One Drink, One Beer, Monday Night Football – Week 5

First, a rant. Week five comes to an end this week, and it couldn’t come soon enough. It is pretty bad when the most exciting thing this week is my fantasy football team winning a close match-up. This week has been full of horrible games. Thirteen games took place and more than half of the teams that played scored under 20 points. There were five games in which neither team scored 20 points and one in which a baseball score was posted where the Baltimore Ravens scored 9 points against the Kansas City Chiefs 6 points, neither team scoring a touchdown – 3 other teams were unable to score a TD as well. At least Jamaal Charles proved that knee ligament surgery is no longer career ending. He looks like he hasn’t skipped a beat since his injury with 140 yards on the ground, but no score. There were three blow outs including the Titans losing to the the Vikings 30-7. The ex-stud Titan RB, Chris Johnson, formerly known as CJY2K when he ran for over 2000 yards three seasons ago, did nothing yet again – I’m done giving this guy excuses.  To top it off, the Titans can not move the ball; you know it is bad when the most exciting part of the Titans offense is when they cross the 50 yard line, which they only did 4 times yesterday while only ending one of those drives in a score.  Today’s game with the Houston Texans taking on the New York Jets in New York (Jersey) doesn’t seem to be any better.  Look to the bottom of this page for details.

Good things happen every week, great things happen almost every week, this week there were a few of both.  The Giants won in amazing fashion; Bradshaw rushed for 200 yards, Eli Manning threw for almost 300 yards and three touchdowns, and all three touchdowns went to my fantasy MVP and salsa dancing fool, Victor Cruz.  The Indianapolis Colts are much better than they were last season when they had no quarterback.  The highly touted rookie Andrew Luck, the second coming of Peyton Manning, had his first of hopefully many to come great game winning drives.  The New Orleans Saints get their first win while Drew Brees shatters the record for most consecutive games with a TD pass by throwing four of them.  This record spans over 4 seasons, including two in which he threw at least one TD in all 16 games.  The way Brees finds the end-zone, I don’t see his streak ending any time soon.  The next closest is Tom Brady who is currently on a streak of 37 games with a TD pass.  When Brees stops throwing TDs for a game, Brady will have to do it 11 more times.

Weeks like these drive me to drink, luckily I keep good company.

This could be a daily drinker for me if I drank daily.  Its a 12 year Auchetoshan (pronounced Aw-khen-tosh-an) single malt highland whiskey.  Its got a nice deep caramel/honey color.  This is my favorite smell, and as their website states correctly, it smells like creme brulee; I also get a good nuttiness.  This is as smooth as a single malt neat gets.  Sweet caramel and almond strike the tongue first, finishes with vanilla.  Water really opens the up the vanilla and nutty flavors.

Stone 16th Anniversary Ale

Every year, the fellas at the Stone Brewing Co. on Escondido, CA brew an anniversary ale.  This is the 16th anniversary IPA from perhaps my favorite brewery and it is a good one.  They really try to make a unique flavor profile every year for this specialty beer.  This is brewed with rye malts, Amarillo an Calypso hops among other unnamed ones, lemon verbena, and lemon oil.  This is unique in that it is the first beer that I have tasted in which sweet, sour, and bitter all mingle together like long lost friends.  The subtle fruity nose fits the initial flavors perfectly.  The bitter and floral hops are the high notes, and the smooth lemon flavors with hints of grapefruit round out this palette as they draw the bitterness from the roof of your mouth to give this ale a great finish.  I could drink this all day.

Fact of the Week: Did you know that Wrangler now make jeans with a comfortable, non-binding, penis-pocket?  At least that is what Brett Farve and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are promoting these days.  Hey, it’s football related, kinda.

