After The Best Picks Column in the World’s monster Turkey Day Spectacular on Thursday, I’m kind of written-out. However, I would be remiss if I ignored one of the most heartwarming stories of the current NFL season. Now, I know that my writing tends to have a bit of an edge to it, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t take the time to acknowledge a true hero. Of course, I’m talking about New York Jets’ superfan Edwin “Fireman Ed” Anzalone.
Poor Fireman Ed had a tough week. His beloved Jets played host to the hated Patriots in prime time on Thursday night. After a scoreless first quarter, the Pats kicked into high-gear, the Jets fell apart, and New England made them pay. After the Patriots scored to take a 7-0 lead, a ridiculous series of events, including one which prominently involved a Jets’ player’s ass, led to the Patriots scoring three TDs in 52 seconds. Just like that, BAM! It was 28-0. New England capped off the quarter with another TD, for a total of 35 points for the quarter.
This was apparently too much for the sensitive Mr. Anzalone to handle. According to reports in from other fans and on Twitter, Fireman Ed left the game at halftime, and, at some point before he left, he deleted his Twitter account.
It’s hard not to feel sympathy for a man who has devoted so much of his life to rooting for the Jets. Despite being a Miami Dolphins fan in high school, (coincidentally, that’s when I started rooting for the Dolphins), Fireman Ed found a team that was better suited to him, and he has been delighting fans for years with his delightful screaming and creative, almost poetic chant of J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!
Fireman Ed has been a true ambassador for the game of football. It’s a shame that the Jets have fallen so far, so fast. I hope he’s doing OK. He hasn’t posted on his facebook page since Thursday, and without Twitter, no one knows what he’s up to. I’m a bit worried. One unconfirmed report said that eyewitnesses saw him stop at the stadium concession stand and purchase a hot dog before leaving on Thursday.
Godspeed, Fireman Ed.
I’ll leave you with a video of Fireman Ed at his crowd-pleasing, fun-loving best:
Poor Fireman Ed had a tough week. His beloved Jets played host to the hated Patriots in prime time on Thursday night. After a scoreless first quarter, the Pats kicked into high-gear, the Jets fell apart, and New England made them pay. After the Patriots scored to take a 7-0 lead, a ridiculous series of events, including one which prominently involved a Jets’ player’s ass, led to the Patriots scoring three TDs in 52 seconds. Just like that, BAM! It was 28-0. New England capped off the quarter with another TD, for a total of 35 points for the quarter.
This was apparently too much for the sensitive Mr. Anzalone to handle. According to reports in from other fans and on Twitter, Fireman Ed left the game at halftime, and, at some point before he left, he deleted his Twitter account.
It’s hard not to feel sympathy for a man who has devoted so much of his life to rooting for the Jets. Despite being a Miami Dolphins fan in high school, (coincidentally, that’s when I started rooting for the Dolphins), Fireman Ed found a team that was better suited to him, and he has been delighting fans for years with his delightful screaming and creative, almost poetic chant of J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!
Fireman Ed has been a true ambassador for the game of football. It’s a shame that the Jets have fallen so far, so fast. I hope he’s doing OK. He hasn’t posted on his facebook page since Thursday, and without Twitter, no one knows what he’s up to. I’m a bit worried. One unconfirmed report said that eyewitnesses saw him stop at the stadium concession stand and purchase a hot dog before leaving on Thursday.
Godspeed, Fireman Ed.
