Packers 4-0

Don't get me wrong, I will take 4-0 any day. However, a couple of observations.

The running game is in serious trouble. When your punter is the third leading rusher for the day and his average is higher than anyone else that rushed, and his faked punt for the first down was the second longest of the day. Not good.

Rusher ATT/YDS/AVG/LG
D. Wynn 10/20/2.0/3
R. Grant 3/17/5.7/15
J. Ryan 1/7/7.0/7
V. Morency 1/2/2.0/2

I guess I should be glad that Morency actually played today.

The four wins haven't been the prettiest. Today, defense let a few big plays go by, but they also sacked Holcomb four times. Special teams has improved as well as added a trick or two, i.e., Ryan's faked punt.

This is a young team. Each win is a scrapping match. But, somehow they have willed themselves to win. And, it sure is fun to watch!

Favre's Latest Record

Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Congratulations to Brett Favre!

#241 and #242

Here are some neat quotes from around the league.

Dan Marino's videotaped message to Favre after touchdown pass 421
"Hey Brett, it's Dan Marino. I'd like to take a minute to congratulate you on breaking one of the great records in sports. I loved holding the touchdown record for the past 13 years, but if someone was going to break it, I'm glad it was someone like you, who has always competed at the highest level and always played only to win. Over the past 17 years, you've been a credit to the Packers, and to the National Football League and to the sport that we all love so much. Brett, congratulations on touchdown 421!"

Mike Holmgren
"As proud and amazed as I am of what Brett is and has accomplished on the playing field, the thing that impresses me the most is what kind of a man and leader he has become off the field. I have taken great joy in watching him develop as a person and father over his career."

Terry Bradshaw
"Brett Favre is the best I have ever seen. And I've never said that about anybody. He's simply the best. He's got the strongest arm, athleticism, field presence, leadership, poise and tenaciousness. He plays hurt, he's fun, he's infectious. He has everything I want to see, including the game-time decisions, the strengths, and all the intangibles."

Dover's Monster Mile

As promised, here are a few pictures from our past weekend at Dover. These are not to be mistaken with Brian's masterpieces. These are from Ellie's new Sony Cybershot DCS-W200, which was a surprise from Brian.

We had a great time! Like any sporting event, it's very different being there in person. Terribly cliché, but the smell of gasoline and rubber and the incredible roar of the engines, was just incredible. It was a picture perfect day, not a cloud in the sky, which provided for excellent tailgating and a lobster red sunburn.

However, no weekend is complete without staying in the very Days Inn in Easton, MD that boasts, "Don Johnson Slept Here." Seriously, who knew?!

3-0 or 420

Photo by AP Photo

Morry Gash

Hmmmm...where to start, 3-0 or 420.

In a come-from-behind 31-24 win, Favre threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings, which tied Dan Marino's record for most TD passes. He also had his 60th career game with at least three TDs, had his 49th career 300-yard passing game and led his 38th game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime. Wide Receiver, Donald Driver also surpassed Antonio Freeman as Lambeau's all-time reception leader. The Pack take the NFC-North lead.

From last week, I think this is classic Favre as he reflects on nearing both the the records for the most touchdown passes and the most interceptions.

From Packers.com:

With both records about to become his, Favre reflected on Wednesday on the best touchdown of his career as well as the worst interception. The former was easy for him to recall. It was his first pass in Super Bowl XXXI against New England, a 54-yard TD strike to Andre Rison when he audibled to a play called "Razor." Read more

[...]

As for the worst interception, there were a few choices in Favre's mind, but the most-discussed was his famous "from the knees" throw in Detroit that was picked off and returned for a touchdown. It happened on Sept. 28, 1997, with the Packers facing third-and-3 near midfield.

"I could not convince him after that I thought it was going to be a great play," Favre said. "So if you ask Mike, he'd probably say that was one of the worst. If you ask me, it was that close (placing his thumb and forefinger a half-inch apart) to being an unbelievable play." Read more

"I Do...?"

Nearly ten years, ago when Brian said, "I Do," never did he imagine that he said:

"I Do...want to root for the Green Bay Packers."

"I Do...want to go to hockey games."

"I Do...like that you obsess over your fantasy football league."

"I Do...like Tony Stewart (uhhhh, I mean Joe Gibbs drivers)."

"I Do...really, really want to go to the NASCAR race in Dover this weekend!"

Yes! We're off to Dover this afternoon. We're going to the race tomorrow with a good friend and her husband. Check back later, as Brian did say, "I Do...love to take pictures!"

Congratulations to Brett Favre

Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images
NFL Photos
Today, future Hall of Fame and Packers' QB Brett Favre became the winningest (is that really a word?) quarterback in NFL history in victory vs. Giants. See Favre's highlights.

As surprising as the Packers 2-0 record is, so is my fantasy football team! For the second week in a row, it looks like a win is highly favorable, minus a major implosion by Tom Brady in the rest of the game.

Here were this week's starters:
QB T. Brady, NE
RB L. Tomlinson, SD (ouch, only 5 FF points; lowest of my starters)
RB A. Peterson, MIN (gulp, only 11 FF points; and he's a Viking, double gulp)

WR S. Smith, CAR
WR C. Chambers, MIA

WR W. Welker, NE (good last minute start in place of L. Coles)
TE B. Watson, NE
PK A. Vinatieri, IND
Def Steelers

On the bench:
QB B. Favre, GB
RB M. Barber, DAL (ouch, scored 20 FF points)
RB D. McAllister, NO

RB B. Jackson, GB
WR L. Coles, NYJ

WR V. Jackson, SD

PK M. Crosby, GB

Def Bengals

GO PACK GO!

