It's About Time

As reported today at TV.com (don't read the comments under the story if you want to avoid spoilers), "Lost" will be gaining back a few viewers on November 8th, thanks to Cap'n Mal.

Since "Firefly," we've seen Gina return to her glory on "Alias" (and take a poor right turn in some show about hostage negotiators starring the guy from Office Space who now does Sprint commercials), Alan on Broadway, and Summer on some CBS show your grandma enjoys. Finally, Nathan makes a showing. Also, word is he has an agreement to star in an upcoming FOX vehicle. No doubt, it'll be jostled on the schedule and last only a handful of weeks, despite its guaranteed brilliance.

Now, if only Morena and Jewel would wrap shooting that soft porn pilot for Showtime....

Winning Streak Begins

Packers 34 - Dolphins 24

Note the time -- I was off by an hour. That means I was also off about the game plan. Of course, had the game ended when I'd expected it to, my score prediction would've been frighteningly close. At 2:45, we were up 27-16. Perhaps the game wouldn't have lasted quite so long if the last six seconds of the first half had not taken so long to play. Rayner hit a career-long 55-yarder solidly, but a penalty was called on the defense (some weird-ass thing like "disconcerting yawping") that gave us 15 yards. Unfortunately, I guess because of when it happened, we couldn't decline it and take the field goal. Rayner kicked another good one from 40 yards out, but then we got called for a 15-yard face mask. Because the time on the clock expired while we kicked it and the penalty was on us, we didn't get the time back for Rayner to try to boot another 55-yarder.

It's not that we didn't rush -- Ahman Green, back for the first time in a month, had a 70-yard TD jaunt in the 4th quarter -- we just didn't follow the whole 'run to set up the pass' BS routine. This is the one thing I have enjoyed about the Oblio era. Favre also didn't make any grievous errors, despite making some dangerous throws. Luckily, Miami's secondary is even poorer than ours. It's hard not to throw against a team like that. Yes, I realize that this is a lot like the pot calling the kettle ferrous. I prefer to think of it in a positive light -- it's good for our boys to see this if it helps them realize how the rest of the league thinks of us when they see us coming up on their schedules.

Lots of people will sing the praises of Charles Woodson for his efforts in today's game. Let me go on record now to say I don't believe the hype. Not yet, anyway. He played horribly in the first half. There were a couple of plays directly attributed to his poor execution that allowed the Dolphins to score more points in this game than in any game so far this season. Just because he returns an INT for a TD, it doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to forget all the other crappy plays.

I'm happy for Driver -- he was really the only seasoned receiver we had on the field, and he proved that with a good game today. Bubba dropped at least one more pass today, so I don't know what's wrong with him. Seems like it's happening a little too often for it to be a coincidence. The worst thing was seeing Jennings leave the game. He went out with an ankle injury and had x-rays done in the locker room. Sounds like it was just a sprain, though, so I'm hoping I'll get a chance to see him rip apart the Cardinals (who are currently losing big to the winless Raiders) next Sunday at Lambeau.

One and Four... Again

Packers 20 - Rams 23

I don't love the recurring theme here... but I'm convinced this season will turn out more like the 2004 season that the 2005 season. I think we're up for a string of convincing victories in the next phase of the season. Later today, it's the Dolphins. Next week, it's the Cards (in a game which, much to my pleasant surprise, I shall be attending with good friend and commiserater Bob). We're shallow on wide receivers after half the team got busted for something or injured themselves roughhousing on the off-week, so it'll be a slap-dash team, but you know who's leading them? Guy named Favre. Heard he's pretty neat. Favre vs. Ditka in a death match, I take Favre, 102-6. Somehow, I predict he'll get the ball into the hands of 26 different receivers. Here's hoping they'll all be Packers.

Kudos to step-up-to-the-plateable Herron for his performance a fortnight ago. Senator, he's no Samkon Gado, but he'll do in a pinch, I guess. How we could miss not one but two INTs in the St. Louis game, I'll never know. I'll chalk it up to the fact that Bob & Jeff were not there in the crowd urging the D on to their glory. In the upcoming game, I'm afraid our O-line will need to do as much as they did last time and make sure another running back or three have 100-yard outings for us to be able to put those bench-clearing-brawl-happy Miami footbal players in their places. I predict a quick game. After a 27-13 Packers victory, FOX'll be switching over to coverage of the Bears' bye week at about 2:30 Central time.

Cuts

Packers 9 - Eagles 31

No, I didn't forget there was a game Monday night. I wanted to....

We played well for the first two-and-a-half quarters, but then the wheels fell off. We still haven't shown much of an ability to finish drives. Even in the last drive, right at the goal line, Gado-wanna'-be Vernand Morency couldn't punch it in with four tries. No corners and no TDs make Jack a dull boy. And hey, Oblio, where did the passing game go?!! Jee-zus.

Speaking of "no corners," as buddy 'Bob' put it in an email, "The cancer has been removed." Ahmad Carroll was finally cut. Good riddance! He's been burned more than R.J. Reynolds recently. Of course, so was T-Buck (who used to get burned toast mailed to him by fans), and -- like many former Packers -- he has gone on to bigger and better things with other teams since he left Green Bay. Watch: Carroll will be a standout corner for the Texans, who are a lock for the Super Bowl next season.

On to better things here, too. We have the Rams today. We're totally defeated at Lambeau this season, so it's time for that to change. My prediction: If we can get more turnovers from them than they get from us, we'll trounce them. If Brett gets behind and starts throwing up the desparation passes, and our receivers turn them into picks, then all bets are off. I like it way better when he's throwing the long ball in the beginning of the game (or -- gasp! -- when we're leading) because he sees an off-coverage.

If this team is going to cut emotional leader William Henderson because he's been ineffective, then why is Fergie still playing? We should continue the trend we've started and trade about 30% more of our players with the Texans. And, while we're at it, can we maybe get Sherman back?