Peyton vs. Eli -- Is This Really Necessary?

"You know I'll always be a lot better than you, right?"

Look, I love a good debate as much as anyone, especially when it’s a sports debate. After all, what red-blooded American doesn’t love to sit around and argue the merits of his team over anybody else’s team? And what real sports fan doesn’t live to espouse the value of his favorite player over every other player? That’s what makes it fun! Heck, I went and started a sports blog just so I could waste countless hours of my life doing that very same thing! But debate for the sake of debate is not necessarily a good thing. In fact, it can be downright stupid.

The BDT Podcast (Jan 31)

Quote from Laney: "I hate his face." Well said, sir...well said.

Jon and Prince execute a perfect ambush on Laney, bringing him to his knees with various Brad Childress related taunts. Also, we talk Super Bowl and various prop bets.


MP3 File

The BDT Podcast (Jan 30)

Here's hoping Andrew Luck can learn this one quick!

Jon talks to Nate Dunlevy of ColtsAuthority.com about Peyton Manning, the Colts future, and the Super Bowl. Also, as expected, we keep alive our streak of praising Roy Hibbert in every podcast.


MP3 File

Turnovers, A Fickle Ally

This about sums it up...

In a twist of cruel fate, the San Francisco 49ers missed out on a trip to the Super Bowl thanks to two costly special teams turnovers. While there were certainly other key factors that went into determining the final outcome of the game, those two ill-timed and wholly unexpected turnovers were the kill shots that put the 49ers into the ground. The irony of the defeat, or the manner thereof, is certainly not lost on me, and I feel certain it is not lost on 49ers fan either. Consider the following:

The BDT Podcast (Jan 24)

Every time I start to feel sorry for him, I picture that thing on his face...and the feeling goes away.

Jon and Prince recap championship weekend.


MP3 File

Bad Weekend for 'QB Wins'...

Incredible play by Eli Manning to cause two 49ers defenders to run into each other, thereby avoiding a costly interception!

…yet, it seems as if nobody noticed.

Strange, but hardly surprising considering the unfortunate inability of professional sports analysts to properly put their sport into context. Still, as predictable as today’s headlines were, I find myself just as disappointed and frustrated as I always am. You’d think I would have learned by now, right? You’d think I would have conditioned myself to deal with the inevitable onslaught of “(Insert ‘clutch’ QB’s name) wills his team to victory” narratives that pervade the conclusion of the conference championship games.

The BDT Podcast (Jan 19)

Prince is expecting to see a lot of this

Jon and Prince make some "Bold Predictions" for the Conference Championship games.


MP3 File

If I Ran USA Basketball: The 20 Finalists

Pretty sure we'll be seeing this again

For 8 years between 2000 and 2008, the United States, the greatest basketball power on the face of the earth, went winless in international men’s competition. Instead of running through the competition with Michael Jordan and Shaq, the U.S. was forced to turn to players like Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson to maintain our dominance. Needless to say, it didn’t exactly turn out well.

Since then, a new generation of stars has come to power and a new group of decision makers, led by Jerry Colangelo, has come together to put together the best TEAM, not just the best players. It’s worked, and gold medals at the 2008 Olympics and 2010 World Championships, even without many of our best players, has been the reward.

If I Ran USA Basketball: The Cut List

Seeing this on the international stage would definitely increase the world's respect for us...

For 8 years between 2000 and 2008, the United States, the greatest basketball power on the face of the earth, went winless in international men’s competition. Instead of running through the competition with Michael Jordan and Shaq, the U.S. was forced to turn to players like Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson to maintain our dominance. Needless to say, it didn’t exactly turn out well.

Since then, a new generation of stars has come to power and a new group of decision makers, led by Jerry Colangelo, has come together to put together the best TEAM, not just the best players. It’s worked, and gold medals at the 2008 Olympics and 2010 World Championships, even without many of our best players, has been the reward.

The BDT Podcast (Jan 16)

Aaaaaaaand........dead

Jon and Prince recap a tumultuous weekend of football before picking the conference championship games.