Real Fact of the Week: Five running backs have 4 rushing touchdowns two of them are rookies, Alfred Morris and Trent Richardson

Monday Night Football:

Houston Texans (-8.5) @ New York Jets

Final Score: Texans 27 Jets 17

The Houston Texans are playing the best football the team has ever seen;they may be the best team in the league.  Matt Shaub  is off to a good start averaging 250 yards and almost 2 TDs a game.  Their star RB Arian Foster should be the league leader in rushing TDs after today’s game.  If he can find the end-zone, he’ll be alone in the league with five.  The Houston defense also boasts the second best numbers in the league giving up under 200 yards of passing 2 out of 4 games, and not allowing a running back to score a touchdown on the ground. WR Andre Johnson and TE Owen Daniels both have over 230 yards and 2 reception touchdowns.  These guys are firing on all cylinders right now and the pace they are going should not be slowed down by the pallid Jets tonight.

The New York Jets started off hot scoring 48 points in their season opener against the Bills.  They lost against a better team in the Steelers.  And then won yet another division game against the Miami Dolphins, but it was during that game where they lost their best player Darrelle Revis for the season.  The next game, Mark Sanchez led his team to zero points.  ZERO!  He has never looked like an elite quarterback, but he has never looked this bad either.  It is his fourth season and he has gone backwards after leading the Jets to AFC conference playoff games in his two first seasons in the NFL.  Now Tim Tebow is knocking on the door to take the reins in New York a la last year in Denver.  I was against the addition of Tebow this off season as I thought that it could mess with Sanchez’s confidence; it sure did.  He looks like a freshman division college player.  His line gets him sacked, and doesn’t help any of the running backs gain positive yards, he is almost as good throwing the ball to his opponents as he is to throwing the ball to his teammates in the endzone with a 5:4 touchdown to interception ratio.  Chances of the Jets winning this game are somewhere in the 5% range.  It would have to be a perfect storm for the Jets here today.

Keys to Jets Victory :

1) Get a non-existent running game off the ground with one sub-par back, Shonn Greene, and one unknown commodity, Bilal Powell.
2) Have a great game through the air as well as on the ground against a defense that has been good against both the pass and the run.
3) Have a wide receiver and tight end pick up a lot of slack for the injured WR Santonio Holmes and TE Dustin Keller
4) Play a great defensive game against one of the best offenses of the year with out the best defensive player in the league, CB Darrelle Revis.
5) Get Tebow more involved especially when in the red zone.
6) If Sanchez can not move the ball, let Tebow get a real shot at leading the team.

Projected Stats:

Jets

QB Mark Sanchez: 15-35, 180 yards, 1 TD
Or
QB: Mark Sanchez: 11-26, 130 yards, 0 TD
QB: Tim Tebow: 8 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD; 4-9, 50 yards, 1 TD
RB Shonn Greene: 12 carries, 30 yards
RB: Bilal Powell: 10 carries, 42 yards
WR: Jeremy Kerley: 6 receptons, 55 yards, 1 TD
WR: Chaz Schilens: 4 receptions, 35 yards, 0 TD
TE: Jeff Cumberlan: 4 receptions, 40 yards, 0 TD
1 field goal

Texans

QB: Matt Schaub: 26-35, 275 yards, 3 TD
RB: Arian Foster: 21 carries, 125 yards, 1 TD; 5 receptions, 44 yards, 1 TD
WR: Andrew Johnson: 8 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD
WR: Keshawn Martin: 4 receptions, 50 yards, 0 TD
WR: Kevin Walter: 4 receptions, 35 yards, 0 TD
TE: Owen Daniles: 6 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD
2 Field Goals

My Sunday Revolves Around Football and Coffee

“My son, you’d sleep through an earthquake. Now, get up.”

This was not an uncommon quote I’d hear my father say to me weekday mornings during the school year. Sometimes he’d yell it, sometimes he’d say it quietly while shaking one of my appendages, but it was always accompanied with a warm cup of coffee.

These days, I have to make the coffee myself if I want some in the morning. Also, I’m not sure my wife would get out of bed if I didn’t make it. While I’m not the biggest fan of waking up before 9am, for a good cup of coffee, I’ll do just about anything, that includes buying a $300 coffee maker because it is the only one on the market that will consistently hit the perfect water temperature for brewing, 200 degrees.

We didn’t always have the luxury of this do-all coffee maker. When we first got married, I was making a french press, sometimes two, every morning. In my opinion, there is no better way to make a pot of coffee then to let your coarse grinds steep in almost boiling water for 4-5 minutes in a french press. But I became lazy and my wife broke three of my French presses. I needed a less involved way to make coffee. Something that I could get started and then forget about while I got ready for the day.

