Tag: NFL

Ahhhh, boo…

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Baseball, Basketball, College Basketball, Football, NFL, Olympics, Sports, WolfpackLeave a comment

Yep, I am still dragging. I have made peace, for the most part with my 9ers losing. I am still somewhat avoiding ESPN. You do not realize how much they talk about the SuperBowl after the fact until your team loses. And if that “I’m going to Disney World” commercial chases me down one more time, I am going to scream. Thankfully, I have had the remote near by every time and I have managed to avoid hearing those words.

Since I have made peace, I am sure you are wondering why I am still dragging. Football season is now officially over. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Say it ain’t so!!!! What am I going to do?? No Olympics coming up to keep me occupied during the summer months. I do love college basketball and baseball though so I guess I will immerse myself in those. Although, my Wolfpack is not doing so well. *insert sigh* I have faith in them though! We will bounce back.

Last night there was not much to watch on tv, as usual. However, March Madness came early. I managed to catch the last nine minutes of the Michigan-Ohio State game. That was good stuff!! The back and forth. The barrage of threes. The defense. Overtime. Last second shots. Two of the biggest rivals in collegiate athletics. You could not ask for much more on a Tuesday night. Although, I am sad about football season being over, last night’s game was a great reminder of why I love March Madness. If last night’s game is any indication of what is to come in March then we are in for a treat.

Yeah, that is all I have for today. Until next time, TOODELLS!

Approximately 23 weeks until NFL Training Camps open!!!!!

Still Forever Faithful…

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Football, NFL, Sports2 Comments

Ugh. So close. Sooooooooooo close. I still can not believe it. Less than 10 yards away, maybe it was 15 from my team winning it all. Ugh.

This is not the blog I expected to write. I expected to come on here and tell you all about how much I screamed and hollered and lost my voice during my victory celebration. I expected to come on here and tell you all how I cried after my team hoisted the Lombardi trophy into the air. I expected to tell you all that I sprinted out of the house(ala Aldon Smith when he gets a sack) after the clock hit zero. However, it was not meant to be. Ugh.

My 9ers. My 9ers. My 9ers. Oh, my 9ers. They left me with a broken heart. They are making me avoid ESPN for the rest of the night. Um, I will also have to avoid ESPN at least another day. Tragic. They left me deleting posts off my Facebook page from people who wanted to rub it in. Some may call that being a sore loser and that is fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I call it being passionate about my team. In that moment I was sad and I did not want anyone adding to my sadness. Some losses sting. Some losses leave me shaking my head. And some losses just down right hurt. This was one of those hurtful losses. I was sad. Very sad. I think I even had a tear in my eye. To battle back the way that we did and still come up short is aaaah. I do not even have the word for it. Ugh.

I refuse to blame our loss on the refs, the secondary, the defense, the coaching staff, etc. Sure, there were some penalties I thought the refs missed. Sure, the secondary made huge mistakes., Sure, there was some questionable play calling but hey it is all a part of the game. How you react to those factors is what decides who wins and loses. Overall, I still think we had the better team on the field but the Baltimore Ravens refused to be denied. They are to be commended for their effort and for a great season. Although I am avoiding ESPN for another day or so, I am sure at some point I will search for the coverage of Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Torrey Smith and offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell all hoisting that trophy. Ok, probably not but it sounded good. I have great respect for those guys and that organization. Congrats to them and their fans. Look at me coming out of my sadness. I did not even end this paragraph with ugh. See :-}.

If there is one bright spot, it is the fact that we have a very young team that is only going to get better. I am pretty sure we have found our QB. I am pretty sure we still have the best O-line in the game. And I am pretty sure we will be drafting some secondary players this offseason. Once this team can consistently put together a complete game, I think you will see that 9ers dynasty rise, once again, from The Bay. Last year, we lost in the NFC Championship game. This year we lost in the Superbowl. If the trend continues, then this time next year I can scream with pride, Ladies & Gentlemen, the San FranSIXco 49ers!!! And this member of the Faithful still loves the sound of that!!!

Until next time….TOODELLS.

P.S. The 9er motto for the postseason was #QuestForSix. I think without a doubt, the motto for next season should be UNFINISHED BUSINESS. I think I will tweet them and let them know.

P.P.S. What am I going to do until August?! Ugh.

faithful

Almost Jerry. Alllllllmost…..

On By kassienetteIn Football, NFL, Panthers, Sports, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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October 26, 1993. I still remember the breaking news from the sporting world that day. It was the day the Carolina Panthers were born and it was also the day I became a fan. In case you missed the memo, yes I am a 9ers and a Panthers fan regardless of what you say. You still can not question my fanhood!!! On this same day, I watched Jerry Richardson, owner of the Panthers, guarantee that the team would win a SuperBowl within their first 10 years of existence.

