Owner: Boston Sports Rants URL:http://bostonsportsrants.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:59:28 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Boston Sports blog, updated daily by a rabid Boston sports fan. Everything you need to know about Boston sports. NFL picks every Friday night! Site statistics:Click here
Blogging Celtics 2007-12-09 00:04:00 I’m not sure how to handle rooting for a 17-2 basketball team. I was 7 years old the last time the Celts were this dominant. The best Celtics team I’ve had the "privilege" of rooting for was probably the Walker-Pierce team that made the Eastern Conference Finals. And let’s be honest, that wasn’t a very good team.This Celtics team, on the other hand, IS very good. Might be great. We knew the G-A-P would be pretty good, but there have been a number of bigtime surprises in the first 19 games. The biggest surprises are:1) The Defense: Their defense is tremendous. They’re first in the league in opponent’s field goal percentage. Even Ray Allen has been serviceable defensively. The biggest reason why this team can win the East is their defense.2) The Bench: The second biggest question mark coming into the season was the bench. But Posey and House have been great, Glenn Davis has been the surprise of the season thus far (more on this later), and guys like Tony Read more:Blogging
The NFL Picks Column 2007-12-07 22:59:00 Back in the Sportfanatics.net days, the columns I always enjoyed the most were the NFL picks columns. They always generated the most feedback, and my record, though I have nothing to back this up, was impeccable. For the last 5 years, my NFL picks have only been available to a small part of the country, and only if you were willing to pay extra for them. However, Senator John F. Kerry recently wrote a letter, so thanks to him…on with the picks!Carolina (+10.5) at JacksonvilleIt’s all well and good to have a QB who doesn’t throw interceptions and has a high passer rating, but if you were making a list of QBs you’d want starting for your team in a big game, would David Garrard even make the list? Of course, Carolina would settle for ANY QB at this point.Prediction: Jacksonville covers easilyDallas (-11) at DetroitDetroit is suffering from “My QB sucks, but the guys around him make him look just good enough that we’re afraid to replace him” syndrome. Roy Williams being Read more:Column
Incomplete Thoughts and Ramblings 2007-12-07 00:37:00 I know I promised a Celtics blog today, but I can’t seem to put together two straight intelligible sentences tonight. Instead, I’ll just stick with the basic, no holds barred, random thoughts type rant.Word broke yesterday that Gagne could accept the Red Sox offer of arbitration. This, of course, is good news for Red Sox fans. We were starting to think this off season was going way too well. As a group, we don’t function well without something to complain about.I also read in the Boston Herald that the Sox made an offer for Erik Bedard. Personally, while I wouldn’t mind seeing Bedard in a Sox uniform as a cheaper alternative to Santana, I can’t see the Orioles trading him inside the division. I’m thinking this is just a smokescreen designed to give the Twins something to think about.Jose Guillen and Jay Gibbons were both suspended for 15 games by MLB for purchasing HGH. Just to be consistent with my Barry Bonds stance, I don’t think either of these guys should get into th Read more:Incomplete
Burning Myself on the Hot Stove 2007-12-05 21:23:00 Welcome to day 3 of the Santana waiting game. At this point I just want a decision one way or another. Is he going to the Yankees (Apparently not, because Hank would never lie, right A-Rod)? The Red Sox (The Ellsbury poo-poo-platter or the Lester-Crisp combo-plate)? The Mets (Ha! Yeah, right…)?You really have to wonder about some of the reports that come out of the winter meetings. The competition among reporters to get the story first is getting so ridiculous that if they overhear a guy wearing an Angels hat listening to a Santana CD they’re on ESPN 10 minutes later reporting that a member of the Angels organization has serious interest in trading for the former Cy Young winner.At one point, all of the Boston stations were sure the Red Sox had the inside track on landing Santana….all they were giving up was a 3 player combo that didn’t include Ellsbury, Buchholz, or Crisp. Lester, Masterson, and some guy nobody’s ever heard of from their single A club. Imagine the c Read more:Burning
