titansphere.com

What a phenomenal performance by the Broncos (2-1) this week! They played well on all sides of the ball, especially their tackling. The Packers (0-3) begin this season as the worst team in the worst division of the league, but are still only 1 win behind in the NFC North.

AFC West
The Broncos received a chorus of cheers from their home crowd as they defeated the Chiefs (2-1) 30-10 on Monday Night Football. The Broncos’ defense held the dangerous Chiefs’ RBs Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson to under 75 yards and no touchdowns and rushed QB Trent Green all night with various blitzes, racking up 2 sacks and a fumble. Their offense sparked as well, scoring 2 touchdowns and a field goal in the first quarter. The only causes for concern were WR Rod Smith’s concussion and CB Champ Bailey’s strained hamstring (he already separated his shoulder last week). I’m hoping both are relatively minor injuries. This was another game I was worried about; I was prepared for a shoot out, not a near shut-out (the Chiefs’ usually explosive offense – number 1 in the NFL last year – scored 1 touchdown at the end of the 4th quarter).

The Raiders (0-3) also lost, falling to Philadelphia. Their schedule has been particularly tough thus far (Patriots, Chiefs, Eagles), but if they continue to disregard WR Randy Moss, they’re going to have a loooong season. San Diego (1-2) found their first win of the season against the Giants in a game I had hoped, but not expected, New York to win. Therefore, Denver gains the lead in the AFC West – let’s hope they stay on top!

NFC North
Sad, sad news for Packers’ fans: Green Bay is off to its worst start ever with QB Brett Favre at the helm after their loss to Tampa Bay (3-0) on Sunday. I blame the defense, really, although Favre blames himself (as expected). The Pack’s defense gives up a tremendous amount of yards, was the last team in the NFL to get a turnover, and generally can give up the game at any time. Therefore, more pressure is put on Favre to be the game-winner, and he ends up throwing some interceptions in a desperate attempt to gain some momentum for his team. It doesn’t help that WR Javon Walker is done for the season with a knee injury.

The Lions (1-1) retain the NFC North crown with a bye as the Bears (1-2) dropped a bunch of points to the bungle-less Bengals (3-0). Rookie QB Kyle Orton, in for injured for the 2nd consecutive season Rex Grossman, threw 5 interceptions as Cincinnati jumped all over Chicago in a 24-7 win. Minnesota (1-2) finally clicked and scored 33 points to New Orleans’ 7 for their first win of the season. Highly talked-about WR Nate Burleson didn’t play with an injured knee.

Around the NFL
The Patriots (2-1) won a controversial game versus the Steelers (2-1); apparently 54 seconds were added unintentionally during the early and middle of the 4th quarter, giving QB Tom Brady the necessary time to drive in for K Adam Vinatieri’s winning last-second field goal. Big injuries to New England’s defense (SS Rodney Harrison and T Matt Light – both knees) might create openings for powerful offenses to exploit.

Peyton Manning and the Colts (3-0) stay undefeated despite their low-scoring streak this season. Only the Bengals, the Redskins (who had a bye this week) and the Bucs enjoy zero losses in this topsy-turvy beginning of the season. Bad news for the Jets (1-2): QB Chad Pennington has another season-ending injury – a torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder. Second string New York QB Jay Fiedler also injured his shoulder in the heartbreaking overtime loss to the Jaguars (2-1), so third-string QB Brooks Bollinger is the expected starter in week 4.

Next Week
Broncos vs. Jaguars: If Denver plays as well as they did versus Kansas City, they’ve got no problem. Jacksonville WR Jimmy Smith is making big plays, though, so Denver’s defense has got to stick him all night.

Packers vs. Panthers: This is gonna be a toughie for Green Bay. The Panthers beat the defending champs, but they lost to Miami and New Orleans. Their defense must get pressure on QB Jake DelHomme and force him to make bad throws. Green Bay RB Ahman Green and the offensive line also need to get the running game going to take some pressure off of Favre.

