Tag: Panthers

Kassie’s NFL ReKap, Week 3

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

Interesting twists and turns in the NFL this week….

I have already discussed my Niners. No need to go there again.

My Panthers won!!! Finally. Yes! Yes! Yes! I mean I know the New Yawk Midgets sent their little league team to play but a win is a win!

The Bengals had a 14 point lead over the Vikings. Then they were down by 16. Then they won by four. Yeah, that really happened.

The Cowgirls beat down the Rams. Their nation rejoices, until December.

The Titans beat the Chargers. Jake Locker threw a TD pass to Justin Hunter with 15 seconds left to secure the victory. It was the first time the Titans had beaten the Chargers since 1992. I was 11.

The Chiefs are 3-0 after taking down the Eagles in Andy Reid return to Philly. The Chiefs already have more wins than last year. Could they be this year’s “it” team??

The Patriots moved to 3 and Oh with a win over the Bucs who are now Oh and 3. I wonder how long it will be before the pundits start to “fire Greg Schiano.”

Arizona could not muster up enough of anything to hang with the Saints. They were defeated 31-7 in NOLA. I hope they at least got some beignets before they left.

After being the dashing darlings of the NFC last year, winning the NFC East, the Redskins look like the Redskins of two years ago. Mistake after mistake. The Lions took advantage of that and squeaked out a 27-20 victory. The Redskins are now Oh and 3.

{I laugh everytime I see this...LOLOLOLOLOL} Source: Google Images
{I laugh everytime I see this…LOLOLOLOLOL}
Source: Google Images

The Ravens found them some offense. The Texans apparently could not find their defense.

Soooooooo, the Fins are 3 and Oh. Yeah, the Dolphins. Yes, the Miami Dolphins. who would’ve thunk it? I am sure the Falcons did not.

The Jets beat the Bills. Nothing to see here folks.

Seattle blasted Jacksonville. And Jaguars everywhere, in the zoo, in the wild, are embarassed.

Is anyone surprised at what is taking place in Pittsburgh? Their production level has been on a decline for the past couple of years. An Oh and 3 Steeler team though? They looked like they might get their first win when they managed to get within seven of the Bears. However, the Bears defense saw to it that they would not get any closer. #BearDown

1,143 yards passing. 12 touchdowns. No interceptions. Those are Peyton Manning’s number through three games. THREE GAMES. Oh yeah and the Broncos beat the Raiders last night. Ridiculous.

 

Until next time…TOODELLS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kassie’s NFL ReKap!!

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

I owe my friend Earl Crawford an apology. During a Twitter exchange yesterday, I made the statement that “the O(Carolina Panthers) looked about the same. D looked niiiice.” My exact words. Earl’s response, ” I don’t understand….yr 1 O was on fire .. running up and down the field .. yr 3 we struggling…” Now in my defense, I was late getting home from church and I had to make a run during the game for pizza and breadsticks so I did not get to watch the whole game. It was not until I took a good look at the box score that I truly understood where Earl was coming from. My bad Earl. You were absolutely right. Yesterday’s offense was dismal. Quarterback Cam Newton completed 16 of 23 passes for 125 yards and one touchdown. Huh? Wait. What? Third year QB Newton ONLY had 125 yards? I need that to be a typo. Unfortunately, it is not. Newton did do a good job of spreading the ball around to multiple receivers, completing passes to five different players. However, that is just not enough. Now in his defense, this dismal offense was crippled by some dismal, conservative play calling. It was apparent that in order to beat the Seahawks, the Panthers were going to need a balanced attack. Surprisingly, the numbers say this is exactly what happened. 23 passing plays to 26 rushing plays. Well plays that netted yardage. So something is terribly wrong here. I saw too many dropped passes. I saw too many fumbles. And while I try not to “armchair coach,” I saw too many questionable play calls.

In year three of the Cam Newton offense, there should definitely be improvement from last year. The offensive line looked better. Newton seemed to be more patient in the pocket. And Steve Smith is still the fiery, ball snatching firecracker that he has been for the past 13 years. I agree with Newton and Smith when they say ” Everybody, let’s not panic now” but hey, something has got to give or somebody is going to be giving up a job soon.