I’ll leave you with a video of Fireman Ed at his crowd-pleasing, fun-loving best:
Seahawks at Dolphins
It seems like only a few weeks ago that the Dolphins were hot, and looked like a good bet for a wild-card spot in the postseason. Then, the offence went ice cold, and teams started to find the holes in their defence, mostly in the secondary. The Seahawks have found a recipe for success: stifling defence, punishing ground game, and a mobile QB, rookie Russell Wilson, who makes plays with his arm as well as his legs. Wilson hasn’t performed well on the road this season, but he won’t have to do much to match the Dolphins’ offensive output. Winner: Seahawks
Falcons at Buccaneers
Atlanta’s performance against Arizona last week underscored just how unfocused they are right now. After losing a character game against the Saints, Matt Ryan went out and threw five INTs against the Cards. The fact that the Falcons managed to pull out a victory is an indicator of just how bad Arizona is. The Buccaneers have quite a bit more fight in them. Their offence has been potent of late, with a hot Josh Freeman at QB as well as the emergence of versatile RB Doug Martin. The Falcons are in tough in this one. Winner: Buccaneers
Vikings at Bears
Last week, the Bears defence got lit up by 49ers’ QB Colin Kaepernick, who proved to be just a bit more than capable filling in for concussed starter Alex Smith. It didn’t help that Chicago backup QB Jason Campbell was unable to mount anything close to a competent offensive response. They’ll have their hands full with Vikes’ RB Adrian Peterson. Jay Cutler is expected to be back behind centre for the Bears. He’d better keep his head up with Jared Allen on the field, because if Cutler gets hurt again, the Bears’ playoff chances may go the same way as last season. I expect a hard-fought, close contest here. Winner: Bears
Broncos at Chiefs
This matchup comes at the perfect time for Denver, after starting RB Willis McGahee was placed on IR. Some real game action will be just the thing that the Bronco’s other RBs need to become acclimated to their increased work load. Even without McGahee, with Peyton Manning’s offence, and a great defence, should be more than enough to easily handle the pitiful Chiefs. Winner: Broncos
Titans at Jaguars
The Jags gave the Texans all they could handle last week before losing in overtime. Chad Henne played extremely well. It’s hard to tell what to expect from the Titans. I expect that a week to plan for facing Henne will give them just enough of an advantage to squeak out a win. Winner: Titans
Bills at Colts
Andrew Luck had a rough outing last week in a high-profile matchup against Tom Brady and the Pats at Foxborough. I expect him to bounce back strong this week. If Bills’ RB CJ Spiller can get things going against a suspect Colts defence, this could be a high-scoring affair. Winner: Colts
Steelers at Browns
So, who’s starting at QB for the Steelers? I believe it’s Charlie Batch, but I haven’t checked in a few minutes. The Steelers had trouble scoring last week without Ben Roethlisberger in the lineup. They’d better do more this week, because the Browns’ defence is no pushover. Expect a low-scoring contest. Winner: Steelers
Raiders at Bengals
It’s probably too late for the Bengals to be thinking about winning their division (as I predicted they would at the beginning of the season), but they are hitting a favourable part of their schedule, and a wild card spot is a realistic possibility. This week, they’ll need to keep their focus and play a solid game against a Raiders team that has been giving up a lot of points of late. Winner: Bengals
Ravens at Chargers
The Ravens have been a little bit good and a little bit lucky this season. The Chargers have been neither. Winner: Ravens
Rams at Cardinals
The Rams lost badly to the Jets last week after playing the 49ers to a draw the week before. The Cards gave the Falcons a scare simply by fielding a defence and having Matt Ryan throw them the ball. Arizona’s offence is in complete disarray. They are starting a guy named Ryan Lindley at QB this week. Is he any good? I have no idea. Winner: Rams
49ers at Saints
The Saints are getting hot, and have their sights set on squeaking into the playoffs. They’re about to be dealt a serious setback, courtesy of the ‘Niners’ defence. Winner: 49ers
Packers at Giants
The Giants have hit a rough patch in their season. The bye came at a good time for them, giving them a chance to rest and reflect on recent problems. I expect them to come back from their break strong. However, the way Aaron Rodgers is playing now, I wouldn’t bet against him. This is my game of the week. I’m glad it’s in prime time. Winner: Packers
Monday Night
Panthers at Eagles
The Disappointment Bowl? I thought both of these teams had an excellent chance to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season. That seems like a lifetime ago. I can’t see where Philly’s points are supposed to come from. Cam Newton will have his best game of the season. Will anyone see it? Winner: Panthers