Not So Fast, '72 Dolphins 2007-12-04 23:30:00 Controversial Wins are the Best KindClose, but no cigar. I can’t remember a team whining more after a loss than the Ravens. Suck it up, sissies. Forget about the calls in the final 3 minutes (all of which, by the way, were good calls), how about 2nd and 2 with about 4 minutes left in the game. They make the first down, they win. They get stuffed twice. How about not throwing an interception deep in Patriots territory midway through the 4th quarter?How about not firing the ref’s flag into the crowd or jumping offsides on the PAT? Willis McGahee dominated the Patriots for 3 quarters, then apparently left the game early and missed the entire 4th quarter.The Ravens completely self-destructed. They handed the Patriots the game. It was as ugly as it was entertaining. Ravens fans should be outraged, but not at the outcome of Monday's game. If the same Ravens team that showed up against the Patriots showed up every week they'd easily be 8-4, instead of pathetically 4-8.The Blue-Pri Read more:Dolphins
So much for 45 - 9, eh? 2007-12-04 01:02:00 The Ravens gave the Patriots everything they could handle and then some. After nearly suffering 4 different heart attacks (The time-out call on 4th and 1, the illegal procedure call on the second attempt at 4th and 1, the tipped ball deep in the Raven’s zone, and the defensive holding call on 4th down), I’m just glad the Patriots pulled this one out.Jabar Gaffney might be the most underrated WR on the team. Two weeks in a row, when the Pats needed something, Brady went to Gaffney. He’s quickly moving onto my Troy Brown memorial list of unsung guys I want on the field in clutch moments.Not every game is pretty. Not every game is a blowout. A win is a win.But one thing is for sure in the NFL: Tom Brady is MONEY in the 4th quarter.More on this game tomorrow….I’m SeanMC.PS: Hank Steinbrenner is quickly becoming my favorite new sports figure. “You have until midnight or I’m no longer discussing the best starting pitcher in baseball anymore….even though my $300 millio
Playing Catch-Up 2007-12-02 23:58:00 Busy sports weekend…must blog.The big question: Would I trade Jacoby Ellsbury for Johan Santana? The Pros: You get the best left handed pitcher in baseball. You keep the best left handed pitcher in baseball away from the Yankees. You pretty much guarantee a 2008 World Series appearance. Red Sox fans get to win the Regular Season and the Off-Season, which hasn’t happened since the early 1900s.The Cons: I love Ellsbury, as much as a man can love another man. Lester may be a cheaper alternative to Santana. Buchholz may be a young Pedro. Santana costs a ton of money for a ton of years; think Mike Hampton and Kevin Brown. Coco Crisp probably ends up starting in CF again (which isn’t a con, until you remember that he has to hit).I wouldn’t want to be Theo. (Editor's Note: Were I Theo, I would probably offer Crisp, Lester, Masterson, Lowrie, and Bowden….if they don’t accept, I walk away. My man-love crush on Ellsbury prevents me from thinking rationally about trading him and Buch Read more:Catch
Laurence Maroney and an Offensive 2006 Draft 2006-05-07 01:48:00 I remember back in 1998 when the Patriots drafted Robert Edwards in the first round of the NFL Draft
. Edwards was tabbed immediately as the departed Curtis Martin’s replacement. He had a relatively productive rookie season, showing flashes of brilliance. Then came an NFL rookie beach flag football game, a knee torn so badly that his leg was held together by nothing more than skin, and the end of Robert Edwards’ career in New England.Since then, the Patriots have stayed away from first round running backs, instead taking flyers on backs like J.R. Redmond (3rd round), Patrick Pass (7th round), Antwoine Womack (6th round), and Cedric Cobbs (4th round).Of that group, only Patrick Pass remains a Patriot today, and he’s been converted to a FB.In 2004 the Patriots seemed to have resolved their running back issues by trading a second round pick to the Bengals for Corey Dillon. In his first year, Dillon set a franchise record for yards in a season and was a key factor in a dominating seas Read more:Laurence
, Offensive
The Boston Sports Rants 2006-05-07 00:57:00 Welcome to my latest project.My name is SeanMC, or Sean Crowe to those of you who know me personally. I used to run sportsfanatics.net, which was a rather successful little sports fan site. I also wrote for Rivals.com before they sold out and did some work with NFLFans.net.For those of you who’ve never heard of me, my writing style is similar to the people I grew up reading, like ESPN's Bill Simmons (from his Digital City Boston