This morning I awoke to the unpleasant feeling of damp carpet near the foot of my bed, which can only mean one thing: my waterbed (made in 1987 by a company that doesn’t exist anymore) is leaking. Upon confirming this, Eric and I set to draining it so we could find (and fix) the leak. Unfortunately, after almost completely draining the bladder, the leak was still elusive. Therefore, we put some water in it in hopes that, although the bladder is less manueverable dependent on the amount of water, the leak might present itself to us. Finally, I found it near the left corner of the foot of the bed. The patch, covered with waterproof tape leftover from hooking up our washing machine, seems to be holding quite nicely as I monitor the refilling of our bed.

Not satisfied, I went about fixing our sliding door screen (part of the screen ripped near the edge) with some leftover black cardboard and clear masking tape.

Lately I’ve also been busy lining a side planter with cinder blocks left over from a roommate so that the bark in the planter doesn’t blow across the driveway. I plan to plant flowers in them soon. I’ve also eradicated weeds in the front yard.

Just call me Ms. Fix-It.

In the last, ohhh, 3 weeks or so, people moved into the house directly behind ours. I’ve only seen a late 20s/early 30s blond guy there once, and I’m often home because I have no job (and no life…but that’s another post). The problem is, they got a dog about a week after they moved in, and they leave it outside ALL the time, even when I see lights on inside the house. It howls and barks incessantly: the second time I called the police it had been causing a ruckus from 11am to 10pm. What gets me is that a family (presumably – they have 2 cars) would get a dog just to leave him by himself all of the time.

Not only is it terribly annoying, it dreadfully mournful. The dog is a beautiful husky mix of some sort, black with a tan underbelly. Its obvious that all the dog wants is love and attention, which it rarely receives. Sometimes we go outside and say hi to him (I think its male) and he looks at us with sad eyes and follows the fence separating our yards from one end to the other trying to find a way to us. If the fence were short enough, I’d pet him.

I wish I knew his name.

Last night two friends of mine challenged me to a game of Yahtzee. My first set of rolls, as well as the first set of the game, resulted in a Yahtzee of twos. Farther into the game, I rolled my 2nd Yahtzee (fives). On the top score section, I got a 24 in sixes, a 20 in fives, and a 16 in fours. On the bottom section, I got all of the rolls and a 23 in chance. My final score was 374.

The following game, I was soundly beaten.

Week 2 was less painful than Week 1, but not by much. The Broncos eked out a victory over the Chargers – more on this in a sec, but the Pack dropped another to the Browns – read on to find out why this isn’t as bad as it sounds.

AFC West
The Broncos (1-1) came from behind – aughh! John Madden has invaded my brain! – and Elam kicked a game-winning 41-yard field goal (after missing two from 53-yards) to beat the Chargers (0-2) this week. The Broncos defense put on an amazing show, jump-starting their again sluggish offense. RB Ron Dayne was the offense’s most valuable player, furthering their last drive down the field with a key rushing performance. CB Champ Bailey picked off QB Drew Brees and took it to the house and Denver gave up only 79 rushing yards in a winning effort that, quite honestly, surprised me. I presumed the game would have been a high-scoring game, but I worried San Diego would run away with it in the 4th quarter. Perhaps they got spanked badly enough at Miami to pick it up.

In the other AFC West matchups, Oakland swallowed their 2nd loss to rivals Kansas City (2-0). RBs Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson continue to rack the yards and the touchdowns. Oakland’s poor final drive lost them the game; ending in a 4th and Goal stand, not once did they throw the ball at WR Randy Moss. The man has perhaps the surest hands in the game today! Moss has made his name catching clutch passes! And they don’t throw to him in the final drive?! Don’t get me wrong, I like the Raiders losing, but this transcends teams and loyalties and player character. I emphatically hate TO, but you throw him the ball on the final drive for the win. That’s just good football.

NFC North
I shake my head at the Packers (0-2). I didn’t see the game, unfortunately, but its gonna be a long season if the defense gives up 336 yards and 3 passing touchdowns each week. I’m still bewilderded by their lack of defensive recruiting this offseason – Green Bay’s defense has been downright awful for years…get some new guys! At least they kept Cleveland’s RB Reuben Droughns to 50 yards. Luckily, the Pack stay only 1 game behind as the Bears and Lions even up and the Vikings again drop the ball.

