Ahh The Good Ol' Days

I was bored the other day so I decided to be a little nostalgic. I broke out the after-market NES and original games. I played some Yo Noid!, VICE: Project Doom, Battletoads, NES Play Action Football and TECMO Super Bowl. I re-lived my childhood on a 13 inch Sony from a decade ago, it didn't really enhance the graphics.

Those football games for NES are so totally different from playing Madden 10 for Xbox 360. The graphics are atrocious and there are only about 8 plays to choose from, 4 running and 4 passing plays. In spite of these things I still loved playing my old games. Does anybody remember playing TECMO Super Bowl? It was so hard to play defense, every play they did netted them 50+ yards and a touchdown. What was cool about that game was it actually showed you what players were playing. I played NFC vs. AFC, there was Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas, Morten Anderson, Mark Rypien and a bunch more. I remember having so much fun playing that game.

Play Action Football was a totally different game than TECMO, the field was 10 times as big and there were slightly more plays to choose from. After picking your play you had the option of choosing the opposite direction or play as drawn up.They also added the option play so you could run or pass. I remember this game being tough because you had to manually control the receivers in order to catch the ball. I believe there was an 'X' on the field you had to be on.

Good times playing these games. Just imagine what video games are going to be like in 50 years. I am going to definitely try to hold on to my old systems and games to compare. Kids nowadays start off playing Xbox 360 or PS3, they don't know what it's like to have cheap graphics and 8 megabytes. I still play my Super NES and Nintendo 64. The 64 was an awesome system, a bit underrated I think, much better than GameCube. Mario Kart was the best game for 64. Okay I think I have said enough, I could ramble on for hours on this stuff. If you still have any old systems, break them out from the attic and re-live some happy memories.

Down To The Wire

I thought I would squeeze this post in before the playoff games today. First I would like to thank AsBlackAsObama for his Commitment to Excellence post on the Raiders. He is my first guest writer that I don't know personally. It was a very well written post and I hope to have him back soon.

It seems like we might make some history in this year's Super Bowl. There are a few scenarios that could take place. The Jets haven't been to a Super Bowl since 1969 and haven't played in an AFC Championship game since they lost to the Broncos in 1998.
The Vikings are 0-4 in the Super Bowl back in the 1970's, their last appearance was in '77 when they were defeated by the Raiders. They only have a total of 34 points in all of their Super Bowl games. Also if Favre can get them there and win, that will probably be another record that he breaks.
Now the New Orleans Saints have never made it to the big game. I would like to see the Saints win the Super Bowl, they deserve it. They haven't been that great of a franchise and need a victory. I picked the Chargers and Saints in the Super Bowl, I might get to be half right.

There are currently only 5 NFL teams that have never appeared in a Super Bowl: New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions. The Texans have been around the shortest amount of time so they get a break but the Lions and Browns have sucked for a long time. What sucks for the Browns is that when they moved to Baltimore, the Ravens made the Super Bowl but not as the Browns so I'm not counting it.

I could care less if the Colts make it and win. The only thing significant is the rematch between them and the Jets, both this season and of Super Bowl III. Both Championship games should be very close and hard hitting. I love football!!

Commitment To Excellence

The NFL Playoffs are underway, and Powdered Toast Man has kindly asked me to provide a guest post about my love/hate relationship with the Oakland Raiders here at 'Just The Cheese'.... Which is nice, because I don't get to write about sports very much over at 'I Think It's Interesting'...

As a kid growing up in Northern California, you pledge you allegiance to one of two football teams. You either choose to root for the San Francisco 49ers or the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. I know the Raiders had left Oakland for Los Angeles when I was two years old, but there was a strong fan base for the Raiders even after they had left....

My decision to root for the Raiders was threefold:

a) Everyone else in my house had made the decision to follow the 49ers.
b) My best friend had decided to root for the Raiders. (I think I was 6 or 7)
c) One of my favorite football players of all time, Bo Jackson, was on the team.....

My choice was made.... The Raiders were my team....

I'm not one of those fair weather football fans who roots for any team that's winning, the Oakland Raiders, unfortunately, is my team through the thick and the thin....

By the way, I moved to Southern California the year the Raiders left Los Angeles to return to Oakland....

Throughout my childhood, the franchise had firepower.... They were tough, they had grit.... When they hit a guy, he stayed down.... Heck, they won two Super Bowls in the early 1980's.... And the fans, the 'Raider Nation' were just as tough and crazy as the players.


They brought in some amazing players.... Marcus Allen, Tim Brown, Howie Long, and as I mentioned before, Bo Jackson were some of the big names that helped the Raiders win up until their final Super Bowl appearance in 2002, where they got crushed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers....

Then they lost their magic.... Since 2002, the Oakland Raiders have lost 83 of 112 games.... They have a dismal 26% winning percentage....

What could have caused this drastic turnaround?

It could have been the fact that the Oakland Raiders have had five head coaches over the past seven seasons.... But coach turnover is typical after a poor season....

It could have been that the Oakland Raiders have drafted (and given enormous contracts to) the biggest names in college football in the first round of the last few drafts.... But those star college players: JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden and Darrius Heyward-Bey have not been able to translate their talent into NFL success.... The assistant coaches have actually told the press that they believe JaMarcus Russell has regressed as a quarterback, and in my opinion it seems like the offense doesn't want to work hard for Russell.

They brought in veteran defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Greg Ellis this year to lead the defense, and they brought instant results, but the team still did not have any solid defense.....


When it comes down to it, the Raiders are not a cohesive team.... They play for one man..... The man who calls all the shots.... Team owner and general manager, 80 year old Al 'Cryptkeeper' Davis. From all accounts, all decisions regarding the franchise go through him, some players have said that he still calls plays from up in the booth.... Don't get me wrong.... He had a wonderful football mind, but lately it seems like he's losing that mind and he might need to let go of the reigns......