days) and Dan Shaughnessy before he went catatonic and was replaced by a random negative article regurgitating robot.I’m a shameless Red Sox fan. I’m an even more shameless Patriots fan. I’ve been called an apologist for both at one time or another. Look, if 10 – 6 with a playoff win is considered a bad season, or if you make it to the playoffs 3 years in a row winning the World Series once, then you’re obviously doing something right.I don’t understand the negativity towards the Patriots and the Red Sox (feel free to go after the Celtics or that Read more:Sports
The Bronson Debate 2006-05-07 00:35:00 Repost from 4/22/2006 (old site)Looks pretty bad now, doesn't it?There were rumors floating out of the Red Sox organization prior to this season that they were "building for the future" and not for 2006. If Schilling, Foulk, Lowell, Nixon, etc. all get back to their pre-injury/pre-down-season form, that's great. Gravy. But they're building a team to win in 2007 and beyond.Nothing proves this to be true like the Bronson
Arroyo for Wily Mo Pena trade.In Bronson the Sox traded a relatively young and inexpensive pitcher with decent numbers who (gasp!) actually liked pitching in Boston for a wildly inconsistent walking strike-out with defensive skills barely passable in most over-50 softball leagues. His close-my-eyes-and-swing style is hard to watch sometimes, but when he makes contact....let's just say the last home run he hit still hasn't landed.Bronson could have helped right now. No doubt about that. His low-4s ERA would probably make him the 3rd starter on this staff. He led the Read more:Debate
Nobody Loves the Falcons 2007-12-19 22:56:00 Man is it bad to be a Falcons
fan.I just submitted a column to The Bleacher Report about Parcells going to Miami. You can read it here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/5093-NFL-Miami_Dolphins-Atlanta_Falcons-The_Return_of_the_Big_Tuna-191207The Falcons can't buy a break.
Read more:Nobody
Blogging Celtics - Enjoying the Kevin Garnett Era 2007-12-18 23:03:00 It's hard being the typical negative sports writer in Boston these days. The Red Sox are World Series champions. The Patriots are only the second team in NFL history to start a season 14-0. The Bruins, I've been told, are playing pretty well. The Revolution are the MLS's version of the Buffalo Bills. Boston College was ranked as high as 2 this season in the BCS. The Celtics are 20-2.That's right, the Celtics are 20-2.Not since Tommy Heinsohn was a player has a Celtics team started 20-2. Of course, when Tommy Heinsohn was a player that kind of start was expected. Back then, it didn't just seem like the Celtics won championships every season, they DID win championships every season.Ever since Len Bias decided Cocaine was more important than playing professional basketball the Celtics have been in a seemingly unending downward spiral. In no particular order, the following things have happened to the Celtics since 1986.1) Larry Bird's bad back - probably cut his career short Read more:Blogging
, Kevin
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The Big Bad Bruins 2007-12-17 23:21:00 Given that I have no patience for the current Bruins
, and no time to write a decent blog entry tonight, I've decided to post this fantastic tribute to the Big Bad Bruins.If you're not a fan of hockey fights.....who am I kidding, we're all fans of hockey fights!For the record, anyone who wants to take the fighting out of hockey is not a real hockey fan. You're a fan of male figure skating with props (in this case, a puck and hockey sticks). Real hockey includes fighting. European hockey doesn't.Therefore, clearly it's un-American to want to take the fighting out of hockey.What I'm trying to say is, ESPN's Linda Cohn is a communist.Back tomorrow with...err...something. Probably a Celtics column. Unless something happens between now and then (Santana trade, Clemens admits he's a juicer, someone on the '72 Dolphins says something that makes me mad again, etc.)I'm SeanMChttp://bostonsportsrants.blogspot.com
Imperfection Denied! 2007-12-16 22:39:00 They blew it. The 2007 Dolphins blew it.The 2007 Dolphins had a chance to make history. They were attempting to become only the second modern day NFL team to finish an imperfect season. They tried with the least amount of effort possible, but thanks to the currently even more inept Baltimore Ravens, they just couldn't pull it off.Now we're stuck listening to the insufferable 1976 Buccaneers, the only team to finish an imperfect season since the merger, for another year."We were holding our breath, because this Dolphins team was pretty bad," said the celebrating coach of that "special" Bucs team, John McKay. "We were openly rooting for the Dolphins to win. I know that shows a lack of sportsmanship, but who cares?"The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers get together every season and crack open a bottle of champagne the day the last imperfect team finally pulls off a miracle.This season was extra special, proving once and for all that the second hardest record in the NFL is likely t