Elsewhere in the NFC North, the Bears (1-1) pummeled on the Lions (1-1), causing 5 interceptions and limiting the entire Detroit rushing corps to 29 yards. The Lion defense that stunted Green Bay last week must’ve relapsed badly as the rookie QB Kyle Orton threw for 150 yards and 1 touchdown and RB Thomas Jones rushed for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Big Surprise this week, however, was the pitiful Viking (0-2) performance again this week. QB Daunte Culpepper threw another 5 interceptions and Minnesota’s offense fell apart again this week (and was nearly shut-out) whilst the Bengals – Congrats! – (2-0) had a field day.

Around the NFL
The Patriots (1-1) lost to the Panthers (1-1) in what many believe is the beginning of the Panthers’ road to the Super Bowl. A questionable Carolina touchdown helped this effort, but the Patriots stumbled a bit: QB Tom Brady threw an interception and the rushing game never took off. Even the usually superb New England defense allowed 3 rushing touchdowns.

I saw the Pittsburgh (2-0)/Houston (0-2) game – Big Ben continues to quell all questions about his sophomore year and rookie Willie Parker keeps out-running the competition, both opponents and teammates – Head Coach Bill Cowher has named him the Steelers’ Week 3 starting RB. Texan QB David Carr endured a rough day on the ground as the Steel Curtain sacked him 8 times.

Next Week
Broncos vs. Chiefs: Denver’s offense will have to rise out of their stupor versus an improved Kansas City defense to take some pressure off their own, who will be contending with the dynamio RB duo of Holmes & Johnson as well as TE Tony Gonzalez. I predict a high scoring game.

Packers vs. Buccaneers (2-0): The Bucs have been surprising teams left and right so far, so the Pack’s defense will need to continue to improve to keep the opposing score low. Brett Favre and the passing offense should play a semi-West Coast-style offense – some short, quick passes with more than a few mid & deep throws – to earn yards consistantly but utilize Favre’s abilities. And fewer penalties – they are KILLING Green Bay this year.

CORRECTION: The meth lab explosion happened Saturday morning on 16th Street between Mill and Bellevue (near the new Bush Elementary); the Friday night fire was a chimney fire that swept into the attic. The tenant of the meth lab fire has been arrested.

Friday night the fairly-traveled blocks of Center Street from 14th to 17th were closed by a mob of emerency vehicles, impeding our adventures that evening. Yesterday we noticed city officials still crawling over a severely burnt house just west of the Center/17th intersection. Today our friend, Sean, reported that quite a large meth lab exploded in the house.

Welcome to shady Salem.

Sad, sad news: the smallest tetra and a frog died in our fishtank. The tetra was expected – he had looked bloated and sick for the past week and every morning I expected to see him floating belly up. This past Wednesday, I found him stuck to the filter intake. The following day I found one of our frogs lying spread-eagle, upside-down at the bottom of the tank. We have found no explanation; he seemed to be in good health in the days preceding his death. Therefore, we have questioned each of the remaining fish in the tank, but no one is talking. They’re a tight group. Our suspect list also includes George, but he isn’t talking either. This is gonna be a tough one to crack.

Meanwhile, we gave both the tetra and the frog a proper burial: taps and a flush. They will be missed.

Yesterday we took Kean and Rachel out to the beach, as is standard when land-locked guests visit. Both have seen the ocean (this may sound ridiculous, but most of my Montana friends haven’t had the privilege), but it is always a sight to behold.

Wednesday was no exception; the weather was absolutely gorgeous! A slight breeze blew whispy white fog in off the water, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue, and the (air) temperature was in the mid 60s. We wandered along a secluded beach a bit south of Devil’s Punch Bowl (roughly 10 miles, give or take a few, south of Lincoln City), admiring the waves crashing in and digging our toes in the sand. The water was cold as all hell, as was to be expected, stinging my feet for several seconds after the tide had receded. Eric and I carved a 3D turtle in the sand.