Until we figure out what's wrong, we'll just keep on 'rebuilding'.....

Zebra Stripes

It has to be tough being a referee in professional sports and not for the reason you are probably thinking of. Referees can't have a favorite team in the sport that they work in. You would think that a football referee had a favorite team growing up and that's why he wanted to be a referee in the NFL. How do you get a job in a sport you love and just not like any teams anymore? Also what makes you want to become a professional referee anyway?

I mean umpiring your son's little league team is probably fun but what's the incentive to going pro? I could never do it. I would want to watch the game and not my section of the field. That's the other challenge, is having a section of the field to watch during the whole game and not sneaking a peak at the actual play. Obviously I'm centering around football because that is what I mostly watch. I guess it's all about ethics and doing your job. I think the refs are underrated. I wonder how much they get paid? Are they under contract too? These are the things that I ponder everyday.

FINALLY!!!

It's about freaking time the Giants won a game. After 4 straight disappointing losses the Giants finally get a win. It was a nail biter 'til the end. They actually almost lost again with the Falcons coming back from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to tie it and send it into overtime. However Eli did what he does best and drive down the field for the victory, well a drive that ended with a Tynes field goal.

Now the Giants have a very short week because they have to play the Broncos on Thanksgiving. Denver has an unfair advantage being the home team, they get an extra day of practice and rest since the G-men have to travel on Wednesday. Let's hope this win against Atlanta sparks a big winning streak. Dallas almost lost to the Redskins but they had to go and score a touchdown in the last 3 minutes. A Dallas loss would of helped New York gain some ground.

It sucks that Antonio Pierce is out with a neck injury, he's like the Quarterback of the defense. Luckily Chase Blackburn filled in nicely for him today. For some reason the Giants are always flooded with injuries, especially on defense. I'm gonna use my excess football energy to play some Madden.

Postgame Thoughts

Even though the Giants lost, I had a lot of fun at my first NFL football game yesterday. The Giants are playing better but still not up to snuff. Too many penalties and poor red zone offense. Once they get these problems under control they will make a come back and retake first place in the NFC East. Their bye comes at a crucial time, they need to go back and work on the basics. I could talk for hours on this subject but I had a different agenda for this post.

I have come to the conclusion that a lot of people go to sporting events for the concession stand. Way too many people getting up all the time to stuff their faces.........sit down and watch the damn game!!! I had to pee once I sat down 10 minutes before the game started and I didn't go to the bathroom until the middle of the 3rd quarter, I didn't want to miss anything. If you're spending $100 for a seat you might as well get your money's worth.

There was a couple next to us at the game that got up and left randomly for like 10-30 minutes at a time, where did they go and what the hell where they doing? People in general bother the shit out of me, I don't understand why people do what they do. Is it just me or do people's actions bother you too?

NY Tix

Nicole got me Giants tickets for our anniversary and a Brandon Jacobs jersey. We are going tomorrow (Nov. 8th) for the game against the Chargers. I have never been to an NFL game before, I'm so excited!! Going to a football game is in my dream book. I didn't think I would be going anytime soon. We are also going to be doing a little tailgating before the game. I'm currently cooking up some BBQ and Buffalo chicken..... mmmm.



The G-men better play a good game tomorrow or I am not going to be a happy camper. Eli better step up his game and not throw any interceptions. I'd rather David Carr play instead of an unwary Manning. I'm predicting a rushing massacre against the Chargers, Jacobs is going to chew up that D-line. Giants need this win. I'm not sure who I want to win the Eagles/Cowboys game, I hate them both!! I hate tough decisions.

Big Blue, where are you?

Somewhere along the way the Giants forgot how to play professional football. They are playing like the '08 Detroit Lions or the Detroit Lions of any year in the past 10 years for that matter. They are not the same team that started this season. What the fuck happened?

Their defense has been non-existent, teams are finding giant holes in their secondary and they are racking up too many points. I mean both Aaron Ross and Kenny Philips are injured but still that's no excuse. Also what happened to all the sacks this D-line usually gets on opposing QB's? They need Steve Spagnuolo back, he shouldn't of taken that Head Coach job for the Rams, they suck. He's better off coaching the Giants defense then the struggling Rams.

Eli is acting like an inexperienced rookie out there on the field. He is taking way too long before the snap changing up the plays trying to find the perfect one. He is always on the cusp of a delay of game penalty, he received 2 last week against the Cardinals. I'm not sure if him and his WR's aren't communicating but a lot of his passes have been way off mark and a lot have been overthrown. Maybe he should let that foot injury heal and have David Carr take half the snaps. I think they also need a veteran wide out to replace Burress and Toomer. Is Jerry Rice available?

The G-Men need their bye week right now. They need to regroup and watch the last 3 games on tape very closely. I have never been so pissed at their shitty performance. I found myself cursing at the tv yesterday at the Giants and I barely curse in real life. I wouldn't mind them losing if they at least put up a fight. Luckily there was an inkling of a comeback against the Eagles when they scored 10 points from the fumble and kick off recovery but that was short lived after the Eagles scored in the next 20 seconds. I figured they would run over the Eagles with Westbrook out with a concussion, I was dead wrong.

And to think I was going to write a post 3 weeks ago right before the Saints game on how awesome the Giants are that no one could stop them. I would look like a total asshole now. I might have to start rooting for the Raiders again soon, I used to be a fan of the black and silver pre-2002 season.

Tom Coughlin, give the Giants a stern talking to, make them stand in the corner and think about what they did wrong if you have to. Somebody has to start doing something right already.........WTF!!