Switching gears and speaking of giving, how about we give Seahawks QB Russell Wilson a round of applause. *insert applause* What sophomore slump? Wilson finished the day 25 of 33 for 320 yards and one touchdown. Things started out a little rough for Russell as he was under constant pressure from the Panthers front seven. However, once he got settled in, he managed the game like only he can. Scrambling when he needed to. Dropping back when necessary. Making throws on the run including a beautiful pass receiver Doug Baldwin. And of course, completing a beautiful game winning drive that culminated in a 43 yard touchdown pass to receiver Jermaine Kearse in the fourth quarter. That is just Russell being Russell. The other 31 teams better get used to it.

Switch.

All summer I have been hyping myself up, it did not take much, for opening  Sunday. My San Francisco 49ers vs the Green Bay Packers. A rematch of last year’s NFC Divisional playoff game. You know the game where 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick rushed for 181 yards. Yeah, that game.  Well all summer we heard about how the Packers were making adjustments so that they receive a repeat dose of what happened in January. Well, so much for that. Apparently the Packers thought Kaepernick could only beat them with his legs. Wrong. The arm proved to be just as lethal as Kaepernick lit up the Packers defense for 412 yards on 27 of 39 passes and three touchdowns. Huh? Wait. What? Looks like the Packers may need to go back to the drawing board once again. Ok, ok. Enough trash talk. For as much as I loved the way my 9ers looked yesterday, I am still extremely frustrated with our secondary. Too many missed tackles. Too many blow coverages. Too many missed assignments. Yesterday was essentially a shootout and it came down to which defense could hold. Thankfully, my 9ers defensive unit has been together for years and knows how to step up at just the right time. If it was not for that front seven then we might have had a different outcome. Fellow football fans have been telling me to calm down because Rodgers is a great QB who is going to torch secondaries constantly. Yeah, I know. However, I need to see some improvement out of our secondary and I am not seeing it. Remember, I was watching the 9ers when no one else was so that telling me that they are doing a good job will not work over here. If we are to, indeed, get ring number six then the secondary will have to step up in a major way. Teams will be looking to exploit that weakness. Now if everyone can get on the same page and play like rookie safety Eric Reid then it is curtains for everybody else! Bang! Bang! #NinerGang

Switch. My thoughts.

Speaking of curtains, the Pittsburgh Steel curtain may be closing. My goodness. They looked awful yesterday. So did those Jacksonville Jaguars. Sheesh.

Yeah Larry Fitzgerald! Snagged two touchdowns yesterday. Still top five in the WR department.

The New York Jets, with the assistance of a late hit penalty, won their opener. Yeah, I have seen this Lifetime movie before.

Speaking of Lifetime movies, the Dallas Cowboys one began last night with a win as well. We all know how this will play out. Maybe they will fool me. Eh, doubt it.

The New England Patriots needed late game heroics to beat the Buffalo Bills. I am not sure how to even interpret that. Any Given Sunday, I guess. Well almost.

The Chicago Bears beat the Cincinnati Bengals. Barely. That is a moot point though. As long as I get to sing “Bear Down.”

Miami beat the Browns, convincingly. However, they were not very impressive. Gotta love those Fins.

There was a Reggie Bush sighting in Detroit as the Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings. Bush racked up 191 yards of total offense and one touchdown. He has not produced that much offense since USC. Ok, Maybe he has but none of you would be surprised if I was right.  Adrian Peterson was sighted too.  Ran straight to paydirt on his first carry. From 78 yards away. Really dude?

Andrew Luck’s Colts allllllmost lost to the Oakland Raiders. Heard the Raiders looked good though.

And lastly, the New Orleans Saints worked that voodoo magic on the Atlanta Falcons, who were not able to #RiseUp for the occasion. Better luck next time birds.

Number 18, Ya’ll

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Football, NFL, Panthers, Sports3 Comments
{Source: ESPN.com}
{Source: ESPN.com}

After last night’s/this morning’s game, I bet no wonder is wondering why I chose the Denver Broncos to represent the AFC in the Superbowl. Two words: PEYTON MANNING. Unless you have been living under a rock then you know Manning is my absolute favorite player. I have been a fan of his since his days at the University of Tennessee. Other than watching my 9ers or Panthers play, there is no one I would rather watch on opening night than #18. The man is a legend and he did what legends do, they deliver.