Moccamaster and grinder

I heard about the Technivorm Moccamaster in an issue of Cooks Illustrated. It was their only recommended auto-drip coffee maker. This intrigued me. I did my own research and the consensus was the same as Cook’s review, it simply made great coffee. And it really does. The reservoir holds ten cups of water. The water is drawn down into the heating element, when it boils, the pressure pushes the water through a clear plastic tube that passes back through the reservoir where the water cools to the a near consistent 200 degrees (optimal brewing temp) and then is slowly trickled over the coffee grinds and slow dripped through the brew chamber and into a carafe that can keep the coffee warm for hours. This remains the best present my wife ever bought me.

For a while, in between school and a “real” job, I worked as a barista in an upscale breakfast and lunch restaurant in New Jersey. This is a place that was serious about their coffee. They served their specialty coffees in french presses to every guest, and they carried ten different coffees from all over the world that had their own unique characteristics. From the floral and fruity, acidic Kona coffee from Hawaii, to the dark, molasses, and caramel chocolate notes of coffee from the Blue Mountains in Jamaica that retails for forty dollars a pound. I still like to think that I’m not a coffee snob, I think of myself as an educated consumer.

Today, like most other days, I’m not using any fancy coffee, just some basic, moderately inexpensive, Trader Joe’s coffee. But I’ll tell you what, it tastes like an eight dollar cup of coffee from an upscale coffeehouse or breakfast joint. When you throw in a better coffee, you get even better results.

~ FOOTBALL WEEK 4 ~

Enough about coffee. Let’s talk football. Welcome to the first week of byes. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts take a seat for the week and get to watch the games like ordinary people. For the rest of us we struggle to fill the holes the bye weeks leave in our fantasy teams. But it is Sunday nonetheless and this week is packed with great games. I’ll express how I feel about a few of the good match-ups and try to predict the outcome. If you live in Vegas, please do not head to the nearest sports-book to place a bet based on my words – if you do, only let me know if and how much you’ve won.

Carolina Panthers 24 @ Atlanta Falcons 30.

Matty Ice, Matt Ryan. I was hyping this guy earlier in the week when I was discussing who to start at QB for my fantasy team. This guy is on fire this year and I don’t think he stops any time soon, and he is one of the main reasons the Atlanta Falcons are off to a 3-0 start. Not only does he have two of the best receivers in the league with Julio Jones and Roddy White, but he’s also got a future Hall-of-Famer @ tight end in Tony Gonzalez. This should be a big game for Ryan playing against a team that has been average against the pass, allowing atleast one TD to each quarterback they have faced thus far. Look for Ryan to throw tree touchdowns for 320 yards, plus another 30 yards rushing and maybe a rushing TD himself. I’ll give Gonzalez a touchdown as he is just a huge target in the endzone. Between Jones and White there will be two touchdowns and 220 yards.

Last year’s Rookie of the year, Carolina’s Cam Newton, is off to a rough start, compared to the record pace he started off with last year. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a threat, even against one of the top defenses in the league. He will have his hands full, but keep in mind that this guy can run fast and hard, is a threat to run in a touchdown anytime they are within the redzone, and has a rocket launcher for an arm. If the receivers aren’t there, which I don’t think they will be for much of the game, Newton will have a great game running the ball. Look for Newton to have 200 yards passing with a score, and 90 yards rushing and a score. On the receiving side of the ball, Steve Smith with have a decent game of 70 yards and the only TD, leaving the rest of the guys to scramble over the scraps. The running game will have some yards, maybe 110, split between DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart with Stewart getting the only rushing score there, if he is playing – he was limited in practice all week so keep an eye on this.