Scatter Brained & Random Thoughts 2007-12-15 21:40:00 A few quick site notes before we get into today's blog. I an effort to re-establish my dominance over the Internet Sports Scene, I'll be pimping my columns to as many outlets as possible over the next few months. There will still be exclusive Boston Sports Rants material posted here (like this soon-to-be-classic), but we're going to be trying to drive traffic here by getting published in other places.Our primary partner in this endeavor is going to be Bleacher Report. I'll be posting at least 2 or 3 of my blogs there a week, depending on the content. As you may or may not know, our RSS feed is also published on Zimbio and every once in a while I repost something on My Fox Boston.If you're looking for the Week 15 NFL Picks you can either scroll down past the end of this entry or click here.Random
thoughts while wondering if the Patriots can score 70 points in a blizzard:Frank Gore is one of my favorite NFL players. Unfortunately, this season I took him with the 4th overall pic Read more:Random Thoughts
The NFL Picks Column - Week 15 2007-12-15 00:57:00 Last Week's Record: 11 - 4Click here for last week's picks.Thursday Recap:I refuse to do an NFL picks column on a Wednesday night. Too many things can happen between then and Sunday. So I'll never get a picks column written in time to pick the Thursday night game. I also bowl on Thursday nights, which makes it hard to even watch the games since the Bowling alley doesn't get the NFL Network (thank you Comcast!). Lucky for us, I was snowed in Thursday night, and I DO have the NFL Network.A couple of quick thoughts on Houston's big win:1) Mario Williams is already better player than Reggie Bush or Vince Young will ever become.2) When Sage Rosenfels is picking you apart, you're not a playoff team.3) Andre Johnson might be the best WR in football. Until he gets a real quarterback, we'll never know for sure.4) Darius Walker has a future in the NFL. Had he stayed in school another year, he would have been a second or third round running back.5) I've seen John Elway. I watched Read more:Column
The Mitchell Report - Names, Names, and More Names 2007-12-14 00:24:00 If you're interested, you can download the entire Mitchell
Report here.If you're from New England, you're probably buried under a foot of snow right now. Some of us never actually made it home from work as Route 1 was….to put it nicely…a complete disaster. Yet no matter how bad of an afternoon you had, it can't compare to the afternoon the Yankees just had.Two of their best players surfaced in the Mitchell Report. Two marquee players from their last championship team. Sure, they're denying it. But it doesn't matter. This isn't Jose Canseco throwing out names here. This is a former US Senator. A man who was offered a nomination to the US Supreme Court. A man who went to Northern Ireland and brokered a peace deal. A man who is universally respected inside and outside of baseball.Ouch!It'll be interesting to see how Hank Steinbrenner (my new favorite baseball owner) responds.Some quick thoughts on the names that surfaced today (for the entire list, click here)…Roger C Read more:Names
I Spy a Patriots Blowout 2007-12-12 23:16:00 As long as Eric Mangini says "it was legal" then I guess we should all believe him, right?Hey, Barry Bonds says he never knowingly took steroids, and even if he did they didn't work anyway. I guess we should believe him too, right?Hank Steinbrenner says he's not negotiating with A-Rod because A-Rod opted out of his contract. He wouldn't lie, would he?Speaking of Hank, he's no longer interested in Santana because his self imposed deadline passed. He wouldn't lie twice, would he?So the Jets cheated? So what? The Patriots
did to the Jets what the Packers did to the Patriots when they caught a guy videotaping things he shouldn't have been. They asked him to take his camera and leave. One has to wonder why the Jets didn't extend the same courtesy that was extended to them the previous year.The answer is Eric Mangini.Mangini is an overrated coach with an underrated inferiority complex. According to ESPN, his focus was on his new job days before the Patriots lost their playo Read more:Blowout
I'm a Bruins Fan, I Just Don't Care 2007-12-11 23:22:00 Hey, I just heard that the Bruins