Fast forward to February 1, 2004, nine years after the Panthers first season(the Panthers started playing in 1995), SuperBowl XXXVIII(38). The Carolina Panthers vs. the New England Patriots. Could my Panthers really keep Jerry’s promise? After the way things had unfolded for my Panthers in the playoffs, anything was possible.

My Panthers easily dismissed the Dallas Cowboys in the first round to advance to a divisional playoff meeting with the St. Louis Rams. My Panthers were leading by 11 with three minutes to go when the improbable happened. The Rams tied the game!! In what will go down as one of the most exciting games I have ever watched, my Panthers managed to get the job done on the first play of the second overtime. QB Jake Delhomme hit WR Steve Smith in stride, the middle of the field for a 69 yard TD to send my Panthers to the NFC Championship. The clip of Delhomme celebrating that TD will never get old. Classic Jake :-}.

Next up was the opponent that stood between my Panthers and the SuperBowl, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles would play without their workhorse RB, Brian Westbrook and would later lose QB Donovan McNabb during the game due to an injury. My Panthers won 14-3 to advance to the big game.

Besides the fact that my team was playing in the game, one of the main reasons that this game stands out is because I was in Charlotte to watch the game. A friend was invited down by another friend and my friend invited me to come as well. Keep in mind that I lived a little over two hours from Charlotte and I had to be at work at 8:30 the next morning but of course that was not going to stop me from going to Charlotte for the anticipated celebration. We ate. We laughed. We cheered. We covered our eyes when Janet played peek-a-boo. And with about three minutes to go and the game tied, we began to prepare for the trip to downtown Charlotte to celebrate Jerry’s promise. We had full confidence in our team. Then former Patriot Adam Vinatieri happened. With four seconds left, he shattered the dreams of Jerry and millions of Panthers fans along the East Coast with a swift kick that sent the ball through the uprights and sent the New England Patriots home with the Lombardi Trophy.

As I drove home that night, well morning, I began to laugh because I could only imagine what time I would have been leaving Charlotte if we had won. I wondered what I would have told my supervisor when he would have caught me sleeping at my desk. I decided I would have told him the truth. He knew I was a die hard and he was a great sport when he lost our bet during the NFC Championship game(he was an Eagles fan). If we had won, I surely would not have been productive that day but it would have been well worth it!!!

Divisional Weekend Roundup

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

Is anybody else tired besides me? This weekend of football wore me out. Sheesh. I need a nap. One of those good kindergarten naps. On a cot.

So where shall I start? I knooooow!!! Lets start with my team, the San Francisco 49ers!! Whoop whoooop!! We left shredded cheese all over The Stick. Green Bay started out hot but any chance they thought they had of winning quickly diminished when the legend of Colin Kaepernick was born. So did the hopes of Alex Smith getting his job back. In his first playoff game, Kaepernick completed 17 of 31 passes for 263 yards while throwing two touchdowns and one interception. That is not even the highlight of the game. He was the game’s leading rusher with 181 yards including a 56 yard touchdown run. Yeah, I know Green Bay’s defense is not the greatest but it held arguably the game’s best running back, Adrian Peterson, to 99 yards last week. Plus they have Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson. Serious ballers. None of that would matter as the 9ers pounded the Packers to advance to their second straight NFC Championship. Cheese for everyone!!!!

The game of the weekend had to be the Denver Broncos vs the Baltimore Ravens. The Broncos, led by future Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning duked it out with the Ravens, led by future Hall Of Famer, Ray Lewis. The game had everything you wanted. Lead changes. Ties. Hard hitting. -2 weather. Snow. A prayer in the form of a football thrown by Ravens QB Joe Flacco caught by Ravens WR Jacoby Jones in the closing seconds of regulation. Overtime. Double overtime. A bad throw by Manning that was intercepted. A game winning kick by a rookie kicker to send the Ravens to their second straight AFC Championship. After all that, I am tired again.

The first game on Sunday looked to most like it would be a snoozer but like I tell anyone, if you have Russell Wilson as your QB, you always have a chance. The Falcons soon found out as the Seahawks came back from a 20 point deficit to take the lead with less than a minute left in the game. Everyone including me assumed that the game was over and that San Fran would host the NFC Championship game for the second year on a row. Wrong. The Seahawks defense that had been so intimidating and in your face all year, allowed Matt Ryan to throw two passes that would give the Falcons enough yards to kick a game winning field goal. To make matters worse, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, calls a timeout that he claims he did not call but they have it on tape, just as Atlanta’s kicker misses the field goal, wide right. I guess you know what happens next. Matt Bryant drills the field goal. The Falcons win. And my 9ers have to travel across the country to pluck feathers next week.

