Football!

[RJ O'Connell]

Of the American variety of course - Just like the Madden games.

The high school (secondary school) and College (University) seasons have opened and both Florence High School and the University of North Alabama have a 1-0-0 record! :g I watched a half of North Alabama's opening game, before it became really a really lopsided match and I left the game. They're the #2 ranked team in Division II, for smaller colleges handing out less than 36 athletic scholarships per year.

Fun Fact: The D-II championship is held in Florence and televised in the United States (and Canada?) on ESPN. North Alabama won three consecutive titles from '93 to '95. Really awesome to get the city a bit of national exposure :g

And on Thursday NFL begins - maybe the Buffalo Bills will make the playoffs this year at last :eek , but it looks like the San Diego FEISARs - er, Chargers (they look similar ;)) will be champions this year.

Then in October, Blitz: The League II launches - and if they improve on the gameplay it could be another classic like the original "The League" or the original original 1997 NFL-based game from the arcades.

[infoxicated]

I hadn't realised that the Chargers were such favourites, but I'm fine with that! ;)

I'm already whetting my appetite by playing the latest Madden on the PSP, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how slick it is this time - especially since the last PSP Madden I played was abysmal. :)

[RJ O'Connell]

SD has been the overwhelming favourite pick by the analysts in the 'States, and with the Colts' injury woes and the 18 and 1's still reeling from the Super Bowl loss - plus an anemic NFC - it sounds like they'll be right.

Attachment unrelated.

[infoxicated]

I cant think why, really - the Colts, Giants and the Pats are still the favourites in my book, and I don't see the Cowboys being a walkover, either.

The Chargers still have a huge question mark at quarterback - Rivers is a completely classless punk and there isn't a game that goes by when I don't wish we'd held on to Brees and tossed Rivers aside.

Attitude aside, his knees are dodgy and I suspect Stevie Wonder has better accuracy and Stephen Hawkins a more fluid throwing motion. Then there's Gates playing injured, Nick Hardwick, our pro-bowl center having a bad foot, and Sean Merriman playing on a shot knee and it could all come apart very quickly for the Bolts this year.

Hopefully not before I get to see them play at Wembley, though. There's a game with mixed emotions written all over it - the first time Drew Brees will face the Chargers since they dumped him.

[RJ O'Connell]

Season starts in 90 minutes roughly. Giants v Redskins. Washington should prepare for a thorough beating.

(not a Giants fan)

EDIT: And I was right - NYG wins.

[AG-wolf]

Pats ftw. Sorry, gotta keep with the whole New England pride stuff.

[RJ O'Connell]

UNA 20, Carson Newman 13 :g We're 2-0-0 for the year!

Bills play Sunday - Let's hope Marshawn Lynch can turn into the offensive anchor of the team. We need a lot of him, because I have serious doubts about any of the QBs. :-

[JABBERJAW]

"SD has been the overwhelming favourite pick by the analysts in the 'States"

I can't see SD even coming close to the Patriots. Brady is way too good to allow that. I hate the patriots, but would never pick against them, especially after this year.

New York Giants Title defense begins. READ: no chance in Hell. yes I was happy they won last year because I didn't want to hear "patriots best team ever", but they will most likely be a wildcard team again. They got very lucky last year playing a beat up cowboys offense in the playoffs, then against a very good passing packer team in 0 degree farenheit weather. If Dallas was near full strength they would have won, and if the packers game was a reasonable temp, they would have won. Yes, they earned it, but not again.

Eli Manning will always be a good quarterback, never great.

[RJ O'Connell]

Super Bowl losers haven't fared as well in recent years the next season, but the Patriots as we know them haven't lost the Super Bowl until last year.

Offense is no issue. Defense, the aging defense, on the other hand...we'll see.

[JABBERJAW]

offense is an issue now, but I seriously doubt Brady will be out long

[infoxicated]

Well there you go - the Chargers offense can still rack up the points, but the same old Fat Ted Cottrell defence costs us the game.

I really hate that ****er - he got fired from the Bills, the Jets and the Vikings for exactly the same bend-but-don't-break defence that might only concede field goals during the normal run of play, but cant stand up to a hurry-up offense that's going for broke.

They threw that game away last night and next week it's a divisional agains Denver that I'm not looking forward to. :(

[RJ O'Connell]

Prognosis for Tom Brady is looking grim for the rest of the year - he won't be starting next week according to the team and there were whispers of a torn ACL going around last night or early this morning.

It could make the AFC East a contest after all, but I certainly didn't want it to happen like this. :|

[RJ O'Connell]

Called it - Brady on Injured Reserve, Jets and Bills now the trendy picks to win the AFC East. (Merriman also shut down for the year too.)

Though I wonder how often the special teams can do the bulk of the work for Buffalo. :o