MP3 File

NBA Roundup

The 2012 Orlando Magic, everybody!

When last we left the Dallas Mavericks, they were struggling to score (97.8 Off Eff*) and unable to rebound (45.21 TRR*). Both numbers were well below league average, and it’s no wonder that they were getting blown out on a semi-nightly basis. Well, don’t look now, because Dallas has won five of their last six, including a win at home over Oklahoma City and a win at Boston. Not a bad way to rebound!

Speaking of rebounding, that’s exactly what the Mavs have done well during this stretch, bringing their TRR waaaaay up to 49.16. That’s technically right about average, but to improve their TRR nearly 4 full points in just a week is remarkable. They currently lead the league in DRR, so it looks like they’ve patched up that early hole.

* Offensive Efficiency – Points per 100 Possessions

* Total Rebound Rate – Percentage of available rebounds grabbed

* Defensive Rebound Rate – Percentage of available defensive rebounds grabbed

The BDT Podcast (Jan 12)

Let's be honest...this was ALWAYS going to happen. Completely inevitable. And yes, I spent nearly $100 on the jersey.

Jon and Prince take the time to kick Mark Sanchez while he's down before making their "Bold Predictions" for the Divisional round.


MP3 File

Divisional Round Picks

I'm not taking the bait on this one...you can make up your own caption.

In looking ahead to the Divisional Round, here are three things that stand out to me…

1. Tebow! – Didn’t I tell you that Tebow would win last week?! Wait, what’s that? I said he had less than a 0% chance of winning? Really? And I already wrote an apology for that? Well…I don’t know what to say, other than that I’ve made amends for my unbelief by paying nearly $100 for a Tim Tebow jersey. If that doesn’t put me squarely on the side of good, then I don’t know what will! As for the game, there is literally no way I could be more excited to see the rematch between Tebow and Brady. Say what you will about the guy, but he’s easily the most compelling thing on TV right now.

The Flicker Between the Frames - Super 8

Written by: Kristian DePue

J.J. Abrams’ film, Super 8 has been available on DVD for well over a month now. Anyone who had any interest in seeing the movie has probably already seen it. If you haven’t seen it yet, chances are, at this point, you’re not going to…unless you read this and are somehow persuaded by my opinion.

In the summer of 1979, in a small town in Ohio, a group of young kids around 14 years of age are making a zombie movie with a Super 8 film-camera. Super 8 (or Super 8 mm film) is a motion picture film format. The director, a chubby and bossy kid named Charles (played by actor Riley Griffiths), wants to enter the film into a local film festival. While filming a scene at a small train station, a train approaches and thunders past the station. Before the train completes its pass, a truck mounts the tracks from the opposite direction on a collision course with the train. The train strikes the truck and derails, and all of this is witnessed by the kids. The military show up soon after, and strange occurrences begin all over town. …so while the kids continue to film their zombie movie on the succeeding days, a larger mystery and adventure rises around them.

The BDT Podcast (Jan 10)

Did I willingly drop $100 to purchase this? Yes, yes I did.

Jon and Casey break down Wild Card weekend before Prince jumps in to make his picks for the Divisional Round. Warning: Lots of Tebow!


MP3 File

A Wild 'Wild Card' Weekend!

DEMARYIUS!!! I LOVE BEING WRONG!!!

Sometimes, it feels so good to be wrong. Completely, and blissfully, wrong.

Last week, I picked the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the Denver Broncos. Actually, I didn’t pick them to just beat the Broncos as much as I picked them to smash their face in a car windshield and take their mother, Dorothy Mantooth, out to a nice seafood dinner and NEVER call her again. I stated, matter of factly, that the Broncos’ gimmick was up, that their offensive game plan had run the course of the Wildcat, that they had less than a 0% chance of winning, and that they would not score a single point in the game.

Wild Card Round Picks

This would be a literal miracle if Tebow can pull a win against Pittsburgh. Entire religions have been started on lesser things.