New Orleans Saints 27 @ Green Bay Packers 34

Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers has been nothing short of disappointing so far this year. Look for that to change this week against the worst defense in the league, and maybe of all-time. Yea, I said it! If there is ever a game to give Rodgers confidence going into it, it is this one. The Packers are not a run first team so Rodgers will throwing the ball all over the field today. He has no shortage in quality receivers either. Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings should both have nice games with 80 yards and a touchdown each. Then you have Jermichael Finley at tight end who, when he is having one of his games, is un-coverable. Look for a good game from him with 70 yards and a score. This leaves three other receivers James Jones, Randall Cobb, and Donald Driver with little production to share. 150 yards and one touchdown between them. This gives Rodgers a huge game, 380 yards and 4 touchdowns – it will happen.

The Saints are really living up to their alter-ego this season as the Aints. They just ain’t getting it done. Drew Brees and his offense are putting up the points scoring 32, 27, and 24 points respectively over the last three games but none of those scores have been enough to win a game. This week doesn’t look promising as they are up against one of the most potentially explosive offenses in the league. They have to do a better job at stopping the other team from scoring when it matters. But Brees should still have his normal good game, 300 yards and three touchdowns against a defense that isn’t exactly stellar themselves. The touchdowns will go one each to the big, talented, tightend, Jimmy Graham, the ever present Marques Colston @ WR, and the versatile running back, Darren Sproles. Doesn’t matter who scores on offense, it won’t be enough this week.

Game of the Week

New York Giants 30 @ Philadelphia Eagles 27

Of course this is the game of the week for me, I am a Giants homer. Nonetheless, this game will be good. The past few years, the Eagles have almost always found a way to stop the Giants; I guess that is what happens when you play a team twice in a year. It is always nerve-racking to watch my guys play the Eagles. But I think the Giants have this in the bag. Eli Manning is proving that you can’t spell elite without ELI. He is averaging over 300 yards a game, in one of those games he threw for 510 yards and three TDs. He won’t replicate those numbers today, but he will get the job done with 280 yards and two touchdowns. Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks (if he plays) will be factors splitting 180 yards but only one score, I’ll give that score to Victor Cruz because Nicks is a little banged up and Cruz is on my Fantasy team. The other touchdown from Manning will go to Martellus Bennett at tight end. Manning has always gotten the tight ends involved an made relevant since he started. That won’t stop this game, as he is averaging 60 yards a game and has scored in every outing so far. Look for nothing different today from him. Ahmad Bradshaw and rookie Andre Brown will split carries depending on who is having the most success. Coming off an injury, look for Andre Brown to have the better game with 65 yards and a score.

I have a hard time writing about the Eagles because I just don’t know what to make of them. Michael Vick should be one of the most dangerous quarterbacks on the field with his powerful arm that can throw the ball clear across the field to his legs that make him one of the fastest players in the game, but he just can not stay healthy or keep the turnovers from piling up. He already has nine turnovers and it won’t get any easier as he faces probably to most formidable defensive lines in the NFL in the New York Giants Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre-Paul. These guys get on the QB, and never let him rest. Outlook for Michael Vick’s injury prone ribs: Not so goo!. But Vick knows how to find a way to be productive against the G-Men so he should have a decent game. 240 yards and two touchdowns, two interceptions, plus 40 yards rushing, sounds about right for him. DeSean Jackson looks in line for a good game, 80 yards and a score. And the tight end, Brent Celek, also looks to have a chance today – I’ll give him 40 yards and a touchdown. Leaving Jeremy Maclin with the big bulk of the remaining yards but no score. LeSean McCoy will working hard today to find the holes, but the kid has moves, and will rack up another good game her as the Giants D Line are much better against the pass then against the run. McCoy should turn in 100 yards and a score today, keep it a close game til the very end.

Fantasy Standouts: Week 4 Dream Team

QB: Aaron Rodgers: 380 yards, 4TDs = 31.2 Points

RB: Ray Rice: 180 total yards, 1TD = 24 points

RB: Maurice Jones-Drew: 160 total yards, 1 TD = 22 points

WR: Calvin Johnson: 115 yards, 2 TDs = 23.2 points

WR: AJ Green: 110 yards, 1 TD = 17 points

WR: Victor Cruz: 80 yards, 1 TD = 14 points

TE: Vernon Davis, 70 yards, 1 TD = 13 points

Kicker: David Akers: 3 FGs, 2 PAT = 11 points

Total Points = 155.4 Points

Happy Sunday!