Life and Stuff

I feel for Mike Nolan. How much pain and anguish did this poor man have to go through in the past week? He probably woke up last Monday all focused and ready for a game that the 49's desperately needed to have if they were going to have any hope of climbing back into the NFC playoff picture. If I were the Niners head coach, I would no doubt put every once of my being into defeating the Seahawks and proving to all the naysayers in the media that my team is better than what their record indicates. I will guarantee you that that was the mindset of coach Nolan when he rolled out of bed last Monday to begin his game plan. However, something came up that caused the coach to drop everything, and attend to the matter at hand. In this case, his Father had taken a turn for the worst in his battle against prostrate cancer and Alzheimer's disease. To those from another era, Dick Nolan will always be remembered as a pupil of Tom Landry's who stuck it for 8 years as the coach of the same team his son coaches today. Aside from John Brodie, those 49er's did not have much star power and often finished at or near the bottom of the NFC west. Nolan later coached with the Oakland Raiders under some guy named Madden. His success there made him ripe for another coaching job with the Saints in the late 70's. Unfortunately, Nolan could not gain any momentum towards victory, and did not last long at the helm of the pitiful Saints. Flash forward almost 30 years, and now Dick Nolan was quietly breathing his last breaths. Mike Nolan knew he had to spend some time with his Dad before he passed on, and he chose to leave the game in the hands of his assistants while he went to care for his ailing Dad. Sadly, Dick Nolan passed away early Sunday morning, leaving Mike Nolan to choose between his team and his family. Perhaps taking a cue from Brett Favre, who played one of his best games as a pro the Monday after his Father died, Nolan knew he was a football guy, and his Dad probably would have wanted it to be that way, so he chose to go. As for the 49er's, Dick Nolan's death provided them with the extra adrenaline they needed to pull out the upset. Unfortunately, a suffocating Seahawk defense coupled with an over matched offense, led to a disastrous 24-0 loss. Poor Mike Nolan, first his Father passes on, then his team gets destroyed in front of all of America. My sympathies and prayers for his Father's death and his inadequate team go out to him. While we're on the subject of prayer, I like to begin the bullet points with a prayer of my own.

• O dear Lord, please watch over Adrian Peterson and make sure he's not done for the season with a knee injury, because it would really be a blow to my fantasy team. I'd be willing to suffer a Patriot loss before my best player is done for the season, so let's make a deal. You let the Bills beat the Patriots next week and Adrian Peterson comes back healthy in two weeks. Then again, I won't win anything for finishing first in my fantasy league anyway, so why don't we just forget the whole thing and let the Patriots have a perfect season, amen.

• Just when you thought an Adam Vinatieri game winning field goal was as sure a thing as death and taxes, he muffs one, and gives the shaft to your Fantasy team as well. With the Titans playing as well as they are, this loss could be crippling to the Colts down the line.

• Darren Sproles ran two kicks back for touchdowns. The way he ran, I thought he was smuggling drugs over the border into nearby Tijuana.

• Did you see Drew Carey hoisting the 12th man flag in Seattle last night? I heard that because of his loyalty to the Browns, he was reluctant to do it. But when he heard the price was right for his services, he jumped on board.
  

• What about that display in Qwest Field that counts how many times the crowd noise causes a false start on the opposing offense? At first, I thought they were counting hoe many dumb statement Tony Kornheiser made throughout the game.

• Big win for the Falcons on Sunday. Joey Harrington found Algae Crumpler, who took it to the house for the score while Harrington was underneath a linebacker sandwich.

• Panther WR Steve Smith was seen crying after the loss to Atlanta. Why you ask? It was because he has finally come to the realization that Vinny Testaverde is slowly losing his sight and can no longer find the open man.

• Hey Rams fans, crack open a Bud and eat some St. Louis ribs because your team has finally found the win column!

• As for Miami, their quarterback's a lemon and they can't generate any offense. So, at 0-9, they remain the only winless team in the NFL. Where's David Woodley when you need him?

• Speaking of bad, QB's, KC has a couple of them, and Brody Croyle will finally get the chance to show his stuff against the Colts next Sunday. Where's Len Dawson when you need him?

• To all you Eagle fans who think McNabb is resurged, would you still feel that way if Brian Westbrook's power running didn't single handedly give the Eagles a win over the Skins?

• Kudos to Jaguars running back Fred Taylor who became one of only a handful of running backs to surpass the 10,000 yard mark. Don't look now, but with a strong one two punch at RB, the Jaguars at 6-3 could surprise a lot of people and go deep into the postseason.

• The rancid ketchup that I said was served to the Ravens in Pittsburgh last week was almost certainly served to the Browns at halftime. Did they even know there was another half of football to play?

• Want proof that even if they had a decent offense the Ravens would be among the elite teams in the NFL? All 21 Bengal points were scored via the field goal.
  

• I knew the Lions were frauds! Their combined rushing yard total on Sunday was -18! In case you were wondering, yes, that is the modern day NFL record.

• Okay, I'll admit the Cowboys are the best in the NFC. There defense was suspect, but if Tank Johnson cares more about football than guns, the team could be Super Bowl bound.

• Until next week, peace out homies!