Any questions people still had about Manning’s arm were put to rest tonight. The stats read 462 passing yards and seven, yes SEVEN, touchdowns . Talk about making a statement. The precision in which Manning carves up defenses is a thing of beauty.  I could go on and on but I will not. I will save some for the rest of the season.

P.S. This is the first year I did not get to draft Manning as my fantasy league QB. Someone had the nerve to draft him before me, IN MY LEAGUE. Do not get me started.

P.S.2. Make sure you check out my game’s of the week….49ers vs. Packers and Panthers vs Seahawks,

Until next time…TOODELLS!!!

The Kansas City Wake-Up Call…

On By kassienetteIn Football, NFL, Panthers2 Comments

The news that came out of Kansas City Saturday morning shook me to my core.

At first the news was very vague. Kansas City player commits suicide. My stomach churned when I read it. As the hours passed, the news got worse. The player shot and killed his girlfriend that morning. Stomach churned. The player committed suicide at the team facility. Stomach churned. The player committed suicide in front of his head coach and the general manager. Stomach churned hard. The player thanked his coach and general manager for all they had done for him before he committed suicide. Stomach churned hard, again. As a result of the player’s actions, a three month old girl is now an orphan. Tears fell.

The story read like something out of Hollywood. Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy and girl have baby. Boy and girl lives end tragically. Only this was happening in real life and real lives have been impacted forever, including mine. Sounds kind of crazy, right? It was hard to escape the news of the story on Saturday. It was all over the internet and tv. Family and friends were talking about it. Strangers were talking about it. While no one could seem to grasp what happened, everyone seemed to be asking the same question: why?

Why would a 25 year old NFL player commit such a heinous act? Why would he leave his child in this world with no parent to raise her? Why would he commit suicide in front of his coach? Why? Why? Why? Unfortunately, the why’s will probably never get answered. We will probably never know why the player decided on Saturday morning that life was no longer worth living. As I have skimmed the internet over the past 48 hours, I have seen plenty of comments calling the player a punk, a coward and a murderer, the latter which is true. While the situation is beyond my understanding, I have been compelled to experience sympathy for the player who had a lot of life to live. From what has been reported by the people who knew him, he was confident, happy, quiet and a true gentleman. Many have expressed that they saw no signs that the player was troubled or suicidal. The irony lies in the fact that before the player went into that place that those who knew him had not seen, he was true to his known character, thanking his coach and GM for what they had done.

If you really sit and think about it, you may be compelled to sympathize the way I have. The player had to truly be in a deep, dark hole to not even see a glimmer of hope. A hole so deep that at that point in time, his daughter, whom by all accounts was the love of his life, was not even worth living for anymore. The thought of a hole that deep leaves a lump in my throat. Can you imagine being in a hole like that? It makes my heart ache. I have wondered if this was a result of something in his past that has scarred him. I have wondered if he felt he could not talk to anyone about what he was experiencing. I have wondered if he felt that as a man he could not express how he was feeling. Often I hear men say that they are taught that they have to be strong and not show a lot of emotion. Well, I think that is silly. Showing emotion does not make you any less of a man. In my opinion, NOT being able to show emotion makes you a weaker man. There is nothing wrong with a man crying., There is nothing wrong with a man admitting he is struggling with a particular situation. There is nothing wrong with a man asking for help. NOTHING. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

We live in a world where everyone is suppose to be strong. No one is suppose to hurt. We live in a world where we are so caught up in ourselves that we do not make time for the people who are important to us. We think they will always be here. We live in a world where we are too busy to pick up the phone and have a conversation. We have time for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram though. We live in a world where if we do not understand a situation, we like to make assumptions and jump to conclusions. We rarely take the time to truly assess the situation. This is the kind of world that squeezes people and leaves them feeling like there is no hope. This is the kind of world that leaves people feeling helpless. This is the kind of world that leaves people feeling like the only way it will get better is if they are not here. That is the kind of world that we live in but there is another side of the world that shows its face. This world is a good place with good people with good intentions.