are in 2nd place! I wasn't entirely aware that they still existed. Actually, that's a lie. I saw the highlights earlier this year when the Flyers tried to kill Patrice Bergeron. I think I heard they have another "next best thing" goaltender who's had a cup of coffee with the team this year (remember Blaine Lacher? The Lach-net-monster?).Anyway, this got me thinking…. Does anyone really CARE about the Bruins anymore?Most professional sports teams have 3 types of fans.Fair weather fans: Like every Bulls fan in the 90s, a disturbingly large number of Red Sox fans today, and any Colts fan not from Indianapolis, these fans don't really care, but they latch on to a winner. They buy up hats, jersey's, etc. Then they leave for the next best thing once the team starts to lose again.Passionate Fan, type A: These are fans that root for their teams to win, to the point of near insanity (we call them Patriots and real Red Sox fans). These fans root
Santana to Sox, On Again? 2007-12-11 16:44:00 Reports out of Minnesota have trade talks between the Red Sox and Twins heating up again, this time with Ellsbury anchoring the Red Sox offer instead of Lester. In all honesty, I've cooled on Ellsbury a bit the last few weeks. Between his signing of Boras just a couple of months after the game 4 A-Rod debacle and his $125, bring your own thing to sign, autograph session I'm starting to think he's another Johnny Damon. Fantastic player, fantastically unintelligent person.The man walks on water in Boston right now. Everyone loves the guy. Why risk that with a series of moronic PR moves? Does he really need the autograph money? He could walk into any local business, name his sponsorship price, make a ton of money, and not fleece his fan base.We know, as a Boras guy, he's not going to resign with whatever team has him when he reaches free agency. Even better, Boras will probably do with Ellsbury what he did with Damon and trick him into signing with the Yankees because "it's go Read more:Again
, Santana
Early Pats-Jets Vegas Line 2007-12-10 00:07:00 According to ESPN, the Patriots are early 24 1/2 point favorites against the Jets next week. Get your bets in early, the line is sure to go up.
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Statement Game 2007-12-09 19:46:00 What a fun game to watch. From Brady trash talking Anthony Smith and James Harrison after that first Moss touchdown to that ridiculous double-lateral TD pass to Gaffney, it was entertaining from start to finish.Someone just checking box scores after the game would think that the Steelers had some success running the ball. And they did, but not when it mattered. Good bounce-back performance for the Pats' linebacking core.I thought the Steelers came in with a pretty good game plan. They were greatly aided by some aggressive play calling in the 2nd quarter. Going for it on 4th down twice to get into field goal range probably kept them in the game longer than they would have stayed in it otherwise.10 Observations from the game:1) The Patriots defensive line had a really good bounce-back game. They were able to put pressure on Roethlisberger and keep Parker contained for most of the game.2) When Mike Vrabel wants to get to the quarterback, he's nearly unstoppable. He bothered Roethlisber
Merry Christmas! 2007-12-24 22:12:00 We here at Boston Sports Rants (and by we, I mean me) would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas
! If you celebrate something else, we don't play the politically correct games here, but I guess you can have a happy one of those as well.Eat, Drink, be Merry
....and most of all, be safe.Peace and Love,SeanMC
Read more:Merry Christmas
The NFL Picks Column - Week 16 2007-12-21 20:35:00 It's been brought to my attention that there are 1001 NFL picks columns posted on the web every week. So why should you read mine? I've come up with a few reasons.1) My picture - Located on the top, right side of this column is my picture (if you're reading this on Bleacher Report...otherwise, just pretend). Let's face it, I'm a sexy man. Worth the price of admission right there.2) I'm right more than everyone else - Sure, I went 6-9 last week, but if the teams played the way they were supposed to I'd have gone 15-0.3) The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy once called me a jealous sycophant. I'm not sure what that means, but I'm pretty sure it's a compliment. Right?In all seriousness, I know there are a ton of the other really good NFL Picks columns out there (a great example is Liver's Picks, which are extremely entertaining), and I appreciate you taking the time to read mine.Now, on with the NFL Picks Column
, Holiday edition: Click here for the picks.