The last game of the weekend…..boooooring! New England easily defeated Roland Martin’s Houston Texans. I do not think anyone was surprised.

As far as predictions, I have my 49ers finally getting back to the Super Bowl. Their opponent will be the Baltimore Ravens. Bring on the “Harbaugh Bowl.”

See you in Canton, Ray…

On By kassienetteIn Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!! NOOOOOOOOO!! Please tell me this is not happening. Ray Anthony Lewis is retiring. NOOOOOOOOOO!!

The hard hitting, shoulder fracturing, knuckle popping, leader of the Baltimore Ravens is calling it quits. After 17 years, Lewis has decided to go out like a superhero: on top. Sure, he has lost a step or two or three over the last few years. However, despite his slowing down, every opponent always knew he was still capable of changing the course of the game at any time.

When the news broke Wednesday, I already knew I had to make my way to The Korner to talk about it. I even got a request to blog about it :-}.  Along with that request, my requestee asked that I offer up my opinion of Lewis being charged with murder. To me, the murder charge is irrelevant when it comes to Lewis’s career. Just like Pete Rose’s gambling. Let the man in the Hall already! Sorry, got sidetracked. Charged with murder in January of 2000, Lewis could have easily let the bad boy image that some wanted to portray define him. Found guilty of obstruction of justice and ordered to pay the NFL’s heaftiest fine at the time, Lewis could have easily decided to quietly ease back into the NFL life. Surrounded by teammates whom he would win a SuperBowl with the following year, Lewis could have easily let someone else become the face of the franchise.Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said,  “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Instead of running from the experience, Lewis took the experience and ran with it. He allowed the incident to fuel his fire and drive him to become a better father, teammate, friend, mentor and man. That murder charge has not and will not define who Lewis is. If anything, that charge served as motivation for Lewis to inadvertently become a human definition of what overcoming adversity looks like no matter how steep the mountain may be.

The amount of respect I have for Lewis is enormous and I hope to meet him one day so I can tell him. For the past 10 years, the player I have enjoyed watching the most, besides Peyton, is #52. Any time he was on my screen, I was guaranteed to see him giving 125% every time he stepped on the field. I was guaranteed to see him motivating his team. I was guranteed to see him truly loving to play the game of football. However, it is the type of man off the field that fuels the respect I have for him. Lewis is a natural born leader. If you have ever heard him speak, whether in person or in a press conference or in the huddle, you know that he has the gift of leadership. I do not think I can find a person that has not felt inspired after hearing him talk. Shoot, his retirement press conference left me feeling like I could run a marathon, that same day.

Ray Anthony Lewis is one of a kind. He revolutionized a franchise, city and league with his desire to be more than just a football player. It has been a privilege to watch him play. When he officially retires, Lewis will be revered as one of if not the best linebacker in the history of the National Football League. Some sports fanatics will argue that he is not better than LT. Some will argue that Dick Butkus was better than both of them. I was not around for the days of Butkus and I was young during the days of LT. I do know you can not go wrong with either of them. For as much as Lewis will be remembered for the way he played the game, I think he will be remembered more for the way he played the game of life while. Veni. Vedi. Vici. He came. He saw. He conquered. And he is just getting started….

Thank you Ray Lewis for your passion and dedication to the game!! I am glad you are getting your flowers while you are still here to receive them. See you in Canton in 2018!

 

P.S. I am going to truly miss seeing Ray Ray do his intro jig. I think I will now use that to announce my arrival in various places.

Oh so random….

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, College football, Hockey, NBA, NFL, RandomsLeave a comment

Oh, just a little glimpse of my current thoughts….

1. I am so ready for Sunday!!! My 9ers vs. Russell Wilson’s Seahawks!!! GO NINERRRRRRS!!! And don’t act surprised. I’m a Niners Faithful even if the opposing QB is a Wolfpack alum.

2. I still do not understand this whole shoe release phenomenon. Sleep is waaaaaaaaay too important to me to wait in the cold for some rubber and shoelaces.

3. I like RG3. Those braids, not so much.

4. The NHL should just cancel their whole season and focus on getting it together for next season. Got everybody “on ice.”

5. The Beef O’Brady’s Bowl is tonight. HAHAHAHAHA!

6. Before Sunday’s game, Adrian Peterson needed either 509 or 599(I think it was 599) to break Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record. Some guys debated me and said he could not do it. I said he could. AP had 212 yards rushing Sunday. Guys still doubting me. SMH. Ya’ll gone learn!!

7. I have yet to watch an NBA game this season. I flip to TNT to see my man Sager!!!

8. Want a good workout? You Tube some MC Hammer videos and get your dance on. My thighs are still a little sore from that workout.

