First TMQ of the new season. What can we say: we’ve got high hopes.
After the jump, oops, there goes another rubber tree plant…
What’s wrong with the Packers? Mein Gott, they’ve lost two games in a row!
In other news, TV announcers are still praising hard helmet-to-helmet hits. And Louisiana-Monroe won by…not punting.
Sweet: Baltimore-Cincinnati. Sour: Miami-Houston. Both: Detroit-St. Louis.
Oh, boy, another “cosmic thought” from TMQ.
No, Gregg, because Krypton is a planet in comic books featuring a not-terribly interesting superhero, and this is the real world.
Overall the replacement zebras, including first-ever female official Shannon Eastin, did OK.
We think that’s, at the very least, arguable.
WCD has often bashed TMQ for thinking he’s “Regret the Error” with his recurring New York Times corrections item. However, he does redeem himself a bit with an item we missed (and, come to think of it, did not see on Jimbo’s site):
Over the winter, The Washington Post ran an article accusing the D.C. Police Department of manipulating statistics to make it seem more murders were being solved than actually were. Later the Post ran a correction admitting the article manipulated statistics to make it seem fewer murders were being solved than actually were. That is, the paper committed the same offense it accused others of.
OK, so The Washington Post made a mistake: Everybody makes mistakes. But the original article damning the D.C. police was on Page 1. The correction was at the bottom of Page 2, under the tapioca heading, “Editor’s Note.”
“Andrew Luck, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden and Russell Wilson all lost.” Robert Griffin III won. What does this mean? WCD has no idea. We’re not sure TMQ does, either.
Peyton Manning looks good. But WCD is still worried about his neck.
(Speaking of necks, we’re hoping that Devon Walker comes out okay.)
Cupcakes. “Rarely has a major sports program deserved to lose as much as Oklahoma State deserved to lose at Arizona.” Some of us would like a word with TMQ about Penn State. Anyway: “The dignified thing for Florida State to do would have been not to host any game — have the team spend the weekend building housing for Habitat for Humanity. But dignity is not a huge factor in BCS football, paling before the multimillion-dollar gate a team like Florida State realizes even for a meaningless exhibition.” Yes, and if Florida State had kept the date open, what would have been the economic impact on people like concession vendors, hotels, motels, restaurants, etc. etc. ad infinitum?
“Why did Savannah State accept these dates, knowing it would be pounded?” Asked and answered one sentence later, Gregg: “The Tigers received payments of about $860,000 for the two poundings, significant for a program that has no television or apparel-licensing income and in 2010-11, drew just $1.3 million in football revenue.”
“Cal and Georgia Tech both were able to find $400,000 to hire a football cupcake despite the state legislatures of California and Georgia cutting funds for public universities in recent years. Class size, education — these are nothing compared to easy football wins!” Again, aren’t these different pots of money, Gregg?
The crowd-source mechanism Kickstarter helped fund distribution of the amazing new documentary “Detropia,” about the social decline of Detroit.
Possibly relevant to TMQ’s interests. Here’s the “Detropia” Kickstarter.
“TMQ fails to grok why big-budget sci-fi keeps airing opposite ‘Monday Night Football,’ rather than on Tuesday, when there is no prime-time football. ” Well, in the case of Fox, it has a lot to do with their karaoke competitions taking up Tuesday night. In the case of NBC, where “Revolution” is airing, it has a lot to do with NBC being morons.
Romo. Creep. Pulaski Academy 49, Warren (Ark.) High School Lumberjacks 19. Pulaski went 2 for 7 on fourth down conversions.
Not punting may be a workable strategy. But you know what is a workable strategy for sure? Not getting major penalties.
Chicken-<salad> kicks: Texas A&M. Paul Ryan’s political exaggerations.
“More study is needed.”
“If the snapper was hurt, why didn’t Oakland eschew punting and go for it?” Because we’re dealing with Oakland, Gregg?
Ah, the Bills, WCD’s least favorite team. “At the halfway point of the 2011 season, starter Ryan Fitzpatrick had 14 touchdown passes versus seven interceptions. The Bills awarded him a contract extension with a monster bonus, and since then he has celebrated by throwing 19 interceptions and 13 touchdown passes.” “For a decade the Bills have been the league’s worst-managed, worst-coached and worst-drafting franchise. There’s no sign of any change — and no sign anyone at the top of the Bills’ organization cares. ” Of course not, Gregg. They’re looking to move the team to Toronto.
“…it was a good weekend for the blitz.” Colored turf. Terrible pass coverage.
Hidden play: the dropped Fort interception in the Cleveland-Philadelphia game. “Had Fort held that pass, Cleveland would have knelt to conclude the contest, Vick would have finished with five interceptions and today we’d be talking about whether the great Michael Vick is washed up.” First of all, we object to the use of the words “great” and “Michael Vick” together. Secondly, we’re still talking about whether Vick is washed up; four interceptions instead of five does not make a difference to us.
Sour: Tennessee-New England. Reader mail: the new NCAA kickoff rule.
University of the Cumberlands 55, Cumberland University 13. Saint Scholastica 35, Eureka 10.
Penn State: still winless since 1997.
It sounds like next week, TMQ is taking on the new “Hawaii 5-0”, “television’s most entertaining series that consists entirely of nonsense”. Daring journalism indeed. WCD intends to prepare for this chilling expose by watching select episodes of the original series. Until next week, aloha.