For lunch we traveled up to Taft Historic District (in Lincoln City) to eat at Mo’s despite our lack of interest in seafood (only Rachel likes it). It was delicious and filling as usual. We then shopped a bit at trinket stores; I found a wall hanging for the bathroom and Eric found a really neat lightning-storm poster. Then we drove home, where I took a nap.

My only regret is that my camera was out of batteries.

Eric’s (and mine, too) friend, Kean, and his girlfriend, Rachel, have just arrived from Montana. Although Kean has been here before, Rachel has not so we will be doing the Oregonian thing and going to the beach (and eating at Mo’s) and gathering the friends for a party, among other things.

I’m out – I must entertain!

What a disappointing start to the season! Both the Packers and the Broncos lost in lackluster performances to the Lions and the Dolphins (respectively). *sigh* It is uplifting, however, that in either division, only 1 team won out of 4 – in the AFC West, only the Chiefs won (routing the Jets), while in the NFC North, only the Lions won.

AFC West
The Broncos were just plain outhustled by Miami on Sunday. The Dolphins played surprisingly good defense, especially against Denver’s usually solid rushing game. The heat and humidity no doubt affected the mile-high team (the temperature on the field soared over 120 degrees), but it was no excuse for a lack of heart and focus on the field. The Broncos rarely used their staple rollout play-action, and wide receiver Ashlie Lelie dropped 6 passes, one for a 50-yard gain and one for a touchdown, in the losing effort. The Dolphins’ defense also stunned running back Tatum Bell after Mike Anderson left with a rib injury. Why they kept running a finesse back between the tackles (and into the arms of linebacker Zack Thomas and defensive end Jason Taylor) is beyond me. Bell was just rocked time and time again; the Dolphins kept him out of the endzone on 3 of 5 plays in a goalline stand that ended up in a turnover on downs for the Broncos.

In an outstanding dual performance by Dallas’ Drew Bledsoe and Keyshawn Johnson, the Cowboys narrowly beat the Chargers 28-24 with an interception in the endzone on San Diego’s final drive. The Raiders also lost to the reigning champs (New England), but surprised most of the NFL by keeping within 10 of the Pats. Randy Moss and Kerry Collins are sure to hook up more often later in the season. Only the Chiefs pulled away with a victory, steamrolling the Jets with their rush offense and finally playing defense.

NFC North
The Lions’ defense held the Packers’ offense to the fewest points (3) ever scored since Brett Favre took charge 260-some odd games ago. Plagued by 14 penalties for 100 yards, the Packers’ offense shot themselves in the foot time and time again with penalties on many of their running plays. The Packers’ defense surprised me, however, despite cornerback Ahmad Carroll’s multiple interference penalties. They stopped the run. They contained the trio of Lions’ wideouts (Mike Williams, Roy Williams, and Charles Rogers) to a fair degree. They certainly aren’t the best defense in the NFL, not even in the top 1/4, but it was a definite improvement over last year. The big disappointment, however, is the loss of wide receiver Javon Walker for the season to a torn ACL on a 64-yard reception called back for offensive interference (which I disagreed with).

Elsewhere in the NFC North, the Bears lost to the Redskins in what must have been a boring game: the final score was 9-7. They are in bad shape again as for the 2nd year in a row quarterback Rex Grossman has been signficantly injured; this year, his ankle. The Vikings lost too, in a big upset by the Buccaneers. Daunte Culpepper had 3 fumbles and 3 interceptions and never got the chance to prove he can still go long without Randy Moss. The Lions look to be on their way up, although I doubt they’ll make the playoffs this year.

A big hat’s off to the Saints for eking out a victory over the (in my opinion, overrated) Panthers for the Katrina victims; likewise to the Giants for their victory over the up-and-coming Cardinals on the 4th anniversary of 9/11.

By far the best game of the week, however, was the night game between the Ravens and the Colts. Perhaps the most interesting scoreless half of football ever pitted arguably the NFL’s best defense (Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and the Ravens) versus arguably the NFL’s best offense (Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, and the Colts). The game got away from Baltimore in the 2nd half, but overall the game was intense.

I can’t wait for Week 2.