9. My nephew turns 3 tomorrow. Those years went by fast!!! HAPPY BIRFDAY BOODA!! Auntie loves you!!!

10. There is no 10. I only wanted to do 9 :-}.

If you are not following me on Twitter, do so!! The name is @KassieNette.

 

Until next time….TOODELLS!!

Oh no he didn’t…..

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, NFL4 Comments

Let me start with saying that I have NEVER been a fan of Rob Parker(an analyst on ESPN). Not necessarily because of anything he has said or done but quite simply because of the way he talks. He whines when he talks. I do not mean that he is whining every time he says something. He literally draws out the last word of each sentence and sometimes he does that to other words in the sentence and it is just downright A.NNOY.ING. The other morning I turned on my tv to watch First Take, saw he was sitting at the debate desk and I promptly turned the channel. Well, after yesterday’s debacle I am sure there were a lot of people turning their tv.

One of the topics of yesterday’s episode was Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III. I do not know what prompted the discussion but I know it quickly went wide left when Parker used the discussion as an opportunity to question RG3’s “blackness.” Yes, I said his blackness. What does that mean you ask? I DO NOT KNOW!!! After reading the transcript of the discussion, I am going to assume it means that if you are black there are certain people in this world who expect you to think, act and behave a certain way because you are black. I guess that is what “blackness” is. The term is stupid and I have a better word for classifying what “blackness” is: A STEREOTYPE.

Parker had the nerve to ask on tv, “if he(RG3) is a brother or a cornball brother?” I find that question to be ironic coming from a man who always looks like he got dressed in the dark. Parker then went on to say, “He’s not real. Ok, He’s black, he kind of does the thing but he’s not really down with the cause…..We all know he has a white fiancee. There was all this talk about how he’s a Republican, which, I really don’t care, there’s no information at all. I’m just trying to dig deeper into why he has an issue. Because we did find out with Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods was like, I’ve got black skin but don’t call me black.” Lawd hammercy. This guy. Just spewing foolishness all over the place. Hidden amongst the broken sentences and incomplete thoughts is pure ignorance.

Let me break these statements down. First, what makes a black man a “cornball brother?” RG3 is educated, articulate, full of integrity and has never been in trouble. If that is what makes you a “cornball brother” then I wish there were more of those around. Second, what is this cause he speaks of? I DO NOT KNOW!! I am black and I was not informed that there was a certain cause I had to be down with. Third, what does him having a white fiancee and possibly being a Republican have to do with his “blackness?” I DO NOT KNOW!!! I know that there are folks in this world who believe people who marry outside of their race are “sellouts.” That is ignorance at its best. Who cares who other folks marry? Is it causing you to lose money on your job? Fourth, what does Tiger Woods have to do with any of this? Tiger Woods is NOT just a black man. Any logical thinking person would have no problem with him not calling himself a black man because HE IS NOT. He is multiracial, in case you missed the memo.

This may come as a shock to some but what Parker did is, sadly, not uncommon in the black community. Some of us live to tear each other down instead of lifting each other up. Some of us do not want to see others succeed, not realizing that when one is successful, that is a victory for all of us. It has taken us a long time to get to the point where we are respected for our works, endeavors, knowledge and service. We threaten the very foundation of what our ancestors went through when we questions people’s “blackness” simply because that person does not live their life the way we think they ought to. I know I may be upsetting some of my readers right now but there is no sugar coating in the world of journalism. Plus, if you know me, then you know I am not about “sugaring” anything. Instead of focusing on those things in RG3’s life that he does not understand, Parker should be focused on how this young black man has revitalized a team, fanbase and even a city. He has restored some pride that has been lost for at least a decade. His success is pumping money into the economy. He is a great role model for not just young boys who look like him but for all young boys across the world.

So after saying all that, I have concluded that I still do not know what “blackness” is. I love to read but I have not read the book that tells me what I need to be doing to prove how black I am. If being black comes with certain criteria then I am going to go out on a limb and say I may not qualify. I love to run. I am attending my first NASCAR race next year and I have Bon Jovi concert dates circled on my calendar. Does that mean I am not black? Ummmm, no. Those things are part of who I am. Despite how I see myself, I know that I am held to a different standard simply because of the color of my skin. I know there are people who expect more out of me because of my skin color and I know there are people who expect less out of me simply because of my skin color. I am kind, passionate, loving and I communicate well. I do not do drugs. I have not been to jail and I have graduated from college, twice. If that makes me a “cornball”, then so be it. I am going to take my two degree having, marathon running, non-profit starting “cornball” self to this Bon Jovi concert next year and sing all the songs as loud as I can. Keep fighting for DC, RG3!! Us “cornballs” are rooting for you!

 

Until Next time….TOODELLS.