Remember when I said earlier that this situation impacted my life? I am a very strong, independent woman. Just ask my mama. Or my aunt. Or my cousins. Or my best friends. I do not like to ask for help. I do not like to talk a lot about issues or situations that are bothering me. I do not like for people to see me cry. I know there is nothing wrong with being vulnerable but I do not like it. It is human nature to be that way but that does not mean it is right. We all play a role in this world and a couple of years ago I learned my role. Upon the revelation, I vowed to become more open about things that are going on and to not be ashamed of trials I have had to endure on the way to my destiny. However, this situation made me realize that I have a lot more growing to do. I will never be an open book to the public. Wait, let me refrain from saying never. I do not know if I will ever be an open book to the public but I have renewed that vow I made to myself years ago. I owe it to myself and those who love me. So do you.

The deaths of Kasandra Perkins and Jovan Belcher should be a wake up call for us all. A call to talk. A call to reach out. A call to love. A call to share. A call to care. A call to love. A call to action. Lets all do our part to answer the ringing that we hear. Someone’s life could be on the line.

The Weekender…

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Baseball, Basketball, College football, Football, NASCAR, NFL, Panthers, Sports, WolfpackLeave a comment

Hey! Hey! Hey!! Welp, I did not like the way I structured The Weekender last week so I am back to my old format. Here we go!
All it took was three days for “The Lake Show” to implode. They fried Coach Mike Brown on Friday, let rumors swirl that Phil Jackson was coming back then announced the hiring of Mike D’Antoni this morning. I have no words.

The Falcons fell from the ranks of the unbeaten. Mercury Morris popped open another bottle of champagne.

My 9ers tied the Rams, 24-24. Yes, I said TIED!

Texas A&M went into Tuscaloosa and ended(maybe) Bama’s hopes of repeating as national champs. The legend of Johnny Football continues to grow.

The college basketball season kicked off on Friday. Watch out for the Wolfpack!!

Kansas State & Oregon are now 1-2 in the BCS standings. I want Oregon to play for the championship because I know their uniforms for the championship game are going to be tiiiiiiiiiiight.

It was announced this morning that Lance Armstrong resigned from the Livestrong Board of Directors on November 4. Even though I understand why he did it, I wish he had not and I hope he can now live in peace.

Antron Brown made history this weekend becoming the first African-American to win a major racing title. You may now refer to him as Antron Brown, NHRA Top Fuel Champion. Respect.

Three stating QB’s left the game yesterday with concussions: the 9ers Alex Smith, the Bears Jay Cutler and the Eagles Michael Vick. Prayers going up for all.

Brad Keselowski held onto his first place spot in The Chase for the Cup. He can clinch the cup next week with a finish of 15 or better but that was nothing compared to what happened off the track…

Four time champion Jeff Gordon intentionally caused a wreck with Clint Bowyer…then the pit crews threw down on pit row. Wildness!!

The Texans marched into Soldier Field and punched the Bears in the mouth, in the rain. As Roland Martin likes to say, #BullsOnParade.

It has been reported that the maximum number of years the Texas Rangers will offer Josh Hamilton is three. Looks like Hambone will be playing somewhere else.

Former Washington State receiver Marques Wilson quit the team on Saturday after alleged abuse by Coach Mike Leach and his staff. Why do I feel like I have heard this story before?

The Panthers lost to the Broncos. The Panthers O-line were the biggest losers, allowing Cam Newton to get sacked seven times.

My Wolfpack is bowl eligible. I hope we do not get a “cold” bowl!!

The NHL….SMH.

 

Until next time….TOODELLS.

 

The weekender…

On By kassienetteIn College football, Controversy, Football, Hockey, NASCAR, NFL, Panthers, Sports, WolfpackLeave a comment

New format to The Weekender. Here it goes…

Wolfpack, LSU, tataskinz, cowgirlies, g-men lost. Bears D scored again and again. Bama & Notre Dame came back and won. Oregon beat USC in a shootout. Knicks gave NYC something to smile about. Jimmie Johnson won to keep his lead in The Chase. Panthers, Steelers, Dirty Birds, Seahawks and the Broncos won. Bama and K-State are still 1-2 in the BCS. And still no hockey.

 

Until next time….TOODELLS.