It seems like only a few weeks ago that the Dolphins were hot, and looked like a good bet for a wild-card spot in the postseason. Then, the offence went ice cold, and teams started to find the holes in their defence, mostly in the secondary. The Seahawks have found a recipe for success: stifling defence, punishing ground game, and a mobile QB, rookie Russell Wilson, who makes plays with his arm as well as his legs. Wilson hasn’t performed well on the road this season, but he won’t have to do much to match the Dolphins’ offensive output. Winner: Seahawks
Falcons at Buccaneers
Atlanta’s performance against Arizona last week underscored just how unfocused they are right now. After losing a character game against the Saints, Matt Ryan went out and threw five INTs against the Cards. The fact that the Falcons managed to pull out a victory is an indicator of just how bad Arizona is. The Buccaneers have quite a bit more fight in them. Their offence has been potent of late, with a hot Josh Freeman at QB as well as the emergence of versatile RB Doug Martin. The Falcons are in tough in this one. Winner: Buccaneers
Vikings at Bears
Last week, the Bears defence got lit up by 49ers’ QB Colin Kaepernick, who proved to be just a bit more than capable filling in for concussed starter Alex Smith. It didn’t help that Chicago backup QB Jason Campbell was unable to mount anything close to a competent offensive response. They’ll have their hands full with Vikes’ RB Adrian Peterson. Jay Cutler is expected to be back behind centre for the Bears. He’d better keep his head up with Jared Allen on the field, because if Cutler gets hurt again, the Bears’ playoff chances may go the same way as last season. I expect a hard-fought, close contest here. Winner: Bears
Broncos at Chiefs
This matchup comes at the perfect time for Denver, after starting RB Willis McGahee was placed on IR. Some real game action will be just the thing that the Bronco’s other RBs need to become acclimated to their increased work load. Even without McGahee, with Peyton Manning’s offence, and a great defence, should be more than enough to easily handle the pitiful Chiefs. Winner: Broncos
Titans at Jaguars
The Jags gave the Texans all they could handle last week before losing in overtime. Chad Henne played extremely well. It’s hard to tell what to expect from the Titans. I expect that a week to plan for facing Henne will give them just enough of an advantage to squeak out a win. Winner: Titans
Bills at Colts
Andrew Luck had a rough outing last week in a high-profile matchup against Tom Brady and the Pats at Foxborough. I expect him to bounce back strong this week. If Bills’ RB CJ Spiller can get things going against a suspect Colts defence, this could be a high-scoring affair. Winner: Colts
Steelers at Browns
So, who’s starting at QB for the Steelers? I believe it’s Charlie Batch, but I haven’t checked in a few minutes. The Steelers had trouble scoring last week without Ben Roethlisberger in the lineup. They’d better do more this week, because the Browns’ defence is no pushover. Expect a low-scoring contest. Winner: Steelers
Raiders at Bengals
It’s probably too late for the Bengals to be thinking about winning their division (as I predicted they would at the beginning of the season), but they are hitting a favourable part of their schedule, and a wild card spot is a realistic possibility. This week, they’ll need to keep their focus and play a solid game against a Raiders team that has been giving up a lot of points of late. Winner: Bengals
Ravens at Chargers
The Ravens have been a little bit good and a little bit lucky this season. The Chargers have been neither. Winner: Ravens
Rams at Cardinals
The Rams lost badly to the Jets last week after playing the 49ers to a draw the week before. The Cards gave the Falcons a scare simply by fielding a defence and having Matt Ryan throw them the ball. Arizona’s offence is in complete disarray. They are starting a guy named Ryan Lindley at QB this week. Is he any good? I have no idea. Winner: Rams
49ers at Saints
The Saints are getting hot, and have their sights set on squeaking into the playoffs. They’re about to be dealt a serious setback, courtesy of the ‘Niners’ defence. Winner: 49ers
Packers at Giants
The Giants have hit a rough patch in their season. The bye came at a good time for them, giving them a chance to rest and reflect on recent problems. I expect them to come back from their break strong. However, the way Aaron Rodgers is playing now, I wouldn’t bet against him. This is my game of the week. I’m glad it’s in prime time. Winner: Packers
Monday Night
Panthers at Eagles
The Disappointment Bowl? I thought both of these teams had an excellent chance to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season. That seems like a lifetime ago. I can’t see where Philly’s points are supposed to come from. Cam Newton will have his best game of the season. Will anyone see it? Winner: Panthers
RSS Feed