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You can tell the network interest in the first game of the NLDS matchup between the Brewers and Phillies by the TV slot.  3PM EST on a Wednesday.  Thanks MLB.  The Brewers haven’t seen the playoffs in the entire lifespan of many of their fans and yet, those of us with jobs (you know, the ones most likely to buy tickets, apparel, etc) will likely not see the game.

Regardless, this should be a good matchup.  Two very young and talented teams.  Seems the Phillies have the edge of being more complete and having better pitchup through the roster, but who knows.  Anything can happen in baseball.  Just look at the Mets losing 2 of 3 to the Marlins.  The first two games should be good ones.  The Brewers are putting their prized young pitcher whose name nobody can properly pronnounce (hint: it’s NOT Gah-lard-oh) against the Reds’ ace who looks more like a frozen lemonade vendor than a pitcher.

Thankfully, the teams have a somewhat more reasonable 6PM EST start on Thursday.

There’s two sides to every story and this case is no different.  There’s Al Davis’ side, and then the rest of the world.

Seriously though, it’s not too hard to argue that there were some questionable things said by the Raiders’ boss man today.  All the public lies he referred to and the open desire to be fired aren’t very easy to be found by the outsider.  The new coach definitely seems like the “yes” man that Davis works best with.  That doesn’t really matter though, as we all knew this was coming.  Al Davis isn’t going to change and isn’t going to leave his post as long as he’s still breathing.  So we may as well just enjoy the theatrics, including the possible lawsuit over the refusal to pay Kiffin’s contract.  Hopefully Kiffin takes the high road and has a good talk with the commishioner about how to properly react.  It’s best if he just tries to get his money and moves on.  Let the next poor sap come in.  Forget the Raiders ever happened.

I’m going to focus on 1st down, this week vs. Tampa Bay.

1^st Quarter – Drive 1:
1st and 10 at GB 42(14:51) R.Grant left end pushed ob at GB 48 for 6 yards
1st and 10 at TB 48(13:06) A.Rodgers sacked ob at TB 49 for -1 yards
1st and 10 at TB 33(11:51) R.Grant left tackle to TB 25 for 8 yards

1^st Quarter – Drive 2:
1st and 10 at GB 20(8:48) A.Rodgers pass short right to D.Driver to GB 28 for 8 yards
1st and 10 at GB 31(7:00) A.Rodgers pass incomplete short right to R.Grant.

1^st Quarter – Drive 3:
1st and 10 at GB 23(2:32) A.Rodgers pass short left to G.Jennings to GB 29 for 6 yards
1st and 10 at GB 35(1:10) R.Grant left end pushed ob at GB 38 for 3 yards PENALTY on GB-C.Clifton, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at GB 35 - No Play.

2^nd Quarter – Drive 1:
1st and 10 at GB 11(12:03) R.Grant right end to GB 5 for -6 yards

2^nd Quarter – Drive 2:
1st and 10 at GB 22(6:36) R.Grant right guard to GB 21 for -1 yards
1st and 10 at GB 42(5:27) A.Rodgers sacked at GB 34 for -8 yards

2^nd Quarter – Drive 3: (about 1min left in half – not counting this drive)

3^rd Quarter – Drive 1:
1st and 10 at GB 44(11:32) A.Rodgers pass short left to G.Jennings pushed ob at GB 45 for 1 yard

3^rd Quarter – Drive 2:
1st and 10 at GB 40(6:14) R.Grant right tackle to GB 38 for -2 yards (fumble – returned for TD)

3^rd Quarter – Drive 3:
1^st and 10 at GB 40 (5:48) A.Rodgers pass incomplete short middle to D.Lee.

3^rd Quarter – Drive 4:
1st and 10 at TB 42(3:18) R.Grant up the middle to TB 42 for no gain (J.Haye).

4^th Quarter – Drive 1:
1st and 15 at GB 15(9:40) R.Grant up the middle to GB 17 for 2 yards (G.Adams).

Last two possessions of the game were 2min drill.

15 normal 1st down plays in the game (ie - not 2min drill, not 1st and 20, etc).  8 plays were runs, 5 of them between the tackles.  Only two of those runs went over 2 yards.  Change things up, maybe?  I’ll have to look up some more stats when I have time, but the plays where they passed on 1st down, it was very obvious they were going to pass.

Both guys were amazing all year, but there is simply no topping what they did today.  Game winning home run for Braun and another complete game win for CC.  Longest post-season drout in major pro sports is over!

Yeah, I never posted anything for week 3.  Forget that, because the Brewers have gotten it together and are tied for the wild card.  I don’t know if they really deserve to make the playoffs at this point, but if they can keep winning I will gladly take it.  Could be good things in the near future for the Brewers if they are able to make the post season, as Gallardo just got activated.  If he can crack the starting lineup and Sheets makes it back, this could be a really good team in the playoffs.  Let’s see if they can make it there first.

