Monday Night Football
Week eight concludes with what looks like should be a lot better game than it appeared to be when the NFL schedule was originally announced, with the 5-2 San Francisco 49ers at the 4-3 Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals offense has been abysmal due to a leaky offensive line; the passing offense (207 yards per game) and rushing offense (89 yards per game) both rank 27th in the NFL. That does not bode well for Arizona considering the 49ers have the number one pass defense (173 yards per game) and number ten run defense (99 yards per game).
Arizona does have a few thing going for them though. John Skelton gets the start at quarterback and he has yet to lose an NFL home game (6-0). Skelton also seems to have better chemistry with Larry Fitzgerald than Kevin Kolb did, which is vitally important since the Cardinals are relying on LaRod Stephens-Howling and William Powell to run the ball; neither has been the model of consistency.
The Cardinals have a very good defense that is more than capable of stopping San Francisco. In the last two games the 49ers have scored just one touchdown and only 16 points, while turning the ball over four times.
Division rivals tend to play each other close and this game is being played in Phoenix. I won't go so far as to say the Cardinals win but I do think they'll keep it close enough to make the game worth watching - especially if you appreciate good defensive play.
49ers 20, Cardinals 14
Cardinals +7, under 38½
An ode to Hurricane Sandy; be safe everyone. Here is John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers performing T-Bone Walker's classic, Stormy Monday at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey from June of 1982. The band also included Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones) on guitar and John McVie (Fleetwood Mac) on bass, but it was Albert King who stole the show.
This Day In Patriots History
October 29, 1961:
The Patriots win the first of what would be back-to-back wins over the Dallas Texans, 18-17 at the Cotton Bowl. Rookie Don Webb, who would go on to play eleven years with the Pats, got things started by recovering a fumble and running it back 40 yards for a touchdown. The Texans - who would move to Kansas City and become known as the Chiefs a year later rather than compete head to head with the other new pro football franchise in Dallas - scored 17 unanswered points and held a ten-point lead in the 4th quarter. Former Packer Joe Johnson scored on a four yard pass from Butch Songin and after the Pats converted on the two point conversion they were within two points. Gino Cappelletti, who also led the Pats with four receptions for 55 yards, kicked the game-winning 24-yard field goal and the Pats improved to 4-3-1 for a first place tie with the Houston Oilers in the AFL East.
October 29, 1967:
The Boston Patriots nearly pull off a big upset but fall to division rival New York 30-23. The Pats led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and 20-7 late in the first half but Jim Turner kicked three field goals for the Jets to tie the score and then Joe Namath hit Pete Lammons on a 7-yard touchdown pass in the 4th quarter for the game winning score. The Jets defense was stout, limiting the Pats offense to only one touchdown, a 16-yard pass from Babe Parilli to Gino Cappelletti; the rest of the scoring came on three Cappelletti field goals and a 35-yard interception return by John Charles. Cappelletti and Art Graham both had five receptions, for 49 and 52 yards respectively while Jim Nance had 56 yards on 16 carries for the Patriots. The Jets thoroughly dominated the game, gaining 409 total yards to just 170 for the Patriots, but the Jets kept shooting themselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers. Don Maynard led the Jets with 132 yards receiving.
October 29, 1972:
Brian Dowling scores on a one-yard run in a loss to the Jets. The Yale grad most well known for being the opposition to Vic Gatto in the 'Harvard beats Yale 29-29' game would be one of the very few NFL modern era quarterbacks with more career rushing touchdowns (3) than passing touchdowns (2).
October 29, 1978:
The Patriots win their sixth straight game and throttle the Jets 55-21 at Schaefer Stadium. The Pats absolutely dominated, scoring the most points ever in the long running history of games between these two teams. New England jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead and kept their foot on the accelerator with three more touchdowns in the second quarter to go in to halftime with a 41-7 lead. The Jets entered the game just one game behind the Patriots in the AFC East hoping to move into a first place tie but the Patriots made a loud and clear statement as they went for a whopping 529 total yards while holding the Jets to about half that, 276. Steve Grogan had the same number of touchdown passes as incompletions (four), Harold Jackson had 118 yards receiving and two touchdowns, and Don Calhoun ran for 89 yards on just ten carries. Horace Ivory ran for two touchdowns, Russ Francis had a touchdown catch, and Mike Haynes had a 50-yard interception.
October 29, 1989:
The Patriots beat the Colts 23-20 in overtime on a 51-yard Greg Davis field goal at the Hoosier Dome. The winning kick was Davis' third long field goal of the game; he had previously connected from 47 yards and 48 yards out. Steve Grogan threw for 355 yards, Eric Sievers had seven receptions for 113 yards, John Stephens ran for 68 yards and a touchdown, and Cedric Jones had an 8-yard touchdown reception; on defense Vincent Brown, Brent Williams and Gary Jeter each had a sack. ... I have to say there are a lot of unfamiliar and obscure names in that recap.
October 29, 1995:
John Kasay's field goal with 7:52 remaining in overtime gave the Carolina Panthers a 20-17 victory over the Patriots. It was a bitter loss for the Pats as they fell to 2-6 - one win less than the two expansion teams, the Panthers and Jaguars. The Pats continually dug themselves in a hole with poor punts by Pat O'Neil (32.4 yard average), including a 32 yard line drive to set up the game winning drive; a Dave Meggett fumble at the Carolina 6 with 2:57 did not help matters either. Curtis Martin led the Pats with 85 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
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October 29, 1946:
Peter Green was born in London. Green replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers and then founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967. Here's Fleetwood Mac doing a song few know that they actually wrote, performed at the old Boston Tea Party in 1970:
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October 29, 1971:
Duane Allman died in Macon, Georgia when he lost control of his Harley trying to avoid a tractor trailer hauling lumber; the band's next album was titled Eat A Peach and many incorrectly he hit a peach truck. Here are the Allman Brothers from Live At The Fillmore East in 1971 with another Sandy tribute: the most well known version of Stormy Monday.
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