According to a story on MSNBC:

Pittsburgh is the runaway leader, with 34 percent of the women living in the Steelers’ market identifying themselves as fans. Green Bay was second with 29.4 percent, but no other market surveyed had even one-quarter of its women identify themselves as fans.
Read more

Personally, I think the Green Bay percentage is low. Plus it does not take in to account for fans that don't live in the "Packers' market."

Vote that the Packers have the best fans!
GO PACK GO! GO PACK GO! GO PACK GO! GO PACK GO!

Eleven Tears

The company I work for lost eleven employees on 9-11. In the lobby of our New York headquarters, there stands a memorial in their honor.

Eleven Tears: Drops of water representing 11 invisible tears fall at random intervals from the ceiling into the 11-sided reflecting pool, creating ripples that expand and intersect in the water. Below, etched into the base of the pool, appear the names of the eleven employees who perished in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, as well as words of remembrance about each of them.

It's a lovely memorial, an ever present reminder of the sadness we feel for all that were lost that day, and to their family and friends who still feel their immense loss.

We remember today.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Once again, I have agreed to humiliate myself and field a fantasy football team in a friend's league. For Week #1, the Cheeseheads are starting:
QB T. Brady, NE
RB L. Tomlinson, SD
RB D. McAllister, NO
WR S. Smith, CAR
WR L. Coles, NYJ
WR C. Chambers, MIA
TE B. Watson, NE
PK A. Vinatieri, IND
Def Steelers

On the bench:
QB B. Favre, GB
RB M. Barber, DAL
RB A. Peterson, MIN
RB B. Jackson, GB
RB F. Taylor, JAC
WR V. Jackson, SD
WR M. Muhammad, CHI
WR M. Jones, JAC

After Thursday's 2007 game opener between the Colts and the Saints, my score was 14 to 31. Check back for Fantasy Football score updates. I'm hoping to beat last year's record of 4-9-1.

PACKERS UPDATE: First I must start with the Packers. It wasn't the prettiest of games, that's for sure. But, I'll take the win (16-13) against the Eagles to start off the season. If nothing else, it will give their young team some confidence. It's a good start even though they're without Vernand Morency and Greg Jennings. Special teams was almost special, as they contributed to two turnovers that set up 10 points. Also Rookie Kicker Mason Crosby had a 53, 37, and the 42 yard game winner with two seconds left.

On to Fantasy Football, all of my players have played, my opponent still has TE Todd Heap and PK Matt Stover to play on Monday night. So far, my score is 140-106.

TUESDAY UPDATE: I won! At least I won one fantasy football game this year. Final score 140-116. I've also made some roster adjustments. We'll see how the season progresses.

Had this been a real emergency ...

I believe I heard a very exciting story this evening at dinner. But I'm not completely sure.

This was because the storytellers, two friends of ours, brought their two daughters, also two friends of ours.

The daughters are a 4 year old ("4 and a 1/2", she's quick to correct), and a soon to be 3 year old. As a side note, when the younger is reminded that her 3rd birthday is next week, she is very excited for as long as 0.7 secs. Then she's on to the next item.

My wife and I had one of the kids on each of our laps, while our taller friends told the story.

Below is a summary of the story, as I heard it:

- - - -

Our neighbor had a burglar ... Brian, Brian, Brian, BRIAN, BRIAN, BRIAN, BRIANBRIANBRIANBRIANBRIAN...(The 4 1/2 yr old was in full Emergency Broadcast Mode. About a foot away from my ear.) ...

We saw the burglars leave their property and we called the neighbors to see if they were ....Your sock's are soooooo BIG that you fall ALL the way to the bottom!! . . . HAHAHAHAHAHHA .....

A couple of days later, the burglars returned and we saw them as they .... BRIAN! BRIAN! BRIAN! ...um....um ....

Then I walked over and moved their getaway veh ..... You are 72 years old. HAHAHAHA !! ...

Two of the burglars escaped on foot when ... Brian, BRIAN, BRIAN! BRIANBRIANBRIANBRIANBRIAN! ... Are you going to the concert? ...

Meanwhile, the third burglar pulled away while I held the burglar's shirt, and ... Brian! Brian! Your neck is SOOO big, ... I mean...... um ... um....

So I had the shirt from the burglar in my hands when the police arrived .... Your neck is SOOOO tall it goes all the way up THERE! HA HA HA! ......

Eventually, the canine unit came out, sniffed the shirt and took off straight toward the... ...Your hair is so big, it goes from here to THERE! HAHAHAHAHAHA ...

They couldn't find anyone, but the next day the police returned and told us ... BRIAN! BRIAN! BRIAN!...{silence}...

And, surprisingly, the burglar wasn't a 15 yr old, the burglar was ... Brian, Brian, Brian! You have a leaf-shoe! HAHAHA ....

It turns out, she was one of the students from my... BRIAN! BRIAN! BRIAN! Your eyes are THIS big !!... HAHAHAHAHAHA ...

- - - -

Anyway, I think it was a very exciting story and may have had a surprising twist at the end.

However, with certainty, I can report, the test of the Emergency Broadcast Child (EBC) worked perfectly well, and, importantly, had this been a real emergency, I would be instructed that my "head is THIS big! HAHAHAHA..."

Brian

PS. Just so you don't get the wrong idea, the two shorter friends at dinner are some of our favorite Emergency Broadcast Children. We always enjoy seeing the entire family, both sides, the taller and the effervescent.