V's Rabbit Hole

  I've gotten to watch a goodly amount of Bengals football this season. Such is life in Central Ohio. So maybe tonight I listen to the Jaguars' radio coverage. They'll probably talk about what they've seen all season and I can pretend like I know what I'm talking about with this team by the end of the game. Cincinnati Bengals versus Jacksonville Jaguars This one ranks in at #11 on this weekend's Game Power Rankings. (Look for that as late as Saturday) We're in for a surprising slate of games, Week 4. This is not one of them – unless you're a Bengals fan and you want to get your hopes up about the season. If they weren't at home, I would say that Cinci should be on the lookout for an upset game. The Away team too often no-shows on Thursday night. But I don't think anyone expected the Jags to show up for more than two quarters, regardless. Burrow and Chase are heating up, and the offensive line are coming off an impressive day against an admi...

  Same ol Cowboys We're going to hear this a lot this season. Not only because we hear it a lot every season. (The Cowboys are gonna Cowboy) But because I think it might not be true this year. Dallas is 2-1 and has Carolina coming over next weekend. It's pretty obvious by now that the three major media markets like to goad one another. For the longest time in my life, the West Coast didn't have a football team, and the East Coast teams have sucked, so most of the media attention has gone to Dallas. Philly and New York have of course still gotten a lot of love, which means the Cowboys, but especially their fans, have been the target of media goading for years and years. My entire life. The first time that football became relevant as something in the world about which I felt compelled to have an opinion, regardless of my particular ignorance or actual level of interest, was Kindergarten. One of the boys in my class was telling another of the boys in my class at the wate...

  I feel like I'm better – or that I did better this week – than I was last week, so I'm going to have to dig a little bit to find things I got wrong about the Week 3 slate of games. Being right only helps me when I'm gambling – which I'm not. #16 Atlanta Falcons (1-2) @ New York Giants (0-3) I was wrong when I said this game would be HOU/JAC, week 1. At least that game turned out to be fun. This game was not fun. I would rather watch Matty Ice's commercial than his play on the field. What is really going on with New York? Saquon Barkley is a non-factor, and the offense sputters more and is easier to hate than the damn Buggy from Speed Buggy. I don't know, but I'm not looking forward to the stretch of Giants games we're inevitably going to get on Primetime. #15 Miami Dolphins (1-2) @ Los Vegas Raiders (3-0) I'm emotionally overreacting. And it's my party – I can emotionally overreact if I want. Also, all the games between Miami and the...

  Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. I feel vindicated for my game power rankings, this week. We got a truly great slate. For myself, I decided to superstitiously forgo the Dolphins/Raiders contest on the radio at the 4 o'clock hour. And Bears/Browns, Bengals/Steelers, and Rams/Bucs were on the TV – because I'm in Ohio and the football gods giveth as much as they taketh away. Your takeaway: no radio game this week. Nothing felt as interesting to me as what I was going to get to enjoy with my eyes. And I was right, I think. The Bears/Browns ended up consuming my day. Bengals/Steelers only get a few minutes of my attention, as every time I flipped over to it, Roethlisberger was standing on his tiptoes in a collapsing pocket, looking like he had no ability or idea how to get to safety – and funneling everything through Najee Harris. It made me feel some things, I'll get back to them - probably in a later post. So let's do it – the Monday Afternoon Hair of the Dog. This week...