Shout outs

It's Monday, so I am contractually obligated to mention the Don Funk Sports Grill. To date I had not survived the complete early and late game slate at the Grill. The Titans had a 4:15 date with the Jags (I won't spoil the ending here, sorry), so I was in for the entire day. I had a good game plan. I hit two beers in the first half of the first game and spent part of the second in nap pose.

The Titans game started poorly. There wasn't much of a sense of urgency. Collins hit Gage deep, but the ball stayed in the air so long that Gage practically fair-caught it. At least he caught it. The drive ended with an interception. MJD had his way and scored two touchdowns. It was 14-3 and I was mildly depressed. That's when I got a pep talk from the wife. She told me that the Titans weren't going to win with my crappy attitude. While my mental turnaround had nothing to do with the team's reversal of fortune in the second half, I like to think that it did.

Remember how the Colts took a 14-6 lead and the Titans rallied to score the next 25 points? That has been the theme this year. When the Titans need a defensive stop or a score this year, they get it. Collins rallied them to two touchdowns in no time, and the defensive line harrassed David Garrard all half. Due to injuries kick returner Chris Carr played a lot of corner. Naturally, he got a key interception. David Ball, who didn't play in the NFL last year, got an important sack. After I clearly pointed out that Collins only had six passing TDs all year, he threw three.

Who worries me, among the possible playoff participants? Nobody. This team has stepped up every week and I believe that it will continue to do so for the next six, and hopefully nine, games. The Giants would be a tough matchup, but I believe that the defense, at full strength, is up to the task of the three-headed monster that is the Giant running game.

I just finished Rich Eisen's Total Access. The book should be subtitled "I have the best job in the world." Rich stays on the positive for the entire book, and I think that was the right tone to hit. I enjoyed reading about Rich's injuries sustained during some of NFL Network's shoots, including a sprained shoulder suffered during a tackling demonstration and a pulled hamstring as he ran a 40-yard dash at the combine in his suit. Of course he pulled the hammy not on one stunt, but on his third attempt. I could imagine the wife having a few words with him and little sympathy after that fiasco.

Eisen spoke glowingly about everyone, including Ray Lewis, who is my football nemesis. I don't care if Lewis taught Eisen to tackle, or was an incredible guest host. I will never stop loathing the "I love me some me" attitude and the less than conciliatory attitude he had about his brush with the law. It seems that every time I'm watching a highlights show, Lewis is getting taken to task. Ahmad Bradshaw, the third string running back for the Giants, juked him in the open field. Every time the Ravens gave up a big run yesterday, Lewis was nowhere to be found. I think he's more talk than walk these days.

It was nice to see LenDale White, who has taken a lesser role of late, getting the kill the clock carries. The Titans cannot become a one-man rushing attack. They're going to need a lot of White.

Speaking of running backs, what happened to Chris Henry? Has he been active for one game this year? I've seen a bit of Quinton Ganther, but no Henry.

Here's my random complaint of the day. I have a new iPod nano, and listen to it a ridiculous amount of time. The connectors are the same as every other iPod. Why doesn't it charge when it's in my Bose player? It makes no sense that a newer version of the hardware would be incompatible.

Of course I lost again in the AUFL. By 40+ points this time.

My musical obsession: "Wonderful Life" by the Tories. I can't get enough of Jellyfish-esque power pop. For some reason most of these type of bands either disband after two releases or never hit it big time. What do these bands lack that a popular band like All-American Rejects has, besides a lack of overproduction?

I will end by noting that after every touchdown or score by the Packers, and there were a lot of them, sorry Don, the PA system played Todd Rundgren's "Bang the Drum All Day." That is noteworthy because it's my dad's fantasy theme song, and that a song about not working seems like a strange choice to fire up a Midwestern crowd.