fight back, and the Chargers collapse in a totally new way. Here we go: Week 8 Power Rankings: 32. Indianapolis Colts-I initially though Curtis Painter would lead them to a few wins, and they'd wind up drafting around 3rd or 4th. I change my mind. 31. Miami Dolphins-Another week, another blown lead. Maybe they should try falling behind, then coming back insead...oh wait, they already tried that. 30. Arizona Cardinals-Thanks Arizona! Sincerely, The Bengals and Steelers. 29. Denver Broncos-I've made a lot of fun of Tebow, and he does stink, but so does this entire team. Is Josh McDaniels secretly still in charge? 28. St Louis Rams-Caught a little bit of World Series fever and just blindsided the Saints. Don't expect this to be a trend. 27. Seattle Seahawks-They should never start Charlie...