In looking ahead to the Wild Card Round, here are three things that stand out to me…

1. Tebow! – Let me start off with a positive…no matter what you want to say about Tim Tebow, the Broncos are in the playoffs and he’s a huge part of why that happened. It’s no coincidence that they started winning games when he took over. Is Kyle Orton a better QB right now? Absolutely! Were the Broncos going to win more than 4 games with him? Probably not. No matter the reason, no matter the logic, Tim Tebow transformed this team. That having been said, I believe the gimmick is up for them, and I believe they have absolutely no chance against Pittsburgh. Long term, the Broncos can absolutely win with Tebow. Short term, it’s probably going to be a long Sunday for them.

The BDT Podcast (Jan 5)

So, we're seriously gonna do T.J. Yates vs. Andy Dalton as a playoff matchup? OK, then...

Jon and Prince sort through some early coaching rumors and make some "Bold Predictions" for the Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs.


MP3 File

The Flicker Between the Frames - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

If you like watching movies in theaters, then having kids isn't for you. Needless to say, I have yet to see this.

Written by: Kristian Depue

A couple years ago, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective Sherlock Holmes was adapted into a film, released as a major motion picture, and was a financial success at the box-office. The film was directed by Guy Ritchie. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law portrayed Holmes and Watson, respectively, and Rachel McAdams had a significant role as Irene Adler. My general review of that film, the predecessor to A Game of Shadows, was that I liked pretty much everything except the villain and the plot. The acting, dialogue, character interaction, costumes, sets, and the musical score by Hans Zimmer were all superb. Downey and Jude Law were fantastic together, and Rachel McAdams brought a lot to the film as a charming femme fatale. The story, or more specifically, the villain and his plot, were disappointing. Now, I have not read the Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, but going into a Sherlock Holmes movie, I was expecting mystery, twists and surprises. However, what I was given was an action-adventure with a plot that resembled a James Bond movie.

*Spoilers*

NBA Rundown

I gotta get mine!

We’re nearly two weeks into the 2012 NBA season and a lot has happened already. Thanks to the compressed schedule, we’ve had a chance to see everybody five or more times already. Obviously the sample sizes are still far too small to draw definitive conclusions, but there is more than enough to evidence to start making informed (and highly opinionated) observations. From here on out, I’ll be doing this in a weekly NBA Roundup column. Let’s get to it!

The BDT Podcast (Jan 3)

Look! It's the 49ers best QB!

Jon and Casey make their official NFL playoff brackets before Prince joins in to pick the Wild Card Round games.


MP3 File

Jerry Jones Arrogance: This is why the Cowboys will always suck

I'm too sad to come up with anything witty...

As many of you know, I am a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan. I watch all the games, even though I know full-well that I'm in for nothing more than an extended period of anger, disappointment, frustration, and heartbreak. Nevertheless, I trudge on with my team, hoping that one day things will be different. Today's comments from Jerry Jones stamped out any last shred of hope that I had.

I don't normally do this kind of post for the blog, but after reading the transcript of Jones' comments , I simply couldn't resist. If you had any question as to why I constantly complain about my NFL lot in life, here is proof positive that being a Dallas Cowboys is the absolute worst torture that can befall any football fan.

Black Monday Fallout

Perhaps the scariest sight in all of Philadelphia...

Black Monday. The day after the NFL regular season ends.

It’s a wonderful day for fans, as talk of playoff scenarios (this team is in with a loss by this team, a loss or tie by both of these teams, and a win by this team….AAAAAHHHH!!!) is replaced by discussion of actual playoff matchups.

It’s not such a wonderful day for the coaches and personnel men whose offseason started a bit earlier than they had hoped. The NFL is perhaps the most severe example of the ‘win now’ attitude in sports. Even a short window of disappointment can serve to erase any and all previous success, and Black Monday is perhaps the best example of that.

The BDT Podcast (Jan 2)

Happy New Years, Adrian Peterson. This is sure to cheer Prince up!

Jon and Prince officiate the annual Dallas Cowboys funeral and recap the rest of the Week 17 games.


MP3 File