Cleveland at Cincinnati
Disappointing start for both teams.  Terrible quarterback play, no defense, no run game, nothing to get excited about at all.  Well that’s all about to change, because one of these teams is getting a win this week!  This is a perfect matchup for each of the struggling quarterbacks, as neither team will be playing anything resembling defense.  For those saying this is the week for Brady Quinn, it’s not.  The Browns have the Giants, Redskins, Jaguars and Ravens coming up.  Not a stretch you want a first time starter to face.  If Anderson continues to struggle, the week after the Ravens would be the time as they have the Broncos, Bills, Texans, Colts; much softer defenses to ease in the young guy.

Green Bay at Tampa Bay
One of the few times the battle of the bays has had much relevance as the two teams are fighting to stay atop their respective divisions.  This will be another good test for Aaron Rodgers as Kiffin will no doubt throw a lot of different looks and blitz from all over the field.  Not only will Rodgers have a tough task, but the run game will as well.  The Packers have respectable running stats with 115 yards per game and 4.4 per carry, but as with last year that’s been offset by a few long runs.  On defense, the backup corners really need to step up.  The Packers have gone several years with virtually no depth at corner and now it may cost them as Al Harris is out at least several weeks if not longer.  Tampa doesn’t have a great offense, but they do have a good coach and a vetern team that will exploit favorable matchups.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh
The Steelers got murdered last week.  They were slapped around like little bitches by the Eagles defense and it was embarrassing.  This is a team that went from looking like the best in the AFC to just another pretender.  Meanwhile, the Ravens have been solid on defense and are running well.  They have managed to hide their young QB so far, which is huge for his future.  After a game like they had last week, this is a spot where a good team has to make a statement.  A pretender would go into this week against a team like the Ravens and get knocked out again.  I don’t think the Steelers will do that.  Their defense is too good, their running game is too good.  I’m thinking the Steelers are going to take care of business against Baltimore.

I also need to quickly comment on the Lions situation.  I guess I’ll get in line with the others who are not that excited for the team after firing Millen.  Yes, Millen was terrible.  Probably the worst GM in my lifetime.  However, what is really going to come from this?  The Lions haven’t been good for a really long time and that is not all Millen’s fault.  Also, it seems pretty clear that the rest of the staff there is inept as well, but they are keeping people around!  For the Lion’s to fire Millen now, they should have had a replacement lined up.  If not, they should have done it in the offseason when they could get more people in for interviews.  All this does is continue things as they are for the rest of the season.

So I hesitated to jump on board with the millions of other journalists and bloggers talking about Ned Yost being fired.  Why?  What could I say that they haven’t.  Now that the Brewers have officially moved away from Yost and played (and lost) their first game without him, I feel I should add a little perspective.

First, I tend to agree with a select few folks from the Milwaukee area on this topic.  Several people have said that they believe Yost was the right guy to get the Brewers to where they are.  I’ll go as far as saying he was the right guy to get the Brewers to where they were last year.  He did a great job bringing the young players along and not doing anything to shake their confidence over their young careers.  On another team, Braun and Fielder would probably be where they are now, but players like Weeks, Hall, Hardy and Hart would likely still be in the minors.  A majority of people outside of Milwaukee (those who haven’t seen the Brewers play regularly the last 5-6 years) really don’t understand this.  I’ve seen Yost portrayed by the national media as being overly stern, but he really isn’t.  Sure, he’s a statue during games, but he’s far too kind to the players.  Few successful managers would’ve let a player like Rickie Weeks bat lead-off an entire season.  Few would have let Bill Hall cost runs on a daily basis.  Few would’ve stuck with starting pitchers who regularly could not get out of the 2nd inning.  Yost did.  He was a great leader for doing this while the team was growing and maturing.  Although it could be easily argued they are still in the maturation process, the upper-management has decided that this year is the time for winning.  The Yost method is clearly not the method for winning now.

So what are we left with?  Quite likely we are stuck with the reality that the team still isn’t ready to win.  The caliber of pitching falls off sharply after Sabathia/Sheets.  You don’t expect your 3-5 starters to get 20 wins each, but you do expect them to manage games carefully and try to get through 6-7 innings on a semi-regular basis.  The offense still is an all or nothing affair.  The team has never gained the discipline to play unselfish baseball.  They are seemingly unwilling to move runners into scoring position, take walks, bunt, etc.  The Cubs were a great lesson last night in that, as they regularly got their lead off guy on base and followed with 1-2 outs through ground balls that moved the runner over to 2nd or 3rd.  Home runs are great for fans, but being able to consistently score runs wins games and eventually pennants. Benching Hall and Weeks helps, but it won’t replace years worth of undisciplined training.

How we judge Dale Sveum as a coach will probably be unfair.  He’s going to be charged with getting the team into the post-season and anything else will likely be considered a failure.  I know that everyone else will claim that the move was more about trying to fix things before it’s too late, but let’s face it, it’s already too late.  We’ve proven we cannot beat the Cubs and last night that was confirmed.  Our once comfortable wild card lead has turned into a 1/2 game deficit.  Sadly, we’re now hoping that the Mets and Astros free-fall and we can simply do enough to hang on.  Even moer sadly, most Brewers fans are turning their attention to the Packers and forgetting about baseball as we have every time for the past 25 years.