2008 NFL Mock Draft: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2008-03-09 18:45:17 Previous Five Picks 15) Detroit Lions: Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas 16) Arizona Cardinals: Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida 17) Minnesota Vikings: Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson 18) Houston Texans: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon 19) Philadelphia Eagles: Limas Sweed, WR, Texas Click here to see the entire Mock Draft
. The Longest Mock Draft in NFL History Continues...Before I start, I just wanted to take a quick second to direct everyone’s attention to MLB’s shakedown of the Cape Cod Baseball League. I think it’s something that deserves more attention than it’s getting. When I heard about it on the news I was slightly disturbed. The more I read about it as I researched the issue for that article, the more angry it made me.Bud Selig is scum. He can’t rid baseball of steroids, Read more:Tampa
, Buccaneers
, Tampa Bay
SeanMC's 2008 NFL Mock Draft 2008-03-09 18:44:03 1) Miami Dolphins: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU2) St. Louis Rams: Jake Long, OT, Michigan3) Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College4) Oakland Raiders: DeSean Jackson, WR, California5) Kansas City Chiefs: Chris Long, DE, Virginia6) New York Jets: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas 7) New England Patriots: Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio State8) Baltimore Ravens: Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State9) Cincinnati Bengals: Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC10) New Orleans Saints: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy11) Buffalo Bills: Dan Connor, LB, Penn State12) Denver Broncos: Kenny Phillips, S, Miami13) Carolina Panthers: Calais Campbell, DE, Miami14) Chicago Bears: Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville15) Detroit Lions: Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas16) Arizona Cardinals: Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida17) Minnesota Vikings: Phillip Merling, DE, Read more:Draft
Greedy Major League Baseball Orders Cape Cod League to Pay Up 2008-03-07 23:11:21 It’s fun to call the New York Yankees the Evil Empire. It’s even more fun to call the Red Sox the new and improved Evil Empire. But we’re missing the mark entirely.The real Evil Empire is MajorLeague
Baseball itself.For years, the Cape Cod Baseball league has operated as a not-for-profit baseball league where college players can hone their skills against other major league prospects. The league is run entirely by volunteers. They survive through donations, grants, and merchandise sales. MLB itself usually contributes $100,000 per season to the league.The best part about the league is that it’s completely free to attend a game. People like me, who don’t have the money to take their entire family to a major league game, can bring the entire family and watch a Cape Cod league
2008 NFL Mock Draft: Philadelphia Eagles 2008-03-07 00:11:01 Previous Five Picks 14) Chicago Bears: Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville 15) Detroit Lions: Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas 16) Arizona Cardinals: Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida 17) Minnesota Vikings: Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson 18) Houston Texans: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon Click here to see the entire Mock Draft
. The Longest Mock Draft in NFL History Continues...“You are seriously one big Idiot...or should I call you a wizard because you think you know so much. Favre, no matter if you are a fan or not, he defines football. He is truly one of a kind! Players like this only come around once in a lifetime. He is what a football player is all about, the pride, the passion and leadership. The NFL is not the same without him...”-Archie Moses (sports-central.org reader, Brett Favre Read more:Philadelphia
Despite Love-Fest, Favre Not Best Ever 2008-03-06 19:29:50 I'm not going to write one of those sappy love letters to Brett Favre
that I keep seeing all over the Internet. The fact is, I've never really been a Brett Favre fan. I've always considered him one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the NFL. In fact, I'm convinced that the Packers are better off without him. And trust me, there is a contingent in that organization that agrees; you don't accidentally post his retirement news on your website, then quickly accept his retirement without any effort to talk him out of it if you want him back. After all, his awful game against the Giants cost his team a trip to the Super Bowl. Yes, there was extremely bad weather (understatement of the year), but the game was nothing more than a continuation of Brett Favre's disappointing showings in big
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