Week 1 we saw a revitalization of the Bears defense, we saw one Hall of Fame QB take his last snap for the year.  We saw another Hall of Fame QB take his first snap with a new team.  It was confirmed that the Raiders and Rams still have zero hope of making the playoffs.  There’s countless other drama that transpired and it’s only been one week!  Let’s see what is in store for Week 2.

Oakland at Kansas City
This is obviously not a game you’ll be watching unless you’re unfortunate enough to be a fan of one of these teams or have some starting fantasy players.  However, there is one very interesting story line here.  This could be the last game Lane Kiffin coaches for the Raiders.  Heck, with Al Davis at the helm, Kiffin might not even make it to the game!  There’s been a firing brewing all off-season, and coupled with the animosity between Kiffin and Rob Ryan (who seems to be a favorite of Davis), things are not looking up.  I feel for Kiffin.  I really hope somebody picks him up as he really seems to know how to run a team.  He simply hasn’t been able to properly control his team because the boss keeps undermining his decisions.

Tennessee at Cincinnati
Another bad game with some interesting drama.  The Bengals looked just as bad as advertised in week 1.  People are still expecting Carson Palmer to bounce back, but really, why?  For his career, Palmer has averaged 7.3 yards per attempt and an 89.3 passer rating.  He’s got a 1.36:1 TD to interception ratio.  Most importantly, the Bengals are only 4 games over .500 since 2004, Palmer’s first year starting.  Let’s face it, he’s a disappointing QB.  I’ve heard some other people saying that this year and last, and I’m jumping on the bandwagon.

In other news, what is up with Vince Young?  Is he trying to upstage Matt Leinert as the 2006 draft QB with the most headlines on TMZ?

New England at New Jersey(b)
No Brady, Jets are undefeated.  Who would’ve thought.  What is funny, is hearing all these Jets fanboys talk about how great it is to finally have a QB with a strong arm.  Have they watched Favre throw a deep ball or out route the last 5 years?  I think the Pennington/Favre arm strength debate is moot.  The only difference is that Pennington knows he doesn’t have an arm and doesn’t attempt passes that would make you think otherwise.  Favre hasn’t realized he can’t make all the throws he used to and gets himself in a lot of trouble.  I think he’ll be lost against the Pats.  He hasn’t done well against this era Patriots team, and I don’t expect today to be different.

That’s it for this week, since I’m running way late on this post…

Week 1, first time as a starter, first game without hall of famer QB Brett Favre on the team, prime time game, division rival, enormous expectations.  The only way Aaron Rodgers could have more pressure tonight would be if he had been the one telling Favre to take a hike over the Summer.  The entire football world was focusing on this kid tonight, seeing how he would handle things.  It was expected that he would stumble here and there.  Maybe some bad throws, even an interception or two.  People expected the Vikings to win.  The Packers had a different game plan.

Rodgers certainly understood the importance of this game, not only for the team, but himself personally.  He wasn’t going to let that bother him though.  This was no typical first time starter at quarterback.  Having Favre on the team has given Aaron Rodgers the luxury of being groomed for this job.  You hate to make the comparison, but it’s extremely similar to the situation with Montana/Young.  You really have to go back to that as there really aren’t many other examples.  Philip Rivers is the next best example of a QB who has had time to learn before being thrown in.  The time learning the offense and getting comfortable with the job and the team certainly looked to have paid off tonight.  Aaron Rodgers looked as if he had been starting for years.  He had command in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage.  He avoided the blitz, carefully selected his receivers, knew when to run and when to throw it away.  It was as close to a flawless performance as you could get out of ANY quarterback and an absolutely over the top showing given the circumstance.

Rodgers ended up 18/22 passing, 178 yards, 1 TD throwing and 1 running.  In classic west coast fashion, he completed passes to seven different receivers.  Most importantly, it’s easy to argue he outperformed Brett Favre.  Yes, Favre had a good day for the Jets, but Rodgers was more efficient passing and did it against a much better team.  All and all, a great start for Aaron’s career as the man in Green Bay.

…Brady done for the year.  Chris Simms coming in tomorrow morning for a workout.

Damn.

Not a good start to the NFL season for some teams.  First and foremost, it looks like incredibly bad news for the Patriots as Tom Brady hurt his knee early against the Chefs.  Great googly-moogly… It’s still not clear whether he has a torn ACL as Yahoo and others have reported.  There is a small bit of hope that the report could be inaccurate.  However, this is the Patriots… he could be getting surgery to repair his ACL and still be on the injury report as “Probable - right shoulder.”

Here’s the play where he got hurt:

Hopefully some good news comes of this, but it doesn’t look good at the moment.

In other news, not too many huge surprises today.  Vince Young has a sprained knee and even if he comes back right away, that’s bound to slow him down for weeks to come.  The Seahawks are looking really rough as they lost their last healthy WR and their starting RB today.  We had two rookie QBs win today in Flacco and Ryan, but both against really bad teams.  Favre and the Jets won, but barely did it against an extremely bad team.

Anyway, I’ve gotta get some work done and keep hitting “refresh” on all the sports sites until I see reliable news about Brady.

Bill Hall sucks.